Harmony Begins With You!

Harmony Begins With You!

Have you ever felt out of sorts?  It feels like nothing seems to be going right in your life?  All of your endeavors appear fruitless?  Your relationships are skewed, finances in disarray?  Health problems plague you?  Even the weather and your plans aren’t cooperating?  Well, there may be an easy explanation for the confusion you are enduring.

Harmony begins with you.

It’s a simple solution, but some may balk at the notion that the chaos you are experiencing is manifested by the inharmonious thoughts in your own mind.  Perhaps, I can show you what I mean.

Let’s experiment.  Today, let’s look carefully at our thoughts, actions and words.  Try for 15 minutes to notice what you are thinking, writing, believing, saying and doing.  What negativity do you observe?  You may find your mind is bombarding you with worry, fear, regret, anger and resentment.  These feelings manifest themselves in your daily life, wreaking havoc in every plan and experience.  It’s a vicious cycle that only you can change.  And the best news is, You Can!

Back in 2012, I wrote about a favorite book that I reread when I need a gentle reminder to clear myself and realign my thinking.  Here is the post.  At the time, I even did a series of posts on Florence Scovel Shinn’s books, taking tidbits which I felt highlighted the essence of what she was writing and sharing what I felt pertained to most of us at that time in my life.

Recently I picked up the book again to re-ignite the harmony which I felt was missing.  Many of her affirmations jumped out at me, but one in particular resonates and I think it might be helpful to you.

I am poised, harmonious and magnetic.

So my prescription to you, should find yourself in the above situations is this:

Rx ~ Read, write, speak aloud the affirmation above today 10x.

Be grateful for your poise, harmony and magnetism.

Simply take a moment out of your day at small intervals and repeat the Rx.

Do this for a few days and see how your mind/life responds.

Be aware when you are thinking negatively.  Stay conscious as you go about your day.  Think twice before spewing anger and instead, simply repeat the affirmation.  It may feel funny at first, but feel free to try.  You may just notice that harmony begins to enrich your life; pathways open, you feel better, opportunities arise and you are enveloped in a peaceful embrace by the Universe.

Let me know what you think!  Have you ever heard of Florence Scovel Shinn?

Share below when you feel a shift in your thinking.

Shine On!

xo

Daily Prompt: Shoulda Woulda Coulda Confession

Daily Prompt: Shoulda Woulda Coulda

Tell us about something you know you should do . . . but don’t.

Ok, here goes…I’ve got a confession to make and I hope you don’t run away.  Lately this topic has been coming at me in all different ways so I guess this daily prompt was the last straw because you see, I’m a CLUTTERBUG.  There, I said it.  I’m not a hoarder (at least not like what you see with garbage piled up everywhere).  Oh no…that’s not me at all!  I’m not that far gone!  But I have slid from the girl who was always well organized to one where I have stashes of clutter in boxes, in closets, under the bed and in my office.  In fact, I have to tell you honestly how much it bothers me that I can’t throw things out.  Now again, let’s be clear here…it’s not garbage that is piling up in those places, it’s just stuff ~ memories ~ my prom gown from 25+ years ago, my 2 wigs that I wore when I lost my hair to chemo, old clothes that I think I shouldn’t throw out in case I gain or lose weight, old shoes that perhaps may come back into style, books that I would like to someday read, old toys of the kids that they adored, tons of  paperwork that I think I may need from my cancer diagnosis over 11 years ago, I could go on and on!

I have old calendars, I have old letters (boxes of them), old notebooks with stories written in them that someday (ahem) I may make into a book.  I have pony tail holders from when my hair was long, I have stashes of “what if I need this” piled high in closets which are finally driving me crazy enough to do something about them.

Because I am finally feeling like I have the energy to tackle this stuff…albeit I”m not sure I can really do it on my own.  Because to me, those things evoke memories and I’m afraid that if I throw them out or donate them or sell them, that the memory will vanish when the item is released as well.  And it’s a fine line for me considering that I’ve been living with chemo brain fog for a long time and it’s never come back much to my disappointment.

