Change–My Goal for the Coming Year

As life continues to venture by for me I am subtlety reminded of the changes that occur.  When I take the time to slow and look, I see that life is forever going on.  Sometimes it even goes on without me, or so it seems.   I guess that is what happens as we enter the later parts of our lives. 

 

I have never found much pleasure in participating in the rat race of day to day events.  Although I have timelines that need to be adhered to and deadlines that have to be monitored I dislike the feeling of going 90 miles a minute just to be sure that I complete all the things on my list. Yes I have been busy these last months, but it has been a different kind of busy.  At times the busy work has even been somewhat enjoyable. 

 

Each year, like many others,  I try to choose a word that could best describe my outlook for the coming year and how I would like to incorporate that action into my day to day life.  Thinking on my word for this year I am not quite sure of my choice.  The word that I continue to come back to somewhat scares me to tell the truth.  However I have learned that it is an action that although it may hold an aurora that can make some grimace, it also can be a positive action as well.

 

The word that I speak of is change.  It is easy to grow content in our little piece of the world.  We shy away from venturing  out and entering into things or places that may not make us feel as comfortable or at home. I think this is something I have done over the last few years and although at times it has been quite enjoyable, it has also hindered me from many things. 

 

Little by little the last couple months I have seen a light that calls to me.  It shines from a place that I would not consider a comfort zone for me, yet it still beckons me to go to it.  I have to say that it does intrigue me and in some ways even excites me.  It would demand that I go into areas that will require some things from me that I may find a bit of a struggle at first yet they are all things I know that I can do and that in the end I would be glad that I did push myself in such a fashion.

 

It is the procrastination that I need to battle the most.  I am one of those who is sometimes easily detoured from a rabbit that may be hopping by.  Honestly I think it is an excuse to focus on something else.  I think this year may be the year that I finally get off my butt, so to speak, and finally do a few of the things that I have been meaning to tackle for many years.  It will most definitely be a change for me, but a good change indeed.   Wish me luck. 

Blessings

A New Year… A New Opportunity

Well the holidays are over and a new year has begun. Time for resolutions to be set and often then not quickly broken.  I have given up on resolutions at this time of the year… It is too much like setting ones self up for failure.  I learned quickly via last year’s occurrences that there are too many things in life that one can not plan for.  Taking one day at a time seems to work best for me at this time in my life.
 

Change comes to all it seems eventually.  Sometimes it is a gradual occurrence that we may not even notice.  Then at other times it is like a wave crashing on top of us.  Causing us to lose our footing and fall flat on our butts.  Either way we experience it. 
 

I am not sure what 2013 will have in store for us all.  It seems that life is only getting more complicated.  There are the looming political issues that are plastered across the TV each day.  Fiscal Cliffs and Financial Landslides.  There are the senseless acts of violence and aggression against so many who are unable to defend themselves.  And lets not forget the lack of concern that man has acquired for this wonderful earth we live on and the great need to take care of it so that we will not eventually destroy  ourselves.  Yes, it all sounds quite dismal when it is put into such a context.  But I still see hope.  I know there are those out there who still do not think in such a way. 
 

I know there are those who despite the complacency we have learned to live with over the years, are not crippled by these things.  There are still those who do not feel that everything needs to be done for us simply because we are entitled.  That pulling ourselves up by our boot straps and fixing ourselves is what life really is.  We understand the great need for attention to this earth and the nurturing and care that is needed to sustain it for those to come.  And the violence that seems to be so rampant and unexplainable.  The mindless acts that seem to keep occurring with no apparent reason of explanation.  I am not sure about this one.  I only think that we need to be there for one another.  To keep an open eye and ear to concerns that may arise.  To listen to the sounds around us and not simply to the little world that so many of us have built up around us and ours so that the ugly world will not intrude.  Although at times it seems the only true defense. 
 

I grew up in a small rural town.  It was simpler times and instead of stagnant afternoons of mindless video games, we spent our time in the fresh air and sunshine.  I know that life is still there.  I mean… there is always sunshine and relatively fresh air outdoors.  Yet it calls for a change.  It calls for a turn in what is the normal day for most. A little extra effort if you please.  I know that one can not change all yet if one becomes many a shift can be felt.  I pray for this year to see that shift.  If only a small one, I pray it comes. 
 

May all of you have a truly wonderful new year, filled with new wonders and experiences that truly bless you.  Remember even the events that may at first seem dismal can turn out to give you blessings in the end.

Thought To Ponder–Reflection

I may not have gone where I intended to go,

but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.

Douglas Adams

Little Blessings

Life never ceases to amaze me.  Whether it be in huge unavoidable manners that one can not help but see the cosmic clarity of or the small simple moments that come at even a more constant rate.  The later unfortunately we seem to miss all too often.  The volume of life is usually turned up way too loud. Such little noises that come along get drowned out and over looked.  Yet there are moments when silence is there and we are able to enjoy such wonderful tender notes.  It seems that this spring has been blessed with such tiny notes of laughter, color and simple bliss.  

