Alive!

My birthday was a few days ago & I can’t believe all the people who wished me “Happy Birthday!” (Thank you so much!)  It was a great day & a reminder to be grateful for all I have in my life. We often overlook the simplest pleasures by getting caught up with every day life.

Slowing down has become more and more difficult.

There are so many “advances” which make our lives easier. Though it is easier to keep in touch, we still have to choose how we spend our time. Who hasn’t gotten sucked into Facebook for hours at least once? Who hasn’t lost track of time “researching” something on Pinterest? Or who doesn’t prefer online shopping to the mall but still can spend as much time clicking away to find good deals? Wi-fi can be great to share pictures of your fabulous vacation but it also means the office can reach you if they need to. Regardless of these options, I realized on my birthday I am grateful for life.

Thank goodness I am ALIVE!  What a gift from God, or whatever Higher Power you believe in.

Life is a gift.

Things can change so much in one year.  Shoot, things can change so much in one day!

We all have good days and bad days. We all have times when we feel confident, strong and full of energy to do things. Then there are the times when we feel unsure, very small and unable to get anything done. Some days we tackle huge projects and make a lot of progress. Other days we can’t seem to focus or complete the smallest of tasks.

My “favorite” days are the ones where a bit of all those feelings come into play! I can start out charged up, positive and sure what I have to get done. Before I realize it, I’m flustered, overwhelmed and dashing from one thing to the next without any plan or thought. Sometimes it can switch back again and there is renewed purpose and a hopeful outlook.

We all experience both types of days.

Thank goodness each morning we start with a fresh chance. We get another chance to try again. Waking up, anything can happen. It can go either way. The best part is we are ALIVE to experience it. (Trust me, I know on those bad days, it doesn’t feel lucky to experience them at the time! But we do learn and gain from them.)

Birthdays are a time when we reflect. On mine, I was happy to be alive. It was easy for me to feel FULL of Gratitude since it was my birthday. Now is the challenging part. How can I/we be sure to remember our gratitude even when it isn’t our birthday or any special day for that matter?

Questions For Getting FULL of Gratitude…

How can I find gratitude in every day?
What small thing can I stop and be grateful for?
Who might really be touched to hear how much they mean to me?

Take a few moments and think about your answers to these questions.

I have found that the first thought which pops into my head is usually the one I feel most strongly. Don’t pressure yourself to think of “a really good one.” Trust your gut! Go with that first thought. Spend a few more moments expanding it more. Is there an action you want to take now that you have put some thought into it? Or is it enough of a reminder to just think about it for a few moments? You know what is right for you.

Warmly,
Michelle

Honey, We Are Out of Milk

Have you ever just dreaded going to the grocery store?  For no apparent reason, you just don’t feel like it?  There is still plenty to eat, it’s not like you are completely out of everything.  Just a few key items have been used up.  They are already written down on a list which you will be sure to take with you, when you finally go?  That has been my situation for two days.

Yep.   We are out of milk.

“Honey, are you going to make your scrambled eggs in the morning?  Yes?  OK.  You will need to use water because we are out of milk.  I’ll get it soon.”  That was what I told my husband a few days ago.

I swore to myself I would go that first day.  Then I didn’t.  The second day?  It was not as important.  We had made it through the first day easily.  I rationalized to myself I would wait until there were a few more things we actually needed.  Then I would go to the grocery store.

I’ve been here before.  Seems I go through phases where shopping for food and cooking good meals for my family seem so mundane.  I procrastinate.  I avoid.  I find other “important” things to do.  Which makes no sense because I have felt the goodness of making healthy, yummy meals for my family.  I’ve cherished the time and conversation we share sitting at the dinner table.  I know good food is the best way to get them all there in the first place!  So why do I do this every so often?

Another mom clearly stated it for me today.  “Because you just don’t want to sometimes.”  Yes!  Even when I know I “should.” I “need” to.  I “must.”  Shopping for food is not one of my first loves.

Somehow hearing this other woman state it so simply gave me the validation I guess I needed.  Knowing I was not the only one, I am not alone in this, that just made me feel better.  And you want to know what I did this afternoon?!  I bought milk!  And those few other things written on the list.

How can I turn this into something to be grateful for?  I see two main ideas.  One, the reminder I am not alone- in anything I am doing.  We all go through similar situations.  So even if it feels like we are the only ones, we are not.  Someone can relate and understand.  The other main idea I see is being thankful that we had other food and things to drink in the house!  That may sound silly but think about it.  Hunger is a problem for many people.  Even in the United States.

