"We never touch people so lightly that we do not leave a trace."
-Peggy Tabor Millin
The little things we say and do can make such a difference in another person's day. A smile, a kind word or gesture can go a long way. Not only does a person feel better by spreading kindness, but the feeling is multiplied along the way.
The same is true of unkindness, rudeness and hurtful things.
Given a choice, I choose to spread good feelings. I know that whenever the world smiles upon me, it is easier to smile back than to frown.
'Pay it forward' ... take a kindness that you receive and give it to the next person who crosses your path. The greatest gifts in life come from giving.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Monday, October 13, 2008
Thank You
I once heard a statement that was along the lines of: "If you say no other prayer but 'thank you' ... it is enough."
As I woke up this Thanksgiving Day morning, I found myself grateful for the most basic elements of life and living.
During times of crisis, I seem to fall back on my 'prayer of gratitude'.
When I separated from my husband, I walked away from our home and its material belongings, I left my job, my friends and family, I carried our financial debt load with me and moved myself and my children out of the province and physically separated ourselves from a destructive life. I had my children. I had peace and safety in our new life. We were together, safe, happy and healthy. We had it all. And I was grateful.
As 9-11 was unfolding and rewinding and replaying in our lives that fateful day back in 2001, I vividly recall wandering around my home giving thanks for the peace and safety we feel in our country and in our homes. As the entire U.S. nation had an invisible threat lying in wait ... I felt for them. I ached for the many losses and the unending effect of the tragic events of that day. And I was grateful for the many blessings we take for granted.
My life has had its share of drama. Minor events in the whole scheme of things, but I grew up in a safe and predictable home where 'normal' was taken for granted. I didn't understand that the entire world outside of my safe harbour at home was not the same. As my life unfolded, I ran into many different experiences that taught me not to trust, the world can be unsafe, life is not easy and you must experience it to understand it.
I'm grateful for the safety net of the home and family I grew up in. I'm grateful that safety net of my family is still very much intact. I'm grateful for every challenge that I have faced in my life because it has brought me to this very day and made me appreciate the small things in my life. I'm grateful for the safe and predictable life that I have been able to provide for my own children these past few decades. We have always had everything we need. We have always had the security of that safety net beyond our own home - the security of family and good friends. We have had each other and we've had so much more.
One of the things I am most grateful for is our health. Our family has truly been blessed. There is certainly a history of health risks that run in our family. But we live in a world where we are very much aware of the facts, health care is within every one's grasp, emergency care is a phone call away and the wealth of knowledge and abilities of the doctors is growing every day. As a child, my oldest son was very materialistic and somewhat bitter about the things that we didn't have. He hated the fact that we had little extra money to fritter away on extravagances. We once had a conversation about money. I was trying to tell him how rich we really were - because of all we did have. I believe the conversation led to the question - if you could have your health or a million dollars, what would you choose. He chose money - because his thinking was that you could buy everything you need. My response was - 'No. You can't. Good health is simply something that can't be bought. I'm sure that those suffering with chronic illness would give away all of their worldly possessions if they could just regain their health.'
Money cannot buy the things that are most important in life. The material belongings that surround us are truly immaterial.
I have a home that shelters us, food to feed us, the ability to earn a living that sustains us. Our home is blessed with a haven of safety and warmth, it is a place to welcome family and friends. And we have our health. We live in a country where we feel safe, our water is clean and readily available and our governments provide safety nets to provide for all. The geography of where we live provides us with weather that can be unpredictable and somewhat annoying ... but it is a rare occurrence where there is loss of life due to the many forces of nature that are a fact of life in many areas of the world.
When I look at the world around me and the smaller world of my home and family I realize how rich I am. And I am grateful.
"Happy Thanksgiving" ... may you look around your world every day and find small blessings hidden around every corner.
As I woke up this Thanksgiving Day morning, I found myself grateful for the most basic elements of life and living.
During times of crisis, I seem to fall back on my 'prayer of gratitude'.
When I separated from my husband, I walked away from our home and its material belongings, I left my job, my friends and family, I carried our financial debt load with me and moved myself and my children out of the province and physically separated ourselves from a destructive life. I had my children. I had peace and safety in our new life. We were together, safe, happy and healthy. We had it all. And I was grateful.
As 9-11 was unfolding and rewinding and replaying in our lives that fateful day back in 2001, I vividly recall wandering around my home giving thanks for the peace and safety we feel in our country and in our homes. As the entire U.S. nation had an invisible threat lying in wait ... I felt for them. I ached for the many losses and the unending effect of the tragic events of that day. And I was grateful for the many blessings we take for granted.
