Thursday, February 4, 2010

Mei Lan, waiting and splash

- Atlanta's 3-year-old giant panda, Mei Lan, who was born at Zoo Atlanta, is moving to China this morning as part of an agreement for the long-term loan of her parents to the zoo. We will miss this little girl. She is being flown on a special FedEx plane called "The Panda Express."

- An enforced 1.5 hours to sit still while waiting for an appointment. I was not expecting to wait and did not take a book. But reflecting at some point what wonderful meditation time can be had while being forced to wait.

- Finding my Red Dress Pin after seeing a TV spot about informing women of the risks of heart disease. They encourage a display of red clothing or the wearing of your pin this month to draw attention to the disease. I have been told that I wear black much too often, so my pin goes on my black jacket this morning and VoilĂ ! a splash of red.

14 comments:

LL Cool Joe said...

My parter's favourite animal is a Panda.

I'd be pacing up and down in a stressed out manner if I had to wait for and hour and a half, and having a book to read wouldn't help either. ;D

kenju said...

I would love to bury my face in a panda's fur! (a gentle baby panda...lol)

I have a red dress pin somewhere. We are supposed to wear red tomorrow in support of heart health.

TALON said...

Pandas just look adorable and cuddly. I hope Mei Lan has a wonderful trip home.

It's amazing how those unexpected wait times provide us a great opportunity to really think without distractions.

I love red and wear it quite often. It's definitely a great pick me up in the winter. The pin is a great accessory, Lynn, and a great reminder.

Riot Kitty said...

The panda express! How cute! I would be out of my mind waiting that long with nothing to read. And I think people have given up on telling me I wear too much black.

Whitney said...

Happy, Happy Birthday, Lynn! I hope it's fabulous. (because you are!)
Love,
Whitney

Meredith said...

It's your birthday; isn't it, Lynn? May it be full of joy!

Good for you to use your time for meditating. I adopted a philosophy of "no more waiting" a couple of years ago, that is, that I would never think of such times as waiting for x to happen or start, but as just more time for living. My philosophy has improved my general attitude towards waiting, but I think I might have struggled with such a long wait before an appointment. Kudos to you!

Bye-bye to Miss Mei Lan. She's such a sweetie.

Lynn said...

Joe -

Meditation. That's the ticket.

Kenju -

I will admit I got a little choked up at the news report showing the plane taking off. She has been such a bundle of love.

Talon -

I got the pin when I worked at Jenny Craig weight loss center during the time I was back in school. We encouraged heart health - something I need to remember for myself with my family history.

Riot Kitty -

I love black clothes but am colorful elsewhere. :)

Whit -

Thank you, my friend. It has been a most happy one today. Sally just called and sang, too. :)

Meredith -

It is. Thank you.

I like that philosophy on not thinking of it as waiting. I will admit that I was feeling a little desperate toward the end since I needed to be back at work.

Yes - our sweet little Mei Lan will be missed...

G. B. Miller said...

Uggh about the waiting. I hate waiting for appointments (matter of fact, got stuck for an hour and a half at mine yesterday).

But glad to hear that you were able to turn it into something positive.

Jannie Funster said...

Now that I have my iPhone I am missing out on those valuable meditation moments. But I do a lot of thinking in the car lately with instrumental music playing. Unearthed a lot of my old jazz albums from a cardboard box.

xoxoxo

Lynn said...

G -

I mainly just people watch and move around if the person next to me seems sick. :)

Jannie -

Those iphones are the ticket, huh? I'll bet those albums were fun to listen to. xo

LL Cool Joe said...

I don't believe in meditation I'm afraid. I don't allow myself to empty my mind.

Lynn said...

Joe -

Wow - you were just here. I probably don't do meditation correctly. :)

Snaggle Tooth said...

I heard the two pandas were leaving on the news. Guess they were only "On loan"-
Waiting can sure seem likre wasted time- I usually pace around when I have no book, n look at all the wall pics n charts close-up.
Sometimes, I even write a new song in my head...
May your heart be Healthy n happy -
Happy Belated Bday!

Lynn said...

Snaggle -

Thanks for the good wishes. :) And writing a song in your head is a stellar way to spend time waiting.