I’ve been thinking a lot lately about life, death and the in between. How life can and has changed dramatically for me many times for better and for worse. When I look back I can remember moments of being happy and grateful and loving life no matter where I was situated and others where I did not appreciate any of it.
I’ve had many conversations with my Mom about life since my Dad passed in 2023. She constantly sprinkles into our conversations the fact of who knows how long she’ll be here anymore. Talks about when she’s dead. Ha! It’s a fact. She just turned 90 at the end of January this year. Still in the matrimonial home, still driving and well too, still taking care of herself no real problems. But who knows right? No one.
It’s her matter of fact way of including this into conversations that’s made me think about being grateful, truly feeling that gratitude and expressing same for others. We’re all going and have no idea when even as we plan for the future.
The world may be at war any time or it may not. Some of what I enjoy now may have to go.
The way my Mom faces the world has made a difference in my anxiety/worries about how the world is right now. I’m noticing that warm glowing feeling more often inside. I’ll take it.
I study all kinds of belief systems. Somebody tried to get me to join with the cryonics folks, but that's as big a gamble as religion. IF they successfully defrosted me 200 - 300 years from now, I'd be an anachronism with obsolete skills, UNLESS I was a really fast learner. Or I'd be a disembodied head like in FUTURAMA ! Micro - rant. 🥶
BTW you might enjoy reading Reza Aslan. He's bounced back and forth between Isam and christianity and something else, but his scholarship on religion is just stunning no matter what phase he's inhabiting. That and Elaine Pagels, who is also an excellent scholar. Lots of folks wanted me to join their religion: it's called Amway.
I needed this today! This also helps me cope with the useless litany in my head that I could have made better decisions. But hindsight isn't truly 20/20. The quote about our decisions being at the mercy of things far beyond our control is reassuring to me. I so appreciate your clear-eyed perspective. There's a price to pay for having it--but there is always tuition to be paid for knowledge. Sigue adelante!
Thank you Julia. "I vote for gratitude. I’ve no clue where I’m headed or where I will end up. For now, however, I do know that the grace of gratitude is a power statement in a world full of angry, bitter, resentful folks". I am with you, and I thank you.🙏🏼
There is but one power and presence in our universe, made of multiple dimensions. I call it Love. Others call it Gaia, Mother Goddess, Madonna, Jesus Christ, Buddha, or something else. But it’s all the same, love.
This power is in me, surrounds me, flows through me. It is life itself.
When I focus on the good I desire all else falls away and I am left with only the good. As I create my good I attract to myself that which I want and in doing so only good come to me.
So I envision my perfect life. I let go of all other opinions and I see only the good, not in a rosy colored glasses kind of way, but in a truthful way. Why bring up the way other people see things? I let go of the judgement and I live my best life.
In deep gratitude I allow only goodness to appear in my life, only love.
I release this truth to the law of mind in action I let it be so and so it is!
What an excellent message, Julia. It's so important to accept things as they are. It's only from a place of acceptance that we can navigate life. I've been fighting against the tide my whole life, and have only just come to understand how detrimental that's been for myself and my nervous system. Thank you for these inspirational and insightful posts, they have helped me so much.
By the way, what's the best way to get in touch with you privately? I can't seem to PM on Substack.
Awww Mika missed you, that's for sure. This was such a nice read in the midst of all the chaos right now. Quite often I have days where I'm just grateful to be here, understanding that each day isn't promised to us.
But I also have days where I feel like if it was my time, I wouldn't fight it. Except I don't want that to happen while I'm busy giving Dezi the amazing life she deserves. ❤️
Julia, thank you for writing this insightful essay and sharing your wisdom. I, too, am filled with gratitude to be alive. And thank you for your service to this country. It's difficult to reconcile my love of my country with the fact that it is imploding. But all we can do is hang in there day by day and live the life we were given, as you so beautifully state.
As of today, if I encounter ANY MORE posts with PAYWALLS on / in Substack, I'm unsubscribing.
In the past 48 hours or so, I have read several posts that were some level of thought - provoking, interesting, thoughtful, insightful, inspiring, moving, etc., & when I was moved to comment - BAM ! PAYWALL !
Serving notice - If this happens again, I will click on unsubscribe without regretting it much.
Daniel, while I can understand the frustration, those of us who write for a living appreciate getting paid the tiny amount that subscribers give us. The Substack system asks if we want to put a notice in our paid articles which announces to the reader that the rest of it is for paid subscribers only. I write free content, AND I write paid content. Paid subs get both.
I can’t speak for anyone else but right now I live on a disability income. That income is under the Sword of Damocles with this administration. Every single tiny penny that is paid me is terribly important. If you have a job, I salute you. If you have a secure income and are not at risk, I salute you. If you have a paid mortgage, a retirement income that is not at risk, saving et. al. I salute you. I have none of these things.