In 2013, 49.1 million Americans lived in food insecure households, including 33.3 million adults and 15.8 million children. 

That is a lot of people.  I needed a reminder, and my family does too, that just because we are out of milk, we are lucky to have many other things we can eat and drink.

Now it is your turn!

Take a moment to ponder, what seemingly simple thing in your daily life can you focus on For Getting FULL of Gratitude?

What situation are you feeling like the only one who has to deal with it?

Who can you find that has gone through the same thing?

You are not alone.  I am not alone.  Together, we can work For Getting FULL of Gratitude.

Warmly,

Michelle

Day 3

Today’s Prompt: Write about the three most important songs in your life — what do they mean to you? There are so many songs I love.  How on earth can I pick only 3?  From which stage in my life shall I focus on?  I believe one of the powers music can have on people is to take them back in time, to a specific moment, situation or interaction.  Listening to a song can bring back emotions from many years ago.  What do I want to share today…? First, I’ll go with my “anthem” by Helen Ready, “I Am Woman!”  Raised by a single mom, believer in women’s rights and yet more traditional in my core values than I sometimes like to admit, this song screams “Girl Power!” for me (and I don’t mean “girl” in a belittling way).  Women can do anything they set their mind to.  Even more when women band together.  I love the way this song builds and builds until Helen Ready is belting it out at the end.

Oh yes, I am wise.

But its wisdom born of pain.

Yes, I’ve paid the price, but look how much I’ve gained.

If I have to…I can do anything.

I am strong (strong)

I am invincible (invincible)

I am woman…

I bought myself the CD a few years ago and would sing my guts out on the way to work.  It got me pumped up.  It helped me get focused. Most important, this song helped me believe in myself at times when I didn’t really.  I’d put this song on and everything would seem all right.  This was the phrase I shouted when I reached the summit of Mt. Whitney with my husband (right before the altitude sickness hit me and we had to descend rapidly).  I yelled it out after hiking back to the top of the Grand Canyon much to the embarrassment of my husband and nephew.  The other tourists nearby seemed to chuckle too.  This is the chant I’ve shared with women during the 3 Day Breast Cancer walk.  It is a badge of honor.  It is a declaration.  It is my personal anthem. My second important song has got to be “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor.  This was her one hit wonder.  Though she put out other songs, this is the main one people know her for.  Again, it speaks to my soul,

I’ve got all my life to live,

I’ve got all my love to give,

And I’ll survive!

 I will survive!  Hey! Hey!

This is one of the songs that always gets me out on the dance floor.  Growing up, all the girls would dance together while the boys stood nervously on the side.  After graduating college, I distinctly remember dancing & singing this song to my college boyfriend from a disco somewhere in London.  We had broken up before the trip, and while I knew it was the right thing to do, I  needed the reassurance. Seems any time I have ever heard this song, there is always something happening in my life that I can benefit from the reminder “I will survive!”

For my third favorite, or important song in my life, I must break from the pattern established by the first two.  Instead of having another feminist anthem, I’ve got to switch to hopeless romantic.  Barry Manilow’s “Could It Be Magic” takes the cake.  Finding that one person who loves you so much.  Meeting your soulmate and knowing your life will never be the same.  For years I imagined finding a man who would say things like this to me:

Come, come into my arms,

Oh let me know the wonder of all of you.

Baby I want you!  

Now, now, oh now and hold on fast,

Could this be the magic at last!?!

When I found it all in my husband, I couldn’t believe it.  After seventeen years of marriage we are still learning about each other.  He is the one person I trust completely.  The one I show “all of myself” to, and that has meant showing things I didn’t want to see myself.  The fact he is still here, next to me and in my life, well, that IS the magic at last!

Put all three of these songs together and you have a good snapshot of me.  While I am fiercely independent and resourceful, there are times I just want my husband to put his arms around me and hold tight.  I want to be told “Everything will be all right as long as we stick together.”  

Oops! “Day 1…”

So sorry if you received an email asking for a password to a “Day 1” post.  I’m participating in a WordPress writing activity for April which is what the post was for.

I did not mean to send it out like a regular post.  Please just delete that email.

I’ll be sending out my usual weekly posts.

Thanks!

Michelle

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