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Share Some Love

Spring is almost here.  Amazing how quickly time passes.  Valentines day is quickly approaching.  It makes me wonder how we allowed all of our holidays to become so commercial.  I love Valentines day candy and the stuffed animals and treats are pretty cute, but it’s a lot of hype for “showing love,” that shouldn’t be limited to one day of the year.

I like to keep my family all “loved up.”  My kids know they are loved every day, not just one.  We tell each other on a regular basis, show each other often and have fun just being together.

Valentines day is great and of course another day to enjoy sweet treats and pampering, but sharing love is something that never gets old. 

Take a moment to show the people in your life you appreciate them, tell them, do something nice, and let them know they are loved.

Cherry Coley (c)

Tipping the Scales and Maintaining Balance

I used to think that multitasking was one of my strongest talents.  I juggle a lot of things at the same time.  Yet, this past year I kept finding myself having to slow down and focus on just one thing and at times it felt inhibiting, frustrating even.

 The problem with constantly multitasking is that you never truly master the “one” thing if your time and focus is on a lot of other things at the same time.  There are times when single-mindedness is a true blessing and there are some people who have the gift of focusing so intently that they stay with the “one” thing until they understand it through and through before moving on to the next thing.

 Those same people with such extraordinary focus sometimes complain about not being able to multitask.  To me that is the balance the universe threw in just for fun and another case where we are shown that we need each other to make things run smoothly.

 Balance is something that is sought by most people.  There are tons of books written about how to gain balance in work and home life.  There will be just as many more written in the future as we all try the different solutions to find the one that best works for us.

 For those people who are able to attain balance, they must stay aware and keep on top of their circumstances and events in their lives to keep the balance.  We all struggle at some point.

 The answer lies within the person seeking balance.

 For me, I have many projects and interests that I weed down to a few.  From that point I take those that are related to each other and group them together.  If they can be done around the same time then all is well, if not then each project will be allotted its own time and energy individually.  Some projects will be put aside until other projects are finished.  It’s important to prioritize.

 Balance is vital to keep up a healthy, mental, emotional, social, and physical life. 

 I read a quote the other day in the book – “The Success System that Never Fails” – by James Allen.  The quote said, “Eventually you will be controlled by your circumstances, so it’s important to control your circumstances now.”  I’ve thought about that quote a lot since then, I can’t think of a better call to action, to get up, take responsibility for your health, your surroundings and your life right now than that.

 Cherry Coley ©

Fa La La La La…La La..La Laaaa

Today I am thankful for music.  Music is a feast for the senses, especially with modern technology.  It’s quite a treat to be able to turn on your favorite tunes at will, sing along if you want and feel the rhythm of the music. 

Music is a language all by its self.  Often when I am feeling blue I will turn on some music to either cheer me up from my blue mood, or some soft music to go with the mood.    Music can be used to wake us up and get us moving, to entertain us while stuck in traffic, to keep us company while on a road trip, to remind us of events and people in our lives.

We have music to celebrate holidays, birthdays, and music for parties, and to celebrate just being able to get up and dance.  We have soothing music to sleep by, and lullaby’s to sing to our children.  We have love songs to say the things we feel when we can’t find the words, and sad songs for the same reason.

 Music helps us to express ourselves when we don’t really know what to say.  There have been times when I felt sad about circumstances in my life and listened to music because the words to the songs were describing exactly how I felt at the moment. 

 I can remember when I was very young, my dad singing me the anthems for the Navy, Air force, Army and Marines when I wasn’t feeling well and he was trying to cheer me up.  He had a song book with the music to many songs from the old South and war times.  He would go through the book picking out songs here and there and singing them to me while I lay beside him listening.

 I remember the soft melodies of Christmas like “Silent Night”, “Holy Night” and “What Child is This”, being played in the house at Christmas time while mom made peanut brittle and chocolate fudge.

 I remember hearing the chimes from the church bells ringing early on Sunday mornings.  One of the most haunting sounds came from an Irishman that lived several blocks over in our neighborhood, he would play 2-3 songs on the bagpipes every now and then at sunset.  My dad said his son died in the war and the man would play when he was missing him.

 I am thankful for the variety of music that is available and the ease we have to find it now.  I am thankful for the magnificent songwriters out there that put the music together, and then share their creation for others to enjoy.  I am thankful for Steve Jobs who created the ability to “put a thousand songs in your pocket.”

 I am not sure what a world without music would be like, but I don’t want to find out.  Music is such an important part of life that the impact of losing it would be devastating.

 Cherry Coley ©

Just Rockin’

One of the reasons I love going to Cracker Barrel restaurant is because of the big porch with all the rocking chairs.  Somehow just walking by that porch reminds me of a small town, a slower lifestyle and a more relaxed atmosphere. 

I would love to have a house with a porch with several rocking chairs.  My grandmother had a screened in front porch that had a couple of rockers and a porch swing on it.  I remember taking naps on that front porch swing when the weather was nice and spending hours playing on the floor of the porch.

There’s just something about sitting in a rocking chair, sipping on iced tea or lemonade, listening to the birds and crickets, and enjoying the view outside.  I now miss the slower pace of Arkansas, though when I was younger I didn’t appreciate it as much.

It’s nice now and then to remember the days gone by, I am thankful for the memories.

 Cherry Coley (c)

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Sweet Dreams!

sleeping kitties

Today I am thankful for sleep.   Sleep is something we all need and crave more of at times.  There’s nothing that can take the place of a soft pillow and a warm blanket after a long day. 

 I love the luxury of a pillow top mattress and that there are so many types of mattresses to choose from. We really are spoiled with all the choices of pillows, comforters, and sheets available.  We take our rest and sleep very seriously.

