Today while out on errands I made a mental note of things I am Thankful for....... this list is above and beyond my many blessings of family, friends, shelter and good health, those of which I give thanks for daily. These are the smaller things, that make me happy and I am grateful for as well ~
The wonderful smell of vanilla sugar soap, peppermint body lotion and cloves
The feel of the fleece blanket around me while I type this
Giggles of a toddler in the store this morning
The design frost makes on my windshield
Buying a little something for a friend,because when I saw it I thought of her
A text that makes me smile when I read it
The sound of my son in the attic as he cleans and organizes...YAY!
Literally chuckling out loud when I think about dinner conversation last night
Fitting time into each day to do even just a little something for me
Soup and crackers on this chilly day
The feeling of contentment as I sit at a red light and take three deep breaths
"Blog Time"
Warm towels ready to be folded and the memory of when the boys were little, they would come running, so I could put the warmth on their smiling faces
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Thursday, November 17, 2011
How Grateful I am...................
"Feeling grateful towards someone or something in your life actually attracts more of the things you appreciate and value into your life" Christaine Northrup
As we get closer to Thanksgiving my thoughts continue to focus on being grateful. The realization has occurred to me that perhaps we are not "given" more to be grateful for once we begin acknowledging, but rather, we become more aware and attune to all that we already have. Kind of like when you get a new car, you start noticing more of the same kind of car on the road.
We can't take for granted what we have or we will not see all that is right in front of us!
Now don't get me wrong....some days, or parts of them anyway are not so rosy and it's hard to feel grateful. When feeling frustrated or overwhelmed and struggling I've been known to go for the "well I'm grateful that my two feet are on the ground and I'm upright". Goodness knows that's a pretty darn important one right there!
Then when feeling less grumbly it becomes clear once again the blessings I have before me each and every day and that undoubtedly would be my loving family.....Think I'll hug them just a little bit longer tonight.
As we get closer to Thanksgiving my thoughts continue to focus on being grateful. The realization has occurred to me that perhaps we are not "given" more to be grateful for once we begin acknowledging, but rather, we become more aware and attune to all that we already have. Kind of like when you get a new car, you start noticing more of the same kind of car on the road.
We can't take for granted what we have or we will not see all that is right in front of us!
Now don't get me wrong....some days, or parts of them anyway are not so rosy and it's hard to feel grateful. When feeling frustrated or overwhelmed and struggling I've been known to go for the "well I'm grateful that my two feet are on the ground and I'm upright". Goodness knows that's a pretty darn important one right there!
Then when feeling less grumbly it becomes clear once again the blessings I have before me each and every day and that undoubtedly would be my loving family.....Think I'll hug them just a little bit longer tonight.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Centering My Chi....................
Zachery Holme
Shoulders back and take a deep breath! By envisioning the precisely stacked rocks, I see myself straightening things out in my mind and creating the balance necessary to carry on at any given moment.
So I thought, with the Holidays quickly approaching and a great deal of potentially stressful moments ahead, I would share this image in the hopes that it can help someone else center their Chi.
Commit the image to memory and when you find yourself overwhelmed, picture the rocks and that my wish for you is to center yourself and live in the moment !
Friday, November 11, 2011
I Choose Happiness........
People have often asked me "are you always so happy"? "Um no".... but I can say that more often than not, when interacting with folks I am on the pleasant "chipper" side. I like people!
I recently phoned a dear friend and when her daughter answered I asked "is your Mom there please"? My friend came on the phone and chuckled. She said when she asked her daughter who it was, her daughter replied "I don't know, but it's someone pretty happy". That in turn made me chuckle and I was reminded how easy it is to spread happiness! Now I could be totally wrong and maybe she was rolling her eyes, in that.... grown ups are so goofy kind of way....but I don't think so, she's a sweetie and apparently a very good judge of character too!
So just putting it out there.........who wants to join me in making a conscious effort towards spreading a little more happiness?
