Patience

There is a serious lesson to be learned from infants and puppies.


PATIENCE!


They don't understand "Wait a minute."
They don't fathom "I'm busy right now."
They cannot comprehend "Let me finish my work."


They want their attention.
They want their attention NOW!


And if you can prioritize properly
and give them what they want . . . and deserve . . .
the prize is absolutely priceless:


an unconditional love and affection that is near to indescribable!


It is heaven on earth.
It is a cherubic smile from a toothless face.
It is sloppy licks from a creature who wants to be absolutely nowhere else.
Take a moment.
Be patient.
Soak in all the goodness that it brings!

Healthy Heart

For a healthy heart, there are those that will tell you to do lots of exercise.
Three days of weight training and a couple days of cardio.
Some folks are born runners and will run for miles and miles.
Some folks do mud runs and obstacle courses on a regular basis.
Although this surely helps to maintain optimal heart health,
there is an exercise far too many folks leave out . . .
Kindness and Love.


How about that swelling prideful heart when your child accomplishing a difficult task?
How about that overwhelming surge when your partner does that little something extra for you?
How about that incredible humbling warmth when you've helped another human being?


The heart does so much more than just pump blood.
Make use of ALL its facets.
Revel in your healthy heart today!

Special

Do you know how special you are?
Do you realize how amazing you are?
Do you understand how important you are?
Do you comprehend the integral meaning of your existence?


You are all of those things,
and so very much more.
You have talents and gifts and love and faith to share.
You have broad shoulders and open ears.
You have a loving heart and a beautiful soul.


Share your incredible self with the world.

Beautiful Success

I stole today's quote from Louisa May Alcott.
It would seem that I'm writing this for my daughter - whose comment from a week or so ago, needed to be addressed by this.
I'm certain, though, that it is for a great many others as well!


Have regular hours for work and play;
make each day both useful and pleasant,
and prove that you understand the worth of time
by employing it well.
Then youth will be delightful,
old age will bring few regrets,
and life will become a beautiful success.

Pursuit of Happiness

What is your happiness?


Do you want to run a marathon?
Do you want to bake yourself into a stupor?
Do you want to learn another language?
Do you want to be in better shape?
Do you want to paint or draw or write or sing?
Do you want to just be happy?


The pursuit begins with deciding to do it.
Make a plan.
Set goals  ~  tiny plateaus to acquire to attain your final goal.
Stay focused and determined.
There will be delays.
There will be setbacks.
Not everyone will cheer you on.
The drive to succeed must be your own!
Just a little every day!


Go!
Pursue!
Get Happy!

A good start

Wash me please.
Scrub me in salvation's suds.
Rinse me in your righteousness.
Holy water whisk away
The faults and fears of yesterday.
Cleanse me now and ever more.
Dry me with divinity.
Clothe me in good will and heart.
Place prayer and praise upon my lips.
Let kindness guide my path.
And when the day has reached its end.
I hope I'll be blessed with the chance
to do it again.

Do Stuff!

There is ALWAYS something
that you can do
to help another human being . . .
even if it's just your own self!


Taking care of you
is just as important as taking care of others.
Without a healthy, willing, and able you ~
the amazing things that you can do for others
might be delayed!


Get out there . . .
do stuff!

Feel the love

From Louis L'Amour:


"Victory is not won in miles, but in inches.
Win a little now, hold your ground,
and later, win a little more."


Every great accomplishment started with a dream.
Have at it.
Take baby steps - but move forward always!

NEVER!!!

I'm hoping that this video embeds itself successfully.
This is FAR too important to not be seen.
I have written in this regard before and this just truly drives the point home.


http://youtu.be/qX9FSZJu448


NEVER EVER GIVE UP!


NEVER!!!!

Inevitable

"So many of our dreams
at first seem impossible,
then they seem improbable,
and then
when we summon the will,
they soon become inevitable."


We hold, within us, immeasurable strengths!

WTH

Willing To Hope!


When things get all snarled up and you cannot see clearly,
be Willing To Hope!
When you are confused and angry and bitter,
be Willing To Hope!
When you are hurt and broken and lost,
be Willing To Hope!


There is always a time for a short trip to Crankyville,
but please don't take up residence.
Leave your baggage and keep on truckin'!
There is always a rainbow after a storm.
There is always a silver lining.
There is happiness if you are . . .


Willing To Hope!

S.S.S.S.

