the silver lining is known as a hopeful or comforting prospect in the midst of difficulty, it is literally the presence of light that surrounds and defines a cloud.
This is my silver lining
Once uponall the time, something challenging happens, followed by something amazing...
I've been working a lot lately, and not having as much time for the things I had been doing regularly... yoga, healthy eating, blogging... hehe!! The more I've allowed myself to put these things off a day, the harder it gets to do them at all. I noticed even when I was busy and got home at 10 and went and did the things I needed, I had more energy and motivation to do them. Then, tonight I read this amazing blurb from the incredible Brian Johnson:
"Jack (Chicken Soup for the Soul) Canfield has a great line. He says: '99% is a bitch. 100% is a breeze.' Classic. Are you looking to start a new habit? That thing you just *know* you could be doing that’d totally take your life to the next level if you did it consistently? Might be meditating, exercising, journaling, reading more, eating well or some other empowering habit you could add to your life. Or, you might be trying to *stop* an old habit—might be no longer yelling at your kids or zoning out in front of the TV, aimlessly surfing the Internet, smoking, drinking, whatever. If you’ve failed to make a habit either stick or go away, I’d be willing to bet that you had a 99% (at best) commitment. But, as Sir Canfield tells us, 99% is a bitch. 100%? That’s where it’s at."
Yes. YES. YESSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!
Makes so much sense, 100% is so much better! I mean think about it... if you were to get married, and someone told you they'd be 99% committed to you, you'd probably wanna rethink your decision! It's close, but there's always that one little percent there to think about and pester you. If you're gonna do it 99%, why not just go all the way with an itty bitty one more percent? It's like when someone leaves that last sip of OJ in the fridge... it's not enough to quench anyones thirst!! You breathe 100% of the time... so it is doable ;-)
It sounds like a lot at first, but when you start doing something all the time, it becomes something that you want to do more!! The more you're spending time on things that feel good, the better you feel... so when you're doing at least one of those things everyday, you'll feel good everyday...seems pretty simple, eh?!
What's something that you've been doing 99%?? Bump it up to 100%, go for it... when you don't have the option to bail out... well, it's not an option, hehe!! So, go all in... don't leave a sip of OJ in the bottle for later, drink it up now!! ;-)
Today's Silver Lining:
"I'm Starting With The Man In the Mirror, I'm Asking Him To Change his Ways, And No Message Could Have Been Any Clearer, If You Wanna Make The World, A Better Place, Take A Look At Yourself, and Then Make A Change." Man In the Mirror- by Michael Jackson
Weird: adj- Of, relating to, or suggestive of the preternatural or supernatural, Of a strikingly odd or unusual character; strange. Of or relating to fate or the Fates.
I have been using this word a lot lately when it comes to many of the things that have been happening in life. There have been so many things falling into place, aligning themselves and creating situations that are so perfect, yet totally random, that all I can say is weird. Looking at the definition, it seems to be an accurate fit to many of the things that life has been creating.
Chance meetings with old friends at the exact time you are both in town.
Having to be at an event at the exact place that someone just told you about.
Your password for your google account showing up as it's homepage theme.
Doing exactly what you want to be doing, without even meaning to...
Weird. Fate. Odd.
And totally normal.
I can't help but keep noticing more and more how easy life is supposed to be! Not that there aren't tough times, or lessons to learn the hard way... but when you let these things happen, when you go with the flow, some how even the hard work gets easier. When you do what feel right for you, trust yourself, accept your strengths AND weaknesses, everything suddenly becomes necessary. The more I let go, and let flow... the more I realize that life is supposed to be this incredibly awe inspiring! I mean, everything just works so perfectly... the plants grow, the birds fly, babies are born, our breath comes and goes, time ticks on... and that is pretty miraculous!! The earth spins, the stars shine, the oceans tides go in and out... and no matter what we choose to do, all of this somehow keeps going. What's even more amazing is that to top it off we can fall in love, save lives, change lives, live lives we create... we can assist in these miracles!! What a gift, that we can either choose to use or put in the closet. As Albert Einstein so beautifully put it:
"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."
So how's life for you?
Hopefully full of weird little miracles! ;-)
Today's Silver Lining:
"It’s not that unusual when everything is beautiful, It’s just another ordinary miracle today, The sky knows when it’s time to snow, Don’t need to teach a seed to grow, It’s just another ordinary miracle today. Life is like a gift they say, wrapped up for you everyday, Open up and find a way to give some of your own." Ordinary Miracle- by Sarah Mclachlan
Well, a big thank-you goin out to the universe!! I am grateful for this amazing ability to change my life, by just thinking it so!! Just knowing this changes my thoughts!! When you think you are powerful, you are... you are!!