Thinking over this past week and a couple of the happy moments I encountered. Walking into the post office an elderly gentlemen held open the door and let me pass in front of him. I commented "thank you, you are a dying breed" he broke out into the biggest grin and thanked me.
Dashing into the market to grab just a couple of things, and in my own world, I passed an elderly women struggling to reach something on the top shelf. (I see an older person theme developing here) I extended above her and grabbed what I needed and left....no seriously I said "let me get that for you". She smiled such an appreciative smile that it warmed my heart and I smiled too. I mean c'mon who was I to deny her Nutella?
It's truly the simple things in our day to day encounters that we can add a dash of happiness to without much effort.
So who's with me??
I recently phoned a dear friend and when her daughter answered I asked "is your Mom there please"? My friend came on the phone and chuckled. She said when she asked her daughter who it was, her daughter replied "I don't know, but it's someone pretty happy". That in turn made me chuckle and I was reminded how easy it is to spread happiness! Now I could be totally wrong and maybe she was rolling her eyes, in that.... grown ups are so goofy kind of way....but I don't think so, she's a sweetie and apparently a very good judge of character too!
So just putting it out there.........who wants to join me in making a conscious effort towards spreading a little more happiness?
Thinking over this past week and a couple of the happy moments I encountered. Walking into the post office an elderly gentlemen held open the door and let me pass in front of him. I commented "thank you, you are a dying breed" he broke out into the biggest grin and thanked me.
Dashing into the market to grab just a couple of things, and in my own world, I passed an elderly women struggling to reach something on the top shelf. (I see an older person theme developing here) I extended above her and grabbed what I needed and left....no seriously I said "let me get that for you". She smiled such an appreciative smile that it warmed my heart and I smiled too. I mean c'mon who was I to deny her Nutella?
It's truly the simple things in our day to day encounters that we can add a dash of happiness to without much effort.
So who's with me??
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Thank You Padre..................
"Be content to progress in slow steps until you have legs to run and wings in which to fly"....Padre Pio
Really wish I had read this quote earlier in the day. Driving home from errands this morning I was exhausted. Having recently had a cold that felt like my nose had been replaced with a brick...I had things I needed to do. The empty fridge was a good clue that marketing was a must for today. I was discouraged on my ride back because I wanted to feel "peppy" and keep going with things on my "to do" list.
So now I sit and ponder this thought of being content with my tired, sluggish body. I look for the good and realize.... why am I putting a deadline on how quickly I should feel strong and back to 100% ?? ......Think I feel myself perking up already!
We need to do away with this self imposed pressure/expectations, that have no redeeming qualities. In fact I think this pressure causes more harm than good and tilts the balance of life.
Quite honestly the "good" is the realization that life is ever changing and the easier I roll with it, the sweeter the ride will be! So now I curl up with a book and a cup of tea and take care of me....knowing there is food in the fridge.
Really wish I had read this quote earlier in the day. Driving home from errands this morning I was exhausted. Having recently had a cold that felt like my nose had been replaced with a brick...I had things I needed to do. The empty fridge was a good clue that marketing was a must for today. I was discouraged on my ride back because I wanted to feel "peppy" and keep going with things on my "to do" list.
So now I sit and ponder this thought of being content with my tired, sluggish body. I look for the good and realize.... why am I putting a deadline on how quickly I should feel strong and back to 100% ?? ......Think I feel myself perking up already!
We need to do away with this self imposed pressure/expectations, that have no redeeming qualities. In fact I think this pressure causes more harm than good and tilts the balance of life.
Quite honestly the "good" is the realization that life is ever changing and the easier I roll with it, the sweeter the ride will be! So now I curl up with a book and a cup of tea and take care of me....knowing there is food in the fridge.
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Giving Thanks......
