What If?

Posted on August 18, 2026 by Pat

What If? – Miracles Photo – By Pat Ruppel 2026 – Gemini AI Generated

Come – take a short journey with me. I have to let you know, though, that I don’t know where I’m going. I have no idea what this will end up being, but I’m wanting to write something different – mix it up – one step, one word at a time and get a little serious. Are you ready? Can you stretch those thoughts, preconceived ideas, and walk along with me?

We’re living in chaotic times right now. None of us needs to be told how severe things are. Everyone sees it, feels it, like you can’t get away from it. What can you do, now, if you’re not right in the middle of an emergency and have to respond? What if – we stepped back, took a different approach, and attempted to see things differently like what’s suggested in this Ram Dass video below, “What If Everyone Woke Up Tomorrow Thinking Differently”. It would change the world.

It’s part of a lecture he gave February 27, 1992, titled, “The Web of Human Caring” in St. Louis, Missouri and an interview he had with John Seed, an Ecologist from Australia, talking about rainforests. If things were as disturbing and chaotic back then, how do they measure up now, and how can we realize the urgency of it. It’s like the same old problems exist, even though many years have passed since his lecture. I wonder why and what it’s all about?

The only thing that has changed is time, and that won’t change either when we no longer have a choice, or we decide to do something about it. It doesn’t have to be that way, and we don’t have to let it get that far? But what keeps us from hearing such urgent messages? Maybe, like Ram Dass says here, it’s because we’re comfortable and attached to what we have and want to hold onto it.

I have to say, as I’m writing this, my hands are shaking. I’ve felt that before and know it’s the energy stirring inside. So, there’s something going on within me that’s trying to get out – express itself, and I hope I do it justice because it has to work through me before it can get there.

This is not something I usually write about, but it’s been compelling, keeps presenting itself and won’t let me drop it. I don’t want to deliver a post on doom and gloom because I know there are possibilities, What If’s, and there’s still something we can do, and I believe in miracles. But it takes a shift and an open mind to dare to explore the What If’s. We are not alone in this and when we’re ready to take the leap, get serious and move to take the first step forward, we are met with an invisible energetic force, something like Patanjali talked about below centuries ago:

“When you are inspired by some great
purpose, some extraordinary project,
all your thoughts break their bonds;
Your mind transcends limitations,
your consciousness expands in every direction,
and you find yourself in a new, great
and wonderful world.
Dormant forces, faculties and talents
become alive, and you discover yourself
to be a greater person by far
than you ever dreamed
yourself to be.”
Patanjali (C. First to Third Century B.C.)
Patanjali (150 bc or 2nd century) – he was an indian that wrote first grammar of sanskrit language

We came into this world as a vibrational little being equipped with everything we need, only we haven’t tapped into our biggest resource, our inner guidance system – our sonar, so to speak. We stumble across it sometimes and think, “Oh, that went great!” But it doesn’t seem like we truly, consciously recognize it or know how to use it.

The world, as I see it, is what we have created down through the centuries. It’s the compiled products of our collective minds, discoveries, wants, dreams, desires – good and bad. And, when it turns dark and ugly, we always try to correct it by changing the products instead of looking internally and working on that. What If, we decided to do that and look inside for the problem and change it by thinking differently, like Seed suggests.

That is where walking down a different path, thinking differently, or choosing to consider a different way, is critical, especially in the times we are living today.

Rumi said –
Out Beyond Ideas of Wrongdoing and Rightdoing,
There is a field. I’ll meet you there.
When the soul lies down in that grass,
The world is too full to talk about.
Ideas, language, even the phrase each other
Doesn’t make any sense.
Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī^[b] (30 September 1207 – 17 December 1273), commonly known as Rumi, was a Sufi mystic, poet, and founder of the Islamic brotherhood known as the Mevlevi Order.

No, doesn’t make any sense at all, like Rumi says, but I want to go to the place he talks about that’s beyond what we see and what’s going on in the world. We keep going around in circles, generations after generations and getting nowhere. It’s the definition of insanity: where you keep doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. But I think to break out and go beyond, we have to be willing to look past the world and take another path.

