Zeal and Zenith

This is it. The last post of the A-Z challenge. I must say, for someone who never blogged before it was an incredible journey. I found sides of me, I did not know existed. Unfortunately, due to a series of unfortunate events (wouldn't that make a good title for a book?), I at times lost my zeal for the project.

However, I never lost my zeal for writing. This is a crazy compulsion we have. Writing. For those who do not understand it, how do we explain the need to lock ourselves away from the world only to build new ones? For those who share it, we wonder how others can not?

Now I urge each of you to reach for the stars, as I intend to. Don't give up. Always give a stellar performance until you reach your own personal zenith.

It is a matter of zeal.

Yes

Several years ago, I had the wonderful opportunity to review Patch Adam's book Gesundheit. For those of you who have watched the movie Patch Adams with Robin Williams, and believed it was fiction or at the very least enhanced non-fiction, I suggest you read the book. This man really does embrace joy.

I was thrilled when I received a personal response to my review and to the Enhancing Joy issue of the publication I was then editing. In his response, he encouraged me to continue to spread joy.

Today, I am saying yes to that. I am saying yes to joy for myself. I am saying yes to life and love.

What about you? Are you ready to embrace joy?

Take it. It is yours. It is just a matter of saying yes.

Xeriscaping

I guess it is no secret after yesterday's post life has not been easy for me lately. I have to say, I am a great believer in tending your own garden, being positive and making your life work.

So what does that have to do with today's topic? And I am sure some of you might even be asking what exactly is xeriscaping.

Xeriscaping is a gardening method used to minimize water usage. It is especially valuable in drought-stricken areas. So, what does that have to do with my blog?

Well, it seems I have a bit of a spiritual drought, but that does not mean I need to stop tending my inner garden. I can still make it beautiful and encourage it to grow.

We do what we can with the resources we have.

So I will bloom. I really can. It is matter of xeriscaping.

Waiting

Seems like I have been falling behind on this blog for a couple of days. There are many things going on in my life right now, and this sometimes slips my mind for the moment.

Yesterday, though, I found myself unable to accomplish anything. I was waiting for news. Hoping it was not going to be worse than the original call that put me into the holding pattern. Oh, I could clean and do any physical activity, but when it came to any higher cognitive functions, it seems they were waiting to kick in after I knew the status of the situation.

Waiting. It was counterproductive to my day, yet every time I tried to move past it, I found myself lost. My head would delve into the worst case scenario, and I would have to manipulate myself to think positive.

Waiting. The day dragged with no news. Finally eight hours after the initial call, a snippet of information. Just enough to relax a bit, and I realized I had been waiting to breathe.

Still, we have no definitive answers.

Waiting. I spent the night trying to sleep.

Hopefully today, I will know more details. Understand the extent of this situation, and finally be able to put aside this matter of waiting.

Virtues

When I was growing up, I learned about the seven deadly sins, and there seemed to be a lot of emphasis on that. I remember having to memorize these and the fear it created. When I considered this topic, I was amazed that I could rattle off the seven deadly sins. Yet, I had to look up the virtues. Oh, I remembered most of them, but like the seven dwarfs, there always seemed to be one or two missing as I listed them.

Why is it that as a child there was more emphasis on the sins - the things we were not supposed to do? Why were these the things that stuck in my mind?

The virtues are not a Christian thing. They are a quality way of living. A bar that we can measure ourselves against, not because we might be punished, but because we will be rewarded. Even if you don't believe in another life, consider this, living by the virtues will make this life a better one.

So, today I will begin to embrace the matter of these virtues.


Chastity
Temperance
Charity
Diligence
Patience
Kindness
Humility

Unconditional Love

Love should at all times be unconditional. By its very nature, love demands forgiveness, tolerance and acceptance. 

That is acceptance of the person. This does not mean accepting the deeds, and even more so it does not mean enabling the loved one to continue to pursue activities that are harmful to themselves or others. 

It is a fine line to follow, a difficult one to maneuver . 

To love the person we need to encourage them to seek help if necessary. To love the person often we need to say no. To love the person sometimes we need to step back, and let them find their own way, despite the heartbreak we suffer. 

When our love is scorned, it is not easy to practice this matter of unconditional love. 

Tolerance

I have been around for a while, and I have seen some sad situations. A doctor who is shunned by a town because he is a different colour, and children who tease others because of the slant to their eyes. Granted I grew up in a small town in the sixties and seventies, but my family chose that doctor, and he saved my sister's life. I befriended the girl with a different cast to her eyes, and she was my best friend. We set an example and many of the people finally followed.

Lately, I see a trend that disturbs me. A lack of tolerance for anyone different. Too many judge without knowing. They find fault without caring. They strike out without cause. In many ways, I see a move backwards in our society. Back to the ignorance and fearfulness I remember from my childhood. What is happening? Shouldn't these rifts be narrowing, healing, disappearing?

Shouldn't we be learning from the past? Shouldn't we be building a better future?

Let's begin to embrace what unites us, and appreciate the things that make others unique. Let's create a society that not only practices, but lives and breathes this matter of tolerance.