Friday, 5 July 2013

July 5, 2013 Chautauqua


From the Editor's Computer  

   Two young fish swim past an older fish.  As they pass the older fish, he says, "Morning, boys.  How's the water?"  The two young fish continue on for a while until one eventually asks the other, "What the heck is water?"  - David Foster Wallace

   The indigenous people of our province (many years before it even was a province) lived very close to the land.  Their entire existence was governed by the whims and foibles of nature. 

   They learned the way various weather patterns occurred and repeated themselves.  Thus they knew when to seek shelter, when to move to higher ground, and when it was safe to be out and travel.

   Unfortunately, in this day and age, too many of us are like the two young fish in the above quote.  We are completely, and constantly, surrounded by Mother Nature and yet, we’ve lost touch with her.

   I noticed this trend particularly in the past weeks as Calgary, and areas of southwestern Alberta, experienced the incredible flooding. 

   This is not the first time the rivers and creeks have flooded, nor is the first time that they have completely changed course, dramatically altering the landscape, due to flooding.  It has happened many times before, and it will happen many more times again.

   However, humans seem to think that they can stop Mother Nature, or prevent her from unleashing whatever she decides to send our way.

   How foolish of us. 

   Mother Nature will always win.  Rain will fall where it decides to fall, not where we think it should.  Racing water will not be stopped by banks, berms, roads, or buildings.  Mother Nature does not care where we build or develop, she is going to do what she does, regardless.

   The flooding of 2013 was not only devastating and very tragic for those directly impacted, as well for the many emergency personnel who have been assisting the province during this time.

   But even more devastating is that next time the destruction will be even worse if we continue to insist on having our own way and don’t start paying more attention to what Mother Nature is telling us.  
 
Beth
 
Read the complete issue of The Chautauqua here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/19vTbQM8mS1iVg-eaJsRTCPXQdXamd_0f/view?usp=sharing

To contact The Chautauqua, email: thechautauqua@gmail.com.

Wednesday, 3 July 2013

Ignoring

By ignoring information in your environment, 
you miss important clues 
that are the keys to solving problems. 
 In fact, the world is filled 
with endless two-inch-high messages,
 and it is up to each of us to discover them.  
 - Tina Seelig

Monday, 1 July 2013

Country

Burn down your cities and leave our farms, 
and your cities will spring up again 
as if by magic; 
but destroy our farms, 
and the grass will grow in the streets 
of every city in the country. 
– William Jennings Bryan 1896

Friday, 28 June 2013

Stalled

Look at the bigger picture…
Don’t allow yourself to be stalled
 by a day that, however challenging, 
will be over with the next sunrise.  
 – Ian K. Smith

Wednesday, 26 June 2013

Reduce

Reduce the complexity of life 
by eliminating the needless wants of life, 
and the labors of life reduce themselves.
 – Edwin Way Teale

Monday, 24 June 2013

Time

Ask yourself: Is there joy, ease and lightness
 in what I am doing? 
If there isn't, then time is covering up 
the present moment, 
and life is perceived 
as a burden or a struggle. 
 – Eckhart Tolle

Friday, 21 June 2013

June 21, 2013 Chautauqua


From the Editor's Computer
 

   Ever wish you could just drop out of your life for a time?  Escape from it all?  The stresses, the pressure, the ongoing hype and activity.

   I can tell you from recent experience, it certainly can have its advantages.  Though I haven’t really been in a position to enjoy the respite - it hasn’t been a relaxing vacation, but rather a time of convalescence.

   On one hand, priorities suddenly become crystal clear.  When you have almost no energy to do anything, you figure out quick which one thing you will expend that limited energy on, and the rest can cheerfully go by the wayside.

   I have also been extremely fortunate that I have something that will heal, and that I have had some wonderful people to help carry the slack for me.  While I may not have been present, the work and obligations have continued to be fulfilled.  So much so, that many probably haven’t even noticed my lengthy absence.

   While who we really are has no bearing whatsoever on the externals in our lives, we still, very humanly, use the externals to define ourselves.

   It is only when there is a dramatic change in one or more of those externals that we start to redefine ourselves, and step away from the previous labels.

