i can and i will

The Japanese character for mindfulness combines the words 'mind' and 'heart', beautifully symbolizing the essence of mindfulness as awareness not coming just from the mind, but also the heart.

 

I am...I will.
I am becoming the best me that I can be. I am living my life on purpose and with purpose. Happiness and love will always be in my heart. I will be amazed at the wonder I experience, I will be inspired by all the beauty in the world. I will be touched by all the love in the world. I will appreciate all the magic in the world. The family I have and the friends I meet will love me as I will love them. I will remember that all of my dreams can be realized and that all of the things I imagine can be achieved!
All of this will happen because I can and I will.

in  the everyday living that we all do, it is often hard to live in mindfulness. to lead with the heart and the mind...to lead from a place of love and peace is often a large request. we all have been through so much negative, sad, frustrating, angry moments. we often find life to be more a burden than a source of joy. Books like The Secret seem to spew hogwash and nonsense. how can it be that just believing in good things and being grateful for the good in our lives is enough to bring happiness and joy and good to our lives.  

and yet it does seem to work for some.

my sISTA gIRL reminded me just the other day that to say negative things is to encourage them into existence. my question, for a long time, was how come saying a good seems to take forever to bring a good while saying a negative seems to bring negative quickly. after all the reading i have done and listening i have tried to do, i know the answer. we have been filling our own heads with negativity for so long that we don't even notice when we do it. so the few times we do notice and change our thoughts and words does not begin to erase all the unconscious negativity.

i think the solution of constantly being positive, saying positive things and being grateful is not just for the present moment. i think it is for the unconscious moments. perhaps if we say it often enough, positive thoughts will begin to replace the negative thoughts that run through our subconscious. and THAT is when there will be a turn around in our lives.

the question is ... can we be mindful of our words - remembering to speak from a place of peace and love. can we be patient - realizing we have a lifetime of practiced negativity to change. the answer should be yes. peace is the best place to live, love is all we really have to give, gratitude is the way to live and right NOW is all there is. 

i have been trying to live that way for some time now. it is not easy and i do a bit of backsliding from time to time. i also have to be reminded every now and then that i am slipping into my old negative ways. but i have yet to give up. i great each day with gratitude, end each day with gratitude and try to find time each day to sit in mindfulness. i am working on the negative voices in my head. those are the hardest to get rid of. but i am working on it. i ho

i hope all of my sISTA gIRLS will join me on this journey. let us make a difference in our own lives so that we can make a difference in the lives of others. then maybe our changes can begin to impact the world. all it takes is that first step.

the old and the new ... in cars and friends

So, it's amazing how comfortable we get with our things. i had my last car - an suv - for over fifteen years. at the end, the door didn't close properly, we had no heat, it smelled, it sometimes leaked, the tranny was iffy and we couldn't use windshield wiper fluid. the worse was the summer. it would start up and get me to my destination but there was no guarantee it would start again to get me home. still i loved my car. it was amazing in the winter. it would get me through snow or ice. i never worried about sliding or getting stuck in snowbanks or drifts.

but my old car died and i had to buy something new.in the end,  i brought a pretty little something for not much money since i am not a car fan. i bought just something to get me to and from my destinations.

we are now in the midst of winter. i have a new little car. no 4 wheel drive. no front wheel drive. and,what a difference. it's a cute little car and i love it but i won't take it out in bad weather. with no 4/all wheel drive, driving in bad weather (snow covered or icy roads) means the possibility of sliding and sliding means the chance of an accident. i'm staying home whenever i can.

i must say it makes me think about how much we trust the things we are used to even when others think we are crazy. i also realize how new things can be intimidating or worrisome because of our unfamiliarity with them...even if they are considered the newest , latest and the greatest.

i figure if i am like that about my car ...trusting and hanging on to the old and suspicious of the new, i must be like that about life. and as i think about this, i know that it's true - i have a hard time letting go and moving on. i don't make new friends easily. i like the things i am used to and don't do change. still change can be a good thing. my new car is clean, warm and smells good. it is good on gas, is comfortable to sit in on long distances and is a great color. my friends will ride in it with me and others acknowledge it when i am on the road. my new car is a good thing.

so, i will try to remember that as the winter trudges on with snow and ice. similarly i will try to remember that in my day to day living. some things are nice to keep the same and some things are better to change. i just have to learn to appreciate when is which. letting go teaches you to let go faster and easier with each new attempt and being happy with the things you don't change teaches you to appreciate what you have. it is all a balancing act.

and ... today ...while i sit here laughing at myself for not going to an appointment because i was reluctant to drive my car over slightly icy roads, i will forgive myself for not trusting the new and missing my old car. i will appreciate the positiveness and possibilities of new things. i will let go of the old. i will appreciate balance in my life.

it's like old friends and new friends. there is a place for both.

