OK, say maybe this isn’t what happens when YOU take a break from electronics, but it’s what happened when I took my self-imposed 48 hour break from all computers and most social media. I really did quite well in sticking to my promise to myself. I had to look at my phone a few times each day, as I use the Carrot Rewards program to track my steps, and I check in a few times a day to see how close I am to my daily goal. I also responded to a couple of text messages from a friend simply because I hadn’t advised them I was taking this break. All-in-all, I think I pretty much lived up to my goal. What was I able to accomplish with the time normally spent surfing the internet, scrolling through email and messaging people?

I was able to go through some boxes in my home office and find my Reiki information. I haven’t reviewed it all yet, nor have I started practicing again, but I’ve made that first step by simply finding and sorting the information.

I moved some artwork and the bulletin board in my home office, allowing me easier access to  the bulletin board, and this encouraged me to do up index cards with research for two of the writing projects I’ve promised myself to focus on this year. The cards indicate the basic timeline of the information I have on these topics, and leads on information I still have to research. Now that I have notes going up there, I may end up flipping the bulletin board the other direction as I seem to be running out of space.

I found out I have an insane number of notebooks on the go but, in my defence, they all have a purpose. I have one that I journal in, or did, and plan to write in daily again; one for notes after I meditate; one for ideas for future blog posts; one for information gathered from various doctors after my stroke in 2016 (that would be the “I meant to behave but there were too many other options” one); one for notes from various psychic, card and energy readings I’ve had done over the years;  one with notes from my Reiki training and sessions I’ve completed; one for research on my own life story; one for projects others have asked me to help with; one for notes on a second writing project I’ve tasked myself with this year; and, one for the future. Actually, I have three for the future but two are still packed away somewhere. I just love books and don’t want to search through several for the information I need, I want to know exactly what book I will find it in. The ladies I work with can attest to my need to be organized.

I also took some time to just sit and relax, and in doing so, I discovered this beautiful art Mother Nature leaves on my living room floor at a certain point in the day this time of year.

I’m not generally in my living room at 11am, so when I was on this day, the sun shining through the window provided a pleasant surprise.

I also caught up on some of those jobs we all put off as long as possible, or I do anyway. I cleaned my ovens (I have a double oven) and this is the one time I really wanted to use my computer because I know Google could have shown me how to clean the oven racks faster and easier. I also organized the tools in my hall closet. This “Jan-of-all-trades” needs to keep stuff handy for when her next repair or renovation project pops up and that’s one more job out of the way.

Then the real fun started. I decided to download the remaining pictures on the memory card in my camera, only to find that the spring for the memory card had sprung its last, and the card won’t remain inside. I’ve done my version of McGuyvering; taped the door to the memory card compartment shut and voila!…my digital camera is good-to-go again. It looks like I’ll be using the cord to download pictures from now on.

As my break from electroncs wound to an end, I decided to reward myself for all of this productive work, and picked up a bag of chocolate covered raisins while out shopping. When I poured them into a bowl to put on the end table, I grabbed a couple and popped them into my mouth. What followed involves fruit (the raisins), dental floss, and an unexpected visit to the dentist. But that, is a story for another day.

I’ve always tried to teach my kids that nothing is ever a mistake. When we are faced with a choice, the one we choose is what we feel is right for us at that moment. When we look back and consider that choice a mistake, it really wasn’t, it was a decision we needed to make because there was a lesson we needed to learn by taking that path.

My daughter recently showed me she has learned, and understands that message far deeper than I thought. Kate made this adorable octopus for me at a local shop. You may notice that the paint on the right eye isn’t perfect and pools at the bottom, almost like tears building up and ready to fall. My understanding is that the paint dries extremely fast and the lady at the shop told Kate they could fix that. It appears they have a special ‘eraser’ that can wipe off mistakes. Kate declined and said she wanted it left exactly as it was. She told me this story and added, “I wanted it kept that way because it looks like it’s getting ready to cry and that represents the struggles you’ve dealt with over the past couple of years. The other eye is clearer as it looks to the future.”

I then shared, with both of my children, the story behind a walking stick I’d purchased a number of years ago. Many years ago, I’m going to say around 2003, a Native American – Wiccan – psychic woman told me, the moment I stepped into her home, that my Totem was the Bald Eagle. I’ve always remembered this and, after meeting the award winning Ojibwa wood carver Wilmer Nadjiwon at the Toronto Sportsman’s Show somewhere around 2005, I’d felt drawn to his work and wanted to visit his studio in Tobermory to see if I could find a Bald Eagle carving by him that I could actually afford. This visit didn’t take place for many more years, and unfortunately, I was not able to find a Bald Eagle carved by Wilmer, those who know his work will recognize his familiar owl carvings and there were many of those there. However, I did find a walking stick carved by his nephew with a Bald Eagle topper. It was exactly what I’d pictured, and it was in my price range. Sadly, this particular walking stick is not signed and I don’t remember the artists name.

I was taking it to the front of the shop to pay for it, I noticed one eye missing. I could have easily mentioned it, but I didn’t. I wanted it exactly as it was. As I told my sister, who drove to the studio with me, it reminded me of my daughter. For those who do not know Kate, she was assessed with Asperger’s Syndrome in her early 20’s. She doesn’t mind me taking about this because we both use it as a teaching tool. The easiest way to explain Asperger’s is to call it high functioning Autism. It’s so much more, but that just makes it easier for people to understand without going into it too far. As I explained to Kate on Christmas morning, it reminded me of her because she sees the world very differently than the rest of us. I’m extremely proud of the steps she’s made to adjust herself to ‘our’ world, and the strength she’s shown in sticking to her guns when she simply chooses to stay true to herself and do what is comfortable for her, whether others understand or not.

I’ve since been gifted with another walking stick, this one a Wilmer Nadjiwon original, and the head of this one is a Wolf, crying to the moon. I’ve become very drawn to interpreting the animal imagery I have during meditation and, when researching Wolf as a power animal, I very much see this as my son. I won’t go into that further as he is a private person, but I display these two walking sticks in the entry of my home; one allowing things to be seen differently, and one with a strong sense of family, avoiding confrontation but fiercely defending loved ones when necessary.

I hope that people feel that when they enter; the ability to see and respect things from various perspectives, a strong sense of family and loyalty and a non-confrontational atmosphere. Home….