tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9110153203470551170.post6102812530644130279..comments2023-11-05T01:13:16.257-08:00Comments on Cancer Banter: On a StrollSusan Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12178330935523896363noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9110153203470551170.post-10423293443047439652007-10-09T13:26:00.000-07:002007-10-09T13:26:00.000-07:00What a beautiful experience to share. Thank you Su...What a beautiful experience to share. Thank you Susan. I just got back from spending a week at Mono Lake. Even though the town where I was staying is 20minutes from June Lake, Mammoth Lake, Yosemite etc. I chose to dedicate all my days to Mono Lake and contemplate it from as many angles as I could. I spent many hours sitting God-sent benches just looking at the stunning vista around me. People would just stop by, take pictures and leave. I felt like a ghost on my benches. It's almost as if people didn't even notice me. I felt I had been there for years of just sitting and watching. There is something healing about absorbing beauty one moment at a time. I miss my benches!<BR/> I wanted to share some pictures with you but I have a wrong email address for you. Will call soon. Much love,<BR/>frankieAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9110153203470551170.post-49953360074861110332007-10-06T19:24:00.000-07:002007-10-06T19:24:00.000-07:00I loved reading this today. I am with you Susan- g...I loved reading this today. I am with you Susan- get outta my way, strollers! Even at my wedding as I was walking down the aisle, I had to be reminded by my dad,"slow down, Em. You'll want to take in all of this." And I'm always trying to find a way to multi-task. And Mrs. Duck-I too listen to bits of each song on a new cd before going back and listening to the whole thing! <BR/><BR/>Will and I went shopping today and it seems that everyone was out for a stroll. And I was in a hurry! For what? Who knows! It seems I need to pay a visit to the Japanese strolling garden. <BR/><BR/>Thank you for the gentle reminder to "slow and stroll." Not only is your post keeping us updated on your life, it's so encouraging, too. <BR/><BR/>Love you! <BR/>emEmilyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11793707027645033946noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9110153203470551170.post-69559665007942992612007-10-06T18:14:00.000-07:002007-10-06T18:14:00.000-07:00thank you - that was wonderful to read - MSMthank you - that was wonderful to read - MSMAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9110153203470551170.post-91085324065647609652007-10-06T14:56:00.000-07:002007-10-06T14:56:00.000-07:00I know what you mean. Don always strolls, while I...I know what you mean. Don always strolls, while I walk purposefully. Don listens to new CDs one track at a time -- I always put a new CD on, listen to a bit from the first track and then move on to next track, etc., so that I get a quick "preview" of the whole CD. Only then do I listen to the CD start to finish. <BR/><BR/>When I was in Japan -- where so much attention is lovingly bestowed on the smallest things -- I finally understood the "Strollers Way". In the most extravagant dinners in Japan, guests receive, one at a time, small plates with beautifully presented little portions of food. Guests don't know what they will be receiving next, and they don't think about it. (Much like visitors to strolling gardens.) Instead, they savor what they have. It forces the diner to be "in the moment" and to enjoy each bite of the meal. And, since enjoyment is a form of gratitude, and gratitude is a form of love, the diner is filled not simply with food, but also with gratitude and love. And that, by itself, converts even a simple dinner into a memorable treat. <BR/><BR/>Here in the US, where "time is money" and money is god, we all too often forget to savor, feel grateful for, and love the journey. We think only of our goals, laid out one after the other forever, well past the visible horizon. <BR/><BR/>Perhaps that's why growing old seems so bleak in America: we feel that our goals should have been reached already and, to the extent that they have not, we feel that we've failed -- and, feeling that it's too late to have new goals, we feel that what's left -- the journey -- is unimportant.<BR/><BR/>As a result, we miss out on the best parts of the the most wondrous gift we will ever receive: our lives.<BR/><BR/>Your post is a terrific reminder. And I always need reminders. Because, no matter how much I promise myself that I'll slow down and enjoy the journey, I inevitably get swept up in this goal and that, and forget to look at what I'm passing by.<BR/><BR/>Thank you for another great post!<BR/><BR/>Love,<BR/>Mrs. DuckMrs. Duckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01289957466783280605noreply@blogger.com