TWO things on day TWO of the new year

Dora playing while Nadezhda sang yesterday

January 1 ~ Find three good things to look forward to this year.

1. Books lined up to read, especially those of my own that I can read and pass on to others.  I've started reading Paws for a Moment With God: Devotions Best Enjoyed in the Company of a Cat and picked up the copy of Birds of a Feather, second in the Maisie Dobbs mystery series.  Both were on yesterday's list of books that I want to read this year.
2. Practicing the piano again, as Dora does regularly.  Dora invited me to join her and Nadezhda around the piano.  Erin, Sandy Richter's daughter-in-law, heard the piano and joined us.  She's the one who took this photo.
3. Exercising downstairs with my friends.  It helps me to stay flexible and strong, or as strong as I can be at almost 80 (in April).

January 2 ~ Make time today to do something kind for yourself.

The kind thing I did for myself today was going for a long lunch at Chili's with my friend Tiny and her daughter Lauree, as you can see in this picture of Tiny and me that Lauree took.  I had a very enjoyable afternoon.

Happiness Calendar for January

Click to enlarge calendar.

I found this month's calendar on the Action for Happiness web site.  Here are actions they suggest we do during January 2020.

Wednesday, January 1
~ Find three good things to look forward to this year.
Thursday, January 2
~ Make time today to do something kind for yourself.
Friday, January 3
~ Spread a bit of happiness by doing kind things for others.
Saturday, January 4
~ Write a list of things you feel grateful for in life and why.
Sunday, January 5
~ Get moving.  Do something physically active (ideally outdoors).
Monday, January 6
~ Say something positive to everyone you meet today.
Tuesday, January 7
~ Take ten minutes to sit still and just breathe.
Wednesday, January 8
~ Look for the good in others and notice their strengths.
Thursday, January 9
~ Learn something new and share it with others.
Friday, January 10
~ Thank three people you're grateful to and tell them why.
Saturday, January 11
~ Have a friendly chat with a stranger.
Sunday, January 12
~ Switch off all your tech 2 hours before bedtime.
Monday, January 13
~ Be gentle with yourself when you make mistakes.
Tuesday, January 14
~ Take a different route today and see what you notice.
Wednesday, January 15
~ Put a worry into perspective and try to just let it go.
Thursday, January 16
~ Get outside and notice five things that are beautiful.
Friday, January 17
~ Eat healthy food which really nourishes you today.
Saturday, January 18
~ Make something happen for a good cause.
Sunday, January 19
~ Get back in contact with an old friend you miss.
Monday, January 20
~ Go to bed in good time and give yourself time to recharge.
Tuesday, January 21
~ Take a small step towards an important goal.
Wednesday, January 22
~ Try out something new to get out of your comfort zone.
Thursday, January 23
~ Decide to lift people up rather than put them down.
Friday, January 24
~ Today do something fun and invite others to join you.
Saturday, January 25
~ Put away your devices and focus fully on who you're with.
Sunday, January 26
~ Say hello to a neighbor and get to know them better.
Monday, January 27
~ Challenge your negative thoughts and look for the upside.
Tuesday, January 28
~ Count how many people you can smile at today.
Wednesday, January 29
~ Use one of your personal strengths in a new way.
Thursday, January 30
~ Ask other people about things they've enjoyed recently.
Friday, January 31
~ Write down your hopes and plans for the future.

"Happiness is not something ready made.

It comes from your own actions." ~ Dalai Lama

2020 vision ~ maybe

"What are you planning to read this year, Bonnie?  I'd love to hear what you are thinking about reading," Deb asked in a comment.

The last book I finished in 2019 was Becoming by Michelle Obama, so maybe my first book of 2020 should be her Becoming: A Guided Journal for Discovering Your Voice.  "But it's a journal," you say.  Yes, but it isn't a day-by-day kind of diary, where I must write about what comes on the next page.  If I read through it first, I could then pick out specific pages I want to write about first.  That makes sense to me, and each page has a place to put the date, like this ___/___/___.  So first, this journal Donna gave me for Christmas and then the next book, which my friend Tiny gave me.

