Halloweens Gone By...................

Where does the time go ?? Back when my boys were this age,  Halloween was a three week event. There would be creating the costumes, decorating the house with a plethora of decorations, dress rehearsals, the night itself, which consisted of visiting two sets of grandparents...trick or treating in our neighborhood,
boys inventorying the candy for three days and my random sneaking of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. (which clearly messed with the inventory process)

Funny how when living those three weeks, it felt long and drawn out. However looking back those years were gone in a flash, but they continue to make me smile from ear to ear.

Every step of the way is a blip in time..an opportunity to connect & commit it all to memory, because it is these "blips" that turn into our lives....which hopefully is a Lifetime of  giggles, smiles, sunshine, tender moments...and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups!

Simple Gestures........

There is an incessant voice in my head, that for the last 5 months I have tried to "decode". Now, it's not a voice that speaks clearly or in full sentences (that would be too easy.) It's words or phrases that cause me to question their meaning....perhaps more of a feeling you could say. For a while I cast it aside. Carrying on with my day to day tasks, visiting it periodically to see what the heck it was telling me.

Once I began listening more closely, and not resisting the message, along with being open to what I needed to hear......it came to me with clarity!  

I want to be part of a feel good vibe. I so love that rush (which I'm thinking is similar to an athlete's high, but since I don't have one athletic bone in my body, I'll experience it my own way) I want to be a part of people joining together to brighten one and other's day...even in the simplest forms, where immediate impact can be felt. Touching lives! 

I believe I've known for some time that this is something that matters to me. ...the new wake up call is, it is for me to initiate, in a group form.....to make it happen! Create the vibe!

So my wheels are turning with Simple Gesture Ideas. With the holidays approaching I think I was suppose to "decode" this message of thanks and giving right about now. Phew glad I responded to that constant nudge!

Check back for updates and perhaps even consider joining me (once you hear more of course).....oh and please be sure to be open to your own little nudge, you never know what you may be missing!

Feel the Fire...............

"Each of us has a fire in our hearts for something. It's our goal in Life to find it and keep it lit.'
~ Mary Lou Retton

Yes! Yes! Yes! It's so important to keep in mind that "finding the fire" is essential and the process can be a whole lot of fun too! I believe we can have many fires and some are ever changing. I think sometimes in Life, we can get caught up in the "I still have to" and "don't have time" webbed mess.

Here's the thing....we can't NOT make the time or effort to find our fire. (yes, Z there is a double negative in that sentence, it's ok...my blog....my grammar)

The benefits are so great if we just take the time...and sometimes it makes the regular tasks feel a whole lot easier!  Go ahead choose something you've had interest in and get started. How ever tiny the effort...it's more than if you haven't started at all.....and you WILL be on your way to lighting your fire!

What's Going On.........

There is an ability/emotion that I truly feel we all posses and really need to utilize. It may remain dormant in some.... while in others it is part of our being that is generally present....although it may get clouded sometimes and lost sight of....I'm talking about compassion....and OK...how I lost it, briefly.

Case in point...last weekend my husband and I went out for a bite to eat. We don't go out all that often, so when we do, we look forward to it being a fun and enjoyable experience.

All was going well until....(Ok this is where I must emphatically state: I love children...I think they are cute and precious beings.....I have two of my own....I know it can be challenging.)

Shrieking of a young one started behind us. First few times I thought....."it's got to stop soon"..."they hopefully were finishing up"...then I turned around to take a look.....cautious not to give the`ole "stink eye".....and realized "no" they were seated after us, the intermediate shrieking continued. 

I found myself getting agitated and it was taking away from our outing. I thought "how could these parents remain here while their child disturbed everyone?" Granted we weren't fine dining in the least, but there still should be some sense of restaurant courtesy.

Forty minutes in, it hit me, clearly my sense of compassion and benefit of the doubt had been tossed out the window. Generally, to a fault as my youngest son says, I do in fact give people the benefit of the doubt until I know facts otherwise. I create scenarios in my head that would explain the behavior. 

I started thinking...perhaps they were housebound, sick with the flu all week and finally felt they could go out briefly....or maybe the Mom had just returned from travelling for work and the Dad needed a break from making dinner and figured they would go out early before the restaurant got busy...after all it was only 5:15.

As soon as I reminded myself to look at it from another perspective, I found myself more tolerable and compassionate to what they possibly could be going through. 

I think it is a good rule of thumb, to stop and consider, "we are never sure what is going on in other's lives, causing them to act the way they are."

I'm thinking there would be a whole lot more tolerance and harmonious living if we all showed a little compassion......even when we don't know for sure!

Bit Of Housekeeping............

An organizational post today: In a continuous quest to ensure that my days run smoothly....which I highly recommend, if you can find those little things that "could be easier if"  - go ahead and make them happen.........I am going to try my own blog post "schedule" of sorts.

Moving forward I will share my main post on Sunday evenings. Then mid week a smaller post, most likely consisting of inspirational quotes that really speak to me. I will also include snippets of my thoughts / feelings of the moment.

Notice how I use words like "of sorts" "going to try" "most likely" and "mid week"? Putting that buffer in place to minimize the stress is just one of the little tricks I use to ease that self imposed pressure.

I thought that creating some consistency too, for you dear readers of when I post, could be like tuning into that favorite TV show. You know when it's on and where to find it....and if you don't catch it, reading the post later is like "on demand".......it's there whenever you want it.

With my thoughts and ideas going in a variety of new directions for the upcoming year, I wanted to make sure that I put in place designated time for my blog..........because it is truly the fire in my heart that inspires and motivates me!

