Wednesday, January 23, 2008

12 Days Left of My Own Mistimed Lent

I'm celebrating  Tati's and Merlyme's recent Love theme energy by giving up negativity as much as possible for the rest of My Own Lent - which I was completely backwards about (corrected by Sarah in last post comments) - thinking it ended with the relief of Mardi Gras.  In Christianity, King Cake Season begins with Epiphany (the three kings finding the baby) and ends with Mardi Gras, (February 5th), - which is the purging before the renunciation season of Lent which begins Ash Wednesday, (February 6th), and lasts to Easter (March23rd).  My Lent is all out of order and not necessarily Christian at all, but happening now because I believe in periodic renunciation as self awareness practice, and I believe in practiced appreciation of what is not me, and Merelyme started it.  My Lenten renunciation doesn't mean I'm giving up expression of how things are, or were - for me, even if difficult. But quelling negative reactions, pessimism, inside and outside can be an important part of Love.  So Merlyme's Love Fest, for me, my Lent, is in congruence with King Cake Season.  Ha.  If King Cake Season is about finding the baby Jesus, it should be the twelve days of Christmas to Epiphany anyway, not the other way around, so it's exactly backwards to start with. 

I need help finding a photograph of a full long rainbow in a dark sky to use as my header - like the one at this site: Fighting the Urge but without the trees.  (I'll ask Ruth if she minds me copying her temporarily.)

19 comments:

tanya m said...

I'm with you. Having a hard time today, but perhaps with renewed commitment...

Synchronicity said...

oooh that rainbow is perty! yeah that would look nice on your blog for sure.

thanks so much for your comment today. you always brighten my day somehow.

yeah love rocks. tati...i hear ya...i had a crazy day today too but...things always seem better with friends around.

have a good evening you guys. see you tomorrow.

Greta Perry said...

I LOVE THE HEADER!!!!!!!!!!!!

whimsical brainpan said...

This was all I could find for the rainbow you said you were looking for. Not quite header shaped but I could play with it in Photoshop some.

jenji said...

Yes, I understand the need to quell the negative for the sake of others, as well as for myself. I surely do. I'm a big believer of self-reflection, introspection and personal inventory.

So I'll periodically refer to the various posts I have slapped against walls, doors, cabinets and computer monitor—throughout the nooks and crannies of my living space.

Some are to remind me to make work; some are to remind me to stop ruminating; some remind me to relax and some remind me to mind my health and take better care of myself, as well as others, as I am of no use to anyone if I'm not as physically and mentally balanced as I can possibly be.

"Keeping one foot in the past
and one foot in the future only
leaves you pissing on the present."

"It doesn't matter how slowly you go, so long as you don't stop." Confucius

"Courage faces fear and thereby masters it." Martin Luther King

"To enjoy freedom we have to control ourselves." Virginia Woolf

“You cannot find peace by avoiding life.” Virginia Woolf

"Many persons have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose."
Helen Keller

"To conquer others is power, to conquer yourself is to know the way" Lao Tsu

"Perfection creates impotence."

"No masterpiece was ever created by a lazy artist." Salvador Dali
(okay, this one is posted in my wallet, as well as my car)

And just for you, as requested, I will reveal the source of the quote from my site...

...in 8 days. Sorry, can't give it up till then, as the polling is not over yet. Anyone who may visit, please vote on who you think may have said the quote posted in my poll.

Anyway, when my attitude, mind and health heads into the ol' crap wagon, I tend to pay a little more attention, as the crap wagon leaves me with nothing but crap on my boots as I try to free the wagon from all the mental muck.

Wish I could help you out with a rainbow header. I have a lot of friends who are photographers. I'll ask around for you.

be well,
jenji

Synchronicity said...

here is a rainbow header i found on google images...just not sure if it is there for the taking.

http://www.juliepecenco.com/rainbow_header.jpg

laughingwolf said...

whimsy's rainbow link looks really cool, not exactly what you seek, but good enough for now :D

+PHc said...

Tati, Sorry you're having a hard time today. I am because it's 4AM and I'm so lonely, it hurts. I wanted to change my header, because my "friend" took it, and I'm trying to detach from him so I can appreciate all the good things, and there were so many, but it just hurts still.

Merelyme, I'm glad you met Tati. She's been a friend since when? Late 8o's?

Greta, I love it too, but I'm saving it for the day.

