The Years of 2020 and 2021 in Review...and Letters to the Editor in The Lakeville Journal of CT by Catherine Palmer Paton (Livfully.org Blogger)

Before the start of COVID19 in 2020, I was excited to head off to Hawaii. I had a wonderful time living in a jungle type part of the Big Island, glamping (nice camping digs) with a few others having sites around a nice home with a porch we'd visit on and share kitchen and living room quarters.

I also got to learn more from Laurie Moore of animiracles.com who has special abilities (which we all likely have to various degrees) and a few others over the course of five days to tune into the positive, healing aspects of being human and connecting with divine loving energy, and appreciating animals and nature.

It was a wonderful way to boot up my hope and enthusiasm to work together as team players in a world facing issues of  climate change and the Trump-Biden election in Novemeber 2020. No matter what was coming our way, we would be best able to handle things if we stay in touch with one another, listen and connect with hope, love, intelligence and actions to reflect those shared values and ways to co-exist in sustainable ways.

Then the floods and fires came due to storms and droughts. I had spent a few weeks in Arizona and New Mexico, seeing the sites of Sedona and even the Grand Canyon while meeting amazing folks at events by Gregg Braden and others including some from HeartMath who shared a documentary about 'mind over matter' helpful ideas.

Overall learning to calm ourselves down if feeling upset by acknowledging our emotional state, taking some deep breaths, and remembering another way of feeling better (a calm time sitting by the water or walking in nature) and choosing to respond to a situation with a fresh perspective is something that would be helping more people feel in control of their experiences and even tune into connecting with loved ones in a positive way with a sense of flow and appreciation of 'quantum field' frequencies and information.

I felt during the course of meeting hundreds of good-hearted women at a luncheon with talks about growing in love and fellowship with the divine and one another, that again, there was a wave of more healing and helping happening in many such faith and social circles.

I had been part of a group in the Berkshires of MA which was helping women listen to themselves and one another in supportive, non-judgemental ways yet sharing values of being part of a sisterhood and working on a project of one's own or with others. Some funds were raised to help someone in need with moving, childcare, getting a car and accessing other resources as well such as through faith or non-profit groups or the Berkshire Taconic Foundation funds that served that area.

Building meaningful connections around helpful resources and ideas, social interactions and guidelines has been a life long endeavor for me as part of a large family, wonderful grammar school and high schools in CT, both rural and urban, and the arts communities such as Educational Center for the Arts in New Haven and a student at Vassar College of Poughkeepsie NY (since people like to know where Vassar is, aside from in the hearts and minds of alums and their families and communities, especially if we circle back to our hometown areas as I and many others have done or become part of such as Meryl Streep (yes Mary Louise Gummer herself and family.)

One experience from back in the days of dancing that came to mind since I was writing about Simone Biles stepping back from all the events except the balance beam (in the Olympics but also of life which we are all on between our journey from life to death I realize, similar the analogy of a bridge...and a bit like a book called The Shack which explores a mystical view of a difficult life path as though in an extended dream...)

I connected the idea that a friend whose now in a wheelchair used to wow folks in a circus act by standing up while riding a horse and holding her leg up to her  head... seemingly an impossible feat or a deadly one. I recall telling a tall male friend that he'd be a great dancer since he was built like one of my ballet teachers so he'd really be able to clear some ground if he learned to run, run and leap holding the top of his body securely with his arms outstretched.

Shortly after he laughed that off, said friend who is now in spirit rode his motorcycle past me, stood up and put his leg back in an arabesque all at a high speed without warning such that I almost drove off the road! But thankfully he made his point safely that he had the dance moves and then some. When I told a contemporary of his about that recently he said that a famous Indian motorcyclist died doing that signature move back in the day so I will look that up. He also said a  friend of his in his 20s did that but assured him he wouldn't do it again. Some things are best as a one-off so one can go on with life.

