Love v. Attachment

I've been thinking a lot lately about my relationships with people. This ended up in my email today and it seems appropriate that it came to me at this time. I thought I'd share....

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We confuse attachment with love. Attachment is concerned with my needs, my happiness, while love is an unselfish attitude, concerned with the needs and happiness of others....

A relationship free of unrealistic grasping is free of disappointment, conflict, jealousy, and other problems, and is fertile ground for the growth of love and wisdom.

-Kathleen McDonald, "How to Meditate"

Podcasting

I have figured out more about podcasting today. I think I got the necessary feeds set up. I will see what develops with www.artofgraciousliving.com. I've had a few emails from people who like the bread recipe I posted there.

www.patsyterrell.com/aoglpodcast1.mp3 to hear the podcast

Sunday was Not for Rest

I've been going full tilt all day and here at the end of the day I've not accomplished as much as I would like. And, yet, I've done about as much as I can do in one day. At least some things have gotten done.

I'm working on the tree, and still need to get some more invitations for my Christmas party out - ones I have to look up addresses for.

It is cold here - 19 now - and it was 19 when I first looked this morning. I'm not sure how warm it got, but it was not balmy by any means.

I've been glued to the food network tonight off and on - Paula Deen's Christmas show and the gingerbread competition.

I hope by next year that my life is a bit more "normal." If so I'm going to decorate in early November and start entertaining. There just isn't enough time to entertain all in December.

Planting in the Cold

I've been outside planting spring bulbs. I did some the other day and the problem with that is that I couldn't necessarily remember exactly where I planted them and so I'm clueless what is where now. I'm just not a person who can make charts to scale and draw things out. It will be a surprise in the spring.

I'm planting daffodils and tulips mostly, but also some hyacinths and crocus.

It's cold here - 29 at the moment - but this is going to be one of the warmer days we have for the next week so I thought I'd better try to get some of it done. I still have about 40 daffodils and about 20 tulips and I think I'm out of room in the front flower bed. Well, as best I can tell, anyway.

So, I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the rest of them. Maybe something will occur to me. The front is the only place that gets enough sun for them, I think. I planted some in the back a few years ago and they bloomed once or twice - kind of late - but never really took off. So, I'm not sure. Maybe I can stash the bulbs until next year so when I see where the holes are I can fill them in.

Podcasting

Today I have entered the world of Podcasting. OK, so, it's a timid entry since at 6:30 this morning I had no clue how to begin. Now, at 11:30 p.m. I have a podcast online.

Good thing I have a broadcasting degree or it might have taken more days.

We'll see how I enjoy doing this. It certainly plays to my skills given my background in radio.

I just adlibbed this one, but may start to actually write them out. Of course, I want it to sound conversational, so maybe not.

Maybe I'm putting too much thought into it since I'm not even sure I want to continue to do it.

I am passionate about the topic of people making connection with one another. I've written about it here at length, particularly in April when I saw Dr. Robert Putnam speech. The new website, www.artofgraciousliving.com is going to be devoted to how to help people make connection.

I am certain this is critical to our well-being and that it's a skill we've lost. My hope is to use the podcasting format, in addition to the written word, to encourage people along these lines.

Check it out at www.artofgraciousliving.com. I'm open to comments, thoughts, suggestions.

Bingo

Although it's not something I could have imagined myself saying a year ago, I played Bingo tonight. Two of the Compeer volunteers planned a get together tonight and bingo was a central feature. Everyone loved it.

I haven't played bingo since I was a kid. I know it's big business in churches and bingo parlors, but it's just something I haven't done since childhood. But, I did.

They did a great job of putting everything together. They had nice gifts and did snacks and everything. It was a lovely gesture on their part to do the Christmas gathering for the group.

Failure

OK... just for fun... go to www.google.com and type in "failure" and hit the "I'm feeling Lucky" button. It takes you straight to George Bush's bio on the White House page.It made me laugh out loud.