Apr20
Posted on Apr 20 by Ruth Davis
Passover has always been the big holiday in our family, when generations of us gather around several big tables for a delicious meal. But before the food is served, there is the required telling of the Passover story, how the Jews were slaves in Egypt, and how God led them through the desert for 40 years to the promised land. A big part of Passover for some Jews is the actual preparing for the holiday. For many Jews, in addition to only eating food that is sanctioned “Kosher for Passover,” you also have to use different dishes and silverware during the eight day holiday. Growing up in a Conservative Jewish household, this meant emptying all of the dishes out of the cabinets and replacing them with the special Passover dishes. And we didn’t have just one set of dishes. We had a complete set of dishes for meat foods and a complete set of dishes for dairy foods, as well as the fancy china for special occasions. The days before Passover, all three sets of dishes had to...
Apr06
Posted on Apr 6 by Ruth Davis
We have found our new-to-us motor home for our full-time living! We’d been looking every day on RV Trader and Craigslist, comparing floor plans, models and miles. Marika and I spent a morning at a dealership a few weeks ago, walking through many vehicles to see them in person. We were still deciding between a Class A and a Class C. A Class A is like a bus with a full window across the front. Class A’s are taller, wider, and roomier. A class C is built on a truck/van engine so the front driver/passenger section is normal width, like a car, and then the rest of the RV is wider behind. We needed to drive an A to see if we could be comfortable driving something so big and wide, and, after the test drive, we knew we definitely weren’t. So now that we were clear about wanting a Class C, we could narrow our search. We made a list of must have’s and wanna have’s, and I kept looking online every day. Two weekends ago I found...
Mar30
Posted on Mar 30 by Ruth Davis
I’m often talking about how NO ACTION is the best step to take. That we need to sit in stillness and silence so that we can get clear about what the truest action step is to take. Like most things in life, it is a delicate balance of listening and responding, waiting and moving, stilling and taking action. The more we tune in to our hearts, our intuition, our authentic voices, the clearer this becomes. Sitting in silence and listening is not the same and sitting and idly waiting. A lot of people think they can’t DO something until they are inspired. They think that if they wait, inspiration will come and THEN they will do that great thing they thought of. The truth is, action comes before inspiration. The Law of Attraction requires action. If you want a great new job, you begin with that Intention. But you must also tell people about your job hunt, create an amazing resume, ask colleagues for ideas, suggestions, introductions. You must take action! The Universe is happy to meet you half...
Mar23
Posted on Mar 23 by Ruth Davis
Last week I attended the first of 8 sessions of an Intro to Improv class. I signed up, wanting to do something I’m not great at. The day after the first class I realized that the intention has nothing to do with the actual improv work, but being in a class with people who, on the surface, aren’t like me. There are 9 men and 4 other women, all under the age of 35, most under 30. I’m 57. The women are skinny, energetic and single. The men, well, for one of the exercises, someone suggested the phrase “morning wood” and I had to ask for a translation. One 23 year old guy doesn’t like old movies – anything before 1995. And I wondered, how can I possibly relate and find ways to connect to these people through the work. If this were in a sit-down, book learning class, it might not matter, but this is a class about trusting your stage partners, vamping off of each other’s ideas, forming bonds and becoming friends with your fellow players. And...
Mar16
Posted on Mar 16 by Ruth Davis
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we’re powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually, who are you NOT to be? Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightening about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” ~Marianne Williamson Spring is a time of birth and renewal. Things that were dormant all winter are budding and blooming and, with each day, there is more light. On the surface, this means longer, brighter days. Deeper, it can be an opportunity for our own selves to shine brighter. Does that idea scare you? Does the thought of standing in the light push you further into your own...
Mar09
Posted on Mar 9 by Ruth Davis
Marika and I spent last weekend camping. Instead of a staying in a campground, we opted to check out the dispersed camping area in the tall Ponderosa Pines of the Prescott National Forest. We drove about three miles down a winding but evenly graded dirt road to a clearing in the trees. After several attempts, I was able to level the RV in the uneven dirt and we settled into three days of quiet. The dogs loved sniffing and running off leash. Marika was enthralled with the variety of birds- woodpeckers, white breasted nuthatch, ravens, flickers, even bluebirds. But I was unsettled, because I had nothing to DO. I realized how busy I stay, with work, checking Facebook, watching TV. Without these distractions, I panicked about what I would DO all weekend. On Friday, our first morning, I lingered in bed till almost 10, cuddling with Cody and Mabel, while Marika sat outside watching to see if any birds would find the seeds she had scattered on a tree stump. She was content to sit and watch, look...
