Simple choices

Photo courtesy of
flickr.com

There is a lot of distress, sadness, worry and hopelessness going on in our world right now. The BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is a daily focus of concern and frustration as the fallout affects our environment, ecosystems, marine, mammal and avian wildlife, and robs hardworking people of their livelihoods. This newest affront is striking our country already hard hit by a tumbling economy that has caused unemployment rates to soar, affecting millions of people across the nation.


Today I read a blog post of an online acquaintance who is in a very difficult situation and seems to be at wit's end. I have been there, more times than I would prefer to remember. I sat and reflected on these constant bombardments of challenging occurrences, wondering how in the world it is possible to reach out and make a difference. I feel frustration that I cannot help others who are struggling and feeling fear and hopelessness. While I realize that each person has a responsibility to address their own life and deal with their own struggles in an authentic manner, it is still difficult to see so much sadness in the world. I recognize that I have a duty to my own life and that the majority of my energies must focus on keeping my own house, physical and emotional health in good order.

Photo courtesy of
photo.net

None of this keeps my heart from being affected by the sadness that is sweeping the world. Do I have any widespread solutions to address that sadness? I wish I did. That would be any sane person's wish, to be able to make sweeping and positive changes and improvements to negative situations the world over.

Some days, the simple truth is that the best each of us can do is put one foot in front of the other. Choose to get out of bed today. Choose to get dressed and go through the process of searching for a job along with the millions of other unemployed U.S. citizens. Choose to find reasons to smile, despite overwhelming odds and concrete situations over which to feel concerns. Choose to seek uplifting experiences, however small they may be. Choose to reach out to someone else who might be fearful and struggling and offer them a kind word. Choose to find happiness in the midst of admittedly trying circumstances. Any single one of these choices can make a difference. Any single one of these choices could, quite possibly, cause an energetic shift in an individual's life and start the ball rolling. As most of us know, just getting forward momentum to happen is one of the biggest challenges when our life feels stuck in permanent limbo mode.

My life is no different. I am living with professional setbacks that have hit over and over due to the struggling economy. I am faced with daily challenges that try my patience and have me concerned about my own livelihood. I, too, struggle with fears and doubts about how to keep my own momentum moving forward. For me, what works is to step outside of my own situation and touch other lives. I do that here, at Healing Morning blog. I also do it with small gestures where I reach out to friends with phone calls and emails, encouraging and supporting them through their own dark days.

http://www.greenbeanscoffee.com/

Most recently, I stumbled across a wonderful website that has a program called Cup of Joe for a Joe that allows anyone to purchase a cup of coffee for a soldier in any branch of the Armed Services. It is a very simple process. Click on the website link under the photograph to the right to pull up their page. Scroll down a little bit and look on the right hand side of the page where it says Buy a Cup of Joe Now. In this window, you will see that you can purchase a single cup of coffee for $2 U.S., and the window will also give you the opportunity to purchase larger gifts, or even choose your own amount. I chose to purchase $30 worth of coffee gifts. This will purchase 15 cups of coffee for 15 soldiers. It was a stretch for my current financial situation, but it was a conscious choice I made.

Less than two days later, I began receiving email alerts telling me that my coffee gifts were being picked up. Some of the soldiers are writing very kind Thank You emails. Some of them are requesting to become email pen pals, and they are all based around the world at various installations. This was the small thing that I did this past week to lift my heart and help me feel that I could make a difference in the world. It might not be a huge thing, buying a cup of coffee for a soldier, but it made me happy to do it. Many of the emails I have received tell me that iced coffees and fruity smoothies are popular, along with some type of cappuchino drink that has enough caffeine shots in it to keep a bull elephant wired for a month! Every single email alert I have received has been full of sincere thanks from each soldier.