I know I’m bouncing all around here and not making much sense. But stick with me. It’ll begin to get clearer. There are miracles yet to be revealed beyond our wildest imaginations, if we would change our focus and not listen to what’s in the world (products), but instead hook up with our inner sonar. Move forward exploring and discovering with a vibrational inner guide, one that prompts, nudges to look here, check this out. It’s what’s been happening to me lately. Maybe I’m beginning to think differently.

Look at this post. I have no idea what I’m doing but the words keep coming. What is that all about? I just had a thought for a subject, “What If?”, and nothing else. Even in the featured photo, I had no idea. What can you use as a photo for “what if”? Then, I was nudged to look in Google photos and saw a photo that grabbed my attention, but not exactly, then thought maybe I could create something in Gemini AI (new to me too), now that I have an idea for what I’m looking for and can give a description of what to create. And voilà, that’s the photo above.

I know these small examples don’t compare to the seriousness of what’s needed in the world today, but it’s a start in a new direction and even, in some cases, they’re supernatural. It shows up in different forms: maybe words come through and you put them to paper, maybe it’s an intuitive voice, or something visual drawn to your attention because you’re attracting it from the energy within you. I don’t know, but it’s not a fluke. It’s real. We have to learn how to get quiet and tune in in spite of all the noise and chatter going on around us. Just by asking yourself a simple, “What If?”, can get you started. Consider the possibilities?

Something like this in a short poem written by Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834), English poet and essayist:

What if you slept
And what if
In your sleep
You dreamed
And what if
In your dream
You went to heaven
And there plucked a strange and beautiful flower
And what if
When you awoke
You had that flower in your hand
Samuel Taylor Cooleridge – what if you slept?

Can you imagine that? Do you think it’s possible? I do, but it doesn’t happen in the traditional way of thinking. Stay with me, please.

Years ago, one summer evening, everyone was in bed and I was up late, meditating, and there was a full moon in the sky. I was sitting on the floor in the dark looking outside the open, sliding screen door at how pretty the white puffy clouds were in the sky, illuminated by the bright, full moon.

There was one particular white, puffy round cloud that I paid close attention to. And, as I kept watching, it moved closer to me and dropped lower in the sky ever so subtly and gently. It seemed just above the treetops, and it was getting closer and closer to me. It seemed bigger and bigger, as it moved and looked like it was coming right at me, as if I was attracting it. It scared me and was eerie and mesmerizing all at the same time.

It kept coming, as if it would float just above the house. I had never seen anything like that before and I can still remember the awesome feeling of it to this day. That’s how powerful and miraculous possibilities are, What If’s, and yes being open to looking at something different can make things happen—even change—just like that.

There is a quote I treasure and used as a mission statement for a talking stick circle I was a moderator for over 25 years ago. It’s by Ram Dass in his book, “Still Here” and it says:

“When there is true surrender and service between people, the roles of helper and helped, and the boundaries between those in power and those who are powerless, begin to dissolve.”
Ram dass – “Still here”

I’ve tried over the years to really learn what true surrender is. That seems to be the key word (true), and surrender is not something you submit to or forfeit. It’s internal in this context, and I’m learning it’s when you decide not to be in charge and work in harmony with the inner force within you, and that is true surrender. When that happens and you get out of the way, you bring it out into the world, then all the rest of this quote follows – service, roles, boundaries – and they start dissolving and you witness it.

Some shifts and changes started happening to me in January of the New Year 2026 and before. I haven’t mentioned it because it’s still a work in progress. Here we are more than halfway through this year and through my own personal experiences of inner guidance, I’ve witnessed some gradual, and pretty powerful miraculous events in my life.

That’s how I can tell you that this is real. I’ve been living it. Some highs and some lows, but that’s how you learn and grow. I’ve been working on a 40-day/40-night journaling project that I was prompted to start back in December 2025. It’s in the editing stages now of some 107+ typed pages of those daily journaling notes of 40 days. I don’t know where it’s going or what I will do with it when I’m finished. I’m just following the inner lead to do this project.

I believe there are still things we can do in the crises we’re living in today, and there’s something unique in you that’s just waiting to come forth: gifts and talents maybe you never thought you had that you could use and apply in a different way. And, if we ask, get quiet and be still, the message will come, that vibrational inner guidance. You may not see it right away and may take a while before it shows up, as it has its own timing. But, when it does it’s up to you and me to see what we can do with it.