I love my notes from the universe I get each day!! It's free to sign up if you wanna be inspired, and it's also supercoolhappyfun!! You can even make a vision board, which I LOVE!!! The link is:
I'll leave you with one more note the Universe sent me that I absolutely adore... ;-)
From really far out in space, do you know what you look like?
A star.
A super star!
Love you like crazy glue,
The Universe
It's official, I'm a star... And to put it in the words of one of my favorite SNL characters, Mary Katherine Gallagher... "Superstar!!"
Today's Silver Lining:
"Hey, look me over, Tell me do U like what U see? Hey, I ain't got no money, But honey, I'm rich on personality, Hey, check it all out, Baby, I know what it's all about, Before the night is through, U will see my point of view, Even if I have 2 scream and shout, Oh baby, I'm a star! Might not know it now, Baby, but I are, I'm a star! I don't want 2 stop till I reach the top, Sing it! (We are a star!)" Baby I'm a Star- by Prince
"To be or not to be, that is the question."~Shakespeare
I ran across this quote today and it made me think of an earlier time in my life, where I believed the quote was, "To be or Nottoobee, that is the question." Furthermore, (and I have no clue where this part of my belief was created!), I thought Nottoobee was a magic gnome who lived in the enchanted forest near Santa. So, in my innocent mind, the meaning was something like, are you just gonna let it be, or ask Nottoobee. When I heard this, it would make me think... "Ohh, I should ask Nottoobee about this, because I can't just let it be." Even writing this now, I can't quite make sense of it, but I can still remember how much sense it made to me at the time... how smart it made me feel to understand this.
I had many beliefs like that as a kid... things I was so sure about, things that made total sense, things that I understood. As a child, when you believe something silly like that, it's cute, encouraged even. You're allowed to dream, to believe in fairies, to have fun... to believe in your own possibility! My kindergarten teacher had an accent, and when she said "Lord," I thought she was saying, "Laura." So everyday when we stood in a circle to pray, and everyone would ask for prayers for their grandma, pet hamster and brother, and my teacher said, "Lord please pray for them," I heard, "Laura please pray for them." So I would say okay softly, and go home and pray for them... it seemed totally normal to me because I just thought I was really good at praying and so I was the one that could help all these people. I believed in myself that much ... so why does that have to change as the years go by?
Well, I know the obvious answers... experience, growth, google... but can't we evolve with a smile? Why are we expected to be so serious, have all the answers, and never fail... I mean that sounds like no fun at all!! Amma always says,
"Have the attitude of a beginner, and the innocence of a child"
Wow!! So good!! There's always something new we can learn, always!! Things are always changing, and if we have this attitude, we can be open to learn and grow with them. Children are often looked at as those us older people can teach, but we can also learn a lot from them!! I swear sometimes I think I've learned a lot more from kids I've tried to teach, than they learned from me!! They have that beginner mindset still, that belief in things, they aren't afraid to listen and learn and be wrong and see what is, rather than what should be. It's so amazing to see that in anyone!
So maybe we should all spend more time with that inner child... the one that questions and looks at everything with awe and big eyes, that can find fun in a paper bag and believe that they are a superhero!!Here's a great example of just how great life can be as a child... I'm going to start doing this daily!! (For now, I have fairy wings in my car, bubbles in my purse, and a smile on my face... and if there's something I'm not sure about, I still remember I can always ask Nottoobee!)
Today's Silver Lining: "Love - Devotion, Feeling - Emotion, Don't be afraid to be weak, Don't be too proud to be strong, Just look into your heart my friend, That will be the return to yourself, The return to innocence. If you want, then start to laugh, If you must, then start to cry. Be yourself don't hide, Just believe in destiny, Don't care what people say, Just follow your own way, Don't give up and use the chance,To return to innocence." Return to Innocence- by Enigma
When you have more in your past, and further to look in your future, it's sometimes confusing to really get a clear grasp of now. What matters now? What is the moment? There's a great line I heard from an old Meatloaf song, that isn't the silver lining, but is definitely golden!! It says:
"But it was long ago and it was far away, Oh God it seems so very far, And if life is just a highway, Then the soul is just a car. And objects in the rear view mirror, May appear closer than they are."
Beautifully put. The soul is just a car... I love that!! And looking back at things, even when they seem so long ago, always makes them appear closer, because we can still see them... and trying to look ahead, we can't tell what we'll come up on next!!
I am constantly questioning everything... saying the same things over and over with different words... but these things eventually evolve as they need to. Our beliefs serve us as they need to, right or wrong, good or bad, late or early, wet or dry... none of these dualities matter as much as the awareness they bring us... the reality they elude to. We can never be too sure of what exists for others, because we aren't riding in their car... our judgements are never really an accurate map!! So regardless of what we are soooooo sure of where we are right now, eventually it will be an image in the rear view mirror, as we ride on down the highway of life in our dream soul!
