A Morning Off!

Since Sunday, 20 cm of snow has fallen on our fair city. I have logged in almost 3 1/2 hours of shovelling, in that time. The mound of snow that is piling up in my front yard was officially deemed 'Mount Colleen' by me yesterday morning. All of the snow shovelling was bad enough ... but what does one do with all of the snow??

So I slept in this morning and lazed around in my PJ's until the last minute. Just because I could! Now, this is not what was supposed to happen. My internal clock woke me up around 5 am and I felt wide awake enough to get up. I could have and I should have chosen to exercise. But I didn't. I wanted a morning off!

As my feet are coming back to the ground after my 5 day holiday away from every single responsibility in my life, I am wondering how to maintain the serenity within. How can I keep nurturing myself in a way where I don't literally have to pack up and fly away?

I believe that Sundays are meant to be a day of leisure. No matter how many stores are open, no matter what there is on the eternal 'to-do' list ... a person requires one day off. One uncommitted day.

Several years of Sundays ago, I had planned to go away for the day and leave my family and responsibilities behind. I had organized my life, chores and even prepared meals ahead so that I could take this 'day'. I ended up with a stomach flu and wasn't able to go. But what I had instead, was one entire day off. All of my work was done, meals were made and the house was running itself. It was a day that energized me like few others.

In today's world, stress in the work place seems to be running rampant. People work shift-work, overtime, on-call and self-employed people never get to completely step away from their work. Stores are open 7 days a week and some are open 24 hours a day. Even when we have time off, there is no one day where the world around us slows down so we are forced to slow down. We are working more days, available to work longer hours and then squeezing in our chores, errands and tending to the never-ending list of things to do when we do have hours to call our own.

It seems that every where around you, people are touched by someone in their life who is facing life threatening health problems. It is affecting people from all walks of life and age is not always a factor. We know more and have better health care, yet many people's health is stopping them in their tracks.

I say it often and I firmly believe, that when you don't take the time that you need to replenish your body's reserves, your body will eventually stop you. We are very fortunate when the warning call is relatively minor and we are back on our feet within a short time. But everyone is not so lucky.

Give yourself a break that you can enjoy, before your body forces it upon you. Find some time that is carved out just for you and build up your reserves. You just never know when those reserves will be called upon to dig you out of 20 cm of snow!

One More Blog

Okay. This is it. This is the last blog that I am going to author. I've got it all covered now ... life, kids, family, friends and now ... dancing!

There was no way that I could say 'no' to this. The 'Dance Dynamics' blog. It is now listed under 'My Blogs' on the side of this blog. This one is not 'my' blog ... but I'm an author on it, so I can contribute to the blog entries (so all the creativity you see on the side of that blog is not my doing).

I was given the go ahead to let my fingers go wild and write what I wanted on this. My brain went numb on the weekend but yesterday morning, I lost control and as soon as lunch was over, I went crazy. It's nice to have an outlet for my dance thoughts!

It is also rather enjoyable to be around someone who seems like they enjoy the blog-world. When the owner of the dance studio approached me about this with some questions and then eventually asked for my assistance in getting it set up, I was thrilled. I went and helped to guide him through some of the options last night (though I'm sure he is more computer literate than I am, so I'll be going to him for advice soon). Not many people share my excitement with this blogging, so I was quite enthralled to be in the presence of someone who does!

It is also exciting to be given free rein to write about dancing. Combining 2 passions in one venue can only be good. I can't wait to explore the avenues that writing about dancing will open. It's going to be fun!

Can I Be Sick of Snow Now??

I try not to complain. Snow is good - we need the moisture. Shovelling is okay - I need the exercise. Snow is pretty. I don't have to face the winter roads on a daily basis like those that work outside of their homes. Snow is to be expected - it is winter.

But I'm really tired of the time that shovelling snow is stealing from my day!! I've grown quite accustomed to my cozy mornings of enjoying my breakfast, a cup of coffee and quiet time before my work day commences.

