This week I would like to break the fundamentals of Life all the way down to their basics. So sit back in your chair and with me, contemplate the “Why?” factor.

Have you ever wondered as Life throws us its curve balls, what the heck is this place all about? why am I here? what am I supposed to learn? and, what can I do about it? Join the crowd….you have just entered in to the first stage of the “Why?” factor. Your intelligence demands that you look at some of the solutions and answers to these questions.

I believe everything around us and all that exists is held together by Love. Each act that keeps the Universe in place, allows the streams to run, the air to blow, the mountains to rise, and mankind to flourish, is held together by a communication and an agreement to continue to exist. What is this communication? the continued practice of Giving and Receiving. For Life to exist, it must contain some component of Love. This is not an accident…the Creator mandates us to become creatures of Love. Life, at its common basics, is Love. With that, for everything to exist and continue, we need Love. Are we blessed by it? and hurt by it? for sure. But that’s part of the process…one of the building blocks of Life. We grow with Love….it is only when we are denied it do we start to run into problems. As the Beatles say, “All You Need Is Love,”…it may not have all the answers, but it’s a great place to start.

Giving….so why give? why care? how about just sitting at home, kicking back, and looking at the television all day? not give a hoot…about anyone or anything other than ourselves? Realistically, at what point would we begin to deteriorate? Can there be Love without giving? and can there be giving without Love? This is not about money…this is about raw emotion…the art of caring and giving beyond ourselves. Yes indeed, there is a responsibility to how one gives…yet overall at what point do the cobwebs start to surround us when all we care about is giving to ourselves?

Receiving….I for one can testify that there have been times in my life when I was at my wit’s end and out of the blue the doorbell would ring or the telephone would chime with a message reaching out saying, “I care.” Receiving comes many times when you least expect it. This time of year there are many in need, who are just waiting for that one act or call of kindness. Can we give without someone receiving, or can we receive without someone giving? They are two sides of the same coin. Receiving is the admission that someone took the time to Love.

Giving and Receiving, both necessities for Love to exist. One Mind, One Soul, synchronizing with another. The Gift of Love is the greatest gift of all….this time of year don’t be afraid to give, or receive.

For All Seasons,

Jennifer Avalon

© 2007 Jennifer Avalon

All through the week many of us out there sway between states of anger, and peace. When the day goes well, a sense of well-being and serenity comes over us. Everything seems balanced, centered and complete. We wonder why each day doesn’t go so easily. The next morning, totally the opposite can occur…each step we make we stumble. Barreling through the day rage and confusion can engulf us and leave us with little room to breathe. Exhausted, we kiss the day goodbye, and hope for a better tomorrow. Peacefulness, tranquility, bliss…anger, confusion, rage, and fear…just a few of the doorways of humanity.

It’s quite astonishing how from day to day we can have two completely different faces to wear. In most cases when we look in the mirror, we don’t see the dark side…only the light. Yet sometimes, just below the surface, the anger waits for just a chance to rear its head. So often we’re quite confused when we see different sides of friends and family….yet we so easily forget that we too surprise them. As we head for the holidays, some rejoice, while others feel tense and struggle with those that they have to see once a year. Are we angry people? or are we peaceful people? The truth is probably somewhere in-between. After all, we’re only human, right?

Through the anger and the peace, we grow. We evolve into what we want to become. We do right and we do wrong….we look for praise, and we ask for forgiveness. Anger and Peace…two sides of the same coin. Heads or Tails…where does the coin land for us? We’re not alone…as humans we struggle with all different kinds of feelings. Whether it’s turning the dial on the television, listening to the radio, or firing up the computer…at the end of the day we get to see what we want and who we are. Sure, some can influence our moods, the state of mind and how we view life through the prism…but overall we determine the quality of our day. The Heavens laugh as man plans…yet the Heavens are there when we ask for help.

The angry pacifist and the peaceful antagonist sometimes can easily share the same air….our two sides do battle each day.

Flip a coin,

Jennifer Avalon

© 2007 Jennifer Avalon

The sun is barely peeking through the woods behind my house, as I immerse my gloved hands in soapy water to begin the chore of doing the dishes. Doing the dishes is a daily affair…several times a day it needs to be done….the same ritual over and over. Hot water, suds, and elbow grease. As I lift up a coffee mug to wash it, I try to recall where I bought it, who I was with, what year it was. Every mug has a history, since I buy them when I travel, as a keepsake. Each dish also has its memories….some sets were bought when I lived in New York…some plates used to sit on my mother’s kitchen table, a few were discovered in antique stores, and although those ones are not “dishwasher or microwave safe”, they are reminders to me of another time…a piece of history and past. Some are from England…delicately hand painted with flowers, or scenes of the English countryside. One look at them as I gently suds them and I think of what life must have been like when they were made, and originally used.

I am reminded to slow down when I do the dishes. If I go too fast, something can be broken. If I go too slow, the water will cool down and not be “sanitary.” If I don’t put gloves on, my hands will wrinkle up like prunes. This is a ritual that takes a certain amount of respect, for all involved. I remind myself to breathe deeply…to glance out the kitchen window and take in the light through the woods. Doing the dishes is a chance to slow down…to pace myself. Sometimes I catch myself just trying to rush and get through it…then suddenly, and I’m not sure how or why, I am reminded to take in the moment, trivial as it may seem. And then I think of how each moment of our lives is to be taken this way….respected, savored and enjoyed, because it will pass all too quickly.

As I finish the dishes, and let the soapy water swirl down the drain, I am pleased that the job is done. A simple task, but rich with atmosphere. Doing the dishes is a throwback to another time, when we all had chores to do to maintain the household. Now most of us have dishwashers (myself included) but I have found that I only want to use the dishwasher when I have a big crowd. There is something lost when we give up daily rituals that are so simple, and so immediately rewarding. So here’s to the soap and suds!!

Happy washing,

Jennifer Avalon

© 2007 Jennifer Avalon