Today's Silver Lining:
"First the earth was flat, but it fattened up when we didn't fall off, now we spin laps 'round the sun, all the gods lost, 2-1, a host of heaven pointed out to us from light years away, we're surrounded by a billion galaxies, things are not always, things are not always how they seem, will you be ready' will you be ready'" 2 1- by Imogen Heap
“Some things you have to do every day. Eating seven apples on Saturday night instead of one a day just isn't going to get the job done”—Jim Rohn
I've been slowly falling out of some of my good habits... I tend to have a habit of doing that!! ;-) I stopped going to yoga as much, eating as much raw food, writing in my blog...ahem... oopsie!! However, I could see a difference in my level of happiness... it wasn't even a huge slip... maybe a week, but the happiness just wasn't as bursty, laughing out loud for no reason, can't control the urge to smile alllll the time, as it was when I was habitizing!! Today I was back in my routine... and whadda ya know... instant results! Sooooo happy for no reason! To top it off, I even had an amazing dinner from whole foods in red rock canyon... which just gave me even more of a boost because it is soooooo beautiful there.
The more I read, and live life, lol... the more I realize how important our habits are. We are what we do... just the act of constantly doing something that makes you feel good can change your life!! In a book called TED, by David Emerald, he says,
"It is the baby steps you take, the everyday things you do, that eventually lead to the manifestation of your outcome."
It doesn't mean we have to make drastic changes all at once, in fact those can be like fad diets and make things worse because they come and go!! However, if we keep up little nuggets of goodness everyday, they become a whole bowl full of happy habits!! As Aristotle said:
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."
Love, love, love that!! When you look at examples of people who represent excellence, they are people who are constantly doing what they're good at!! Olympic athletes don't have one really great intense session and expect to win gold, they train daily... it is part of their habit. The more you do something, the less you have to think about doing it... it just becomes a part of your routine. So what do you do everyday?? Are there things you do that you may not realize have become habits? Complaining? Snoozing? Slacking? :-) Are there little things you could do, that would become habits of happiness? Smiling... alot?????? :-D
Bottom line it doesn't matter what you do everyday... but what you do everyday matters!!!! ;-)
Today's Silver Lining:
"If you want to sing out, Sing out. And if you want to be free, Be free. 'Cause there's a million things to be. You know that there are. And if you want to live high, Live high. And if you want to live low, Live low. Cause there's a million ways to go. You know that there are. You can do what you want. The opportunity's on. And if you find a new way. You can do it today. You can make it all true. And you can make it undo. You see. Ah, It's easy. Ah You only need to know." If You Want to Sing Out- by Cat Stevens
What am I doing? It's an answer that's always changing for me, and one that usually takes a bit of explaining and still never quite makes sense to people... but today I found a new answer that explains it perfectly. At the moment I'm enjoying what I have, embracing change, allowing it to create whatever happens next, and being grateful that i have the freedom to do all of the above!! I'm happy where I am, but still movin, doing what I need to do, but also what I want to do... in short, "I'm livin my life like it's golden!"
Today's Silver Lining:
"I'm holding on to my freedom, Can't take it from me, I was born into it and it comes naturally, I'm strumming my own freedom, Playing the God in me, Representing His glory, Hope He's proud of me! Yeah! Living my life like it's golden, Living my life like it's golden." Golden- by Jill Scott
You cannot do wrong and feel right. It is impossible! ~Ezra Taft Benson
The way we are made to work is really quite simple... we are naturally in tune with everything we need for survival. We are programed to feel a certain way, so that we instinctively respond based on that feeling... but these days we are being programmed to rely on thinking instead. We don't question touching a hot stove, we can feel pain, so we don't touch it. Things that harm our bodies cause pain, things that help our bodies feel good. It's the same with our emotions, they are there to help guide us into things that are in tune with our highest good, and help alert us to what isn't... yet somehow we seem to question these feelings if they don't match what we think we want to do.
