. The Dessert Years .

Above the Clouds …

I often remind others (and myself!) that we “know” … Even when we are convinced we don’t. We know what to do when we are stuck in the mud, spinning our wheels … pounding the steering wheel, screaming expletives and futilely pressing the gas pedal to the floor.

This week, I have been somewhat forced to remember this for myself. I have been focused on breaking the cycle of my old coping patterns. I seemed to be moving through and then I was reminded that this is a process (as I fell into old patterns) and I remembered: Change takes time.

When life gets busy (and two weeks ago, mine went wild ) we default to what is familiar. And, forging new habits is sometimes like following that Yellow-Brick Road: There is a lot of effort to “find” something you realize you already had. You simply needed to know it, live it — and just do it!

This week (even as I was convinced I didn’t know what to do) I began to cope differently; to pause instead of running faster, to journal and to seek solutions. I did this via micro-movements, a moment at a time and not out of some sense of being driven to it.

I have written these “how-to’s” before — but this week, I honored what I know. And it worked.

• Routines eliminate the quandry of what to do next.
• Timers to manage “appointments” of time for work, rest and play create gentle boundaries.
• Journal, use a time planner or some other bound (or otherwise contained) system. This is the most awesome and practical method of mapping the road to your dreams. It enables you to have a proverbial view from the sky, to see where you can delete, consolidate and literally create blocks of time for concentrated work, for tasks that will equip you and get you to your destination.
• Pamper yourself with an appointment of quiet, uninterrupted time each day. Allow yourself to simply be, collect your thoughts and focus on simply breathing in … breathing out. Once quieted, begin to examine, ponder and write about where you want to go from here. [This can be a mere 15-minutes that will "create" hours in your days.]
• Minimize distractions (turn off your telephones, announce that you are officially going invisible at (the time of your appointment with yourself and refuse to be interrupted for anything less than fire or blood)

♥ Rise above; focus on your proverbial view from the sky … And dance as if no one is watching!

I agree with Christine … And I have been listening to Chris Cendana, too. Click here for more “Happy” via Chris Cendana.

Instead of being more organized or controlling in your approach, allow for serendipity. Happy accidents happen when you look side to side or up, not always forward. Don’t stop planning. Rather step out of the tunnel. Put yourself in situations that allow for the unexpected. Life is situationally driven. Learning happens in context. Be ready when opportunities arise. The more space you’ve cleared in your life for something new, the more right things will happen. More or less. ~Marcia Conner

My Sweet Mollee Joy
English Cream Golden Retrievers

The past two weeks have been like a roller coaster ride; I have soared and swooped, up and down, winding around curves and screaming with both delight and terror. I have only held on tight as these types of weeks typically precede time of abundant joy and secure steps onward in my journey.

I have held on tight even when I was merely there for the ride (and knew I couldn’t simply jump out! ). This weekend was particularly harrowing …

Then, this morning Serendipity stepped in. Again. It reminded that waiting, patience and quiet are the fields in which Serendipity is planted. I received three e-mails that were sent to an old e-mail addy I don’t use very much; within each was written I needed to know.

It is amazing to me that we are being instructed, comforted and guided even in the midst of Life’s most mundane events. It is simply a matter of listening.

“You are in the midst of a union of circumstances to secure your launch for tomorrows …” ~January 27, 2008

One of the many other instances of Serendipity during the past two weeks is meeting ♥ Mollee. And every day since she came home with me from the rescue momma’s home 10 days ago (… feels like we have always known each other) her nudges and gentle eyes have been such a comfort and reminder of Serendipity.

She and met due to a series of events that started with saying good-bye to Duke. He “introduced” me to the rescue mom who was caring for ♥ Mollee the last day he and I were at the vet’s office; she had a male dog with her who looked just like Duke when he was younger. Then later in the week when I went to pick up Duke’s ashes, the vet’s tech recommended I call the rescue mom since she actually had two dogs that were a Golden Retriever mix. One was the male dog I had seen but the other was a female.

