Mental Vacations

Each day, I wake up to this tranquility. It's peaceful and serene. Each season allows room to grow. It's so beautiful here. I have a wonderful family, and life moves at a slower pace. 

We're not concerned with new, now, next of the consumer life.

Out here, we are concerned with what today brings, how we're feeling, and what can we do today.

We live in the here and now.

Yes, it is a drive to see businesses and city life, but we prefer this rural place.

Our neighbors are spaced out at a comfortable reach. We look out for each other, and most of us smile and wave.

The air smells fresh, and at night, the stars are clearly seen.

The town we're considered in is at least 5 miles away.

I love this countryside life!

The Path

    I took a walk one day. The weather had finally become pleasant. On my walk I was inspired. 
    Life is like a path. At first, there is no path. There may be areas worn down by one who went before us, but things have grown up or fallen down distorting the way.
    Starting out on our journey, we decide to go that-a-way, and so we need to clear the area. The first hike down that path will most likely be difficult and hard to negotiate.
    We may stumble and fall. We may get battle scars, and we may say to ourselves, "This is too hard." We may want to give up and not go back. Don't quit!
    Try again. Go back out and do it again. "Practice makes perfect" after all.
    Each time we go back, we can see our footprints, and there may even be others' footprints, because we led the way. We were brave and took the first step or a giant leap of faith. 
    Over time, the path will get worn down. It will be easier to traverse, and we may look forward to going. Sure, things may grow up and fall down many times over, but as long as we get back up and keep trying, we will find joy in this. It's perfectly ok to take rests, breaks or even go on hiatus for a while. Rest is good for the soul, but don't give up.
    If we decide to quit, we are left with regrets and wondering, "what may have been".

Building Endurance

So, today was my first day for a 30 min walk. I have finished my 4 days of 20 min walking. I realized, while my muscles stopped aching and just felt warm, I'm building my endurance. I love this! I know it's repetitive, but it's necessary to train to run. With everything in life, we must practice over and over with small steps, advancing difficulty to get to do greater things for longer amounts of time. I am always in preparation for something. My two goals, right now are running and getting remarried. I have also learned, over time, through lots of practice, to step back and see the bigger picture. I have learned to see my progress and see how far I've advanced toward my goals. I hope to always give God all the glory and see all the beauty in my everyday!

Learning to Run

Last month, I learned I was way outta shape. I cleaned someone else's house, and it took me much longer than a year before.
I decided I needed to get in shape, plus I need to lose weight for health reasons, and I wanna look great in my wedding dress that I'll, someday make.
I kept seeing my step-sister post all these accomplishments of running 5k's and even a marathon! What! Yeah.
So, after having this tiny running book for a few months, getting decent sneakers, seeing a 50° day, I had to make a serious commitment. I will learn how to run!
With my little cockapoo by my side, I am beginning my training. I wrote the training days on my calendar. My goal is to be able to join Lila in her runs, someday.
No one was born a champion. It takes training and determination. We can do anything when we learn to prepare ourselves.
This year, I am learning to set goals. I never had plans turn out well, but with a goal, desire and preparation, plans work.

Nothing is Perfect and It's O.K.

For the longest time, I always thought I had to be "perfect", and I had to perfect everything I did. I can't pinpoint how it all began, but it was awful!
I'd freak out if my hair wouldn't behave. I wouldn't eat but 2c of veggies a day. I exercised frequently and did 100 crunches every night before bed. I was only 135# when I graduated high school. I was very broken. I don't know who I was comparing myself to, but I was delusional thinking that if everything was perfect, I'd be happy.
I'm so glad I grew up and sought counselling. My head was screwed on not too tightly, or maybe it was over tightened.
The only way I learned the truth behind happiness was listening to people talk. Everyone that looked so perfect, to me were broken on the inside. Many hid battles they dealt with, daily. The ones who strived for perfection, like me, had horrible self images.
When things don't go as planned, it's alright. That's just a change of plans. If my hair won't do what I want it to do, I try figuring out what it wants to do. Yeah, life's messy, but everything washes and dries. If it's leather or wool, it can be replaced.
Now that I've grown up, I value time and life as the best parts of life. I don't care if someone decides they need my stuff more than me. My life, and the lives of my loved ones means more than things.
Where are your priorities? Have you allowed things or people to rob you of your joy? Just reorganize your thoughts by stepping back, closing your eyes, taking a few deep, slow breaths and prioritize. 