I refused to believe that spring could have sprung so early.  Yet the more I see around me the more I can not help but be convinced that I may actually be wrong.  I still find myself crossing my fingers in hopes that a late visit from old man winter does not surprise us all and make the blanket of green spotted with purples, yellows and blues disappear.  

The days have been filled with fluffy white clouds laced with grey from the possibility of rain; tiny fingerlings of green sprouting out on the willows promising the soon arrival of leaves that will dance in the wind; buds of pink and purple with dots of blue  which line the bank of the pond where the tulips have sprouted and the grape hyacinth have decided to join their dance.  Needless to say Spring has definitely sprung.

  

It has been such things that have seemed to be my saving grace as of late.  The last two months have been eventful to say the least .  Vincent and I have found ourselves facing experiences that neither of us would have ever expected before they befell us. Each moment we feel that we may be seeing an end a new issue arises and we are reminded that sometimes patience is all that one can ask for.  

I  have always been one who welcomes a new life lesson.  Mind you I try hard not to request them as that is as silly as praying for patience.  Yet still when one comes along, although I may find myself whining in the beginning, I come around and am glad for the chance to learn more about life and all it has to offer.  When I take a few steps back and look at the situation in a whole I know that it could be so much worse than it appears at times.  Although I will say that when you are sailing along on calm waters, your hand lazily hung over the edge of the boat feeling the cool water as it slowly passes beneath you, and suddenly you are awaken by a change in current and realize that calm stream is leading straight to a waterfall.  Well lets just say that you are taken a bit by surprise.  

I am thankful though for the little things that have made themselves known to me throughout it all.  For it has been these little blessings that have helped me to get through much of it.  From the newness of spring to the birth of a new great niece to the wonderful words of encouragement from so many of my blog friends; I have truly been showered with blessings. 

 

It can be easy at times of difficulty and challenge in our lives to take a stance of self pity and negativity; To just sit down in our little puddle of mud and refuse to continue.   Yet eventually we will need to once again stand up and continue on; that is if we want to get out of the experience we may be in at the time. 

 

Nothing lasts forever – thank goodness.  Eventually everything will pass making way for yet another new adventure in our lives.  Some are good some are not so good.  Yet there is one thing that we can always be sure of.  Along the way of whatever may befall us, good or bad, we will be blessed with little blessings.  That is if we take the time to be still… open our eyes… look for them.. and listen.  Life is a never ending adventure of ups and downs each with its own special gift of enjoyment, sorrow, laughter and pain.  For those who refuse to embrace all that it has to offer, whether good or bad, has no idea what they are missing out on. 

 

Blessings to you and yours.

In human life there is constant change of fortune;

It is unreasonable

to expect an exemption from the common fate.

Life itself decays,

and all things are daily changing.

You can find energizing moments

in each aspect of your life;

 

But to do so

you must learn how to catch them,

hold on to them,

to feel the pull of their weight

and allow yourself to follow where they lead.

Marcus
Plutarch

Those Who Do Not Dance

A crippled child

Said, "How shall I dance?"

Let your heart dance

We said.

Then the invalid said:

"How shall I sing?"

Let your heart sing

We said

Then spoke the poor dead thistle,

"But I, how shall I dance?"

Let your heart fly to the wind

We said.

Then God spoke from above

"How shall I descend from the blue?"

Come dance for us here in the light

We said.

All the valley is dancing

Together under the sun,

And the heart of him who joins us not

Is turned to dust, to dust.

Gabriela Mistral

It has been ten days since Vincent had his stroke.  Progress is slow but it is evident.  I know the power of a positive outlook.  I found this poem and it spoke to me somehow.  It reminds me that nothing is set in stone and that anything is possible.  Also we can never be sure what unexpected sources may bring us the very moment that will bring us the influences and experiences we require. 

Blessing to all who have been so generous with your prayers and thoughts.  I truly can feel the energy.  I know that many are praying for us at this time and it has taught me that God comes in so many forms, for I feel the healing warmth from each of you. 

A Matter of Choice

If a Man

does not keep pace with his companions,

perhaps it is because

he hears a different drummer. 

Let him step to the music he hears,

however measured or far away. 

- Thoreau -

 I have always believed that one’s spiritual walk should be a personal one.  And although beliefs could be similar there is that personal aspect that makes each one unique.  It is not no one man’s responsibility or capability to tell another what is right or what is wrong when it comes to his search for “his” path.  I know that this is hard for some to accept as through time we have been told that there is a specific path that must be walked in order to get to the “correct” destination.  I have always found this somewhat ironic as there seems to be so many “correct” paths. 