Photo courtesy of
flickr.com

I know from many friends who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces that many soldiers do not receive regular mail from home. This is something that I find troubling, and this was another motivation to send these Cup of Joe gifts. I want our soldiers to know that people back home do care and that we think of the hard work they do everyday, and that we appreciate the sacrifices they make to uphold the tenets upon which this country was founded. This is my small thing that helps me to feel hopeful in the face of difficult times. As I am able, I will send more Cup of Joe gifts and touch more soldiers' lives in this small way. Yes, I am unapologetically patriotic. Yes, I think it matters to reach out and support every soldier who is far from home. Now is not the time to debate politics and argue what is right and wrong about where U.S. troops are based. This blog post is meant to focus on a simple kindness that I think and know makes a small difference. I choose this action because it does touch lives and it makes me happy to do so.

For those of you who are interested, you can also follow the Cup of Joe program on Facebook, and also via Twitter with these links. I make it a habit to share the program on both social media forums in the hopes that friends and colleagues will decide to join the program and share it with their friends.

http://www.greenbeanscoffee.com/

Life is a series of challenges for all of us. It is the small moments in between that I believe add color, texture, depth, growth and beauty. For an avid coffee avoider - I really dislike the smell of coffee and prefer tea - I find it a bit ironic and entertaining that coffee is proving to be such a thing of beauty in this manner. The Cup of Joe for a Joe program is my simple choice and I find it satisfying that through my eyes, it produces beauty and hope. That, for today, is enough to encourage me to continue.
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If you enjoyed this post and would like to read more, you can find me at Healing Morning blog.

Lessons from a whiteboard

I have a whiteboard at work.

I inherited it from the break room area in the old building when we moved off-campus.

Interns used to doodle on it; the office manager would sometimes write important dates; and the staff used it as a backrest when conversing over a cup of coffee.

It was a big, blank white board. No grids. No columns. No definition of any sort.

Do what you will with it.

Most engineers I know use their white boards to think things through -- make diagrams and complex flow charts; write out bits and bytes of information; create mock motherboards; and leave each other nerdy messages.

Well, I'm no left-brain type, so no inspiration there for me.

It sat in my office for two weeks before the facilities guys came and mounted it.

There it was -- a blank slate, staring at me.

I stared back equally blank.

I had never had a white board before, so I was really at a loss on how to make the best use of it.

I walked around the office -- other people had different versions: one had neat little squares where you could put dates and about two lines worth of data; another had graph-like grids; and yet another had columns.

Mine was just white.

I could do anything with it. I just didn't know what.

Then, two days after the board had been installed, I went into a meeting. Came out with some front burner assignments that I immediately started transferring on to post-its, stuck strategically around my monitor.

Halfway through this task, the bulb went on.

I had four markers -- blue, red, green and black...why not use them to transfer this information on to the whiteboard?

I wrote "On the burners for October" as my headline. And proceeded to write out the tasks tagged by deadlines.

The project name was in black; the task details in blue; the due date in red; and the completed date in green.

I had a system.

On the last day of the month, I took photos of the board, cleaned it until it squeaked and my office reeked of ethanol, and then filled it again with those three primary colors and black.

Colleagues and visitors were floored by my simple system. My manager thought it was ingenious. My office-mate tried to replicate it.

For all the gadgets I own, this wire-less piece of melamine was what I had begun to rely on to keep me organized and on track.

I've used this whiteboard for almost 10 months now and as I was wiping it clean this morning to begin another month of activities, I realized that this board is so effective because it allows me to live my professional life in manageable chunks.

There is no big picture stuff on there.

Just the one month.

Four weeks. 20 days. 160 hours.

That's all it encapsulates.

It dawned on me that this whiteboard is teaching me a valuable lesson: focus on bite-sized chunks of your life. Live it every day.

Yes, all those big life plans are great to have, but who knows what's in store for you tomorrow, let alone 10 years from now?

It's overwhelming to plan out an entire lifetime given the number of variables and unknowns in one's path. Not to say that some planning isn't good, but you will be able to inch your way to the long-term plans, only when you live your life fully today.

My big takeaway?

Make a wishlist, create some milestones, do what you can, and enjoy your present -- for there is no time like right now.

Also posted on my blog.

New to Writers Rising

Hi Everyone,

This is my first post to Writers Rising and I'm so happy to be here.