November = Thanks, to me. Ok depending how you read that it may appear that I am thanking myself. Not my intent, but c'mon as Moms it does feel good to get that "thank you" shout out from our family, am I right? I am blessed that my kids and husband do say "Thanks for making dinner". I tend to think that is because I don't really "cook" and they ARE very grateful when there is a meal ready for them and more importantly they want to ensure another meal is on it's way tomorrow.
Now to the point of my post....Giving thanks comes in so many forms and it's something that doesn't take a great deal to partake in. To me the core of giving thanks is acknowledging whatever I consider to be a gift in my life. That may come in the form of prayer, meditation or directly to someone in my life.
Each morning I recite this qoute that I have on my dresser mirror:
"You simply will not be the same person two months from now after consciously giving thanks each day for the abundance that exists in your life. You will have set in motion the ancient spiritual law: the more you have and are grateful for, the more you will be given"! by Sarah Ban Breathnach..Simple Abundance
It allows me time to take pause and recognize all I truly have. And my inventory of blessings at no time involves materialistic extras. Ok I am very grateful for my electric blanket, but I keep it all in perspective.
The gratefullness in my heart creates kindness in my world, and that is something I want to share with others in the hopes that they will join me.
Now to the point of my post....Giving thanks comes in so many forms and it's something that doesn't take a great deal to partake in. To me the core of giving thanks is acknowledging whatever I consider to be a gift in my life. That may come in the form of prayer, meditation or directly to someone in my life.
Each morning I recite this qoute that I have on my dresser mirror:
"You simply will not be the same person two months from now after consciously giving thanks each day for the abundance that exists in your life. You will have set in motion the ancient spiritual law: the more you have and are grateful for, the more you will be given"! by Sarah Ban Breathnach..Simple Abundance
It allows me time to take pause and recognize all I truly have. And my inventory of blessings at no time involves materialistic extras. Ok I am very grateful for my electric blanket, but I keep it all in perspective.
The gratefullness in my heart creates kindness in my world, and that is something I want to share with others in the hopes that they will join me.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Simply Smile......
Contemplating this post I played around with a few ideas.....which translated means....started a few and quickly scrapped them. Nothing seemed just right. I then decided to read my emails and found today's quote from Gratefulness.org
" The source of a true smile is an awakened mind. Smiling helps you approach the day with gentleness and understanding". by Thich Nhat Hanh
That's it I thought, I so believe in what this quote means. I'll write a brief post about the power of smiling....and then like some kind of divine verification out of my computer speakers came Nat King Cole's voice singing his rendition of Smile.
Granted I was listening to Pandora Radio, it's not like the song appeared out of no where. But still that moment of fate was not lost on me. Once I begin to be aware of my surroundings and hear the whispers, so much opens up to me.
OK so back to the power of smiling. Simply put I believe in it! Give this a try...next time you are sitting at a red light waiting for it to turn green...simply smile! Notice there is this quick split second of feeling happy, which yes just as quickly can turn to.... what the heck am I doing? Doesn't bother me though, I'm always up for silly fun that has the potential of spreading a little joy. The real thrill comes when you receive a smile back. That's extra points actually. How many points will you get today??
" The source of a true smile is an awakened mind. Smiling helps you approach the day with gentleness and understanding". by Thich Nhat Hanh
That's it I thought, I so believe in what this quote means. I'll write a brief post about the power of smiling....and then like some kind of divine verification out of my computer speakers came Nat King Cole's voice singing his rendition of Smile.
Granted I was listening to Pandora Radio, it's not like the song appeared out of no where. But still that moment of fate was not lost on me. Once I begin to be aware of my surroundings and hear the whispers, so much opens up to me.
OK so back to the power of smiling. Simply put I believe in it! Give this a try...next time you are sitting at a red light waiting for it to turn green...simply smile! Notice there is this quick split second of feeling happy, which yes just as quickly can turn to.... what the heck am I doing? Doesn't bother me though, I'm always up for silly fun that has the potential of spreading a little joy. The real thrill comes when you receive a smile back. That's extra points actually. How many points will you get today??
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