I remember about 15 years ago, I worked with a woman named Cyndi. As I was speaking with her one day in her office, talking about documentation schedules, she glanced at the calendar, and then said, “Oh, I forgot! Rabbit, rabbit!”
I said, “Excuse me?”
She said, “Don’t you know that you’re supposed to say that on the first day of every month?”
I replied, “No. I’ve never heard of that.”
So, here it is from wiki.
“Rabbit rabbit white rabbit” is a common superstition. The most common modern version states that a person should say “rabbit, rabbit, white rabbit” or simply "rabbit, rabbit" upon waking on the first day of each new month, and on doing so will receive good luck for the duration of that month.”
When I woke up this morning, the time had changed, and when I looked at my phone, I realized, “Oh, it’s rabbit, rabbit day!”
So…
Rabbit, rabbit!!!!!!
I hope I had a dose of good luck this month, but even more so, I thought if I don’t have good luck, I can hope for a new start because it was a new month after all. Because did you know that you don’t necessarily need New Year’s to start anew? Yeah, who’s says you need a new year to change your life? Why not think about starting change at the beginning of each new month?
I’m not talking about changing me. I would never change some of my, err, “quirks,” like the fact that I’m impulsive, impatient, irresponsible (where it concerns shoes), and irritable (where it concerns Cosmopolitan magazine). Change moi? Naaaaaaah!!!
If I were to change those things, that would imply there’s something wrong with me, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with me. Err, okay, I’m not perfect, but still, there’s nothing wrong with me! Oh, no. (And, it only took me 47 years to be able to say that!) I just have “quirks.”
I was thinking that not only on the first of the month could I shout “Rabbit, rabbit,” at the top of my lungs, causing anyone in earshot to think I was a bit odd, if they didn’t already, but I could think not about good luck (if it should happen along so be it) but about good starts for me, and to try to keep starting “good stuff” throughout the month.
So, today, I said, “Rabbit, rabbit,” and then I said, “Good stuff, good stuff.” Here’s some of the “good stuff” I did:
I read the November 1st entry in “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy” by Sarah Ban Breathnach.
This was good stuff, because I had wanted to really make an effort to read this book about “good stuff.” Today’s entry was titled “Embracing the Ebb.”
To summarize at a very high level, this Queen is very bummed out. Everyone tries to make her happy, but no amount of shoes, pearls, lipstick, 50-mile bike rides, or Hello Kitty items could cheer her. (Yes, this Queen and I had a lot in common, so I could relate that much more.)
Finally, the gardener takes her to the garden and tells her that it is “…not your body or your mind that is ailing. It is your soul that is in need of healing.” The gardener went on to say, “Earthly souls ebb and flow in sorrow and joy according to the seasons of emotion, just as the seasons of the natural world move through the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. These are the days to be grateful for the harvest of the heart, however humble it might be, and to prepare for the coming year’s closure. Even now, the season of daylight diminishes and the time of darkness increases. But the true Light is never extinguished in the natural world, and it is the same in your soul. Embrace the ebb, my beloved Queen, and do not fear the darkness. For as night follows day, the Light will return and you will know contented hours once again. Of this I am sure.”
The Queen then asks the gardener how she “possessed the secret knowledge of inner peace during the seasons of emotion.” The gardener shows the Queen a sundial and it is inscribed “This too, shall pass.”
It was ironic that I chose to finally read this book today, as I had been feeling a bit down from the last disappointing job interview, but yes, “This too, shall pass.”
Good stuff!
I vacuumed the upstairs and downstairs. And you ask, “Jean, how can cleaning be good stuff?”
Cleaning is cathartic for me; it always has been. When I need to feel some control or order in my life, I clean. But, that’s not why I cleaned today. I cleaned because the fur tumbleweeds were starting to collect in the corners. Also, in several locations about the house, it looked the Saint Valentine’s Day massacre had occurred; instead of dead human bodies, there were the scattered remains of dried-up dead lady bugs, who had foolishly come out of their "overwinter" (a bug term I just learned!) during a few warm days last week.
Anyway, usually when in a bit of a funk, I’d vacuum the downstairs and say to myself, “I will vacuum the upstairs tomorrow.” But, as you know with some activities, sometimes “tomorrow” has a way of never coming; well, it does come, but those activities never seem to see the light of tomorrow.
So, I said to myself, “Hey, don’t quit. Keep going!” Not only did I vacuum the entire house, but I also succeeded in reminding myself of something important to keep in mind in the face of disappointment.
Good stuff!
After I took a shower, instead of resorting to a t-shirt, I put on a nice pink and white plaid button-down shirt. What kind of fashion statement was I making? I know; it doesn’t sound like a huge one, does it? I mean, if I said I wore my Madonna outfit again, you would have said, “Ooooh. She’s trying to bring bike leggings, jelly bracelets, and lacy gloves back in.” (News flash and Don’t Cringe: Believe it or not, 80s fashions are back!)
When I worked, I dressed up more. I used to wear many of my vintage clothes to work; these things were always lovely, err, if I do say so myself. These items were much better than some of the t-shirts I’ve been walking around in lately. Again, I think the minor disappointment factor from the last few months has caused me to hang around in my sweats longer each day and then throw on any t-shirt with my jeans.
So, today, I said, “Enough of the frump! Work everything you’ve got, Baby!” On went the pink and white plaid button-down shirt. Working everything I've got wasn't just about the clothes; it was an attitude that I needed to latch onto to remind myself to try my best to keep it all together even when things are bleak in my Queendom.
Lastly, the shirt is from Brooks Brothers, too! So what? Well, to me, Brooks Brothers says, “We sell serious work clothes!” Are you still following me? Yeah, it’s a bit of a stretch, but to me, the pink and white plaid button-down shirt also equals positive I-will-get-a-job vibes, k?!
Good stuff!
Today, “rabbit, rabbit” day took on a new meaning for me. You should always strive to do “good stuff” for yourself, but I think if you’re like most women, the “good stuff” for yourself often sinks to the bottom quite easily in favor of all the other “stuff” that you have to do.
Good stuff again!
Anyway, I am very happy that now I don’t have to wait ‘til New Year’s to start anew with “good stuff.” And, the great thing is about my strategy is that if my “good stuff” sinks to the bottom of the laundry basket, and it could quite literally, after three days this month, well, then on December 1st, I can once again shout, “Rabbit, rabbit, good stuff, good stuff!” ♥
Sometimes I Feel Like I’m Jimmy Stewart in “Rear Window” Note:
Barbara pulls out of her parent’s driveway, and sees Rover crossing the street. Barbara pulls her car to the side of the road and gets out. She walks over to greet Rover, and then she begins walking up the driveway with Rover. They get to top, disappear behind the bush, and presumably Barbara signs Rover into the Senior Center for the day. (Rover was muttering something the other night about needing shuffleboard sneakers and a copy of "Bridge for Idiots.") Then Barbara reappears behind the bush, walks down the driveway, gets back into her car and drives off.
Lou walks by Eileen and Harold’s newspaper mailbox with her dog, Rocky. She parks Rocky on the lawn, heads to the front door, opens it, and then places the newspaper inside the door.
See, I don’t make this stuff up, well, only some of it, but which "some of it," you’ll never know. Mmmmm, BA, ha, ha, ha!
It’s a New Month So There’s a New Classy Decorating Strategy Note: Things look classier with gold glitter bows.
He looks classier doesn’t he? Yes, I would agree with you. While he does look classier, he also looks more pissed off, too. Oh, well. Then let’s just say that this is a decorating idea in progress!
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