13th Blogiversary litebeing chronicles ~ Luck is all about Perspective

The photos I chose have an animal theme this go -round. This is mainly because I found a photo with 13 and a cake.

I wasn’t emotionally prepared to write anything after learning of Bob Weir’s death, but here I am giving it a try. As a certified grief counselor, I often suggest my clients do the following : Feel all the emotions, lean into gratitude and get grounded. I already am in full crying mode, so I plan to use this post to discuss gratitude and grounding.

Luck is all about attitude and perspective. Rather than regurgitate all the losses I have suffered over the past several years, I choose to speak on what it working. Thanks to Jane, my high school friend who introduced my to the Dead at age 16, the same age Bob Weir met Jerry Garcia,  ( of which I learned yesterday ). Jane was insistent I listen to this obscure band in 1976. No one I knew but her was a fan or even heard of them. They were not on the FM stations I enjoyed. I vaguely remember wondering how good could they be if I am not already familiar with them? Well Jane, wherever you are, thank you! I am lucky for your friendship for so many reasons. One that strongly resonates is how loyal you were during some dark times when friends were scarce. Clearly you make an impression after all this time. Thanks to my blog buddies across the globe. How did I manage without you I wonder? You make me better, smarter, more aware, more creative and often more embodied. Connections often come and go, but the love remains. Thanks to the Founder of WP. who was born today. I still marvel that I chose to start this blog on the founder’s birthday. I was not aware of this beforehand.  Thanks to the teachers in my life, particularly the ones who noticed my talent and passion for writing. I was often known as the girl with the dreadful handwriting but quickly I became the great speller and word person. I know that without the encouragement of a few teachers I would have been lost. I try to pass this on to my teacher clients. I am so grateful to music in general and The Dead in particular. Music has a been a healing agent as long as I can remember. The Dead were with me both when I was giddy in love and when my world was imploding. I do not have adequate words for the feelings I feel when I am immersed in their artistry.  I will just add that my heart warms up and glistens more often than not when those melodies enter my field.

Finally I want to say a few words about why I write. I adored both visual arts and writing as a child. What I discovered rather early is that writing was able to help me ground. Often my thoughts and ideas were not understood by my family or peers. Using a diary for personal reflections or engaging in storytelling lightened up my spirit and quieted my mind.  As a mostly water and air person, grounding doesn’t come naturally.  Writing rarely fails or disappoints. Rather it lifts me up, unburdens me and facilitates a way towards serenity. In essence, it keeps me on the planet a bit better than it found me.  Kinda like my cats Jasmine and Dexter did.  I say this all the time, but it is new for the more recent readers : Starting this blog was one of the best decisions I had made as an older adult. Rekindling my relationship with the written word was a dream my soul had been seeking. Perhaps this is why I keep coming back to my home at litebeing chronicles.  Happy Happy birthday!

Header image courtesy of wikipedia.org, free domain and featured image courtesy of pexels.com