So, I called the rescue mom (despite the proverbial list of reasons in opposition to said call). Long story, short … I learned more about ♥ Mollee, made application to adopt her, we met, we connected and she came home with me — the next day!

Serendipity.

All authority and power is His; All circumstances serve Him; His Word is forever settled in heaven; He does all things for our good and His glory; The One who did not spare His own Son will freely give us all His best things; God is for us, nothing can separate us from His love; He is faithful He supplies all of our needs; He knows, cares, numbers the hairs of our head; He is the God of all comfort and Father of mercies; He is able to supply His abundant grace to us so that in all things, at all times, we have all of His sufficient grace we need for all encouragement and hope; He shows His perfect power in our weakness; He is our strength, our shield, our strong tower, our refuge, our hope, our joy, our peace, our all; He renews our strength as we wait on Him; He is with us, a very present help; He has a heart that tears can touch and invites us to climb into His lap and cry (Heb.4:15, Ps. 56:8); He gives gladness instead of sorrow and praise instead of fainting. Weeping may endure for a night, but He gives joy that comes in the morning. When we lift Him up continually in a sacrifice of praise, we glorify Him here and now (Jn.12:28a) Source: Prayer Portions for the Family by Sylvia Gunter

Image Source

This is my sign. I have had such an erratic week; it is a time of new activity — activity that seems to take on a life of itself sometimes. It is all good (well, mostly ) … It is just that I am still attempting to sort through the newness and focus on priorities.

Then … There are those proverbial bumps in the road. Zipping along and then BAM you are slammed to the ground.

So the pile on my desk will just have to remain until … Whenever.

I can’t think about that right now. If I do, I’ll go crazy. I’ll think about that tomorrow. ~Scarlett O’Hara

From Wikipedia: Serendipity is the effect by which one accidentally discovers something fortunate, especially while looking for something else entirely.

Love this concept! I was photographing my new sprinkler head (very cool design; photo worthy!) and ended up with the cool pic of a dandelion. When my eldest son was a young boy, he would remind me that “What some people refer to as, weeds, are sometimes really flowers. Like dandelions!”

Thus, every time I see a dandelion, I am reminded that most of what Life is depends upon one’s point of view. And while this morning has not gone as I originally thought it would, I have happened upon so fab photo sites …

• Josette Myrick
• -Teddy (enjoyed reading Change and his blog)

… and my cluttered mind is clear once again.

Recharged.

Refreshed.

Um, return to the tasks of today …

Yes, after I whip up a mug of café mocha (with extra whipped cream!)

♥ The essence of pleasure is spontaneity. ~Germaine Greer

Photo Credit
Corrected 05.09.09

Apparently adults do not officially whine — only children. (I know this because google.com told me! …)

However, apparently, they do. Especially this adult during the past 24 hours. To say I don’t have legitimate reasons for whining would not be accurate. It is just that I don’t do whining — I don’t listen to it and I do not routinely engage in it. So what is the deal??

A wise and wonderful friend pointed out that it must be because I am too close to kryptonite. Kryptonite for me most often presents within my day-to-day career as a mother. Although there are many forms of kryptonite, black kryptonite (which a person’s personality into two separate entities) causes me to whine.

Once I am exposed to it, I am immediately transformed into two separate entities: one who cries and whines and hovers — and the one I routinely “entitize” … a mature mom who realizes her babies are now adults. (Read: The one who knows the proverbial cord is cut and is living the next stage of my life — and stepping aside so her “babies” — who will now be known only as “offspring” — can live the next stage of their lives.)

So, today I signed myself up for a stay at Camp No-Whining. Camp No-Whining requires that all contact is severed with those persons who are contaminated with kryptonite. This ensures that complete detoxification is achieved. It also involves chocolate, solitude, dining out and napping.

Other activities include: doing only what I want/need to do; not helping with errands, driving lessons, wedding plans or any other miscellany involving my offspring; not preparing meals for anyone but myself and my fur-grrls (DH is out of town, this helps to accommodate this requirement); pressing “mute” when any of my three offspring begin to express their dissatisfaction regarding bosses, financial situations, summer school and especially if they are saying anything other than, “You are the greatest mom in the whole world!” or “I love you!” or my personal favorite: “Is there anything I can do for you, Mom?”