It is snowing at the moment and the forecast is for snow tonight, all through night and into the morning. I can't even shovel it tonight and wake up to clean walks. There goes another morning.

I guess the up side to this, is that I know that I should be exercising. Shovelling snow forces me to move my body, breathe in fresh air and the satisfaction of finishing the job.

But I'm still sick of snow!!

Over Abundance!

Okay ... abundance is nice ... but I'm feeling a tad overwhelmed by my 'riches' this weekend.

I have the feeling that I have bit off more than I can chew. So what did I do yesterday?? I spun my wheels. I tended to a few small tasks, but the 'big stuff' remained.

Today, I spent about 12 hours working with the memories I collected for my dad's family during my holiday. I have a little way to go before I can file that away until further notice (it's best to work with these words and stories while my memory is fresh). But at least I'm 12 hours closer to completion than I was this morning.

I have a menial 'bookkeeping' job that I was given before Christmas. It is tedious and without a deadline and I've already spent over 8 hours on it (and I believe there is probably at least 6 or more to go). It is one of those annoying little jobs that I must make disappear so I can clear my slate. Not to mention the other work that I would imagine is coming my way this upcoming week.

Then, I had the writing task that I was approached about on Friday. I spent about 2 hours working on that last night, emailed my ideas to her ... and I got a phone call from her today (she hadn't even read the suggestions that I had emailed to her) to basically tell me that she came up with ideas on her own. That's nice ...

I supposedly had a new babysitting family coming by to meet me this weekend but they didn't show ...

I have a new blog that I could have been playing with but I just didn't have the time or right energy waves to put into it. So that got completely tabled.

I have letters that I want to send out, to start approaching family members about collecting memories for my dad's family history book. No panic to do that right away, but I just feel that this is a good time of year to approach people about something like this. January and February are often a good time to think about such things.

I wanted to try and get together with some family and friends ... and must get myself acting on that idea.

Then, I want to immerse myself in a 'book project' that I started over 4 months ago. I've been idling away, waiting for the time and circumstances to allow me to work on that and nothing else. But the way things are going, that isn't going to happen. So I must take small steps on a regular basis, to get myself motivated on that!

Abundance is nice. But over-abundance is somewhat like overload. One step at a time and I'll find my way out from under this pile of obligations that I have bestowed upon myself!!

Abundance

I woke up this morning feeling abundance in every crevice of my life. What a marvelous way to feel. What a wonderful way to face the day.

There is a material abundance. I honestly want for nothing in my life. I am not walking around craving things that I don't have. It doesn't mean that I have everything I want. It means that I have everything I need (and then some).

I stock my groceries and household supplies so that I never run out of something. I have a 'warehouse' system where I have an abundance of things I require to run my house. I have a cupboard, a fridge, a deep freeze ... a system where I know that I have fall back items in case of a sparse budget and an extra supply of things that I need. Every time I run downstairs to fetch some item that I ran out of, I say "thank you". Not everyone has the luxury of this abundance. I know that I am rich.

There is a financial abundance in my world right now. I cannot ever ever remember feeling so financially secure in my life. I am earning more than I spend. I am capable of making extra payments on my mortgage, stockpiling some savings and I've created a dream account. Any other time in my life when I started earning extra money, I spent more than I earned. I simply haven't the desire to fill any void within myself by spending money right now. I am financially satisfied with the way things are.

My car is 15 years old, my house is 44 years old, I spent my RRSP money to finance my work-from-home dream and I should have had my house paid off last year, if I had stuck to my original plan. I am cash poor, but I am rich in what I have created within the walls of my home.