My life has had its share of drama. Minor events in the whole scheme of things, but I grew up in a safe and predictable home where 'normal' was taken for granted. I didn't understand that the entire world outside of my safe harbour at home was not the same. As my life unfolded, I ran into many different experiences that taught me not to trust, the world can be unsafe, life is not easy and you must experience it to understand it.
I'm grateful for the safety net of the home and family I grew up in. I'm grateful that safety net of my family is still very much intact. I'm grateful for every challenge that I have faced in my life because it has brought me to this very day and made me appreciate the small things in my life. I'm grateful for the safe and predictable life that I have been able to provide for my own children these past few decades. We have always had everything we need. We have always had the security of that safety net beyond our own home - the security of family and good friends. We have had each other and we've had so much more.
One of the things I am most grateful for is our health. Our family has truly been blessed. There is certainly a history of health risks that run in our family. But we live in a world where we are very much aware of the facts, health care is within every one's grasp, emergency care is a phone call away and the wealth of knowledge and abilities of the doctors is growing every day. As a child, my oldest son was very materialistic and somewhat bitter about the things that we didn't have. He hated the fact that we had little extra money to fritter away on extravagances. We once had a conversation about money. I was trying to tell him how rich we really were - because of all we did have. I believe the conversation led to the question - if you could have your health or a million dollars, what would you choose. He chose money - because his thinking was that you could buy everything you need. My response was - 'No. You can't. Good health is simply something that can't be bought. I'm sure that those suffering with chronic illness would give away all of their worldly possessions if they could just regain their health.'
Money cannot buy the things that are most important in life. The material belongings that surround us are truly immaterial.
I have a home that shelters us, food to feed us, the ability to earn a living that sustains us. Our home is blessed with a haven of safety and warmth, it is a place to welcome family and friends. And we have our health. We live in a country where we feel safe, our water is clean and readily available and our governments provide safety nets to provide for all. The geography of where we live provides us with weather that can be unpredictable and somewhat annoying ... but it is a rare occurrence where there is loss of life due to the many forces of nature that are a fact of life in many areas of the world.
When I look at the world around me and the smaller world of my home and family I realize how rich I am. And I am grateful.
"Happy Thanksgiving" ... may you look around your world every day and find small blessings hidden around every corner.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Reality
Gravity works. For every high there is a low.
As I've been bouncing around enthused by all of the positive endorphins racing around in my head, I feel gravity trying to weigh me down. The energy is still racing around in my brain but I seem to be weighed down by the reality of all of the balls I have up in the air.
I have loved the pace of life these past weeks. The reality is that these weeks have not been typical. My daycare days have been easy, quiet and I've had several afternoons off. I haven't had to work at full speed for 5 weeks now. It's not that I've sat still during that time. I've filled the time and energy that I usually spend on the kids ... on things of my own choosing. It has been wonderful.
Something happened after I booked my dance lesson yesterday. I started falling back down to earth. I have also taken a step away from dancing these past 3 months (for one reason, after another). It is a half hour commitment that fulfills me for 7 days. Yet for some reason ... my reality started hitting home soon after I booked that lesson.
At the most chaotic time in my life, dancing took up time and energy that I didn't have. It left a bad taste in my mouth for a while. But after stepping away from it for a year, I was more than ready to return to it last January. It was a giant step towards regaining my long, lost 'self'. It was fantastic!
My instructor is wonderful, I love to dance, I love to learn, I love to challenge myself and I love the opportunity to be around other adults. I love it.
Yet ... I'm a little bit nervous. With all the other things that I've added into my life over the past few months, am I going to have the enthusiasm that I expect from myself? I loved the energy and desire to push the limits of what I could learn, when I started dancing 8 years ago. My motto was to become the best dancer that I could afford to be. I want to have that burning desire within me again. I'm spreading myself out in various areas of my life. Can I do it all??
When I feel such a peace within, it feels risky to push myself out on a ledge. Everything that I am building in my life right now is based from the comfort of my home. I run my daycare from home, I'm working for a small company from my home, I'm putting together family histories from my home. I must leave my home, to go to my dance lesson.
It's time to leave the safety of my nest here at home. My life is not without adult interaction, but there is a magic in that dance studio that breathes life into me. Maybe I'm scared that the magic is gone. Maybe I am not loving the idea of leaving my house. Maybe I feel I won't meet my own expectations.
Maybe I'm just falling back down to earth. It had to happen sooner or later ...