As always, would love to hear from you....go ahead...click the word "comment" it's right there below the post.

Cheers!

Foundations Are Built, One Brick At A Time..................

Within each day there are moments to love, moments to treasure, moments to forget and moments to learn. Recently, I have tried to find an overlap in each. This focus has allowed me the insight to fully appreciate each experience for what they are worth...to see the value they hold in my Life. 

I believe in things happening for a reason, I believe in fate and I believe that sometimes there are things that can't be explained and there we learn the ever important meaning of......acceptance!

This past week for me, had been one of uncertainty & feeling a tad lost. A sense of ambivalence showered over me....keeping it to myself.... with the comfort of knowing I have many turn to if I so desire. First couple of days I questioned a great deal, then for the next few days I scoured for answers and then yesterday...I came to the realization that it was ok and didn't need to be over analyzed. I let the feelings flow through me as if a way to process them.  

The acceptance allowed the weight to be lifted, the lightness allowed a ceasing of the  ambivalence and the combination of the two allowed relief.

What I came to understand: there are moods, phases, questions, blips ...call them what you will... that show up and sometimes stick around a little longer than we like or feel comfortable with. They have their own purpose...to show contradiction, to allow us to connect with a variety of emotions and be open to the ever evolving beings we are, as we continue to learn. I'm not one to shut the door or ignore what is in front of me. It starts as a pebble, goes to a stone and sometimes, like this past week for me, it takes a brick...but eventually I got it and that's what truly matters!

As I finish this post, the song changes on Pandora and I think it sums it up pretty precisely...Thanks to the Beatles for reminding us, we should all..........Let It Be!

Reader's Questions....

From time to time I am asked questions about my blog. So here we go....
a FAQ post........

Do you sit down and write an entry all at once?
Generally, yes. However, before I sit at the computer I've played around with an idea or two during the course of the previous days. Whether it be a title or theme for the post, I make a mental note of it. Today, while out on errands I had a pretty twisted thought that was far from my typical writings, and it made me think "I should blog about My Cluttered Mind"....and then I quickly thought 'how can I tie it into something positive and upbeat?"...and then I thought "but my blog is about the various parts of me and this is me right now".....so as you can see, I can be all over the place, and need to gather & organize myself mentally before I write.

Do family members mind when you mention them?
To my knowledge No.....not that they have said. I have been conscious to consider their feelings and realize they didn't sign up to share themselves with the world....I did, about me. When in doubt, they read it before I post, with the understanding that I will scrap it if they rather I don't share it. But to be honest,I don't think my boys read my blog on a regular basis, so I could probably write just about anything.....oh the power I hold......

Why are you doing it?
The answer to this question has changed over the year since the conception of my blog. Initially I wanted to tackle something that was clearly out of my wheelhouse. The technological piece felt overwhelming and I wanted to work on something until I got it......this clearly fit that bill.  Also, I had made the decision in my Life that I wanted to find inner peace and sort through some of the anxiety and stresses that held me back. Sharing, at times, can be freeing and I have found that, for the most part, this experience of writing a blog has provided that. So  basically for those reasons I jumped in without my floaties!

Advance to now, a year later and I continue the blog because I like the feeling it gives me! I continue to learn a great deal about myself, as well as others. Kindness, positive living and touching lives with smiles clearly translates in any language.....I can randomly be heard joyfully shouting (in our home) the latest country my blog has been viewed in. I mean c'mon kinda cool....currently ten different ones .....Russia is in the lead after the US. It still makes me giggle...I'm a simple girl who's world is pretty small, (by choice) so knowing someone in Pakistan or the Ukraine just read my blog...... makes me smile. 


Any "Nay Sayers" to your face?
Sure thing....I've been told I am too naive and that good deeds shouldn't be talked or written about. My response went something like this....."Screw You"....oops!.... have I crossed a line here?? Seriously though, I simply responded "I don't consider myself naive, I'd rather say that I am hopeful & that I believe in people and the power they have to touch lives with kindness"..... And secondly, "my reason for writing/sharing random good deeds I have done is to encourage others and validate those who already do. It's about creating a good feeling for someone, and I like being a part of that!!


What's with the title.....More Than Mom Thoughts?
Initially when I began the blog I didn't know what direction my writings would take me. I had contemplated tips and techniques that helped me when the boys were little...then I thought about writing about my years of volunteering at my kids schools and the difference and support parents can make for teachers.....and then I realized I wanted it to be more than mom thoughts and I wanted it to include my thoughts and feeling concerning Life and our interactions with each other.........and here we are!
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This blog ride has been a wild and fun one, that I look forward to both continuing and broadening.  The wheels are turning and my dreams for 2013 are in the making! Definitely a "stay tuned" kind of feeling.

Thank you shout out to those who encourage and motivate me...somewhere I read........."Life is a journey, and we are all walking each other home"....indeed we are...indeed we are!

Ooops...one more thing....keep in mind you can always contact me via the "comment" option at the end of a post and ask your own question. It is not public until I publish it, so if you rather I don't make it public, just ask.

Peace & Be Well ~

This holiday weekend I will

raise my face to the sun and feel the warmth and energy it gives me

be my son's number one fan as I cheer him on at a running meet

send a note to a friend

hold hands with my husband as we walk along a country road

curl up with a book outside...and probably fall asleep

make muffins early morning so my family wakes to the smell of being loved

gather leaves of orange that have already fallen to the ground

meditate

listen to instrumental music with my eyes closed and see the picture it creates

write in my gratitude journal....and give Thanks!