gotohealth's Blog

I'm listening to a Chris Williamson podcast where he is interviewing Joe Hudson, an executive trainer and teacher, about how we can accomplish more by learning to let go. Williamson quotes a Hudson tweet: "Letting go doesn't happen when when you tell yourself to 'let go', letting go happens when it is ready."

 

Next, Hudson suggests an exercise for understanding "letting go".  I put my hands together in front of my face. 

 

Next Hudson suggests separating my pinky fingers - consciously putting effort into separating the fingers without actually doing it. NOTICING THE ENERGY I'M EXERTING, I feel sensations in my arms, shoulders and neck. THE MORE I THINK ABOUT IT, I feel my chest tightening and I'm holding my breath - MOSTLY FUELED BY THE CRITICA. VOICE IN MY HEAD.

 

Then Hudson suggests: "Now think about the opposit of that and notice the difference!!" 

 

So I am used to thinking of the need to put effort into, for instance, figuring out how I can can be a better writer. There is a another way of "surrender" that is a lot more effective than effort sometime?? THIS LEAVES ROOM FOR ENJOYMENT.

 

A lot to learn in life?

 

 

Now that I will be 86-years-of age, I am finding myself on a new "Life Path". I have been learning with podcast listening, especially with the covid issues, and decided to take this course by Dr. Margot McKinnon. I heard her interviewed and then see a recommendation by Michael Gelb. 

 

Gelb suggest that one of Da Vinci's suggestions is to work on sharpening each of our 5 senses! What a good idea! I've constantly added that I am not good with smell and taste; therefore, "I'm just a salt and pepper cook." I never thought of perhaps working on learning more about smell and taste. 

 

I've had a pretty good memory and have enjoyed my Master's in Psychosocial NursingI. It might be fun to consider this my next degree.

 

I grew up in a household with a father who was a fundamental Christian. I still pray daily to GOD, but my definition of God keeps growing! I enjoy learning about other areas of spirituality.

 

I am more and more clear about the different dimensions of my soul and will continue to learn.

 

I consider "oneness", connecting with others here on earth and my human life.  Each of us have a story and sharing verbally is a first step. Research is confirming this leads to "fulfillment". A next step is to write and share.

 

I'm smiling as I write. This is fun!!

 

 

My son-in-law is in charge of a lot of the advertisement for Disney films. I got a short walking tour of the all the campus where most of the Disney films were and are being made. What fun to see all the original cameras and original drawings on the hallways of the Walt Disney Archives.

 

Wish Sam could have been with us (maybe he was???). One time when we were first married, we adopeted our first dog, Sonsie a beagle pup. We confined her to our bedroom of our first apartment and we went to work.

 

When we got home, we found Sam's book about Walt Disney, pulled out of the bookshelf. Sonsie evidently smelled Sam's having read about his favorite mentor. The edges of the book were chewed!

 

I spent 2024 Thanksgiving this last week with the family of our older daughter in Burbank and also went to, mostly Kelly's but also my presentation, of SEATTLE SAMURAI book talk at the Japanese American National Museum last Sunday.

 

The Disney Studio tour highlights Sam's cartoons. Sam had a comic book of the Walt Disney cartoon of Snow White that he got from his Uncle Sutt in 1941. Sam traced this comic book!

This is Thanksgiving week and I'm with my older daughter's Tamusaitis family here in Burbank for Thanksgiving. The best part of Thanksgiving is that Zachary and Avery drove to their parent's apartment for the holiday and have taken over the tradition of making Pierogies. 

 

These Polish perogies are made with a homemade dough recipe and filled with potatoes and cheese for delicious dumplings. They are also called "Three Corners".

 

Their great grandma was Polish and was the pierogie maker for most of the 100 years she lived. My daughter learned from her and was the official family maker of holiday pierogies for several years. Now daughter Lynette and her husband Joe make sure they buy all the ingredients and have turned the tradition over to their children.

 

So pleased to see the commitments to family and traditions,

Grandma Dee

 

 

By Min Tsubota

 

Dr. Owen Taylor had a mansion on the Kent, WA, east hill with a Japanese lady cook and her husband who was the gardener in the early 1900s. He had this beautiful fish pond and had stocked it with expensive carp from Japan.

 

I had an eight year older brother, Henry, born in 1910. When he was little, he was so bad, Mom threatened to put him in the Kent Jail. The one story is that when he was six or seven years old, he went fishing and had three or four fish from Dr. Taylor’s pond on a string and was walking home along Central Avenue. Dr. Taylor was driving home and saw Henry looking like a Tom Sawyer. The doctor was so mad! 

 

At that time, my Dad, Sentaro Tsubota, owned a grocery store in Kent. Henry had made a lot of older hakunin (caucasian) friends who persuaded him to get them candy from the store. Dad also had fire crackers from Japan to do the 4th of July firework celebration for the City of Kent. These same older friends persuaded Henry to get some firecrackers.The boys lit them and ran off. Except one didn’t explode and they told Henry to go check. It blew up as Henry got there and he was badly burned.

Running home, Mom told Henry to get on the telephone and call Dr. Taylor.  Doctors regularly made house calls those days. Dr. Taylor answered by saying, “Anyone who steals my fish has to come to my place. I’m not coming.” So Henry had to walk to Dr. Taylor’s mansion with the burns but Dr. Taylor did a beautiful job that left no scars.

 

Years later, in 1930, we had a terrible car accident on the West Valley highway. Henry was driving, I was on the passenger side. Brother Masayoshi was behind the driver and we were taking Mr. Okimoto home after a dinner. It was so foggy, we couldn’t see 10 feet in front of us. Anderson’s Oil Tanker truck came over the hill, crossing the center line and hitting us. It grazed Henry’s left side and he had a brain concussion. Masayoshi was killed instantly and Mr. Okimoto’s head went out the window and he was bleeding all over. There was a truck in front of Nomura’s place along the road and I was thrown onto the truck. I don’t remember how I got there. Mr. Saito lived close and brought his Lincoln Zephyr to take them to the Auburn hospital, grateful that Mr. Saito didn't mind all that blood all over his expensive car. The Aid Car never got there because of the mile back-up of traffic because of the accident.

 

Henry was in a coma for 3 weeks. Dr. Taylor then did an 8-hour operation to save him. He explained he had to use an auger to drill into Henry’s head to remove the clot on the brain saying, “It was so stressful, I had drink a jigger of whiskey at the end to relieve the tension.”

 

These incidents resulted in a deep friendship. Several years later Dr. Taylor fell ill and the only one he asked for on his deathbed was Henry.