Quote Of Encouragement ~ Or Not??

When the waves close over me, I dive down to fish for pearls.
~Masha Kaleko

When reading the quote above, my first reaction was Yes! and my second thought, (which has served as an obstacle in writing this post ) is what will others think??? how will it come across???

Somehow along the way, my positive outlook and rather more chipper than subdued personality, has lead others (ok a small handful a friend shared) to believe that things are always rosy in my world and more importantly, that I don't validate how they are feeling. When I think about it closely and try to interpret it...they feel, how "I am" doesn't allow room for how they are feeling, which creates their resentment and what I consider a misinterpretation of who I am. The furthest thing from my mind is to not be giving and compassionate. I will so work on conveying that differently for sure.

From the beginning of writing my blog, it has been important to me to keep it genuine of my thoughts...I didn't want today's entry to be an exception. So that is why I shared candidly with you Dear Readers this struggle, which is the result of a recent, eye opening, conversation that has involved a whole lot of soul searching for this Blogging Mama.

There are times in our lives when we need to take a look deep inside and see if we like what we see and where we want to make changes. I feel that my journey is evolving for sure and when aspects of Life feel a bit turbulent, you can be sure I am fishing for pearls....for both me and for you!

**  After thought........Feeling that today's post could have gone on a lot longer and probably required more to make complete sense of it all, but it is about the journey we call Life and my wanting to share mine with you, because we are all processing something, ok MANY THINGS and knowing others are processing too provides hope, comfort and that virtual High Five!

Never Stop Skipping......

Playful reminders have the ability to ground us, bring us back to a stress free time, and ease the tension of the moment.

I experienced that joyful reaction recently while I watched a child skipping in the library. He was so contently absorbed in his own moment, as if nothing else mattered, and that skipping was the only way to get from one area of the library to another. I found myself getting caught up in the image, and the child within me smiled and I realized "skipping should not stop when we leave childhood!" The same playfulness should also continue with jumping rope, coloring and blowing bubbles.

Really, I think all the activities that brought us joy in our childhood, should be part of our weekly schedule in adulthood. After all, if it brings us moments of contentment and awakens the happy child from within, I'm all for it. So ladies if anyone is digging out their Barbies, "can I come ova 'n play????" "Sorry Mom I know you taught me to never invite myself over to a friend's...but it's Barbies!!!"

Have You Laughed Today??.....

Recently I attended a Laughing Yoga class at the Seekonk Public Library. Curious to see what I was in store for, I looked it up online and saw an awry of laughing videos. Folks looking real happy....I'm in! The idea of laughing with a group of people intrigued me. I invited my sister to join in, it felt like a bonding sisterly experience...and it was! I think the idea of doing something that I know very little about, falls into the category of my wanting to try things out of my comfort zone. Though I consider myself rather happy and jovial by nature, this was still feeling out there for me....in a curious way.

We started with learning about the health benefits of laughing and then it was time to really get started. There we were, the room filled with over 20  people, anxiously sitting at the edge of our seats, ready for instructions. Things started peculating with every Ha Ha Ha... and the room started to come to Life.

Through the superb guidance of Laughter Certified Instructor (who knew there was such a thing??) Mary McDonald, she had us belly laughing, some even with with happy tears and even a few ladies running for the bathroom....no jokes, no stories, just us moving around, role playing and non verbally engaging with others....through laughter! Forced laughter, quickly became familiar and welcomed.

The nervous skiddish energy that initially filled the room was now well into healthy laughter mode.  

How about this for a laugh fact: One minute of belly laughing is equivalent to 10 minutes on a rowing machine. Well, that's a no brainer to me. I've found my daily exercise. I don't row. Bring on the laughter!

My aha! moment of the class...once we allow ourselves to become a bit vulnerable, let our guard down, and not be concerned how we look to others.....there is a whole lot of fun just waiting to be had.