When You’re Feeling Like the Only One

There are times in life when you just feel like you’re the only one who is enduring (insert whatever it is that you are experiencing).  You may feel as if nobody understands your situation.  You may even feel alone, untethered and grieving.  It happens to all of us.  It is a normal part of the ebb and flow in life.

But to reach beyond and out of the moment is where your lessons in life school challenge you to search within and to look up and all around you to connect with yourself, God, the Divine Universe and with others of like-mindedness.  To find the positivity in any situation, to allow yourself to be present with the pain/hurt/disappointment and to find a sense of peace even while chaos swirls in one of life’s lessons is the key.  It is in human eagerness the need to smooth the rough edges, to bypass the grief at all costs, to hide away the disconnect from ourselves and others and to make everything okay as soon as possible.  Sure, wallowing in sadness cannot be limitless, but to experience what we are feeling, as we are feeling it and to connect with whatever we are feeling is beneficial.  The choice to move beyond that to a place of peace no matter the circumstances is the lesson here.  And as you know, for we have all had our trials and tribulations, it is not an easy task at times.

But it is possible…and it is your choice for you have free will.

Cloistered in self-pity, does not serve you, nor the world.  It isolates people, disconnects them from reality and from those who want to help.  But it takes courage to connect with others and to connect with our own hearts.  It takes trust in the soul’s knowing that we can open up and be with whatever is happening.  That’s the tough part which many of us find distasteful as we lack the trust within ourselves and therefore, lack trust in the Universal Truths of Life.

I have been there dear friends.  I understand how you feel no matter if our circumstances are not the same.  The bare fact is that the similar feelings join us in ways unbeknownst to most of us.  Universal Healing happens when we connect through hearts and souls on this life path.  The simple act of connecting with another soul, hearing and feeling that someone else understands, makes all the difference in the world.

So today, no matter what you are enduring, please know that I have my hand here for you hold.   My heart is here to connect with yours and my understanding is available to help you to continue on this life path of healing.  I have learned that in reaching out, we also benefit in our own healing and through connecting, we raise our vibrations, enthusiastically joining and reverberating peace throughout the world.

Shine your heartlights.  Join together in peaceful presence.  I see you shining!

Shine On!

xo

What Is Strength?

“The strongest people are not those

who show strength in front of us,

but those who win battles

we know nothing about.”
~ Anonymous

Happy Saturday!

Shine On!

xo

 

Help When The Rug Gets Pulled Out From Under You

When the rug gets pulled out from under you, when you fall off the horse, when you feel like you’ve been sucker-punched, when you fall down, when you’ve been side-swiped, when you’ve been dumped, when you experience failure, when you’ve lost it all, when you fill in the blank, ~ there are so many quotes to explain when life knocks you down and throws you for a loop.  I am sure you can think of many others.  But it’s the answer to the question that leaves us hanging.

What is the solution?

We’ve all experienced changes that we’ve seen coming and also have been blinded by when we least expect it.  Changes can be in any part of our lives ~ finances, health, love, relationships, family, jobs etc.  Some of the lessons I’ve learned when the proverbial rug has been pulled out from under me (which it has in many aspects of my life) is this…

YOU need to find peace and a new normal for yourself.

Nobody can or will do it for you.  It’s only up to you.  Sure you may be able to count on friends  and perhaps family to help, but the bottom line is that the only one who CAN do it, is YOU!  And it’s hard.  It’s changing the way you look at your life and at your choices.  It’s taking responsibility for your part in the whatever the situation is and moving forward.  It’s giving YOURSELF your full attention and then deciding how to deal with the enormity of the change in your life.

To do this, you must be honest with yourself.  Nobody wants to hear about it after awhile, so it’s up to you.  You can seek advice from those who have experienced the same situation.  You weigh what you know, what you learn and you incorporate the best parts into your new normal.  The best advice I can give you is to find peace, however you need to find it.  You need to not give up or give in.  Re-find your balance.  Get back on the horse.  Put yourself back in the game.  Find a new job.  Begin again.  Grieve for what you feel is lost and then find peace within you.  Connect with yourself again for somewhere along the line, you’ve lost yourself and your power.  Use your power for bettering yourself and those around you.  Look up to God and the Angels for help if you are spiritual/religious.  Look inside yourself for strength that you have, but maybe haven’t tapped into yet.  Stand on your own two feet (after getting up).  If you must, walk away, crawl away and take baby steps towards your future.  Take time to honor your sadness and the changes in your life.  Weigh the pros and cons before taking any definitive baby steps.