I AM at risk. I also work very hard for those people who read my work.
I cannot work for free. My VA disability and Social Security pay all my bills. Substack is at tiny but essential portion of my income. I’m trying to grow it.
Daniel, most of us would chafe at the idea of being asked to come to work for ZERO pay whatsoever, to commit to the time and effort to produce what you refer to as provoking, interesting, thoughtful, insightful, inspiring, moving but to do it for free while the bank demands mortgage payments, groceries soar and so does everything else. Kindly consider your position.
Such work takes effort and investment and sweat at the keyboard. Not a damned thing in life is free anymore including clean air and water. All of us deserve to be paid for the work we produce, most especially if you are moved by it.
You my not regret unsubscribing much, and I understand your point. That said, I put more than 220 free articles on line for Dear Reader to review so that they could get a solid idea of why it might be worth paying me the equivalent of a latte every month. That is a profound investment of time and heartfelt effort.
For various online pubs I have produced thousands of articles for a “living wage” of about 90 cents an hour. You might understand why those of us who write for a living, who have won prizes for our work and I have multiples of them, simply can’t keep grinding out quality work for nothing.
Your words of gratitude for life, inspire, Julia. No guarantees, and expectations can mess with my head; but a constant moving forward with a heart that that can take in the gifts and grace around me -- that does make life a miracle. Thank you for this thoughtful sharing.
That feeling is so good and can be so fleeting.
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about life, death and the in between. How life can and has changed dramatically for me many times for better and for worse. When I look back I can remember moments of being happy and grateful and loving life no matter where I was situated and others where I did not appreciate any of it.
I’ve had many conversations with my Mom about life since my Dad passed in 2023. She constantly sprinkles into our conversations the fact of who knows how long she’ll be here anymore. Talks about when she’s dead. Ha! It’s a fact. She just turned 90 at the end of January this year. Still in the matrimonial home, still driving and well too, still taking care of herself no real problems. But who knows right? No one.
It’s her matter of fact way of including this into conversations that’s made me think about being grateful, truly feeling that gratitude and expressing same for others. We’re all going and have no idea when even as we plan for the future.
The world may be at war any time or it may not. Some of what I enjoy now may have to go.
The way my Mom faces the world has made a difference in my anxiety/worries about how the world is right now. I’m noticing that warm glowing feeling more often inside. I’ll take it.
The only thing certain is uncertainty. I forget who first said it.
" People plan & God laughs " - Yiddish proverb.
No greater truth. I have been watching that lately and thinking about how sore God’s sides must be.
I'm pretty much agnostic, but I agree !
I'm more of a Taoist myself, but for want of better catch-all term for They-Who-Don't-Give-A-Shit-About-Humanity, God works
I study all kinds of belief systems. Somebody tried to get me to join with the cryonics folks, but that's as big a gamble as religion. IF they successfully defrosted me 200 - 300 years from now, I'd be an anachronism with obsolete skills, UNLESS I was a really fast learner. Or I'd be a disembodied head like in FUTURAMA ! Micro - rant. 🥶
BTW you might enjoy reading Reza Aslan. He's bounced back and forth between Isam and christianity and something else, but his scholarship on religion is just stunning no matter what phase he's inhabiting. That and Elaine Pagels, who is also an excellent scholar. Lots of folks wanted me to join their religion: it's called Amway.
Isn’t that so true. We plan and assume it will happen but we really have no say. I’m getting more comfortable with that.
I needed this today! This also helps me cope with the useless litany in my head that I could have made better decisions. But hindsight isn't truly 20/20. The quote about our decisions being at the mercy of things far beyond our control is reassuring to me. I so appreciate your clear-eyed perspective. There's a price to pay for having it--but there is always tuition to be paid for knowledge. Sigue adelante!
Thank you Julia. "I vote for gratitude. I’ve no clue where I’m headed or where I will end up. For now, however, I do know that the grace of gratitude is a power statement in a world full of angry, bitter, resentful folks". I am with you, and I thank you.🙏🏼
Such wisdom, Julia -- the kind that only comes when you've accepted life's terms. Security in the worldly sense is largely an illusion anyway.
Lovely read. Increasingly nature and small moments of gratitude are my glue for keeping it all together.
This is what I know:
There is but one power and presence in our universe, made of multiple dimensions. I call it Love. Others call it Gaia, Mother Goddess, Madonna, Jesus Christ, Buddha, or something else. But it’s all the same, love.
This power is in me, surrounds me, flows through me. It is life itself.
When I focus on the good I desire all else falls away and I am left with only the good. As I create my good I attract to myself that which I want and in doing so only good come to me.
