How many years do we have to do housework?

 Do You like to Dust?

I didn't get that gene but still must do it.

Dona Anderson

In our family, it's my sister. She loves to clean.

Hi, Thanks for visiting today and if you're new to this blog. I publish posts weekly, on Tuesdays. 

I've seen the list below several times and this time I thought I'd share it.

As we're moving through Fall with Winter approaching ... what will we do.

Back when I was little there was always the spring and fall house cleaning of the cupboards, drawers, closets, windows etc. etc.

That was on top of the weekly cleaning. 

I don't know if this is still a thing now or not - maybe not so frequent or planned.

With that out of the way it was then time to think about Christmas and hoped to find something to do over the long cold winter, which wasn't much. 

I love this list of things to do - very doable. 

 

Thank You Rose Milligan,

A wonderful selection of things to do that connect you to nature, friends, art, music, books and more.

PS. Even if You do some of these already it's the connection and knowing that it's an activity that fills you with many wonderful feelings and emotions.

Those feelings that fill your heart with Joy.

A time when hours pass by like minutes.

yes Old Age is approaching ...

It's already here for me.

Maybe time to hire someone to do the dusting soon.

Thanks for your visit today. 

Over 700 posts in the Archives that you can view save & share.  

Have a great day and week ahead. 

Thanks for sharing at the links below. Together we're spreading wellness around the world.

Take Care!

Eva Cassidy - Over The Rainbow

Eva Cassidy

Amazing Vocal and guitar both!

Dona Anderson

Week 9

Summer of Music 2022 Finale

While gathering these videos I came across one of Eva's.

I had not heard of her before but after a couple of minutes

I was hooked. 

Have a listen.

She left  many beautiful songs for us to enjoy after her passing from cancer at a young age.

Her talent was a beautiful Gift to us and I hope if this is the first time hearing her music, you will check out more of her songs.  

Her voice, guitar and unique arrangement fill the soul.

If you have tears you are not alone. 

I've been reading some of the comments on line and many others loved her music as well. 

Let's share and carry it into the future. 

 This ends our 2022 summer of music but if you've been here 

before, you'll know music is never very far away.

I hope you had a great summer or other season depending where in this beautiful world you live.

All of this years Summer of Music are in the Archives for July and  August 2022 as well as past years starting in 2017. ( Luckily they have gotten better over the years.)

You can visit them anytime to view, email, save and share at the links shown.

Again, thanks for your continued support and if you're just new to this Blog, new posts are published each Tuesday and over 700 in the archives for you to view, save or share at your leisure.

Who remembers this song?

See You in September

Take Care!

The losses sure added up

We lost out on the Smiles and more ...

"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around."           ~Leo Buscaglia~

Dona Anderson

That quote sure fits in with our lives these last few years.

It has been difficult to add up all the little things that come to mind and weigh the losses we all shared.

We lost out on a lot of personal contact, activities, friends and family gatherings.

We lost out on the hello's, smiles, small talk and more.

We lost out on the coffee with a neighbor and those hugs, handshakes or a pat on the back.

At the start of wearing masks I was in a big store and felt uncomfortable, faint like so as I was the only one in that aisle I lowered my mask a little just to take a few deep breaths.

Then a young lady walked over to where I was shopping and angrily told me I was not wearing My mask correctly and I might as well not have one on.

I fixed it as intended and walked away wondering that at least I had one on and she didn't nor any sign of having one.

I don't know if the 2020 pandenic began with a lot of fear and anger or those emotions grew over time.  

Now from the recent shootings and the ongoing war on Ukraine our hearts remain full of much sadness.

Past generations also felt the horror, stress, hardship, and loss from illness, fighting, violence, disasters and war deeply too in their lives. I'm sure a lot of their worries and emotions were kept deep inside and over time seeped out on the the next generation.

In our world now we also have so much news coming towards us daily and we all can see the horror and loss before our eyes so we have to take special care of our own stress, worries and health. 

Hopefully over time we can work to restore those real feelings of safety  community, friendship and help the children get past it all to feel loved and safe again.

Let's open up the doors to

our life and let others in again.

Something Fun to end with.

If you use the letters in the word limes what will you get?

Answer in next weeks post.

The Last Thing On My Mind -

 

Tom Paxton & Liam Clancy.flv

Great Songs even written years ago never disappear.

Dona Anderson

While we may have a favorite artist that sings it, we all feel the love that is sent out and held onto. 