Look at the rest of the things around us... trees, animals, the sun... they all just do their thing. A tree just grows, it doesn't question where the water will come from, or try to put it's roots somewhere it thinks may be a cool spot, it is just growin with the flow. Everything else survives and adapts to change without having to worry, because that's what we're made to do... grow and evolve with everything else around us. I was reading a book today that says,
"As another ancient sage once said, 'The pathway is smooth. Why do you throw rocks before you?'”~ Susan Jeffers quotes from Feel the Fear…And Do It Anyway
We create our own obstacles sometimes by placing these fears in our minds. Rather than trusting ourselves, we allow fear to trick us into thinking there is a way that something could go wrong. The thing is, no matter what has hurt us in the past, or what we fear may hurt us in the future... we were born totally able to handle it!! Our feelings are there for a reason, to be our guides, and allow us to experience everything we need. She also says:
"You are innately designed to use your personal power. When you don’t, you experience a sense of helplessness, paralysis, and depression—which is your clue that something is not working as it could. You, like all of us, deserve everything that is wonderful and exciting in life. And those feelings emerge only when you get in touch with your powerful self." ~ Susan Jeffers quotes from Feel the Fear…And Do It Anyway
I love that!! I couldn't agree more. Anytime those feelings come up they urge us to want to change something in order to end that feeling... they motivate us in a strange way to go towards something that will work better for us. When we don't feel good about something, chances are, we're right!! Another great way to look at this is from Byron Katie:
"Your nature is truth, and when you oppose it, you don’t feel like yourself. Stress never feels as natural as peace does."~ Byron Katie quotes from Loving What Is
Ever notice how the things that seem to make us feel peaceful and happy seem to be treated as a bonus to the other stressful, less appealing things we feel we have to do? Well, it's okay to always feel good with what we're doing... in fact it's our nature to follow the good! If something isn't serving us anymore, we're feeling detached from it for a reason. Oprah is a great example, she says:
"We create stress for ourselves because you feel like you have to do it. You have to. I don't feel that anymore."
Ever notice how even things you like to do can be stressful when you feel like you have to do them? Forcing things always creates those feelings of discomfort because we aren't paying attention to what's in flow. We need to keep in check with our feelings... just like we do with the weather. We make sure we know if it's hot or cold so we can dress accordingly...in the winter we bundle up to keep warm, to prevent us from feeling too cold. Most of the time we aren't going to wear a bikini out in the snow, and if we do, we'll most likely freeze and suffer from that decision! Check your feelings... are you excited? stressed? happy? These feelings are our thermometer so we can gauge how to act accordingly. So remember, trust how things make you feel... just like you can't be warm wearing a bikini in the snow...
You cannot do wrong and feel right. It is impossible! ~
Today's Silver Lining:
"It's not hard to understand, Just follow this simple plan, Follow your heart, Your intuition, It will lead you in the right direction. Let go of your mind, Your Intuition, It's easy to find, Just follow your heart baby." Intuition- By Jewel
Economy-shmonony... blah, blah, blah. Yes, money many be tight for many people out there, but let's be real, we just keep buying new versions of the same crap anyways!! We always have everything we need, even if we trick ourselves into thinking otherwise... we're very adaptable creatures! A friend showed me a great video today where someone was giving out Free Hugs, and it got me to thinking... of all the things that are free to give and readily available. I decided I'm going to be giving out free gifts all week, so look out people... if I see you it may as well be your birthday because I'm loading you up with goodies. Here's my top 10 list of free gifts to give to friends, family, or your favorite Starbucks barista... because it's all about living and giving the present, hehe!!
The Best 10 Free Gifts Ever (well at least on this blog, lol)
10. a wink
9. a knee to tie your shoe on
8. a cool nickname
7. knock knock jokes
6. courtesy laughs
5. high fives...(had to keep with the whole 5 theme!)
4. smiles
3. compliments
2. hugs
and, the top one is..... drum roll.... cowbell......................
1. dance moves... I mean come on, who doesn't love to watch someone dance?!! I don't know about you, but I'm always grateful when someone is willing to share their moves with me, and so I will be giving out free dance moves, (I usually charge)... so you're welcome in advance!!
Today's Silver Lining:
"And I'll take you for who you are, If you take me for everything, And do it all over again, It's all the same, hours slide and days go by, Till you decide to come, But in-between it always seems too long, Suddenly but I have the skill, yeah, I have the will, to breath you in while I can, However long you stay is all that I am." All the Same- by The Sick Puppies
Possible: adj- Capable of happening, existing, or being true without contradicting proven facts, laws, or circumstances; Capable of occurring or being done without offense to character, nature, or custom.
So, that's what we are told to believe we can do... things that have been done, that are already known, that don't go against proof... but if we only stay within these possibilities, how can we ever create new ones??? I don't understand how a lot of things work, I just know they do because of experience... because I've tried them and they've become part of my reality. Now many things in my life that once seemed impossible, are all possibilities I am being presented with.
