inspiration – Site Title

A Gorgeous Day!

I finally made it to the fields yesterday and it was gorgeous! This is the beginning of my fourth week after the operation and things seem to be going fine except for a headache now and then. That bothers me as I never get headaches so I’m wondering if something could be wrong or I’m just a worrywart? I think it could be the worrywart part.

Anyway, I made it to the top of the hill and the view was spectacular. The sky was a bright blue with streaks of white and the mountains were visible in the distance. The trees were holding their own in colors of gold and yellows but the reds were nowhere to be seen. It didn’t matter as I was simply glad to be out there and if I spread my arms like wings, I would fly away! Exactly how I felt. Nature gives me the freedom to fly and my mind clears up from all the clutter that I carry around with me.

As usual, it was quiet there. The apples have been harvested, the crops too. The field was barren and the new haircut seemed to suit it well. I could see for miles around with nothing blocking my view, exactly the way I like it. It was cold but I had my Sherpa-lined jacket on and a scarf around my neck but I forgot my gloves so I shoved my hands in my pockets and that was enough to keep me warm.

I didn’t need the warmth as my heart was singing again and there was a glow surrounding me. I walked to the top of the hill and I didn’t feel any twinges, meaning the pain in the side where I have the wound that is still healing, so I crossed my fingers and hoped it would stay that way. At the top of the hill, I decided not to push my luck and turned back down. It was enough for today and I was happy to see my old friend, “the fields” again.

Tomorrow is another day and if the weather holds, I plan to go further, just a tad further, to see if the herons have gone into hiding. I wonder if the geese and ducks have flown south because it was awfully quiet where I was. There were no V formations flying overhead and no noise to catch my attention. Maybe I’ve missed their annual flight out of here before the cold arrives.

Oh well, I’m grateful that I got to make it out there yesterday and to take a deep breath of whatever nature puts out when the seasons change. Each season has a distinct scent and fall is filled with pumpkins, hay, and apples. A wonderful scent of good things to come.

I walked back feeling elated and nature does that. It gives me a sense of peace but more than that clarity and it was no different yesterday.

Have an amazing day.

This Too Shall Pass

This is an old saying that holds more than a modicum of truth within its confines. When the good times are there, we forget about impermanency and quite often we think that it is going to last forever and it doesn’t always go that way. When the bad times come around, we think it is going to stay until it turns tail and leaves the same way it came in. Nothing lasts forever and understanding this concept is what this saying is about. This well-known adage reflects on the temporary nature of the human condition.

“Two years ago you had problems you don’t even remember. But it seemed like such a big deal at the time, didn’t it? And yet – here you are. This, too, shall pass.” Unknown

I don’t recall when but I’ve been through the cycle of thinking it was a big deal at the time and like that quote, it vanished without a trace.

It takes different forms. Sometimes love moves in and you think forever is in the cards but sometimes that “forever” is just in the imagination. It was never meant to last. Sometimes, one door closes and you wait for that door to open back up but it stays shut and in its place another one opens but not before you learn what pain is about. It comes when you least expect it and it leaves when it sees fit. Sometimes life is on an even keel or so it seems until it turns the tables on you and you are faced with turmoil and chaos.

This too shall pass? Absolutely. It always does if you wait long enough and you give it time.

“Change is never painful. Only resistance to change is painful.” Buddha

Don’t I know it! I hate change but it arrives whether I want it to or not. I am learning to let go of resistance but it will take time.

This next one I love!

“This too shall pass…

It may pass like a kidney stone, but it will pass.” Unknown

I’ve never had one of those but I’ve heard it’s painful. Too painful!

“Breathe darling. This is just a chapter. It’s not your whole story.” S. G. Lourie

Good one to remember when a painful episode decides to pay you a visit. It’s not the whole chapter and there’s more to the story so let it unfold as it will if you allow it.

This last one I like a whole lot!

This too shall pass….

“The heaviness. The confusion. The days that feel like they’ll never ease. Nothing stays the same forever, not the pain, not the doubt, not the storms in your head. You’ve made it through hard seasons before, even when you thought you wouldn’t. Hold on. Keep going. What you’re feeling right now isn’t the end of the story, it’s just a chapter.” Unknown

I know this all too well, however, this too shall pass is the last thing on my mind when things go down south but slowly and surely it is taking form and HOLDING so that the next time something unsavory happens I will remember,

THIS TOO SHALL PASS!