No, I'm not deflating.
This stands for:


See Something Say Something


When there are shenanigans going on - open your pie hole.
When there is wrong-doing - speak up.
When there is wool over eyes - wake folks up.
When the lies are knee deep - bring forth truth.


Too often people believe that somebody should do something;
never quite grasping that


they are somebody.

A Gift

Yesterday, I was blessed with two very special friends in my day.
One whose question was "Why?"
And one whose question was "Why not?"
Neither was right. Neither was wrong. Both are amazing. Both are beautiful.
The gift I got was to be available for either of them.
We often don't understand why certain situations occur.
We don't know why certain people cross our path.
Yesterday ~ I got a little answer to both.
It was amazing.


I hope today is filled with incredible gifts for you!

High Heels and Haymakers

Last night I sat with hubby and watched the latest UFC fights.
Oh what a hankering I got!


When I was in kindergarten or first grade, my mom put me in dance classes. I took tap, jazz, ballet, modern dance and gymnastics until 6th grade. In 6th grade I tried out for the gymnastics team. In 7th grade, I made it. I was also on the track team and did sprints, relays and high jump. Outside of school, I was quasi-responsible for a local golf club creating a girls golf team because the boys didn't like me playing on theirs . . . and beating them. My best was an 80 from the men's tees at Wiltwyck! Beyond that, I trained to be an aerobic instructor, was taught old school boxing by my grandfather who was a professional boxer, and also trained in body building. Since then, I zumba myself to pieces and am proficient in tennis, racquetball, chucking a football, and was one belt shy of a black belt in tae kwon do. I can shoot a pistol pretty well, done a little archery, and love to hike and rock climb.


On the flip side . . .


I have done two posters in my modeling phase, a car calendar (actually in exchange for a vehicle), and much public speaking. I clean up pretty well, have learned about doing commercials, runway, and acting and taken classes for all of it. I enjoy a beautiful dress, naughty shoes, and serious bling.


I am not telling you this to tout accomplishments.
I am shouting from the roof tops to NOT be pigeonholed into any specific stereotype.
You can do whatever you want.
You can kick the snot out of someone in a kickboxing class and then put on an evening gown.
The only thing holding you back is you.
The world is your oyster.
You've got the best of everything . . .


High Heels and Haymakers!

Burning Bridges

Occasionally, I write with a specific person in mind.
Today's blog is just too all-encompassing to pin-point a certain individual.
Enjoy and take it for what it means . . . to you!


Sometimes, burning bridges is awesome
and completely necessary.
It prevents you from going places
you should have never visited to begin with;
ever going back to ones you finally escaped from;
and allows you to see and learn some amazing lessons.

Lost

There are many ways in which to be lost.


We can be lost in a rage.
We can be lost in thought.
We can be lost in confusion.
We can be lost in direction.


I have been all of those things.
Some more than others.
But, I prefer to be Lost in Love.


In Love,
rage is soothed,
thought is simpler,
confusion is untangled,
and direction is defined.


Today is an exceptional day
to be Lost
in Love.

Stress

Don't complain about the stress and trials in your life.
There are forces at work creating pearls and diamonds
and opening doors you'd never think to open.
Embrace the struggle.
Emerge the victor.

Cast off your cloak

Whether it is a cloak of fear,
or a cloak of security;
a cloak of self-righteousness,
or a cloak of self-doubt;
a cloak of abandonment,
or a cloak of adoration;
a cloak of lies;
a cloak of failure;
a cloak of expectations;
a cloak of limitations.


Better to let the world see the real YOU.
YOU are absolutely amazing.
Go commando.

Wow!

This one is short and sweet and terribly poignant!
Read it. Think on it.
Cast off those ropes.


A ship in port is safe,
but that's not what ships are built for.

Plant

I will be generous with my love today.
I will sprinkle compliments and uplifting words everywhere I go.
I will do this knowing that my words are like seeds
and when they fall on fertile soil,
a reflection of those seeds
will grow into something greater.


~ Steve Maraboli

Have at it

On occasion it is entirely healthy . . . and essential . . . to just 'have at it'.
If there is something you've been hankering for . . . get it.
If there is some goal you've been setting your sights on . . . make a plan.
If there is a dream you've been wistfully hoping for . . . have at it.
Tomorrow is promised to no one.
Grab what you can while you're here.
Don't be greedy and don't be hurtful ~ but grab your hopes by the hoohas
and make yourself happy!


