Day 19/100 is a phrase I stumbled upon “the 47th Problem of Euclid” . I looked up what it meant and It turns out that it is a Masonic symbol rooted in ancient math.

Are Secret Societies Watching you?

beth Dougherty February 21, 2021

Are you intrigued by secret societies? Me too!

This is a true story. About two years ago I was helping my parents clean out my great grandparents house. All of the men on my father’s side of my family, including my father, have been Masons. (My father never actually talks about it though).
When we were clearing one of the dressers I found a very old Masonic handbook that belonged to my great grandfather. I asked my Dad if I could have it and he said yes. Because I was flying back to Germany and I had a very tightly packed suitcase I decided to mail the handbook and a few other things to myself instead of carrying it in my suitcase. A few weeks after I got back to Germany the box arrived in the mail. It had been torn to pieces and badly taped back up. A few of the items inside were broken and a few things were missing. Among the missing was the Masonic handbook. Weird, right? The secret text outsiders were not supposed to look at was gone from the package.
What is crazier is that someone at the post office had put the book “The Men Who Stare at Goats” into the box and taped it back up. On one level it is hilarious that a box would be destroyed in the mail and a postal worker would look at the mess and for whatever reason put a random book in the package and call it good. BUT on another level I think it is a little freaky that of all the mail to go missing - that book (of all books) ends up getting lost and then replaced with a book about people with magical mental powers.

I believe the “Masonic Powers that Be” intervened to make sure I did not get my hands on their manual. It was very mysterious and I guess their secret is STILL safe.

Have you ever had an unexplained, mysterious happening in your life? A coincidence that is too weird to write off? Let me know in the comments below.

This week I am 1/5th of the way through this 100 day journey of quotes and collages. I feel like I just started this project yesterday. It confirms my suspicion that time is actually speeding up. Do you feel this way too? It reminds me that time is precious and our only non-renewable resource. (See day 21.) I need to be conscious of how I spend my time.

I hope this note finds you happy and well and enjoying how you spend your time!

XOBeth

Day 20/100 - Hope is the song of a bird in spring. Yesterday we hiked in the warm sunny weather and it truly felt like the embodiment of hope. Hope is spring after winter, the light at the end of the tunnel.

Day 18/100 - A quote from David Strickel. I enjoy his YouTube channel.

Day 16/100 - Another David Strickel and the Stream quote

Day 15/100 - Day 15 was Valentine’s day. I enjoyed cutting and pasting these hearts.

Creating New Patterns in 100 Days?

beth Dougherty February 7, 2021

Day 8 of 100

“The stories we tell about ourselves keep us stuck in old patterns.” - Jess lively

Hearing this quote from Jess Lively (one of my fave podcasters) was a big A-HA! moment for me. It is true that what we say about ourselves and the stories that we repeat over and over to other people are the things that end up turning into beliefs and patterns we live out daily.

There are many things I say to and about myself that are unflattering and self-deprecating. I also repeat old stories to be funny or to fit in with whoever I am talking to. There are plenty of stories that don’t feel like they “fit" me anymore but if needed I can still rehash them over and over.

There are also the things I say about myself like "Don’t ask me to figure that out, I am bad with math" or “Don’t tell me, I can’t remember anything”. Or "I am too old, too cheap, too whatever" - These insidious little statements may seem like nothing but repeated over and over without examination become part of your persona like it or not.

Recently, during a musical I worked on, one of the actors kept telling everyone how he broke everything he touched and he shouldn’t be trusted to carry anything. For the record, he did not break anything during our run but with those sort of statements he will be remembered as a person who breaks things. Even though he did a great job in the musical he lessened his own self-worth by repeatedly telling that story about himself.

For a few years now, I have tried to be more conscious about what I say about myself in front of other people. I try not to repeat stories to others that portray me in a negative fashion or doing something I’ve out grown. I don’t like defining my self by titles or descriptions and I try not to do that to others. I am conscious of self-criticism in front of my girls. I don’t bash my weight or my hair but I do realize that I talk a lot about looking old and not remembering way more than I should and I cringe every time I catch myself repeating some old story that does not ring true just to fit in with whoever I am talking to. I still have work to do.

One definition of the word pattern is a model or guide for making something. You use a pattern to make the same dress over and over again. You use a pattern stencil because you want the same shape repeated over and over again. The more patterns we act out in life the more we just repeat the same results over and over again. I, for one, am tired of a lot of the patterns I have been living out for the past 30 years. How can I grow or get new results when I am just repeating the same old patterns?

To change a pattern or a habit you have to be intentional and conscious about what you say and do –therein lies the difficulty. I will be the first to admit that I live most hours of my day unconscious and unintentionally reacting to whatever is happening at the moment.

I am not sure how I can quickly change that but I do know that since I've tried to be more conscious of what I say about myself and the stories I tell I have been writing some new patterns. Maybe awareness is the way to consciousness? I’m still trying to figure that one out! But I do know that we all need to keep creating new patterns because the old ones get outdated.

I wonder, what do you say about yourself? What stories do you continue to tell that should probably be retired? It's definitely something worth examining.

I am hoping this 100 day project will get me into some new patterns of making art and of sharing it. I have already found it to be difficult to fit in my day and I am only on day 8! Oh well, only 92 more to go…

Below are some of the quotes and illustrations from days four through 7.

If you are trying to take on something new this year I hope things are going well for you. As always, thank you for reading!

XO Beth

2/200

beth Dougherty February 2, 2021

Day 2 of 100

Today’s words are again from A Course in Miracles, lesson 11.

“My Meaningless thoughts are showing me a meaningless world.”

Your thoughts determine the world you see. What kind of world do you live in? Look around you and take stock, that will tell you what you are really thinking and believing.