But do it all with peace in your heart.

Yes, you can blame others for your situation and the blame could be correctly placed on them, but what good does that serve you?  It only makes you resentful, angry and operating at a low vibration.  I’m not saying to be a doormat by any means.  But to use up your precious life with negativity hurts only you.  It dims your heartlight.  It destroys your soul.  It hurts you in more ways that you can even begin to imagine.  And haven’t you already been hurting enough?

So today, dear friends, is your day.  Take a few minutes to concentrate on you ~ begin a plan that includes a little me time everyday.  It can be as simple as a bubble bath or a ten minute meditation.  You can write in your journal, plan for 2016, take a heart-healthy walk, talk to a friend, get some fur therapy from a favorite animal, sing, dance, walk outside and commune with nature.

Be kind to you…be kind to others.  Lead with the love in your heart.  Shine your heartlight for all to see and goodness comes your way.  But it’s up to you.  Take my hand.  Walk with me.  We will take baby steps to the new you!

Shine On!

xo

 

 

 

Bend and Sway With Change

The oak fought the wind and was broken,

the willow bent when it must and survived.

— Robert Jordan

I recently found this quote and had to share it with you as it goes along with my last post on How To Embrace Change. When we fight changes with the child-like attitude of “I don’t wanna,” we lose our power in whatever situation is changing.  I’m not suggesting to be a doormat and just let changes steamroll over you.  Oh no!  Not at all!  Neither am I advising you to fight the changes like a warrior, with armaments drawn and ready for battle.

I’m asking you to bend and sway…

Flow with life…

Observe the changes…

Embrace yourself…

Allow kindness in your heart…

Looking for the good in every situation isn’t easy, but you can do it.  Sometimes the good hides when the situation changes for what we deem the worst ~ we lose our job, a loved one passes away, we have health problems, relationships go sour, finances become depleted etc.  It happens to many of us over a lifetime.  We are not given the right to have a perfect life without rough patches.  But we are given the Divine Right to have experiences which grow us emotionally, mentally, soulfully and spiritually which test us and help us to expand ourselves in new ways to be better, kinder and more loving people.

Without the highs and lows in life, we could never appreciate peace.    It comes at a price though.  We have to stay flexible and to stop banging on the closed door in front of us.  Simply look around, observe the whole ‘room’ and find the gift of the open door on the other side of the room.  Yes, it’s that simple dear friends.  It just takes embracing change.

I’ve endured many changes in my life, many of which I did not choose, but I am still here as are you.  Together we can bend and sway with kind, loving hearts.  We can shine our heartlights, connect with others and keep walking on our life journey.  No matter what difficulties you are experiencing right now, know that change is inevitably beautiful and this too shall pass.

♥ Namaste ♥

Shine On!

xo

Benjamin Franklin Was Right!

“While we may not be able to control all that happens to us,

we can control what happens inside us.”

—Benjamin Franklin

Just a little pick me up reminder for us all ~ Happy Thursday to all of you!

Shine On!

xo

Your Mind: Friend or Foe

Recently I’ve been chatting with a friend and it seems that many of us are realizing that we want more in our lives than what we currently have.  I’m not talking of more money or things, although financial freedom is always helpful.  What I’m talking about is getting back to the fire of our younger selves ~ do you know what I’m talking about?  That gal or guy that you used to be before the burdens of family, work, and responsibilities took hold of your life!

Am I making any sense to you?  Am I making any sense to me?

You see, I understand what my friend was talking about for I have a younger, less-fearful, more trusting self of youth that I long for ~ a part of me who reveled in fearlessly pursuing her passion and not only thrived but excelled!  That girl didn’t worry about what others thought or if she was too old or if it wouldn’t work.  Failure wasn’t a road block, it was a stepping stone to turn over, take the lesson and move on!  It was fun to work because work was fun ~ because I was pursuing my passion!  Sure there were days when I didn’t enjoy it a lot, but for the most part, I loved what I did!

Then for me, life got in the way, or better said, cancer got in my way and it’s been in the background, occasionally rearing its ugly head at the most inopportune times in life.  You’d think I’d get used to it, but I don’t think you ever get used to having had cancer.  You create a new normal where you try to embrace life, squeeze the happiness out of every moment, grateful that you are here with your loved ones for we never know what tomorrow brings.  As survivors of illness, tragedy and life, we learn how precious each and every moment is ~ so gratitude becomes as common for us as breathing!