And hold on tight to what it means!

Have an amazing day.

A New Day

“Every day is a new beginning. Take a deep breath, smile, and start again.” Unknown

I’m sitting in the office area and looking out the window. It’s a brand new day and I’m thankful and grateful. There is a storm raging outside, the weather has turned and fall is moving in, not slowly but as quickly as it can. The wind is blowing and the bamboo fronds in the neighbor’s garden are bending under the weight of gale force winds but its resilience to spring back is amazing.

Sometimes we can take lessons from nature. We too are resilient and no matter how life tries to bend or to break us, like the bamboo we too can spring back to life when the storm has settled and move on from there. It is not the end of the world, it is, if we tend to think it is.

“With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts.” Eleanor Roosevelt

There is new strength coursing through me today. I went through major surgery on Monday and came out of it with little to show for it. The pain was nowhere to be found except for a little discomfort I feel just fine. I’ve made up my mind to embrace life and to open a brand new chapter. The pages are empty but I plan to write in them pretty soon. I have a plan in mind and it will be put into practice once my first week of recuperation is over.

I hope my body heals quickly. It is already showing signs that it is on exactly that path. I did the wash today, no big deal but going down to the cellar was but I did it with no problems. I’ve been walking up and down the stairs and cleaning up as well. The cat sitter said, “You are one fit person!” Well, I don’t want to jinx it but I would like to think that there is another hand at play in all of this.

“Every sunrise is a reminder that yesterday doesn’t have the final word. You can begin again, make a new choice, and write a better chapter. Your story is still being written.” Unknown

Exactly right! Yesterday doesn’t have the final say and you are fully capable of writing another chapter, one with a better ending.

“Every morning starts a new page in your story. Make it a great one today.” Unknown

Have an amazing day.

Stop Shrinking! (Archives)

Did someone say something that rubbed you the wrong way? Did it make you feel less than you are? Did a bad relationship make you feel unworthy and not enough? Did it help to shrink you even further? Does the environment you live in make you feel that you don’t belong? A job where you don’t fit in? Cruel remarks that make you feel smaller than you are?

“Stop acting so small. You are the universe in ecstatic motion.” Rumi

However, it happens in this day-to-day existence of ours. It has been said that it’s a cruel world out there and more often than not, it is. It doesn’t always build you up, it doesn’t make you feel worthy and “lacking” is the word that comes to mind. How do you walk tall in a world that doesn’t always care about your feelings, your mental health and more importantly the “YOU” as a person? The answer lies within. If you’re looking for validation from the outside world, you’re looking in the wrong place.

“Learn to love YOURSELF -first- instead of loving the idea OF OTHER PEOPLE loving you.” Unknown

If you only feel worthy when someone gives you a compliment, you are going about it the wrong way. If you are waiting for that special someone to validate love for you, it’s time to take a good hard look at your perception of love and what it means. If a two-timing no good individual can pull the rug from under your feet and leave you feeling like you don’t matter, it’s time to find that strength within, and to LOVE YOURSELF FIRST AND BETTER! Once you do, none of the above will matter. You become stronger, you learn what is important to you and you build yourself up from the inside out which is important. It is your source of comfort and strength but more than that, you won’t be looking for validation from the outside world. It is an inside job and you will start attracting the right kind of people as well.

“You are not enough!” “You are lacking!” “You can’t measure up to what life is asking of you because you don’t have it in you!” Is that your inner critic talking or rather berating you? Yes, it can be loud and it can be destructive if you let it take over. Each time you hear that negative voice within you getting loud, listen but don’t take it to heart and if it gets too destructive, send it packing! Here’s the truth. YOU ARE ENOUGH AS YOU ARE and YOU ARE FULLY CAPABLE OF ACHIEVING ANYTHING YOU SET YOUR MIND TO.

“Love yourself first and everything else falls into line.” Lucille Ball

When was the last time you paid attention to the person you carry around with you? I know I lost track of that person when the two cats moved in and my world was turned upside down. Paying attention to the person who mattered took a back seat and the inner critic had full run so much so that I became smaller than I am and doubts started creeping in. I’m not enough was the message, loud and clear. I listened and ran with it.