It is difficult to say what is impossible, for the dream of yesterday is the hope of today and the reality of tomorrow. ~Robert H. Schuller
Today I found a note I had written myself that simply said: "All I want is to spread happiness to everyone in the world." Haha, oh, that's it?! Just to make everyone in the world happy!! Sounds impossible right!?! Well, here's the even funnier part... I also realized that's exactly what I'm doing! I'm working for a new book called, Delivering Happiness, by Tony Hsieh and I am literally packing and sending this book to people all over the world... thus literally delivering, Delivering Happiness, to people all over the world! It wasn't quite what I pictured I'd be doing when I had written that, but in a strange way, it is exactly what I wanted to give people, some real, honest to goodness happiness! And that is just what this book does, in so many ways!! The book itself is a bundle of stories that will bring anyone who reads it not only some good laughs, but some insight on the psychology of happiness as well! It shows many things that seemed impossible at the time, and the persistence and attitude that made them not only possible, but profitable! It gives people examples of how to overcome things with a smile, and a few things to avoid preventing those smiles from being turned upside down :-) Since the book isn't actually being released until June 7... all the copies I'm delivering are advanced copies people have won, so ya know that's a happy little treat! Then to top it off, I put little notes inside the book sometimes encouraging a happy dance... or a happiness fortune, such as: "Happy is he who gets advanced copies of good books... whoo hoo, that's you!" I'm tellin ya folks, it doesn't get much happier... people are gettin really happy out there... and you could be next, so warm up your smiles!!
The thing is, I wrote that actually believing it was possible, not trying to figure out how... rather just trying to do it little by little... and now book by book. When you just try things that seem impossible, they suddenly become... well, more than simply possible... incredible!
There is nothing impossible to him who will try.~Alexander the Great
It is so true... anything you try, even attempt, is instantly not impossible anymore, it is now an option, a dream, a lesson... it exists, because it is being learned through experience. When you look at things this way, when you try doing what others may not have found yet, you realize....
Failure is impossible. ~Susan B. Anthony
I still look at things everyday that seem like they should be impossible to me... that I can talk to my parents in Florida on skype through a computer and we can see and hear each other... I mean, that seems like it should be impossible! The fact that we can fly through the sky in an airplane and get to places in hours, that used to take people decades... that's amazing!! Thinking about space and all the galaxies beyond and lifeforms that exist, (the fact that I'm an super dork and watch too much PBS!), seems unimaginable!! Yet, all these things are proven through trial and error... key word TRIAL, or TRY-ALL!!
We are an impossibility in an impossible universe. ~Ray Bradbury
Yet we are here. You are here. I am here... Impossible... or I'M-Possible!!! The world is amazing, life is amazing and as I learned from reading Delivering Happiness, and now experience through delivering, Delivering Happiness, (the fact that I'm delivering, Delivering Happiness, never gets old, lol),
It's kind of fun to do the impossible. ~Walt Disney
It doesn't matter what you do, where you are, what got you here, how impossible it may have seemed... Here you are, and as for what happens now... well, the possibilities are endless, and so are the impossibilities!!
"Who's to say, What's impossible, Well they forgot, This world keeps spinning, And with each new day, I can feel a change in everything, And as the surface breaks reflections fade, But in some ways they remain the same, And as my mind begins to spread its wings, There's no stopping curiosity, I want to turn the whole thing upside down, I'll find the things they say just can't be found, I'll share this love I find with everyone, We'll sing and dance to Mother Nature's songs, I don't want this feeling to go away." Upside Down- by Jack Johnson
So today's the day to celebrate moms and say thank you for all they do. I thought about doing what I always do, sending a gift with a card, thanking my mom for how amazing she is, for ALWAYS being there, no matter where I happen to be in my gypsy life.... for always supporting all of my many ideas and dreams, and for always being my voice of reason when I'm at a loss for words... for showing me what love is through the way she lives every moment of her life, and teaching me the many uses of a wooden spoon, lol! ... but instead of telling her the same things again, I'd thought I'd take a different approach.
Most of my life I just thought that all mom's had to be this compassionate, it wasn't until much later that I realized it was a choice... That all she gave up for me and did for me was from her heart, not the mandatory mommy handbook. I've struggled with being different since I was a kid, going off the beaten path, and following my dreams... rather than the footsteps that society tells me to follow. I've lived in many places, had many friends come and go, been betrayed, ridiculed, questioned and doubted by most... but never by her. Even when I thought my dreams were unrealistic, she was the one to tell me to go follow them anyways!! She always had a way to to keep me inspired even when I was across the country ... and somehow all the random cards she sent would arrive in the mail, just when I needed some words of encouragement. She always helped me feel like I could do anything... and reminded me that she was proud of me for trying, no matter what the outcome. She is the reason that I was never afraid to leap, was because I knew it was ok to fall with her there to encourage me to get back up. She never tried to make me into what she thought I should be, or worried about what others thought of who I was... she always embraced and encouraged me to be who I am!! I know that it's not an easy task, listening to all the doubts, trials, and confusion that come along with my journey... but she is always on the phone as long as it takes for me to see the light and process through those things. And as I travel and move and evolve into new ways of thinking, she is always there, and allows me to change without judgement, showing me what true love looks like. The solid foundation my faith in life is built upon was created by her example and wisdom. Life is tough, but it's a lot easier knowing there's someone out there who loves you and believes in you no matter what... she would have to feel the immense gratitude for her in my heart that grows with each breath, to ever really understand just how much I appreciate/adore/admire/love her!!!!!