Great songs never disappear and if you check out the reviews for this video you'll see it's still loved and holds space in the memories of listeners over the years.

I couldn't help but let it hold some of the sadness from Covid and now the WAR on Ukraine. 

PS. Don't go yet.

Check out another video below. 

A lovely video of this song below.

Here's Jose Feliciano 

Bye for today and new posts published every Tuesday.

The archives has over 700 past posts.

 You can check out.

Links for sharing below help us connect to others in the World.

We all need those feelings of peace, hope and love.

Coming soon is my 2022 Summer of Music. 

We have 9 weeks again this year! 

Is Dad having a midlife crisis? -

Laughing with Mary

Is Dad having a midlife crisis? - 

As the kids after one parent passes it's a time we focus on the one left and try to help them with the changes and figuring out what they need to support themselves.

I'm sure a lot of parents now both support the family daily life, meals, shopping, laundry commutes etc. but years ago it was mainly only the wife/mother who was home every day to handle it all.

Thinking back, I don't have any memories of Dad helping with meals, dishes, shopping, laundry, or house work. If not he had a lot to catch up on when Mom got sick and later passing.

My 2 sisters and I lived far away with jobs and children, so I'm sure he had his moments and frustrations.

While I thought the question for the video was a great one, I also was reminded of when Dad started going to a seniors dance night and thinking negatively he never took Mom out.

While there he met a lady he knew from years before that was also widowed and later took her dancing and they went out to supper most nights.

Again, he never took Mom out to for supper.

While I understand his need for companionship I know Mom would have liked the attention of an occasional Date Night to have fun, or a break from cooking the meals every day.

How do we figure it all out?

New dating is important - but can't there be an old married couple time to go out and have Fun ?

A time to remember how and why you fell in love that has lasted through the years.

As time went on we really did appreciate that he had a friend to spend time with. talk to, watch TV with and look after each other.   

PS. I don't know how this happens but a cute video like this one sent me in a different direction. 

I guess that can happen more often then we think with our feelings and words coming from a deep place, a place that may not even be related to what's going on in front of us.

Going forward I think more planed date nights and having fun together while you can is important and helps everyone. 

We often spend a lot of time on work and the daily things and forget to plan those special times that make memories of times well spent.

We're never too old ... 

Take Care, & bye for now.

New posts on Tuesday and over 700 in the 

Archives to view, save & share at your leisure.

It's May already.  

The year is going by fast.

I guess putting our thoughts on paper helps to release and soften some of those inside questions and emotions.  

Sometimes, it just takes a few weeks.

Take Care.

Links for sharing below.                                                  

Dona Anderson

Is this an awkward Day for You

February always has one special day

 Valentines

Dona Anderson

It mostly seems to just be all about Love. 

But we can also let it help us celebrate friendships and show appreciation to others.  

It reminds us to enjoy those people around us, that are in our lives, that help support us each day and make our World a better place.

It can be a child, spouse, coworker, neighbor, friend, your pet or whoever it is for You. 

And, there are many situations where Valentines day can be a lonely, sad time, especially for those who are grieving, away from home or alone, but I like to think that Valentines can also be a day to celebrate ourselves. 

It can be a time to reward ourselves for how we live our life as best we can to be strong and healthy in body, mind and spirit. 

It's can be a day to remind us to love ourselves too, and a few flowers, chocolates or whatever your treat is, let it be a special Gift even if it's given to yourself.  

The enjoyment is still real, and You get what you want.

I'm sharing one of my favorite songs and thought we could all sing along to send some kindness, love, peace & hope out into the World. 

Also sending a Huge Thank You for Your continued support each week.

PS. A quote for you today. 

Something amazing happens when we surrender and just love. 

We melt into another world, a realm of power already within us. 

The world changes when we change. 

The world softens when we soften. 

The world loves us when we choose to love the world. 

~Marianne Williamson~

Take Care and have a wonderful day & week ahead.

Links for sharing with others below and lots in the Archives to view & share.

A big wow today as this is post #700.

Discover your simple Lullaby of Peace

 A True Treasures post for you today.

Let's focus on stuff we can change.

Today We're connecting to the 

meditation, Lullaby of Peace.

Moving Forward from the heart,  # 42, page 105. 

Dona Anderson

Hi and thank You for your visit today. 

As the colder weather of winter is upon us it becomes that time of year when we settle into our homes and catch up on reading, TV shows, and enjoy those jams, pickles, pies and other freezer goodies we made to enjoy over the winter.