But back to your mind!  It’s time to open the cage which has trapped your mind into the should be’s, the oughta’s and unlock the past so that we can let fly that hotshot self of youth!  No matter that you are older now ~ that inner hotshot lurks just below the surface.  Do you know it?  Do you remember her/him?  Are you ready to add a little spice to your life?  To enjoy your life again?  So, I’m looking to you ~

How do you do it?

Shine On!

xo

Hugs for you!

Hugs are quite useful.

They provide stretching exercise to short people & bending exercise to tall people.

My blogging buddy Ray posted this morning  here  and as always, he inspired me.  I have tried repeatedly to imbed the video which Ray posted, but to no avail.  Please, if you have a moment, click on Ray’s link above, say hello to an amazing fellow and watch the video.  You’ll find it when you click on  Can You Imagine? on his blog post.

We are all here in this journey called life ~ we make connections with others through empathy and sympathy.  We can connect through our words, our actions, our inactions ~ even a simple meeting of the eyes can speak volumes.

We all have difficulties in our lives, some of us have hidden scars and some of our scars are outwardly displayed.  There are few who are unaffected by trials and tribulations in life.  It’s what we do with our experiences, how we reach out to help each other by connecting, that we make the life experience more fulfilling ~ deeper, richer and more meaningful.

So day as you go out about your day, perhaps you can take a step out of your comfort zone to simply smile at a stranger, to hold the door for someone, to thank someone who does it for you.  Many times we are too busy in our heads to really see those around us.  By reaching out to help, we help ourselves as well.

Please watch the video and let me know what you think…it’s quick, but powerful!

Big hugs to all of you from me!

Shine On!

xo

Needing Personal Space

Contemplation…

I love this card’s image and today it seems like a great one for the Daily Prompt!  The questions made me stop and think about my reasons for blogging and about the content that I post so here goes….

Daily Prompt: Personal Space

To what extent is your blog a place for your own self-expression and creativity vs. a site designed to attract readers?

I believe that my blog is both self-expression with a touch of creativity designed to inspire readers to live in the present and to enjoy The Presents of Presence ~ to revel in the glimpse of  light when they’ve seen the darkness.  Its purpose is to engage readers and to build a community of friendship and sharing.  It’s a place to find the glass 1/2 full of positivity when you need to be filled up because you are dragging.  Truthfully, yes, I want my site to attract readers, but its posts are written from my heart about whatever I wish to include ~ whatever moves me on that particular day in hopes that the words, the thoughts, and the images will spark some connection to the reader.

How do you balance that?

I can’t be sure if I balance that ~ I think my readers need to have a say in that answer!

If sticking to certain topics and types of posts meant your readership would triple, would you do it?

Well, yes I would be willing to stick to certain topics and types of posts if I thought that it would reach more people!  But I’ve never liked to be pigeon-holed into what others think of me.  I believe we are all complex souls and we write on the subjects we are comfortable with and have experience in knowing.  I write on death, on positivity, on breast cancer, on surviving life’s trials and tribulations.  I write on whatever strikes my fancy everyday ~ just like I don’t always participate in the Daily Post because I am not willing to write about what doesn’t touch my heart.

So my readers, I’d love to ask you:

Are there certain topics you’d like more of?  Less of?

What’s your answer to the above questions on your own blogs?

Happy May Day!

Don’t forget to say Rabbit Rabbit!

Shine On!

xo

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/05/01/daily-prompt-personal-space/

Pink Post ~ Choose Hope

Once you choose hope, anything’s possible. ~ Christopher Reeve

You make hundreds of thousands of decisions everyday!  You choose your meals, your clothing, the time you wake up and the time you go to bed at night.  You decide how you are going to spend your time, move your body and what you are going to say ~ or not say.

You hold the power to choose ~ and they are your choices to make!

For me, when I was diagnosed with breast cancer,  I was devastated as I’m sure most people are when they are faced with a traumatic event.  It matters not what the trauma is whether it be illness, death, tragedy ~ the devastation is there as it is a change which challenges every fiber of our being.

But what you do with the trauma, how you deal with it, is your choice and nobody else’s.