I just did a tapping seminar online which dealt with clutter which really opened my eyes to the reason for my clutter.  Because I”m not a lazy person at heart.  Honest.  Although to others who are not clutterbugs, it does seem like I am just too lazy to put things away or to throw out what’s not being used.  But that’s not the case and it was a huge relief in my heart to take this seminar and realize that I’m not alone in my feelings nor my situation and that yes, it can improve and be solved!  In fact, it delved into the psyche of a cluttered life and I think I’ve realized the beginning ~ 11 years ago when I was diagnosed with cancer!  That was the start, although it was gradual, but it just piled up to the point of immense sadness, trauma both to my body, mind and heart and it was earth-shattering to me to realize what the catalyst was for it and how it can be changed and fixed and solved.  I can’t even begin to explain to you how this seminar simply cracked open my heart with tears and emotions flooding my being because I hadn’t realized how much the clutter and the guilt of the situation was hurting my psyche, my daily life and affecting me in such a profound way.

To others, it’s clutter….just clean it up.  To me, it was something else entirely and with the tapping seminar (which was free that day), it just came to me in the most healing way.  Now I just need a friend to hold my hand and help me to continue on my journey with it so that I can get it done and move on!  Because even though I’d thought I’d moved on, I was stuck and I’m just now unsticking myself from the trauma of being diagnosed with breast cancer.  I’m not making excuses for myself, but I am learning more about myself and discovering that I had covered up much pain with the clutter.  Like a protective shell around my life and heart and I want to be free of it now.  It doesn’t serve me anymore and I want to be clear, to be happy and to be clutter free.

Part of the shame, the sadness and the fear in clutter has to do with control.  It’s almost a punishment if you will (I’m loosely quoting this online course) to the person who is the clutterbug because we don’t feel worthy of having a perfect house or of knowing where things are or of being able to live with the memories and not the item to call them up.  I’ve read of people who take pictures of their gown so that they can remember it, but knowing me, the picture would end up in a pile somewhere and I’d be finding it in another 10 year (although a snapshot would certainly free up the closet space!)

Do you have this issue?  Do you hide it as well?  On the outside, I try to keep the public rooms of the house in a tidy condition.  With an active family and pets it’s a bit difficult, but I manage.  But I don’t want you upstairs in my house.  I want it private for fear that you’ll think badly of me because of my unorganized stock piles!  What would you think if you walked into my office and when you opened the door, a barrage of paperwork greeted you?  I know how I’d feel if you saw it ~ humiliated, sad, upset, ashamed, guilty, unloved, aggravated.

So my public flogging is over ~ I’ve aired my clutter laundry and I’m going to continue on my quest for a happier, clutter-free me.  I actually started throwing out paperwork yesterday.  I spent 3 hours in the office and I have 3 huge garbage bags to be shred.  I am also getting rid of a bunch of the kids’ toys and now my job is to find a place which needs gently used toys.

And as I sit here tap tap tapping away on the keyboard and alternating tapping on my pressure points on my body, I want to do a shout out to Elisa at http://elisacashiola.com/  who inspired me to work on my office over a year ago with the promise of helping me Feng Shui it (which is still on hold but not for long)!   Check out her blog because she’s got some amazing tips on how to make your house a home!  In fact, she helped me move my mirror from my front door and I felt the change…now imagine how powerful I’m to be when I am clutter-free!

Woo Hoo!  Fellow clutterbugs unite ~ or better yet

Let’s UNTIE ourselves from the bonds of clutter! 

Ready, Set…GO!

Shine On!

xo

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/02/13/daily-prompt-shoulda/

Spirits in the Night…

While we are mourning the loss of our friend,

others are rejoicing to meet him behind the veil. – John Taylor

Years ago, I awoke from a dream that was so real that I called my parents to tell them.  My Mom’s brother was like another father to me growing up.  He was a special man in my life and I loved him very much.  My dream was brief, but I saw him as clear as day in my dream and I heard his voice which I hadn’t heard in over 20 years.  I knew the voice immediately and recognized him in my dream as well as he looked ‘fit as a fiddle’ and happy.  I spent many weeks visiting him in South Carolina as a child and he always made a big deal of my visits.  When I told my parents about my vivid dream, my Dad told me that it was my Uncle’s birthday (which I didn’t know).  I felt very blessed that he had come to visit me and I was smiling all day thinking of him.

Truth be told, I thought it was a strange coincidence, but went on with my life, never thinking another thing about it.