Paws for a Moment With God: Devotions Best Enjoyed in the Company of a Cat ~ compiled by Patricia Mitchell, 2010

"Have you ever noticed how a cat will find contentment in something as simple as a ray of sunshine?  She settles herself in its pleasure and basks in the joy of the moment!"  There is wisdom to be learned by observing the habits, curiosities, and antics of a cat.  If you have been blessed with the companionship of a cat, then cozy up together with this book.

Other books I want to read:

• Heidegger and a Hippo Walk Through Those Pearly Gates: Using Philosophy (and Jokes!) to Explore Life, Death, the Afterlife, and Everything in Between ~ by Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein, 2009, humor
• Resist and Persist: Faith and the Fight for Equality ~ by Erin Wathen, 2018, sexism
• The Big Book for Peace ~ edited by Ann Durell and Marilyn Sachs, 1990, stories
• 
  Coleridge's Rime of the Ancient Mariner ~ edited by Ellen E. Garrigues, 1895, 1910, ballad
• The Power of Hope: The One Essential of Life and Love ~ by Maurice Lamm, 1995, psychology
• Transitions: Prayers and Declarations for a Changing Life ~ by Julia Cameron, 1999, reflections
• Have a Little Faith: A True Story ~ by Mitch Albom, 2009, memoir
• The Altered I: Ursula K. Le Guin's Science Fiction Writing Workshop ~ edited by Lee Harding, 1976, 1978, writing
• Does God Have a Big Toe? ~ by Marc Gellman, illustrated by Oscar de Mejo, 1989, humor
• What Would Maisie Do? ~ by Jacqueline Winspear, 2019, journal

This last one comes with a slew of Maisie Dobbs books, a whole series, as a matter of fact.  I read Maisie Dobbs, the first in Jacqueline Winspear's series, and then I got this journal.  Donna, however, bought the whole series and has donated the ones she has finished reading to the Crown Center's little library.  She has enjoyed them so much that I may also take a stab at reading this mystery series.

1. Maisie Dobbs, 2003
2. Birds of a Feather, 2004

3. Pardonable Lies, 2005
4. Messenger of Truth, 2006
5. An Incomplete Revenge, 2008
6. Among the Mad, 2009
7. The Mapping of Love and Death, 2010
8. A Lesson in Secrets, 2011
9. Elegy for Eddie, 2012
10. Leaving Everything Most Loved, 2013
11. A Dangerous Place, 2015
12. Journey to Munich, 2017
13. In This Grave Hour, 2018
14. To Die But Once, 2018
15. The American Agent, 2019

Happy New Year . . . and happy 2020 reading to all!

Sasha is getting brave

Sasha, who went to her new home yesterday, finally came out.  Either she's getting brave or getting hungry.  I don't have any details, but I am so happy to see this photo of her.  After finally feeling at home with Donna and all settled in for four months or so, she now has to get used to another home and different people.  It must be really hard for an elderly cat, and they think she's about 12 years old.

End of the year ~ a time to meditate

Clever idea for the new year (but starting TODAY).  In one of my clergy groups, someone lamented:  "Never tell the pastor anything important on Sunday!"  There are too many people and too many distractions to remember it all, even in small congregations.  If it's important (like a prayer request, hospitalization, upcoming event, need for a visit), give the pastor a written note.  Another pastor responded with a card she had made up (illustration above).  This is a great idea!  I told her:

"Thank you!  I'm retired now, but I typed up a slightly revised version of this and printed out a dozen to give it a try.  Living in a senior retirement center and making plans with lots of friends to get together or to do something for someone means I occasionally forget to jot it on my calendar.  I'll try this out today, as a matter of fact.  Looking forward to it."

What else do I plan for the coming year?

Barbara's cat Mindy

• I'll write in my new Becoming journal.
• I intend to do more with my music, like regularly practicing the piano and teaching Gail to play.
• I'll miss the friends who died this year:  Evelyn, Barbara, and Sandy
• I'll also miss their cats:  Mindy (Barbara's cat, who moved to Vermont), Sasha (Sandy's cat, who moved out of Donna's apartment this afternoon), and Patches (Evelyn's cat, who has never appeared on my blog before).
• I'll exercise with our little group of friends on Friday afternoons, as we've been doing since April.
• I'll continue to clear out the books in my apartment, keeping only the ones I'm likely to read or re-read in this lifetime.

