Transformation Tuesday: Do Something Unplanned Once in a While

'Idal (Justice), 12 Masá’il (Questionsh), 172 BE - Tuesday, December 22, 2015 about 7:53 Pacific Standard Time

I planned to make this post earlier today, however, I decided to go shopping. I went to a second hand store to purchase some clothes. I spent longer then I expected, but I had a good reason. After picking out a purple dress and a blue blouse (I still have to find a skirt to go with the blouse) I looked at the used books they had. There was a sale on the books, if I bought four books I could get one free. I looked at all the paper backs they had and picked out the Lord of the Rings series, The Hobbit, and a book from the Dragon Riders of Pern series. I now have all my reading material for 2016.

When I came home, I ate lunch and then took a nap. I slept all afternoon. I think sleeping on the couch is getting to me so I have to put my bed frame, box springs, and mattress together so I can sleep in my own bed in 2016. I did not plan to take a nap, but I am glad I did. Taking an unplanned afternoon nap helps in the transformation process because it gives a person's body and mind a chance to rest.

In my last entry, I said I would include the daily themes for this blog. This late in the evening I am not going to compose another entry, so here are those themes.

Themes for this Blog

Sunday: Spiritual Sunday
Monday: Meditation Monday
Tuesday: Transformation Tuesday
Wednesday: Midweek Reflections
Thursday: Thankful Thursday
Friday: Overcoming Fear Friday
Saturday: Summary Saturday

Goal for the next 12 or 19 months

Istiqlál (Independence), 4 Ayyám-i-Há (The Days of Há, 169 B.E. - Friday, March 1, 2013 about 8:10 A.M. Pacific Time

I have problems posting to this blog on a regular basis. There are several reasons for this, one of the reasons is finding subjects and themes.  Then there is the issue of time and interruptions that occur regularly. Therefore, I have decided that the best way to handle these situations is to plan to post every other day. I will also use specific themes for each day. The following is a list of those themes and will begin with the next post.

Free Write Sunday
Quote of the Week Monday
Haibun-Haiku Tuesday
Midweek Reflections Wednesday
Thankful Thursday
Poetry form of the Week Friday
Recyclable Saturday

Tuesday Thoughts on my change in themes

My goal is to write a 200-word entry everyday on the theme of the day. If possible, I will post a photo or graphic with the entry. Sometimes this will be possible, but not everyday until I get my digital camera. I still have about 11,000 points before I can order the camera. I have a camera on my phone; unfortunately, I cannot use the phone to send photos to my e-mail account. All right, I did not research the phone before buying it.

I will post an entry between 12:01 AM and 11:59 PM everyday. I am giving myself enough time to deal with interruptions, slow computer, proof reading, and research. The interruptions and the slow computer are the biggest issues I encounter on a daily basis. If the first entry I make does not total 200 words then I will make a second entry for that day.

A change of themes

I have decided to change some of the blog entry themes for this blog. The themes I am using for the rest of 2012 are (1) Recipe of the Week Sunday, (2) Monday Mumblings, (3) Tuesday Thoughts, (4) Midweek Reflections Wednesday, (5) Thankful Thursday, (6) Family History Friday, and (7) Spiritual Quote of the Week Saturday.

Tomorrow I'm dong it again

‘Idál (Justice), 4 ‘Alá (Loftiness), 164 B.E. – Wednesday, March 5, 2008 about 4:00 PM PST

Well I'm doing it again, I'm participating in the Follow the Leader Journal contest on writing.com. I'm using my writin.com blog Snow Melt to write my leading entry and the responses to the other leading entries.

I'm not sure what the subject or theme of my leading entry is yet. I'm scheduled for March 10, so I suspect something will come up between now and then. Maybe I'll try something completely different this time. I have some books on journaling with a exercises I've wanted to try for a while. I'll check out those and see what I come up with. In the mean time the other leading entries should be very interesting.

I think I'll take an entirrly different approach to the contest this time around. Before I've simply read and responded to the entries without giving a lot of thought to them. I think this time before I write an response, I'll pray and meditate about what I'm going to write.

