Day One

This is the Peace Quote for today:

Every minute life begins all over again.
- Thomas Merton

Which means that every minute, we get a do-over. How cool is that? Think about it. You say something hurtful or stupid: you immediately apologize or re-state in a better way. You eat something not on your diet. You sneak a cigarette. In other words, you make a mistake. The Universe doesn't count it because it's over and done with. Move on. No regrets or self-recriminations. Just move on to the next thing, and the next. No looking back. Only forward. Maybe things will be better this time, or next time. But even if it takes a bunch of next times to get it right, there's no reason not to keep on moving forward. The Universe only counts what happens right   now   now   now   now

As my friend Patti Digh says (and she got it from someone else), "Every day is Day One." It's really very comforting when you stop to think about it. Why would we ever feel guilty or remorseful when every moment of every day is presented as a moment to begin again? A chance to do it better...if we'll only take it and move forward.

Apparently, I put this blog address on my new business cards, for my Reiki business. Does that mean I must now write something Reiki-y on my blog so you'll have something to read having to do with Reiki when you come to the site? Seems like a good idea. Perhaps writing something about Reiki, or along the lines of health and healing, or meditation, or whatever, will encourage me to actually take the time to do that. It's better than reading the morning paper and doing the puzzles, I guess.

So for today, while I wait for my next client, I'll just say, Welcome to Being Lila, Reiki Edition. If you are looking for Being Lila, Pet Portrait Edition, you've come to the right place also. There's a gallery of my colored-pencil portraits in the post below this one.

If you're wandering back to this blog looking for its previous incarnation as a travel journal, I'm not in the motor home anymore. Moored to solid, immovable brick and mortar in Asheville, and loving it. I get to see things like this waterfall whenever I want to. What made me think I ever wanted to live anywhere else?!

Stay tuned for more tomorrow, or perhaps after this weekend, as I am working with a local nonprofit on a fundraiser happening Sunday and I'm really busy. They're letting me lead kids on a scavenger hunt! What fun!

Blessings...

Pet Portraits

Pet Portraits, a set on Flickr.

My blog photo gallery is under construction. Meantime, you can see my pet portraits here. Don't YOU need a keepsake of your constant companion?

Premium Business Cards by Vistaprint

I hope you will come back soon for my latest musings about the gift of Reiki (and other stuff).

Heeeeere's Mojo!

Hey! It's been a long time, eh? After that last message (June 2010!) I took grandson Austin to Nova Scotia and back: 6,000 miles in 6 weeks. Whew! That's a long trip for an ADHD 12-year-old but he was a good soldier, and so was Nanny. I had to plan every waking minute to keep him from being bored, which was quite a change from my usual trip-planning routine. But we had a ball and got LOTS of pictures, which I have put into three albums for Austin to remember it by. To the left is a Nova Scotia sunset.

So that takes us to August 2010. After that I traveled back to the Pacific Northwest, with many stops along the way (and the best caverns I saw in all my travels: Caverns of Sonora, Texas). I spent a very snowy Christmas in Seattle then moved on to Portland for about four months. I made some great new friends, reacquainted with my old pals Glea and Sue, and thought about settling down right there.

But then May 2011 came and it was still cold and rainy. Hmmm...

My friends back in Asheville were enjoying some really fine spring weather and I just couldn't resist. I sold Michelle (got 10 calls the first day she was listed on Craigslist), shipped my stuff and flew back to Asheville.

And here I am, living in a historic building downtown (photo left) with a bunch of old folks. Well, I fit right in, although I am surely one of the youngest residents. I love it.

I have my daughter's dog, Mojo, here with me and he is an essential part of my new routine. If it weren't for him I wouldn't be getting nearly as much exercise, and that pain in my hip would surely be more bothersome.

I haven't decided whether or not to continue this blog as I don't have much to report and I'm not really interested in "waxing philosophical" about the joys and sorrows of old age. I'm not especially political, and even though I could probably write an amusing account of life at Battery Park Apartments, I'm not sure I want to use my energy in that way.

All this to say that this may be the end of the road, except for my pet portrait business, which I am going to try to market (again), although as I see those words on the screen, it makes me shudder. I love doing art but not selling art. A wise person once said we should do what we do and pay others to do what they do, so maybe that is the key for me: pay someone to do the marketing. Trouble is, of course, that I don't have money to pay someone and won't have money until I sell some art. Catch-22.

Anyway...hope your life is all you want it to be. If you're ever in downtown Asheville, stop by. Mojo and I are usually here.