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home and spirit
Apr. 3rd, 2008 11:49 pmI've been pretty good about not writing about where I live. It is so very gossipy and Melrose Place...well, maybe not THAT much fun! LOL, but we've had our moments ;) But sometimes a little bit of knowledge about my home is not a bad thing.
Anyway, our building has really changed a lot since I moved in nearly 7 years ago. I love it, don't get me wrong, but it's not perfect. It's loud and there are many complaints one way or the other about that, we share laundry...all that. We complain about how you do your laundry. We complain about how you don't put someone else's laundry in the dryer. Conversely we complain that you should start someone's laundry when you take it out of the washer to start your own wash. We complain that you shouldn't take anyone's clothes out of the washer at all ever. NEVER take clothes out of the dryer wet (that's MY mortal sin). We all have our issues, but it is home.
I'm not looking to make best friends with my neighbours, but I am part of a community. We celebrate Halloween together (we have ever since I moved here). Sometimes we have a summer potluck "thang" Sometimes we have a winter holiday potluck gathering. We frequently congregate outside when it is sunny. For the most part we get along. For the most part. We all have our favourites ;) But we all live here. We're all form A.B.
But I keep my distance is what I'm trying to say. Until Leah. I made her my friend. Since then I've been more open with others here and I find that is working out for me. Arn (did I talk about crazy Arn?...good lord...nevermind). ANYWAY....there is this couple that lives here that just look rad. I know, you can't tell, but she's got a blind dog, drives a funky old Falcon?? (like J's collector) with bumper stickers that say Impeach Bush and PUNK GIRL, sports various colours of hair (it's currently all fuschia), and espouses the virtues of buying pets from farms or families or adopting from the SPCA to my kids (when they asked if she bought her dog at the pet store). He's very punky too, though, for whatever the reason, he's less involved in courtyard life.
Today as I was checking the status of my clothes in the dryer, she came into the laundry room. I asked her if she was needing the dryer and she said "no" and something else I didn't catch. I discovered my clothes were not quite dry and sort of threw my hands up in the air, sighed and said, "if you need to use the dryer just go for it..cuz..., I gotta go...I still have laundry to dry but...bah." She left the room not upset...just matter of factly. I saw her think, pause and turn around, "I'm Dawn, I've seen you around but I don't remember your name."
"Abby" I responded. "I've got Soren, Zea and Josh." And then before I had a chance to talk to her anymore, Soren needed me and then I said..."I gotta go!" I ran after soren and then off to work.
When I came home tonight all of my laundry was dry! :) How sweet. Now, do I know if she did it? No. I'll attribute it to her and the lovely laundry fairies. BUt cool. Sometimes if I forget my laundry the laundry fairies fold it (though I think it is one of two sweet people). I try to keep up my laundry room Karma...looks like I need to do it again for someone else...but sweet, eh! Laundry is all dry, ready to be folded. And we all need laundry assistance from time to time. It's just a nice random act of kindness to bestow upon someone.
So she seems like the kind of person I like to be friends with but I don't know if it will ever happen....timing and all.
Same with Zea's friend's step-mom, Aimee (You know, her name very well may be spelled Amy, but she looks like an Aimee...I don't know what that means exactly...but she does).
So we need to have a summer party/potluck thing so I can make new friends here. I don't know...this feels entirely too social! But...you know...I need some good housing/living karma. And I am giving more. I can still have boundaries and be a friendly neighbour.
********************
I copied the St. Anthony's prayer the other day and posted it up. I know, it is just so Christian...but it is so 12 steps. And I really get it. I think the "self-forgetting" really wigs people out...but it has proven true for me. In self-forgetting I am given more than I could ever imagine.
***************
A few years ago I took down my shadow box because my kids kept touching the stuff in it. NO, THANK YOU! In it there is a very small photo of me and my family when I was 16, a rock with the word "HARMONY" lasered into it, the box cover and the box containing the relish fork and spoon from the "Amsterdam" silver company in...somwhere Norway or Sweden. It was my grandmother's and came from her mother (the only thing my grandmother received from any of her mother's things). A perfume tin with a yin yang on it called Balance. A little blue and black square wooden box with a yin yang on it. A small cloisenne (poor quality) pill box. A few empty spaces for future items, and lastly, a little book called the inner manifestation bowl book. I used to have this cool little woman statue and her lap was a bowl (she broke). This little book was the FIRST time I ever used manifestation magic in my life. These items, like my collections in my kitchen, (so Taurus of me) are the kinds of things I'd like my grandchildren to finger and experience the essence of ME. It's neat because I kept a small sampling of things from my youth for my own kids to play with (and they did this last summer, it was so fun to watch them play with my charm necklace (remember those crappy plastic charms?), friendship pins, my first perfume, keychains, junk mostly, but a lot of kitschy kid stuff from my youth).
My point is, I put it back up today. The shadow box. And that Inner Manifestation bowl book...I'd forgotten about it. But as I paged through it today I just remembered where I started...or rather...where I was when I got here (moved to this place...one of my first manifestations...as I wanted community...of course, I still haven't utilized the potential of this community, but I'm giving and taking as it comes and I guess that is ok). But yeah...I've lived here at A.B. for 7 years.