   During this time away, I’ve experienced a few changes in the “labels” I’ve used to think of myself, mostly in relation to my health.  Past illnesses are no longer a part of my “story” as it turns out I didn’t actually experience them at all.

   Some daily routines are undergoing a slight change as I integrate new lifestyle changes into my existence.

   As well, the way I view my work is starting to change.  Priorities are becoming clearer and what is more superficial is being weeded out.  I’m revamping how I approach the various tasks I have to do.  

   This isn’t a one-time, or overnight, process, it is an ongoing evolution in my thoughts, words, and actions.  Who knows what I’ll discover about myself or my life in the days ahead.

Beth

Read the complete issue of The Chautauqua here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/17kZIx-Fc1yX2JQEltU_UGkbCXuosPWtv/view?usp=sharing

To contact The Chautauqua, email: thechautauqua@gmail.com.

Wednesday, 19 June 2013

Hurry

There is no hurry.   
We shall get there some day.
 – A.A. Milne

Monday, 17 June 2013

Happen

Be willing to let anything happen.
 – Wayne Dyer

Friday, 14 June 2013

Water

You can’t get a hold of water by clutching it.   
Let your hand relax, though, 
and then you can experience it.   
– Wayne Dyer

Wednesday, 12 June 2013

Contradict

I wish to say what I think and feel today, 
with the proviso that tomorrow 
perhaps I shall contradict it all.   
– Ralph Waldo Emerson

Monday, 10 June 2013

Reinvention

I believe that one 
defines oneself by reinvention. 
To not be like your parents. 
To not be like your friends. 
To be yourself. 
To cut yourself out of stone.  
 - Henry Rollins

Friday, 7 June 2013

June 7, 2013 Chautuaqua


From the Editor's Computer 

   A while ago I read in a management book that we humans have a tendency, when faced with a perceived problem, to latch onto the very first, obvious solution.  The trouble with that type of approach, is that rarely does the first obvious solution have anything to do with the real problem at hand, and in fact, tends to create further problems down the road, which could have been avoided with some time and careful observation.  This applies to all areas of life, not just business.

   When I was a teenager, I experienced fatigue and headaches.  The doctor ran the test for Mononucleosis (Mono).  It came back negative, yet we were told that was what I had.  Months later a specialist ran the Mono test again and the result was still negative, so we were informed I had “Chronic” Mono.  Subsequent health concerns, major and minor, were viewed through this filter of the Chronic Mono diagnosis.

   For the past few weeks I have been knocked flat (literally as I’ve been on bed rest) by a severely stressed (i.e. tired, overwhelmed) liver.  As I was lying around unable to do anything, I noticed my symptomsns were very similar to when I had Mono, so I did some investigating.

   One of the first things I discovered is that once the virus that causes Mono enters your blood, it is there forever, and no virus means no Mono.  So it is very safe to say that I have NOT had Mono in my life.

   Further reading into the function/malfunction of the liver leads me to believe that what I experienced as a teen was also a severely stressed liver.  I’m also quite certain now that I have been suffering from a mild to moderately stressed liver (variations dependent on factors such as supplements, hormones, diet and stress level at the time) for the past 25 years!  It’s amazing it isn’t diseased or damaged!  It seems that even my diagnosis of scoliosis may be incorrect as I’ve discovered my back muscles tighten and collapse when I eat something my body rebels against.

   I may never figure out what particular trigger(s) initially stressed my liver, however I do know this - Mono can’t be changed, a stressed liver can be.  Now I know the direction and changes I need to make, I will be making the absolutely necessary dietary changes so I can hopefully finally (and fully) recover.                      

Beth
 
Read the complete issue of The Chautauqua here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RQ7gAgmn4Q91GXPgUN4P0SQNjO_m-NUX/view?usp=sharing

To contact The Chautauqua, email: thechautauqua@gmail.com.

Wednesday, 5 June 2013

Spiritual

The fact that I can plant a seed 
and it becomes a flower, 
share a bit of knowledge 
and it becomes another's, 
smile at someone and 
receive a smile in return, 
are to me continual spiritual exercises.  
 - Leo Buscaglia

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