Then a few nights ago, I awoke in the middle of the night, startled from a dream that was so real that it took me a few minutes to shake the cobwebs from my brain and realize that I was in my own home, in my bedroom and it was 3am.  In my very vivid, realistic dream, I was talking with my Dad and my Aunt Gloria.  We were in a house which I know I’ve visited before in my dreams and we were in the kitchen, talking and laughing.  It felt so good to see the two of them looking healthy and happy.  They looked as I remembered them 20 years ago and not as I had last seen them which had been at their recent deaths.  I remember that there were others milling around, but the three of us were talking in the kitchen of the home and we were teasing my Dad and laughing heartily over something funny.

My Dad passed away 6 weeks ago and Aunt Gloria passed away 6 months ago, but they were great friends and I can easily see the 2 of them whooping it up in Heaven together.  In fact, the more I’ve thought about my recent dream, the more I suspect that perhaps I did really visit with the 2 of them for the duration of my brief dream.  Now I just wish I could remember what we had been talking about as it was very funny.  Surely they shared a dilly of a joke or story with me because I remember feeling so lighthearted when I awoke.

Whatever happened that night, I know that it was a confirmation to me that they are doing well on the ‘other side of the veil’ and I am happy to see it.  I am just so grateful that the two of them found each other and deigned to visit me.  What a beautiful memory to enjoy for days to come!

Has this ever happened to you?  Am I the only one?  Have you ever gotten a visit from someone who’s passed?   I’ve never told anyone but my family about these dreams so I’m interested in knowing if I’m just delusional or if you’ve had similar experiences?  If you would, please let me know…

Happy August 1st to you!

xo

A Single Courageous Step…

Many of our fears are tissue-paper-thin,

and a single courageous step

would carry us clear through them. -Brendan Francis

Lately I haven’t been sleeping as well as I’d like.   I don’t know about you, but sometimes I go through periods of time where sleep evades me more often than not and right now I’ve not been sleeping well.  I wake up in the middle of the night, unable to fall back asleep because my mind continues to whir and mindless chatter of what I need to do and what needs to be done by others plagues me.  And then there is the fear of not getting everything done properly as I’m in charge of a lot these days…that fear alone can put me over the edge.   But what I’ve found is that the fears are usually paper thin and unfounded…but in the middle of the night, they feel like I’m carrying heavy bricks.

So what I’ve begun doing is imagining that each brick is one of my fears and I begin to walk ~ baby steps of course ~ and as I do, I let go of a brick with each step.  I simply drop it and allow my mind to tick it off the list that plagues me.  I drop the brick of named fear into the abyss below me and I imagine that it goes away into nothingness ~ that it simply evaporates.

Sometimes I imagine that Universe/God catches it and turns it into dust as well, but that’s only if simply dropping it doesn’t actually make it go away.  Sometimes those fear bricks have been known to not easily be released and that’s when my stepping out takes control because I’m still walking as I drop them and as I continue to walk, they are further away from me.

We all have fears which is sad because when we allow those fears to manifest, they can take over…which is why, I adore my baby steps!  Do you carry fears?  Do you sleep well?  Can you see that much of what we fear isn’t anything more than worry emphasized?

Join me in our stepping away from our fears and into the light…drop your fears, make them a kite and fly those paper-thin thoughts right out of your head today!  Let me know how it works for you ~ and what works for you!  I’d love to hear more options for my nightly episodes.

Happy Monday to you!  It’s the start of a new week!  Enjoy!!

xo

Strength…

“STRENGTH does not come from winning.

Your struggles develop your strengths.

When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender,

THAT IS STRENGTH.” —Arnold Schwarzenegger

Although I’m not a huge fan of Arnold, I do like this quote because it’s true…to look at me, to know me, to love me, is to know that part of ‘my charm’ is that I am not a big fan of pain and I have been known to yelp with a paper cut!  I am also a fainter at the sight of a needle which you would think after all of the needles that I’ve seen through my 1/2 closed eyes with fingers splayed across my face, I would be over that fear by now, but nope…again part of my charm.  Which by the way, my darling husband would love it if I were less charming (ahem), but I can’t be anything but me, so charming it is ~ much to his chagrin!

But what I lack in muscular strength, I have in spiritual and it is what gets me through life.  I would never win a prize for athleticism or physical endurance (although I do think there should be a prize given to those of us who have endured more than our share of illness/surgeries and all around ick), but the middle of the nights, all alone spiritual challenges may leave me weakened, but never completely without endurance.

