Surprises life can bring: the emergence of a different me!

It is absolutely amazing the surprises that life can bring, both good and bad. The one thing that I have learned over time is how to roll with the punches.

In an effort to regain control of my house and home, I attacked the many boxes and bags of ‘stuff’ that have been lurking in the various corners and back shelves of my house. I grew up in a home that was always immaculate and then in my teen years I embarked on a rebellion of such to not follow that example. Well, a person can accumulate only so much ‘stuff’!  My domestic genes decided that it was time for them to emerge and I started to attack the ‘stuff’.

The problem that emerged was that my body was not happy when it came to the explosion of dust that arose from this attack and responded with a ‘delightful’ and strong reaction of my sinuses!  Mega antibiotics and Prednisone have been required to settle my sinuses down. I had to investigate the various masks to wear during my future actions in removing the rest of the ‘stuff’. as the whole transformation is not complete. The salesman and I both become claustrophobic when wearing these masks and he showed me the one he uses that has the small vent!  Of course it was the one with the highest price tag!  So be it!

During this whole process of organization, elimination and sorting, I have found among the many items discovered some treasures that were long forgotten. I am going to share two photos. The left is of my bedroom with all my boxes that have been pulled out along with my abundant sleep apnea apparatus. The image on the right, is an almost finished living room. The stuffed tiger on the couch was not quite up to the job when burglars paid us a visit several years ago, but he is a good conversation starter! There is also a very large green frog around, who was my companion when I underwent Chemo.

Many changes were made.

When I look at all that has taken place, I find there is hope for that long forgotten organized person who has waited so long to emerge from within. This can be something that we all have… a part of us that has been lost, forgotten, and just wondering when it may have the chance to explore life as a reality. I doubt that I will ever equal my dear Mom in my neatness, but I have definitely taken a big step forward. “Thanks Mom”

Let Us All Try Something New… Peace

Let Us All Give Peace a Chance

For how many centuries has the world tried war, hatred, dominance and more to gain or prove superiority.

Now it is becoming acceptable to show the extent of our inner demons.

When it comes to the first,  just is not working! Those who end up on the bottom layer of oppression will always seek their freedom from those holding them down. This has been going on for centuries, between religions, cultures and races. In my own country there are those who are still fighting the Civil War. We were once called a melting pot… no more.

Now, if you are upset, angry at another, or feel threatened it seems to be acceptable to grab a gun and ‘take out’ the source of your problem. Why are assault weapons needed by individuals within the regular population? I am not against guns… but the type of guns that are available.

There is also the need for help to be given to those who need mental counseling. In a country as wealthy as ours, programs that give this help are being shut down. There is also a stigma involved. It is no different then when the mentally ill were locked away… now we do it to ourselves rather then admit that we, ourselves, or our child needs help.

First we have to believe that Peace is a real option! It does not have to be perfect as nothing in life is perfect. It will take real effort by all involved. Much will require each individual looking at life, events, feelings with a new perception or outlook. Sometimes when we look at a feeling or event from the opposite viewpoint or a different angle, our own perception changes. Most importantly we need to learn to listen and get to know each other… as individuals not as generalizations.

Next, we need to be persistence in this quest for Peace. It will not come overnight.

I will hand my belief and love of Peace to you… now it is your turn to believe and hand your belief to another. This needs to be done over and over, until it reaches all areas of the world. It does not have to start with just me!  You can start handing off your love of Peace wherever you are and maybe we will accomplish our goal quicker.    As my signature says, “Peace begins with each of us, as individuals”  Pass it on!

Seeking Motivation

These waves illustrate the power of the thoughts and physical reactions  I experienced within during my past week, strong and almost overwhelming.

