Pretty Please

God,
grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change,
courage to change the things I can,
and wisdom to know the difference.


We all know I don't look good
in orange or stripes.


Have a wonderful day!

A Walk Within

Mark Twain did it again:


"A man cannot be comfortable
without his own approval."


We cannot look to others for acceptance.
We cannot look for a partner to be made whole.
We must look inward
to find satisfaction
to find comfort
to find peace
to find love
to find joy
to find us.

Light It Up

There are times
when we are called upon
to be the light in the darkness.


It is extraordinary
what one little light can do.

Reflection

We tend to do and become
what we believe we can do and become.
Much of our limitations are imposed
by our own hand.
We are weakened by self-doubt.
We fall short because of our own negativity.


When you look in the mirror today,
imagine what you CAN be;
ponder what you COULD do;
fantasize what you MIGHT become.


The incredibly beautiful person staring back at you
is the same person who can do
WHATEVER you might believe you can!

Stealing

Stealing is a bad, bad thing.


Unless . . .


it's moments.


Steal a moment
to sit quietly,
to ponder,
to hold hands,
to rock a baby,
to enjoy the surf,
to listen to the birds,
to sip a beverage,
to exist with someone special,
to sing,
to dance,
to live.


Go . . .
be bad and steal a moment.

Catch It

I grew up in upstate New York.
Evenings brought out fire flies.
It was always an adventure to try to catch them,
jar them, and have your own light show.
There was just an excitement;
an awe;
a childlike innocence and reverence to watching them.


As an adult;
we lose the enthusiasm;
we work too long;
we work too hard;
we leave no energy to chase the light show.


People . . .
STOP!


Breathe.


Sit.
Be amazed.
Run.
Capture the purity.
Delight in the simple joy
of nature's light show.

Puzzles

We are each composed of many pieces.
At times, we fall apart;
are ripped apart;
or seem to come apart.
There is no nobler task,
that to stick someone back together.
Whether it is a hug;
an ear;
or simply existing by someone . . .
the effort is minimal;
the effect is tremendous.


Go . . .
be the glue.

Gifts

This morning,
I opened two very special gifts . . . my eyes.
And I was able to see the vast array
of well wishes and love from family and friends;
the best presents a soul could wish for.
Oh life is good
if we take the time to realize our real gifts.


Thank you!

You got this

There will always be


could haves
should haves
might haves.


There will always be


uh oh's
oh no's
oops's.


None of those are final..
They are lessons toward the


Wow!
Outstanding!
Congratulations!


Keep on.
You got this.

Madness & Miracles

From one of my favorites:


You're only given a little spark of madness.
You mustn't lose it.


and remember that every day
holds the possibility of a miracle.

Becoming You

Anna Quindlen said:


"The thing that is really hard,
and really amazing,
is giving up on being perfect
and beginning the work of becoming yourself."


Perfection is reserved for only one being.
You are full of magnificent flaws
and wonderful opportunities.
Embrace each one and
become the incredible human
you were destined to be.

Enjoy it

Don't regret the things you've done.
If it didn't work out, you learned from it.
If it did work out, you gained from it.
There is ALWAYS a benefit.
Enjoy it.

Tethers

When born, we are literally tethered to our mothers.
They may 'cut the cord,' but the tether is eternal.
We spend our youth stretching and tugging and yanking on that rope.
By adulthood, we've managed to all but sever the tie that binds.
Then we have our own offspring and trip and are entangled in our own tethers.
We are embroiled in our own battles of trying to reign in what we've created.
And, as our own children age, we turn once again to the tethers of our parents.
We are the ones, now, who are pulling and tugging to draw them nearer.
And suddenly, that line snaps, and we are set adrift;
anchored only by the tentacles of what we have offered to our children.
And we float,
searching,
seeking,
hoping,
to one day feel that tug and pull.
We are all connected.

Grow

From the very wise Christine Caine:


Sometimes
when you're in a dark place,
you think you've been buried,
but actually . . .
you've been planted.


Grow, baby! Grow!

Four Little Words

I work in the crazy world of retail.
Many days are hectic, filled with coupons,
sales, deals and people looking to get something for nothing.
There are days that I literally stand at the register
for six or seven hours straight listening to people complain
about why they cannot do this, that, or the other thing
and get a $90 pair of shoes for 13 cents.
And, while I slap my smile on and do my very best
to give everyone wonderful customer service,
it is that one guest . . . every day . . .
that will turn my whole world upside down
with just four little words.
With chaos spinning all around us,
angry guests, sales pitches, and walkies chattering . . .
"Have a blessed day"
changes absolutely everything!


It makes the madness stop.
It turns the turmoil into tranquility.
It is simply amazing.


Change someone's day.
Utter those four little words and see what happens.


Have A Blessed Day.

Rare

Rare
is the smile that peeks out from the tears.
Rare
is the laughter that hides the pain.
Rare
is the heart that loves despite the hurt.
Rare
is the faith that stands amid the fire.
Rare
is the soul who emerges victorious.