I have endurance…it’s a small seed of endurance filled with love, laughter and an amazing amount of support from my family, friends, loved ones and even strangers.  I have faith which has increased over time…and I am HOPE above all.  I just never surrender.

So if your strength is waning these days, I’ll lend you mine…because that’s what friends are for.

We are all connected…you may be the weak link in the chain at the moment,

but the chain of love will protect you.

Never surrender!

Love you lots!

xo

Before the bloom fades…

Capture it before the bloom fades…

My friend CAngel took this picture for me and sent it to me yesterday and because I love it, I thought I’d share it via a card so here it is…a blue hydrangea!  Her comment resonated with me ~ “I thought you might like this photo. I thought it was so pretty that I wanted to capture it before the bloom faded.’

And then it struck me, ‘capture it before the bloom faded’ and this post was born…

Because that’s what we are always trying to do, aren’t we?  Capture life before it fades…but do we?  Can we?  Like the photo she took for me, we have snippets of moments that glisten in time for us, moments that perhaps we capture on film, on video, on tape or on paper.  Are we the sum of those moments?

On my home answering machine are 2 messages from my Dad which I keep saving.  They are the last vestiges of his voice that I have on tape and they are in fact messages that he left when he was in the hospital.  They are precious to me because of that fact but also because of what he said…he said he loved me.  Although I knew it, hearing how he felt has helped so much these past 3 weeks.  He appreciated my helping him with his business while he was unable to work and it is those 2 thoughts that hold my heart captive.

So today, before the bloom fades…

take a moment to let those around you know how you feel about them.

Send a heartfelt message in a card…

We only have today…

http://www.sendoutcards.com/126830

A Celebration of Life

If one should say to you that the soul perishes like the body,

answer that the flower withers, but the seed remains.

Yesterday marked 3 weeks since my Dad passed and at the time he passed yesterday, I was out to eat with my sons, hubby and in-laws, all whom were laughing and eating and enjoying themselves.  As I glanced at my watch, I said a silent prayer to Dad, hoping that perhaps his spirit could hear me.

For I know he would have loved to have been there ~ laughing, having a good time, teasing everyone.  That’s the Dad I knew and loved.  There are many complexities to my Dad, many attributes I didn’t care for, but the seed of love, well, that’s what I know remains in my heart now.

As I watch the sun rise over the lake this morning, I am all alone which I love.  Mornings are my favorite when the house is quiet and it’s just me and my thoughts.  That’s the time that I can mourn him, let a few of the tears flow and nourish my broken heart.  It’s the ‘me’ time of day when I am strongest and I can fathom all of the grieving emotions that undulate in my heart during the day.  My health hasn’t been so great lately ~ my body, heart, mind and soul have taken a beating ~ but I am still here and still mending ~ as always,taking it one baby step at a time.

The seed of Dad’s being still exists and I see signs of it everyday.  Emails I receive from his friends, many of whom I didn’t know existed, continue to pop up in my inbox.  Notes and letters continue to arrive in my mailbox as do stories recounted of what he had said and done when he was here.  It’s these stories that remind me of the goodness of my Dad ~ and those are the seeds I want to remember.

He scattered seeds far and wide ~ most of them good ~ and that’s why we’re all here isn’t it?  To touch others’ lives by our own in the best way possible.

So that’s what I concentrate on this morning as I write today’s post…a celebration of life and remembering the love.  And as I ponder what my family would think if I were to perish tomorrow, I keep hoping that the seeds that I’m sowing today will make for a lifetime of love tomorrow.

Happy Friday to You!

xo

Embrace your Uniqueness…

Unique. Embrace your uniqueness.

Time is much too short to be living someone else’s life.

~ Kobi Yamada.

I think as we get older, it becomes easier to be ourselves.  Perhaps it’s just me, but I feel that there’s an awakening, a releasing of caring about what someone else’s thoughts are about me and a freedom which makes life so enjoyable!

I spoke with CAngel yesterday whom I only just recently met.  She was very open in telling me about her life and the recent events which had changed her life so dramatically.  Instead of being negative about the events which changed her entire life recently, when I asked her how she was, she answered, “I am well.”  She went on to tell me that she was not going to succumb to negativity in thought nor in word.  She would accept the growth that the experiences were giving her and she would take this opportunity to get to know herself better.  She looks up, reads scripture and is delving into knowing herself better in order to strengthen herself.  She even shared with me that she has intuitive skills with spirits which I found fascinating and I loved that she was embracing her uniqueness in such a grand way.  Good for you CAngel!