I write primarily about my spiritual journey, which actually encompasses all I do, think, feel, desire, observe, intuit, and emote. In other words, I write about everything that comes into my life and hope that, considering our commonalities, something I write will touch the lives of others. Often, I give some suggestions or recommendations about my topics.

Some day I hope to finish my first book. It's almost finished but, thus far, procrastination has won, and the day of completion remains nebulous. That must give you clues about my character. My second book is already in my head - it will be about "The Ladies". They are my mother and mother-in-law who moved in with me several years ago due to old age and mental maladies (dementia and Alzheimer's). I suppose someday I'll also start a new blog site about taking care of old ladies, but for now my encounters with gerontology, which have proven to be the greatest opportunity for me to create my heaven or plunge into my hell, go into my one blog.

~

As I look at my self-portrait above, I am confronted with yet one more issue that can help my character and Spirit move forward. I have yet to post real pictures of myself anywhere. Though acceptance to what IS is one of my highest goals, I see that I haven't accepted my self-image.

"Character may be manifested in the great moments, but it is made in the small ones."

Philips Brooks

This is my chance. Today, I add another ring to my halo and another muscle to my character. Here I am.

Me and My Daisy

Wow! Trust me that took courage. I honestly don't have any other photos. But after this, I suppose it gets easier. I'll take some and post them to my blog. Hope to hear from you there (http://mydailyspirit.net) Otherwise, lets connect on Writers Rising.

Many Blessings!

What if?

I'm sure that by now practically every person walking the planet has heard some snippet of information about the year 2012. Various Doomsday scenarios are circulating out there, proclaiming that everything from catastrophic Earth changes to full-out Armageddon/The World Will End will occur in December 2012. As I am not omniscient, I have no idea what will happen in 2012. What I would like to say about this is....

What if the world doesn't end in 2012? We had a small taste of a similar hysteria that built up in 1999 with Y2K dire warnings of everything coming to a screeching halt with technology. Computers would crash and everything would go back to "the old ways" of doing things. Even in my area of the southeast, there were many survivalist groups which sprang up. I actually remember talking to people who were excited about this possibility; these people were romanticizing a reality that they could never truly be prepared for. Very few of us today have much concept of what living without electricity is truly like....what it would be like to have to grow our own food and be completely dependent upon the whims of nature for vital crops to thrive and be harvested. Luckily for all of us, when the year 2000 rang its way in, the world did not end. Technology rolled right along with very few hiccups to mar the even tenor of our lives. I, for one, was extremely relieved that the dire predictions didn't manifest.

And now, here we are again....hysteria building, more dire warnings predicted and quite a few people seemingly excited about the prospect of global catastrophe occurring. This is beyond my personal ability to grasp how anyone could possibly anticipate such a horrific outcome with excitement and hope, yet those people are out there.

I repeat, what if the world doesn't end in 2012? What if life continues its purposeful march forward and catastrophic earth changes do not occur? What if, starting today, we all focus positive thoughts around December 2012 and choose to believe that our Mother Earth will survive to harbor us all?? What if...instead of global disaster, the true shift that occurs is one of unity and peace?

What if the true worldwide manifestation that is predicted for December 2012 is actually a spiritual shift that brings us together on a worldwide level such as Man has never experienced?

Would people be disappointed if this positive wave of energy is the true manifestation that we experience? Maybe. I don't doubt that some people really do want to see a huge amount of chaos and drama instead of an equally huge wave of good enveloping the globe. Is it wishful thinking to believe that in a flashpoint moment, every person walking the planet could be instantaneously changed for the better, that each individual harmony that we call our Spirit could be lifted and shifted to a higher consciousness? I don't see that thought as any more preposterous or impossible to embrace than the Doomsday concepts swirling about. Why do we as a people tend to get more easily wrapped up in a negative scenario? I guess we could brush it off as something that is inherent to our psyche.

I just know that I, personally, feel that it is necessary to focus on a positive manifestation for December 2012.

If there is even a modicum of truth that we truly do generate our reality from our thoughts, then I find the willful belief in the negative 2012 scenario to be frightening. There are definitely a great many people who do believe in that negative scenario. In light of this, I choose to feel, think, believe and speak positive thoughts in return. I have said this many times before and will say it again here:

My belief is that December 2012 will be no more eventful than the Harmonic Convergence in 1987.

