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!!