We all have a UNIQUENESS that is OURS ALONE!  We all have talents, strengths and weaknesses which make us ourselves.  We can live our lives covering up what makes us unique or we can celebrate our uniqueness and strengthen it.  It’s all up to You!

For me, I love my Uniqueness ~ I’m not quite sure what makes me Unique though…

Do you know what makes you Unique?  Do you celebrate your Uniqueness?

Embrace your Uniqueness!

xo

Key to Success…Key to Failure…

I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody. ~Bill Cosby

Happy Monday to You!  I found this card this morning and just knew it was for today’s message.  In digging through my Dad’s personal items, I’ve found a ton of keys ~ most of which I have no clue as to what doors they open, but I find it interesting that there are so many doors that they could open and I wonder if I’ll ever find them.

On my own keyring, I have a key which I can’t figure out whose door it opens.  It’s been on there so long that I am afraid to throw it out for fear that it is a key I need.  Do you have any keys which don’t serve you anymore because you don’t know to which door they belong?  Have you thrown them out or are you holding onto them like me?

I feel like many of us hold onto keys in hopes of finding the doors to which they belong and in doing so, we somehow hold onto that ‘key of failure’ in the process.  Trying to keep the peace, helping to keep everyone happy and perhaps not keeping ourselves happy in the process is a key to failure.

It’s Your Life…it’s My Life…and I’m a guilty as the next key holder when it comes to trying to please everyone from time to time.  I’m not advocating not smoothing the road of life from time to time for others, but living your life to please everyone is not a life to live.  Giving yourself up in order to make others happy doesn’t allow you to be happy nor to grow by experiencing life as it could be.

As for my dilemma with an unknown door key ~ I’m going to take my own advice today ~ for the next week, I will truly try to figure out to which door it belongs and if at the end of a week I am unable to find it, I will simply take it off my keyring and put it away in my desk.  It’s not serving me and I feel like it’s weighing me down.  Perhaps it’ll be my symbolic key to failure that I’ll finally lay to rest.  I’m still unable to throw it out, but I think there will come a time that I will simply throw it away knowing that the door to that key is permanently closed…and I’ll feel good about it.

Do you carry keys to success on your key ring?  Or do you carry keys to failure?

xo

Summer ~ Today’s Gift to YOU!

Summer. Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability. Sam Keen

Happy Saturday to You!  I hope you are enjoying the warm summer weather which seems to seep into my bones whenever I am outside in the sunshine lately.  I thought this sentiment was perfect for today because I think with the hustle and bustle of life, we sometimes forget to simply enjoy the weather, the season and nature.  It’s important to get off of the hamster wheel for awhile and just ‘be’ for a bit.  Many of us feel guilty (myself included) when we’re not doing something and we let our minds race with all of the woulda-coulda-shouldas instead of just breathing, observing, enjoying what is offered in The Presents of Presence (my FB page).

In fact, even in the card, it’s described as laziness finding respectability when it’s not that at all, but in our frenzy to continue to be busy, laziness is how we explain our doing nothing for awhile and enjoying it.  How sad that we need to label being present and just enjoying the moment as laziness.  Is that a label you use as well?  Or are you comfortable just being able to take time to be?

Even for a moment today, my challenge to you is to find 5 minutes in the sunshine ~ drop your burdens, your cares, your woes ~ allow the beauty, warmth and happiness of sunshine to seep into your bones for a bit, soak up some of the sun’s vitamin D (with sunscreen of course!) and take a break from that hamster wheel.   Hum a little tune, sing a little song, notice the sky, the sun, the world around you…take a moment to breathe in nature today and be grateful for this moment in time.

Time is all we have and it is limited.  None of us know when our time is up, but I can tell you that the clock is ticking…who’s life is this anyway?   It’s YOURS!  So enjoy it!

Happy Saturday!

Happy Summer!

xo

P.S.  And if it’s cloudy where you are today, look at a peaceful scene of sunshine and imagine what the sun feels like on your face…and if you can’t imagine that feeling, then we need to talk…you need sunshine! xo