My First Ten 2014 Rez-oh-looo-shuns - by C. A. Griffin

My First Ten 2014 Rez-oh-looo-shuns

#1 - no weight gain in 2014. The heck with losing weight. I will settle for remaining the weight I am now - just as long as I don’t gain. Everything I have now fits.

#2 - no Jamison shots...after midnight...and before 1pm tomorrow. After that I will do them whenever the mood hits me.

#3 – open less cans…of food (saves on recycling and reduces my preservative/sodium intake) and of whoop azz (saves on bail money and jail time)

#4 – more smiling; at the Heiferatti and at the Coven. A smile goes a long way in diffusing a rough situation; besides it will disorient them before I deliver the verbal beat down as well as piss them off. SCORE!!!!

#5 – striving to be alert. That’s not the same as awake; I may be awake but I am not necessarily alert. Ask Larry or any of the Sunday school kids. Being alert means watching my surroundings, watching for the signs of the times and being vigilant. (Yes it’s also known as “Nosey Old Lady of the Block In Training”)

#6 – learning how to swim. Yes that’s right I said it. I live on one island and work on another. If stuff goes down I need to be able to swim.

#7 – obtain inflatable devices. Face it #6 may not work out. I mean I may learn to swim a few feet but long distance? Not gonna happen. So, yes I will need life preservers. Preferably in primary colors that glow in the dark as well as one in black and one in white. Hey I still need to be color coordinated.

#8 – Grow my own herbs. The kind you eat NOT the kind you smoke.

#9 – get at least one new book published and do at least one new concert. Some folks poke, play games and keep us informed about world events via FB; I plan on pressuring you into reading (my books), motivating you (come to the OHCC to hear me speak) and hear some local bands (2014 music concerts).

#10 – be a more gentle spirit. (no more throwing staple guns, laptops, chairs, pencils, shoes or people. Ok the people thing can’t be promised if I go back to Krav Maga training and actually keep up with it).

It Is Done

Like each year before it, this year has been marked with good and bad; it has been striated with lines of heart wrenching despair as well as events of pure joy.  Death has walked through the halls of family and friends alike.  The jubilant arrival of newborns awakened the goofy voices and faces in us as we tickled wriggling toes, reaching fingers and laughed at toothless smiles.  The unexpected has alternatively dropped kicked us in the chest with the force of a well-trained assassin and tapped us lightly on the shoulder with the gentleness of a pudgy toddler’s finger in the middle of the night. 

I thank the Lord for the strength to stand in front of the firing line of life, for the proverbial cigarette and the choice to wear the blindfold or to look life right in the eye and say FIRE!   It’s not that I am daring darkness to befall me; it’s not that I am bragging of blessings; but I am stating clearly that all that I have and am is because of the grace of God.  All that I have survived, and all that I am going through and will fight through is because of the grace of the Almighty.  I am so thankful for this year, 2013; thankful that it has come and that it is just about gone.  I am also exceedingly grateful to be able to turn the corner into the new one.  Here’s to hoping that we all are blessed to fill 2014 with a deeper conviction to live and love together for the greater peace and good of our own wellbeing and for all mankind, through a walk of united faith and trust.

A new chance, a new time, a new year for the Life of You.

<3 Always & Peace ∞
CAG 12312013

In My Heart

In my heart, there are things that I think about that are said only for the Lord to hear.  The number is infinite and seemingly unattainable and enclosed with worry or fear.

There are names of people, hopes and dreams, wishes and a desire or two; the span of the need is as vast as the cosmos and seem as if they will never come true.

There are those who are struggling with illness; that need a job; are grief stricken or all of the above; and in my heart I pray for them to find an abundance of unconditional solace, strength and love.

In my heart, there are things that I think about that are said only for the Lord to hear.  I pray for those miracles; that grace from the Divine, to be with us all in the coming New Year.

<3 Always & Peace ∞
CAG 12262013

Peaceful Sleep

"To my friends both near and far - I wish you peace right where you are. And for those whose hearts are full of dreams, may you remain ever bouyant on life's turbulent stream" - CAG

Note to Self - December 2, 2013

Occasionally, I have a moment where someone or something sets me to thinking of some life truths that need to be applied to my life. Here is today's missive:

Note to Self:

Before you feel the need to comment on someone else's life and how they choose to live it, check out your own, without the rose colored glasses. Take a retrospective stroll down the hazy memories of your past.

Take away the excuses for what you've done or didn't do while wrapped up in the passions of love or hate, caught in the throes of desperation, desire or addiction or while you were just plain stuck on stupid.

If you truly do that, if you honestly judge yourself and your actions prior to judging someone else I bet that you'll put down the magnifying glass or forget about tossing that stone.

If you can't look at and accept someone objectively when they are trying to do better and turn their life around, then walk away and mind your own business. I'm sure you can find more than a few things in your own life that need the deep attention of your scrutiny.

