Fairy Reminder

 Nobody's family can hang out the sign, "Nothing's the matter here." --Chinese Proverb  

None of us come from a perfect family, but if we have any family at all, it's worth the effort to see what there is to enjoy about it. Sometimes it's difficult or impossible, because there's been so much damage. If there's really nothing left, we have to look for family in the fellowship of others.  A family is not always people who are blood related. A family can be people who are so committed to the growth of each other and the relationship that they've become brothers and sisters of a sort. A family is two or more people who care deeply for one another and who are comfortable with each other. 
We can choose to surround ourselves with others who we feel this way about.

The Stripey Guy Convention

Daily Reading

The winds of grace are blowing all the time.

You have only to raise your sail.

--Sri Ramakrishna

If God seems far away, who moved?

At the center of our being a fullness of life exists that wants to flow through us as vitality, love, harmony, happiness, and success. Why, then, are we not more in touch with it?

Consider the following image: You are standing outside on a bright, cloudless day complaining that you cannot see the sun, when you notice that you have been standing under an umbrella. If as little a thing as an umbrella can block out the magnificence of the sun, how easy it is for our fears, doubts, and feelings of unworthiness to block the connection to our source. But just as the sun continues to shine even behind the appearance of clouds, our inner-knowing is ready to communicate with us in the midst of our despair.

How do we reopen the channels and allow the flow to reenter our lives? First, we must truly desire to communicate with our center and set aside a time each day to do so. Then, get quiet and begin to listen. Soon you will hear that still small voice within.

Up!

LATE......omg........late........

I turned the alarm off……and dozed.

Nevermind the dozing probably  had to do with forgetting my bedtime meds and wondering, at 12:30am howz come I was still awake….

Whatever the cause—LATE!

And late start means I 'feel' rushed, even though I still have time in my morning.

Regardless,  I'm 'off'…..trying to shuffle around the stuff I normally do in less time so I can get on the road 'on time'. 
...Nevermind that I don't HAVE a scheduled time to BE in—except to be on time for whatever meeting is on my agenda for the day…..irrelevant!

Don't care—In my world……..late.

Late….. even though I'm leaving the house ON TIME--  LATE!!

And then the feeling and thinking turned into a reality courtesy of my ancient "Camp Snoopy" travel cup.

Yup-- coffee down the front of me.  And I do mean down.the.front.of.me.  No little sip gone astray for ME by golly--, it's a 'douse the front of her cuz she didn't snap that lid on tight' kinda deal. 

And the whole way to work—after  another shower, after shoving the coffee soaked clothes in a tub for soaking and hoping they didn't say 'dry clean only', after putting a fresh cuppa coffee IN the travel mug AND snapping the lid down tight a few times for good measure…the whole way to work I'm telling the Big Guy I'm NOT happy with today's beginnings.

….Nevermind the WOW factor in the sunrise I got to witness…….I was there to tell Him I was NOT happy with my beginnings.

Nevermind the chipmunk was waiting on the doorstep to work when I got there, happily chewing on some seed he'd found.

Nevermind I was happily greeted by the little IT fella who's been too afraid of me to talk to me.

Nevermind someone kept the overhead lights off in the "cube farm" cuz they know I've made a game over 'how long will the lights be left off, today' going on.

Nevermind I had a brand spankin' new box of dry erase crayons with a sticky note smiley face on it anonomously  left on my desk.

Nevermind I'm not a lover of chocolate….

…..I'm feeding my feeling at 6:50am with a piece of chocolate, AND YOU CAN'T STOP ME!!!!!!

It was Dove.

It was dark chocolate….. with caramel AND sea salt.

 And it was GOOD.  

And inside the wrapper…..

"..the more you praise and celebrate, the more there is to praise and celebrate…"

k…..

Nevermind.

TFTD

Without discipline, there's no life at all.

--Katharine Hepburn

We all have deadlines we must meet. We have bills to pay, responsibilities at work, children with school projects - all the innumerable small markers that push life forward.

When we realize we're procrastinating, we need to be committed to not shaming ourselves. Procrastination is not an indication that we have failed. How realistic would it be if we looked forward to doing unpleasant things? It's human to avoid what we'd rather not do.

