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

Shutting Out The World.....

Woke this morning to the sound of heavy rain. Darkness filled the room as if it was closer to evening than dawn. I contemplated getting out of bed to start my day. A lengthy To Do list for things I am working on, piles of laundry, rugs to be vacuumed, toilets to be cleaned and dusting to be done, all awaited me.

I continued listening to the rain and realized it was lulling me back into a state of slumber, as well as a feeling of disconnect from my knee jerk reaction to get out of bed and get my day started. 

Who am I to fight? I'm not a fighter...one of the traits I do admire about myself. 

So I went with my inner voice that reassured me...."time for you"! I popped on the TV, relaxed as I channel surfed and admired gardens, homes and vacations that all took me to magical places.

Eventually I decided to slither out of bed and head downstairs, where I was welcomed by darkened rooms with shades still drawn, rain pinging off the skylights and the sense of being in my own cocoon of sorts. 

A feeling of shutting out the world took over and I reveled in it. I was reminded that sometimes in order to Connect With Your Life, you must remove yourselves from it.

So that's what I am doing today Dear Readers. Shades will stay closed in order to shut out the world. There will be curling up on the couch with tea, magazines, books and hopefully for some of it, my special guy too!

To Do lists, toilets and laundry can wait...and they will. For today I am in my own cocoon! Perhaps tomorrow I will spread my wings.......on the outside!

              

                Looking for a little motivation to Connect With Your Life?
           Here's a sprinkle of just that...go ahead, give some of these a try!

• Unplug:eliminate time zappers for a few hours
• Write a list of things you are grateful for
• Go for a walk & look for signs of the season changing
• Sit in a quiet space and hum a tune..nothing in particular, make it up as you go!
• Call a loved one and just chat
• Go through an old photo album....before they were digitized
• Write a note to yourself, granted the first line will probably be "how bizarre this feels"...but go on to shower yourself with good wishes, dreams and positive thoughts.
• Laugh
• Gather pictures out of magazines that make you smile. Assemble them in a notebook, include words & phrases that encourage & motivate you.
• Turn up the music and just dance!

We Must Imagine... It's Everything

Thank you Sheila Andrew for this card!

Aaaargh! You know when you feel like you have a million ideas in your head and you want to make them all happen, but you don't know how to harness them and make a plan, or how to begin and which one to pick because they all call your name and all seem exciting yet overwhelming, so you think, rethink and think even more and then it shifts to... questioning and it begins to feel like too much work to make anything happen and you curl up and just figure "yeah why should I even bother"...Well Dear Readers that's where I find myself!

Fortunately there is this tiny voice (as oppose to the big voices) in my head that remains. It it coaxing me to pick just one...give it 48 hours and whatever comes of it is more than if I hadn't done anything.... and then reevaluate at that point and make my next decision.

So I'm going to go for it and see where it takes me. 

I'm about the journey...I'm about the discoveries....and I'm about not getting complacent in my life. That's right! It's My Life and I'm here to live it!

So Much To Love.......

The smile on your face when you wake and see me
The amazing father you are to our boys
When your foot finds mine as we fall asleep
Your kiss before you leave for work and the two upon your return
Your patience, kindness, devotion and loyalty to our family

Who we are together and who we are individually

The look in your eye when we see each other across a crowded room
Your comfort and strength when my heart so needs it
Your quirky humor and laughter
Your touch

The amazing talents you have

Your "let's try" attitude
Cooking our Valentine meal together
Supportive of my endeavors
Giving me the last bite

Your ideas

The comfort your hug provides

Singing loud in the car with me

Wanting me

Hard working

Accepting my quirks, limitations and late night questions

Your willingness
When we slow dance

The way you ease my mind

Your generous heart

For being who you are!

Tips For Connecting With Your Life.....

Looking for ideas to help Connect With Your Life? Here's a few of mine.........

Each morning smile and welcome the day

Brush your teeth with your non dominant hand

Sing in the car

Give out 5 compliments

Initiate a hug with a loved one, and hold just that little bit longer

Sit in silence and listen to your heart

Do something spontaneous

Commit to being positive..it's a choice

Laugh regularly

Drink more water

Accept help when it is offered

Practice compassion

Hold your face to the sun and give thanks

Try a new food

List 4 things from the day you are grateful for

Treat yourself kindly

Cross something off your To Do list without even doing it

Before you get aggravated with a coworker, stop and think "is it worth it"

Send a note to a loved one telling them their qualities you admire

Get more sleep

Park a little further away, take the stairs and jump rope

Buy a pack of gum (sugar free of course) and have a bubble blowing contest

Plan YOU time

Log how much time you spend on your phone and reduce the time each day

Dance!

