Glen Of Scotland

Did it get caught?

Here is a photo of a flying fish, well it's trying to escape a couple of dolphins. Was it successful? Click here to find out. Nature at work again, species feeding species, down the food chain.

Taking for granted

After 25 years of resisting going Las Vegas, I finally relented and went to meet one of my brothers who was over for a vacation at Thanksgiving. I had a great time, even without gambling, though I would have to say it's not a place to take kids!

A couple of things came up, that were a reminder of things we take for granted. One was a cell phone, they didn't have a cell phone that worked over here and as we were staying a different places and doing different things at different places at times, we had to be very deliberate with our communications about where and when to meet. It all worked out well, and it was an opportunity to remember how we managed growing up without phones, far less mobile ones.

Another reminder was of course the smoke, it has been many years since I was exposed to so much cigarette smoke. I don't know anyone who smokes and have lived in areas that were to the forefront about not smoking in public places. Again it all worked out, the newer casinos it was less noticeable than the older casinos.

It was just a reminder that we do tend to take things and people for granted, it's nice to have those reminders from time to time. It's also an opportunity to ramp up appreciation for things too. It's quite amazing the ease that the latest cell phones have brought into our lives, maps, video, photo, texts etc.

Keep Hope

Here is the picture of the week! This 7 year old boy was trapped in the rubble for 8 days, after the Haiti earthquake, no food or water, just hope.

It's great to see the world join together and help others in need in moments like this, it would be nicer if it didn't take a disaster for that to happen.

Update: A 15 day old baby girl was rescued after 8 days, just a few scratches!

Quote

Complaining about anything, holds you in the place of refusing to receive the things you've been asking for. Justifying about anything holds you in the place of refusing to let in the very things that you've been asking for. Blaming someone, holds you in the place of refusing to let in the things that you've been asking for. Feeling guilty, feeling angry, it doesn't matter what you call it, it is a refusal, not a conscious one. You're asking; you can't help but ask. The Universe is yielding; it must yield. It's a big question, folks: why aren't you letting it in?

--- Abraham

Communicating

The tv show 60 minutes featured a segment on elephants and a researcher who is observing them and creating an elephant dictionary. It seems that elephants sounds and behaviors can be matched so that a sound can be translated to, hello for example or leave me alone. Watch the video and you can see that elephants do have emotions and recognize death.

Most interesting of all is that the elephants also communicate in a frequency that is to low for humans to hear. I have long believed that humans also communicate with each other that is beyond speech and body language, whether it is by frequency, vibration or energy I cannot say for sure. In time, I will have answers, until then enjoy the video

 

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The big switch

Several people have been asking for my thoughts about the president and how his popularity has taken a nosedive. There are many reasons for this and I will go over a couple of them as I see it. First though, if you keep focusing on the negative all the time you cannot see the good there and he is a good guy at his core, a good father, husband etc. I also said the same about George Bush, when people were being hypercritical about him too.

As I mentioned at the time of the election, the poll numbers were so high that people were expecting miracles and no human being could live up to that expectation. Part of that is his own fault, Obama was not doing much to temper those expectations, he wanted to get elected and he seemed to enjoy the acclaim.

That said, the poll numbers are bad, one reason for that is all the changes, people in general resist change, the don't like it, it gets uncomfortable, people don't like not knowing what is going to happen, fear level is high. When you add all that to uncertainty about the economy, uncertain job situation, declining house prices, change is met with a lot of fear.

Where I feel Obama and his team have lost the public confidence is, they are pressing ahead with the changes, health care, stimulus, auto bailouts etc, they are forcing them through, they are rushing them through, the level of secrecy is very high. There are lots of closed door meetings, bribes for votes 100 million here and there, cutting deals that benefit a small amount of people.

This is hardly a recipe to instill confidence in the already fearful masses, those in opposition to change pick up on that and fuel the fear fire. That is to be expected and it is very effective with all the force and secrecy and leads to conspiracy theories.

Imagine in your own household, if you are feeling fearful and uncertain about the future and your finances and your spouse comes home one night with a brand new car without discussing it before hand, how will it feel with the added debt? That is what people are feeling about government spending.

There are many other reasons why people have turned against the president, hopefully that will give you some understanding, at least from my perch.

It is possible for you to enjoy living a prosperous life regardless of what is going on at the government level, state or federal. It will take a strong mental discipline to focus on what you do want as opposed to resisting what you don't want.  

Top 50

Here is a photo from the Boston Globe  collection of the top 50 photos from nature last year, click here to see the rest of them. This will brighten your day.

What did you bring?

It's the New Year, I'm sure you knew that already :).

My question is what did you bring from last year with you? Whatever it is, is it helping you move forward or is it a drag on you, slowing you down, tiring you out and the like and therefore not helping you move forward?

Are you willing to let it go or hold on to it? If you want to hold on, for how long would you like to hold on to it? Any particular reason for holding on to it? Do you feel the need to be right? Do you feel the need for revenge? Do you feel the need to punish the other involved? What are the benefits of holding on to this?

If those questions didn't free anything up, then ask yourself what are 4 other possible interpretations for what happened? Is it possible one of those other interpretations is more reasonable than the one you originally arrived at?

Would you now be willing to let go of it?

If not ask how much longer would you like to hold onto this and what has to happen for you to even consider letting go. Any feeling of needing to be right there? Can you control the outcome you are seeking? Usually not, why not let go?

Whatever you choose, let go or hold on it's okay, you may find it helpful to clarify through these and other questions, exactly why you are holding on. It can be quite liberating.

The Great Escape

Start off the New Year with nature:

How cute is this? See more about this here

 

Here is another great photo and story with more stunning photos here

Finally, some observe a decline in polar bears, others see an increase, I guess they are both true, read more here

Happy New Year

I would like to wish you a very Happy New Year, I hope you find increasing levels of peace, happiness and abundance in your life this year!

Here is a picture of Boulder on January 1st, the mountains are not too clear today, more snow on the way, also see if you can spot any creature in the other photo.