CAG
12022013

No Mess, No Stress, Just Blessed

Last night, after a long day and an even longer commute home, I finally arrived home and found a pair of fuzzy socks to put on (my new fav thing to do to relax - don't know why).  I watched a bit of TV, had a quick bite to eat and intended to either write or edit an existing story that I've been procrastinating on for a few months now.  But I decided to catch up with a friend instead and I was emailing back and forth for all about twenty minutes when sleep took over and I had to call it a night.  I woke up at 5:30 am this morning and tried to use the sweet sounds of rain and the cool rush of early morning air slipping in through my window to lull me back to sleep.  Nope. Didn't happen.

So, I started reading FaceBook posts, news articles, gathering my gear for work and organizing a few things.  I began to putter around the house and then was about to do the prep for the turkey when I just realized that I don't have a container big enough to brine this turkey.  So now, I'll have to go buy something for it later after work.  I won’t be able to brine it for the entire 24 hours.  I’m making all the desserts tonight. That means that I’ll be up late and fighting NOT to eat everything before tomorrow (for my family members reading this, if the desserts arrive in a box from the supermarket bakery, you'll know that I failed miserably).

There are work projects (all the fun and none of the glamour of being an executive assistant), writing projects (sneaking in this post and doing the editing I was supposed to have done last night), the church brick project (review and approval of changes to the website and the brochure) and the Jan/Feb projects (planning for a possible a party and a music event) that all require updates.  Yes, LOTS to do today. 

It used to be that stuff like this would have me yelling, stressing and cussing and fussing.  But I am not worried about it because it will all either get done or it won't.  I don't stress nearly as much as I used to. Now, I kind of just re-work the plan and take a different approach.  Part of it is my continued relaxation through my journey of faith. I meditate, pray and do some Yoga.  Now, I know some devout Christians may associate meditation and Yoga as blasphemous acts. Personally, I think that expressing my gratitude through controlled breathing and/or humming a hymn while moving through a sun salutation is conducive to having a spiritually healthy start to the day.   It also goes a long way into stretching (pun intended) that calm feeling all the way through to the night.  If, during the middle of the day, I feel the need for a quick refresher, I will often stretch and whisper a short meditative prayer to reset my frame of peace.

All too often, in our attempts to be the host and hostess with the most and mostest, we let the hustle and bustle of the preparation for an event to deplete our physical, mental and emotional wellness reserves.  We don't stop to replenish our "batteries".  We neglect to allow ourselves to re-charge our spirits.  When that happens and the actual event is finally underway, we are too tired to partake of the joy.  At least, that is what I found to be true for me and also with some of the family members and friends whose homes I've gone to for the holidays.

I don't think any shin dig that I host will ever go down in the history books as being the Best Party ever.  But I'm not striving for that.  What I am striving for is a good time, a safe haven and a peaceful gathering.  Aren't we all? The likely hood of someone not losing their cool or of a entertainment disaster occurring is 50/50 and seriously that is the best percentage of risk that I can hope for.

Personally, I strive for the peaceful route as much as I can.  Not an easy thing to do all the time but I do really try.  The results are truly a beautiful thing. I've learned to Relax. Relate. Release.  Remember that line that Debbie Allen said in her portrayal as a therapist to Jasmine Guy's Whitney in the TV series "A Different World"? Well, it does work. I can testify to that.

Everything may not be perfect but it will be lovely just as long as the attitude is good and the gratitude is present. If I have a major fail then I have a backup for that too.  If the food burns or tastes horrible; should I run out of provisions to feed people or if someone should get sick from my cooking (GASP!) I am ready with a series of remedies to help salvage the event.  I'll share this piece of sage advice with you now.

One must always remain calm and have someone else on hand to help you.  You can't do it all alone.  Share some of the preparation with a family member or close friend you can depend on.  It's okay.  No one will ridicule you for needing and asking for help and if they do then remove them from your invite list going forward. Besides, you can offer to return the favor when it's their turn to host a party.  I also always keep the following things on hand:

Pepto Bismal, Barf Bags, plastic gloves, disinfectant, deli meat, soft rolls and a small bottle of chilled Ketel One vodka.

The first six items are in case I have a sick guest, or run out of food.  The last one is only for me, when the party is over and everyone has gone. And yes I have mastered the practice of the Ketel One Sun Salutation.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

Whatever it is that you need/want/have to get done or whatever it is that you find just has to be put off to be done at another time, I pray that it is blessed with safety, love, joy, fun and peace. 

Strive for the blessing and not the stressing for the Life of You.

CAG
11272013

Dirty Knees

Bent on Salvation

Kneeled in Knuckleball

Banged in Frustration

My Dirty Knees

Lost in my nightgown

Caught on a corner

Skinned on the first down

My Dirty Knees

Rug burned and scabbed

Rubbed on a rainy day

Exfoliated and FAB

My Dirty Knees

Bendable and spry

Kneaded in aggravation

Aching and I don’t know why

My Dirty Knees

Curved into a bow

Tickled softly in the moonlight

Reaping what I sow

My Dirty Knees

CAG 5/6/02