As I've been bouncing around enthused by all of the positive endorphins racing around in my head, I feel gravity trying to weigh me down. The energy is still racing around in my brain but I seem to be weighed down by the reality of all of the balls I have up in the air.
I have loved the pace of life these past weeks. The reality is that these weeks have not been typical. My daycare days have been easy, quiet and I've had several afternoons off. I haven't had to work at full speed for 5 weeks now. It's not that I've sat still during that time. I've filled the time and energy that I usually spend on the kids ... on things of my own choosing. It has been wonderful.
Something happened after I booked my dance lesson yesterday. I started falling back down to earth. I have also taken a step away from dancing these past 3 months (for one reason, after another). It is a half hour commitment that fulfills me for 7 days. Yet for some reason ... my reality started hitting home soon after I booked that lesson.
At the most chaotic time in my life, dancing took up time and energy that I didn't have. It left a bad taste in my mouth for a while. But after stepping away from it for a year, I was more than ready to return to it last January. It was a giant step towards regaining my long, lost 'self'. It was fantastic!
My instructor is wonderful, I love to dance, I love to learn, I love to challenge myself and I love the opportunity to be around other adults. I love it.
Yet ... I'm a little bit nervous. With all the other things that I've added into my life over the past few months, am I going to have the enthusiasm that I expect from myself? I loved the energy and desire to push the limits of what I could learn, when I started dancing 8 years ago. My motto was to become the best dancer that I could afford to be. I want to have that burning desire within me again. I'm spreading myself out in various areas of my life. Can I do it all??
When I feel such a peace within, it feels risky to push myself out on a ledge. Everything that I am building in my life right now is based from the comfort of my home. I run my daycare from home, I'm working for a small company from my home, I'm putting together family histories from my home. I must leave my home, to go to my dance lesson.
It's time to leave the safety of my nest here at home. My life is not without adult interaction, but there is a magic in that dance studio that breathes life into me. Maybe I'm scared that the magic is gone. Maybe I am not loving the idea of leaving my house. Maybe I feel I won't meet my own expectations.
Maybe I'm just falling back down to earth. It had to happen sooner or later ...
Friday, October 10, 2008
A Happy Heart
My heart is beating with excitement, anticipation, appreciation and passion for life ...
The forced work slow-down in my daycare world, afforded me the luxury of treating the kids to a fun outing today. Something that rarely or never could happen, with my regular kid-load. I was so excited to be able to do this with/for the kids today, that this honestly felt like a day off!
I love how my heart thumps to the beat of: "Thank you ... thank you ... thank you ...". There is so much that I am grateful for. SO much! A day like this is special, but I have a life that is a little bit special every day. There are blessings sprinkled through my days.
I received a bonus from my 'Saturday job' (that I have taken a one year leave from), in acknowledgement of my 20 years of service. As soon as I saw that unexpected windfall, all I could think was "I shall dance!!". I called my dance instructor this afternoon and have set up my next few dance lessons.
As I look to the days and weeks ahead, I am eagerly anticipating what lies in store.
If you put a stethoscope to my chest, I am almost certain that you could hear ''Thank you'' beating within my heart. With every breath I take ... I am grateful.
The forced work slow-down in my daycare world, afforded me the luxury of treating the kids to a fun outing today. Something that rarely or never could happen, with my regular kid-load. I was so excited to be able to do this with/for the kids today, that this honestly felt like a day off!
I love how my heart thumps to the beat of: "Thank you ... thank you ... thank you ...". There is so much that I am grateful for. SO much! A day like this is special, but I have a life that is a little bit special every day. There are blessings sprinkled through my days.
I received a bonus from my 'Saturday job' (that I have taken a one year leave from), in acknowledgement of my 20 years of service. As soon as I saw that unexpected windfall, all I could think was "I shall dance!!". I called my dance instructor this afternoon and have set up my next few dance lessons.
As I look to the days and weeks ahead, I am eagerly anticipating what lies in store.
If you put a stethoscope to my chest, I am almost certain that you could hear ''Thank you'' beating within my heart. With every breath I take ... I am grateful.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Ideas
***This was the quote attached to the Al Nelson Weitzel "Portrait of a Pinecone" that I received today, as acknowledgement for the 20 years that I have worked at the Credit Union. What a perfect expression of thanks for the years I have worked with them!