As usual, I am one financial crisis away from toppling my applecart. But I feel that if I continue to budget my spending wisely, I will be okay. I respect the money I earn and I'm not wasting it. Every single time in my life where I have taken a firm stand in respecting my financial limits, I find that I am rewarded. Most recently, it came in the form of a $44.69 cheque in the mail that represented the shortfall of a large expense. The true turning point in my faith that I will be okay financially, was when I was laying in a hospital bed facing surgery which would put me out of commission for 6 weeks. I told myself "things always work out ... I will be okay" over and over. I believed. And it was. I am rich in my faith.

I have an abundance of dreams. I have been afraid to dream and my ability to dream has been thwarted in the past. I have taken giant leaps of faith on many occasions in my life. Most of those leaps have been done to create the home and security that I believe that my family deserves. But last year, I took a leap of faith that fueled a dream of mine. I wrote. And now ... writing ventures are coming to me. I have met some of them half way, others I have forged out of my comfort zone and said "I can and I want to do this" ... and yesterday, one came to me out of the blue. From a person that has read my words and believes in me. My dreams are coming true!

The people that touch and influence my life have created an abundance of appreciation and awe in all that is good. I have an amazing group of friends, a family that I appreciate beyond words and it seems that I find wonder in most every encounter.

I am fulfilled and happy as a person. My heart is full, my passions are being fueled, my home is a haven and I want for nothing. There is abundance all around me ...

Following Your Passion

"Do what you are passionate about and the money will follow"

I wrote down this quote a few weeks ago and went about my merry way with my life. It's a statement that resonated within me. It makes perfect sense. Follow your passions and only good things can come of that. If today is any indication, I would say that I'm headed in the right direction!

This afternoon, I had 2 phone calls related to my interest in writing. Not really inquiries of the money making kind (though my first call did offer to pay me for my services!), but inquiries none the less.

Writing is definitely a passion of mine. I'm following where it is leading me. Starting with my blogs, leading to putting together Mom's family history book (which has lead to 2 more family histories being collected and compiled) and today a friend asked me to help her rework some 'words' for a new business she is starting.

My head is spinning at the moment. I need to concentrate on one of several projects. Instead, my thoughts are scattered among many. My first goal is to sit down and focus my energy on one of the endeavours I've started.

I'm following my passion. I'm generating some interest. Will the money follow? Stay tuned ...

Calmness Within

I am sitting in the living room, surrounded by 6 kids of varying ages. The noise level is medium/high but no one is arguing, tattling or crying so the noise is just a backdrop to the day. I have 2 kids in diapers, one with an eternal running nose, half of them have a very loud decibel 'normal indoor voice', there have been some adjustments to my daycare schedule, one family paid me a week late and ... I am calm.

I returned to my daycare load after my summer holidays and I was a grouch. I got back to my full load of kids after my surgery and I had less than zero tolerance. It took months to regain the preholiday and presurgery equilibrium in my life. Was I a little nervous about taking back my regular life full of kids after my Christmas holidays?? You betcha!

But it has been marvelous. I have more patience and tolerance within me than I've had for a very long time. The days have been going great. Kids are kids, but I'm not over the top with frustration as they go about their daily antics and pushing limits.

What is the difference?

Could it be the 5 days that I stepped away from each and every responsibility in my life?? Absolutely NO kids ... not even my own (even my adult children) and no cat to tend. No computer, no phone, no emailing and no blogging. No budgeting, no balancing my books, no concern over money what so ever (I took cash, spent cash and came home with money left over). No snow to shovel, no mail to sort, no house to tend. No strict agenda to my days beyond waking up, dressing, eating a few meals and collecting memories. Memories of my dad's family that are fueling a great amount of excitement within me. Adult-only time. Time with my mom, my uncle, my cousin and their extended adult and pet families. No kids.

Picking up and flying off into the sunrise was an adventure and therapy for my soul. It was hard and a little bit scary to step so completely away from each and every responsibility in my life. But it has fueled something within me that hasn't been full for a very long time.

There is a calmness within my very being. And the people around me are reaping the rewards as my reactions to 'life as I know it' are going with the flow.