Better Than

BIG LOVE.

It's easier to be superior than it is to be loved.

This is what I heard as I was reading Peter Shankman's blog post. For those of you who don't know, Peter is the founder of HARO, a free service linking journalists to expert sources.

Mum: Why would someone want my porridge recipe in Denver? Who made October Oatmeal Month? Where do you find these people?

Back to Peter: He is a fellow animal lover and just all-around nice guy. So it's comical when someone accuses him of not being nice. This someone who made a point of saying he had two psychology degrees. Ah-ha! That explains it!  Kidding. So, back to the love part:

Thinking you're better than excludes whole groups of people. Usually it's thinking you're smarter, like Psych Guy, but this is also the pattern in religious groups. Being superior shrinks your world and isolates you from others. It's the opposite of love; love is inclusion, no matter your intellect or religion or football team. Love is out of your head, with open arms, embracing all the experiences where love shows up; playing puppies and giggling babies and smiling people on a park bench. Love, in all its forms, is open. It's hello with a smile. It's abandoning judgments about shoulding on other people:

• They should worship God like I do.
• They should go to such-n-such a college.
• They should be a such-n-such living in a such-n-such kind of neighborhood. 

Feeling better than keeps you in your head and closes off your heart. There are people who will quote Mr. Potter and say this is "sentimental hogwash." It's the reason we're on the planet. Love is about connection. You can't simultaneously judge someone and connect with them. Judgment repels, disconnects, and isolates. Love embraces, welcomes and includes.

Thinking you're better than is a step away from justifying being mean, abusive and hurtful. It's what starts wars in families, communities, and the world. Better than because of race, religion, education, sexual orientation, nationality. Those are the big ones that keep us disconnected.

On this Valentine's Day, think of who you love, and who loves you. Get out of your head and into your heart. It's why we're here. To quote Sir Paul McCartney (who?): LOVE IS ALL YOU NEED. And Psych Guy doesn't know it, but he needs it, too. It would make him less offended and more patient of other people's perceived shortcomings.

P.S. This was my Grasshopper quote from Quotes That Get You Curious, this morning:

"When you encounter something or someone in life that doesn't fit into one of your neat categories, it's an opportunity to find our more about them, but more importantly, about yourself."

M&M Monday

We begin this week with a visualization involving Tabby Bobcat . . .

. . . who was sitting next to me on the sofa. Maggie was at my feet between the sofa and the coffee table, as she does. She stood up, and started wagging her tail . . . smacking Tabby in the face. I knew if I went to get my camera, the moment would be lost. So I just sat there and watched. Tabby was so surprised, and I could see the thought process of wanting to raise her paw and swat at the giant hairy thing whacking her in the face. She finally got up and out of the way.

Speaking of hair . . .

M&M donate to the Bird Nest Foundation.

 . . . M&M are shedding. I don't know what the groundhog said about spring, but according to M&M, we're having an early one! They are leaving tufts of hair all over the place & I can pull it out by the handfuls. Mum says that they are year-round shedders, but even this is more than usual!

Here's a pic of the girls snoozing away . . . 

Zzzzzz . . . .

 I knew if I got up to get a pic at a different angle, they would wake up:

Millie sits up. Maggie raises an eye dot. See the tufts of hair? *sigh*

I recently read a book on the importance of play. Much of the research cited was based on animals. Anyway, it's an easy & fun read, and goes into play styles. Fascinating stuff--I'll have to write a proper book review (I'll put it on The List). But back to M&M: even tho they're old, they need play. Just as we can have a sleep deficit, we can have a play deficit. Bones are really a great things for dogs; it relieves stress and gives them something to do. I have real bones & I put cream cheese in them for the dogs to lick out. Maggie just licks, but Millie gnaws away at them & I don't want her losing anymore teeth! So I got them some GF, healthy dental bones from Mercola.com. [insert eye roll from Mum]  Millie chews hers right away, & Maggie saves hers to taunt Millie with. *sigh*  Another way they like to play, even tho their growling can be rather ferocious! So that's our week . . .

HAPPY Valentine's Day from M&M. 

I would include Tabby Bobcat, but she's far too superior  to wish us peasants a happy anything.  ;-)

Treasure Hunt

It started at the Dollar Tree when I was getting wrapping paper. I saw V-Day cards and thought I'd get some for my sibs & nieces/nephews. I included candy necklaces and Chicklets. I sent those off to Pioneer Sister. But since I was going to visit Brother D over the weekend . . . one of my nieces requested a treasure hunt. Good idear! I love treasure hunts. Growing up, we would have rhyming clues hidden all over Skymont at Halloween and other holidays. When my stepsons were young, I'd do Easter basket treasure hunts and send them all over the place. Brother D's kids love horses and pictured above is a small representation of their collection, with all the clues, ready to hide: in Mum's car, out in the yard, in the laundry room, etc. How can we make this even more funner? Turn it into a treasure hunt.

HAPPY V-Day!

LOVE actually is all around. :-)

P.S. For a different kind of V-day awareness, click here.

LOVE!!!

First things first: HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Sherida, born on the day of LOVE. This is a painting I did for her a coupla years ago. Hard to see here, but the outside purple part is textured with tissue paper and then sparkley varnished. The hearts around the hand are holographic confetti that I glued individually. The symbol in the center of the lotus is Sanskrit, "yam" (pronounced yah-m), and is the seed sound of the heart chakra. The green is a variation on the green of the heart chakra, and purple is a v. spiritual, higher chakra colour. She is a massage therapist and so much more; truly a healer in every sense of the word. I told her once that what she does can't be taught in school or with any technique. When I decided to go to massage school, she was part of my inspiration, because she is THAT good.

And in honour of Valentine's day:

This is the third painting I did for Bulgarian Gal for her skincare line called Chakra. It's a variation on the heart chakra yantra (sacred geometric symbol). And here we go with a poem for today:

May your heart be open to the LOVE

all around.

May your spirit be filled with

God's holy sound.

May GRACE be your guide

with LOVE at your side

As you walk through this life

with arms opened wide.