Hold On.....

If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward. Martin Luther King Jr.


Hows that for motivation!? As I completed an email this morning I wanted to close with an MLK quote. It felt appropriate to draw attention today, more than ever, to words from a very wise man.

I quickly searched MLK quotes and the words above spoke to me immediately! 

There are so many times we are challenged on a variety of levels and life's struggles halt and cripple us. I for one know that feeling of waving the white flag and checking out for a bit. Sometimes the "check out" is restorative, but sometimes it's more like treading water trying to get somewhere.

Consider this....when in those treading water moments, the quote above is your life line. It is the reminder of how ever small the decision you make to do something! anything! to move forward, you have succeeded and are making progress. Some days the moving forward will feel more powerful than others...and that's the beauty of it. When I'm feeling productive and high functioning, I am flying...other days, not so much and brushing my teeth is my crawling.

Dear Readers, keep in mind Martin Luther King Jr.'s words to keep moving forward. You decide how...and just keep moving...you've got this!

It Really Is All How You Look At It....

A year has gone by since I've posted. Ugh! Really??? And are you kidding me, Maria? fill my head. But thankfully, constantly filling my head are also "bloggable" moments.

Like the other morning, doing the dash to get from here, there and everywhere, I went into the bathroom to find a left out razor and whiskers in the sink. Really??? pops into my mind again. Here's the rub, I like family members to clean up after themselves! It's a thing for me and an intensified "thing" because I'm faced with stuff around daily, let's be honest, it's not a realistic expectation that they will always put away. (OK! I REALLY DO think it is realistic, in my own world... but I'm working on thinking like them a little bit more)

So as I looked for the positive and reminded myself of what I know deep inside, of being grateful for the many blessings in my life...I saw it..... the smiley face.

Here's another....covered under layers of finish on the floor at work I spotted this silver heart. Who knew? Probably been there for years! But on that particular day I finally saw it. A colleague and I took it as a sign! A real good sign!

Delighted to think, my constant self prescribed "look for the good" once again pays off!

So Dear Readers, as we kick off a new year, commit to paying attention throughout your day! You never know what gentle reminders you will find, when you look at things a different way.

Going Places.........

We hear it as a mantra, we even say it to ourselves, we commit to doing it more, we even do it for a day and then it slips...little by little by little, then it lays dormant because the rush of our hectic days get in the way...but thankfully we remind ourselves again.."live in the moment"!

As the new year approached, I did the typical reflecting and then the looking ahead to what I wanted to "work on" and then became overwhelmed and went right into the "yeah right, who am I kidding?"  portion of the program.

And that's when I decided to revert to baby steps will take me places and set out on a goal of more conscious "in the moment" living!

Here's just a few of the things I have noticed in the past few weeks:

Frost on the windshield is more than an aggravation when running late. It is an intricate mosaic that reveals beauty from within, while making things clearer.

Taking time to hike on a chilly winter day, reveals growth!

We are mightier than we believe we are. We just have to stop and notice!

So Dear Readers, today I offer insight from my experiences: Making an effort opens doors that felt stuck shut. It is in the little moments that we truly notice, feel and thank goodness grow! Take your own baby steps and see how far they will take you!

Happy Tears......

For the past several weeks, blog entry gems have fluttered through my brain. I toss around the idea, let it marinate, consider it more and then it gets lost somewhere in the outer hemispheres beyond my reach. I like to believe it is because I am living so precisely "in the moment", stopping to fully form the idea would spoil the magic I'm in. Or more accurately perhaps my mind is in overload and I force myself to stay in the moment and grab onto the said magic and store it for later retrieval.

However I want to look at it, I've been feeling the disconnect of not writing and the cathodic rhythm/balance it brings. 

The Christmas Season feels like just the right time to jump back in and get some warm and fuzzy, we're in this together and let's go spread some cheer vibes going. 