Hopefully people would only do a high risk action if trying to save someone as our son was doing, and even then try to factor in the actual chances of being able to save the person and oneself. Each deserve every chance at living fully and yet sometimes these events may serve to warn and inform us of what's to come when it may be a widescale emergency and time to 'emerge and see' what is going on possibly and even with various versions seeming to carry weight.

We need to have more accountability and transparency about the major league game we are all part of with climate change, the COVID theories, discussions (if they can even be had in some forums while others are being closed down) and laws and rules that are implemented 'ready or not.' We have plenty to think through and relate  to what is indicated by our life experiences and even hopes and dreams too. We can honor our intuition and what 'just kids say' or how nature and other sideline stories and even unexpected helpers are speaking to us.

I am exploring ideas here and in some papers in the MA/NY CT tri-corner area to create community, help people network and know actual contact folks and programs, learn from one another and enjoy each age and stage of life since we're basically small in number but big in talent and care.

Recently a retired journalist, Richard Schlesinger, shared a remarkable life-saving event he had after having a heart attack during his morning walk in West Cornwall CT, not far from the Covered Bridge.

Unfortunately only a couple of weeks ago  the driver of a rig with a small excavator on the back did not notice the height limit signs and tried to go over the bridge, resulting in damaging the entrance of the scenic red barn like structure. Thankfully no one was hurt badly and the bridge can be repaired. What are the odds I'd know that fellow well and will follow up with ideas in my outreach as I likely have shared before here to have more volunteers or paid folks drive before and after such large loads, map out a travel route that passes muster and be ready to warn traffic if there are blind spots of 'large loads or to have the right traffic control folks in place so as not to cause an accident if swinging into a lane that oncoming cars wouldn't see etc.'

That's a big issue with the winding roads in some areas and pertains to the motorcyclists or even cars not being readily visible. So driving with the windows down and silence when trying to listen for what Might Be coming around the corner or at an intersection is a great idea. Not always easy since people may have a desire for air conditioning or heat, depending on the season, but a smart idea nonetheless. 

So back to the heroic efforts that unfolded for Mr. Schlesinger in West Cornwall, which is a place our late teen son Kaelan had loved and where his youthful courageous body and even spirit found it's last resting, 7 miles south of the Falls where he died trying to save his friends.

Another rescuer from West Cornwall, Skip Kosciusko, had successfully retrieved Kaelan's friend from turbulent whitewater that fateful day back on June 16th, 2009. A friend shared with me that even before Kaelan's body was located by the bridge a week later, she had seen his spirit in the form of a water splash that was 30 feet high as she crossed the bridge.

I like to think he's looking out for all in our area and circles best he can, not to trouble his spiritual journey but to keep helping us see the greater love and healing that may be 'just around the corner' or give us courage to hope for healing even if the physical and social manifestations do not seem to be adding up in that direction readily. 

The people crossing paths with Mr. Schlesinger were from Maryland and had been at Kent Falls, and wanting to see the Covered Bridge. A child with them wanted to go for a swim so they were looking for Cream Hill Lake to go to the 'town beach.'

That may not really be open to the public if not a guest but thankfully as far as they knew they would be able to pay a fee to visit for the day which may be an option at some places, but not all especially during the pandemic. But they had hope and plans and their directions took them along Cogswell Road likely just a couple of minutes after Mr. Schlesinger collapsed from a cardiac event (a heart attack.)

I like to think of the many meanings of "A little child shall lead them...." from the Bible and consider that all of us may be intuitive, playful and honor our sense of what we want to do...even jump in a lake or go for a swim on a hot summer day, which it was that day.

So even the weather may have played a role in this unfolding set of miraculous life-saving events. Mr. Schlesinger was grateful he had chosen to retire in this particular town since the setting seemed key to his successful second chance at life with the volunteer and professional responders being there minutes after the family administered CPR, the woman who was doing that for the first time having trained long ago, and the man making the call to 9-1-1 thankfully with good cell phone coverage which is not a given in the rural parts of the area, or depending on which provider one has.

