It's All About The 'Moments'

Time flies by pretty fast these days anyway, without missing the 'moments'. What are the 'moments'? They're the special things we encounter along the way that are worth remembering. The moments are special birthdays, anniversaries, accomplishments, and achievements. The moments are the friendships that endure time and challenges and rough patches. The moments are the 'pay it forward' opportunities that present themselves when you least expect them.

The moments are the times and the situations that shape our character and make us who we are.

There are days when life seems to be all about work, finances, responsibilities, and big important decisions. Then you get a Facebook event invitation for your granddaughter's first birthday party that's 4 months away so you can save the date and all you can do is stare at her picture. Suddenly the rest of the world and your day as you knew it no longer exists. You're in complete awe. Her eyes are SO captivating that you'd reach right into the photo if you could and give her a hug and a kiss. It's a MOMENT; the kind of moment that can get you through a long To Do list, a stressful week, or a sad day. It's the kind of moment that can cure whatever ails you. It's the moment that can easily become your screen saver so you can gaze at her any time you miss her and need to renew your inspiration.

Yes, life can get busy and crazy and a little tiring at times, BUT never let it consume you to the point that you miss the 'moments'. These moments will be cherished as memories forever and have the ability to encourage you, inspire you, comfort you, make you laugh, and make you cry.

It's all about the moments. What have been some of your best moments?

Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda

Do you live with regrets? Are there moments when you think to yourself ... If only I had done this or that? What if I had reacted differently? It's not often life gives us a Re-Do, but we do have opportunities to learn from our actions.

 

There will always be things we SHOULD do; like exercise and eat better.

 

There will always be things it WOULD be wise to do: vote to share our voice and obey the laws and the 10 Commandments.

 

There are the things we are REQUIRED to do; get a driver's license if you want to drive and have health insurance.

 

Then there are things it would be MORALLY right to do; be loyal, be honest, and be respectful of one another.

 

There's a lot to remember if you want to live a good life that both you and God can be proud of, but we're human and we're bound to make poor choices and bad decisions and even occasionally do or say things we wish we could take back. We don't get a 'rewind' button. We need to face our choices head on and deal with any consequences. But in the midst of trying to stay on track and remember all the woulda, coulda, shoulda scenarios we need to make sure we also honor the things we WANT or NEED to do. There are things that help curb our mounting anxieties like laughter (or ice cream). There are things that help us clear our heads like fresh air and taking a walk in the sunshine. There are things that help our minds stay active like crafts, crossword puzzles, and taking time for prayer or reading a daily devotional.

 

Life is full of big decisions and difficult choices, but it also needs to be about creating a healthy balance.

 

How do you balance your life? What WOULD you do if you COULD? What SHOULD you be doing differently?

Don't Let Stress Win

Has anyone besides me noticed how fast life is going these days? We rush in traffic. We scramble to get out the door on time. There are days we look at the clock and frown because it's only 8:30 p.m. and we're too tired to do anything else with our day. When I was a child I thought that days were endless. We would go outside to play in the summer after breakfast, come back in for lunch and head back out on our bicycles to find a friend in the neighborhood. By the time dinner rolled around you were either calling your mom from a friend's house to see if you could stay for dinner or bringing someone home with you.

 

Somewhere along the line we grew up and life got complicated ... with school, homework, jobs, children, parents, and insurmountable amounts of responsibilities. Now trying to find that 60 minutes needed to cut the grass, work in the garden, do the laundry or grocery shopping, or even just take a walk becomes something that needs to be scheduled or added to the To Do list. Not to say that all days and weeks have come to that, but it does seem to happen more frequently.

 

Not having the time (or the energy) to do the things you want for pleasure, for your health, for creativity, to stimulate your mind, for your family, or just for yourself and your sanity can be stressful. Stress is a nasty word; it means we're allowing 'something' to get in the way of how we live our lives and we're letting 'something' control us. Stress isn't always as simple as making a choice to do or not do something. Often stress is a mere by-product of many other things. I've always been a firm believer that choices are the one thing we can control in our lives, but life can still throw you curve balls and those curve balls can often come from other people and their choices. The trickle down effect and how much those curve balls distract you and weigh on you and how you are able to live your life can be the cause of unwanted stress.

