Archive for April 2009
Is your life a blur? Do you fall in the trap of busyness?
Busyness is not the same as productivity …
And I say that to remind myself! Yesterday, I had the opportunity to be “busy” or to simply enjoy the moments — the countdown — of the remaining days of home school. And to, at the same time, be productive! 
This being graduation time, I want a photo (read: a LOT of photos) to commemorate this final year for my son (and for myself).
In the midst of our semi-last minute goal — to utilize a western sky with vivid, swirling storm clouds over lush green wheat fields as our canvas — my son and I quickly devised a strategy! It would have been mere busyness (and more than a little stressful!) if we didn’t already have a list of errands (conveniently woven into our list of photo spots!) and a time table. (Started before the rain; took care of errands in the rain; more photos after the rain …)
Is your life a blur? Are you stuck in the trap of busyness?
If so, here are some tips to sl-o-w your daily race to an easier pace. Because marathon runners go the distance; sprinters don’t. And ya’ can’t sprint the marathon of Life!
- Be in the driver’s seat (with a map of your top three daily “destinations”!).
- Follow the map. Determine the direction of the day — and avoid u-turns and tangents.
- Observe the speed limit. Adrenaline-powered days don’t provide you with the best mileage.
- Refuel before you get to “E”. Set a timer for 15-20 minutes and snooze in a quiet place.
- Record your mileage. Notations of tasks, thoughts, memories, etc. allow you to accurately assess the moments of your life.
These are merely some ideas to ponder. Ideas that will assist you in avoiding the stress of dragging around the weight of the busyness trap. Ideas to gradually weave into your days. Ideas to equip you, so you can stop sprinting and enjoy the wide open spaces of the awesome and inspiring marathon of Life. \o/
Each day brings with it, opportunities for balance. A balance between carrying the vision of your heart and the day-to-day minutiae of busyness. ~stargardener
Life in a box?
Mac and cheese and I are old friends. I have graduated from the blue box stuff (from my college days) to the healthier version, but I still see it has one of life’s staples. Sort of like “instant comfort” in a box!
And that is about all I have today. Well, that, and this miscellaneous ponderings from Desserts Past. Which is where — in the 39 drafts of The Dessert Years — I found this image of my son’s favorite mac and cheese.
So, this is Day 3 (or 4 … I forget …) of topics-to-blog popping around in my mind. Ideas that seem to stall once I begin to write. 
These ideas start in full composition. However, this composition is occurring while I dig in the dirt of my gardens! Thus, since I do not have an assistant — equipped with a laptop! — with me in my gardens, these “legendary posts” 
remain mental drafts.
So, how is life in your part of the world? Need some comfort food?
I know at least one of you has been ill. And there is a new baby boy being cradled in the home of one reader; he is absolutely adorable! (And another of my favorite readers has been waiting, waiting, waiting for a new post! She knows who she is: My head cheerleader, creative mentor and prayer-partner extraordinaire!) ♥
This past week provided me with a bit of “comfort food for the heart” — served to me by two of the greatest young men — on the planet! I was blessed to be “Nana” for a few days. It was perfect timing as I am on the other side of being “unwell” … I refer to it like that since I despise the word, sick. But in reality, I guess both terms mean the same thing.
This side — of the most severe flare-up of pain and fatigue in two years — offers hope and reassurance that I am once again well enough to be in my gardens! (Well enough not to require bedrest and naps …) It reminds me that friction creates energy (more about that for me personally in my post, Hocus Pocus) and that — overall — I am better than I once was.
I wonder how many of you deal with chronic illness, fatigue and pain? Perhaps you, like me, are (or have been) somewhat homebound … You want to be positive — to be grateful for what you do have. Instead of searching for some tidbit of inspiration, humor or at least something to break up the boredom and challenge of knowing that the rest of the world scurries through the day ala their routine and To-Do’s.
Oh! And then, there is that “box ‘o chocolates” of carefully wrapped, crunchy emotions and oh, those rejected cream centers to deal with!
When I am in the midst of a flare up, it feels like time sorta stops — or, at the very least like a time warp! This last one was a doozy! Although I do not have an diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis (because I refused to “experiment” with the pharma-protocal ) — the symptoms are the closest to what I experience. [Information regarding a flare up of Multiple Sclerosis and Understanding Multiple Sclerosis Flares]
But then the flare-ups pass and I experience “start-line” moments. Those times when I know it is time to press “resume” … To resolve to live differently than “before” — even as, ironically, I benefit from what was before. Even as I remember to heed wise counsel: “If you are too strong you cease to be relevant.” ~the ever-glittering Jules ★
Such resolution to move on is a process.