 I am thankful to be able to rest and recharge, to close my eyes and drift away to another place where possibilities are endless and flying is possible without an airplane.  I am thankful to have a place to sleep safely at night. 

Sleep is truly a gift so our bodies have a chance to rest, recuperate and make a fresh start.  We do the majority of our growing and healing in our sleep.

I have often envied the cat and his ability to sleep most the day and night.  Then again, even though I enjoy sleeping I wouldn’t want to spend all my time dreaming, there’s a lot of living still to do.

 Cherry Coley ©

What’s It All About?

What is Thanksgiving?  A tradition, a celebration and reminder of a good harvest to be enjoyed with family, friends, and neighbors.  A time to thank God for a good year.

This year it was a time for the retail stores to promote their latest wears and sales, to tempt shoppers to choose between time with family and rushing to the stores.  How sad that it has come to this.  What about the workers in the stores who really wanted to stay home with their families, but were told they had to come in? 

I don’t like how commercial Thanksgiving was this year.  It is disappointing and disturbing.  Not only that, but it shows how commercial Christmas has become.  In surveys taken there were 48% of the people who now wish they could just skip Christmas.  Why? Because it’s become a time of greed, seeing what you can ask for and get for Christmas, trying to out do each other on presents, and racing out to get the latest toys.

I love the holidays.  I love the traditions we had growing up and have fought to keep them alive.  Our family doesn’t have all the latest technology, or the highest priced items.  We don’t go into debt for 6 months to pay for Christmas presents that are over the top, or spend until all the savings are gone.

So today, I am thankful I grew up at a time when Thanksgiving was about getting together with family and enjoying the time spent listening to each other.  I am thankful I grew up believing in the magic of Christmas as well as the true meaning and remembering the first birthday of Jesus.  I am thankful for Christmas eve church services with Christmas carols, and a quiet thankful spirit.

I remember many soft and quiet winter nights watching the lights on the Christmas tree, with Bing Crosby playing in the background. 

Today I am thankful for family traditions, may they live on in spite of commercialism.  It is my hope that we will slow down and take the time to remember, Christmas is not about the gifts, Thanksgiving is not about the food, both holidays are about one things only and without that thing, they become hollow – empty.  Thanksgiving and Christmas are about love, honest and true, caring and kind, love.

Cherry Coley (c)

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Ba-Ling!!

Today I am thankful for glitter and sparkly decorations.  I just love glittery things.  You can add a little glitter on something and it just becomes fun.

 I used to love buying the glittery t-shirts, when you put them on the glitter would somehow wind up on your skin and hair making you look like a faery got ahold of you at some point.

 When we were in pre-school and kindergarten it was vital to have glitter to work on crafts with for Christmas and Valentine’s Day.  You have to have glitter to make your artwork stand out.

 We still like glitter on our Christmas tree and ornaments.  We add white glitter to make figurines and ornaments look like there is snow.  There are even greeting cards with glitter added in to give them that little extra something to grab your attention and make you smile. 

 Little girls love glitter on hair bows, purses, and shoes.  There are whole collections of glittery sticker designs. 

 Humans have had a love of glitter since ancient Egypt where they used the ground up iridescent shells of beetles as part of their cosmetics.  Even before that there is evidence select minerals were used in prehistoric times for cosmetics.  Glitter as we know it was born in America after WWII by a cattle farmer named Ruschmann who found a market for scrap material ground into glitter made of plastics.

I love glitter because there’s just something about it that makes you think of magic and it makes me smile.  I love glitter because it’s pretty!  Today be thankful for glitter. 

Cherry Coley ©

Sa-weet!! Sweets!

Today I am thankful for candy.  I love all kinds of candy and there are so many kinds that you will probably never be able to try them all.

 I love walking into a candy store and smelling the sweet flavors in the air, and the way different candy stores smell.  The smell of a salt water taffy shop is sugary elation, but it cannot come close to walking into a chocolatiers like Godiva.  The smell of chocolate is sensual and sweetly intoxicating.

 My mom used to make divinity and chocolate fudge every year around Christmas and keep the candy bowls full.  We also made peanut brittle to give away as treats for teachers.

There are many fond memories associated with candy, from shopping for it and trying it in the candy shops to making it in the kitchen at home.  Candy is not just sweet to the taste, but a treat to make memories.  I am thankful to have sweet memories and plan to make many more.

 Cherry Coley ©

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Just a Bit Foggy

It was foggy outside this morning, enough to make visibility questionable.

Opening the door to fog always makes me think of the dramatic scene in Gone With The Wind, where Scarlet pleads with Rhett – “Rhett, where ever shall I go? Whatever shall I do?”

Rhett replies, “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn,” then disappears into the fog.

Fog like darkness is scary because our senses are inhibited.  Both fog and darkness limit our sight, can muffle or distort sounds, and can even cause smells to become more noticeable (since other senses are dulled) or distorted as well.  Things that mess with our senses are scary because we aren’t completely in control of what we perceive.  How many nightmares contain fog?

Life is a struggle, a journey where we are often searching for answers and seeking to find our way.  Fog and darkness are physical obstacles until we learn to navigate them.  As we go along we learn to slow our pace, turn on the lights and proceed with caution in times of darkness and fog.

We must also learn to approach many of life’s mental and spiritual challenges the same way, by slowing our pace, turning on the inner lights – resting in the knowledge of what we know is true, and proceeding with caution until the path becomes clear.

Fog is not the enemy and darkness is not permanent. 

Cherry Coley ©

Watch Your Thoughts

“Our behaviors are supported by our thinking patterns, which means our thoughts truly help make us who we are.  Our thoughts help determine our choices, which affect our decisions and experiences on this journey.  In essence our thoughts can make or break our lives.” – Cherry Coley

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