Snowy days and how to make snow cream

woke this morning thinking of you my friend. it is snowing outside. the snowflakes small and glistening, landing in cotton balls of soft wetness on the ground beneath my window. i remember when we were young. on snowy days: we built snowmen and would use my father's pipe and laugh each time because my father didn't smoke the pipe. it was a gift he saved just for us and snow days. we had block snow fights and chased each other and then, when were were tired, we made snow angels and fairies. we played until our fingers were frozen, our noses and cheeks red and our toes damp despite the boots and layers of socks. 

then when we could stand the cold no longer, we would come inside to big bowls of tomato soup and toast or crackers and steaming mugs of hot chocolate with whipped cream and marshmallows (a big treat to have both). we would mush our hands on my mother's face and laugh when she shivered. we would stick our hands down each others backs and laugh out loud at the other's reactions.we would collect fresh, clean snow and watch as my mom made snow cream (ice cream made of snow) which we ate until our insides were as cold as our outsides had been, 

then, when it was dark but way before bedtime, we would go out again. but this time it would be different. a snowy night is a wonderland of diamonds, starlight, moon-glow and hushed sounds against approaching silence. late night stragglers would be coming home from work and everyone else would be inside. everyone but us. we would sit on the front steps with my mom inside watching us. we would stare at the sky and the ow and imagine our future. where would we be? what would be doing?we wondered but it really didn't matter. tomorrow didn't matter other than whether or not we had school. growing up was in the future. now we were all about the beauty of the night and the joy of sharing it together.

what do i remember most? i remember believing in fairies and magic and possibility. i remember believing anything could happen. 

it is snowing still...it's supposed to be a snowstorm. i am here watching the snow and thinking how young and innocent we were back then.i still believe in magic and fairies and possibility. i don't make snow angels or fairies but i will participate in the odd snow ball fight although now i am more inclined to want to kiss in the snow as opposed to snowball fight or even make snowmen.

i am sitting in my chair ... reminiscing and i want to wish everyone a happy snow day. try and remember the joy of snow as a child and then put some of that joy into your day. have soup and hot chocolate or later tonight sit and contemplate the beauty of snow. make snow cream. remember the fun you shared with friends then call an old friend and reminisce together. 

snow days can be good or bad. it just depends on your outlook. 

Orange Creamsicle Snow Cream

6-8 cups of snow
8 ounces whipping cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon orange extract
1/4 teaspoon orange gel coloring
Scoop clean, fresh-fallen snow into a large bowl (don’t panic about making the measurements exact and don’t pack the snow. You want it to be light and fluffy.) Stir together the whipping cream, sugar, orange extract, and orange food coloring until the sugar is dissolved. Pour the cream mixture over the snow. Using a spoon, stir the mixture together until it’s creamy. Add snow by the scoopfuls, if needed, until the mixture resembles ice cream. Scoop into bowls & serve immediately.

Chocolate Oreo Snow Cream

What you Need:
- 1 Gallon Ziplock Bag
- Snow!
- Vanilla Extract
- Chocolate Nesquick Powder or Hershey syrup
- 1 Cup Milk
- 1 Cup Sugar
- 6 Oreo Cookies
- Bowl

How to Make:
1. Crunch up the Oreo Cookies and place in the bowl.
2. Add all ingredients in the bowl and mix well.
3. Add Snow and mix quickly and well.
4. Add more Nesquick or Hershey Syrup to taste
5. Enjoy

love...and quotes

i guess this is venting. still i wanted to share it with you. let me know what you think...if you agree...if you disagree

I've read quotes that say love is finding someone to get lost in. I've read others where the response to the first quote is that they are lost and looking to someone to find themselves in.

My response to both of theses is...not me. I am sometimes lost and on those days I am looking for someone willing to share my journey while I find myself. I am not looking for someone to find me.

I sometimes know who and where and what I am. On those days I am looking for someone to share their completeness with me. I am not looking for someone to complete me.

And on the days when I want to get lost, I want someone to get lost in while they get lost in me…really we are getting lost together...getting lost in the moment of togetherness and the emotions that the moment brings. But the point is we are doing it with each other, not him for me or me for him but each of us for ourselves as well as each other. The point is...I am not found but looking for someone to get lost in. 

It is not that I am against these quotes that say I need somebody to find me, complete me or get lost in. i am saying I don't need that and don't want to need that. i also don't want that. I don’t need or want someone to do for me what I can and should do for myself. Rather, I want someone who needs me by their side because they love me. I want someone who wants me to share their journey as they share mine …as equals…together…with love. 

i'm jus sayin...

what is "home"?

I read this snippet from a book on fb today and saved it because I agreed with some of it. I wanted to edit out the parts I did not agree with and replace those parts with my beliefs. I have edited it, added to it, changed it, made it mine … and now I would like to share it with you. I hope you agree. If not, feel free to change tit to suit you.

If I had the chance to speak with the characters from a few magical places I have read about, this is a question I might ask…

After reading about magical places like Neverland, Oz, Narnia and Wonderland; I often wonder… why did those of you who got to go these places ever want to leave?"

Lucy would respond, "Because no matter where you go or what you see, you'll always want to be where you belong."

That I would understand because belonging somewhere is like being home.

Wendy would probably add, "and your home is where you feel most comfortable and loved."

I understand that as well because home is supposed to be somewhere you would want to return to ..that is… if it was where you felt loved and enjoyed happy times.

Not one to be left out of a conversation, "it's a part of you," Alice would add. "It's where your family is."

And I would have to agree because places you visit, that make an impression on you, stay with you no matter where you go; just as people who affect your life become a part of your family, they become a part  of those memories you hold in your heart.

But the ultimate answer will probably come from Dorothy who learned something special from her trip. She will remind us all that no matter where we go or who we meet, if we come from a healthy, happy home filled with love, it will be the place we need in our lives to restore us to our happier selves when things don’t work out as we want or when our batteries run low.

"There's no place like home," she would say; summing it all up with her favorite comment.

And while it is true that for some, who have had unhappy childhoods, home does not bring back happy memories. It is important to remember, home is really a metaphor for a place where or a group of people with whom you receive love, compassion, support and acceptance from because of as well as in spite of who you are.

Looked at that way, there is indeed no place like a place where you receive love, support, compassion, caring, hugs and holding. There is no place like the metaphorical home…for…home is where the heart is and… where the heart is…is where you will find everything and everyone you need to be happy.