Sing in the shower

Turn off the TV

Make a time capsule

Acknowledge some one's pains and struggles

Just listen 

Say I'm sorry

Perform Random Acts of Kindness weekly

Do something out of your comfort zone

Take chances

You don't always have to be right 

Smile at a stranger

Take a walk

Show appreciation more frequently

Slow dance

Write down a story from your childhood

Let your guard down

Ask for help when you need it

Wear something that you normally wouldn't

Lend a hand

Anticipate others needs

The split second before you go to do something...stop & really notice, be in the moment

Use positive words like "that means a lot", "I'm here if you need me" and "You've got this"

Practice patience with yourself and others

Breathe!

It's a New Day..............

"Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense."~Ralph Waldo Emerson 

I am often encouraged by the thought of a new day, the promise it brings and the choices I will be faced with. Welcoming the belief...where there are choices, there are possibilities!!!

When We Look With Our Hearts.....

First Thought: Really? What a mess!! Can't anyone besides me clean up!!

When I really looked:

How Blessed I am to share a studio sink with artists I love dearly

and have this fun abstract image as a result!

First thought: pretty obvious...I need to dust!

When I really looked:

Removing the antique lace really lets the beauty of not dusting 

shine through 

First Thought: Toss out this shredded packing

When I really looked:

The beautiful shape of a fabulous heart rock I received

from an awesome guy on the west coast that I love calling my son!

(who is moving back east in three weeks)

My gentle reminder for today Dear Readers.... there are many ways to look at things. In a Where's Waldo kind of way, look for various options and select the one that finds the good, the happier, the kinder and the less stress resulting.

In my next post I'll share how I apply this approach in a variety of situations and the positive results I've discovered.

Now, that being said there's not always a storybook ending....but a girl can dream ~ 

Less Is More....

Organizing begins of closet and life

Few days in to the new year and I'm thinking about all my "would like to accomplish" things, however not to get overwhelmed I think about what I've actually achieved so far:

Began organizing the annex closet √ 

Back to eating consciously √ 

Less online time just surfing around √ 

Jumped rope √ 

Mindful/reflective time to listen in the silence √

Let's not get carried away and overwhelm ourselves with making our goals and wishes of change or additions crazy out of reach! Remember we want to succeed. I find in achieving the small things a momentum starts to build and we can kick start our own accomplishments and be energized to do more. 

The way I offer looking at it today Dear Readers is this, whatever we do, however small in an effort for change, it is MORE than if we haven't done anything at all! 

Each task or challenge is an opportunity to Connect With Your Life!!

Go ahead, what are you going to make happen today?

Back On My Bus.......

As a follow up to my very previous post on November 7th I must share.......

The thought of exhaling, listening for the whisper and reveling in "what's next" has in fact been claustrophobic, stressful and very confusing. It hit me this morning that the holidays was a ridiculous time to seek such revelations of "finding a new" and paying attention to mindful existence beyond the Joys of Christmas. The hustle and bustle, though enjoyable in it's own right, was too consuming to think the past 8 or so weeks could be allocated for much else.

So here we are in the midst of end of the year reflection and I have to be honest I'm feeling like a hot mess! Phew letting it out feels a bit better. It is my self imposed pressure (once again) to desire an end result, how to get there, all the while not quite certain what IT even is! 

I have to imagine that I am not the only one feeling like this???... emotionally and physically exhausted, scattered and sluggish from eating too many sweets, carbs and not so healthy food?? The task of making "things right" again is daunting and feeling far from my reach.

Well it did feel far from my reach until I sat down today and reread some of my previous blog posts and was reminded of the process and steps that have encouraged and made a difference for me in the past. I have in fact felt this very way and moved through it to a place that feels much more comfortable and welcoming. 

Ironically what I was taking a break from (posting to this blog), was what helps me stay balanced and in check I guess. As I read through, the "getting back on track" felt a bit more attainable! Like seeing a long lost friend, I welcomed the feelings of familiarity.

As I have mentioned several times before, the ups, downs and let's not forget sideways, are all part of Life's journey! My goal has always been to share mine with you, opening up as much as feels comfortable. Unfortunately, some where along the way it got muddied up and I lost sight of the process, questioned myself to a fault and needed to retreat a bit.

Realizing that NOT sharing the "muddied up" part can actually be a disservice for both of us...which is far from my reason for posting.

So the take away from today's posting Dear Readers: If you too are feeling stuck, sluggish and befuddled, don't be confused and overwhelmed by feeling it will last forever. Instead take the opportunity to make choices, changes and begin the process of "feeling better" mentally and physically.

