Monday, April 20, 2009

Random Thoughts Monday

I love this tree in my backyard. Even though its top half broke off, it found another way to keep growing. It persevered. Outside of the picture, it continues straight and tall for many feetabove the other's nearby. I went back to take the photos of those stone walls I wrote of earlier. This is our other, elderly PWD, about to jump off. He is another inspiration in our lives. Two years ago he developed a strange nasal blockage. His nose would bleed, and he would sneeze and sneeze blood. One night, awakening us from sleep, he sneezed so hard and so long that out came a marble sized piece of tissue. We took him and the tissue to the vet's and they determined that the tissue was malignant that he had cancer in his nasal cartilage. Because the nose is so close to the brain and eyes, they felt it would spread quickly and he would die in less than 6 months. Since his cathetic sneezing episode, however, he has not has one nosebleed, not slowed down, not exhibited a single sign of illness, confusion, blindness, nothing (other than old age weakness in the hindquarters). Two years. Here is a question that my yoga instructor posed one night after class: "How do you reconcile the two seemingly inconsistant views that one should always strive for self-improvement and that one is perfect just the way you are?"

5 comments:

  1. Hi Jennifer,
    I am a bit confused, are you also jennifer the lawyer???

    The rock wall you have told us about is amazing - you really could almost drive on it.
    The dog story is interesting. Our dog prior to Kealia was a golden lab and she too developed a cancer - has an operation and was given a few months, then lasted a few more years...

    As to the question posed...
    It's an oxymoron - perfect imperfection...

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  2. Hmm, interesting question from the yoga instructor. I've never heard quite those polarities of thought posed--continualy strive for self improvement, perfect just the way you are. That's kind of extreme language, don't you think? I do like the notion of accepting what's beneficial about me, what my strengths are, and acknowledging that I'll always have room to grow.

    Thank you for your recent visits to my blog and all your thoughtful comments.

    I learned to sew in high school, but I'm not highly skilled. We'll see what I really come up with with this Wardrobe Refashion. It might be kind of funny!

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  3. Delwyn, ssshhhh (smile). People tend to have strong perceptions of lawyers, not usually good ones. This is my place to get away from the persona of that profession, put it down and visit the (wannabe) creative and humane person.

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  4. Sallymandy, I left another comment at your place about the clothes, as I have found myself thinking about altering clothes to give them an update, and looking through them all and seeing the potential.

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  5. Oh Jennifer,

    I have been addressing you as two different people - did you find that strange?

    You don't look like your other self! It must be the Creative self and the professional self - two images...of the one lovely person...

    Well, we've settled that little mystery...funny!
    happy days

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Thanks for visiting. I love having you at my table with me.

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