Whimsy, Thank you for the rainbow. I played with it in photoshop - cropped and turned it the way I wanted, but couldn't resize it large enough and gave up. There's kind of a rainbow theme coming up in my life some time next month though. I'm working up toward trying to be more strategic about pushing for inclusive HIV services that pertain to HIV+ people of ALL kinds. And free HIV testing based on individual risk assessment rather than demographic risk profile, which is unethical. But I'm trying to be strategic and understanding and calm, after years of compressed feelings about it, ignored for the greater good.

Jenji, Just some responses: Yes blogging is a great tool for remembering and putting things together - and testing new ways.... I do not believe you can be of no use to anyone unless you are as physically and mentally balanced as you can be. You can be of use of your imbalance by making yourself available openly to others who aren't balanced either - if only by dissolving some of the isolation which can make more room for self acceptance and sometimes new strength to move forward for both you and them.

"It doesn't matter how slowly you go as long as you don't stop" really helps right now, because I do stop, forgetting that, and it does matter to me.

Mastering fear may require facing it, but facing it does not master it in itself.

Yes freedom requires control.

"You can not find peace by avoiding life" makes me cry every time. I know that quote very,very well.

Hellen Keller: I think it is BOTH self gratification and fidelity to a worthy purpose that lead to happiness and that they meld when true.

"Perfection creates impotence." That's a new one one to spin me out . Wow.

No, lazy artists, and catatonic artists, and frightened-into-silence artists, don't accomplish what they could.

I voted for Maya Angelou (I don't know how to spell her last name) - like the majority on your poll so far last I looked.

I played around with a rainbow and it didn't quite work yet, but thank you.

It is 5AM and I am going to try again to sleep.

Good morning to you. I'll come visit your site when I wake up.

+PHc said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
tanya m said...

I understand the lonely, and I'm sending you rainbows of love. Cheesy I know, but good goopy luv always is.

Anonymous said...

Looking for rainbows - If you can pick somehthing out from http://www.istockphoto.com/file_search.php?action=file&text=rainbow+dark+sky

I will get it and resize it for your header.

My love fest commitment is to learn how to bake King Cakes like the ones in New Orleans in the 70's . No icing or filling. Just the roll with the sugar. Making and giving King Cakes has to have some Karmic impact. :)

Unknown said...

For the longest time, I knew what "Lent" was about but I never practiced this. Hearing this from you makes it more personal and learning experience for me.

Thanks for sharing and I do understand the "value of blogging". This keeps us "sane". :)

Unknown said...

By the way, your blogs have made me have a strong respect for you and I admire your courage.

Jim

Polar Bear said...

Sorry can't help you with the photo, even tho I've taken about 450 during my trip. I'll keep an eye out anyway.

Unknown said...

I tried posting earlier but somehow it didn't go through. Anyway, I was never into "lent" thing even though I understand what it meant. Reading from your presepctive has helped me understand better which is why I like reading your blog. Your perspectives are different than mine and I am always learning.

Jim

lauren said...

+PHc
I have been following your blog for quite sometime now, and just wanted to let you know that you inspire me!! Truly you do, we all have issues in life and no matter what they may be we all deal in our own ways you impress me with the way you handle thing!!! sending you positive energy
Lauren

Anonymous said...

One day we were driving in a storm and you were in the back seat. You looked out the back window and saw a break in the clouds and said, "This is rainbow weather." Love.

+PHc said...

Jim, I learn from yours too. Thank you back.

Lauren, thank you for speaking up and positive energy back from me to you for whatever issues you are working with.

Phraw Tayre, Online Cafe Du Monde Store King Cake Mix kit. I saw them.

Sarah, thanks for having the memory. I'm pretty good at recognizing when they're about to happen.

Goodnight all. I'm not taking my Geodon tonight.

jenji said...

Hey.

Thanks for your comments in response to my comments. I appreciate reciprocity. You can feel free to do so here if I've left something you would like to respond to, as I check your blog everyday.

Yet, feel free to leave more quotes here or on my site. But those in a direct response to your blog would minimize confusion if we left them on the same site they were initiated, yeah?

And thanks for adding me to your sidebar -places to go. Much appreciated.

I'll have more time to do some reflective, observant, creative and idiosyncratic etc. posts on my site (as opposed to quick responses) once my schedule allows me to do so. So very swamped with work right now.

I must say, I do enjoy your blog.

Keep on keepin'on.

be well,
jenji