Been one of those weeks when all seems to be on an uphill slant. Need some motivation to keep myself on track. This is when I head to the Readings from the Hurricane Island Outward Bound School.

~~~~~~~~~~

Whether adversity be a stumbling block, or discipline, or blessing depends on the use made of it.
Anonymous

The trick is what one emphasizes.
We either make ourselves miserable
or we make ourselves strong.
The amount of work is the same…
Carlos Castaneda

I love this quote… Makes me think of the words not spoken…

Remember this advice: It is easy to keep your head above water. Empty things float.
Tillie Olsen

I bought two books from Amazon for further reading. I am learning that there are several different approaches to freelance writing and blogging. My job will be to put together the combination that works best for me.

I am enjoying my journey with the A-List Blogging bootcamp. It shows only too well how much there is to learn. While I missed the workshop (still trying to figure that out) I am going full speed ahead with the rest of the program.The amount of experience as well as the joy of learning expressed by all in the program is catching.  Ah.. that is what I need right now, a visit to the site and to let all that enthusiasm flow over me!  Off I go!!

A good day to you all!

An Oft Used quote from Shakespeare: To Thine Own Self be True.

We Must Walk Side by Side With our Youth

Today’s world bombards us from all sides, showing us the way to dress—to do our hair—what music we should listen to. If you do not go along with what is considered appropriate for your age group, you appear to be an outsider, a misfit.

It starts right out of the crib with parents being aware of specific expectations for their child. They read of methods to improve their child’s intellect, their learning ability. Some start to groom their child to be the person they wished they had become instead of who they ended up being. When any individual is forced, whether with good intentions or not, to be someone other than whom they really are, that child misses out learning what their own special skills and abilities are.

This pressure continues through elementary school, on up to high school and beyond.  There seems to be a need in the world today, to become an overachiever. To be the best athlete, have the top grades are expectations and goals that bring a feeling of being over-whelmed. It does not matter if these goals are self-imposed or through another.

When the individual falls short, even if they had given their all, it damages their self-esteem. Their image in the eyes of the one who had the expectations is tarnished… this is even if it was their own. It is seen as a ‘failure.’  What is forgotten here, is the effort and what difficulties might have needed to be overcome. Effort must count, it must be included in the final judgment.

A personal experience will be added here. I went to a school with high standards. I tried my best, but there were certain subjects that I found difficult, one was Latin.  When grades were given out, we were all assembled in the cafeteria and one or two individuals were called to stand and their grades were read aloud. One fateful time, I was chosen. Thankfully we were graded not only by the subject, but also for our effort. I did quite poorly in Latin, but it was noted that I got a high grade for my effort. That helped me somewhat, but it was still a most unnerving experience to have ones grades read out loud in front of the whole assembly.

This is harder on the pre-teen and teenagers than for others. What is happening is that these youngsters are looking for ways to deal with this pressure. They start to turn to alcohol or drugs. If they are an athlete, they try enhancements to help them achieve more. It does not stop here, it follows individuals into college and beyond. Those top students, when they enter the workforce, they often find circumstances that are totally different from what they expected. The competition is fierce. Again, they seek to block it out, one way or another.

How to change this? Our whole society would have to get a complete makeover. It can be done, though parents and teachers, accepting each child for who they are. To help them discover their talents and find their own direction. This is easy to say, but not very easy to make happen. Schools and teachers are now graded themselves, by the grades of the students on tests. Their jobs depend on the success of the students and the students are being taught to pass these tests.

Now what?  I wish I knew. I would love to hear from teachers and even those who were made to follow a path that did not fit them as individuals. We have to guide our youth, walk with them, side by side. We must help them learn who they really are as individuals, so they can be true to themselves.

Read more: http://technorati.com/lifestyle/family/article/an-oft-used-quote-from-shakespeare/page-2/#ixzz1pkmTABJR

Article first published as An Oft Used quote from Shakespeare: “To Thine Own Self be True” on Technorati.

It always amazes me…

Closed, forgotten... now I must reopen it...

Here I am, wondering how to get myself in gear. I have started on this new journey and I am faltering… in several ways. It is like I closed the door or ‘gate’ when it comes to forward movement. I opened my email this morning and guess what I found… three emails with wisdom that should help me, if I put it all to work.

First Leo Babauta talks about the need to “Build the Muscle of Change.” He compares changing the ‘muscle’ of mental change with actual building up of real muscle… it takes time and persistence! He has some great pointers to follow. Check them out.

I started training my change muscle in 2005, when it was weak and I could never make any lasting changes. I felt helpless, and didn’t know what to do. I felt like I couldn’t ever make changes.

But I’ve learned in the years since that the change muscle is like other muscles: you might be weak at first, but you get stronger with regular training.

Then the next email up is from Linda Hewett. She is sharing her post about Starting your Confidence Transformation. I definitely need this as mine is dragging a bit. So much at work, stress involved there and facing the unknown within my new direction. Again, it is all spelled out in simple steps, just like Leo’s advice.

Step 1.  Start your Confidence Journal.

Nothing fancy, just a notebook to record your ideas about confidence as we go along.