As we free ourselves from the burden of perfectionism, we're free to better accept our responsibilities. Meeting deadlines as well as we can, one at a time, pays off in serenity and a manageable life. When we are crisis ridden, we are forced to live by other peoples' demands, rather than by our choices. In the face of procrastination, resentment, or perfectionism, we can inventory ourselves, recognize the problem and make the necessary changes. We can forgive ourselves, try to laugh at ourselves, live in the present, and keep going. Today can be better than yesterday.

Inside Charm

Today's Reading

At 70, my dad is just like he was at 35 - only more so. It's frightening that the same thing could happen to me.
--Jerry Z.

More of the same gets more of the same. What we were given to practice, we practiced. What we practiced, we became. What we became, we are continuing to become - only more so - every day of our lives. We can do ourselves a favor by being aware of what we practice. Has the past taught us to withdraw? Think of how isolated we'll be twenty years from now! Have we practiced generalized distrust? Imagine how deep the roots of fear are growing.

But there's another side to that truth. If we practice finding beauty today, we'll find twice as much beauty tomorrow. If we work on forgiveness today, tomorrow we may be free of resentments. If we choose to relate rather than isolate, we can walk with friends through all the years that stretch before us. What will the future bring us? Whatever we have invested in it.

Lakeside Property

1-800-G-D-HELP

I forgot how easy it is.

Seriously, how can you forget how easy it is?

How could YOU forget how easy it is? 

*sigh*

The drive to work is 50 minutes.
I've been blaring music, listening to audio books—and I 'got around to' deciding maybe I needed to stop whining about not having time to do some things and DO some things.  There's 50  minutes twice a day and I decided to devote time to list out 10 things I'm grateful for (takes a whopping 2 minutes).  Wasn't that big of me…….

This morning I had a 50 minute conversation with G-d.

It is SO easy—and so humbling and fulfilling and affirming and warm and……..easy………

I have a 1-800-G-D-HELP hotline—I hear tell that most folks do. 

It's the number I dial when my back's up against the wall, when my *** is in trouble, when the bottom's falling out from under me…….

It's the number I call when I'm feeling angry about my circumstances, when I'm feeling bad for someone else's circumstances, when I'm angry cuz I don't GET it…….when I'm sad cuz it ain't fair or right or just…….

Today I dialed it to just 'catch up' with the Big Guy.  To let Him know how I was doing, what I was thinking, what I was missing and struggling with and what crappy way of doing things I was still working on……

And yaknow, instead of being silent (cuz that's what I anticipated given our conversations had been pretty rushed and void of substance…..) ….instead of being silent, He asked what I wanted.

Not in that blaming/shaming /accusatory, looking for the ulterior motive…….but in a quiet, caring, loving way.

What do YOU want?

And then it changed.  It changed to:

WHAT do you want?

And then it changed again……

What do you WANT?

And ya know……no matter which way it was asked, I had only one answer…..

I don't know.

I don't  know.

I …..don't know.

  

The 'begin' fairy

The most important move is to begin.

We begin weaving by stringing vertical threads on a loom to form the foundation of a new cloth. Then horizontal threads are interlaced back and forth, and we create a fabric. As the cloth begins to form, new possibilities open before us. After we weave in the first color we can then envision other colors that will work with it. The most important move is to begin.

Sometimes new possibilities occur to us only through action. If we take the risk of the first step and keep our eyes open, we will see the next step. Too much planning, too much carefulness and analysis, may block all action.

With our relationships we might sometimes feel stuck in a pattern. We may even feel hopeless. Rather than thinking excessively, we could take action, do one thing that we know people in good relationships do. We might be able to take the risk of that first step with the help of our Higher Power. When we take one hopeful step at a time, each step produces information that leads to the next.

Mr. Sandman......♪♫bring me a dream♪.....

Otherwise known as "do you know where I put that one book?......"

I like it when they try to get ahead of you--it means you get to get ahead of them....which means I've dug out some books I've not delved into for a long time.

*sigh*  That's a bad thing cuz I got a tad lazy--but it's turning into a good thing cuz I'm jumping into a book that really got me thinking about my relationship with my Maker way back when.
That dying business kinda pushed the envelope on that one--go figure I'd have to be told to get my affairs in order to 'get it' and really want to get it.  I held on to that for quite some time, but I've gotten away from some of the practices which has affected (here's an obvious statement) the level of peace and serenity I have in my life.  *sigh*  Why is it I do that over and over and over again?  Why would ya WANT to?!

