NO MORE FEAR

Fear is like a fence
around my mind,
my body,
my soul, and
my world.

It restricts me,
my view,
my interactions,
my experiences, and
my life.

Fear looks like
its protecting,
providing safety,
security, and
peace.
in reality,
it is imprisoning,
restricting,
and limiting.

Today I live
without fear.
i know I have
nothing to fear.
I am embrace the
opportunities to grow,
to evolve,
and to be transformed.
This is why I live
without fear.

G IS FOR THE GRILL TOOL SET

https://www.pamperedchef.com/pws/sharonjacobson/shop/Outdoor/BBQ+Tools/Grilling+Tool+Set/2725

A friend of mine gives me a hard time about my ability to see life and spiritual lessons in just about everything. As I was thinking about our Grilling Tool Set, I thought how awesome it would be if I could store all my spiritual tools in one place. Many of them are stored within me, but others have found their home in meditation room which contains my books, music, a futon for friends and clients to sit on and my altar which contains all the things which help bring me peace and ground my environment. Yet I do not have a way to put all of them in a tote and bring them with me.

Our Grilling Tool Set allows those who enjoy grilling to tote their tools, cook, and clean up without the stress of wondering if they have all the tools they need. The set includes Grill Tongs, Grill Spatula, Grill Basting Brush, Wooden Grill Scraper, and of course the Grilling Tool Bag.

Each piece plays its own role, including the Grilling Tool Bag. When you first look at, it appears like a fairly simplistic bag. However, as you explore it you begin to see that there is a functionality to the bag that transcends carrying tools. It has five pockets to carry the grilling essentials. However, it also has a mesh pocket where you can store other things you might need, such as spices, silverware and a thermometer to check the temperature of the meet you are grilling. One of the qualities I love is that it is machine washable. During the process of grilling, the tools can get dirty and there is not always a place to wash them before having to repack them, so being able to wash the Grilling Tool Bag once you get back home is a blessing. We all need safe places to store our tools, however, it is also nice to know we can easily keep them clean.

I love each of the tools for different reasons. Each of the tools is at least 16 ¼” in length. The length helps each tool do what it is supposed to do while keeping your hands away from the heat. There are tools I have in my spiritual toolbox which have helped me turn situations, or at least my perception of them around, so I did not cause myself or others any harm.

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A IS FOR ADJUSTABLE MEASURING SPOON

It has been a few years since I was part of an A to Z writing challenge. I had the opportunity to do it again. So I thought I would write my way through products and recipes from the Pampered Chef website. As I looked at the site the “A” product that popped out at me was the Adjustable Measuring Spoon Set. Perhaps that is because I use them daily and in all honesty, probably need an additional set of them for our kitchen, as they always seem to be in the dishwasher when I need them.

There are a few things I love about their design. One is that they fit perfectly in every spice container I have. In the past, I have been frustrated by spoons that are unable to fit into some of my spice containers, but these fit perfectly. Maybe this is important to me because unlike my spoons, there have been numerous times and places where I felt like I did not fit in. As I told a friend the other day, it is as if I am a round peg in a square hole, or in this case the spoon that won’t fit in the bottle. What an awesome world it would be if we all felt like we fit in the places and spaces we most needed to be.

We live in a world that is filled with binaries, wet/dry, black/white, male/female, rich/poor, etc. So often we feel like we must fit into one category or the other. So these spoons remind me that it is okay to be a combination of both or be able to fit into both categories. Being biracial I can appreciate not being just one or the other but both. Maybe that is part of what I love about these spoons. I never have to choose what I am putting in them. I can measure wet and dry ingredients with the same spoon.

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THE SILENT SPACE

Today I just want to thank you for what Elizabeth Gilbert calls the Big Magic in my life. I know for years you placed the idea of a prayer and meditation garden in my heart. I am so grateful you did and for the miraculous ways you worked to make it happen.

I continued to be saddened by how few places there are in this area where people can go be quiet and at the same time feel safe and alone.  I remember when I was more mobile, how I could go to a house of worship and sit in a sanctuary. However, those days seem long gone as most places are locked during non-worship hours. There are places where you can go play, socialize, or walk your pet, but virtually no where that you can just go and sit and be still; no place where you can just go and sit in the silence which is you.

This is why I felt so called to create our prayer and meditation garden. It is that space. A space where you can just meander back, sit on one of the benches, listen to the sound of the wind through the chimes, gaze out at the plants, and just be. It is a space that radiates love, light, and peace. Even when our neighbors are out in their yards, they honor the space as sacred. I find it humbling when even our neighbors meander back and sit their soaking up the silence and listening to your voices.

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LACKING ENTHUSIASM

This morning I was seeking inspiration and came across this blog about dogs who are not enthusiastic eaters. I had to laugh because the only time I had known a dog who did not eat with enthusiasm was when they were sick. However, as I read this piece I realized that a lot of her advice had to do with people as well personally and spiritually. So today, I am trying something a bit different and my responses to her are in italics.

Most dogs are eager eaters. You’d be hard-pressed to find a dog that actually knows how to chew.

However, there are some dogs who don’t eat well. Some are finicky about what foods they eat while others are just less than enthusiastic about the whole experience. There are temporary circumstances when your dog’s appetite may suffer and that includes vaccinations, illnesses, changes in the household, changes in his normal routine or travel. But these are usually short lived decreases in his appetite that will return to normal without much delay.

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