I hope this post will stir something in you, even if it’s to wonder and consider the possibilities – What If’s.

Pat from the ‘ol kitchen table

Sanctuary

Posted on August 8, 2026 by Pat

Squirrel in Bluebird House – Photo © by Jim Ruppel 2026

Looks like this little guy has found his safe place, a sanctuary in the bluebird house. What a strange place to land. Must be something there that makes him feel warm and cozy.

Isn’t that what we seek? That one place where we can settle in, let it all go – ahhhh, and feels just right. I love that and I have had places like that over the years. It changes depending on where you live and what’s going on in your life.

When I was little, I remember a huge hedge on the front corner of our house. Dad used to trim it like a hedge, but as it grew, he let it grow tall until it grew up to the roof. I found an opening close to the house where I could squeeze in, crawl inside where it widened, and sit on the dirt in a clear space. I would sit there and watch cars go by, people talking, coming and going – all the activity in the neighborhood and no one could see me. I had my own special hiding place that I kept secret. It was just mine – my sanctuary. I can still feel the glee and giggles as I remember having that secret little place for my very own as a kid.

As I got a little older (around 10), I was allowed to explore the neighborhood on my bike or hike around. There was another place I used to go that felt like my own little spot. Sometimes after dinner, I would go outside when it got dark and just hang out in the backyard and look at the stars. And other times I would follow the sidewalk, up a hill and out of our neighborhood. It was a little hike to follow the paved road that wound up and around the neighborhood.

The road was the entry way in and out with an elementary school at the top. I would walk up there after dark and sit in the grass in the back of the school and look out east at the distant skyline. Everything was lit up, and you could see the highways, little cars, Philadelphia International Airport and the little planes flying in and out. If you listened closely in the quiet darkness, you could hear the faint busy hum of cars and planes. It was mesmerizing and dreamy. I just wanted to stay there all night.

Then, as I got older and in my preteen and teenage years, there was the ocean at my grandparents in Virginia. I would go to the beach at the end of town a couple of blocks away and just keep walking and walking, it seemed like forever. With the smell of the salty air, sound of seagulls and the sand, I could lose myself in the flow and rhythm of the ocean as I walked in my own little world.

The further I walked along the beach, the more remote it got, and the shoreline got closer to the ocean. There were all sorts of shells in the sand and remains of horseshoe crabs that had washed up on the shore. All waiting to be discovered and explored. It felt good and comforting and was another happy place.

Then when I married and moved out west to Colorado, everything was so different – the sky, the smells and wide-open spaces in every direction. The trees and earth were different – pines, aspens and rocky terrain. And, for over 50 years in the places that we’ve lived here, I’ve found my happy spots and sanctuaries too.

Right now, it’s in our backyard up in the mountains. We sit out every day and in the evening after dinner and watch the birds, critters and all the subtle changes in the neighborhood. Tonight, there was a momma deer and her baby, and she stayed in the yard while her little guy watched from outside the fence. Then, she laid down while a bunny hopped up close to her and scampered off. A small buck passed through and scared two other bunnies playing around in the high grass.

It’s our sanctuary and sometimes we just sit there and not say a word for a long time, just lost in our thoughts and feelings watching the world as it goes on around us. It feels safe and warm, like we’re wrapped in a blanket and a sense of “All is well”.

So, this little guy, discovering and exploring, seems to be happy and comfortable in the spot he has found – his happy place – the bluebird house for now.

Squirrel Invading the Bluebird House – Photo © by Jim Ruppel 2026

Maybe you have spots and safe places like that you like to call your sanctuary, a back porch or a coffee nook with a big window. I hope so, and that you visit them often and just rest and soak in all the energy that is there. It’s your happy place – your spot.

Pat from the ‘ol kitchen table

Just for Fun

Posted on July 18, 2026 by Pat

Charlie, Harry and Bud on Rock – Photo © by Jim Ruppel 2026

“What’s up? What ya say, Bud, you, me and Harry go up the hill and check out some munchies? Meet you back at the rock! “

We’ve got some chipmunks in our backyard that scramble around most of the day scrounging for food and whatever they can find. I have birdfeeders on the upper deck, and the birds scatter the seeds when they land and feed, and the chippers have a heyday.

