Pure Joy!

If only it hadn't taken me this long to figure out that the very simple things in life bring me the most joy, like the picture above.  I can't help but smile when I see my grand kids at play.  They haven't yet been burdened with the "things" of life.  They have no worry about what tomorrow will bring.  They really do live in the moment. Ok so they can also throw a tantrum when things don't go their way, but at least they forget about it 10 minutes later...no grudges or revisiting the past again once recovery has been made.  I can't help but wonder how much more peaceful my life would have been had I done the following:

1) Don't spend any time mulling over what someone else says, thinks or does, just move on and let it go. 
2) If someone else disagrees with you, recognize it doesn't mean something is wrong with you
3) Your house will just get dusty again so rather than dust, go outside and play
4) Be silly more and serious less
5) Listen to old people, they are wiser than you realize
6) Be patient with yourself and others - we will never rise to the level of perfection we think we should
7) No matter how much you accumulate, things will never be enough to bring happiness
8) Loving yourself and others should be at the top of the to-do list
9) People can try to affect your attitude, but in the end you are responsible for your reaction
10) Not everyone wants advice, sometimes they just need to tell someone what's bothering them
11) Winning every argument does not make you smarter
12) Embrace the scars of life - they tell you just how far you've come
13) Recognize your life is like a portrait.  There are some pretty colors, some abstract, some dark, some bold but together they make up the picture of who you are today.

Ashley from lilblueboo has been my latest inspiration.  She says it best when she says "choose joy" .  That sums it up best http://www.lilblueboo.com.

Blessings!

It is a milestone in life when you realize the things most important to you are are not things at all.



This Journey

Sometimes we fail to understand the reasons for our hardships and the lessons we learned in the school of hard knocks.  We wonder why certain things happened to us and why we had to endure some of the pain we encountered on our journey.  The fact is that every single thing that has happened to us, both good and bad, to this point has allowed us to prepare for this moment in our lives.  Without these lessons, hardships, joys and sorrows we could not have been prepared to embrace what is happening at this very moment.  It is what gives us grace, wisdom, endurance, resilience.  These experiences have taught us how to love ourselves as much as we have learned to love others and let them love us.  We have learned that failures are only stepping stones to the next level and so we no longer fear failures.  We know that it matters less what others wish for us to be and instead we go after what we want because we know through our experiences what works for us and what doesn’t.  We had to experience life’s important lessons to understand and move ahead with the great plan for our lives, with confidence, joy and a sense of who we really are. 

Change the world one thought at a time

I love browsing through stores with things tucked here and there...the unexpected.  It is pure delight to find a treasure hidden among the troves of the everyday. There is giddy excitement in discovering a new idea or seeing a quote that moves my heart and soul.  So.... I figure why not put out my own inspirational messages with the hope that someone may find comfort, motivation, release, whatever... It is my attempt to reach out to the world and share myself and do what I can to make the world a better place from my little place here in Ham Lake.

Today's thought....

If it seems your life takes a crooked path, it just means your journey is that much more interesting

Quiet Time

The holiday rush is through, a New Year has begun.  Like many others I am thinking about my hopes and dreams for this new year.  I don't mean lose the usual 10 pounds and eat healthier.  I am talking about living with more purpose and joy.  And the purpose I am thinking of is really nothing more than noticing things, taking chances, being grateful, moving forward, letting go of old tapes and files and former lives, learning to value things less and people more.  I want to use my time more productively.  I don't mean pack more into my days or fill my days with meaningless or distracting tasks.  I want to approach my days with an openness,  allowing myself time and permission to learn and experience new things.  This isn't easy for someone used to creating and checking off lists of tasks, grading myself based on how many things were checked off the list. It isn't easy for me to sit down and simply start to do something without the slightest clue of where it might lead.  It is also hard to let go of something that doesn't fit or feel right.  I'm always much more inclined to stick with it and make it work.  I want to give myself permission to fail at things and not feel badly about it.  If anything I should fail if I take the chances I would like to.  Again, it is is easier for me to take less risk and succeed than to go all out with a riskier proposition. I want to return to the girl who was never afraid of risk and instead took it on knowing failure might be the result.  Somewhere along the way I lost a little of that.

And Joy; it has become my favorite emotion.  Joy lights up my soul, opens my heart and allows my life to flow through me to those around me. Joy is contagious.  One of the gifts from the past year is the continued discovery that my joy comes from such simple things; things which might go unnoticed if I wasn't paying attention. Like the unplanned dance that took place with my beautiful daughter and grandchildren at the end of Christmas day or the gigglefest with my granddaughter and grandson; or the joy of staring into the sparkling and mischievous eyes of my grandson.  There was the quiet joy I felt as I spent the evening preparing and eating a feast with my husband, good friends and relatives as we celebrated New Year's eve.  There should be a way to discover joy in something everyday.  That is my goal...to seek and experience things which bring me joy.

I want to continue my switch from "mission mode" to "journey mode".  There is a new recognition of the finite time I have left.  Not just in terms of years, because of course no one knows for sure when life as we know it here will end.  No the finite time I speak of is more in terms of growing in spirit and wisdom. I don't want to waste another moment worrying about meaningless things.  It pains me when I consider the time I've wasted concerned about what this or that person thought of me, whether I was good enough at whatever I was doing be it mothering, working, being a friend, daughter.  The truth is I will be great at some things, good at others and there will be things I am not well suited for, just like every other person I know.  There is a peace that comes from letting go of the need for perfection.  In journey mode my goal will be to have genuine conversations, to listen to what people say, not so much with the need to fix problems or relate my own experience, but to simply be present and listen.  There is peace in that as well; knowing my job isn't to fix everyone or compete.   

There will be other goals too I am sure that pop up as I travel through 2012.  For now, these seem like a good place to begin.  I am grateful this day for the love of those around me, for quiet times, for freedom, for the opportunity to explore and learn new things.  I am grateful to God for his plans for me, for the blessings, patience and compassion he continues to shower me with despite my shortcomings. I am admittedly a work in progress.

Here is to a great New Year.