***“From a single seed may grow a mighty forest.”
A portrait of a pinecone. Every great achievement begins as a great idea. Fact is everybody has great ideas. How many times have we thought of something that might make for a great business or a unique new product only to let the ideas slip away, thinking it impractical. Then, only a short time later, that business opens down the block or that product is the basis for the latest info-mercial. Just as seeds can only grow when they are planted, ideas can only grow when given the opportunity. Next time you have the seed of a great idea, maybe you should try planting it, instead of letting it blow into somebody else’s yard. -Al Nelson Weitzel
***This is a sentiment that I've been learning to live these days. I have been following my heart and listening to ideas that feel worthy of acting on. My ideas are small and I will not become rich from them, but following through on them has enriched my life.
***This link takes you directly to the portrait that I received today, and if you click on the arrows below the picture, it takes you to other artwork and quotes from Al Nelson Weitzel. What a gift this is!
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Creating Your Life
"You are creating your life from within, and everything you experience on the outside is of your own creation. You may have created some things unconsciously, but still you created them. When you can take responsibility for all that is around you, not blaming yourself or anyone else, but understanding that somehow or another you created it, then and only then can you set yourself free. You will know that if you created it, you have the power to change it and create what you want." - excerpt from The Secret
I woke up this morning, opened my eyes, stretched out, enjoyed the comfort and warmth of my bed and the first thought of the day was, "I love my life."
What a gift it is, to wake up and have that as your first conscious thought. I lead a very charmed life. I am surrounded in goodness. And as I read the thought of the day from 'The Secret' calendar that I have (the above quote), I felt truly grateful and appreciative that this is a life that I have created!
The Oprah episode that I had taped (and watched this morning) was all about forgiveness. "Forgiveness is a gift that you give yourself'''. I truly believe that. I have had my life touched with incidents that have been hurtful to endure. At the time I was living them, I felt the raw emotion that was attached to those occasions. The psychologist (on Oprah) referred to anger as a sneeze. It is necessary to express and feel it, so that you can release it from your body. But to hold onto that anger does nothing to hurt the other person. The only person you hurt is yourself. To forgive is not to condone those actions, but to release yourself from the anger. Allowing myself to forgive has been a great part of this life I have created. The energy it takes to hold a grudge and be angry is so much better spent on other areas of living!
Another quote from an episode of Oprah that resonated with me is "Daring to care is the greatest lesson" (Maya Angelou). Opening up my heart to my family and friends has proven to be nothing but a gift. I've had a few relationships that have made 'daring to care' a risk. But I am opening myself up to the idea that the reason that it was a risk to put my heart on the line, is because subconsciously I knew that these relationships were draining my resources. I don't think that it was my inability to care ... I think it was just the wrong person for me to retain in my life. I created those choices within my life and lived with the consequences. I learned some valuable lessons that has molded me into the person I have become. So even those relationships were placed in my life for a reason. Forgiveness and moving on has released me from the negative part of that equation and I've held onto the lessons and whatever I could keep as positive from that relationship.
I'm in a very safe spot in my life right now. I feel an ease and comfort with my life ... the life that I have created! When a person feels safe and content, there is energy to move life in a forward direction. Take small risks and try a new 'path'.
I have visions of things I want to accomplish, places that I want my life to go and the people I want to surround myself with. I feel like I am putting my 'best self' out there these days. And in return, I feel a warmth and security that envelops me. Very much like the warmth and comfort that I woke up to this morning.
I believe we do create our own lives. And if that's the case, the sky is the limit!
I woke up this morning, opened my eyes, stretched out, enjoyed the comfort and warmth of my bed and the first thought of the day was, "I love my life."
What a gift it is, to wake up and have that as your first conscious thought. I lead a very charmed life. I am surrounded in goodness. And as I read the thought of the day from 'The Secret' calendar that I have (the above quote), I felt truly grateful and appreciative that this is a life that I have created!
The Oprah episode that I had taped (and watched this morning) was all about forgiveness. "Forgiveness is a gift that you give yourself'''. I truly believe that. I have had my life touched with incidents that have been hurtful to endure. At the time I was living them, I felt the raw emotion that was attached to those occasions. The psychologist (on Oprah) referred to anger as a sneeze. It is necessary to express and feel it, so that you can release it from your body. But to hold onto that anger does nothing to hurt the other person. The only person you hurt is yourself. To forgive is not to condone those actions, but to release yourself from the anger. Allowing myself to forgive has been a great part of this life I have created. The energy it takes to hold a grudge and be angry is so much better spent on other areas of living!