This was another moment in recent history where many Doomsday prophecies were spinning around, yet the day dawned bright, clear and uneventful. There were people the world over joined together that day in positive thought, I do remember that. Were they responsible for the lack of catastrophic events, or was the fear based thinking simply that....fears with no basis? There is no way to answer that question. I just know that the day itself was a calm, quiet, peaceful one in my small spot on the planet.

Nobody knows what that specific day in December 2012 will bring for our planet. What we can say with certainty is that tomorrow is not promised to any of us. Earth changes can and will happen, as they are a natural part of this living planet's evolution. Yes, those Earth changes can be incredibly destructive to land, property and lives. Is it written in stone, or the Mayan Calendar that the world will end on that day in December 2012? No, it is not. It is simply the ending of one calendar's cycle and the beginning of a new one. I am not writing this article to debate the science of the Mayan people. I am here to suggest that rather than wrapping a blanket of fear based thinking about us and focusing on negatives, what if we change our mantra to:

"The world is just beginning a new cycle in December 2012 and we are all fortunate to be there and welcome this positive, new energy wave."

It is a simple shift of our daily thoughts and takes mere microseconds to achieve. Just give it some thought. What if you make this one small change? I can say this much with absolute certainty - when I think of the Doomsday predictions of disaster, I feel like absolute crud. When I think of a positive manifestation of strong beauty, higher vibrations and only good things occurring on that day in December 2012, I feel wonderful! I know which mindset I prefer to embrace. I know which emotions and feelings I choose to experience, and that is where my conscious thoughts are focused for the year 2012. Again, if there is any veracity to the belief that our thoughts are what shape our reality, why not begin today by choosing to think positive, uplifting, healthy, safe, beautiful thoughts for our world for the year 2012? What if that is what makes the difference and shifts the energy from negative to positive for that year?

Seriously, people...what if? We are the stewards of this glorious planet - why not be mindful of the thoughts we project about our one home?? I know that I grow increasingly weary of being bombarded with all the fear based thinking, all the dire predictions and people practically salivating in anticipatory glee with the negative predictions. I find that type of mindset to be exhausting and draining to be around, and I definitely don't choose to read it online, in newspapers or watch it on television. I am not suggesting that we all sit in a corner and ignore the negatives in our world. They definitely exist and are reason to be concerned and take action. That is not at all what I am talking about here - I am talking about choosing to think positive thoughts and project positive energy towards the year 2012. What if that is all that is necessary to shift the energy and make that day as quiet, calm and peaceful as the day of the Harmonic Convergence and the first day of the year 2000? It certainly can't hurt a blooming thing for all of us to choose those positive thoughts over the negative ones.

I admit that I am one of the more patriotic people out there. I am patriotic about my home state of Tennessee; I am patriotic about my country, the United States of America and I am patriotic about this beautiful planet upon which we all live. I want a strong, positive future for myself, my family and all the people that I love....and I want that same reality for everyone else walking this planet. Many people will read these thoughts and say that I am still wearing rose colored glasses and viewing life through idealistic eyes. I will staunchly agree and take one step further to declare there is nothing wrong with either choice. I have chosen to use only beautiful photographs to illustrate this blog article because I see no reason to embrace negatives in thoughts or visual images. What if that's really all it takes to tip the scales in the direction of only good things for us in the year 2012?

I don't have the answers to that one solid question, but I think it is worth taking time each day to choose the positive mindset. I think it is worthwhile to take moments out of each day to choose to believe the year 2012 will be full of positive happenings and that our world at large will continue. I think it is uplifting to choose those positive thoughts and believe that the year 2012 will be peaceful, safe and calm for all of us. This is my choice in the What if? question. This is what I choose and I hope that many others in the world will choose that same path. What if? It's a good question. How will you choose to reply?
___________________________
If you enjoyed this post and would like to read more, you can find me at Healing Morning blog.

