Some days it's so hard to believe Amira is now 7 years old and in second grade. I don't think we truly appreciate the term "where does the time go" until we have our own children.
I find myself as of late feeling a bit frustrated. For some reason, logic doesn't always seem to be the first line of response when processing emotions.
About 3 weeks ago my clinic unexpectedly closed. We were given no notice, as from what I could gather the owners of the clinic were attempting until the last minute negotations with our building landlord which turned fruitless in the end. The landlord of our building is in Bankruptcy proceedings and his assets and properties are now under the control of a Federal Bankruptcy Trustee. The lease of our building came up for lease renewal and the Federal Bankruptcy Trustee denied our renewal. Very frustrating! The owners of our clinic offered to pay our lease rent for 3 or 4 months in advance in order for us to stay operational until our clinic could relocate to another location as the owners had already put the wheels in motion for aquiring another space, but again we were denied. This left quite a number of us instantly out of work, which of course is not a surprise or new news to anyone.........accept for those of us immediately affected by the situation.
In the meantime, the owners of our clinic also have a sister clinic further north.......it's a slower and smaller clinic. They offered us to work out of their sister clinic until they were able to get the other clinic relocated and operable. Due to the distance this sister clinic is from my home, I am only reasonably able to work 2 days a week there, which of course affects my income greatly.
I have been searching for alternative work as well as considering alternative methods of starting my own practice incorporating my skills. At the end of the day, what this frustration comes down too is a lack of financial resources. I have knowledge, skills and even a degree which is quite an accomplishment, but it seems without funds one is very limited.
Perhaps it is naivee to say that this current situation was brought about as an opportunity to catch my attention to do something different. From a spiritual standpoint, it has always been my experience and perhaps belief that when a door suddenly closes in your life, it's a sign that a new one is preparing to open and to be looking for that opening. It's within that timeframe (between the closing of one door and opening of another) I find myself. It's that timeframe of uncertainty that I allow myself to get frustrated. I want to know the answer. I want to know where the next door is going to open. I want to know when the next door is going to open. I don't know that I necessarily want to know how it will open as I leave the how part up to the Creator. Funny little side note about human behavior as much as many of us proclaim, profess and even believe in a Creator of the Universe....something higher than ourselves.....often referred to as Allah/God/Jehovah/Bhagwaan we seem to struggle most with the idea of completely surrendering to the unknown. Which, again, would express best how and why I am feeling the way I am right this moment. Thankfully moments don't last forever, but at times they feel that way.
I realize its the sitting through the in between times one must still them self to listen, see and hear answers, but at this very moment I'm not doing very well at any of those things.
Heard this song for the first time yesterday and fell in love with it.
The professor began his class by holding up a glass with some water init. He held it up for all to see and asked the students, "How much do you think this glass weighs?"
"50gms!".....100gms!".....125gms"... the students answered.
"I really don't know unless I weigh it," said the professor, " but, my question is: What would happen if I held it up like this for a few minutes?"
"Nothing," the students said.
"Ok what would happen if I held it up like this for an hour?" the professor asked.
"Your arm would begin to ache," said one of the students.
"You're right, now what would happen if I held it for a day?"
"Your arm could go numb, you might have severe muscle stress and paralysis and have to go to hospital for sure!" ventured another student and all the students laughed.
"Very good. But during all this, did the weight of the glass change?"asked the professor.
"No," was the answer.
"Then what caused the arm ache and the muscle stress?"
The students were puzzled.
"What should I do now to come out of pain?" asked the professor again.
"Put the glass down!" said one of the students.
"Exactly!" said the professor.
Life's problems are something like this. Hold it for a few minutes in your head and they seem OK. Think of them for a long time and they begin to ache. Hold it even longer and they begin to paralyze you. You will not be able to do anything. It's important to think of the challenges or problems in your life, But EVEN MORE IMPORTANT is to'PUT THEM DOWN' at the end of every day before you go to sleep. That way, you are not stressed, you wake up every day fresh and strong and you can handle any issue, any challenge that comes your way!
So,when you finish your day today, remember to PUT THE GLASS DOWN!
Last Friday Amira's class had their first field trip of the year. We went to Sausalito, California which is a cute little town just north of San Francisco.
This year Amira's class is studying the waterways around our area and how they work. The first study was conducted at the Bay Model Museum. The Bay Model Visitor Center is a fully accessible education center administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers which makes possible the viewing of a scientific tool: a working hydraulic model of the San Francisco Bay and Sacramento - San Joaquin River Delta System. This was a fascinating museum, however, it will be even more impressive once they complete their construction as the model itself was dry during the visit.
After visiting the Bay Model Museum we proceeded to the other end of town and had lunch on Rodeo Beach which was located just below our second field trip stop. It was fun to watch the kids running around in the sand searching for shells. Some even enjoyed running in at the water's edge.
The second field trip stop we made was to the Marine Mammal Center. This was an absolutely amazing place. The Marine Mammal Center is a nonprofit veterinary research hospital and educational center dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of ill and injured marine mammals – primarily elephant seals, harbor seals, and California sea lions. We were able to go to a public viewing area and see the animals they currently had in their care and observe them.
We had such a wonderful time that Amira and I will be planning another trip down there, just the two of us, to spend some more quality time exploring these places along with the town of Sausalito itself.
Field trips are the reason I love kids going to school. :D
Dream Weaver - Gary Wright song as background (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Hdx9JjzDfo)
Last Saturday morning after being up for an hour or so, I decided to go check on Amira for no other reason than to see her. As usual she was sleeping peacefully. I could see she was dreaming so I stayed extra quiet as to not disturb her. Not knowing exactly how much time had past; she woke up and saw me next to her. Her face was lit up, and she said, “Mom, I had an amazing dream”. Keep in mind Amira is very private and most times does not even share her dreams with me. She claims they are scary and doesn’t want to talk about them. So you can imagine the anticipation of wanting to hear this rare beauty.
The following is Amira’s dream.
I was playing with my friend, Emily, and I wished I could fly and the next thing I knew I could fly. I was flying all around and it was so much fun. Then the next thing I knew I was flying to God and the angels. When I got to them I said I can’t believe I can fly, how can I fly? The angels told me they thought I’d like flying so they helped me out. They asked me if I liked it, and I told them yes.
I then asked the angels if I could see someone that was there. They asked who, and I told them my grandma. The angels said they needed her name. I told them, all I know is her name is Linda. They said oh yes, she’s here and they got her. Grandma said hi Amira and came to me. She said come here I want you to meet my new friend. She said she wanted me to see where she lives now. We talked and played and it was so fun. Then I told Grandma I had to go because my mom would be worried about me being gone so long, and then Grandma hugged me. Then I heard you calling my name Amira, Amira, Amira and I woke up.
