Time for serious balance

My Body, Mind, and Spirit have all been lacking since April to the point I could not stop the reversible unbalanced space, a feeling I have been in for far too long.

When you are concentrating on one area of your life without tending to the others, all connections suffer.

With pain invading nearly every moment of my life, other areas, my body, mind and spirituality lacks serious balance.

Please forgive me for not writing earlier – a poor sign for a new blogger! Now I know, really know pain, and I’ve survived so far- but it’s come at a price.

After walking 30K steps in two days – it just felt good walking after struggling so long! There is still pain but is slowly NOT effecting my entire life.

It will take some time – baby steps- I am still healing in all areas.

First and foremost, take care of me and that starts with a pause from the computer – too much sadness, negativity, and time! I am wasting very serious time.

I am exercising more, using my mind to bring a better content to this blog, and started a new free 21-day meditation on Grace by Oprah and Deepok Chopra.

My new mantra – even in Boston traffic is: Compassion. Kindness. Harmony. Love.

Canada closed to resisters

A story on Yahoo News caught my attention as it said war resisters, welcomed during the Vietnam era, are treated differently as no U.S. troop member from the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars seeking legal residency in Canada, either as a refugee or on humanitarian grounds, has been successful.

Army officials said more than 20,000 soldiers have deserted since 2006 – since the first President Bush’s war. Some deserters face court-martial but the majority are discharged on less-than-honorable terms.

Canadian government guidance issued to immigration officers in 2010 requires them to consult supervisors on U.S. military cases and spells out desertion is a crime that may render those who've left the military as criminally inadmissible to Canada.

“Before the Civil War, Canada was at the top of the Underground Railroad, said Author Margaret Atwood. “If you made it into Canada, you were safe unless someone came and hauled you back. This was also true during the Vietnam War for draft resisters.”

War Resisters International shares the following concerns about the practices of the all-voluntary force in America. I know just about everyone I served with joined because, like me, I didn’t have the money or grades for college

The procedure for recognizing conscientious objectors of the present all-volunteer military is solely in the hands of the military, and therefore is not independent and impartial, as required by Commission on Human Rights resolution 1998/77;

In practice, conscientious objectors who are denied the right to conscientious objection and who refuse orders to deploy are sentenced to prison;

The denial of educational benefits and other forms of discrimination against those who fail to register for a potential draft under the Military Selective Service Act is a violation of the right the education, and also amounts to punishment without trial;

The military has access to private data of high school students for recruitment purposes, which is a violation of the right to privacy;

Counter-recruitment activists face intimidation and arrest from police, military, and university authorities, which amounts to a violation of the right to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly and;

The military's "stop loss" orders to extend the length of military employment contracts without the consent of the soldier are a violation of the Forced Labor Convention.

Because our Armed Forces are voluntary, a lot of the rules for protection under the Uniform Code of Military Justice just don’t apply.  Another Catch-22 for new recruits!  Someone should tell them.

A chance to act globally

It’s no secret I am ready to leave Boston, Mass. My family is finding it difficult to understand why I would return. One week after high school graduation, I moved to California, and then to New York City, the U.S. Navy and a journalist career that took me through 18 states. I haven't lived in Colorado full-time for 25 years.

But I am homesick – even more so in my 50ish years. I miss my friends, the mountains, weather … But what I miss most is the friendliness of the West.

Boston is a huge city squashed in a small area and it is not known for its human compassion. A 24-year-old woman pushed a 72-year-old woman yesterday who was crowding her and killed her. The senior citizen fell, cracked her head, and died. 

There are between 5-10 shootings every week. Three pre-teen boys were shot while riding their bikes this month!

Oh, you’ll see the happy sports photos but they hide the fact every person there hates the other!

Bostonians do not smile. If I happen to make eye contact and smile there are two responses: 1) WTF??! 2) Complete surprise which usually does prompt a smile.

Neighbors do not talk to each other. There might be some small talk while you’re shoveling snow together - the snowfall has to be about 10 feet for that to happen. But they seem fearful to get close to any one but family. And don’t get me started on the road rage because of traffic Massholes, a name New Englanders gladly embrace. Go figure.

There is an opportunity this Saturday, July 11, at 9 a.m. PT, 12 p.m. ET to join with thousands of people world-wide in a Global Compassion Meditation presented, free, by Deepak Chopra.

You can sign up here: https://chopracentermeditation.com/gm?utm_source=Campaign&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Global%20Meditation&utm_content=Registrant%20Email%20150710

The Compassion Meditation unites all participants with ‘one common intention: To turn around the rising tide of disconnection in the world and, through renewed empathy and love, reconnect to what truly matters’: Humans, animals, all inhabitants of this Planet Earth!

I plan to participate in the global community and hope you all have time to do so. The future of our existence is in peril.  (No guilt there. Lol)