Carrying on with our family tradition, we are going to perform random acts of kindness as we go along our days and then place a piece of straw in our family creche for each good deed we perform. (see to the right of the manger, waiting...) Watching and hoping for padded bliss each time we walk by. Preparing a soft spot for "when baby Jesus arrives". Ahh I still hold the years when the boys were little close to my heart. (Wouldn't change the now, but love reflecting just the same)

When setting up our manger this past weekend, I debated and then tucked away the straw box, feeling our boys now 23 and 19 are rarely around and overlapping our time to chat about our deeds was feeling like a difficult feat. I would continue acts of kindness of my own, but it was a year of feeling different about the tradition and the logistics.

A short while later my oldest, his fiance, along with my younger son walked in. My darling future daughter in law looked around, spotted the creche and let out a "oh yay, let the acts of kindness begin"! My heart leaped for joy! I shared my thought of needing to let it go this year...which she quickly replied " I love that tradition" and the boys chorused with an "I'm in"!
As happy tears filled my eyes, I took out the small box of straw, delighted that the tradition would continue, lives would be touched with kindness and the sweet reminder of how blessed I am with such an amazing daughter in law to be! Welcome Kate! So glad you are part of the family! Much love!

Side note to post: the wooden bed was carved by my Dad when I was a kid. My parents used the straw similarly...well it was actually a bit different..... if we kids behaved all day we received a piece of straw before going to bed. I'm happy to report, for the most part, baby Jesus was welcomed to a soft bed.   

Pass It On.......

Yesterday at a creative retreat, I eagerly listened to the speaker, wanting to find "that thing", a "take away" that would be my own aha! moment. Silently wishing, something would catapult me in a direction where things are clearer, where I ask less questions and I move in a direction that feels "right". Tall order I know, but figuring, aim high and perhaps one of my requests would fall into place.

Now I could fast forward at this point and tell you the results.  Cut to the chase and give away the ending, but then Dear Readers you wouldn't know "the how".

Anecdotes and examples of the creative process, along with where inspiration comes from and how to get from here to there, filled the air - along with butterflies dancing around us on perennial beds of beauty.

I took it all in and felt open minded to the information being provided. Realizing as I looked around, that we are all hearing the same words, but perhaps each getting a different message.  That is the thing with information, I am a believer of the thought that we interpret things differently at different times in our lives. Listening and hearing are a skill, that can enhance our lives, for the better...not always easy, but so beneficial just the same.

Here I sat open minded and ready to receive the knowledge being spoken.

Results are in.......My take away, my aha! moments were plentiful!!! One that jumped out and landed nicely in my lap was this...when we wake in the morning we never know if this is going to be the day that we will look back on in days, months or years to come, that lead us to the point we are at...just where we want to be, living our dreams, asking less questions, touching lives and making a difference.  There needs to be steps to get there and we can only connect the dots looking back, not going forward, though ironically, they move us forward!

I say yes.... I am creative, I am imaginative and I am ready! I say yes to living mindfully in my days, to taking chances, asking less questions, and nurturing my creative soul!

YIKES! Months since I've posted!! What it doesn't mean...it doesn't mean I've lost interest or forgotten about my blog. It doesn't mean I've run out of things to say. It doesn't mean something is terribly wrong with my computer, my health, or my family. And it most definitely doesn't mean I've been busy doing domestic things like cooking or cleaning.

What it does mean..... It means I've decided to have the "Summer Of Fun". It means I'm broadening my comfort zone and trying things that once felt beyond my personal reach. (still drawing strength & motivation from the tattoo I got in February) It means I still have days or moments in them, that I feel emotionally challenged, but I continue to try. It means choices are mine. It means I've been stopping to take a breath and putting my feet up. It means my thoughts continue to whirl with blog post ideas, and I look forward to starting back up. It means sometimes you have to cut back, to focus on other parts of your journey. 

                          It means I am Connecting With My Life!

Political Talk......

"Walls turned sideways are bridges" ~ Angela Davis

With the talk of "building a wall" being heavily tossed around in the political arena lately......a smile truly came to my face when the above quote and photo from Gratefulness.org arrived in my inbox. 

I thought how amazing it would be if perception shifted and alternatives were considered, all in an effort to create a stronger, more positive functioning world!

Please visit this site A Network for Grateful Living to find inspiration and motivation. You can also sign up for a daily quote delivered to your email if you like.

Peace,
Maria