When hubby and I sit out, we watch them and their antics zipping back and forth. Sometimes, they run over each other trying to get to where they want to go so fast that they crash into each other and miss what’s right in front of them. I wonder sometimes if that’s what we would look like if we were giants and looked down on us. What a sight that would be.

I remember being high up in an office building one time looking out the window at the traffic below and how it looked with people moving in their own traffic lanes, stopping when the traffic light turned red and turning when it was their time. It looked so structured and smooth with everyone moving in synch. Some would stop until the light changed so they could turn left or right. When it changed again, the rest of the cars would move forward, like it was perfectly orchestrated. I’m talking about what is mostly normal – what you should do – but we know that’s not always the case.

It’s a different perspective, for sure, like coming out of the forest and looking back at the trees. These little guys have no idea what’s going on in the world, except for the occasional human shifting in the chair above them. Then they scatter off to safety. But mostly they’re not too concerned about all of that, only finding food, how much the other chipper is getting, and regular checks up in the sky for objects coming at them.

They play sometimes. We see them chase each other around the trees and rocks and when they catch each other, they both jump up and run off as fast as they can in the opposite direction. Then do it all over again. Not sure if that’s playing, but it may be flirting. Anyway, it looks like they’re having fun.

Other times, especially in the morning when the sun is rising and warming things up, we see them get on their rock, sit up and look toward the sun like they’re enjoying the warmth and giving their appreciation. They stay there for a long while doing that, as if they were meditating. It’s sweet.

Chipmunk on Rock – Photo © by Jim Ruppel 2026

As you can see, we have a lot of time on our hands, watching the chippers, birds and even ants as they make their way going about their daily tasks. It’s nice to slow down and watch all these things zipping, flying, and running back and forth. It’s another world noticing all the life that’s going on around us that’s not human.

Charlie, Harry and Bud Back on Rock – Photo © by Jim Ruppel 2026

“Well, Harry and Bud, did you find much up there? Mmm, I did. It was some good eaten.”

We’re just having some fun up here in the mountains passing the days and enjoying life. Hope you get a chuckle from this and take away a little joy for your day.

Pat from the ‘ol kitchen table

Abby

Posted on June 19, 2026 by Pat

Abby with her ball – photo © by Jim Ruppel

Abby was fierce and relentless when it came to her ball, and she kept it within sight at all times. If she saw it out in the yard, she would run full tilt until she almost got to it, then she would pounce on it like she had just caught something that was alive. She was strong and athletic, and entertained us for many hours. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a dog run so hard that she would tire other dogs out when she played with them. It was like she ran circles around them until they finally had to lay down and rest with their tongues hanging out.

When she was younger, that’s the way she played – everything was full blast – head on. We never had a dog this energetic. Even when there was no one to play with, and she was outside, she would stand at the top of our backyard, drop her ball or nudge it with her nose and watch it run down the hill, then chase after it. Our neighbor said she watched her do that over and over again for a long time.

I remember when we first got her from the Intermountain Humane Center close to us and brought her home. She was around 6 months old and had been a stray with her sister roaming the streets in southern Colorado and probably not that comfortable being inside of a house. The first thing she did was take off running, which was somewhat difficult as there’s not a lot of room inside to do that. So, she jumped over the back of the couch and found a way to keep going as we stood watching with our mouths open. We had never seen a dog do this before, and when we turned the television on, it freaked her out even more, and she got vocal. It was all so different, and it scared her.

Things settled down quickly after that, and she adjusted to us, her big backyard in the mountains and new home. Her personality came through, and we had fun and loved her more each day. But, unlike the other dogs we’d had in the past, we never got a companion for her. Maybe instinctively, we knew she would be our last dog. It was a different stage in our lives and, with one of us retired, she’d have someone home all the time. It wasn’t long that both of us were retired and home with her. Talk about being doted on and spoiled.

Her personality was sweet and she mellowed as time passed and became real gentle and loved people. There was not a child that couldn’t reach out to pet her that she wouldn’t give them a lick. When our youngest grandson was a toddler, he was afraid of larger dogs and when he first came to visit, she came close to him at eye level and he began to shake. She seemed to understand his fear and calmly stood beside him so he could reach out and pet her when he was comfortable.