Have at it!
Make it a Lovely day!

Outlets

An 'outlet,' as defined in the dictionary is: a place or opening through which something is let out.


It is extraordinarily important to have an outlet in your life.
Be it writing, singing, art, working out, or however you are creatively expelling good, bad, or stored up energy . . . have an outlet.


An 'outlet' is also defined as a power source.


Remember that as you create ~ in whatever facet you choose ~
you are allowing yourself tremendous power to move forward, move beyond, and
make a difference.


Find your outlet!

Work wonders

Mixing it up with a couple of quotes that seemed worthwhile and very much worth sharing.


Aim for success, instead of perfection.
Never give up your right to be wrong.
You then lose the ability to learn new things and move forward in life.
And in doing so,
treat every individual as if he were what he ought to be and could be.
With just a little support, he just might become what he ought to be and could be.


A little humility and a little love
can truly work wonders.

Happy Independence Day

Today is America's Independence Day!
We celebrate much today; our freedom, our liberties, our personal rights, and all of the things that make us proud Americans.
Enjoy your family, your BBQ, your fireworks, and whatever else you're going to do.


Today, I want you to think about your own independence.
Some folks have had it rough.
Some folks go through some terrible and trying times.
Some folks suffer through illnesses or neglect or abuse.
Some folks live under tyrannical rule; or wish there were any rule at all.
Today . . .  celebrate your OWN independence.


You are an amazing creation.
Find your passions.
Follow them.
Outside circumstances can only hold you back if you allow them to.
Do not be a second rate version of someone else.
Do not be what someone else expects you to be.
Be the most incredibly spectacular person you can be.
Celebrate your independence.

Something to think about . . .

This was sent to me by a dear Ch-Angel friend. Couldn't love him any more if I wanted.
It would seem that when I most feel like falling apart, his hugs will squeeze me all back together.
Thank you for those hugs and thank you for this. It really is . . .


Something to think about.


A young couple moves into a new neighborhood.
The first morning while they are eating breakfast,
the wife sees her neighbor hanging the wash outside.
"That laundry is not very clean," she said.
"She doesn't know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better laundry soap."
Her husband listened and ate, but remained silent.
Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry, the wife would make the same comments.
Some time later, the wife was surprised to see nice clean wash on the line and she said to her husband, "Look! She has learned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her this."
The husband said, "My dear, I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows."


And so . . . what we see when watching others depends on the purity of the window through which we look.


Something to think about . . .

Blessed

Being in the retail world, you tend to converse with about a billion people a day.
That doesn't include chatting and interacting with friends and family and being on social media, too.
Although I tend to gravitate toward positive people,
it is impossible to get away from all of the sad, whining, complaining people in the world.


Here's my thoughts . . .


Are you on the right side of the grass?
Then you're doing better than a whole lot of folks and you should be thankful.
You're sore and tired and recovering from an ailment, surgery, or perhaps even a disease?
You're doing better than a whole lot of folks and you should be thankful.
You can't do all the activities you used to do thirty and forty years ago?
You're doing better than a whole lot of folks and you should be thankful.


Folks complain about having to drag their mother out to buy her new clothes.
I would do anything to be able to take my mother anywhere again.
Folks complain about having to rush from here to there without a moment's pause.
Hey people . . . you create your own schedule. Prioritize!
Folks whine about not being able to afford the latest iPhones or gadgets out there.
If you've got a roof over your head, use a rotary when you get home and shut your pie hole.


You'll never be happy with 'more'.
You'll never find contentment in chasing tangibles.
You'll never find the finish line in a rat race.


If you woke up today, you are blessed. Make the most of it.
If you're sore, tired, aching, not feeling well, you are blessed. You're still here. Make the most of it.
If you've got to spend the day with a house full of crazy family, you are blessed. Make the most of it.


You don't realize what you have until it's gone.
Treasure it all. Cherish every moment.
Absorb each ray of sunshine, drop of rain, giggle of laughter, trickling tear, battle toward courage, cringe in fear, each hug you get and each hug you give, every person in your life (good and bad).
They are blessings.
Be richly blessed ~ today and always!

Happy Trails

Attitude is the difference
between an ordeal and an adventure.


Whatever circumstance comes your way
can become a weight to hold you down,
or a wind to fill your sails.


You will never be able to alter someone else's actions.
You are in charge of yourself.
Your response to any given incident
dictates the direction you will travel.


Always head for Happy Trails!