It's a special place. It is my home.
Anyway, our building has really changed a lot since I moved in nearly 7 years ago. I love it, don't get me wrong, but it's not perfect. It's loud and there are many complaints one way or the other about that, we share laundry...all that. We complain about how you do your laundry. We complain about how you don't put someone else's laundry in the dryer. Conversely we complain that you should start someone's laundry when you take it out of the washer to start your own wash. We complain that you shouldn't take anyone's clothes out of the washer at all ever. NEVER take clothes out of the dryer wet (that's MY mortal sin). We all have our issues, but it is home.
I'm not looking to make best friends with my neighbours, but I am part of a community. We celebrate Halloween together (we have ever since I moved here). Sometimes we have a summer potluck "thang" Sometimes we have a winter holiday potluck gathering. We frequently congregate outside when it is sunny. For the most part we get along. For the most part. We all have our favourites ;) But we all live here. We're all form A.B.
But I keep my distance is what I'm trying to say. Until Leah. I made her my friend. Since then I've been more open with others here and I find that is working out for me. Arn (did I talk about crazy Arn?...good lord...nevermind). ANYWAY....there is this couple that lives here that just look rad. I know, you can't tell, but she's got a blind dog, drives a funky old Falcon?? (like J's collector) with bumper stickers that say Impeach Bush and PUNK GIRL, sports various colours of hair (it's currently all fuschia), and espouses the virtues of buying pets from farms or families or adopting from the SPCA to my kids (when they asked if she bought her dog at the pet store). He's very punky too, though, for whatever the reason, he's less involved in courtyard life.
Today as I was checking the status of my clothes in the dryer, she came into the laundry room. I asked her if she was needing the dryer and she said "no" and something else I didn't catch. I discovered my clothes were not quite dry and sort of threw my hands up in the air, sighed and said, "if you need to use the dryer just go for it..cuz..., I gotta go...I still have laundry to dry but...bah." She left the room not upset...just matter of factly. I saw her think, pause and turn around, "I'm Dawn, I've seen you around but I don't remember your name."
"Abby" I responded. "I've got Soren, Zea and Josh." And then before I had a chance to talk to her anymore, Soren needed me and then I said..."I gotta go!" I ran after soren and then off to work.
When I came home tonight all of my laundry was dry! :) How sweet. Now, do I know if she did it? No. I'll attribute it to her and the lovely laundry fairies. BUt cool. Sometimes if I forget my laundry the laundry fairies fold it (though I think it is one of two sweet people). I try to keep up my laundry room Karma...looks like I need to do it again for someone else...but sweet, eh! Laundry is all dry, ready to be folded. And we all need laundry assistance from time to time. It's just a nice random act of kindness to bestow upon someone.
So she seems like the kind of person I like to be friends with but I don't know if it will ever happen....timing and all.
Same with Zea's friend's step-mom, Aimee (You know, her name very well may be spelled Amy, but she looks like an Aimee...I don't know what that means exactly...but she does).
So we need to have a summer party/potluck thing so I can make new friends here. I don't know...this feels entirely too social! But...you know...I need some good housing/living karma. And I am giving more. I can still have boundaries and be a friendly neighbour.
********************
I copied the St. Anthony's prayer the other day and posted it up. I know, it is just so Christian...but it is so 12 steps. And I really get it. I think the "self-forgetting" really wigs people out...but it has proven true for me. In self-forgetting I am given more than I could ever imagine.
***************
A few years ago I took down my shadow box because my kids kept touching the stuff in it. NO, THANK YOU! In it there is a very small photo of me and my family when I was 16, a rock with the word "HARMONY" lasered into it, the box cover and the box containing the relish fork and spoon from the "Amsterdam" silver company in...somwhere Norway or Sweden. It was my grandmother's and came from her mother (the only thing my grandmother received from any of her mother's things). A perfume tin with a yin yang on it called Balance. A little blue and black square wooden box with a yin yang on it. A small cloisenne (poor quality) pill box. A few empty spaces for future items, and lastly, a little book called the inner manifestation bowl book. I used to have this cool little woman statue and her lap was a bowl (she broke). This little book was the FIRST time I ever used manifestation magic in my life. These items, like my collections in my kitchen, (so Taurus of me) are the kinds of things I'd like my grandchildren to finger and experience the essence of ME. It's neat because I kept a small sampling of things from my youth for my own kids to play with (and they did this last summer, it was so fun to watch them play with my charm necklace (remember those crappy plastic charms?), friendship pins, my first perfume, keychains, junk mostly, but a lot of kitschy kid stuff from my youth).
My point is, I put it back up today. The shadow box. And that Inner Manifestation bowl book...I'd forgotten about it. But as I paged through it today I just remembered where I started...or rather...where I was when I got here (moved to this place...one of my first manifestations...as I wanted community...of course, I still haven't utilized the potential of this community, but I'm giving and taking as it comes and I guess that is ok). But yeah...I've lived here at A.B. for 7 years.
It's a special place. It is my home.