She did that for a while as that weekend wore on and by the end, when it was time for him to go home, they would walk together side-by-side with our grandson’s hand on her back. He was no longer shaking. And all the other weekends when he would come up to stay after that, he played with her as any child would play with a large dog and never seemed to be scared again

I’m guessing there are a lot of dog owners out there reading this and not only dogs but other pets as well, where you feel that deep, unwavering connection. It’s different than human love, with passion and butterflies. This is unspoken with feeling that is communicated and exchanged other than by words or actions. You don’t even have to be in the same room or see each other to feel the energy of love that connects both of you, and it never wavers.

Abby comfortable in her spot on the couch

After almost 15 years on March 18th of this year, Abby left us peacefully and it was hard to say goodbye. But, in my heart, I still feel her energy is with us. How could she totally leave such a dog-perfect place, where she can run freely, lay in the grass, chase squirrels, smell the mountain air, play, eat good food and be loved. Ahhh, that’s got to be heaven on earth, and she was close to it.

Yes, wherever she is on the other side, I feel her presence when we talk about her and mention her name. She hears us and comes running to be as close as she can. We miss her and understand it’s a shift for us, as well, having had dogs together for almost 60 years. My husband has always had a dog in his home as long as he’s been alive, some 81 years, and this change is truly what you call an empty nest not just with children. We feel it differently than when our other animals passed as there’s not their companion left behind and it’s an adjustment.

But that’s the beauty of life when these animals and people come in and out, and we move forward having had the joy and love they’ve given us. I love them and it’s all good, the easy and the hard, and makes me feel a depth in my heart that I would never have felt otherwise without it.

Thank you, Abby, on the other side. Someday, you’ll hear them call our name and come running to greet us, along with all the other critters we’ve had – dogs, cats, horses. Boy, won’t that be a gathering.

Pat from the ‘ol kitchen table

***An added note: Here’s a personal home video of a ride and walk-about around our mountain home that includes Abby and husband, Jim.

Pats Walkabouts – On The Way To Kenosha Pass

This Old Tree

Posted on June 11, 2026 by Pat

Old Dead Tree - © Jim Ruppel — **Old Dead Tree –** © Jim Ruppel

This old dead tree brings up a lot of warm feelings for me remembering back when it was alive and thriving in my over 40 years having lived here. I remember when it stood tall and noble with outstretched branches inviting the birds and squirrels to come while proudly shading the ground below. It was strong bracing the wind and storms for so many years giving life to all around it until it had no more to give.

I don’t know how old it was, possibly 150 years, as old as our state of Colorado this year. Think of what it witnessed in its lifetime – changes in the migration of wildlife, growth of the forest and fires in the balance of nature. Starting out as a baby itself, there was a lot to survive, and yet it did, no doubt, for many years. And there it stood, planted in one spot, doing what it was created to do – proudly and boldly be a tree.

I remember when our girls were young and we first had horses. There that old tree stood watching as we struggled to learn and communicate with these large animals, green in our efforts, and the many memories we made doing that. I could almost feel an approving energy and a smile happy to be a part of community and our home.

It watched over the years as our girls grew and all the coming and going of teenage life; and, then the grandkids, when they came with their rough play, dueling lightsabers, chasing each other around the yard playing hide-and-go-seek with the horses and dogs. Those were happy memories for us, and that old tree found its happy place too over the years, as we enjoyed it being there and the loving energy it gave off.

It was hard to see life fade in that old tree and how it still stood tall even after life ran its course and it was gone. There’s an empty space there, now, where it once stood but as you walk close you can still feel an energy of love and joy. If trees could communicate like us, I think that old tree would laugh and laugh at all the play, challenges, life and love that bounced around all over this backyard.

I love the thought of its life that once was and its energy that still remains and, with that, as long as we have our memories nothing is ever really gone – only the form has changed.

Pat from the ‘ol kitchen table

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This is the first of a new project my husband, Jim Ruppel, and I are collaborating on where, with his photography, he will pick a photo and send it to me to put a story to it. So, here goes. Hope you enjoy it and let me know your thoughts and suggestions, if you like. Thank you.