PERSONAL ADVOCACY

"Things are never quite as scary when you have a best friend."

~Bill Watterson~

We have to be our own advocates in life, but it helps to have some additional advocates as well: those who will speak up for us, who know who we are and what matters, and who won't let us compromise ourselves beyond reason. Such advocates champion our cause and help us to protect and nurture our tender dreams.

I advocate for myself, and for others who I love.

BLESSED

"My cup runneth over."
~Psalm 23:5~

 

I am blessed with goodness and mercy, and believe that we all are. In spite of its ups, downs, twists, turns, and sideway arches; and maybe even because of them, life is a grand affair.

 

I am grateful.

THANKSGIVING

"For each new morning with its light

For rest and shelter of the night

For health and food, for love and friends,

For everything thy goodness sends."

~RW Emerson~

I love Thanksgiving! What an opportunity for good food and gratitude. We have so much to be grateful for- more than we even know. Let's consider our blessings today, and acknowledge them; and fill up on family and festivity, but not over-stuff ourselves. We don't have to indulge to the point of sickness in order to express our thanks.

I keep Thanksgiving with care.

LETTING GO OF THE DETAILS

"Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind."

~Seneca~

I like adventures, and if I can let go of my need to control the details, I like them even more. Unknown, unexpected, and unusual opportunities present themselves to me when I'm on the road; and if I'm open to them, my experience can be a pure delight.

I surrender to the road I'm on.

NOT THERE YET

"The living moment is everything."

~DH Lawrence ~

It's hardest for me to be present when I have something to look forward to. Like a child on the last day of school before break, it's hard for me to concentrate and to focus.
     I am excited, and that's understandable, but I am also not quite there yet. So I need to slow down and breathe, and be where I am until it's time to be elsewhere.

I graciously accept the reality of the present moment.

JOURNEYING

"Rise up nimbly and go on your strange journey to the ocean of meanings."

~Rumi~

I used to be rather an instant gratification junkie. I was all about the quick fix and had little, if any, patience for the journeying process. I wasn't interested in journeys. I wanted to arrive.

     I understand now what I didn't then- that there are markers along the path, and moments of import; crossroads, and overnight stays. But real arrival is the end of it all. So I'm ok today with slow progress, and able to enjoy the whole ride.

 

It's ok with me that things happen in their own sweet time.

LACK OF LOGIC

"Look both ways before entering the insanity."

~ Terri Guillemets ~

In certain situations that we find ourselves, there is an utter lack of logic. We are presented with terms that are impossible-to-work-with, so there's no compromising or negotiation possible- only stalemate.
     To force logic on such situations is to engage in battle, and to fight with no hope of support or understanding. So in the long run, it may be less costly to simply accept the insanity of what we are facing and let it be what it is. We don't have to insist that it make sense. We can cut bait and walk away.

I let insanity be insanity and stop trying to straighten it out.

RUDENESS

"Politeness is to human nature what warmth is to wax."

 ~Arthur Schopenhauer~

 

It never ceases to amaze me that people who work in the service industry think it's ok to be rude to their customers, and sometimes even belligerent. Where is the logic in that? Who hired them and who is over-seeing the situation? There's no percentage in rudeness, not for any of us, and not at any time.

 

I treat everyone I encounter with civility and respect.

THE MESSES WE MAKE

"Take responsibility for your own progress."

~ I Ching ~

It's not always easy or possible to clean-up life messes that we've made. Sometimes there's a process by which we have to suffer the chaos in order to fully appreciate the error of our ways. We want to get in the clear, and wash our hands of whatever the mess may be. But sometimes, our hands are stained, and it's only time that will clean them fully.

Other people can't clean up my messes for me. I have to do that for myself.

EXCUSES

"We excuse our sloth under pretext of difficulty."

~ Marcus Fabius Quintilian~

Nobody wants to hear our excuses, because they usually have nothing really to do the issue at hand. We need to step up and take honest ownership of our part in the drama of our lives. We need to say, "Here's how I could have handled things differently, and next time, I will."
     We try to wiggle out of responsibility by making excuses for ourselves, but the bottom line is that at least some part of the responsibility  in every situation is ours to own. So let's own it... and move on.

I admit my mistakes, make my apologies, and agree to do better going forth.

CHOICE FOR LIFE

"Grace isn't a little prayer you chant before receiving a meal. It's a way to live."

~Jacqueline Winspear~

It's a state of being to be grateful; an energetic position that acknowledges that we receive all kinds of goodness and blessings from unknown sources. We are gifted with life, for one thing, and the beauty of the natural world in which we live.

     Appreciating is something that we do, but grateful is something that we are- or not. It's a choice. What do you choose?