So this Mother's Day my wish is for her to feel the same way. To know that I believe in her no matter what. That she can do anything she dreams of, go anywhere she has ever imagined, and continue to embrace all of life's beauty. To remind her of how amazing and talented she is, and how much better the world is because she is in it. To encourage her to never be afraid to try something new or take a chance. To know how proud I am of her and all she does. And to know that regardless of any choice she ever makes, I will love her and stand beside her just as she has always done for me!!!
Here's to the most amazing mother, who's always encouraged me to be me, while reminding me I'd always always have her... thank you for this and all of the amazing lessons you've taught me, and for always reminding me what's important! I love you so so very much, you are the sunshine that always creates my silver lining, forever and always!!!
Today's Silver Lining: (play the song, then scroll down... it's my ghetto version of a video, lol)
(Mom's widom...This is why I am able to be who I am...)
Yesterday, when you were young,
Everything you needed done was done for you.
Now you do it on your own
But you find you're all alone,
What can you do?
You and me walk on, walk on, walk on
Cause you can't go back now.
You know there will be days when you're so tired that you can't take another step,
The night will have no stars and you'll think you've gone as far as you will ever get
But you and me walk on, walk on, walk on
Cause you can't go back now
And yeah, yeah, go where you want to go
Yeah, yeah, be what you want to be,
If you ever turn around, you'll see me!
I can't really say why everybody wishes they were somewhere else
But in the end, the only steps that matter are the ones you take all by yourself
And you and me walk on, walk on, walk on
Yeah you and me walk on, walk on, walk on
Cause you can't go back now
Walk on, walk on, walk on
You can't go back now.
And the song my mom always plays for me I'd like to play for her... Mom, I hope you never lose you're sense of wonder, and I hope YOU dance!!!!
Gratitude, I just can't give enough of this stuff!! The more I live with an attitude of gratitude, the more grateful I am. I've become one of those people that used to drive me crazy with their positive outlook and a reason to be grateful for anything. I owe them an apology, I get it now... and I'm so grateful I do, lol!!!
I may have told this story before, but I'll tell it again!! When I was in second grade at St. Mary's Catholic school, I received my first communion. We went through a class learning about the story behind what was happening and reminding us what a big deal it was. I don't remember what exactly they taught us during that month or so, but I do remember one thing that I learned that changed my life. My teacher told us when we pray to remember to say thank you to God for all the things he's already given us, rather than just asking all the time. Now this may seem simple, but until that point I honestly don't think I had ever thought of saying thank you to God... He was just supposed to be my magic genie, answer my prayers and let me in heaven for being such a good girl. Now that I knew this it changed the way I prayed and eventually how I viewed life. I started adding thank you to all of my prayers in the beginning for everything I had, and in the end for listening to me!! I was now grateful when my prayers were answered, rather than just glad!! Saying thank you to life and to people is such a powerful tool!
Something bothering you? You want something else in your life? Well what are you thankful for?? Go ahead and say thank you for something right now and see how good it feels! 'Thank you,' is like the 'Open Sesame,' to the door of life's abundance... it's the secret password to unlocking joy! It gives you access to all of the goodness and flow that exists!! It's more than just a saying, it's an attitude... to really cultivate an attitude of gratitude where you can constantly feel it, will change your life! It keeps you focused on all the good things, thus bringing more of that into your life!! When you are grateful to others it makes them want to do more of whatever it is they are doing! Being thankful welcomes you into a whole new way of seeing life... it prevents us from expecting things, and instead enables us to begin accepting things, with gratitude of course!!
So go ahead and say Thank YOU to life, and "YOU'RE WELCOME" to all it has to offer!!
Today's Silver Lining:
"Life's been so good to me, Has it been good to you, Has it been everything , That you expected it to be, Was it as good for you , As it was good for me, And was it everything, That it was all set up to be, (Now is that gratitude)" Gratitude- by Oingo Boingo
"Good morning, This is God. I will be handling all of your problems today. I will not need your help, so have a miraculous day.”~ Wayne Dyer
Really?! That's so sweet... Thank God for that!" I mean, how great is that?! I just think it's the best thing EVER!! However, as spectacular as this is, it's still tough to remember sometimes. Especially when I actually have things that need to be handled... but knowing it has changed my life. Now "Thank God!" takes on a whole new meaning... like thanks for getting my back on that, you're awesome!! I used to try to take care of my own problems a lot. Mostly by stressing out at what would happen rather than actually figuring out a plan... but for now I've decided to be grateful I have someone else to take care of things for me... and wouldn't ya know, I never even have to deal with my problems any more. Just when I thought I saw one creeping up on me, a repair man came out of no where and got things all working perfectly before I even had a chance to worry. So, Thanks God, now I'm gonna go have another miraculous day!
