Being Content

What is to be content? Many people define it differently but I will just confine the definition to what I describe it to. It's when things are happy and there is a little spring in your step. It's about looking around and being grateful about all the things wonderful in your life and not really having anything spectacular happen. It's understanding what is important and not having lots of drama or chaos in your life and enjoying simple little pleasures such as a wonderful family, wonderful friends and a wonderful job. We create our environment which is very empowering and all of us can create a more content life. Life goes up and down, but I can say that I'm relishing the feeling of contentment right now....

Happy Valentine's Day!

I love Valentine's Day! And since I love Valentine's day so much, I've been announcing it for the last couple of weeks to friends and coworkers. And what is funny is that I often get this odd look as to why Valentine's is such a great day? From the happily married couples to the new budding relationships to people who are single, it is just a happy and positive day to fill the heart and a day with lots of love and positive thoughts. It represents goodness and appreciation towards loved ones, friends and family and that is what life is all about. It's the one day out of the year, that most of the world has warm thoughts of love towards others. What a truly special day!!

To me, it's not what gift is bought or perhaps the pressure of what to do to make the day special, it's about mutual appreciation and that special little smile that only a few people know about the other....and that is free......

Happy Valentine's day to all! May today be filled with lots of love, hugs and kisses!!

New Year and a New Decade!

What an exciting time to enter into a new year and a new decade! A new year is a time for yearly resolutions and feeling that inspiration that comes along this time of year! But a new decade is a wonderful time to reflect on the past decade's accomplishments and how things have changed. In the year 2000, I wouldn't have imagined all the things that happened in my life! I am thoroughly excited about the next decade and all the wonderful things in store! Is it all going to perfect and rosy? No, but there will be memorable experiences and lessons to be learned that I'm looking forward to deal with. My main decade resolution is to be retired by the year 2020! We shall see if this indeeds occurs. And of course, be always appreciative of my family, friends, job and all the new people that come into my life.

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....