Go.
Be Rare!

Yes I Can

A positive mind set
is essential to existence.
It not only propels you
in the direction of your dreams.
It provides you a path of positivity
on which others may wander,
if only briefly,
to find their own way.


Sometimes,
your "Yes, I Can!"
is the catalyst
for someone else's
"I Can Too".

Share It!

I am a frequent advocate for your choice to be happy.
No matter the situation, there is always an opportunity
to see a glimmer of hope, a ray of sunshine, a positive.
I tend to surround myself with happy people.
It makes life much more pleasant.


Here is your challenge for today 
(and every day hereafter)
take your happiness and . . .


Share It!


Don't be selfish.
Don't keep your giggles,
your enthusiasm,
your smiles,
your cheer,
your pleasantries to your self.
Share them
and see how easily and quickly
they multiply.


Go.
Be Happy.
Share It!

The art of living

Marcus Aurelius said:


The art of living
is more like wrestling than dancing.


I tend to agree.
We work very hard.
We get very sweaty.
Parts ache.
Things get injured.
But when the match is over,
in our exhaustion,
we have realized a victory all our own.

That first step . . .

I don't know a single soul who will flippantly jump into something new.


Most folks I know,
want to be educated about a new thing;
want to research a new thing;
are afraid to try a new thing;
are unsure of how a new thing is going to go;
are wary of a new thing that does not fit in their comfort zone;
are cautious of new things.


This is normal.
This is human nature.
It is ok.


But . . . take that first step . . .
and it might be a scary one . . .
and the world becomes your oyster!


I'm so proud of my friends and family
who have taken that scary first step,
into the unknown,
to find how strong, resilient, and amazing they are.


Where will you step today?

Look out world . . .

Each day, I earnestly seek out someone to bolster.
I try to find someone who might be a little down,
a little under the weather,
a wee bit lacking in the self-esteem department,
searching for a hug.


I do what I can to raise them up,
offer them sunshine,
boost their morale,
and hug them back to normal.


If we all tried to do this;
to just one person;
each and every day . . .
what a glorious world it would be.


Look out world . . .
here I come!

People

For the first time in two-and-a-half years,
a customer yelled at me yesterday.
She was wrong. I was right. I was OK standing my ground.
The manager actually backed me up,
which was refreshing and I was grateful.
My co-worker asked me after the guest left if I was OK.
I replied yes and thought about it for a moment.


There are all kinds of people out there.
There are Ch-Angels and there are not so very nice folks.
There are folks that just want to be angry.
There are folks that go out of their way to be nice.
There are overbearing type A's.
There are the submissive types.
They are either support, lessons, or billboards of what not to do.
They are either helpful or hurtful.
They are what you ALLOW them to be.
Use the supporting folks to aid you in your journey.
Use the lesson folks to learn from.
Use the billboard folks to teach others.


There is no shame in walking away from idiots.
There is no guilt in leaving behind those that hurt you.
Surround yourself with positive people who lift you up.


Be a Positive People!

Options

Every day, we have a choice.
We can be happy, or we can be crappy.
The decision is yours.


Hurdles teach you how to jump.
Mountains teach you how to climb.
Roadblocks teach you to explore.
Negativity promotes determination.


You cannot control the situation.
You cannot control the actions of others.
You absolutely hold within your hands
the option of how to respond to either.

Time Out

I'm not a fan of the parenting 'time out'.
The two year old doesn't understand that he's supposed
to contemplate the consequences of his actions
and come up with a feasible alternative.
The adult 'time out', though,
is an entirely different story.


Sit.
Reevaluate.
Breathe.
Refresh.
Listen.
Rekindle.
Watch.
Recoup.
See.
Restore.
Chill.
Relax.


Much more productive.
Enjoy a little 'time out' today.
And every day.

Half Full?

If you live in the Tampa Bay area,
your cup is not half full.
It is overflowing onto the counter, the floor,
might be ruining the tile and more.


Rain is a wonderful tool.
It is cleansing,
provides for beautiful lush landscaping,
brings forth incredible blooms,
and the growth of many things.
Sadly, when there is too much of a good thing,
it can be damaging.
In another week, we'll be complaining of the heat again.
We must learn to see the good in whatever comes.


The deluge.
The heat.
The storm.
The calm.


This too shall pass.
My cup is always full . . . and overflowing!
How 'bout yours?

It's ok

As I await updates about a wonderful friend who was in a motorcycle accident,
I listened to another friend list all her heartbreaking woes and worries;
I also happened upon a video made by a supermom with two sick kids;
Heard from a friend's daughter about her bout with depression;
I saw pictures from a fundraiser for a dear, sick child;
Fought my own demons about things I cannot control (see aforementioned);
And took great and grand notice from a single, poignant meme:


A little duckling, all alone, head down, plowing ahead:
"It's ok to not be okay . . .
some days are just harder than others"


It is ok.
Just don't dwell there.
Have your hard day.
Cry, Rant, Scream, Stomp your feet.
And then move on.


It's ok!