If You Could Do Anything...

It's Friday.  I thought a little fun might be in order, so I'm asking this quick question.  I hope you'll leave an answer in the comments and let me know what your answer would be!  I can't wait to hear from you.

If you could do anything.... What would it be?  No strings attached, no cost limitations, no 'oh-but-who-would-watch-my-kids', no restrictions.  Something that would make you just full of joy and happy inside.  Something just for you.  If you could do anything, for yourself, what would you do?

For me?  I'd wander around and take pictures.  I truly love photography.  Someday I plan to go take a few classes, but in the meantime, I'm happy anytime I can pull out my pocket camera and take some fun, interesting photos.  It makes me happy, deep down inside.  I'm especially happy taking pics out in nature.  Puts a smile in my heart that looks kind of like this ---->

So, If you could do anything, for yourself, what would you do?

What's stopping you?

Don't Make This Mistake...

The biggest mistake you can make 

is to do nothing because you can only do a little.

Don’t second-guess yourself.  Even the littlest gifts add up over time to make a big difference.  Do the thing that you've been wanting to, but haven't because you don't think you can do enough.  The biggest mistake you can make is to do nothing because you can only do a little.

Don't Give Up!

Success does not mean never giving up.  It means always finding a  reason to start a new beginning. 

All of us, at some point or other give up.  In our head (or maybe out loud) ,  there is a sad defeated *Sigh* and the thought 'I give up'  drops in.  It might be for a day a week, a minute or even just a fleeting second.  But at some point, we all experience that "I give up" feeling.  And it's okay.  I think it's normal.  It's good to vent your frustrations, to let them out and not bury them inside.  But it's even more important to keep finding a reason for a new beginning. 

I gave up.  I did or didn't do ________.  But this is Labor Day weekend.  Which means Tuesday is a new beginning.  How many things start 'The day after Labor Day'?  It's a new beginning.  Or maybe October 1st.  It's the first day of a new month.  Maybe every Sunday is a new beginning.  Maybe Monday.  Maybe Friday because it's the beginning of the weekend.  Maybe...it's the middle of an unremarkable day and your new beginning is just a random point in the day.  The point is to seize those new beginnings.  Enjoy them.  Pat yourself on the back for finding them, for starting anew, and for not letting the 'I give up' feeling to linger and defeat you.

New beginnings are fun.  They are exciting.  They are motivating.  Why wait for January 1st or some other far away time to start over?  Find a reason to start a new beginning today and do it!

Note: I had this post written, and stumbled upon the quote below posted by @monicaricci on Twitter.  I love when perfectly timed things like that happen!

 "You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, 

for this thing that we call 'failure' is not the falling down, but the staying down."

~Mary Pickford
1893-1979, 

Actress and Producer

What are you waiting for?  Start now!

Finding Gratitude Even Through Utter Frustration

 You know what they say, 'When life gives you lemons....'

I am in the middle of a MAJOR life lesson right now.  I'm learning a lot about how little control we really often have. Although we like to think we're the ones running things, that control is so often just an illusion.  We cannot control rude or dangerous drivers, although we might yell or honk in an attempt to do so.  We cannot control other people, situations, the world or a loved one making a poor choice. We might think we can somehow control these things, and even spend large amounts of time and energy worrying about them, playing out scenario after scenario in our heads in an attempt to gain control.  But ultimately, the only things we really control are ourselves, and our reactions to things.

This life lesson is teaching me to accept what I cannot control, and to instead focus my energy on myself and how I react.  I want to react to things with kindness and compassion; with gratitude and patience; with thanksgiving and with love. We cannot control the world, but we can seek to have a grateful heart.  Gratitude is not an illusion.  We can look for gratitude, even in the midst of the most utterly frustrating experiences. 

I am grateful 

For everyday, taken-for-granted kinds of things:

~for health -for this body of mine, with it's aches & pains, issues, and extra pounds

~for family- a nearby loving and supportive network

~for freedoms and liberties in this country I love

~for friends without whom life would be boring and dull

For overflowing abundances:

~of God's love

~of blessings too numerous to count

~of simple joys, like sweet bedtime kisses or 'just because' hugs

For constant, unshakeable blessings:

~my wonderful, handsome husband and sons

~my brothers and sisters, by both blood and marriage, living near or far.

~my beautiful, imperfect home and gardens

For first world conveniences that would be third world wonders:

~freshly brewed morning coffee where others thirst simply for clean water

~a home with running water where others go homeless and unwashed

~a refrigerator stocked full of food where others go hungry

Most of all, I am grateful that I have been given so much, because with this abundance comes the opportunity to share it with others, and share the blessings.

I am grateful.

Being Sneaky...In a Good Way!

So, I did something really, really sneaky this week.  I heard something.  I thought "I could help with that".  I decided I would help with that.  But I just wanted to do it, not explain it, or take credit for it.  So I decided to do it anonymously.  I told no one, just did it.   I'm hopeful that I will see the a tiny glimpse of the hopefully positive impact this thing had.  But if not, I know it was good enough, and that makes me happy.  Period.