Silver Strands

I have been thinking about silver strands a lot lately, for several reasons. One of the reasons is this blogger, Denalee at silver strands. When I first found Denalee, it was this post that caught my attention. It was about her mother having breast cancer and Denalee cutting off all her own hair to make a wig for her mom. As if that didn’t kill me enough, it was a beautiful surprise for her mom. I cried for days thinking about this woman that would do this for her mother. I wanted to fly to her state, hug her and force her to adopt me as a sister. Seriously, if you want to be inspired and uplifted on a daily basis, silver strands is the place to go.

A few weeks back, Denalee had a book giveaway and I won. Winning the book was awesome because, as I have said before, I am an avid reader and always looking for my next fix. Winning a book is better than winning the lottery to me. For one thing, it doesn’t cost me anything to enter. Ok, call me cheap. Anyway, the box from Denalee arrived and I was so happy to open it so I could read my new book. Guess what? She didn’t just send the book, autographed no less, she also sent other treats. How sweet is that!!! So here’s what I received:

Let me just say, I read the book in one day and loved it. It is sadly a true story but the lives of these people will truly inspire anyone facing lifes challenges. I could relate to so much of it having gone through illness and loss with loved ones. The other goodies were absolutely icing on this cake. The sand dollar made me cry. I have no idea why. Yes, I do. Nevermind.

Anyway, like I said, I have been thinking about silver strands. Sometimes, for some unknown reason, I can get kind of introspective and start thinking this way. When I do, this is usually what happens: I start picking apart words and how they affect my life. So that’s what I did for a few days with silver strands.

I thought about silver and how it is a common but precious metal. It also has the highest electrical conductivity of any metal. Then I thought about the word strand. How it meant several things including, tresses of hair or fibers being braided together. It also means to run aground and be left in a helpless situation or land bordering the ocean.

As I thought about these two words, I realized they fit what Denalee has been for so many. She might seem like just another common blogger but believe me, she is precious. We all are, we just don’t realize how precious sometimes. It seems easier to accept that we are common but there is something so deeply precious in each of us. Something that makes us conduits for precious things if we will just be who we were created to be. That’s it. Just be who we are intended to be and what we are intended to do will happen. I believe that, with all my heart. Then when the times of being stranded and feeling helpless come, and they will come for each of us, we will find that strip of land in another. A safe place to run aground and be loved and healed and whole.

In the end, it really is about being braided together. Each one of us no less, no more, important than the other. Life is good even when it isn’t and I am thankful. Thankful for my life, my family, my friends. Thankful for Denalee. Thankful for each one of you. Silver strands.

Apple Is My Teacher

 