 

I choose gratitude.

LOOKING FOR BEAUTY

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

~American Idiom~

We are all hard enough on ourselves. We don't need to pick at our loved ones and point out all of their flaws. Let's look for their glories instead, and their unique beauty, and the special gifts that they bring to our lives.

I focus on what's right and beautiful in others instead of what they need to improve.

JUST THE WAY I AM

"If I am not for myself, who will be?"

~Pirke Avoth~

Historically, I can be a bit of a doormat. It comes to me naturally. But I don't like it, and in truth these days, being a doormat rather pisses me off. I am not for walking all over. I am for celebration and respect.

I am worthy of appreciation and consideration just the way I am.

THE FUTILITY OF SELF-SACRIFICE

"Never dull your shine for somebody else."

~Tyra Banks~

I often find myself wanting to please other people. I want them to be happy with me. So much so, in fact, that I would sooner sacrifice my own well-being for theirs. But this is foolish and unnecessary. There is a middle-ground that honors us both, and that's the one I need to find.

I don't have to throw myself under the bus as my default position. There's a way to accommodate others and honor myself at the same time.

FOR THOSE WHO SERVED

"When eating bamboo sprouts, remember the man who planted them." ~Chinese Proverb~

 

One day is not enough to properly honor those who have stood up for our country and fought for our freedom and defended our rights. They return to us war weary, combat stricken, and forever changed by what they've experienced. Veteran's Day is our opportunity to say thank you.

     Thank you for risking your life for us, for missing your family for us, and for sacrificing your comfort and your soft bed. We appreciate your service. We appreciate your courage. And we appreciate your ongoing willingness to step up.

I honor veterans today, and express my thanks for their invaluable and indefatigable service.

INTENSITY PHASE

"You can't have a million dollar dream with a minimum wage work ethic."

~ Author Unknown~

 

I find that my life has phases of intensity, and that I am in a high-intensity phase at the moment. There's a lot going on and that needs to be kept up with and pursued. It's a building phase. And it will pass and ease-up, but I can't force the easing up until it comes. It's first things first, and right here and right now it's a full plate. Right here and right now what's needed is discipline and endurance, and the willingness to keep on with the work.

I honor my life's work and give it the time and attention it needs.

MAINTAINING CHARACTER

"Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you."

~Ralph Waldo Emerson~

Sometimes the things that make us successful are the very same things that get us in trouble. In one environment they launch us to the top, and in another, they alienate us from the ones we love.
     And since it's not advisable to be a chameleon and change our personality depending on the situation, we have to learn how to temper ourselves while still maintaining our character. We can be sensitive to the needs of others without disowning ourselves.

I can be sensitive without being a doormat. I don't have to squish myself in order to fit inside someone else's comfort zone. 

SHARING THE JOURNEY

"If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go with others."

~African Proverb~

Self-propulsion can only take us so far. We need the cooperation of others to go the full distance. We cannot operate in a vacuum or remove ourselves from the currents of life and expect to fulfill our purpose in that way. We can retreat, but we always have to return. It's in sharing the journey with others that we are ultimately made whole.

I live and grow in cooperation with others. Life is not a solo-ride, but a shared adventure.

HOLDING ON

"I am iron resisting the most enormous magnet there is."

 ~Rumi~

It's possible to carry ourselves in a state of up-tightness for days on end, and not even realize how up-tight we are. Our necks and shoulders and low backs ache. We are irritable and full of angst; holding on with everything we have, trying to keep it all together. And we are sure, that if we let go, we will completely fall apart.
     Pressure builds and builds. And maybe, when we are finally able to let go, there will be tears, or some kind of uncontrollable verbal out-burst. But what follows is worth it, because what follows is relief, and peace, and relaxation at last.

I have the courage to stop holding it all together so perfectly and just allow myself to express what I'm feeling.

LIFE TRANSITIONS

"Do not grieve. Anything you lose comes round in another form."

~Rumi~

I like everything put away and in its place: ship-shape. So when things are not where they belong, I feel discombobulated and distressed. But life is full of change, so I have to find a way to be at ease with things and people turning up in unexpected places. I have to find a way to be "in-sync" with new movement patterns, and learn to trust them, and not keep looking backwards wanting things to be the way they were.

I am willing to adapt to the transitions in my life.

BEING ASSERTIVE

"Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak."

~Winston Churchill~

I can make my point without being a jerk about it. I can be soft-spoken and diplomatic, while still being assertive and clear. I don't have to shrink and waffle in life. I can be who I am, and feel what I feel, and decide whatever I may choose to decide.
    

I diplomatically claim the right to my particular point-of-view.