And some days, it is like the beauty and dual events of rain pouring from darkened skies and billowy clouds — with sporadic rays of the sun creating prisms of light …
Managing Overwhelm
Photo SourceCan this be accomplished? Managing overwhelm?? 
Isn’t the lack of control the very essence of overwhelm?
Maybe not.
Overwhelm is like a giant wave of tasks, situations and.or emotions that momentarily threatens to envelop us. It can paralyze us. Unless we grab a surfboard; a surfboard called Cope! 
What? Go surfing?
Learning to cope with the sweeping waves of Life is part of living. We all have “bad” days when we simply wash onto shore — water-logged and exhausted. 
However, experience and practice enables any surfer — and those of us who merely “surf” the wild waves of Life — to ride to the shore on even the largest of waves!
My “surfboard” of choice at the moment is: One Step at a Time and {Master Lists}. And … I get by with a little help from my friends. ♫ ♪ ♫
How do you cope with the ebb and flow of Life?
We cope in varying ways. Most of us employ some form of chocolate! And we often begin with a bit of ranting and perhaps a threat (or two) to run away from home!
But in the end, there are common helps that enable us to move through tough times and the overwhelming moments (days, weeks) of life. And we all have ‘em; we simply need to …
… remember, refine and rehearse ‘em!
★ Other related Desserts:
If ever there is tomorrow when we’re not together… there is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we’re apart, I’ll always be with you. ~Christopher Robin to Winnie the Pooh ♥
Hope. Always.
Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune—without the words,
And never stops at all,
—Emily Dickinson—
Seeds of Joy (or Sorrow)
We plant “seeds” every day. What do you have growin’ in your garden? Is it thorny and prickly or colorful and in full bloom?
Steps
Don’t be afraid to take a big step. You can’t cross a chasm in two small jumps. ~David Lloyd George
Arriving at Amazing by way of Goals, Part 3
The Land of Amazing is often discovered after wandering around … somewhere over the rainbow.
Most who are searching already have what they are looking for — or at least a mental map to it — even if they don’t realize it. It is the “doing” which propels us — fuels us — to our destinations.
Changing the way we move through Life most frequently occurs a degree at a time. But then there is this tipping point, where it all comes together. There is a shift in the way we react to situations, our thought patterns and the order of our days.
We have the ability to guide this process when we invest a bit of time and focus to:
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Determine goals (How you want your days to be?)
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Develop a plan — a strategy. And work the plan!
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Set a deadline. Deadlines develop habits and protect against procrastination.
Deadlines can also serve as mile markers are you travel in the direction of your dreams. You can begin to see the progress; you can note how much farther you have to go!
When I was undergoing chemotherapy, the importance of deadlines became very real to me. Each treatment date was marked on my calendar. The last date was my destination, the other dates were mile markers. Knowing what the deadline was, and how far I had “traveled” gave me the courage to keep going. That was over six years ago …
The lessons of that time motivated me to set mini-goals beyond my comfort zone. Accomplishing those mini-goals gave me courage and vision to set amazing-goals — and to live the life I used to only dream about.
Yes, it took time. However, the concept of having a strategy became a tangible addition to my goal-setting. Those strategies are what enabled me to accomplish my goals and set realistic deadlines — and allow me to dance in The Land of Amazing! (Even as I map out my other adventures! ♥)
Reach for the stars, even if you have to stand on a cactus.
~Susan Longacre
Hearing the words, “You have cancer.” resets your life in a dramatic way. (And there are countless other life events which do the same. ) You begin to count days, celebrate the mundane and you come to appreciate the days of your life just a little bit more. Why wait for such an event?
Document your goals; write them on note cards or in your journal, or begin a collage journal or create a vision board The more you ponder, write (and rewrite!) your goals, the more you will begin to develop strategies and identify and determine the steps to your goals. And the more you can let go of yesterday and being in that three-ring circus.
Arriving at Amazing by way of Goals, Part 1
Arriving at Amazing by way of Goals, Part 2
★Copyright 2008-2009 © The Star Garden
All images and content posted on The Dessert Years blog are copyrighted. Please feel free to contact me by leaving a comment (comments are not published) if you are interested in posting or using images or content from The Dessert Years.
What would you say?