 

So what can we do about it when our choices aren't enough? Great question! If I had the answer or if it was that simple I could devote myself to helping A LOT of people. In the mean time, we must learn to take life one day and one moment at a time. We handle what we can, when we can. We find ways to lighten the load, to not try to carry it all ourselves, to be more vocal when we need help, and we listen to our gut. No one knows what YOU need better than YOU. Don't give up trying to find a balance in your life. Don't give up on trying to get your joy back.

 

What has you stressed out these days?

 

In the mean time, hold on to these little nuggets of wisdom ...

 

Take rest; a field that has rested gives a beautiful crop.

~ Ovid ~

 

God didn't do it all in one day.

What makes me think I can?

~ Author Unknown ~

 

Stress is the trash can of modern life -
we all generate it but if you don't dispose of it properly,

it will pile up and overtake your life.

~ Terri Guillemets ~





Are Morals Becoming Extinct?

Some blog topics seem to come around again ever so often. Does it mean I'm beating the proverbial drum? Gosh, I hope not. Nine times out of ten I base my blog posts on observations. Truth be told, whenever I'm seated in a room I prefer to face the door so I can be a people watcher. I find people, their reactions, and their mannerisms extremely interesting (and captivating).

 

Lately when I read Internet headlines, Facebook posts and comments, or observe someone in a store ranting loudly enough for everyone to hear their business I find myself jotting down a few words; just enough to get the creative juices flowing and my fingers typing.

 

So what's my rant (oops, I mean my 'blog topic') today? Are morals becoming extinct?

 

Morals and values are things we grew up with. Our ideals, for better or for worse, were molded by our parents, the neighbors, our teachers at school, maybe our pastor, and for sure our society. But I look around today and I wonder. What kind of job are 'we' doing; and by 'we' I don't just mean you and me, but also our society and the media. Many young people today seem to be easily swayed in one direction or another. They like to think they're expressing themselves and have life all figured out, but in reality they're just jumping on someone else's band wagon.

 

When I was a child and attended summer Vacation Bible School I learned about the Ten Commandments. As a young girl the one commandment that stood out to me then that I felt I could maybe apply to my own life referred to 'loving your neighbor' (Mark 12:31 The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.').

 

I see some people today (and trust me, age does not discriminate) who seem to have forgotten their values. The easiest way to honor the commandment is to treat others the way you would hope to be treated.

 

Would you like to ...

• be disrespected?
• manipulated?
• be talked about behind your back?
• have friends and family that are not loyal?
• have people lie to you?
• be cheated on or out of something?

So ... if we wouldn't like to be treated these ways, why is it okay for us to treat others like that?

Have some of our morals and values become extinct? Do they suddenly not apply to our lives 20, 30 or even 40 years after we first learned them?

 

None of us are perfect, including me, but the first step is taking the rose colored glasses off and observing ourselves. Sure, it's easier and more convenient to stand back and criticize the way others behave, but it is definitely harder to look at ourselves. They say we can be our own worst critics; how true is that? We'll never see ourselves the way others do (good or bad), but maybe it's time to start.

 

What values do you see lacking in the world today?

More importantly, how can we be part of the solution rather than the problem?

So How Are You Doing ... Really?

How many times a week do you run into someone at work, at the grocery store, or while out for a neighborhood walk and in order to make polite conversation you ask, ''How are you doing?" to which the polite response is always, "I'm fine."? You smile, you asked your obligatory question, you waved good bye and then went on about your day. But if you had stuck around long enough the other person might have answered with a different answer; a more truthful one.

 

Many people are going through difficult times. They may be dealing with grief, an illness, loneliness, sadness, or anxiety. But, truth be told, who wants to get an emotional response to a simple "How are you doing?" question? If we're going to be completely honest; probably no one. We're all busy, have things to do, are on our way to someplace extremely important, and have very limited extra time. So why do we bother asking? Don't we realize that most people can see right through our efforts and know that we're just trying to be polite; after all you were already probably two steps away before you had actually finished the question.

 

Now, if you invite a friend to breakfast or lunch or out for a cup of tea or a walk and ask the question, then be prepared to stick around long enough to expect a response. We look around every day and see and admire people that we think have it all together, but do they? Or are they just one question away from asking for a tissue because they're feeling overwhelmed? Many people are good at hiding their emotions and some are an open book. Without ever asking, some people you will always know who's sad, who's sick, who's tired, etc. Some people have no trouble sharing what's going on. Maybe that's not a bad thing. Whoever said that we all have to have super powers? Whoever said that showing emotion was a sign of weakness? Maybe some people wouldn't feel as alone or sick or tired or overwhelmed if they didn't feel the need to keep it all inside for fear that someone might think less of them.

