Should old acquaintance be forgot...

It will be a quiet night for all of us here as we welcome the new year in our pajamas.  There's lots to think about and prepare for as the big changes of last year (some good, some bad) continue to make their mark on the year ahead.  No matter how you spend (or spent) this evening, I hope that this new year brings you many blessings and great joy.  Remember as you go out into the world tonight, or tomorrow or even the day after, that we are all connected.  Happy New Year!

Thank you for this little bit of serendipity

Right after the Newtown tragedy, my best friend from high school posted a request on Face Book for help for two of her 5th grade students.  Their parents were out of work and the kids (growing insanely fast, as kids are wont to do) really were hurting for new clothing, shoes, etc.  Months ago, when I was employed, spending a couple hundred bucks on something like this would have meant eating at home a lot more during the month, but it would not have kept me from paying a bill.  Now that we are a one-income household, every dollar must be carefully considered (a work in progress for me--something that is sure to bite me in the rear end at some future date.)

I really wanted to help these kids though.  I could do nothing for those 20 lost children in CT, but I could certainly do some small thing to help these two kids.  I looked at all of the accounts--all of the Giftmas money had been spent, money in the checking account was already accounted for...then on a hunch I checked my Pay Pal account, where all of my money from my readings go.  I'd had used this account to supplement Christmas spending as well and was pretty certain there was a 0 balance.  Strangely enough, I still had a balance of $65--just $10 shy of what I need to buy both boys "cool" shoes. 

As an extremely poor kid growing up, I can't tell you the importance in kid/teen world of having "cool" shoes.  Other kids are ruthless and generic brand shoes from the big box store don't cut it.  A day after they arrived, I got this message from my friend:

"The shoes were a hit! I wish you could have seen their faces! They said to tell you thank you! The rest of the kiddos kept complimenting their shoes and the boys smiled all day long!!!"

So thank you, all of you, who have made my first year on Etsy wonderful.  I've always known I had great clients, but this tiny bit of serendipity you brought into my world was a great way to end 2012.   Have a blessed and safe New Year!

Be the Good

Last year around this time I wrote this very stuffy article about New Year's Resolutions and how best to maintain them throughout the year.  This year a lot has changed in my life and public tragedies such as the shootings in Newtown, CT have left me with a very acute sense of my own mortality.  I spent the weekend after that horrible shooting in a depressive haze.  All around my little town, flags a half staff waved in constant reminder of the evil that had occurred. 

I live my life like most human beings, with death pushed into this tiny compartment of my brain where it gets ignored.  But events like the shooting bring death out of its corner, as I'm suddenly reminded of how quickly everything I take for granted can be destroyed in mere minutes.  Right after the shooting, a picture of Mr. Rogers was circulating Face Book.  Attached was the following quote, "When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” To this day, especially in times of “disaster,” I remember my mother’s words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers – so many caring people in this world.”

So this year I'm approaching the whole New Year's Resolution thing differently.  I cannot save the world, nor single-handily stop tragedies like that from happening, but I can be a force for good. I can be a helper.
 
There are still practical elements of my resolution list...for example, I'm creating a list of goals that don't have absurd requirements attached (getting up at four a.m. to go running when I never get up at four a.m., no thank you).  On the not so practical side, I'm trying to work out my goals to be an even mixture of giving and self help.  The problems of the world seem to great to tackle on one's own, but there are little things that one can do everyday to be the good in this world.

And so I encourage you, on that list next to the "go to the gym," "find a new job," "lose ten pounds," to include a small service project or two, commit to helping out a local shelter or soup kitchen, vow to save a tiny sum each week to donate at the end of the year.  As a friend posted a few days ago, "Somehow, not only for Christmas, but all the long year through, the joy that you give to others, is the joy that comes back to you. And the more you spend in blessings, the poor and lonely and sad, the more of your heart’s possessing, returns to you glad.— John Greenleaf Whittier

Many blessing to you and yours in the New Year!

So You Want to Learn to Read the Tarot.......(Part One) Your First Deck

I was always a little afraid of the Tarot.  It seems silly now in retrospect to be intimidated by a deck of cards, but I was.  So when I finally got brave enough to begin this journey, I started off slow, collecting decks without much thought or knowledge behind why I chose each individual deck.  I bought what I liked, mostly based on my reaction to the aesthetics of the cards.  Five years later, I now possess dozens of decks.....many of which are beautiful to look at but not really good to read with.  I hate to say this, but I was completely closed-minded when it came to traditional decks.  I wanted nothing to do with the traditional decks like the Rider Waite Tarot, which seemed incredibly boring and blah to me.  When the time came to actually start reading, I went with a small deck from a cheap kit for the simple fact that I found it easier to manipulate the smaller cards in my hands.  Unfortunately the cards did nothing to help me learn the tarot.

You see, while it may be obvious to some, it wasn't obvious to me at the time that the pictures contained on each card actually meant something, and that by using a more traditional deck, I'd be able to pick up the meaning of each card better than if I just picked a deck because it was beautiful or "cute."  Even if you aren't drawn to traditional decks, I highly encourage those wanting to begin reading to start off with a good standard deck.  Traditional decks can be found in all sizes (if you have small hands like me).

A bit of warning though, traditional decks do tend to be loaded heavily with Christian symbolism and imagery.  If this isn't your thing, I'd still argue that starting with this type of deck is still going to be your best bet--not only will it aide you in the learning process, you'll find that a lot of your clients will identify with this imagery, and can get them past the "fear" of seeking out your advice.

Finally, if you want a deck, go buy one.  It's not bad luck to buy your own deck.....if you wait to be gifted one, you may be waiting forever.  There's no time like the present to start learning to read the cards!