Another quote from an episode of Oprah that resonated with me is "Daring to care is the greatest lesson" (Maya Angelou). Opening up my heart to my family and friends has proven to be nothing but a gift. I've had a few relationships that have made 'daring to care' a risk. But I am opening myself up to the idea that the reason that it was a risk to put my heart on the line, is because subconsciously I knew that these relationships were draining my resources. I don't think that it was my inability to care ... I think it was just the wrong person for me to retain in my life. I created those choices within my life and lived with the consequences. I learned some valuable lessons that has molded me into the person I have become. So even those relationships were placed in my life for a reason. Forgiveness and moving on has released me from the negative part of that equation and I've held onto the lessons and whatever I could keep as positive from that relationship.
I'm in a very safe spot in my life right now. I feel an ease and comfort with my life ... the life that I have created! When a person feels safe and content, there is energy to move life in a forward direction. Take small risks and try a new 'path'.
I have visions of things I want to accomplish, places that I want my life to go and the people I want to surround myself with. I feel like I am putting my 'best self' out there these days. And in return, I feel a warmth and security that envelops me. Very much like the warmth and comfort that I woke up to this morning.
I believe we do create our own lives. And if that's the case, the sky is the limit!
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Making Room for Change
It is official. My request for a leave of absence from my Saturday job has been approved.
The idea of not having to physically be somewhere else on Saturday mornings, not having to worry about childcare on Saturdays, having flexibility to make weekend plans and having those 2 consecutive days off ... is fantastic!
But I haven't made this decision without the conscious awareness of how I can utilize the time I have given back to myself.
I have new goals, ideas and ambitions. They were all starting to appear in my life just before my unexpected surgery. And the idea of the new things I had added to my life was just a little bit daunting. Then ... my health made me stop in my tracks ... I listened to the answers that surfaced to the top of my consciousness in the quiet of my recovery time. And I have arrived.
I am in a new but familiar place. All that I am, is stemming from my home. I am working, playing and living .. all from the comfort of my home.
It is a pure blessing to me, to make a living for myself. From home. I've added a new job to my home-career (one that I'd love to blossom, as it requires enough checks and balances to challenge my brain). And I'm allowing myself to take steps towards putting together 2 more family's histories and memories. This is something that fuels a passion in me.
I have the time and energy to nurture my relationships with family and friends. There was a time that I was so greedy with the morsels of time left at the end of a day or week or during time off. Now, I welcome the luxury of having the time to have room in my life for friendships to flourish, get to know my extended family better and take the time to savor the moments with my immediate family.
Time. It is a finite object. Yes, a person can cram a lot of living into a short time frame. But in the long haul, it is important to me to have the time to enjoy the small moments in life. It has always been about the 'small stuff' with me. I can handle the moments of crisis in stride. It is in the mundaneness of day to day living, the ruts I get into, taking relationships for granted and the routines I have become slave to, that I lose myself.
This fall has reawakened the part in me that is ready for change. Small steps. Steps that are more comfortable than they were a year ago. But steps that I'm ready to take.
I've cleared the path in my life to make room for the changes I see ahead.
The idea of not having to physically be somewhere else on Saturday mornings, not having to worry about childcare on Saturdays, having flexibility to make weekend plans and having those 2 consecutive days off ... is fantastic!
But I haven't made this decision without the conscious awareness of how I can utilize the time I have given back to myself.
I have new goals, ideas and ambitions. They were all starting to appear in my life just before my unexpected surgery. And the idea of the new things I had added to my life was just a little bit daunting. Then ... my health made me stop in my tracks ... I listened to the answers that surfaced to the top of my consciousness in the quiet of my recovery time. And I have arrived.
I am in a new but familiar place. All that I am, is stemming from my home. I am working, playing and living .. all from the comfort of my home.
It is a pure blessing to me, to make a living for myself. From home. I've added a new job to my home-career (one that I'd love to blossom, as it requires enough checks and balances to challenge my brain). And I'm allowing myself to take steps towards putting together 2 more family's histories and memories. This is something that fuels a passion in me.
I have the time and energy to nurture my relationships with family and friends. There was a time that I was so greedy with the morsels of time left at the end of a day or week or during time off. Now, I welcome the luxury of having the time to have room in my life for friendships to flourish, get to know my extended family better and take the time to savor the moments with my immediate family.
Time. It is a finite object. Yes, a person can cram a lot of living into a short time frame. But in the long haul, it is important to me to have the time to enjoy the small moments in life. It has always been about the 'small stuff' with me. I can handle the moments of crisis in stride. It is in the mundaneness of day to day living, the ruts I get into, taking relationships for granted and the routines I have become slave to, that I lose myself.
This fall has reawakened the part in me that is ready for change. Small steps. Steps that are more comfortable than they were a year ago. But steps that I'm ready to take.
I've cleared the path in my life to make room for the changes I see ahead.
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