Best place to start is: 1. Be kind to yourself and don't expect speediness and answers right away. Perhaps if we had a decoder ring the job would be easier...but quite honestly it would not be as rewarding. 
         
2. Read this previous post that offers motivation & encouragement.
Do You Need A Band Aid 

3. Pick a person ~ be each others cheerleader. We all have something we are working on and knowing we are not alone makes it so much easier & much more fun.

4. Select one or two things you will make happen (daily or weekly) either at all or more than you are now. 

Here goes, I'll start with: For me I've realized it's important to be feeling my best inside and out to take on discoveries and journeying. In an effort to make that happen, I will unplug more. Facebook and Words With Friends time will be diminishing. Damn technology for being such a time zapper! AND I will "move" more...can't come right out and say exercise because that's just setting myself up to fail....been there, done that!

Go ahead and get back on your bus...even if you are not sure where it's going just yet. Surprises and rewards await you!!

Shhh...Can You Hear It???

Sometimes in the the quiet we can hear so much! The whisper becomes a little louder, the message becomes a little clearer! So why is it that if silence provides answers, we do not seek it more regularly?

Through some soul searching and deciphering, I have realized, for me, it is because often the whisper and the message feel unknown, uncomfortable and unsettling...but through each of those feelings something new, exciting and rewarding can be revealed. 

I'm feeling it's time for me to take a mini hiatus from writing....though posting hasn't been regular, it has remained as a "get to that would ya"!

I will listen for whispers and challenge the uncomfortable, in the belief that I will revel in the sweet rewards...for both myself and others. 

Follow your hearts Dear Readers and to quote my amazing, free spirited 18 year old son "you do you"!

You Have To Really Want It......

Top of Mt. Wilson ~ California

OK so here's the thing...I have started numerous posts in the last two days (after returning home from flying cross country to see my oldest son) and each post goes in a direction different from my original intent. 

This is it...the message I want to share today Dear Readers is, "when you think there is something you cannot do, because of fear, obstacles or personal labels...think again".

Yes, it will be very difficult, get ugly and feel like there is no way you can accomplish it....but keep in mind, beyond it is where you want to be, and YOU CAN get yourself there! 

Take comfort and strength in knowing "there is freedom pass the fear"! It doesn't necessarily feel like it at the time, and perhaps it's in the reflecting once the numbness and the feeling you've been hit by a mac truck begins to subside...but you will come to that moment when you realize, freedom from the fear is within your reach! 

You've got this...you have to really want it...and this mama really wanted to see her boy!

Gentle Reminder.........

My husband (of 26 years...yikes) and I left this past Friday night with a weekend get away plan.......Disconnect to stay connected!

With Life wildly busy and chock full of things to do, we decided to sneak away for a weekend of very limited technology...no nonsense talk about all we have to do for our upcoming events or discuss decisions we need to make regarding emptying the septic, how damp the basement is and if anything is growing down there or the hole that has been in the dining room ceiling for over 6 months from when I jumped up to see if the "spot was still wet from the upstairs bathroom leak" and my fingers poked right through....who knew I could jump with such great force! 

Leaving those and all similar topics aside, we headed out for a weekend by the water to share in relaxation and connecting!

Full length conversations, reflections of years gone by and sharing dreams and future plans, along with laughter, sunrises, reading for hours and yummy food...started to work their magic.

We felt stresses drift away and a peacefulness wash over us, offering a sense of new energy to bring home with us. Now that's a souvenir! 

As the trip came to a close, I was reminded that all that we enjoyed is also at our fingertips at home. OK not the ocean...but the disconnecting from technology and each curling up with a book, chatting about "fun stuff" and   limiting conversation of all that is on our TO DO lists from time to time (I will try and stop jumping, so that should help)

Make the effort too Dear Readers and feel the benefits it provides. It makes the mundane and day to day feel just that bit easier to handle and perhaps the sink full of dirty dishes won't make you shout from the roof top "for the love of all things human....am I the only one who knows how to use the dish washer!!!!"  Or is that just me who gets cranky sometimes??

Strength In The Darkness.............

Sometimes beauty is in front of us, like these heartfelt sunflowers I came home to. With their punch of color & promise of happiness each time I look at them, I smiled and gave thanks.

Beauty and Blessings are not always this easy to see, and I feel the searching during times of darkness can truly reveal the breath of life we are so needing to find.

Words of encouragement to family, friends and you Dear Readers who may need a reminder that the Blessings are there..and for now if you need...you can use this sunflower and the promise of times getting easier and you feeling stronger because of it and being reminded of how strong you truly are!