So I envision my perfect life. I let go of all other opinions and I see only the good, not in a rosy colored glasses kind of way, but in a truthful way. Why bring up the way other people see things? I let go of the judgement and I live my best life.
In deep gratitude I allow only goodness to appear in my life, only love.
I release this truth to the law of mind in action I let it be so and so it is!
Lovely lovely lovely. Thank you.
I love how you massage your doggy. Tootsie, my best friend, will get morning massages too!
Have the happiest of days!
Look up RARE EARTH, mid 70s, " I Just Want to Celebrate ". Play it. LOUDLY. Even if your neighbors kvetch. Your funk SHOULD vanish.
OR " Mr. Blue Sky ". Funk reducers. Audio THC.
Thanks to you Julia, feel grateful after reading this post.
What an excellent message, Julia. It's so important to accept things as they are. It's only from a place of acceptance that we can navigate life. I've been fighting against the tide my whole life, and have only just come to understand how detrimental that's been for myself and my nervous system. Thank you for these inspirational and insightful posts, they have helped me so much.
By the way, what's the best way to get in touch with you privately? I can't seem to PM on Substack.
Go to the chat function (under your profile) and reach out there. Let me know if that doesn't work. Thanks for your support!
Got your message!
Yes. This thought is so uplifting. Gratitude for what we have!
Awww Mika missed you, that's for sure. This was such a nice read in the midst of all the chaos right now. Quite often I have days where I'm just grateful to be here, understanding that each day isn't promised to us.
But I also have days where I feel like if it was my time, I wouldn't fight it. Except I don't want that to happen while I'm busy giving Dezi the amazing life she deserves. ❤️
Julia, thank you for writing this insightful essay and sharing your wisdom. I, too, am filled with gratitude to be alive. And thank you for your service to this country. It's difficult to reconcile my love of my country with the fact that it is imploding. But all we can do is hang in there day by day and live the life we were given, as you so beautifully state.
Thank you so much Beth.
KIND OF A NON SEQUITUR, BUT -
As of today, if I encounter ANY MORE posts with PAYWALLS on / in Substack, I'm unsubscribing.
In the past 48 hours or so, I have read several posts that were some level of thought - provoking, interesting, thoughtful, insightful, inspiring, moving, etc., & when I was moved to comment - BAM ! PAYWALL !
Serving notice - If this happens again, I will click on unsubscribe without regretting it much.
Just thought that I'd mention.
Daniel, while I can understand the frustration, those of us who write for a living appreciate getting paid the tiny amount that subscribers give us. The Substack system asks if we want to put a notice in our paid articles which announces to the reader that the rest of it is for paid subscribers only. I write free content, AND I write paid content. Paid subs get both.
I can’t speak for anyone else but right now I live on a disability income. That income is under the Sword of Damocles with this administration. Every single tiny penny that is paid me is terribly important. If you have a job, I salute you. If you have a secure income and are not at risk, I salute you. If you have a paid mortgage, a retirement income that is not at risk, saving et. al. I salute you. I have none of these things.
I AM at risk. I also work very hard for those people who read my work.
I cannot work for free. My VA disability and Social Security pay all my bills. Substack is at tiny but essential portion of my income. I’m trying to grow it.
Daniel, most of us would chafe at the idea of being asked to come to work for ZERO pay whatsoever, to commit to the time and effort to produce what you refer to as provoking, interesting, thoughtful, insightful, inspiring, moving but to do it for free while the bank demands mortgage payments, groceries soar and so does everything else. Kindly consider your position.
Such work takes effort and investment and sweat at the keyboard. Not a damned thing in life is free anymore including clean air and water. All of us deserve to be paid for the work we produce, most especially if you are moved by it.
You my not regret unsubscribing much, and I understand your point. That said, I put more than 220 free articles on line for Dear Reader to review so that they could get a solid idea of why it might be worth paying me the equivalent of a latte every month. That is a profound investment of time and heartfelt effort.
For various online pubs I have produced thousands of articles for a “living wage” of about 90 cents an hour. You might understand why those of us who write for a living, who have won prizes for our work and I have multiples of them, simply can’t keep grinding out quality work for nothing.
So yes. I get your point. Please understand mine.
Beautifully written. Many, many thanks for this.
It was a glorious time - Wonderful to see you and your beautiful pup yesterday and yes, we must savor each precious moment of this life.
Amen. I so rarely ever stay long enough for the sunset.
Your words of gratitude for life, inspire, Julia. No guarantees, and expectations can mess with my head; but a constant moving forward with a heart that that can take in the gifts and grace around me -- that does make life a miracle. Thank you for this thoughtful sharing.