Misfortune

We have all made decisions that we wish we didn’t. But the great thing about the past is that it doesn’t have to define us. The only way to truly rise above your misfortune is to look at your past, learn from it, fix what you can, and let it go.

Everyone can rise above misfortune. We see it every day. But you must first make the choice to do so. Without that choice, you will stay exactly where you are. You are the author of your own story.

Think about it in Second Life terms, you are NOT the same avatar when you first started. You changed the look. You can do the same in Real Life. Little by little, step by step.

We all have to deal with misfortune. It is a part of life. Some, we bring on ourselves. Other times, things just happen. Everyone has something. But it is how we deal with our “something” that determines our success. You and you alone will get to decide how you will handle any misfortune that life throws you. Rise up!

Tell the past to lick your....well you know. Take control of YOURSELF, because you have to believe. 

It is NOT what happens to you that determines your outcome – it is how you handle what happens to you. 

Autumn brings change

Thinking about autumn can bring about some pleasant thoughts. And while it is common to think about cozy scarves and delicious pies, the symbolic meanings of autumn are more profound than you think. Ancient cultures, science, and astrology have associated many aspects of this beautiful season to human life. These symbolic associations are powerful reminders that Mother Nature has an incredible influence on our lives.

One of the things we always seek is comfort and that includes comfort food. In Germany, one of those foods is "Bratwurst" or "Currywurst" which you can buy everywhere on stands called " Schnellimbiss". it is estimated that of 800 Million Currywursts eaten in Germany each YEAR. That is a lot of sausages.

Thanks to the changing nature of life, each and every day presents us with new mysteries. The crisp fall air and changing leaves personify these unknowns. I love the colors of autumn. The orange, red, yellow, and green and some brown are warm and comfortable to the eyes. The Greek philosopher Heraclitus once said, "The only constant is change." Autumn reminds us that our bodies, minds, and surroundings are always developing.

Change will happen whether you like it or not. It just does so embrace it. This year, in particular, has brought lots of change but we have come far. Autumn is a time for letting go and releasing things that have been a burden. 

John Keats, ‘To Autumn’.

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;
To bend with apples the moss’d cottage-trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
For summer has o’er-brimm’d their clammy cells …

Protect our sanity

 A tragedy is “an event causing great suffering, destruction, and distress, such as a serious accident, crime, or natural catastrophe.” We have all have dealt with immense stress at times. Some of us may be currently dealing with it. Suffering in silence while some in our networks stay quiet about our collective destruction. There are many things you can do to protect your sanity. 

Start small, maybe a few minutes every day go outside. Breathe, meditate, get really back to basic nothingness. Eat better. You know exactly what that means. Junk produces a junky mind and body. The weaker those two are, the more vulnerable you become to let your mind tell you that you are not worth it.

There is a lot to deal with in 2020 and it has never been normal. You may ask what is normal anyway, well it is for sure not this crazy way of living hiding at home and worrying about what will happen next. The mind can be a beast to tear you down, do not let that happen. You must fight for the serenity.

This is not new stuff that I am describing, we know deep down what we must do. The many sleepless nights I lay in bed and wonder what happened to my life? Where did it all go? I never really have an answer for it. All I know in these times I treasure family whether there are thousands of miles away or near. They matter. They are part of me. I also treasure those friends in my Real Life and Second Life. When I say Second Life, they are really Real Life because Second Life is just an extension of what happens in real life. These friends are also struggling with real-life issues just like me. We are the same in many ways, maybe different stories, but we all are trying to protect our sanity.

It has been a struggle to concentrate on the things I love, like art and writing this blog. I try to find new things that I can do to keep me busy. It is never easy and the fight seems to get harder on some days and then there are days when it all does not matter. I am scared of those days. We should always have something that matters to us.  

