DOING THE WORK

"If you want to make your dreams come true, the first thing you have to do is wake up." 

 ~ J.M. Power ~

I think we go along in life and hope to meet someone who will champion our cause for us, or that something will happen to make our dreams come true. But in my experience, it doesn't usually play out quite like that. It's up to us to be our own champions, and that is how it should be. Others can love us and support us and cheer us along, but it's our responsibility to do the daily work.

Every day I learn a little more about being a healthy advocate for myself.

ALL IN GOOD TIME

"The cyclone derives its powers from a calm center. So does a person."

~ Norman Vincent Peale ~

I imagine that most, if not all of us, have had an experience pushing with all of our heart and skill to complete a task, or the stage of a process, only to get bottle-necked down the line. It's the hurry up and wait syndrome. And no matter how efficiently we move, and how much pressure we put on ourselves, inevitably, there always comes a time when we have to wait for forces outside of our control to do their part. 
     Given this reality, perhaps we would do better to not hurry at all, and to steadily proceed on track without panic or fret. The way the job gets done is rarely on our time scale, but all in good time, it does, ultimately, get done.

I bring calm energy to my daily life process and stop insisting and pushing against the fray.

SUMMERTIME!

"In summer, the song sings itself."

~ William Carlos Williams ~

 

I used to resist the summer with its heat and humidity, bugs and yard work, but I have changed my mindset about it, because the truth is that there are so many things about the summer that I love! I love warm evenings, the smell of honeysuckle, and lightening bugs. I love watching vegetables, flowers, and trees grow like crazy in the sun. I love the sound of crickets, the early sunrise, and the late sun-set. I love front-porch sitting, home-made lemonade, and vacationing at the beach.

     I have come to understand that every summer day is precious, beautiful, and uniquely wonderful exactly as it is, so I am making a conscious effort to enjoy and appreciate each one.

I enjoy the glory of summer days.

OBSESSIVE THINKING

"Smile, breathe, and go slowly."

~ Thich Nhat Hanh ~

Some days it's exhausting just to be in the company of our own thoughts. All of our combined doubts, judgments, fears, and self-consciousness can be completely overwhelming. This is the "busy mind" state. We are obsessive and at work mentally- never at rest.
      Conversely, having a quiet mind is relaxing and peaceful. We are appreciative and aware of all that is good, and we are happy simply to be. The need to knaw at our problems leaves us and we are at ease and serene.
     And sometimes we can shift ourselves from the first mindset to the second through breathing and meditation, and sometimes we simply cannot. In the latter case, we just have to wait for time to shift us, which, happily, it always does.

I deeply appreciate my mind when it is not obsessively thinking and fixating, and I can be compassionate with myself when it is.

PROTECTING WHAT MATTERS

"Personal protective equipment is self-defense."

~ Author Unknown ~

I confess that boundary setting has never been my strongest skill, and I have suffered for it. Historically a people-pleaser, even with my children, I have at times been afraid to say no and set limits- even while knowing that to set limits is the right thing. It's old, co-dependent behavior, and I readily fall back into it. I'm better than I used to be, but I still have a long way to go.
     I have worked hard to establish a life full of values that matter to me: productivity, personal responsibility, consideration, healthy habits, and self-reflection, and I am no longer willing to sacrifice these values at the drop of a hat, or the whim of another.
     In the world at large, I must live by the rules of the world, but within my own soul and the walls of my home, it is up to me to protect and defend what matters.

I courageously step up to maintain boundaries around all that I have established in my life.

FULL LIFE

"When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, 'I used everything you gave me.'"

~ Erma Bombeck ~

I have an extremely full life, but it's full of good things, and I wouldn't want to miss out on any of it. The fullness makes it rich and textured, keeps it interesting, and never lets me become complacent.

I enjoy the intricacy and intrigue of my life; it's fullness and its mix-mash of responsibility and free choice.

STEADY DOWN THE ROAD

"One may go a long way after one is tired."

~ French Proverb ~

Life comes at us harder some days than it does on others. Our movements seem trudging and our efforts extreme. And on such days, what is usually no big deal becomes an arduous task, and we feel the weight of life bear down upon us heavily.
     Maybe dancing is the anecdote; maybe singing to music we love; maybe laughter, maybe sharing with someone how we feel, or maybe just patience and the passage of time. There is always a fix, but it's not always apparent. Our responsibility is simply to notice that we are off the beam. And through this honest acknowledgement, we open to the path of restoration, and slowly, but steadily, energy begins to shift in the direction of well-being yet again.

I am patient with trying days, and open to opportunities for rejuvenation.