It's also a time for letting ourselves observe our day to day lives, our health, wellness and outlook on life.  

It may even be about what  we take out into the World and what we bring back -  is it what we need.

Things are uncertain still and changing for us and it will take time to process these last 2+ years ... what it all meant, what we lost, and what we'll take into the future.

Each one of us will have different things, different memories, feelings, stresses, loss  & more. 

Are you staying at home too much and not wanting to go out.

Are you still feeling the loss of income, friendships, activities, community or those  simple smiles and hello's when you go for a walk.

Are you still wondering if it will start all over again or get worse. 

To Help, I want to share with you today this short Meditation.

I hope it will soften your day, and spread good 

feelings throughout  your whole body & mind.

Lullaby of Peace 

"A musician brings music to life,

it starts from silence, to build, unfold,

reach and release when silence is returned again. 

You bring your breath to life ...

Each breath starts from a place of silence; it builds, unfolds, reaches, and releases when silence again returns.

Let this magical circle of breath go deeper to fill and hold even more ...imagine your organs, bones, skin and muscles all experiencing the different patterns of our breathing ... listen as these patterns become beautiful notes of music being played by your own orchestra.

As you begin to prepare for meditation, allow the music to fade and change slightly as you create soft inner waves of breathing... feel the rhythm of your inhalations and exhalations deepen to become the notes in a smooth, soft lullaby of peace ... 

Settle a bit more and surrender into feelings of being protected within the rhythm of you, your life, your knowing, your stillness and your breath ..."

Listen to these beautiful notes softly

playing your lullaby, your smooth,

soft, sweet notes of peace ..."

Moving Forward from the heart © 2015

PS. I hope you enjoyed these moments to relax, 

Take a few more minutes to be still and observe how your body feels, where your thoughts are.

Enjoy just being still for a few minutes to rest and notice your breaths as your body relaxes.

When you feel ready to restart your day wiggle your toes, stretch out your fingers,  and you may feel like you need a stretch or a big yawn.

Take a couple more breaths and slowly begin to return to your day. 💖

Lastly here's the ending to the meditation

"The quieter you become, the more you are able to hear ~ Rumi

Namaste.

Thanks for your visit.

PS. This is a good post to save and share at the links below.

Have you started building up your Wellness toolbox.

Don't forget the over 650 posts in the Archives for you to view, save & share.

New post on Tuesdays.

Have a good week full of fun, laughter, love and Self Care 

You can link to more True Treasures posts at the

 label True Treasures Below. 😌

Where did the time go - What makes your hours pass like minutes

 Here's a quote for us to think about ...

"What did you do as a child that made the hours pass like minutes? 
Here lies the key to your Earthly Pursuits."  Carl Jung

Hi & Welcome

It's that time of year for creating new memories and remembering some past ones, even maybe one of those You totally forgot about ... 

Those things we did as kids or later often came from Santa's delivery or other gifts you got for Christmas.

The books, bikes, dolls, paint kits, microscope skates clothes tools and more.

Did you make clothes for your doll and learn to sew.

Did you paint by number or learn on your own.

Did you ride your bike to check out the neighborhood or find new friends.

Did you get a musical instrument and learn to play or find out you like to sing or maybe start up a band ...

Did those tools create new hobbies or open up other opportunities. 

I still remember those toy trucks, wagons and tiny cars our son got and he's still driving - now big machinery.

I remember my daughter setting her dolls up to teach them something, she's still teaching.

Warning - You may remember lots of things and now have to go shopping.

PS. What are those things where time passes by for You, that doesn't feel like work even if it is ?

Gardening painting baking writing walking drawing pottery reading knitting playing music ... Share some of yours in the comments below. 

Have a great day and thank you for your visit.

Dona Anderson

Links for sharing with others below. 

💖This was one gift of many from a best friend 
so I make sure it's part of every Christmas. 

                                                           

New posts on Tuesdays.

Can't Wait - visit the archives.

Pick one and see what you discover

 It's time for another True Treasures

Dona Anderson

What are true Treasures?

I share a lot from my books and True Treasures became a chance for me to share a bit more from a particular meditation. 

You can see previous True Treasures posts by linking to the label True Treasures at the bottom of the post.

 This one is from Words to Be savored and treasured 

  #27 on page 75 in  Moving Forward from the Heart. 

The meditation starts by asking you to select one thought from the list for your Meditation and see what you discover.

This is not the complete list but you can get a feeling for the intent of the meditation.