“Love yourself first, because that’s who you’ll be spending the rest of your life with.” Unknown

Be kind to yourself, speak to yourself like you would to someone you love, show yourself some self-care, take time out for yourself, pamper yourself, and stop to smell the roses. Once you do that, you will find that the people who bring you down, the ones who’ve hurt you, and the ones who take you for granted will disappear because others will come in to take their place. You attract what you reflect and better will walk in and want to stay. Your new reality will take some getting used to and letting go of those that no longer matter will sometimes be hard. However, one thing’s for sure, “shrinking” will become a thing of the past. It all starts with loving yourself first.

Until then,

“Love yourself so much that when someone treats you wrong, you recognize it.” Rena Rose

AND do something about it!

Have an amazing day.

I Miss the Fields!

Photo by Sıla Deniz Göktaş on Pexels.com

If you’ve been reading my posts, you will know that one of my favorite things to do is to go for a walk in what I call the fields. It is a stone’s throw away from where I live and my spirit flies when I am there.

It has open spaces for as far as you can see with the mountains on one side and the forest on the other. Most days I am alone there and I love walking my usual route all the way up to the apple trees and back. Often I see deer, rabbits, and herons when the season is right.

I know there is work going on there now and preparations are being made to meet the next season rolling in. Yes, the farmers do part of the job but nature does the rest. It is like clockwork and before you know it, the harvesting has been done and the fields prepared for what is to come next. Soon the trees will lose their summer foliage not before they wear their brilliant colors of fall. The apples would have been harvested and the trees will be bare again bracing for the cooler temperatures to step in and stay for a month or two before the cold sets in. The rabbits will find their hiding places below ground as they prepare for mother nature to do her thing.

It has been exactly two weeks since my operation and my orders are to rest, do small walks of about 7 minutes each time and the rest of the time to put my feet up and to relax. My heart, however, wants something different. I want to be out there walking until I am tired and to take in all that nature has to offer.

“Not possible,” says the doctor. I want to buck those orders but I know what will happen if I do. Sitting here in the office and looking out the window, I can see the fields in the distance. It looks beautiful and I can hear it calling. Yes, we know each other well. I am a constant visitor and I revel in its glory and my soul finds respite when I am in its presence. I can’t say the same for being cooped up in the house!

Four weeks seems like a lifetime away and perhaps a week or two afterwards for the wound to heal before I get an okay to pick up my regular routine. I HOPE! Until then, I will have to bide my time, look longingly out the window, and perhaps dream of walking out there again.

What will it look like the next time around? Perhaps it will be well into fall and maybe, fingers crossed, I will get to see the beautiful colors and experience the beautiful music that the trees make when the wind rustles through their leaves.

I hope it will be sooner than later!

Have an amazing day.

He Knows Your Name

This one hits home. If you’re feeling lost and alone, just remember that he knows your name.

FOCUS

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

It is one of the hardest things to do. You’ve got a plan in hand, all set to go, you take off and then you come to a screeching halt! What happened? Life did. Your focus is not on what you need to get done, the noise surrounding you is too loud, it is hard to concentrate and “giving up” is less work and easier to do. You are at a standstill not knowing which direction to take or worse still, you don’t have the energy to carry on.

“Starve your distractions, feed your focus.” Unknown

How do you starve your distractions? First, what are distractions? They are defined as, “things like technology (phones, social media, websites, YouTube, video games, Netflix), other people, or noises around you,” all vying for your attention and quite often they win.

“Stay focused on your goals and ignore the noise.” Unknown

Not easy to do, I know. I’ve let distractions get the better of me and what I could have achieved in a short amount of time took forever and a longer route to get there. You have a plan? If not, make one. You want to get somewhere? You’ve got to focus. Here’s the truth. If you don’t focus, you’re left by the wayside. Tony Robbins once said, “Your life is controlled by what you focus on.”

Focus on the good things and you get more of the same. Focus on doing better and you will. Focus on what’s in front of you and you’ll start moving forward.

FOCUS! FOCUS! FOCUS!

Oh, one more thing.

“You decide how to show up, and you’d better come correct: the way you look, what you say, how you act and react. No excuses! Get in front of the mirror and own what you see. You may have to drag your fabulousness out of hiding, but it’s there.” Alyssa Edwards

AND

“The more you focus on you, the better you become.” Unknown

Cut out the noise and the excuses. Zero in on what you want. You’re allowed to waver now and then but get back on track. FOCUS, and you’re halfway there, the rest needs work!