Today's Silver Lining:
"I welcome the sun, the clouds and rain, the wind that sweeps the sky clean, and lets the sun shine again. This is the most magnificent life has ever been. Here is heaven and earth, and the brilliant sky in between. Blessed is this life, and I'm gonna celebrate being alive. Blessed is this life, and I'm gonna celebrate being alive." Blessed- by Brett Dennen
There's a great song by David Bowie called Changes. "Time can change me, but I can't chase time"... those were the words I'd been singing my whole life to this song! Those are not the actual words, as I found out today, but they made sense to me... and as a matter of fact, they still do! So many times in my life I've wanted things to happen... I've thought, "If I could just make_________ happen, then I could do __________," or, "As soon as I get________ then I can do _________." (In my thoughts those blank lines were filled in with whatever I was wanting to happen or get at the time, they weren't just empty, lol) When I was 20, I thought as soon as I was 21 all my problems would be over... little did I know they'd just be beginning to get good, haha!
There are so many ways to chase time... and usually it involves running away from the present. By living with our focus on the future, rushing it into existence, we ignore what is going on. Now is not then... and then is where future thoughts exist... but then doesn't exist yet, so neither does the place we're chasing. (that may take 2 reads, lol) One of my favorite quotes is courtesy of Mark Twain:
"There has been much tragedy in my life; at least half of it actually happened."
Gosh, soooo true. It goes for triumphs as well!! I know I am guilty of spending so much time worrying about things that never even happen and making plans that never play out, envisioning all the outcomes to my ideas... meanwhile time ticks on, changing me, while I chase it unsuccessfully with my thoughts, doing nothing with my now to develop it! It's okay to have hopes and dreams for the future, to strive for things... but there's a fine line between following your dreams, and waiting for them to happen as you plan.
What I've found, is that when I am happy with what is, knowing what else I want, but not planning on an exact outcome... I always manage to stumble into my dreams in my now. When I am open to seeing what will come, while being active in what's happening, things always happen, and as I change with things around me, it feels like it has all been planned perfectly! The way they unfold may not be anything I had thought of, but it is always what I asked for!!
When you're chasing time, you're so busy trying to keep up with it, you never really get a chance to know what it's like, hang out with it. When you stop chasing time, you can hold hands with it, take longs walks on the beach, have candlelit dinners and cuddle... or whatever it is that you enjoy to do with your time! Now that's the difference between chasing time and having a good time ;-) (I'm all punned out, time to stop, hehe)
Today's Silver Lining:
"Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes, (turn and face the strain), Ch-ch-changes, Don’t want to be a richer man. Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes, (turn and face the strain), Ch-ch-changes, Just gonna have to be a different man. Time may change me, But I can’t trace time." Changes- by David Bowie
(which I used to think was pronounced, B-a-wowee, I still can't figure out where I got that...lol)
We all have dreams, some more than others... but they are pesky little things that keep showing up, whether we choose to pay attention or not. We also have plans, ideas, and expectations about how we make our dreams come true. Then there are those times where life takes over and things aren't happening as we dreamed they would...(pun intended!) Things are tough, they don't make sense, how is anything we're doing now ever gonna get us to our dream? This is when doubts set in, and we question if it's really worth it.
Now it is these times that are our greatest blessings in disguise... if we decide it IS worth it... we fight, we won't give up, and each time we do this, we become recommitted to our dream! If not, well, this is life's way of showing us that, and forcing us to let go and find something worth fighting for! So many people with the biggest success stories, have volumes of their failures preceding them. It takes passion, persistence and the will to keep fighting. To really stay at the top of our game we need to let go of all the unnecessary residue in our lives so our passion can show through! One of my favorite Chinese proverbs says:
“A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials.”
All those tests and struggles we keep facing, are life's way of keeping us polished, and while the dirt or things that no longer serve us go away, the gem or our truth shines brighter from these moments of friction! When you truly believe in something, it's worth fighting for no matter what science, popular belief, or your parents may say... keep your sparkle twinkling!!! We are all different gems, each with our own qualities to share.
So, in case you thought I messed up my, your/you're up there in the title, no...that's not a typo... I mean keep fighting, for you are right!