A similar 'win' happened when the other young teen with our son Kaelan were able to realize he was signalling to them over the thundering falls to call 9-1-1 for help and I cover more of that experience from 2009 in Remembering Kaelan Alexander Palmer Paton and other posts on this Livfully.org blog. His memorial service held a month later is on youtube in short segments.

His grandparents Sandy and Caroline Paton were there, though Sandy died from illness only ten days later, while his Caroline lived another decade and passed after months of decline but with good care with me and then at a local nursing home which we all appreciated.

My own mother Mary Palmer, Sr. also had her last few months of life there and only declined in the last few days of her life. My father Dale Palmer, Sr. had pneumonia for a few weeks at the end of his almost 85 years on this earth. 

Overall (and my Dad did wear those sometimes as a farmer and brick mason and my mom of many had an apron on plenty with cooking and doing hairdressing) those more 'natural passings' of Kaelan's four grandparents, after living very full lives (and who were born about 100 years ago as of the 2021 and up) and having longtime ties to the northwest corner of CT add to the depth of feeling and gratitude for everyone who keeps the community humming along harmoniously for the most part with steadfast efforts and good will.

With timely responders, some by chance passing by and others contacted, Mr. Schlesinger had CPR, an IV drip and other interventions to get him safely to Sharon Hospital and then on a Life Star helicopter to a hospital for a quadruple bypass.

He's home now and recovering from what felt like 'being run over by a truck.' All the more reason for us to learn and appreciate ways to take time to learn more about alternative healing modalities such as ayurveda and acupuncture, herbs and gentle exercise since our media and medical world may give mixed messages and 'too little too late' in terms of preventing insulin resistance (and before that leptin imbalance folks like Kat James offers and she has programs online now worth looking into for many conditions medical folks say are not easy to understand or address.)

I was hearing a program online about the possible drawbacks of too much cardio, pounding pavement as compounding unhealthy stress on the bones are raising cortisol beyond the norm (same with too much cardio in general.)

This fellow was saying an ectomorph body type like mine for instance may do best with doing HIIT (I'll have to look up what that meant I think it's High Intensity Interval training, so about 15 minute workouts) and using 'Metabolic Confusion' which was about not eating many carbs (or maybe none?) one day then having plenty the next to help burn fat and carbs. It's a new theory and sounded interesting.

There are many programs I have looked at but don't do too much to an extreme...I do want to give the Kat James protocol a try and see if it helps me and maybe others who have more pressing matters regarding weight, health and even to prevent decline if possible. More people are highlighting the need for positive social interaction and the way that impacts a healthy microbiome, especially in young children.

We really are a delicate balance of chemicals and energies as well as blood, flesh and bones, so worth tuning into the interactions and even interplay with our sleep, rest, breath, emotions, social and other aspects of our life experience, as individuals with social relationships in our families and friends as well as wider community members.

We can even factor in those relationships and interactions online in terms of learning and aspiring to tune our frequencies and hearts toward healing, connectivity and more miracles and hope even in times of struggle and yes, the pandemic with all of the possible reasons and realities that are playing out on the daily. 

We can learn and relate to more of what is coming our way by taking time to quiet the mind (yes, there's the free braintime.com trial link posted earlier on this blog around the new year of 2020 and a few times since.)

I am hoping to get more students and communities 'testing that out' to see if that can ease stress, improve sleep and focus when awake as well as help people with the free talks on their site about  emotional and relationship health (and the poor effects of unhealthy stress on the body and mind.)

During this new round of pandemic talks and mandates, let's hone all the skills and support to play it as safely and soundly as possible in terms of processing the information and exploring reasonable ways to stay in touch and life life fully.

Explore this blog Livfully.org for more ideas about safety in driving, living and planning for safety and success across the board in all walks in life.

Let's appreciate the United States of A-Miracle and make it more so with everyone being invited to the party of forgiveness, growth and healing on all levels in concert with others and nature in all its forms... and remember the higher realms (whether quantum field frequencies, and/or beings and soul groups etc) and good aspects of our nature and realms that are rooting for us to evolve with love and teamwork.