St. Patrick's Day is Good Day to Relax and Smell the Shamrocks (Sun, March 17th, 2019)

With my time in Brooklyn NY being colored in deep blue and purple hues of sadness from the Sheffield MA area, I feel grateful to have gotten through this week with a renewed sense of treasuring people and places in my life. It's not all rosy but I actually have people close to me with that name who travelled a few hours to see me and then scooted up to the hometown area to see Rip Van Winkle, a musical by Michael Berkeley at the Housatonic Valley Regional High School in Falls Village CT. I was fortunate to see one of the earlier presentations. While I hoped to get there, I talked it up and know some folks went and enjoyed it, especially since some went to that school and had been in plays, some with the magical Micheal too.who is treasure trove of talent, as is Lori Belter who spear-headed the theatre program to continue the opportunities that were part of the high school experience over the decades. Donations are always welcome to the Housatonic Musical Theatre Society or the Falls Village Children's Theater which Denise Cohn and friends created for the younger set. Of course there are programs closer to your own region that could use support Maybe some of the magic of co-creating endeavors could include more partnerships between towns and states to bridge gaps in offers and funds to see programs reach a larger demographic. Thanks for thinking along those lines whether in your family, social, school, faith or other circles... People helping people with encouragement, good will and support on many levels help inspire move waves of positivity and meaningful connections.

If there are snaffews along the way, which is part of the human condition, even in cozy towns or groups where 'everybody knows your name', additional resource people could be engaged to help sort through 'principles and concerns above personalities.' Ideally people could voluntarily explore ways and terms to remedy concerns and set better guidelines and boundaries voluntarily to keep a positive engaging atmosphere.

Often having support people to gauge interactions and agree to 'keep things light' and not in direct contact if there is high conflict is reasonable. Yet within communities people often have to seek to go along to get along, and still interact at times, maybe on a regular basis if it is a work or school or small social setting.

Then more attention could be given to people's concerns along with ideas of how people may reflect on 'their own experience' and review their thinking about a person or set of circumstances with new insights over time. It is okay to have a change of heart or mind about something from the past. There may be times where legal and safety issues may take precedence. Those matters would also need more support to work through, but likely would clarify matters for others in the group and community with a greater awareness of the factors that have come into play.

An example would be handy I realize, and I'll try to think of one...but if anyone has bumped into such matters, they know the jist of what I am talking about. It seems whether in a small town or social group even in a more populated area, many 'strange social dynamics' can take root  and create a drama of their own. That's why I am trying to shed some light on that...to give us all a little homework and motivation to 'see the world with new eyes' and see challenges as learning opportuniites... Again with informed options about ways to keep concerns and conflicts to a minimum but seeking to 'get to the heart of a matter' so everyone can appreciate a way of living, interacting, relating and working together that makes sense... Okay so back to the post I originally wrote.

A recent treat online is a 15-minute youtube video of The Classic Car Show with Dennis Gage on the Falls Village Car Show from 2018. The 10th FV Car Show will be July 10th, 2019 if you need a reason to visit CT (or move here, why not? There's something for everyone to join in to keep any of the small towns running charmingly ...and improving any rough spots as well.

For such a small town, it has a lot of activity in general due to serving six towns and the adult ed program, sports (of course, but one cannot take anything for granted nowadays..) and many after schoo activities including music, theatre, debate and robotics and Envirothon. Well worth checking out the possibility of moving there to have your kids attend the schools and enjoy perks of being near Hotchkiss and other private schools who offer some great plays, music and events througout the year. Vassar College as well as Dutchess Community College (which are partnering to benefit students in more ways) both are in Poughkeepsie about 45 minutes due west of Sharon CT and good ol' BCC, Berkshire Community College in Great Barrington are not far north, and Northwest Connecticut Community College is parked  due east in Winsted CT.

With NYC hosting the St. Patrick's Day Parade on Saturday March 16th, 2019 (so always check which day if you hope to see it live sometime), we can all feel duly entertained and find a reason to think 'golden happy thoughts'.

Gratitude for what is going well and envisioning healing for those things that basically have fallen short or rocked our world can garner our attention as well whether in a faith service or enjoying the outdoors or quiet time with others, pets or new folks we might meet in person or seeing some youtube talks on matters such as health, wellness in life and other positive views of stages of life from beginning to crossing over and beyond. For now, hope all are doing well and can find a nice way to make St. Pat's a special day with a sense of a big group hug... I think we're about due for that now... HUGS To All for taking more steps toward healing and helping yourself and others in balanced ways!