You know you want to be confident, but what exactly do you mean?

What does confidence mean to you?

Think about this, and then write down…

‘If I was more confident I’d be able to…’

Write down as many answers as you can, building a picture of how you’d like to be.  Think of as many as you can!

As I am in the process of reading Linda’s link… another drops in my mailbox. This one is from Galen Pearl. While she talks about finding Happiness despite the Obstacles, she includes points that fit me… at this moment when I am dealing with self-doubt.

The problem, of course, is that self-doubt often leads to immobility. We stop and hesitate and stutter in our steps toward the life we dream of.

But we can give ourselves permission to act in the face of our doubts. We can grant ourselves the right to be human. We can grant ourselves permission to doubt, and then rise above those doubts, letting doubt have its say, then ignoring its plea to remain in the spot we’ve stayed in for too long.

And yet self-doubt seems to keep finding its way back home despite the actions we take and the growth we experience.

I learned from Galen that this was a guest post by Ken Wert… who has a great blog Meant to be Happy

OK… that is it, Barb. You have lots to do and some great advice to follow. Get to it!!  Thanks everyone!!

Side by Side

Side by Side

Life is amazing. There are times, in the midst of a crowd, you can feel all alone. Then, when you are starting out on a journey, seemingly alone, you are not. There are others there with you, supporting you, cheering you on. As I study, experiment with words and subject matter, I feel the presence of these friends. What is really amazing, is some I have never met!  They are my online friends. These friends I have only communicated with only through words, comments on blogs or on Facebook.

Unfortunately, I am getting a fluttering butterfly feeling in my stomach when it comes to applying for an online writing gig. Who, me?  Aren’t I the one who has been writing here, on Helium, and now on Ezine? Writing for someone specific, other than myself is a different story. I feel like a 5-year-old child, wondering,  “Will they really like me!!!”

OK, Barb… enough of this. Get yourself going. Get that portfolio together and charge straight ahead. All they can say is ‘no.’ You have the knowledge of what you need to do. You are not 5 years old, you know! You have plenty of  experience under your belt. In other words, you have all you need.

Also, Barb, read a few of your own back posts on believing in yourself, mindfulness meditation, the need for persistence. Remember all those things you tell your students day after day. You need to concentrate and not waste energy worrying. You are very good at that as you know only too well. Worry is a big energy drain.

Breathe.. that’s right. Stop and take a few deep breaths. Calm that racing mind. Let your fingers do the racing… over the keyboard. Another deep breath if needed and then move forward again.  Type a bit, take a few breaths, type a bit more, breath deeply again.  Yes, you are getting the feel of it!

A Happy Moment for Me

Since I have started on my journey in the world of blogging, I have discovered some great sites and met some amazing people. Ayo Olaniyan writes a blog called Discovering Purpose out of the United Kingdom.  He asked me to write an article and I did. Well, it made it into the 17th edition of his online magazine “Life Skills.”  I am in great company with some amazing other writers. I hope I did the links correctly and you are able to access it. If you subscribe to the magazine Life Skills, you can get the issues every month.  It is also available for Kindle.

Life does keep on moving and it is up to me whether I want to move forward, backward or nowhere at all!  Like the wheels  above, you will not get anywhere, unless you put them in motion!

These particular wheels came from a visit to a farm in a small town called Terra Alta, in West Virginia. The town has basically been forgotten in time.  A farmer, who had an amazing collection of antique farming equipment, had the wagons, harvesters, and other types farm equipment lined up to be sold by his barn, along the road.  I took one look at the spokes, wheels and the gears on all those vehicles and went to town.

There was quite a bit of PhotoShop work done to achieve this final image. I selected, erased, pasted from multiple images plus doing overall enhancement on each layer. I am proud to say the original sold during my first showing at the Bean Backus Gallery in Fort Pierce, Florida to a party from Montana.  I think it Montana is the perfect setting for this digital image–”Collage: Gears and Wheels.”

What direction are you going… tomorrow, next week, next month? Join me in moving forward!

Persistence Pays

We live in a world of instant gratification. You push a button and the TV channel changes, the elevator goes up or down, your phone call goes through, your text is sent, your spelling is checked.  We also live in a world where reality is not always true to what is actual reality. When was the last time you saw a new movie or TV show that was true to life. All TV shows are prerecorded. They no longer do live shows other than the talk shows, bloopers and all.

I feel for those starting out in the ‘real world’ after graduation.  Having been in education for a bit, I have seen students moved on whether they were ready or not, as holding them back would be detrimental to their emotional being. What is wrong about learning that sometimes you have to do things over until you get them right? For me there is a special gratification when I finally connect all the dots correctly.

Recently I have started on a new journey… this blog is one. For me, it has been trial and error, learning on the job.  Yes, if I had the money, I could hire someone to set it all up for me… for getting me started.   I cannot do that and truthfully would not want to do that.  It is the whole learning process  that I enjoy and it does come around over time. Errors are a part of life.  Spell check is definitely not perfect!

I was watching this pelican fishing for his morning meal.  He dove and dove and dove. Some times he was successful, but there was quite a bit of diving before he caught his fish.  For me, there were many photos taken before I finally got one of his actual dive.  I did not know when he was going to dive and therefore I had to take many photos to get this one! Was it worth it?  You betcha!

Pelican Diving for Breakfast