Words...What do they mean?

There is a saying - "If you want something you've never had, you've got to do something you've never done.  If you keep doing what you've always done, you'll always have what you've always had."

This is a very powerful idea, and if utilized, can alter your world.  It's amazing how by doing something or not doing something you've always done can impact and change a day, a week, or even your life!

I'm learning where to tweek my life with this idea.  Everyday poses new opportunity to change how I've always done things.  It's fun and very interesting to find alternate ways.  I have found an alternate reality to how my life has always gone.  It's so interesting, I have to share it.

This morning, before I left to volunteer at our local food pantry, I noticed there were hardly any coffee cups, no spoons to use, and dishes hadn't gotten done the night before.  I used to get steamed and leave.  This morning, I did up a couple sink-fulls of dishes before I left.  I can't wait to see the ripple effect of doing this one, little thing. 

I've learned to respond to insults and harsh talk with different tones and chosen words.  I don't want to hurt someone who hurts me, and I want the words coming out of my mouth to be building and out of love.  I wish others would be so sensitive to the words and tones they choose to say.  It's hard to handle when someone else had someone do something wrong to them, but the tone and words coming out of their mouth on me are as if I did it.  That's when I say, "Hey, why are you talking to me like this?  What's wrong?"  Then, the best way to handle it is to tell them how their talking is affecting me and making me feel.

Our communication is what makes our relationships work or not.  I was reading in the Bible today, and I got a good dose of a lesson from one scripture that said, "The voice of a fool is known by his many words."  This is a great lesson to stop and think about the words we say and how they affect the ones we said them to.  Even words spoken about someone need to be handled with care. 

Why not, before we even let the thought escape our heads, put the idea under.  If you find yourself even thinking negatively about someone else, ask yourself, how would you feel if the thoughts you're thinking were thought about you, or how would those thoughts feel told to you about you?  Let our words, thoughts and actions be of love and care, to help build up and grow instead of tearing down, killing and putting under.

Getting Over Pain

For so many years, I always thought the best way to deal with pain was to talk it out.  My most frustrating moments with pain would be when my husband would say something snarky and leave for work.  As a stay-at-home mom, I'd be left to have the words last spoken to me ruminate inside my mind leading to new, negative thoughts and questions eventually turning me into a hot, melted blob of a mess.  Everytime, I'd write out my feelings or thoughts and leave it on the table.  This, in turn led to my husband trying to figure out what to do next, as I boiled under my skin.  Every attempt on his part to try to console me made me even angrier, and I never got closure from any of it.  It would just have to dissipate and stay inside until something new bothered me later, and then, they could both be added together.  This same thing would happen over and over until I just couldn't contain my pain, anymore.  By the end of three months, or so, I would babble out my pain and frustration, trying to stay audible through the tears and snot.  He would listen, and I would feel like a horrible person for cutting him down.
I have recently learned the better way to take care of this situation, as it just happened a few days ago.  I wrote out my letter of frustration.  After serious thought, an hour later, I put the note away.  New thoughts crept in, and I wrote out a whole page of "pity party" questions and put it on the table.  I sat on the couch and cried.  I prayed for God to take this pain and hurt away and to bless my husband at his job.  I found comfort in my Bible, and crumpled up that stupid paper on the table and threw it in the trash.  My thoughts were: "What was I thinking?  How would I like to come home to a note of such hurtful words?  Doesn't my husband have enough drama at work?" 
I went to the couch, again and read more in a book that is helping me out, greatly "Making Love Last Forever".  By the time I went to bed, I had euphoric peace, and when I woke, my husband was touching my hand asking me if I wanted McDonald's for breakfast!  I couldn't believe how awesome this morning was!
So, from this one night, I learned the best way to get over the pain of hurtful words was to pray it out to God, and let it go.  It is easier said than done, but it's not impossible.
Thank you, God!