So...... now--cuz I said I was getting more involved in the recovery scene cuz I need to be of service somewhere--I've picked up another pigeon (who prefers 'sponsee' cuz she fails to understand the origin of 'pigeon'. and is acting offended by the term.--I handed her the dictionary and told her to look it up..sheeeshh--seems she has some of those 'fragile little alcoholic feelings'!).  I've got to go back and pull up things I've let slide.
That's a good thing.  And there's a bit of a 'push' for me to get a 'refresher'--cuz she's a smartie pants and I'll have a need to stay a step ahead.
It's a bit of a silly way to operate, truth be told....letting go of the very things you worked sooooo hard to have in your life.  *sigh*
It's okay--G-d's laughing and I'm digging up some things I really did love to do.
I really AM a dweeb for letting those things go.

So,  it's a good thing I got those wonderful, inexpensive reading glasses, cuz I had my face to the book all of yesterday.  And I put some new 'lists' in my 10th step inventory notebook.

I'm kind of excited.
I'm glad for the opportunity to work with someone new--or at least new to me.
And I'm glad for the wake-up call.
Undoubtedly the Big Guy is glad, too.
He's worked really hard to get my attention.
*sigh*

TFTD

 Having boundaries doesn't complicate life; boundaries simplify life. 

There is a positive aspect to boundary setting. We learn to listen to ourselves and identify what hurt us and what we don't like. But we also learn to identify what feels good.  

When we are willing to take some risks and begin actively doing so, we will enhance the quality of our life.  

What do we like? What feels good? What brings us pleasure? Whose company do we enjoy? What helps us to feel good in the morning? What's a real treat in our life? What are the small, daily activities that make us feel nurtured and cared for?  

We have deprived ourselves too long. There is no need to do that anymore, no need. 

If it feels good, and the consequences are self-loving and not self-defeating, do it!

Bumper Crop in the Making

Fairy Reading

 Is he related to something infinite or not? That is the telling question of life. --Carl Jung  

The times that life works best are when we get out of the way and let the power work through us. The writer says of an inspired short story, "I didn't write this story; it seemed to write itself." After a record-breaking performance an athlete recalls, "I just had an 'on' day. My shots kept falling in."  

Each of us has had moments when we felt as if we were riding the crest of a wave or were being pushed from behind by a gentle wind. The more you can surrender to the universal energy and go with its flow, the easier life becomes.  Compare this experience to that of trying to control and manipulate life through the limited ego. Everything becomes a strain and an effort, a constant struggle. We tire easily. By the time we cross the finish line, we wonder if the race was worth running.  

A better way is stated by the paradox, "You give it all up to have it all." 

Whatever your current situation, step back and let the power work through you. You'll be amazed at the miracles that occur. When your will and the Higher will are aligned, all things become possible. 

"thirtyone" Cool kids lunch bag for the adult.

Adventuring with the retired person

Himself wanted out of the house.
He got out of the house!
Up the road.
Outta the Jeep.
Up the road some more.
Outta the Jeep again.
Up the road again.
Outta the Jeep AGAIN...
Repeat.
Repeat AGAIN.

He's tuckered out.
Fact is he hung on til 10 cuz he didn't wanna look like a wimp.

Nah....he just looks like a wuss.  ROFL!!!

TFTD

Don't miss out on today's learning experiences.  They won't come again. 

We will never have another day exactly like today, so let's take advantage of the lessons we're offered.  

We don't like to make mistakes, and we don't like to be in situations that are fraught with stress, but mistakes and distress seem to go along with being human and alive.

 Both can be turned into sound learning experiences.  

We don't learn if we try to deny or ignore the situation we don't like or don't handle well. 

How much better if we can accept the difficulty, see how we have contributed to it, and arrive at a positive course of action. And how often it helps to talk about the problem with someone else instead of pridefully insisting on muddling through alone. 

Very likely, we will discover that today's richest learning experiences are those we share with others. 

Let me remember....

Getting angry can sometimes be like leaping into a wonderfully responsive sports car, gunning the motor, taking off at high speed and then discovering the brakes are out of order. --Maggie Scarf