Thanksgiving

I especially love this time of year and feel very appreciative of all the things I have in my life. Around thanksgiving, my gratitude is heightened and my heart feels even more open. So, what am I thankful for? I am thankful for my wonderful family. I could not have asked for a better family! I lucked out for sure! I am thankful for all my friends and all the people I know or used to know that touched my life. I am especially thankful for my best friend! Again, I lucked out and have the best friend that anybody could ever have. I am thankful for my job. It was a bit of a bumpy ride when I was laid off, but I lucked out and landed a job that is perfect for me and close to my home! I am thankful for my health for sure. I have never had any major illnesses and still feel very healthy and strong at the ripe old age of 41! Of course I am thankful for all my material items, my home makes me happy, my vintage car brings a smile to my face and my yard with all my hummingbirds makes me happy.

I am looking forward this year to letting people know how truly appreciative I am for their friendship or impact they have had on my life. I have many wonderful people to be thankful for and feel truly blessed.

Some many interesting people

What is wonderful about the world is that there are some different and interesting people that reside in this small little planet. We all have lessons to learn from these people and each one of them has a very personal story to tell. We look at some and are truly inspired and others we look at and realize how truly fortunate we are. But no matter how we look at an individual, we always open our heart with an abundance of love and leave judgement at the door. There are folks who live with very limited chaos and others who flourish in such an environment and is the only way they know. There is no wrong or right way to live, just whatever feels right for each individual. One thing is for sure, EACH PERSON controls their own destiny and how they are going to live, but we all do not know this. Some of us blame others for our circumstance, but the beauty of it all is that each person has such control and nobody else! How empowering is that! We own our destiny, our feelings and our lives!

Dealt the bag of lemons

When you are given the gift of a bag of lemons, one's first reaction is to feel so weighted down by this heavy bag of lemons and there is a bit of time for disbelief or shock or confusion. But after the dust settles, this is when we dig deep to see what we are all about. Are we about fear, worry and trepidation? Or are we about pulling ourselves back up from the ground, accepting our gift and turning it into a positive? Even the most positive thinker gets stumped on some things. Especially those things which the desired outcome is supposed to be positive and your wonderful plan backfires in your face! The lessons usually to learn are to keep the vision clear of what you want and take that big ole bag of lemons and start making some lemonade! Everything works out, it always does. But this takes discipline, trust and surrender. Having a knowing that it will work and just leaving it at that and accepting the guidance that comes our way is not an easy task! And yet it is so easy.....trust, surrender and listen and the answers come....

Appreciation

Appreciation can come in many forms. It can come in just looking around at our every day lives and seeing the beauty in nature or everyday surrounding. It can come in being appreciative of our wonderful family and friends. And it can also come in a life lesson that has been given us. At first, we may not see the gift we have been given, but after we process our thoughts and start to see things differently, we say thank you for this gift you have brought to me so we can make positive changes. And that is how we learn everyday.....without life's lessons, life would be a bit boring and we have reached our pinnacles.....but there are lessons to be learned all the time! I am very appreciative of so many things in life and the wonderful people who are currently in my life and those who I have met and perhaps are not a part right now but definitely remembered. We are so fortunate to be able to feel emotions whether it's good or bad and to take a bad and make it into a good! That is appreciation as well for me....

It's the fourth of July!

The 4th of July brings out what this blog is all about....lots of positive energy! All you see are families at parades or big celebrations at their homes, the kids are having a great time, the BBQs are being sparked up and everyone is having a good time! A great day to celebrate and appreciate being an American and enjoying the simple things in life! Even some friends across the pond sent a Happy Independence day wish! When the fireworks go off, to me, it brings out so many patriotic feelings and though our country is not perfect, it is a wonderful place to live with wonderful people. Each country has their specials days of patriotism and being proud of their country and today is America's day to celebrate and be proud!

What is really important

As we get a bit older and yes, a bit wiser, it starts to become glaring obvious of what is truly important in life. It's not where you live, what you do, how much money you make or how many toys you own....it's all about how important family and friends are. It's about the relationships, the experiences we share and the support that is given and offered that what makes us feel alive and have our purpose. I write this as I just talked to two very good friends....all of us have gone through experiences and tough times, and it seemed like there was such an appreciation that I could feel for our friendships over the years. It was a bit of warm fuzzy feeling that brought a smile to my face and a knowing that these are two friends that I will have for life. Not that I really doubted it, but it just reaffirmed it. It doesn't matter if we don't talk regularly, but when we do talk, we have a connection and just pick up where we left off. And I know they would be there for me and I would always be there for them. I was also with my family yesterday and today as well and I feel sooooo fortunate to have such a happy and caring family. I am truly blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life....

Following your dreams

We all have our dreams in our back pockets that we think about every so often. Sometimes these dreams get us all inspired and we start going for it and then we get tracked. And then it goes in the back pocket again...but that's OK, since these are the reminders of our creativity and passions that we will always have. I find myself day dreaming of my side business and it brings a huge smile to my face on how it's going to work and envisioning all the success and smiles it will bring to others. I get all pumped up and when I sit down and start planning....well...it gets overwhelming and returns in the back pocket! There are so many wonderful ideas that people have and you can tell they get inspired talking about them which is what it's all about. It doesn't really matter if it comes to fruition, but rather that spark it brings to someone. That is a reminding of how great it is to be alive and the uniqueness each of us have!

Coming full circle

As I read back on some of my entries, there are mentions of wonders that I saw outside my own window. During the last year or so, I moved away from my little house and had a wonderful little detour. But as good fortune would have it, I was presented with the opportunity to return to California and back into my house! This is the first weekend back and I am still in awe of the little wonders outside my window. The hummingbirds and bumble bees flock to my autumn sage, the birds are nesting in my front yard and the lizards are lounging on the patio. It such a good feeling to be back home and still love your surroundings. Life's little pleasures and the peace of a nice calming home is something I do not take for granted anymore.

Be True to Yourself

There are times when we are on the top of the world and usually it's when we are really true to ourselves, our beliefs, standards, etc. But then there are times that cause us to shift to somewhat lose perspective of what really matters and who we really are. And, what's funny is that we know it through a little thing called intuition. It keeps gnawing at us to let us know that something is out of balance and not quite right. Many of us, including me, ignore this little wonderful poke because we are seeing things that perhaps other people want us to look at things. We sometimes start becoming that person, but perhaps we don't like certain qualities. The beauty of it all, is that we always come back to the person we are supposed to be in either a direct or indirect way. The direct way, is to acknowledge things are not quite right and make the changes back yourself. The indirect way, is that we are forced by other circumstances to come back to that true person. So, the bottom line to make life a bit easier, is to always be true to the person you really are! And to not let ANY outside forces steer you astray whether it's family, friends, an employer or anything else. We are all here for a certain purpose and designed to be the person that we are supposed to be!

Re: 2009 is fine!

2008 was a challenging year for many and obstacles were put in many people's paths. These obstacles are little blessings in disguise and though it probably doesn't feel this way in the present, when we look back on the experience, we see why they were put there.

2009 is a year of out with the old and in with the new. With the downturn of the economy, many things have changed and with change brings new ideas, businesses, jobs, etc. We have people thinking of new ideas, new ways to meet the demands of the world and basically changing how we live our lives. It may not be an exciting time right now, but we are poised for a HUGE change and fresh energy!

With any change, we all need to be flexible, stay positive about change and go with the flow! The positive mind will be able to detect where they fit in, how to adapt and be excited about it! Those folks who are able to see good in situation and stay focused on the present, learn from the past and be excited about the future will flourish!

This is an exciting year and with it, lots of wonderful opportunities for all!