In each one of us there is the ability to seek  for ourselves.  If that desire to find is true, then all will come in its own time and in its own way.  There will be times when the manners that our questions are answered may not meld with that of others.  We may find ourselves being led to walk down a road that some may find questionable.  Yet if we trust ourselves and “our” god, then we will be led where it is that we should go.  The lessons throughout life are not the same for everyone.  What one may learn on a clear flowered path others may need a rocky incline to achieve. 

 

May you find the path you are to follow and may you have the courage to continue your journey when and if it leads you in ways that others may feel incorrect. Remember that although we may be in the company of many, in reality we are really alone. 

 

Blessings

Each End is a New Beginning

Another year is behind us and once again so many of us are finding ourselves preparing for the coming year. Making resolutions and promises to ourselves.  I swear each year that I will not do such things but alas as always I did last year and like so many years before I did not keep up with such promises as I would have like to have.  No big surprise. 

 Yet I will admit that this last year was a different one for me as for so many others I have spoke with.  I did not tend to my blog as I have in the past and at first this really upset me.  Yet as the year continued I realized that it was something that was not of urgency.  I missed so many of you on a daily occurrence and have tried to get back into the swing of things once more.  And honestly who knows if 2012 will be much different.  I have many things that I would like to give my time to and we will see if they transform as I would like.  If they do my time here may not be as frequent as daily but I do intend to make an effort to make it on a regular basis.  The support and friendship that I have found from so many here in blogland has been something I do not wish to let go of so easily. 

 I recently found out that an old friend of mine followed my blog.  I will be honest and say that it was a surprise to me.  Our beliefs have drifted in different directions as the years have passed.  Her admittance to me that she followed was a welcomed present this Yule.  It gave me hope.  I know that many look at 2012 as a time of uncertain change.  I myself have felt the feeling of it coming.  I do not know exactly what it is.  I am not sure if anyone does to be honest.  I only know that any end is only the start of a new beginning and thus I move forward in a positive stance. 

I am not sure what the next 358 days will hold .  I only know that all things must pass eventually and thus make way for new.  In the coming days I wish you insight, wisdom, and strength to likewise let go of that which is over and embrace that which is new and giving.  Happy New Year.

Be True to Yourself

To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everyone else… means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.  -e.e.cummings

I am not an avid reality show watcher, I never really have been.  Weekly watching someone else's life and all the drama that can go with the situation created is not what I consider entertainment.  Yet I will admit that I have a guilty pleasure of watching Survivor on occasion.  Although I still do not watch it on a regular basis, if there is something that catches my interest I will tune in occasionally, especially at the finale. 

 Last night I watched the finale of the most recent Survivor show.  One of the players was the nephew of a player in previous shows who truly proved what it meant to be an out and out liar and then to not have any problem with it.  Of course I am talking about Russell.  His nephew Brandon played this season.  On several occasions he stated how he wanted to try and return some goodness to his family name and the example that Russell had left in his previous 3 shows appearances.  He tried to play with honesty and an forwardness that I enjoyed.  Although I will say that there were some that did not like his manner of telling it like it is, I found it refreshing in a world where it seems that so many just tell you what they think you want to hear.

 

Most people are other people.  Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation.  Oscar Wilde

He did not win of course.  It was his honesty and true compassion to help out another that did him in.  He spoke last night about how the experience changed and also strengthened him and his convictions.  He also talked about how because of this change and the manner in which he exhibited his passions on national TV inevitably alienated him from his family per their choosing.  He had no one from his family there to support him last night.  No one was there to congratulate him on a good game except his fellow players and others in the audience.  His uncle Russell was there, yet it was only to ridicule his ridiculous manner of playing the game. 

Many times in life we have opportunities to stand up for something we claim to the comfortable crowd that we believe in.  When I say comfortable crowd I mean those of like ways and beliefs.  It takes little courage to stand up in a room where so many others would say the same words as you.  Yet to walk among others who hold a different view can be a very unpleasant and often difficult experience.  I take my hat off to Brandon for standing behind what he claimed was him.  I commend him for continuing to do so even after his return home and the discomfort he received as well as the cold shoulders and lack of compassion.  It is people like him that will eventually make a difference.  Next time you are given a chance to speak your voice and say something to support the convictions that you hold deep in the corners of your heart remember… If we become so accustomed to disguising ourselves to other people  eventually we will also become disguised to ourselves. 

Never be bullied into silence, Never allow yourself to be made a victim.  Accept no one’s definition of your life;

 Define yourself. 

Continuous….

 

“Do not let you fire go out,

spark by irreplaceable spark

in the hopeless swaps of the not-quite,

the not-yet, and the not-at-all. 

Do not let the hero in your soul perish

in lonely frustration

for the life you deserved and

have never been able to reach.

  The world you desire can be won…

It exists… it is real…

it is possible…

it is yours.” 

-Ayn Rand-

A Thought To Ponder

Look well into thyself;

  There is a source of strength

which will always spring up

if thou will always look there.

Marcus Aurelius