  

*Compliments should not be kept as thoughts, they should be given and also received.

*Some words can mean the same thing, but get a totally different response.

*A friendly greeting or acknowledgement can create a feeling of welcoming and belonging, and let someone know you care.

*Say words that match your happy heart and face.

*Talk about the way you want to be, and use your words to make your dreams come true"

 

 Dona Anderson © 2015.

More information at this link.

PS. I have to add in the last one,

I love and believe in me.

Beautiful Tilly

Take Care and have a wonderful Day.

Which one did you connect to today? 

Relax and feel yourself being transported to a place of peace

          

The Sound of Silence 

The Sound of Silence | Simon & Garfunkel (Harp Cover)

  

Dona Anderson

Thank You beautiful young lady.

When I first heard this version of the song I completely softened and after the last couple of years I guess it was needed.

It was Simple, Beautiful and quickly moved deep into my heart. 

I felt like I had angels from above beside me, and reminded me of the angels I had and have here on earth that I'm very thankful for.

PS. I went searching in my book Moving Forward from the Heart to find a few words to finish off this post. I didn't have to go far to find this ending to the meditation, Lullaby of Peace.

Listen to these beautiful notes softly

playing your lullaby, your smooth

soft sweet notes of peace ...

Link here for information on Resources

Moving Forward from the Heart 

©2015

Thanks for your visit today and for helping me

share my Dream to send Wellness out into the

World by sharing with others at the links below. 

Have a wonderful Day!

There is another version of this video where a deer came along and scared her. It would have been nice in the video had it stayed back.

Fun time to pick - What would You be?

9 questions to ask yourself ... 

It's hard to pick - can it be more than one.

Dona Anderson

I was flipping through my book Moving Forward from the Heart and came across the meditation What would You be #46 on page 114. I decided to share some of it with you and make it another of our True Treasures. 

It's a fun place to pause and let go of that junk in our head for a few minutes.

It's funny how a simple question can be quite hard to answer so I decided to wait until until all the fruits and vegies were sampled over the summer and the colors of the flowers and seasons are still in our minds. 

And, OK, to be honest I was having difficulty just picking one for my answer so I figured I can think about it longer or ask myself the question more times so I can pick more things. 

There, problem solved. 

Anyway here is a shortened version of what's on the page. You can do one or pick a few - whatever you want. 

It's just for fun and to get us thinking about things in our everyday life.

Here goes.

If you were a flavour, what would you be?

If you were a color, what would you be?

If you were a fragrance, what would you be?

If you were a shape, what would you be?

a flower ... a season ... a tree ... an animal ... ?

and it ends with

You are You, what will you be?

So ok, who else picked strawberry for flavour?

PS. Next time it will be that peach that I picked off the tree a few years ago that was really juicy, sweet, warm from the sun and oh so perfect. 

Or that pear from a roadside market that was so delicious and the juice was running down my face.(oh sorry that's more for a fruit not flavour)

Oops, I guess I should have added Fruit on the list, but I'm covered  - I wrote it down on the page. 

Have Fun add in some others

to the list that you think of. 

Thanks for your visit and new posts every Tuesday.

Tuesday is our Day.

Information on Resources at this link

Links for sharing below.

Check out other True Treasure posts at the label below.

All past posts in the Archives for you to view and share.

A forest walk.

We finally became part of a neighbourhood success story

 

What's yours like?

Your neighbourhood ...

Dona Anderson

We've been living in this neighbourhood for 20 years now.

The longest either of us have been in the same home. 

Our house was being build while we lived in a different location so long drives commuting, planes, phone calls and frustrating times were all part of that previous year. 

Then came the move and now we don't have jobs anymore, we're here all day, what do we do - will you quit the latest project and sit down and rest.

It's been memorable in many ways.

The neighbourhood may be the same as many others but in our before lives we were gone to work during the day or on shift work, and lived in a different climate so we didn't hang out or know many of the neighbours. 

We didn't know many of their names, their dogs, kids or much else.

Even our dog at the time didn't help because she didn't like to go walking. 

We did though have 2 of the best people close by that became dear friends.

Living here we get to notice more changes. A few leaving and new owners come, babies, little kids moving in and growing up, learning to ride their bikes and gather with friends. 

Lots of dogs out getting their daily walks and people too. 

Where do they all come from?

It's great to share smiles and good mornings as we pass, visit, share garden goodies, suppers and help when needed. 

