The Hot Zone

I just finished reading "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston.  It is a true account of the first discovery of the Ebola virus in Africa.  I wanted to read this book because of the current outbreak in Africa and because it is the first time a case was diagnosed here on American soil.  The first man diagnosed in Texas, came here from Africa knowing that he had the virus.  He came here purposefully to get better medical treatment.  He did not tell anyone at the hospital what he had and he then infected 2 nurses who cared for him.  If he had not died, he would have been facing criminal charges for knowingly spreading a deadly virus.

Before reading this book, I was beginning to fear the spread of the virus in America, but after finishing it, I am no longer afraid of that happening.  You do have to have some direct contact with bodily fluids in order to get infected.  There was one case of a different strain of the virus that broke out in Maryland, just outside Washington D.C. in a group of monkeys that were brought here to be sold for medical research.  All the monkeys died and at least 4 humans had direct exposure to the virus but they did not get sick.  Their blood tested positive but it did not have any affect on them.

The problem with viruses is that they mutate.  We won't know what the Ebola virus will turn into the next time it rears its ugly head but I do feel better that I have read this book and understand more about it.

Good morning Colorado!

I have always wanted to be a morning person but no matter how hard I try, I still hate getting out of bed.  Recently, my kittens have decided that I need to be up by 6:30, so I have had to change my schedule.  I have actually found that getting up before the sun has some rewards.  Today was one of the most beautiful sunrises I've seen in a long time.  I can actually thank them for waking me today because I was able to capture some amazing photos.  Enjoy!

Change

I do not understand why some people are afraid of change.  I listen as people tell me their woes and I try to give positive feedback with ideas of how they could improve their situation, but they all say the same thing, "no, I'll just keep doing what I'm doing."  Why?  Why stay in circumstances that are making you unhappy when you have the power to take charge of your life and change them?  The answer is that what they have, even though it is not good, is what they know.  To change means going into the unknown and they fear being in the unknown.  I say that is not a good way to live your life.  Take charge!  Make changes for yourself!  You have the control to make your life what you want it to be.

"Mind Over Medicine"

I just finished reading "Mind Over Medicine" by Lisa Rankin, MD.  I think this book will change my life more than any other book I have ever read.  She has done extensive research into how our body works and how we can live our lives in such a way that we can maintain health, live longer and even heal ourselves from illness and disease.

The first and most important thing is that we must BELIEVE we can do this.  If we don't believe then it won't work.  There are physical things like eating healthy, getting enough sleep, exercise and meditation that work very well.  However, the most important thing that affects our health is our own personal happiness.  A person can do all the right things in the physical realm but if we live a life that does not make us happy, we will not be living a healing life.  Our emotions can either heal us or make us sick.  They are not benign.  They have actual physical effects on our body.

We can see all the doctors we want, take all the medicine they give us, but if we are holding on to hurt or anger we will not be well.  The first step in being well is to look at our lives.  Am I in my ideal loving relationship with a partner that loves me the way I need to be loved?  Am I in positive friendships where people are loving and supporting me the way I need them to?  These are questions that I must ask myself and resolve before I can be well.  Next is evaluating my thought life.  Do I talk negative about myself to myself?  Do I repeat negative things my parents or others have told me about myself?  Do I put myself down?  My thought life controls my body and I must change my thoughts to be positive if I want to be well and live longer.

I would encourage everyone to read this book.  We all need to be aware of our minds and bodies so we can make positive changes for ourselves.

Conditional Love

I believe that only God can give truly, completely, 100% unconditional love.  We fall short of that every day.  But I hope that we would at least try to get as close to that 100% mark as we can.  Every person has the right to live their life as they please.  It is not our job to judge another person's actions.  That is God's job.  It is our job to love one another.  That means that even if we disagree with another person's choices, we still must show them love. God never said "love your neighbor as yourself as long as they are living their life the way you think they should" he said "love your neighbor as yourself".  If a person is not living their life the way God wants them to, he will deal with them.  We are only commanded to love.

Fountain Head finished

I finally finished reading The Fountain Head.  I found it a bit difficult to piece together at first, but in the end she wraps it up beautifully.  The major theme of the book is that there are two types of people in the world.  There are producers and there are users.  If you are a producer, you use your own ideas to create something.  You have the right to own and control what you have produced.  You do not have any obligation to share what you have produced with others.  It is yours.  If you are a user, you think that you have a right to claim what someone else has produced as your own.  You are incapable of creating anything on your own, so you borrow, steal or copy from the people who do.  I think there are many places in society where we can see this happening today.  People who are on welfare and refuse to create their own income think that they have a right to take money away from those who do.  People who are incapable of creating a work of art, music or film think that they have a right to take copies of what someone else has produced and sell it for their own profit.  If I create something I should have the right of ownership and no one else has the right to take or alter what I have created.

Crispness

I don't know what it is about fall that makes me feel like something exciting is just around the corner.  I am a warm weather person, but when these first crisp days of fall arrive and I breath in lungs full of fresh cool air I feel invigorated.  I feel excited about life.  One thing I love about living in Colorado is the weather.  It changes so rapidly that I never get bored.  It is unpredictable.  Maybe that's why I like it. I get bored with life when everything is predictable.  These first fall days are just like taking a cool shower after being outside on a 100 degree summer day.  It feels crisp, cool and refreshing.

Dream Journal #1

Last night I dreamed that Jeff, 2 children (a small boy and an older girl) and I got into a box to take a trip.  I held up a piece of foam core and it caught the wind and we started to fly.  We went all the way up and over the mountains.  In the box we had some supplies for our trip.  We had some food in ziploc bags and one thing was bbq chicken legs.  Once we got over the mountains we landed on the other side of the tunnel.  There were guards there because we were about to enter Germany.  Jeff realized he forgot his jacket and so we stayed there while he went back to get his jacket.  The guards questioned me about why we were just hanging out there and I told him but he was suspicious of us.  When Jeff came back we found a room to rent in a lady's house for $400 a night.  We planned on continuing our trip the next morning.  The lady threw a dinner party and we were invited to attend.  There was a young prince at the party and he announced that he had chosen our girl as his future wife.  He said we would have to return when she was old enough to marry him.  The next day we were ready to continue our trip and then I woke up.

Searching for a way out.

There are so many things inside of me that are yearning for a way to get out.  I have been in search of a venue for these “things” my entire life.  Some people are blessed to have found their own way of expression at a very young age.  I was not blessed in that way and so for years I have been stockpiling things; thoughts, feelings, visions, memories etc.  I envy people who have found their ideal form of expression.  I have often called myself a jack of all trades, master of none.  I am hoping someday I will be a jack of all trades, master of at least one.

Chihuly at the Denver Botanic Gardens

       I recently visited the Botanic Gardens in Denver, Colorado.  I went to see the special exhibit by Dale Chihuly.  I have never really been a fan of his glass sculptures when I saw them in art galleries.  I always felt like if you've seen one you've seen them all.  But seeing Chihuly's glass sculptures at the gardens has completely changed my mind. 
     This exhibit was so beautiful it took my breath away!  When the glass pieces were placed among the plants it gave them a context that I did not experience before.  It was as though the glass became a part of the gardens.  Some pieces looked like they were actually growing out of the ground.  I had a great time walking around looking at the pieces and I will always remember this experience.

  

Fountain Head

I am reading Ian Rand's book The Fountain Head.  Yesterday's thought from the book was "The only thing worse than taking away a man's self respect is taking away the illusion that he had any in the first place."

I'm back.

I haven't written anything in a while, but I miss it so I am starting again.  It's never too late to start something or to restart something.  Stay tuned for more entries in the near future.