Hoppin' To It...

Happy Easter Everyone!

I never could figure out WHY a bunny would take time to hide eggs - and it isn't until now that I'm supposed to be at an age (well over 18 ;-P) that I've taken the time to look into this strange but widely accepted "practice".

Okay -

1. The Bunnies - BRING the Easter Eggs....technically...and i suppose, not having opposable thumbs, kept dropping the eggs willy-nilly and the kids would have to scrounge around the bushes and shrubs for them.

2. Bunnies do not - LAY EGGS, they are just symbols of fertility (the prolific hares and the chicken eggs)

3. This is considered the 2nd Christmas - in the Philippines, it is called - Pasko ng Pagkabuhay - The Christ has Risen from the dead - a second life - signalling that we've all been "saved".

4. Playing Angry Birds during Easter is a twisted but fun way of celebrating the 'holiday'.

5. It is important to be grateful for the gift of life - regardless of the current circumstances that we may find ourselves in.

There are often situations where we are less than happy to be a part of.  Probably feeling less than exuberant about life in general, about where we are in our 'evolution' or perhaps just the realization that we haven't evolved all that much. GAH.  But, it's better to be part of the living, and being able to contribute in ways - no matter how seemingly insignificant, towards making the world a better place to be in.

This Easter, with the resurrection of The Christ, may we remember that life - ALL life, is precious, and even if we aren't in the best of health or the most financially capable or the prettiest, most fetching individual in the room - we are all - WORTH IT.  The Universe loves YOU - believe it.

So, smile and look around you, whether you see any eggs, or any bunnies hopping around with a basket (again - HOW do they carry the basket? With their paws?) hop to the beat of life...the song is playing somewhere out there - out where dreams...come true... ;-P

duck eggs...chicken eggs...have an egg! Mabuhay!

In The Swim

We are thrust into the world, usually screaming our lungs out and gasping for air.
When we deal with the daily tasks and events in our life, we feel like we've been thrown into a giant pool and someone forgot to teach us how to swim.  
So we do the best we can to keep afloat.
We dog-paddle, thrash wildly sometimes, calmly float or wade towards the shallower part of the pool.   If we're lucky, we're thrown a life-preserver or some flotation device that keeps us from totally drowning - er, like a fish out of water.  
Sink or swim, it seems - applies not just to swimming, but to life in general.
Sure, it can be tiring, but I hear that if you just relax and let go, you might actually float! (okay, I've never really managed to do this, because I panic and start to sink)
Most times, I'm clutching at the sides of the pool, with my head just safely above the waterline - not very exciting, really. I've also tried sitting by the side of the pool with just my feet dangling in the water.  BUT - the fun in swimming is...actually swimming.
So - throwing caution to the wind, jump in and start with the freestyle!  
A cannonball jump into the water is also quite exhilarating, just make sure you choose to go off the deep end (which is where I usually go - HAHAHAHAHAHA, er, sorry, private joke I have with the voices in my head)
It being a typically bright, sunny afternoon, my thoughts turn to cooling off in the pool - too bad I think it isn't open at the moment, so I'll just have to settle for 'thinking' of swimming.
Let's not forget that I can't really be under the sun. (Okay, no side-comments about me being a creature of the night and stalking people for blood - I prefer Pepsi, thank you!)
Back to swimming.
For people who don't know how to, I suppose the idea of jumping into the water without any preparation or proper instruction can be rather scary - but - it's a whole lot like being born.  We are thrust into the world not knowing exactly how things are going to go or how we are supposed to do certain things, but we deal with it - we make choices as we go along and we LIVE. (or at least that is the idea)
I don't want to just sit at the side of the pool and watch while everyone else is having fun.  If I get bored with watching life pass me by and I decide not to do anything about it, then that would be my fault, now wouldn't it?
It's really just a matter of making up my mind to (okay, plug for Nike) JUST DO IT.
There are never any guarantees that I won't panic and nearly drown myself, but there has to be trust that somehow, I'll survive.  Whether it is out of sheer willpower and stamina, or because there are people around me who will care enough to fish me out, or throw me a life-preserver.  Shout out to my friends and family - they have always been there for me during times when I feel that I'm drowning and they manage to keep me afloat long enough to realize that even within an inch of my life left, things can only get better.
Sure, there are days when I feel like I didn't ask to be thrown into the pool, yes, there are times I wish there wasn't a damned pool at all, but since it's here, and I'm in it - there seems to be just one thing left for me to do:
Keep Swimming.
Mabuhay!  

Keep Moving...Think - Shark!

Being in near-constant pain takes some getting used to. 
(I think I may have just turned into the Queen of Understatement)
Nearly 7 years since being diagnosed with Lupus, my wrists and knees decided to celebrate by  swelling just enough to make me feel like a mini-marshmallow.  Ow.
The trick would be - either a cold compress to ease the swelling, pain medication to ignore the inevitable discomfort that accompanies moments of inflammation and a stubborn mind-set that refuses to give in to the urge to just NOT MOVE.
Now, of course, we are told that physical pain signals that something is wrong and that we should rest.  Well, what do you do when you haven't done anything particularly strenuous and your body decides to turn on the pain switch a notch higher?  
You smile, take a deep breath and hoist yourself up from the bed and move towards the counter to make a cup of coffee.  No fanfare greets you when you make it to your destination, but at least it feels like a chorus of angels hails your awakening with your first sip of coffee.
It isn't always such a challenge to have Lupus. There are "pain-neutral" days when I experience just enough of it to remind me of certain body parts that I've forgotten I had.
In fact, the day-to-day changes and experiences can prove to be quite the interesting experience - sometimes though - I wish it wasn't so taxing.  My good humor doesn't always stay within sociable limits, but never enough to make me totally give up on stepping out and meeting friends or family.
I think the trick is to keep moving anyway.  The pain will always be there, but thankfully, there are more than enough distractions to make me forget just how uncomfortable it can be, to have to deal with Arthritis or muscle pain when I'm neither close to the age of retirement or a member at a gym with a rigorous program.
Like a shark that *needs* to keep swimming, lest it sink like a rock - I've got to keep moving.  Pain? Inflammation? Dis-ease? Think - predator, not prey... Keep moving, one step at a time. Woohoo!!! 
*make sure you have your Phiten necklace on*

*STRETCH*
Mabuhay!!!