It's our time now to witness what a neighbourhood is, can be and enjoy watching it grow up. 

Some day we will need to move on and let someone else take over our home but we will take with us lots of great memories of our many years here.

 

Memories are easy to take with You & share,

no packing required. 

Thanks for your visit and for sharing with others. Links below.

PS. I hope  you enjoyed this years Summer of Music - they're all in the Archives for July & August 2021.

It was a wonderful time to reconnect with this beautiful World of ours, and the video's are quite relaxing. 

I'm sure many will be watched several times or even help to make new vacation destinations. 

Thank You for sharing with others.  All our shares help us to keep spreading Wellness around the World.   

 Links below.

Previous years Summer of Music are in the Archives for July and August 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and now 2021.  

Here's a post from 2019 about gardens. It's kind of a broader look at the word  garden in a sense but the food part gets repeated every year.

Comments Welcomed.

Bye for now and Take Care 😀

New posts Weekly - Tuesdays our day.

A gift from a neighbour.

Which spelling do you use where you live - neighborhood or neighbourhood ?

Are You feeling a bit Lost these Days?

one of my photo messages 

Listen to the words

of your Heart.

Many Gifts appear

from the Found

Thanks for your visit today!

Dona Anderson

Subscribe to Dona Anderson by Email

Going back in time for this Story. 

Before I started Yoga I led a life full of routines - daily, weekly monthly and yearly. 

I took the bus to work and home and even though the ride home stopped at a grocery store, I never got off to pick up something.

I had to get home - to see if everything was OK, the kids, the dogs, the house and then get supper and the next days lunch started. 

Life seemed rushed, no spontaneity.

While our housework day changed as many times as there are days in the week, if something disrupted doing the chores on that certain day - you still had to do them and most days had something so that meant double up duties.

Only having about 4 hours or so when you got home went by very fast before bedtime and the start to the next day.  The weekends as you know were always busy too.

I used to go for lots of walks but I never really saw anything, missed little changes and even some big ones. 

My husband helped me get better at that but taking time to notice wasn't something I knew much about, learned or was taught when I grew up. 

Help is coming ... 

In this post I want to share with you the poem Lost and Found which I wrote after I finished writing Simply, One Breath At a Time. 

The book helped me grow and understand more about life, it guided me to make changes, be comfortable and the poem let me put it all together.

Through the practice of Yoga and my Writing about Breath, Body, Awareness, Connection, Gratitude and more I continued to learn about my needs, to feel and notice those parts of my life and health that were left behind, left unnoticed.

Luckily those valuable gifts of learning and growth continue throughout our life and in our later years we have the time to listen and respond.

Then as my second book came along it was time to share the poem in Moving forward from the Heart. 

An introduction and the poem are on pages 11 & 12. 

Now it's time to share the poem with You.

Go slowly and see what presents itself to you today and then ...

Pick one to sit with and see what you find.

  Lost and Found

    

"Lost myself – 

found out what’s important and brings me joy

Lost track of time – 

found the now in the present moment 

Lost imagination – 

found treasures, gifts, paradise, nature 

                  

         Lost comfort – 

         found softness from letting go, and smiling

Lost paying attention –

found myself choosing to be aware

Lost appreciation – 

found feelings of fullness from gratitude

Lost awareness – 

found time to see, hear, feel and connect

Lost my breath – 

found a nourishing breath flowing within me

Lost a quiet mind –

found that I can slow down thoughts and rest 

Lost peace – 

found a safe place for me to open up my heart"

© 2015 Dona Anderson
Moving Forward from the Heart

 Another post

you may like at this link.

Lost ...

Myself -Time - Imagination - Comfort -

 Paying Attention - Appreciation - Awareness - 

Breath - Quiet Mind - Peace

Did you relate to something?

PS. I still love routines to keep me on track but now I can relax with them, appreciate them instead of feeling pressure and dictated to. 

Now they allow me to keep time and space for the good habits I want and need to follow my goals and wellness plans.

Have a wonderful Day.

Where in the World do we travel too?

See some below the picture.

New posts each Tuesday.

My free gifts of Wellness.

Also check out the Archives

over 600 posts.

The labels at the bottom of the page will connect you to other posts. 

Links for sharing below.

 

Here's where our Visitors this past week were from - United States, Germany, Canada, France, Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, India, Japan, Luxenberg, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, Belgium,  United Kingdom, Portugal, Serbia, Sweden, Slovakia, & others.

Thank You & Take Care.

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