While I was mowing the grass on the side of our house, I looked up and noticed a new dove’s nest in the holly tree. I hope this means more baby doves in our back yard.

We had two doves last year that stayed close to the back yard. This year they began drinking out of the pond. They will stand at the top of the waterfall and drink from the rocks. If the waterfall isn’t running, and we come out on the patio, they will stand there and look at us like “Why isn’t the water on?” Early in the summer two younger doves showed up and started drinking from the waterfall too. I assume it’s the offsprings of the the older two.

They are such beautiful and peaceful animals.

Today is the last day of my vacation, and it’s been a great one. I’m so glad we chose to stay at home this time. I needed some down time from work, and didn’t want to return to the office tired from traveling. Greg and I have spent some quality time together this week. I enjoy our chats about the future, our home, our writing, and our dreams. We’ve been swimming, shopping, hanging out in coffee houses, and working on our writing. We made a trip to the farmer’s market and bought fresh vegetables and organic meats. I feel so much better and grounded today.

I have been able to write again while I was off. I’m working on a new book idea, and so far it’s going well. As much as it started out being an avenue to push my own opinions and beliefs, it has turned into a challenge of my beliefs. I’m not sure where this will lead, but I am sure I will enjoy the trip.

One thing I have worked very hard on this week is tuning out the office. I left the crackberry on the bookcase all week! A friend of mine made a comment to me the other night that really stuck in my mind. “I like you better when you are on vacation.” Wow….what an eye-opener. I know my job sucks and stresses me out, but have I really let it affect those around me? I guess the truthful and uncomfortable answer is YES. So what am I going to do about it?

First, I need to be reminded of that comment every day. I typed her statement, printed it out, and posted it by my desk at home. I need to be reminded of this daily, or I will be drawn back into the ugly mire. I will also take a copy to the office and post it above my desk.

My job is just that, a job. There are going to be decisions made regularly that I don’t agree with, but I have to accept those and move on. I work with some people I do not like or respect, but I have to accept that and do my job as best as I can, and not be distracted by my own judgments of others. I need to learn to turn my work off when I leave the office. My evenings and weekends should be the time I enjoy being myself, not trying to unwind from the office.

I have given away too much of my life to the office. It was a choice I made, although I don’t recall making it. The stress is not good for my health, my life, or my relationships. My free time needs to be filled with my life, my family, my friends, and my goals.

So today I vow to let go of the work stress, and become a better me, in more control of my life. I will also work harder to be a better partner, a better parent, and a better friend. I don’t think it will be as easy as it sounds at first, but I will make it happen.

Thank you Leah for being honest with me….I needed it. Hugs!

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Our Spiritual Connection to Nature.

As I work on my newest book idea about God, several questions come to mind about who God is, and what He/She is to me. I believe that God is the universe. God is creation, not necessarily limited to being a creator. God is everything and everyone. He/She is ever evolving, ever growing, not limited by the scope and words of man. God is found in every person, every animal, every mineral. He/She is not separated from man as a king or ruler to be worshiped and feared from a distance, He/She is the very essence of life and love that we should all strive to become one with.

Each of us must find our personal path to becoming one with God. To quote a line I read recently, there are many paths to the mountain top. We must honor and respect each path as a transformation from worldly to godly. Religion is the biggest obstacle to finding God. When we as individuals follow the teachings of a religion, and stop seeking the oneness with God, we build walls that negate a true relationship with God. We only experience a God defined by books and teachers. Thru religion, we are restricted by rules and philosophies that prevent us from experiencing the true essence of God. When we begin to grow and question our own beliefs, we are stopped not by our own intentions, but by how our questions will be received by society and the leaders of our churches.

Our growth in God is limited only by the obstacles we allow in our lives. No matter what your perception of who Jesus was, no one can deny he was a revolutionary. He questioned the church and teachings of his day. We should be doing the same today, maybe not as a society in revolt, but within our own hearts and souls. It is not until we break the chains of religion and tradition that can truly experience God in our lives.

Fellowship is a core need in most people. We want to be with people of like mind, friends who make us laugh, partners to share our lives with. Today’s model of religion helps fill part of that need with churches. But we have taken that need too far. We have decided that multi-million dollar buildings are where we find and experience God, rather than looking in our back yard. God is present with us at the breakfast table, in our pets, in our indoor plants and outdoor flower gardens, and in the people with whom we choose to share our lives. I am not suggesting that we should abandon all churches, but I am suggesting that each person should seek out that place that allows them to question and discuss their own path with others, without risk of ridicule and persecution. And the milllions or billions of dollars spent each year on new church buildings would be better spent taking care of the homeless and hungry.

My wish for everyone everywhere is that they step outside the boundaries, color outside the lines, and begin to experience God within themselves. Take a few minutes each day and look around you and see God. Look at the people in your life – your partner, your child, your friends and co-workers – and see the God inside them. And most importantly, my wish for everyone is that they stop hiding behind the walls of religion and tradition, and allow everyone to openly see and experience the God inside of them.

Namaste

We spent the day at Nashville Shores, enjoying the first weekday of our vacation. The park is larger this year, with added slides, a new wave pool, and the lazy river. I’ve heard a new company owns it now, but don’t know that for sure. The Shores is a great place to spend the day.

The wave pool is awesome, and the more people that are in, the better it is. One word of caution though, it will make you tired if you spend a lot of time in it. You don’t realize while you are in it how much of a work out it is. After you get home, your thighs will feel like you’ve been working out at the gym. And if you have a bad knee like I do, you might want to take it easy the first time. But playing in the wave pool beats going to the gym any day. Be sure to tighten those swimming trunks….the wave can take away much more than your float.

The lazy river is just that – lazy and relaxing. We floated around the course several times. It was more fun when the park first opened this year though. When the season started, you had to be on a float to be in the lazy river. They don’t enforce that rule now. There are people walking the course. Why?? And there are many kids playing with floats, swimming and running and playing under the waterfalls. I enjoyed the attraction much more when I didn’t have to worry about floating over the top of somebody’s kid. There is a huge kiddie pool available, so I don’t know why so many parents are taking their kids to the lazy river to play.

There are two things I don’t enjoy about Nashville Shores. First, their food and drink prices are outrageous. They don’t allow you to bring in coolers, so they have a captive audience and can charge whatever they want. Although we didn’t today, we usually bring a cooler and leave it in the car. You can leave the park and get back in, so it’s much cheaper to bring your lunch in a cooler, and eat in the car.

The second thing I don’t like is having to pay for the good floats. They have a few available at the attractions, but not near enough, and I’m sure they know that. You can pay to rent a float, but you need to hold on to it. We had our float stolen off our chairs one time, and noticed that happening several times today. Someone tried to steal the floats from the couple sitting in front of us three times today. Floats should be included in the admission price. But more importantly, people shouldn’t steal. It’s a real shame you can’t go get a drink without having to carry your float around with you. We finally learned today to tie ours to the chair with our towels. I think next time we will bring the bicycle locks.