Wanna join me?

I am finding it increasingly difficult to read deeply, to muster the focus and concentration necessary to wrestle any text longer than a paragraph or more intellectually demanding than a TV listing.

Um, welcome to my world! Except that is where I lived even before Google …

But what if the very vastness of that universe, the very fact of so much out there to know and so little time to know it in, requires a tradeoff in concentration and focus? I mean, we may have more options than ever before, but we’re still dealing with the same 24-hour days we’ve always had. And the Internet does little to filter or prioritize the information it retrieves — it simply dumps it on your head and leaves it to you to figure out. So perhaps it is to be expected that we learn to skim and scan information, but lose the ability to truly absorb and analyze it. More …

Often times all-so-grand plans are written, discussed, pondered … and then doubted, forgotten, ignored. It is “the very moment of the idea” that holds the key to the locked door of tomorrow.

In every phenomenon the beginning remains always the most notable moment. ~Thomas Carlyle

• When inspirations come: Write them down!

• Writing down one’s thoughts is essential to living one’s dreams. Much has been written about this, so I will simply link to google results on this matter.

Once these thoughts go from mind to paper, consider: What are my priorities?

And, if you don’t have an answer to the question of priorities … Begin today. There is no better time than the present. [Note: You might want to take a quick pit start here ... If you are simply at a place where you just want to make the 911 call regarding your life in general. Thus, the mere thought of all this makes your head hurt.

Remember: Baby steps ...

A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step. ~Lao Tzu

Ready? Let's get started.

• Maintain a journal, time planner or some bound (or otherwise contained) system. This is the most awesome and practical method of mapping the road to your dreams. It enables you to have a proverbial view from the sky, to see where you can delete, consolidate and literally create blocks of time for concentrated work, for tasks that will equip you and get you to your destination. [More about Blocks in a Box and tips for Right-Brain Planners here.]

• Promise yourself an appointment of quiet, uninterrupted time each day. This will eliminate (or at least minimize) procrastination and allow you to simply be, collect your thoughts and focus on simply breathing in … breathing out. Once quieted, begin to examine, ponder and write about where you want to go from here. [This can be a mere 15-minutes and actually create hours in your days.]

• Minimize distractions (turn off your telephones, announce that you are officially going invisible at (the time of your appointment with yourself and refuse to be interrupted for anything less fire or blood) I do this by setting my appointment when furr-kids, DH and sons are sleeping and/or gone from home.

• Create an “mobile” office. This will allow you to sort mail, write note cards, journal, read, etc. while you wait for appointments, take a break in your day, enjoy lunch at the park, have a quiet moment at a library or Starbucks — or any other of the countless moments sprinkled in your days (that add up to hours per week) when you find yourself with “extra time.” [There are countless ways to accomplish this; mine is simply a briefcase with pens, Post-it® notes, books I want to read, note cards and stamps, my iPod and my journal.]

Remember, the pyramids were built one block at a time. A great life and a great career is built one task, and often, one part of a task, at a time. Your job in time management is to deliberately and creatively organize the concentrated time periods you need to get your key jobs done well, and on schedule. ~Brian Tracy

• Begin! Just do something — anything — today regarding making the change to living the life you dream about! Imagine that every moment of your life is worth $1000. It is actually worth much (much ) more! Each moment expires and can never be replaced; each moment is actually priceless.

The main reason that we don’t do something right now is because we think that it is going to take too much time and right now we don’t have time or we don’t feel like doing it now. I want to look at how this kind of thinking actually creates an avalanche effect and before we know it we are suffocating under a heavy load of guilt and we are paralyzed by our inactions. ~Flylady

• Focus and think: Perpetual Motion … Purpose in your heart of hearts to make every minute count. Whether you are working, playing or resting — make every minute count! Consistent effort beats doing something “perfectly” (and never getting started …) every time!

Contentment is not the fulfillment of what you want, but the realization of how much you already have. ~Unknown