Have an amazing day.

A Quote I Live By?

Many of you know I love quotes. I find them inspiring and it is a quick pick-me-up when days are not looking like I want it to look like. Just a quote or two and it does the trick of getting me back to where I need to be. Just words you might say. True, but inspiring ones nonetheless.

One quote I live by and have lived by for a long time is this. “Live and Let Live.” Such simple words but it is needed in this world of ours where ugliness and cruelty rules and being different is considered a cardinal sin. This indirect quote “emphasizes coexistence and respect for all life forms.” If you look further, it means let someone live their life as he or she chooses and accept it for what it is. This acceptance bit is hard to come by in some circles.

Racism thrives on viewing individuals as being different because of skin color religious beliefs and or behavioral traits. Anything different in this circle is a no go or looked upon with disdain. I consider racism and racist attitudes the bane of our society. Someone said to me recently, “It will never change, racism will always exist. There is nothing you and I can do about it.” I beg to differ. Our world can be so much better if we can embrace each person for who they are and not for their outward appearance, who they marry and who they choose to be with and their worship practices. It shouldn’t matter but unfortunately it does. Just look at what Trump is unleashing in America and the world. Being “brown” could bring you a death sentence in a concentration camp somewhere far away.

LIVE AND LET LIVE for a better world, for acceptance of all people and for world peace as well. Here’s the thing it starts with you. One small step at a time as I always say. Teach your children the same. It starts at home and it is doable.

Daily writing prompt

Do you have a quote you live your life by or think of often?

View all responses

Stop Shrinking!

“Stop acting so small. You are the universe in ecstatic motion.” Rumi

“Learn to love YOURSELF -first- instead of loving the idea OF OTHER PEOPLE loving you.” Unknown

If you only feel worthy when someone gives you a compliment, you are going about it the wrong way. If you are waiting for that special someone to validate love for you, it’s time to take a good hard look at your perception of love and what it means. If a two-timing no good individual can pull the rug from under your feet and leave you feeling like you don’t matter, it’s time to find that strength within, and to LOVE YOURSELF FIRST! Once you do, none of the above will matter. You become stronger, you learn what is important to you and you build yourself up from the inside out which is important. It is your source of comfort and strength but more than that, you won’t be looking for validation from the outside world. It is an inside job and you will start attracting the right kind of people as well.

“Love yourself first and everything else falls into line.” Lucille Ball

“Love yourself first, because that’s who you’ll be spending the rest of your life with.” Unknown

Until then,

“Love yourself so much that when someone treats you wrong, you recognize it.” Rena Rose

AND do something about it!

Have an amazing day.

Let It Be

Let It Be. How many times have we heard this phrase? I don’t know about you but I’ve heard it often enough mostly from well-meaning friends, people who care and those who want better for me.

Did it sink in? NOT when I was in the midst of what I call my “end of the world” meltdowns. During these times, “let it be” was the last thing on my mind. However, when you look at these three words, it does hold power behind its seemingly gentle facade. The strength lies in its ability to slow things down, to step back and to take a good hard look at the situation and to say, there is nothing left for me to do so breathe and LET IT BE. Three unassuming words but a powerhouse when it comes to comfort, acceptance and a message of hope.

I want revenge! I want my old friend “karma” to step in and do what I can’t do! I want payback! Unfortunately, revenge is a dangerous option and karma, well it takes its time and that is the problem. Payback? It doesn’t happen automatically. So what do you do while you wait for whatever it is that you’re waiting for to take place? Breathe quietly and LET IT BE.

There is comfort in knowing that you don’t have to do anything. Wipe away the tears, tone down the rhetoric and just LET IT BE.

Acceptance, well this is much more difficult. Accepting means you are ready to let go of an event or situation that has caused so much turmoil. How do you calm this beast down? Breathe deeply and LET IT BE.

Hope is a four letter word that holds power within its unassuming persona. When you zoom into this optimistic state of mind, all things are possible is the message. Armed with comfort, acceptance and hope, I’m going to breathe and LET IT BE, if only for today. Tomorrow is another story!

Today’s mantra will be?

Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be.

Whisper words of wisdom, let it be.

The Beatles