“Stress is not associated with the frequency of people’s technology use, or even how many friends users have on social media platforms. But there is one way that people’s use of digital technology can be linked to stress: Those users who feel more stress are those whose use of digital tech is tied to higher levels of awareness of stressful events in others’ lives. "

Turn it all off sometimes. Invest in you, your well-being. Thank you friends for letting me vent when you did not feel like listening, for letting me be mad when it was not your fault, for showing up when I did not deserve it. 💗

The Money is out of the Bag!

In this case, it is the DB COOPER MYSTERY HUNT.

That is right, the hunt is on and all the money is literally out of the bag and can be found throughout the Retreat and Basement Club. All you have to do is take that plunge into the dark and stormy abyss and land in the wet forest.

Follow the riddles (if you can figure them out) and look for the bundles of money (10 of them). Each bundle contains some gifts and another riddle to guide you to the next stop. There is also a BONUS.

Make sure you turn your windlight to midnight and do not forget to put on a parachute so you can climb down the stairs and jump.

All gifts are free and even the fun is free, all I ask is that you let me know how you liked it so I can work on future projects. Thank you!!!

I am waiting for you. Come take the Flight 305 on Northwest Orient Airlines. You do not need any luggage or a passport.

If you take pictures you can post them here: https://www.flickr.com/groups/amretreat/

Why Millennials Don’t Dance?

The Basement Club has a variety of music but also a variety of people. Not all are human forms, some have whiskers, some have ears and tails. You just never know who you will meet here.

One of America’s most popular pastimes is surprisingly absent from today’s culture. But maybe there’s a way we can get it back? What do you think? Is there a chance for people to be dancing like they used to? 

Music today doesn’t seem to be written for the purpose of dancing as much as it may have been historically. Today’s tracks seem more heavily geared towards digital entertainment and viewership rather than physical instructions for your next rendezvous with the dancefloor.

Because we’re constantly curating our ideal digital lives to our friends via social media, we may be consciously or subconsciously steering ourselves away from dancing in public because we’re too afraid of embarrassment or the possibility of humiliation. 

So why not dance a little today in real life. 

In a recent survey about dancing and the old school dances, Gen Zers admitted that they didn’t know what any of these iconic dance moves were called — or that they even existed. So I guess formal dances like in a ballroom are very foreign to them and maybe they refer that to Baby Boomer's moves. Although to be correct here the Baby Boomers did not invent that type of dance at all. Social or ballroom dancing was a staple of the so-called "Missionary" generation, born during and after the Civil War (1860-1882). It was adopted by the two following generations, basically, people born up to the mid or late 1920s.

It might interest you that ballroom dancing is still very popular in many central European cultures with Austria, and its capital Vienna, being a world leader in that area. Austrian teens spend many months attending dance classes and acquiring the skills necessary to succeed (or at least pass muster) on the dance floor.

Oktoberfest

Why is Octoberfest in September? It’s called Oktoberfest but why is this German festival celebrated in September?

The answer goes back to 1810 when Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig married Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. The wedding festivities in Munich started Oct. 12 and lasted five days.

The party was such a hit, the public continued the tradition year after year, according to the official Oktoberfest celebration in Munich. Through the years, the party moved earlier into September to take place in better weather.

So while the last Oktoberfest weekend ends in October, it begins in September.

When people think of Germans, they think Lederhosen and Dirdlkleid and beer. This festival is not really celebrated in all of Germany, it is a Bavarian Festival. Bavaria is a state in Germany near the Alps

Just like the United States, Germany has different states and each state is different and has dialects and traditional foods and festivals. Wherever you are and whatever you celebrate I wish you lots of fun and laughter. Eat, drink, and laugh!!!!

Autumn leaves fall and are swept out of sight...

....The words that you said have come true.
Autumn leaves fall and are swept out of sight,
So is the memory of a love that we knew.
The wind of forgetfulness blows them
Into the night of regret.
The song we so often did sing,
Is echoing echoing yet.
The falling leaves,
Drift by the window.
The autumn leaves of red and gold.

I see your lips,
The summer kisses,
The sunburned hands I used to hold.
Since you went away,
The days grow long,
And soon I'll hear cold winter songs.
But I miss you most of all, my darling,
When autumn leaves start to fall.