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Thought
Happiness
“Some people pursue happiness…others create it.” – Anonymous
Now and then in the midst of the daily struggle and grind, stop and remind yourself that you are – at this moment experiencing a miracle. Each breath that you take is a life giving miracle. Can you feel the heart beating in your chest? Another miracle. No doctor or scientist can explain life – they can look at it, study it, pursue answers and seek to protect and prolong it, but they can’t explain it.
Now that you have experienced the miracle of being alive, think about the miracles that allow you to learn, to read, to have emotions, to experience life. Amazing what we take for granted most of the time.
Joy, laughter, happiness are around you – created for you to experience. The birds singing, the whispering leaves in the trees, the soft touch of the wind in your hair, the warmth of the sun on your face, all wonderous things in this life for you to enjoy.
Wouldn’t it be great if humans acted with the joy and abandon of a dog being let outside to play? They run full out, leaping and rolling, barking and howling into the wind, giving it their all in a moment of pure joy! Can you imagine a place where people could play like that?
When was the last time you just went outside, closed your eyes and listened to everything you could hear for awhile? Amazing when our mind is relaxed, eyes are closed how much we can hear.
Or the last time you ate a plate of fruit in low light – so you can better savor the flavors of each one and allow yourself to only concentrate on the taste?
Take a moment to try something different, remind yourself of the little things that can bring joy each day. Life is too short to rush through in pursuit of happiness, find your bliss in the little things, then share a smile with a friend.
Cherry Coley (c)
Related articles
- How to Take Control of Your Happiness (lifehack.org)
- Inspiration from the Daily Om (ourlastembryoblog.wordpress.com)
Quote for March 26th
“Where there is an open mind, there will always be a frontier.” – Charles F. Kettering
Words To Ponder
“One should, every day at least, hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture, and if possible, speak a few reasonable words.” – Johann Wolfgang Van Goethe
Motivation
“People often say that motivation doesn’t last.
Well, neither does bathing, that’s why we recommend it daily.” – Zig Ziglar
Just Listen..and Appreciate
“When you really listen to another person from their point of view, and reflect back to them that understanding, it’s like giving them emotional oxygen.” – Stephen Covey
Begin With the End In Mind
Have you ever struggled trying to figure out how to get from point A to point B? One good way to figure out how to set priorities and goals is to visualize where you want to go, see yourself there, then start thinking of what you can do to get to the place you want to be.
What about life? Don’t you hate it when your employer asks you that dreaded question, “where do you see yourself in 5 years?” How about looking even further into the future? Where do you see yourself in 20 years? What about when you retire?
If you really want to have something serious to think about, what would you want people to say about you in your eulogy? If you can visualize your friends, family, co-workers and the people at your church or the charity you work with getting up to share a few words about your life. What sort of things would they say? What do you want them to say?
It makes you stop and think doesn’t it? It did me. It’s made me realize where I’ve fallen short, the mistakes I’ve made and all the work I still need to do. It’s made me realize I need to invest a lot more time in the people I care about and appreciate.
Life is short, time is precious and there’s no time like the present to get started. Start with the end in mind and put your heart and soul into where you want to be, the influence you’d like to have and the legacy you’d like to leave. You will leave a legacy, the great thing is you have a choice what that legacy will be.
Cherry Coley (c)
Related articles
- Dream the possible dream… (normsmilfordblog.com)
The Biggest Mistake
I look back on my life and realize I’ve made some major mistakes along the way. We try to avoid mistakes when we can. No one likes making mistakes, whether they are big or small one’s mistakes have consequences and no one likes the fall out.
The way we respond to our mistakes says a lot about our character and how we approach our lives. Successful people learn that making mistakes is not a bad thing. Mistakes can teach us what to do and what not to do.
Mistakes are choices we’ve made that haven’t worked out the way we thought they would. However, the benefit of making mistakes is knowing we are taking an active part in life, we are trying, we are making choices and even though some may wind up being mistakes, if we learn from them then there is still a benefit.
Benjamin Franklin said, “The man who does things makes many mistakes, but he never makes the biggest mistake of all – doing nothing.”
I thought about that statement today, the biggest mistake being to do nothing. How true a statement is that? There have been times in my life when I was afraid to move forward, to take a chance for fear of making a mistake. There have been opportunities that I missed because I took too long to think things through and choose to move forward.
To live, to really live, is to make the choice to participate, to meet new people, try new things, experience life. To experience life means to make mistakes. It’s okay, there may be consequences, but you can learn from the experience. Just don’t make the biggest mistake by choosing to do nothing, the consequences for that one is called “regret” and regret is a hard thing to live with.
Cherry Coley (c)
Related articles
- Making Mistakes: The Key To Success? (musechaser.wordpress.com)
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)
Grief as a Teacher
photo by Casey Keal
Grief can play with your mind and your perception of the way events happened. The tricks of the mind can lead to feelings of regret and guilt, hurt and betrayal, and leave you with a feeling of loss that can drive you to your knees at times.
All week the residual feelings of the grief felt earlier this week have been with me. I finally got to the point I was asking “what is it I’m supposed to see or learn here?” “What am I missing, and why am I feeling this way?”
By asking these type of questions the feeling of distress is lifted a bit so that I can see what I need see instead of lingering on thoughts of how I wish things had been. My girls are teenagers and the oldest is getting ready to move on with her life. She is trying to find her way, changing her mind, debating what she wants, and taking her first steps forward.
Through the other milestones with my kids, my mom has been here. She was my voice of encouragement, my voice of reason, the person that would laugh at my worrying and say, “karma works.”
I think of all the times I was out too late at night, talking on the phone and tying up the line (before the age of personal cell phones), trying to find my way and changing my mind, and often driving my mom crazy with my ideas and dreams.
There are days when I feel lost without mom, yet I know her words, her wisdom and her love live on in me. I will not forget, Mom, I will remember and we will go forward.
Cherry Coley (c)
Related articles
- Stages of grief and special needs parenting: Is acceptance all there is? (durgastoolbox.com)
- Top 15 Tips to help you through the beginning stages of grieving the loss of a loved one. (lifebalancehealthcoach.wordpress.com)
Rain and Memories
It’s cold and raining again. Kind of unusual weather for Texas. This is the first steadily cold winter I can remember. Usually, we have bi-polar weather that can’t make up its mind from day to day. One day it will be 70+ and the next in the 40′s.
I’m not complaining. I like the steady cold temps, I’m not sure I’m carried away with the grey days though. The rainy grey days make me feel mellow, and somewhat sleepy.
It reminds me of grey days I spent with my mom growing up. Often she would make chicken and dumplings, have me help her roll out the dough then cut it in strips to put in the pot.
Rainy days were great for reading, watching old movies, listening to music, or just spending time cooking. It’s pretty much the same now with my kids. I like rainy days now and then. There’s something soothing and nice about listening to the sound of the rain and watching it trickle down the windows.
Cherry Coley (c)
Related articles
- Friday, January 11 Forecast Discussion (wtok.com)
- Cold & Rainy . . . I like it! (myearthtime.wordpress.com)