For some, the above hurts because we want someone else to take the reins while we wallow in the negativity ~ the sadness, the self-pity, the victim mentality.  We want to blame someone else for the situation whether it is another’s fault or not.  We want to escape from the new reality and run away from the news.  We’d rather hide and just be left alone.  We want life as it was before we heard the news.  We don’t want to accept this new chapter nor the change in our lives.  We long for the moments before we heard or read or knew or experienced  the trauma.  We want to buck the system, retreat and change it.  We don’t want to accept the news.  We fight the change.  We simmer in our sadness.  We don’t want to go with the flow, we want to be left alone.

But, after our initial response, we have to make a decision that will change the way things work for us.  And it is our choice to make.

For me, choosing hope was easier as I’m a glass 1/2 full type of gal as I’ve mentioned before ~ but not everyone feels that way and I understand.  For those who see that glass as 1/2 empty, my heart goes out to you as this is a burden.  It’s a habit, it’s a comfortable way you’ve been living that needs to change for anything is possible.  I realize that when it’s the trauma of a death of a loved one, there is no hope for change ~ at least not that we can bring back our loved one.  I know, I’ve been there before.

But having said that, I’ve learned that once we can turn to acceptance of the new normal, of the heart-wrenching loss, we can begin to move on and find hope.  For me, my Dad’s death impacted my life in a very traumatic way ~ but now 9 months later, I am learning to go with the flow ~ to accept this new normal with all of its additional responsibilities.  I’m learning to forgive, to let go and to allow the healing that time spreads like a balm on the soul.

I love this quote from Christopher Reeve and I imagine in my heart and mind the gut wrenching challenges he endured as he tried to heal his broken body.  He shone like a lighthouse ~ he continued to hope for a cure, for a change, for a medical breakthrough, not just for himself but for all who were paralyzed.  He held onto that hope of possibility with Superman strength and continued to light the way for others ~ using himself as an example.

I know that for me, I asked the question, “Why me?” to the Heavens.  Why me?  Why not me?  I still don’t know the answer to that question, but I believe my life experiences have given me a gift ~ to choose hope, to be a friend to others, to understand and to empathize because of my experiences.  It hasn’t been easy and it’s been a long time coming this peace within that I’ve been creating.  In my heart, I wish I’d never had cancer or endured so much sadness in my life, but I hold the hope that if my story, my experiences, my life can help another person, well, then it’s not been a life in vain for it has helped others.

It’s a process, this healing, no matter what tragedy you are dealing with, but I know for sure that when you hold hope in your heart, the possibilities are endless.  That’s what I wish for you today and everyday ~

I wish you HOPE!

Choose Hope…Anything is possible.

Shine On!

xo

Friendship Comes in All Colors

A friend is one of the nicest things you can have, and one of the best things you can be. -Douglas Pagels

Sometimes just a diagnosis of an illness, breast cancer or not, can be isolating.  Think about it.  Any type of bad news can have this same affect on us ~ the death of a family member, friend, loved one, the diagnosis of our own disease or illness or that of a loved one ~ the death of a marriage, a friendship, a relationship ~ a change in a loved one (domestic violence, drugs, jail) ~ any heart stopping trauma usually is isolating to us at the time.  It’s up to us to see how much we let it affect us and what we do with those feelings.

It’s hard to reach out when you’re in that whirlwind of change.  The trauma many times cuts to our inner core, shakes up what we had thought we had control over and then leaves us as if we’d been thrown into a washing machine on high spin ~ only to be so dizzy by the news that we can only sit in the corner and watch the world go around.  It seems too hard to get up to move sometimes after this happens.  It’s simply mind-numbing no matter the situation.

And that’s where friendships begin and end.

It’s where the hand of friendship reaches out and doesn’t judge, but simply holds in it much love and comfort.  You don’t have to understand what’s going on with a friend in order to be a friend.  You just have to know when to listen, when to hug and when to hold hands.  It’s that simple and much appreciated!  For what you give out, you get back a hundred fold!  There’s no greater return on investment than true friendship!

So whether you need a friend or you can be a friend or both ~ today’s the day to be inspired ~ today’s your day to smile at someone else!  Wouldn’t it be nice to cast a bit of sunshine out to someone else today?  I know you can do it!  We are all here together to help each other to Shine On!  So get out your sparkle and let’s go!

I’m sending BIG HUGS, Happy Smiles and I’m holding my hand out to you!

Grasp my hand and let’s SOAR!

Shine On!

xo