11.16.2008
Hawthorne Bridge
This is the Hawthorne Bridge that Ben and I bike and drive across to get downtown. It has been raised in the picture to prepare for a ship going under it.
11.13.2008
Thanksgiving
After several days of rain and gloomy weather, the sun decided to make an appearance this morning. I am outside on the deck writing this because I don't want to miss any opportunity to soak up the rays. The sky is clear, and the temperature is mild. I would head out to the beach but the news says that the highways headed that way are closed because of water and mud slides. Maybe I will take a trek toward Mt. Hood.
It is hard to feel down and depressed these days because of the weather or the fact that I don't have a job yet. I feel so blessed and fortunate this year that I don't really concentrate on the couple of things I don't have. I'm not meaning to brag, but I do feel fortunate this year because of the following reasons:
1. Boyfriend. My boyfriend is the best boyfriend ever. We connect on several different levels, and I think he would agree that it just feels and is right. I have searched a long time for him, and I appreciate him a lot.
2. House. I closed on my house in Tulsa on August 5th, just a month and a half before the market went bust. I got a really good price for my house. Yeaaa!
3. Northwest. I'm living in the Pacific Northwest, how incredibly cool is that. I never thought I'd live on the West Coast, and now here I am. Wow!
4. Portland. I not only live in the Pacific Northwest, but in Portland. I live a little over an hour from the beach, a little over an hour from skiing, I have huge parks full of hiking trails, tons of stores and events. Yep, Portland is very nice.
5. Exercise. I am getting a fair amount of exercise living in Portland. We bike all around Portland, and I have made a commitment to do Yoga at least once a week. I'm toning up and feeling better. Life is good.
Well, that is the short list of the things I am thankful for as I head into the Thanksgiving season. Yep, I don't have a job and the weather can be dreary. Honestly, it is just a matter of time for me to get a job, and the weather every once in a while gives us a very sunny day like today. All and all, I am very happy. Life is for the living, so I better get off this computer and go find me some living to do today.
It is hard to feel down and depressed these days because of the weather or the fact that I don't have a job yet. I feel so blessed and fortunate this year that I don't really concentrate on the couple of things I don't have. I'm not meaning to brag, but I do feel fortunate this year because of the following reasons:
1. Boyfriend. My boyfriend is the best boyfriend ever. We connect on several different levels, and I think he would agree that it just feels and is right. I have searched a long time for him, and I appreciate him a lot.
2. House. I closed on my house in Tulsa on August 5th, just a month and a half before the market went bust. I got a really good price for my house. Yeaaa!
3. Northwest. I'm living in the Pacific Northwest, how incredibly cool is that. I never thought I'd live on the West Coast, and now here I am. Wow!
4. Portland. I not only live in the Pacific Northwest, but in Portland. I live a little over an hour from the beach, a little over an hour from skiing, I have huge parks full of hiking trails, tons of stores and events. Yep, Portland is very nice.
5. Exercise. I am getting a fair amount of exercise living in Portland. We bike all around Portland, and I have made a commitment to do Yoga at least once a week. I'm toning up and feeling better. Life is good.
Well, that is the short list of the things I am thankful for as I head into the Thanksgiving season. Yep, I don't have a job and the weather can be dreary. Honestly, it is just a matter of time for me to get a job, and the weather every once in a while gives us a very sunny day like today. All and all, I am very happy. Life is for the living, so I better get off this computer and go find me some living to do today.
11.07.2008
Sun Worshipping
I became very excited this morning as I looked out the window upstairs and thought I saw a stretch of clear sky. I dragged my boyfriend to the window only to realize it was just a layer of clouds on top of another layer of clouds. Bah humbug! I told him that if the sun would come out I would run outside and worship it. He laughed and continued to get dressed for work.
I have been pondering this concept of sun worship this morning. It is a very ancient concept dating back to the times of the ancient Egyptians http://www.touregypt.net/godsofegypt/ra.htm , ancient Greeks http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/heliosmyth/Helios_Greek_Mythology_Helios.htm. and more recently the Native Americans http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/tawa.htm where their people worshiped the sun. The sun is such a necessity for good mental health for so many humans that it is no wonder that some cultures elevated it to the level of a god. The sun generally gives people a better disposition, a feeling of hope, energy, and it provides life to life nourishing vegetables and fruits. Physiologically it also prevents the onset of seasonal affective disorder. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/seasonalaffectivedisorder.html
When we moved to Portland this fall we were constantly warned by the natives that winter is coming. Having grown up in Western Kansas and living in N.E. Oklahoma where the sun is shining most of the time, I was a little unsettled by the prospect of not seeing it for large stretches of time. Now, I see it as a challenge, and I so love a good challenge.
Actually, it hasn't been that bad. In Oklahoma, we could have several days of rain, but it was heavy rain that never let up. In Portland, it is more of a mist or just a light rain or sprinkle. In Oklahoma after a rain, you would walk out and just smell the humidity and mold spores galloping through the air. Portland still smells fresh and clear outside after a rain. In fact, this is the first fall in many years that I have not been on an inhaler and at least two types of allergy medicine. There is an abundance of foliage in Portland, but it doesn't seem to affect my allergies.
I have also found that the lack of sun actually tends to slow me down and make me less worried and stressed. It is like a constant reminder to just relax and enjoy the day. It also seems to be goading me to work out and exercise more. Everyday I look for ways to workout and exercise. I ride my bike all over Portland, and I have committed to doing Yoga once a week. The clouds seem to energize me in a relaxing and calm way.
So, will I really change religions and start worshiping the sun? Although I appreciate the sun more and more, it is very doubtful I will make it a god. I do however understand better how ancient people could have made a god out of such a wonderful life giver as the sun.
I have been pondering this concept of sun worship this morning. It is a very ancient concept dating back to the times of the ancient Egyptians http://www.touregypt.net/godsofegypt/ra.htm , ancient Greeks http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/heliosmyth/Helios_Greek_Mythology_Helios.htm. and more recently the Native Americans http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/tawa.htm where their people worshiped the sun. The sun is such a necessity for good mental health for so many humans that it is no wonder that some cultures elevated it to the level of a god. The sun generally gives people a better disposition, a feeling of hope, energy, and it provides life to life nourishing vegetables and fruits. Physiologically it also prevents the onset of seasonal affective disorder. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/seasonalaffectivedisorder.html
When we moved to Portland this fall we were constantly warned by the natives that winter is coming. Having grown up in Western Kansas and living in N.E. Oklahoma where the sun is shining most of the time, I was a little unsettled by the prospect of not seeing it for large stretches of time. Now, I see it as a challenge, and I so love a good challenge.
Actually, it hasn't been that bad. In Oklahoma, we could have several days of rain, but it was heavy rain that never let up. In Portland, it is more of a mist or just a light rain or sprinkle. In Oklahoma after a rain, you would walk out and just smell the humidity and mold spores galloping through the air. Portland still smells fresh and clear outside after a rain. In fact, this is the first fall in many years that I have not been on an inhaler and at least two types of allergy medicine. There is an abundance of foliage in Portland, but it doesn't seem to affect my allergies.
I have also found that the lack of sun actually tends to slow me down and make me less worried and stressed. It is like a constant reminder to just relax and enjoy the day. It also seems to be goading me to work out and exercise more. Everyday I look for ways to workout and exercise. I ride my bike all over Portland, and I have committed to doing Yoga once a week. The clouds seem to energize me in a relaxing and calm way.
So, will I really change religions and start worshiping the sun? Although I appreciate the sun more and more, it is very doubtful I will make it a god. I do however understand better how ancient people could have made a god out of such a wonderful life giver as the sun.
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