Simple Kindness

Posted on June 23, 2004 by Heather

I think that I am a pretty decent person. In general, I am kind to people and often smile and say hello to neighbours and people I see often, even if I don’t really know them. I always thank the bus driver for my transfer, and I give up my seat for people in need (when my knees are behaving themselves). I have even been known to hold open the door for people who have their hands full and to wish sales clerks a good day.

Yesterday I surprised a young girl who was in a rush when I let her go ahead of me in line at a store. And today I smiled and told a man not to worry when his truck blocked the sidewalk and I had to wait while be tried to back out onto a busy road. He seemed relieved that I wasn’t upset. These peoples’ reactions have got me wondering about what they normally experience. Is my simple kindness really that extraordinary?

As I was out and about today, I paid a little more attention to how people interact. I discovered that most sale clerks didn’t smile, people honked their horns if a car hesitated for more then a moment, and people walked all over the sidewalk directly in front of other people. It seemed like no one was giving a thought to anyone but themselves. Why is that? Are we all in such a rush that we don’t care about everyone else? It actually makes me very sad that my small kind acts got such big reactions. Such things should be so commonplace that the reaction should be a simple thank you and a smile.

quanta likes to remind me that not everyone is as nice as I am. He tells me not to let it get to me, but I can’t help it. I think this is part of the reason why I keep to myself, and why I am trying to avoid another job in retail. Maybe part of the reason that I am so good at retail is because I am kind and I do listen to the customer. Funny that.

2 Comments | Posted in The Outside World |

Sidhe Shots – Fae

Posted on June 21, 2004 by Heather

Below is my entry for this week’s Sidhe Shots. The category is Fae, and I have taken a picture of one of my Tarot bags. I stitched a portion of Mirabilla’s Three for Tea on natural coloured 32 count evenweave. For the picture, I surrounded the bag with a few fake flowers and fall leaves. Inside the bag, I store my Universal Waite deck.


Fae in Flowers

Note: I’ve updated last week’s Sidhe Shot entry to include information about what is in that picture.

3 Comments | Posted in Memes & Collabs |

Unconscious Mutterings 72

Posted on June 20, 2004 by Heather

It’s Sunday, so it is time for another Unconscious Mutterings.

  1. Abundance:: Simple
  2. Casino:: Niagara
  3. Shell:: Gas
  4. Overpriced:: Luxury
  5. Cancellation:: Done
  6. Eternal:: Flame
  7. Lyrics:: Song
  8. Faith:: Hope
  9. Because:: I Said So
  10. Wimp:: Strong

Comments Off on Unconscious Mutterings 72 | Posted in Memes & Collabs |

Witches Weekly – Your Spirituality

Posted on June 19, 2004 by Heather

It is time for another Witches Weekly.

Your Spirituality

Do you feel that you are active in your spirituality?
Yes and no. I suppose I feel that I should be this very dedicated, extremely spiritual person. It is almost like I’m not willing to admit that I am spiritual because I feel so ordinary. But I am coming to realize that there is a lot of spirituality in cooking a good meal, reading a good book, and tending my indoor garden. I would still like to meditate a little more often though.

What do you consider to be the most tedious task in your path?
Definitely learning to meditate effectively. I’m finding it very difficult and tedious. I suppose I am used to things coming to me easily, and this is an excellent lesson in being humble and working hard.

What is your most enjoyable part of your spirituality?
I think the feeling of connection, with both the divine and the world in general, is the most enjoyable part of my spirituality. Before I found this path I felt very disconnected. And now, even though I don’t socialize much, I still have a feeling of connection with people. It’s rather hard to explain, but I think it all comes down to remembering that we are all part of the same whole. So even when I’m alone, I’m not really alone.

Witches Weekly

Comments Off on Witches Weekly – Your Spirituality | Posted in Memes & Collabs |

What do I want to say?

Posted on June 19, 2004 by Heather

I’ve started reading A Writer’s Guide to Nonfiction. Right away the author, Elizabeth Lyon, suggests three questions to answer when deciding on the topic of one’s nonfiction book. So, here it goes:

What is my purpose in writing this piece?
There are a few reasons why I want to write The Book. First, I need to. There is something deep inside me telling me that I need to put pen to paper and write this darn thing. I don’t think I will get any rest if I ignore this voice. Secondly, I want to tell my story, share my ideas, and maybe correct some misinformation. And third, I just happen to enjoy writing, so why not write a book? So, my purpose is to inform and inspire, as well as write for the pleasure of it.

What promise am I making to my readers?
I am promising to tell the truth as best I can, and to not mislead them as some other authors do. I am promising to present things in a way that is easy to understand, but not to dumb things down. I am promising to respect my reader, and to believe that they aren’t afraid of a little bit of darkness when searching for spirituality.

Does this piece make a difference in my readers’ lives?
Well, I certainly hope it will. I know I’ve read a couple of books in this genre that have made a difference in my life. Of course, I was very disappointed to discover, a few years later, that some of them presented misleading information. But they still made a difference in helping me to define my spirituality, even if I didn’t agree with what the books were saying. I want to help my readers to do this too. Of course, I do hope they will agree with me, at least to some extent.

Comments Off on What do I want to say? | Posted in Me, the Writer |

Pen or Keyboard?

Posted on June 19, 2004 by Heather

Fran, over at Sacred Ordinary has an entry about Exploring Benefits of Hand Writing vs. Computer Writing. This got me thinking about how I choose to write.

As you may be aware, I keep a personal journal in addition to this blog. In it, I write about more personal issues and thoughts that I don’t feel comfortable sharing with the whole world. This journal is handwritten, in purple ink, in notebooks who’s covers I decorate. It is a very personal thing, and I feel that writing the entries by hand make it feel more so that way. I may not get a chance to write down everything I am thinking, since handwriting is so much slower then typing, but I think the trade off is well worth it.

I also write the notes for The Book by hand. Again, this is a very personal process. I think that the first draft of The Book will be typed though, since it is becoming more public in that stage.

Maybe that is the line for me. Personal things are written by hand, like my journal, notes for The Book, and the items in my Book of Shadows and Tarot journal. Public things, like this journal and much of my other writing, are typed. Interestingly enough, articles for The Lotus Pond usually start life as being handwritten, and are edited while being typed up. However, entries for the Pond are always typed first. Maybe there is more of me over there then there is here.

1 Comment | Posted in Me, the Writer |

More Politics

Posted on June 18, 2004 by Heather

This news story, CBC News: Bush continues to insist on link between bin Laden and Saddam, has got me thinking that Bush is either seriously out of touch with reality or that he is pretty sure that if things keep going they way they are going then he isn’t going to be president any more.

Now, I rarely talk about politics around here. Mostly because I really don’t care. Politics isn’t a big issue in Canada, even if some of us like to pretend it is. The parties are all fairly similar, with the exception of the Bloc. And it is generally believed that Quebec would never really seperate because they would lose all funding from Ottawa and they wouldn’t have anything left to complain about.

Of course, with an election coming, everyone around here is talking poltics, and I’m jumping on the bandwagon too. Even though the election isn’t until June 28th, advance polls are open this weekend. I need to pick up a couple of books at the library today, which is located in Swansea Town Hall, so I figure I may as well vote while I’m over there. And I’ve decided to vote Green. Neil Spiegel is the candidate in my riding. He is a Harvard grad, and he also helped set up the windmill on the CNE grounds.

Sure, the Greens haven’t got a chance of forming a government, but it looks like they may win a seat of two. Hopefully that will teach the other parties a lesson. You need to listen to the people, not just yell at each other.

1 Comment | Posted in Media & Politics |