One way I'll do this "book removal" project is by climbing Mt. TBR, the challenge to read the TBR (to-be-read) books already on my shelves.  My goal is to read at least 48 of them before the end of the year.

Now I need to finish these library books and get them out of my way, right?  Right.

A dreidel for Chanukah

Chanukah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, is celebrated this year from December 22-30.

As we were eating at the Crown Center one evening recently, several very young children were brought into the dining room and encouraged to give each of us seniors a cookie and a dreidel.  What fun!  Those of us who had never played with these tiny wooden tops were laughing as we tried to spin the dreidels.  Some of us kept practicing until we could do it.  Our dreidels, though tiny, were not all the same.  Mine looks very similar to this illustration.

Why did they give us these toys?  Because it is customary to play with a dreidel during Hanukkah.  On each of the four sides is a Hebrew letter:  nun, gimmel, hey, and shin.  Those four letters are an acronym for "nes gadol hayah sham," which mean "a great miracle happened there."  Let me explain.

When the people of Israel were liberated from Greek dominance, they reclaimed the Temple, but could find only enough oil to light the menorah for a single day.  A miracle occurred when the tiny amount of oil kept the menorah burning for eight days.  In this picture, the middle candle is the shamash, but note that there are eight that are lit to commemorate the eight days, adding one day each evening until the candles are all lighted.

The dreidel game is usually played for a pot of pennies, nuts, chocolate gelt, or something similar, which is won or lost based on which letter of the dreidel is up when it is falls over after being spun.  Each player starts with an equal number of tokens, usually 10-15.  They spin to decide who goes first.  The highest is nun, then gimmel, hey, and shin.  (If there's a tie, those two spin again.)  Players each put one token into the pot at beginning of every round, and play moves clockwise.

Each player spins the dreidel once during their turn.  Depending on which side is facing up when the dreidel stops spinning, the player either gives or takes game pieces from the pot.

• If nun נ is facing up, the player does nothing.  The person to the left spins.
• If gimmel ג is facing up, you get to take the whole pot.  Everyone, including the spinner, puts another ante unit into the pot, and the person to the left spins.
• If hey ה is facing up, the player gets half of the pieces in the pot.  (If there are an odd number of pieces in the pot, leave the odd item there.)
• If shin ש is facing up, the spinner has to put another unit into the pot.  (Sorry!)

Any player who cannot contribute after landing on a shin or after a fellow player lands on a gimmel, is out of the game.  The game ends when there is one player left.  I thought it was kind of cute that one set of rules I found says that the game ends as soon as one of the following occurs:  the sun comes up, all the latkes (potato pancakes) are gone, or the players decide they have had enough.

Cat pendant

Here's the Egyptian cat goddess Bast posed before a carving of the Rosetta stone, the one that allowed people to decode hieroglyphs.  On this last Fursday of the year, I want to tell you what I gave Donna for Christmas ... and why.  She's been taking care of Sasha for four months or so, while Sandy was in the hospital and then after Sandy died.  In a few days, Sasha will be moving in with another lady, but we don't know her.  So I thought Donna should have this little medallion with a cat on it.  I wrote this note for Donna.

Sasha 12-1-19

Sasha and I want you to have this special pendant so you will always remember her after she has to move away from you next week.  We smart cats remember when we were worshiped as deities in ancient Egypt, like my ancestor Bast on this piece of jewelry.  I want to pass it on to a worthy person, since somebody "fixed" me and I can never have a kitten to continue my line.  Sasha and I both love you because you’re a real cat person.  That's a compliment, you know, coming from two cats.

And I signed it, "Love always" because Sasha and I will both love Donna for always and forever.

Clawdia  >^..^<  'til next time

Oh, wait! I just noticed that "medallion" is really MEDAL LION without the space.  Yes!  I gave Donna a little lion medal.  (Also a metal lion.)