 

We never really know what others are dealing with. We never really know what is going on behind the forced smile. The next time you find yourself asking someone, "How are you doing?", be prepared to actually wait for a response. If the answer is the obligatory "I'm fine.", perhaps ask a second question and then see where the conversation goes. The next smile you see may be a bit more authentic.

 

Just something to think about.

In A More Perfect World

There are days we look around and must think, 'Oh my gosh, can the world survive another tragedy?' There are so many things that are wrong today, but unfortunately most are out of our control. We must stand idly by and just wait to see how things turn out.

 

In a more perfect world there would be no war, no terrorism, no earthquakes or devastating tornados, no incurable diseases, famine, homelessness, no hatred, depression, etc. Like I said, a lot is out of our control.

 

Then there are the things we could only wish for; things that perhaps with good intentions could be improved upon.

 

In a more perfect world ...

• politicians could only talk about their own platforms and the very second they mentioned another candidate's name their microphone would go silent
• a police squad car would always be just around the corner each time a car ran a red light or a driver was texting while driving
• people (no matter their race, religion, or view) would always get along
• a good friend would be your friend for life, not just until something better came along

In a dreamer's world ...

• we could eat what we wanted and never have to worry about gaining weight or counting calories
• it would only snow during the night time hours and the roads would always be clear during morning and evening commutes to work

The world isn't perfect and it never will be, but let us all remember that a single difference starts with us. We can be the improvement in anyone's day. We can still control our own choices, our behavior, and our attitudes. Those alone can make the world (or at least our little corner of it) a little bit more perfect.

 

What would make 'your' world a little more perfect?

I'm Waiting For A NEW Kind Of Award Show

After a weekend of star-studded Oscar media I have to ask myself, 'Why do we really care about who wore whose gown and who had what to say?' At what point did we put actors and actresses, directors and producers on such high pedestals? Don't get me wrong I think it's great when a salesman receives an achievement award for having the highest sales, because chances are HE worked his behind off getting the sales. But when a salesman walks forward at his annual meeting to receive his award he shakes hands with the presenter and says 'thank you'. He doesn't start telling us about his personal views of the world's problems, the effects of global warming, the presidential race, and what color skin the award winners do or do not have. No, instead he simply says 'thank you for acknowledging my hard work' (IF he says anything at all).

 

Now, let's be clear. I have absolutely nothing against the movie industry; I did make it to see one movie in 2015 and I do like the occasional fashion show. I also enjoy Girl Scout cookies; although I'm still sad that they discontinued the square shortbread cookies with chocolate on one side and zoo animals on the other - but that could be a topic for another blog post.

 

I realize that when a person's profession puts them in the spotlight certain responsibilities come with that light; setting a good example for instance because people may be looking up to them. This goes for athletes, actors, musicians, politicians, etc. But that presents another question, 'Why do we idolize people we don't know, people we'll most likely never meet, and people who basically will never have any direct effect on our lives?' They'll never know me or anything about me. I'm not going to have coffee with them at the local hot spot next week to discuss life strategies, so why should I hang on their every word?' How do I know that what they're saying in their acceptance speech wasn't just another script they memorized for when they were in the spotlight? If I'm going to listen to them I want them to be real ... no glitz, no glamour, no cameras, no spotlights ... I want them to sit across the table from me with their sleeves rolled up and tell me what's REALLY on their mind. I want them to be relatable.

 

What do I really want? I want there to be recognition for the firefighter that just pulled an elderly man out of a burning house. I want our military troops to receive the respect they deserve for putting their lives on the line every day so that you and I have the freedoms to go after our dreams and perhaps take a night off and go to an occasional movie for relaxation and pure entertainment. I want an award show that shares inspiring stories of REAL people doing good deeds. I want the average person to be recognized for being the best teacher, or police man, or hairdresser, or waitress, or realtor, or secretary, or student, or volunteer, or grandparent they know how to be. I guarantee THESE people are changing people's lives in some very real ways.

 

Who would you like to see recognized and why? I may not have the ability to run a nationally televised award show, but I do have a blog that real people read. I encourage you to make your voice heard. Who can we recognize today?