If you could talk to the younger version of yourself,
what would you tell him and why?
Arriving at Amazing by way of Goals, Part 2
What are your Goals? Where do you want to go from here?
Today awaits your choice to be present. And by the way, you will have to check the baggage of yesterday at the door. As difficult as it is sometimes to keep moving, to take the next step, to forgive (self and others), to let go and just be fully present in this moment — it is possible!
In order to do so, see your life on a continuum — see yourself in-motion, living a life that is in-progress.
It is only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it were the only one we had. ~Elizabeth Kubler-Ross
Begin to think about a sequence of events — a strategy — that has a beginning, a middle and an end. An end that is merely a destination — not a conclusion. Because Life is absolutely full of adventures yet to be enjoyed! 
Consider this: You are driving to a specific location. You know it will take two hours to travel to said destination. After one hour of being in the car, you don’t suddenly slam on the brakes, shift the transmission into “Park” and have an mental meltdown because you haven’t arrived. Do you?
But this is what often happens with our goals. It happens because we ponder our dreams, compile our lists … and, expect that is enough. (Or that the Goal Fairy will arrive to carry us off into the direction of our dreams!) 
However, this is the one-way map to Self-Loathing — often visited, but definitely not The Land of Amazing! 
It is a place of dead-end roads, and streets that circle a town of empty storefronts and “For Sale” signs … Because no one wants to live there.
To arrive at Amazing, we need a strategy.
A strategy is merely a plan that includes details and deadlines for our goals. It defines the necessary tasks and elements in order to arrive at our destination-goal. A strategy is also something tangible we can refer to (and add to) as we accomplish the tasks regarding our goals. It is a document, folder or notebook where we collect the information we need as well as jot down notations and mark deadlines.
This can be as creative as a portfolio of watercolor collages or as simple as a wall calendar with a pocket. Or an eclectic combination of anything in between!
I have already heard from several readers who claim they {don’t have time to write plans}. To which I reply: “I didn’t either. I had to discover it; and I found it because writing and {planning} literally {creates} time!
Tips for {Discovering} Time
- Keep track of your 1440 investment opportunities. Keep notes about what you do during your waking hours. Look for the moments (hours) you spend in the company of
time-bandits: 1. trying to remember what you won’t write down; 2. mindlessly surfing the Internet; 3. reading twitter, Facebook and.or e-mail; 4. flipping through TV channels; 5. doing tasks that are someone else’s responsibility; 6. making last minute trips to the store to get the item you forgot (refer to bandit #1; 7. looking through piles — that you {don’t have time} to organize; 8. [fill-in-the-blank] … because we all have our pet bandits 
- Determine your priorities. Most of are like lint rollers as we move through the day. Tasks and distractions “cling” to us as we roll through! However, when we map our days before we get started — determine what must be accomplished first — we are 99% more likely to maintain our priorities. Yes, this will require that time be set aside to write down a simple (1-5 tasks) To-Do list. Suggestion: Do this during the first (or last) 15-minutes of the day.
- Delegate (or let go). Ask for help when it comes to the endless lists of routine chores and errands. Stop living with the idea of perfection or the “I-have-to-do-it-all” mentally. You do not have to do it all. And if you live alone or cannot ask for help (literally, or because you have been told “No.” repeatedly) — demote the priority of household chores, errands and other tasks that occur on a daily/weekly basis. Schedule an appointment time for these tasks — and stick to it! Once the allotted time has concluded, move on to what is next. Even if you didn’t finish or do said tasks perfectly.
The more you write down what is on your mind {and sparkling in your heart ♥ } the clutter and the discouragement of the disappointments of the past will begin to fade.
Writing, painting, collaging and drawing what you “see” in your mind’s eye gives clarity to your goals. The more clarity you have regarding your goals provides the framework for the strategy that will enable you to accomplish your goals. That strategy will assist you in purging the time bandits that rob you of {extra time to write} … And aid you in letting go of yesterday.
- Five Tips for Finding Writing Time
- Prioritize, Plan and Prepare
- Time (expenditure or investment?)
- You have today. What will you do with it?
- My tips to get back from Oz from my Right-brained weekend
Arriving at Amazing by way of Goals, Part 1
★Copyright 2008-2009 © The Star Garden
All images and content posted at The Dessert Years blog are copyrighted. Please feel free to contact me by leaving a comment (comments are not published) if you are interested in posting or using images or content from The Dessert Years.
Do it today.
