The Day I Barked in Public (or My Life Keeps Me Humble).

To tell this story, I need to set the stage a bit. N. and I exercise at a local gym. We recently decided that we wanted to learn how to swim... I could swim to save my life, but I could not swim a 'proper' stroke. And I certainly could not do the whole submerge your face in the water and breathe under your arm thing. In fact, learning to swim is on my 38 list -

38 things to do before I turn 39.

I am doing pretty good. I no longer leave the pool having consumed a large quantity of water. I can swim for a decent length of time without stopping (always room for improvement) and, if really in the groove, I can make it the length of the pool breathing just once (It's not a regulation sized pool). N. and I are recognized as a couple and as 'lap swimmers' at the gym.

The other night, I had finished my laps and had moved to the side of the pool reserved for everything else to do some water jogging. N. had come down from the weight room and was beginning to do his laps. We greeted each other and then we were off doing our own thing. The 'non- lap swim' side of the pool was filled with a variety of folks, doing a variety of water activities. I was in the water jogging zone. My eyes may have even glossed over. I was not really paying much (any) attention to the world around me. Next thing I knew N. popped up right in front of me. He had been lap swimming and then.... from the depths of the water, there he was right in front of me! He came out of nowhere.

I squeaked. Screamed. No, in all truth is was a Bark. A. Single. Loud. Bark. The kind of high-pitched bark a small yappy dog would make. Except that it came out supported by my strong and very human sized lungs.

There was no escaping it. Everyone heard it. The bark echoed off of the pool room walls for a long time. All of the women gabbing together in a circle in the water near me startled saying, "you scared me!" and "oh my god!" and "what was that?"

That was me. Barking. And then laughing. I couldn't stop laughing because I couldn't get the bark that had just emitted from my body and was bouncing off of the walls out of my ears. It was shocking. Startling. Appalling. Who makes such a noise in public? How could that noise be effective in the slightest if there really were a threat to my life or limb? How could such a sound be coaxed out of me, a strong and confident woman? So I laughed some more.

There was N. with a whole bunch of startled women in his midst. All looking at him as the cause of the bark. What could he do but laugh in his calm and good natured way? He was startled too.

The women carried on for several minutes amongst themselves retelling the tragic tale and giggling.

I see those people I barked at nearly every day. They smile at me. I smile back and hear the echo in my mind. It's a lesson in paying attention to the moment I suppose. And trying to keep my bark in check. And making sure N. doesn't sneak up on me in public. And humility. It's probably even fair to say that my bark is far worse than my bite....

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I'm a Guest on Way Beyond Green Blog Talk Radio

This is the third post in the series dedicated to WATER in honor of World Water Day 2009.
In honor of World Water Day 2009, Gemma of Way Beyond Green invited me to be a guest on Way Beyond Green Radio to talk about water.

We discuss the healing aspects of water, the stewardship of water and the importance of water in our culture and daily lives. You can listen to the program here.

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5 Things I Do Each Day...

Update: I just found out that this 5 things for mental health idea originally came from Mindapples. You can read others 5 things posts there.

My friend Liz recently challenged me to post about the 5 things I do each day to keep my mind healthy.

Everyone take a deep breath. Grab something you love to drink. Read this when you have a few moments - 'tis a tad lengthy. Someday, someone might ask YOU what you do daily to maintain your mental health. Ponder that for a moment.

To be fair - this list is a snapshot of the things I do regularly to live in good health. I am and always have been one to switch things up, challenge predictability, and go with the flow. So, I shall list the mundane and lofty things I do most often on a daily basis. Because of course, my mental health is of great import to me - and others too.

1. Love up the critters. Cecil (All black, Alpha - even over the dog), Breelan (gray and white), Malachi (big, black and white), and Zeke (dog). Every day we have serious love sessions, both individually and as a family. Nothing like that for mental health.

2. Laugh. TOIL (T.he O.ne I. L.ove - my husband, he picked the acronym) is always doing something to get me to laugh (like pick ridiculous acronym's to describe himself). It's one of our "things". If I am not laughing, something is SERIOUSLY wrong.

3. Pray. People pray in different ways. I do too. Every morning I pray with water to nourish my body, the earth and her people. I sing prayer songs throughout my day out loud and in my head. Often, I pray when I am walking, exercising, thinking, dreaming. However it manifests - prayer is critical to my mental health.

4. Be creative. I love to do crafty things which includes but is not limited to; photography, quilting, knitting, designing, making pesto, making drums with my husband, sewing all manner of things, writing stories, collecting stories, collecting rocks on walks, making jewelry, painting and on and on... I challenge myself to learn new crafts and attempt new projects regularly. No doubt, I will share a goodly portion of them here as they occur.

5. Connect with someone I love and that loves me too. This includes,on a daily basis TOIL. That may seem to be obvious, but I am willing to state the obvious here. Love, twroo luv takes daily effort. That is good for my whole picture of health. I also make a point to talk with my Mom on a nearly daily basis. She helps me process life, keep my perspective and challenges me to be all that I can be. Other family and friends are critical to my health as well. I am blessed to be surrounded by amazing people. Thank you all.

Here are some of the other things I do - these are all critical too. I never was good at coloring within the lines. Or keeping a list to 5 things when in actuality, list is soooo much longer than that.

Read. Write. Dream. Exercise. Take my vitamins. Sleep. Help others. Smile. Expand my perspective. Listen to music. Recycle. Reduce. Reuse. Practice critical thinking skills. Learn. Risk.

And how about you? What do you do to keep your mind healthy? Feel free to leave comments, or write your own 5 Things post.

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Welcome to a Pocket Full of Stones

It started when I was just a wee one. My fascination with rocks that is. At the time, all I could say was just that I liked them. There were always rocks in my pockets. And when they filled up, I would stash my collection around the house, in piles. My mom tells stories about finding my treasures under tables and behind chairs. Bless her poor vacuum cleaner. When I was about 10, we took a family vacation and drove across country stopping at each and every state boarder so that I could scramble out of the car and select a rock from beside the road. My parents understood my love.

Through out my life, I have cherished, collected, loved and admired rocks. Heck, I even married a guy because he was willing to fill his pockets with my rock finds when mine were full. Well, that's not the only reason I married him.

Today rocks grace the corners of my home. Their variety, color, texture, even their smell captivates me. I carry them around, often in my purse or a pocket. And I wear them on my body. For me, rocks and jewelry made of rock is like medicine. Soothing, enriching to my soul. Rocks are the wisdom of the earth in beautiful packages. Keepers of the stories of all beings. In my tradition, we think of rocks as Grandfathers.

Pocket Full of Stones is a collection of my life stories for now and the generations to come. So welcome. I hope you'll visit often and add your voice to the comments section.

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Lets Start This Off With a Disclaimer, Just for Kicks

Thea works for iTech Northwest and Northwest Community Credit Union. Everything here, though, is her personal opinion and is not read or approved before it is posted. No warranties or other guarantees will be offered as to the quality of the opinions or anything else offered here.

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This Website/Blog includes links to other sites operated by third parties. These links are provided as a convenience to you and as an additional avenue of access to the information contained therein. Thea has not reviewed all of the information on other sites and is not responsible for the content of any other sites or any products or services that may be offered through other sites. The inclusion of these links in no way indicates their endorsement, support or approval of the contents of this site.

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