I Need a new Photo

Fidal (Grace), 18 Sultan (Sovereignty), 164 B.E. - Tuesday, February 5, 2008 about 7:37 AM PST

This is a high school photo taken in Shawnee, Oklahoma, several years ago. I used this photo when I first started this blog. I changed from this to a picture of me taken at Disney Land. I'm going to change the photo on this blog again. However, I'm not sure which picture I'm going to use. I think the most recent picture I have of myself is at a poetry reading.

I don't think I have a picture of myself taken in the last two years. I have a Tupperware container of photos in my closet, which I'll look through before deciding which one to use. I'm considering this decision carefully, normally I use spur of the moment decision making. It cuts down on a lot of worrying, but everyone should attempt something different occasionally and putting a lot of thought in this decision may help me improve my decision making abilities.

Spiritual Sunday: Making Time for God

Jamal (Beauty), 14 Sharaf (Honor), 164 B.E. - Sunday, January 13, 2008 about 4:09 PM PST

The year 2007 was very stressful for me. Beginning March 12 there were a lot of tests and difficulties in my life. After thinking back over 2007 as well as the year before, I came to several conclusions. One of the main conclusions I came to was that I needed to make time for God in my life. It's not that I wasn't saying the prayers revealed by Baha'u'llah and the Bab or reading the sacred scriptures. My problems was that I would read the scripture verses or the prayers and then go into what ever work I planned to do. I wasn't setting silently afterwards and meditating on them.

The sacred scriptures, whether they are prayers or scripture verses, have their greatest effect on the individual who meditates on them. I believe that the scriptures have their greatest effect on the person who meditates on them. Meditation on the verses of God is different from studying the sacred verses. In meditation one sits silently and thinks about the verses. A person may even repeat the verse over in his or her mind while meditating on it.

When I meditate on a scripture verse, I focus on the verse and the way it makes me feel. I read or repeat the verse over several time in my mind. While I'm meditating on a scripture verse the only thing I have is the book the verse is in and my glasses. I read the verse and then I sit silently for about five minutes or longer. After I finish meditation the I may or may not make a journal entry.

In 2008 I'm going to take the time meditate on the verses and prayers rather then just read them and get on with the day. This is how I'm going to make time for God. I think if I do that things will go better this year.

Remembering Winter in Oklahoma

Fidal (Grace), 9 Sharaf (Honor) 164 B.E. - Monday, January 7, 2008 about 5:24 PM PST

I'm remembering winter in Oklahoma. Specifically the years when the snow was so deep we had difficulty opening the doors. The backdoor to my grandparent's house had a screen door that opened out. I remember snow so deep that when we tried to open the screen door it wouldn't open. In order to get the door open, my grandfather went out either the front door or a window (I can't remember which) and shoveled the snow away from the door so we could get to the garage and the chicken house.

About midday, the snow shovels would get to our street and clear one lane of traffic. Not that there was anywhere to go because snow that deep meant school was closed. Snow days were always nice, because we could stay home and play in the snow. Children seem to handle snow differently than adults they don't seem to get as cold or perhaps it's just that children know how to play and ignore the cold.

I wrote a poem in another blog about the difference between the experience of winter as a child and the way I experience it now. That poem is called The Experience of Winter.

I've decided to make daily themed entries in this blog

Jamal (Beauty), 7 Sharaf (Honor) 164 B.E. - Sunday, January 6, 2008 about 12:04 PM PST

I'm starting daily themed entries in this blog. If I write from a prompt on a specific day my response will be in line with the theme of the day. I'm doing this to help improve my writing skills and cover some of the subjects I want to put in this blog.

Daily Themes for this Blog

1. Sunday = Spiritual Sunday I'll cover some of my spiritual beliefs and why I believe that way. I'll also post some of my favorite scripture verses from various sacred books.
2. Monday = Family Memories I'll write about memories of my childhood and grandparents.
3. Tuesday = Las Vegas Tuesday concerns some of the interesting things that happen to me in Las Vegas.
4. Wednesday = Photo Wednesday I'll post a photo either of myself or a member something else and discuss it.
5. Thursday = Thankful Thursday I'll write ten things I'm thankful for either that day or during the week.
6. Friday = Poetry Friday I'll post one of the poems I've written.
7. Saturday = Success Saturday I'll post an entry about an especially successful day during the past week.