The Process

All of Life is a Process

     
     I have come to the realization, life is a process.  Sometimes the process is the consequence of our bad choices. That is not really what we are talking about today. That is for another blog. I have made mistakes. I am not perfect. I have had to suffer the consequences of my actions. That is for another blog. Even though it is wonderful and freeing. When we own our poor life choices. Instead of blaming others and blaming peer pressure. That is for another blog. I could write explicitly about that. Let me stop right here.

Air Plant, just because

    What about when life hands you lemons? When you are going through times and trials that are not of your own making. When real life is happening. My thoughts are that life usually mirrors seasons. People are free to disagree. For me the season of trial is winter. No this isn't going to be a winter hate blog. No matter how disagreeable and nasty the season is.

Daffodils poking through the cold hard ground
In February

    Keep in mind that everything that is costly and beautiful, goes through a process and sometimes it is painful. Diamonds require high temperatures and pressure.(1) Gold needs a fire (2) to be refined and remove the imperfections. Gold and diamonds have no feeling. If gold and diamonds had feeling, the pressure would be painful.
This is just the creation. It doesn't take into account the cutting and molding from human hands.  

   When a pearl is created. A parasite or some type of irritant, takes up residence in a Oyster shell. (3) It can take six months on wards up to four years. Interesting thought that the pearl that took four years to form would be the most expensive(4) Even the odd pearls that are flawed are still beautiful.

    A caterpillar has to die, to become a butterfly. (5) It spins itself into a cocoon. Then it digests itself, but some cells remain. Having once watched the metamorphosis. From caterpillar to butterfly. It looks awful and painful. 

     This is the verse that has brought me comfort, during the winters of my life. Even if it has taken me a while to come to this point. The reason I am writing this blog. Is because of my current trip through winter, both spiritually and meteorological. (link below)

Progress Report, Part Two

2 Corinthians 12:9

I use the NIV and it isn't up for discussion.

     

Another verse that has brought me comfort. 

1 Peter 5:7 NIV

      Daffodils among other Spring flowers need a hard and cold winter. This is from my own personal experience. Once when we had a very warm winter. We had no daffodils or tulips. I personally loved it, the bulbs? Not so much.

    In February when the Daffodils start sprouting. They often have to endure terrible circumstances. Snow, ice and freezing cold temperatures. Yet they survive. They persevere and bloom in due time. They are all the more beautiful for their suffering.

Before

After

A few of my other blogs
What I have been doing? Progress Report, Part One
What have I been doing? Progress Report, Part Two

Bibliography
1.  https://geology.com/articles/diamonds-from-coal/
2.  https://www.britannica.com/technology/gold-processing
3. https://www.livescience.com/32289-how-do-oysters-make-pearls.html
4. https://www.americanpearl.com/historyoyster.html
5. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/caterpillar-butterfly-metamorphosis-explainer/

Tales of a Piggy Squirrel

         Last week the East Coast was slammed with a blizzard.  My city got 28-30 inches, approximately. Just a couple pictures to let you see what we were dealing with. It was cold. It was so cold that I saw a crow out walking around in a parka and snow boots.

Behold the Piggy Squirrel in its natural habitat

 

Is that a car or a marshmallow? I vote car.
Do marshmallows have windshield wipers?

I went to sleep on Friday night. These things were
covered with three inches of snow. By Saturday night
they looked like this

Beautiful Icicles



Beautiful blue sky with more beautiful icicles

Another picture to show how much snow we
really got

      I don't want to write a blog about how much I dislike snow and winter. That would be depressing. People like snow. I get that. Personally I don't dislike it, per se. When we get a couple little storms here and there, three to six inches. Bring on the snow. As far as precipitation goes. Snow is much better than ice. When we get over one foot. Snow seriously loses it's luster. Over two feet and that is all she wrote, double dislike.

         Don't know if anyone else has this problem. When it snows 25-29 inches. Which causes us to be stuck in the house for days. I get a little blue. Then I get a little hungry, umm no make that ravenous. I become like my friend. The Piggy Squirrel. You see the Piggy Squirrel eats or tries to eat all the bird seed that was left out for the birds. I get a little down and I eat everything in the house. Preferably if it is carb and calorie laden. Sweet or salty, I am an equal opportunity binger. No food is safe. Everything is fair game. Well broccoli is safe. I don't binge on broccoli. Wish that broccoli was binge worthy. Then the scale wouldn't have delivered bad news of a three pound gain.

       Recovery from Piggy Squirrel Syndrome is a long process. When it only took a week to gain. It will probably take two weeks to lose. You would think from all my years of yo yoing, this would finally sink in.

    After all "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result" ~ Albert Einstein.

     Didn't feel like exercising. From shoveling so much I was completely drained and sore. Probably sub consciously thinking, I must have burned thousands of calories. I deserve to eat this. That may have been true on Sunday, but not the rest of the week. Couldn't go anywhere stuck in the house and so I ate to compensate for the winter storm blues. One thing that would be good for me to finally learn. Is that eating everything in sight. Won't make the snow melt. Skipping exercising will cause worse feelings. Which will lead to over eating. Which will lead to worse feelings. Which will lead to over eating. A never ending vicious cycle.

         "Tomorrow is a brand new day, with no mistakes in it" ~LM Montgomery. So here is to Monday, Exercise and getting back on track!

This is Piggy Squirrel
Piggy Squirrel eats all the bird seed
He runs the other squirrels off
He runs the birds off
He runs away when he hears a human coming
Don't be like Piggy Squirrel