By Sharni Montgomery - please visit me sometime at Sharnanigans! 
I am convinced that on the journey of life we are thrown several character tests.
Opportunities or a run-in where our decision will either send us plummeting backwards (in which case the lesson usually rears its head again in another form) or flings us forward.
Sharnanigans was recently thrown an opportunity which I experienced as a test of my integrity.
A metaphorical ‘apple’, if you will.
I was honored to receive an email offering me an opportunity to write for a major Australian Parenting Website.
They told me that they had chosen my blog along with a handful of other “Australian Mummy Bloggers” that they considered to be a great contributors to the Australian online community. (yes my head swelled considerably)
The email went on to say that they would send me a massive hamper of deluxe products from a very well known baby product company.
I could either review the products or write about a special experience of motherhood and link my story to their site, have my site mentioned on theirs and display their ‘badge’ on mine.
There is no doubt about it, I was wrapped (and grateful) to be chosen for such an opportunity.
I throw everything I have into this website and opportunities that pop up as a result are virtual pats on the back.
After the initial excitement wore off I had a think about the offer.
I considered the moment when the Courier delivered me a big hamper of goodies.
Caught up in my self-importance I got butterflies in my stomach and may or may not have bragged about the prospect to friends.
This was my angel on one shoulder, devil on the other moment.
While I was drifting in Ego Heaven a familiar voice piped up.
It was Angel.
“Ummmmm… what are you even considering this for girlfriend? I have two words for ya :  Natural.Products ! Ring any bells???  Geeeez!
(she has a bit of ‘tude this particular angel, but I’m down with that)
Oh sheesh, that is right, I am on a quest to use all natural products for my son and have been reviewing them.
Why on Earth would I do a complete 360 and start plugging a brand that doesn’t comply with this?
Blogging without Integrity anyone?
As quickly as it arrived the fantasy of the Hamper arrival went into the dustbin.
I explained that I could not accept the gift of the hamper as I would not use these products nor write about them as they would present a conflict of interest.
I said, I would, however, be happy to write about a lovely motherhood experience and wear their badge on my website.
I lost the gig.
While this hurt my ego a bit initially, I gave myself a pat on the back because I had passed my own personal test.
I am quickly learning that opportunities come along often, some are ‘tests’ sent to challenge our resolve and personal integrity.
Whether we choose to be true to ourselves at these moments or get caught up in the temptation offered and ‘take the apple’ is one of the most common challenges we face as human beings.
I have spent a good chunk of my life feasting on the ‘apples’ that have been presented to me, without a second thought!
Looking back the ‘apples’ I consumed didn’t do much to keep the doctor away or my sanity intact but if you never accept an ‘apple’ you can never learn to knock one back.
Today I am proud of the fact that I saw this situation in a new light.
While this opportunity and hamper may have been a wonderful blessing for some, for me it was a test of my resolve.
Rejecting a hamper is No Big Deal or heroic effort but the exercise was beyond hampers, it was an excellent reminder and lesson to myself.
When all is said and done, it is the tests you set for yourself and your ability to pass them that matter.

Polishing the Dull Side...

I've been obsessing over the carpet in our home lately.

First of all, it's a light color. (not white, mind you, but a very light beige!) Second, we have 3 boys, 4 dogs and a cat. Third, the house is 11 years old.....high traffic, high maintenance for eleven years adds up.

I've cleaned it, and cleaned it.  And ....cleaned it some more.  It's really starting to show  the wear-and-tear.  While part of it doesn't look "too" bad, the few real stains that are present are way beyond ever coming out.  A professional steam cleaning isn't even going to help now...

To top it all off, the wood flooring that we have throughout the kitchen, dining and hallway areas are pretty beat up as well.  That either needs to be stripped and re-surfaced, or completely pulled up and done over.  After eleven years in our home - I keep finding so many things that are now either coming due for replacement, or major repair.  It's overwhelming, and I know there's no way we'll be able to tackle these kind of expenses any time soon.

I'm not looking for perfection here, but I do mind these things when they start to look dirty and unkempt.  I've known for a while that I'm a little obsessive-compulsive when it comes to organization and neatness, but I'm usually not too picky when it comes to the heavy cleaning.  (With three boys, I'm sure you could relate!)

Why am I writing about my dirty floors on a blog that should be offering snippets of positivity and inspiration?

Even though I have been unhappy with the way certain areas in our home are beginning to appear faded or dingy, I'm truly thankful that I even have a home to clean. I'm almost looking at those stains now as  "badges of honor."  With so many families losing their homes in this dark economic era (and some losing even more) I have nothing to complain about.  Reminders that a close and loving family fills this dwelling, those stains are starting to remind me just how fortunate and Blessed our family is to have a home to clean....

Even though their bedrooms constantly need vacuuming and dusting, my boys are lucky enough to even have their own personal space, and a bed to lie on.

Even though I cringe when I note the wood decaying under the dishwasher in our small, crowded kitchen, we are Blessed with a full pantry and refrigerator.

Even though we don't have the financial means to  create the landscape of our dreams, God continues to grant us the ability to call this little slice of heaven our home....and it is filled with love.

It's more than just your average "attitude of gratitude."  This has been a conscious decision on my part to face an otherwise depressing or challenging moment, and try to turn it into a reminder of truth.

My truth:  the worn-out carpet, flooring, paint, and fixtures of my abode have never defined those who dwell within.  Home is what you make it, and how you live it.

"If you can't see the bright side of life,

polish the dull side."

-Unknown

In a nutshell:  I'm rich!!!  :)



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Photo courtesy of Google images.