A Truly Happy Person

A truly happy person is one

who can enjoy the scenery

on a detour.

I visit with my two loved ones who have Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia every month.  We take a ride in the car each time and enjoy the scenery.  Within minutes of our getting into the car and buckling them up into seat belts, we begin our drive to wherever we are going and the same conversation always ensues.  One talks about the trees, the other one notices the clouds.  What makes such an impression on me is that the incessant repetitive conversations about these two beauties of nature never fails and is always welcomed by all in the car.  It is simply being present in that moment to remark on the beauty in nature.  Granted, the conversations about the trees and clouds continues in a loop, over and over while we are riding in the car, but I choose to see it as a blessing.

For being in the present moment and observing the beauty which surrounds us in a happy way is the key to life.  Being with my loved ones who live in a memory care facility gives me the powerful lesson of presence.  Sure, I can get bogged down by the repetitiveness of the conversation, feel badly that they only have clouds and trees to notice and feel sad for how their minds have changed.  And I do.  I won’t lie, because as a daughter/niece/carer it can break my heart to be so far away and to see the changes as their minds slowly succumb to the disease.  But there’s a lesson here that we can all share…there’s a Present of Presence ~ a peaceful, loving, nurturing moment that we can gratefully choose every single moment of our lives.

Because being happy in the moment is a gift that we don’t always give ourselves or others and I think it’s about time we did.  So on this Sunday, take a few minutes to look at the clouds/sky and the trees.  Breathe in the beautiful air that Mother Nature swirls around us.  Notice the gratitude of being alive.  Lay down your worries and fears for a few moments and shine your heartlight for all to see.

This is the day the Lord has made.  Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24.

Shine On!

xo

How To Embrace Change

Change is beautifully inevitable

Seasons change, people change, weather changes, day changes to night.  When we balk at change, it stunts our growth.  Many of us can flow with the changes of daylight savings time, etc with ease, but when it comes to deeper changes, more life changing changes, we stomp our feet and dig in our heels, crying ‘no fair!’ to the Universe.  But friends, it’s all for naught.  The changes that are coming, the changes that arrive, come whether we believe it’s fair or not.  It comes as no surprise that change happens in life, for otherwise we would remain stagnant and not have the opportunity to grow, to move out of our relegated zones of comfort and expand our experiences.

Change happens.

“When we change the way we look at things, the things we look at change,” is a quote from Dr. Wayne Dyer and happens to be on of my favorites.  It’s helped me through many of my life experiences when I wanted to refuse to budge from my own comfort zone even though my life had changed dramatically.  The idea that I can look at change from a different view and find the good in the change even when it was hard to see has been a pivotal point in my soul’s growth.  I can tell you that it hasn’t been easy to deal with many of the changes in my life, but then I don’t think that upheavals are supposed to be easy.  Sometimes they are simply mind shattering and belief scattering ~ which allows us to pick up the broken pieces of our lives and put them back together in a different way.  We change (for the better) when we allow change to flow and not dam the flow of life.  Certainly, I’ve learned that lesson time and time again as I know you have as well.

Change heralds freedom and allows us to drop the woulda, coulda, shoulda’s that may have had us imprisioned in our own lives.  Whether it be changes in health, relationships, jobs or roles, we need to find the peace in our own minds, hearts and souls to embrace the change and go with the flow.  That doesn’t mean you are in a canoe without a paddle, it simply means that you now know that you are the paddler of your own canoe.  Sure, you can link your canoe up with another’s, but you are still in charge of your own buoyancy.

For we can sink or swim when change happens.  We can stop trying and drown in the sorrow or we can tread water until we begin to swim again.  It’s a choice.  Lessons learned by change can feel daunting, but given time and trust, we can see the gifts that come from change.  There are blessings in change.  There’s opportunity to shine your heartlight when you’ve survived what you never thought you could.  There are connections with others to be made when you share your life experiences.

I know it’s not easy, but it can be done.  I am living proof.  Everyday in every way, you choose to swim or to give up.  Keep swimming dear friends.  You can do it.  If you need a helping hand, grab your paddle and let’s flow together.

Change is inevitably beautiful.

Shine On!

xo