But today, another result of this thing, completely unexpected, snuck up on me and smacked me in the face with happiness.  Truthfully, I had even forgotten I did this thing.  Then, someone indirectly related to this, (I asked person X to do thing Y for person Z, and made it possible.....can you follow that?), person X, found out what I did.  Not that it was me, but just what I did.  And this person was blown away.  I just happened to be there to see the reaction of this person to my little random act of kindness. My intentions were to spread happiness to person Z.  I had no idea that the goodness would also touch person X, and T, U, & V.  How cool!?  And I'm not mentioning this here to toot my own horn.  Really, it was a small thing I did.  I hadn't planned on saying a word, but now that I see how many other people it touched too, it is so exciting!  You've just got to try this for yourself!  And I think being anonymous it the best part.

Pay it forward, people!  It's so fun!

What's your quirk?

    

An awesome friend and I had lunch together yesterday while out shopping, and we were talking about all the different quirks people have.  Talking about how "normal" we are.  No, that sounds bad.  Really, we were wondering out loud what other people must see as our  little quirks.  You know, like some people just can't make up their minds, ever.  Or someone else who has an easy time making up their mind, but has trouble seeing anything from another point of view.  Those kinds of things.  It's kind of hard to pick out what your own quirk is, because it is just so much a part of who you are.

Well, I figured mine out today. (Or at least one of mine!)  And it might not be so much of a quirk that other people see, because I'm pretty darn aggressive about hiding it.

But, I'm trying to 

Embrace Life, 

and that means 

overcoming 

this quirk, which means I need to 

quit hiding

it and 

get over it!

So.... here goes.  I let things paralyze me with fear.  It might start out little, something I just don't want to do.  Then I start to dread doing it.  Then I let it pile up so long that I'm embarrassed I haven't done it.  Then I start avoiding it.  Then I pretend it doesn't exist for awhile.  Then the denial bubble pops and I have this huge stress attack over it.  To the point where I am completely paralyzed by fear and embarrassment when I could have,  should have just sucked it up a long, long time ago and avoided all the secret stress and shame that I've been hiding for years.  Yes, years.  I can't believe I just said that in writing.

Okay, so there are two things I have let do this in my life.  And I've promised myself to stop that. I've been praying (for awhile now) for some strength and courage to face these quirks of mine.  These enemies of peace and balance.  One of the things I've been slowly working on, but I've been letting factors, outside my control, kind of let me slide back into that denial and procrastination bubble.  I'm going to be more aggressive about knocking out this quirk of mine.  It's not something internet appropriate, but I will say that it's somewhat "work related".

The other thing, is a personal thing, and I'm just too ashamed to tell you what it is, or how long I've let it slide.  BUT, I took the first of many steps today to knock this one out too.   I found out some info, admitted my issue, and scheduled a time to get it handled.  Wahoo!  Actually, I thought I would feel better already, just getting that scheduled time on my calendar, but I'm still feeling pretty paralyzed.  I'm guessing that the stress has built up over time enough that it's going to take awhile to fall away also.  But I'm working on it.

So, am I alone in this crazy quirk of mine?  Have you ever/do you now... let anything paralyze you into fear and inaction? If so, I'd love to know I have some company!  Give me a shout in the comments (you don't have to let me know the details...) and let me know if you're fighting the same battles I am.  I'd love to support and encourage you.

May you have a blessed 

and Fear Free day!

Embracing Life...Cherish Even THIS Moment

Awhile back, my friend, SomeGirl, posted about the purpose of her blog.  She has a very clear vision and purpose, and it fits wonderfully with her blog.  (That's the point of having a purpose statement, right?)  She made me think about this blog of mine,  (she's always making me think, and I love her for it...)  and the only thing I could think of in my purpose for it is that it's for me  to whine to think about how I'm trying to balance things in my life so that the important things keep from getting neglected.  I don't want it to be all about me.  I want it to have a larger purpose, and I hope that something from it helps someone else out somewhere along the way.  But I've been at a loss as to figuring out just how to do that.

Until this weekend, that is.  Several things all happened that helped me realize what I really want this blog to focus on. (And I started to write out all the details, but it was just going to be waaaayyyy to long for you to read, assuming anyone is reading, right?  So, I'll just skip to the point.  If you really care to know the details, I'll be happy to share them, just ask.) 

I want this to be about EMBRACING LIFE.  Cherishing each and every moment, no matter how big or small, awesome or awful.  Yes, even THIS moment, when my kids are screaming at each other, and making an awful mess, and getting-on-my-very-last-nerve.  THAT moment is as important as all the good ones.   Because it's the not-so-great moments that show us the true beauty and miracles of the great moments.  

Life can end, or change radically, in an instant...

for me, for you, or for someone we love. 

Life is a gift.  

Don't waste it.

.