Today's Silver Lining:
"You thought by now you'd be, So much better than you are. You thought by now they'd see, That you had come so far. And the pride inside their eyes, Would synchronize into a love you've never known, So much more than you've been shown. Hold on, One more time with feeling, Try it again, Breathing's just a rhythm, Say it in your mind, Until you know that the words are right. This is, why we, fight, This is, why, we fight." One More Time With Feeling- by Regina Spektor
I've been talking to a lot of friends lately with the same problem... everyone feels stuck. They feel like they need to change, try something new, feel unstuck... but there is something else I notice. Everyone is so afraid if they do anything new, they'll make a mistake! Well, I have an opinion on that, but I think it was put best by Elbert Hubbard when he said:
"The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one."
Many of us have been trained to strive for the top prize in life, to do as we're told... but we were never told about how many times we'd have to fall down, and lose to get there. It seems like making a mistake is this big bad scary monster, it's such an overwhelming fear; until we make one, and realize... oh wow, that actually worked out quite nicely!!
“Take chances, make mistakes. That's how you grow. Pain nourishes your courage. You have to fail in order to practice being brave."~ Mary Tyler Moore
We are all beginners at something, and if you think you're too old to start something new, or too skilled... lol... than now is the perfect time for you to go ahead and try that thing you've always wanted. So what is it that you're just itching to do? Do you even know? Well you don't have to!! No matter what you answer to these questions, one way to discover something... is to try anything.
"A man's errors are his portals of discovery."~ James Joyce
YES! When you try something, you take action, you're already succeeding because you now took a thought and made it real! So what if you've already tried and made a mistake... so what if you've struggled at something for years...
Go ahead!! I was talking to someone today and I realized how much I value my mistakes now, they have become my roadsigns... Don't date him, eat less, read more, watch your head!! Every Time I make a mistake, I realize I'm learning something new... and then I usually laugh at myself! If you don't limit your reality by what you are told... I won't be able to do this unless I have that, or I can't do that because I don't know how... than anything you imagine becomes doable. Yes... even making mistakes!! There is a proverb that says,
“If you don't make mistakes, you don't make anything.”
So, looks like there's nothing to lose and everything to make!!!
Today's Silver Lining:
"Who is to say who wins or who loses? I sing to myself at the end of the day when I know what the blues is, And all my mistakes have become masterpieces. I was born in the goodness of grace. And because of faith, because of courage, because of forgiveness, All my mistakes have become masterpieces." All My Mistakes- by Teitur
When I sat down to write today, I had one idea in mind, wisdom. Simple. Well, that's where I got some true experience in what wisdom really is!! As I began to write, I found one thing kept leading me to question the next. As I sat and took a look at wisdom, I had to question knowledge...
Knowledge: n.- acquaintance with facts, truths, or principles, as from study or investigation; general erudition; the sum of what is known; the fact or state of knowing; the perception of fact or truth; awareness, as of a fact or circumstance.
So, there you have it... the knowledge of what knowledge is known as :-) Now, learning that what I found interesting, is that not one place in it's definition did it state that knowledge is the truth. So that lead me to wonder, what exactly is...
Truth: n.- the true or actual state of a matter; conformity with fact or reality; a verified or indisputable fact, proposition, principle, or the like.
And of course that lead me to ask, what is a...
Fact: n.- something that actually exists; reality; truth.
Ok, well there's that word reality again, so I had to know...
Reality: n- the state or quality of being real;a real thing or fact.
Then, this is where I found something that really jumped out at me...
Reality: n.-Philosophy a. that which exists, independent of human awareness b. the totality of facts as they are independent of human awareness
I have to go back into my knowledge vault for a moment and question that. What about the theory that our thoughts create our reality... isn't our thought part of our...
awareness n.- having knowledge of
Well that brings me back to knowledge again... so I have to reference back to my source:
Simply stated, we create the world we live in by our thoughts and beliefs. Our experience of life is created directly by the way we think. Thoughts and words are powerful living entities. Creation is made first by a thought. God once decided to create the world of matter. First came the thought. Then by speaking, God made manifest the thought - "Let There Be Light".
So now I see a connection!!! If God made manifest by doing, then it brings me to:
Wisdom: the quality or state of being wise; knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgment as to action; sagacity, discernment, or insight.
That gets me back to wisdom, but I still have more questions!! Which is where I utilize my knowledge:
"One's first step in wisdom is to question everything - and one's last is to come to terms with everything."- Lichtenberg
Step one... check, check, check!!! Now, it's time to keep on walking!!
Today's Silver Lining:
"The lips of the righteous teach many, But fools die for want of wisdom. The rich man wealth is in his city; Do you hear, do you hear, can you understa-and?! Destruction of the poor, is poverty; destruction of the soul, is vanity. The righteous' wealth is in his Holy Pla-ace. Do you hear? Those who have eyes, to see will see!" Wisdom- by Bob Marley
