part one - complete

After 58 days and more than 300 reasons to be grateful, I'm happy to say that my first *new* habit of 2010 has firmly taken ahold of my life! I actually thought this habit would be hard to establish at first - especially given its a habit I chose to maintain every night before I go to bed. MANY nights I am getting up from my sleepy stupor on the living room couch, and making my way to a dark bedroom where Guy is sleepily snoring. On those nights I've had to sneak into the room, grab my gratitude journal and pen, and sneak into the bathroom to jot down what I'm feeling particularly blessed about that day.

But last night I realized something really profound. I have gone to bed every single night since this habit experiment feeling hopeful. Never feeling angry about the events of the day. And if there was any lingering frustration over how my day went, those feelings lessened somewhat once I was forced to recount at least five reasons to overlook those frustrations. Five reasons to feel grateful for my life. And really, for all intents and purposes... it was never hard. There may have been one or two nights where it was all I could do to pull those feelings out of the air, (and I can tell in reading my journal just which days those were!), but for the most part, the moments I was grateful for, and the feelings that I had came tumbling out of my and into my journal.

Some recurring themes certainly sprang up, like family and health, my marriage, my friends, my home, and little things like something that was said, or a card that was left, or an unsoliciated gesture or hand to help when I needed it. And these are totally the things that I hold dear in my life.

That, and cherry blossoms snowing down on my birthday today. Totally magical...

lessons for life

Lately I've been feeling like I need to post a picture to go along with my post, but I received an email from my beloved best friend that I've thought about constantly since I received it, and I had a brilliant idea to post it. Sure, its not my own thoughts, but there are so many great nuggets in there that I HAD TO include it (whilst taking a few liberties to make a couple of small revisions ;o). Reflect and enjoy!

Handbook for LIFE

Health:
1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a queen, lunch like a princess, and eat dinner like a beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
4. Live with the 3 E's - Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.
5. Make time to pray.
6. Play more games.
7. Read more books than you did the year before.
8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes per day.
9. Sleep for 7 hours.
10. Take a 10-30 minute walk daily. And while you walk, smile.

Personality:
11. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
12. Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
13. Don't over do. Keep your limits.
14. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
15. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.
16. Dream more while you are awake.
17. Envy is a waste of time. you already have all you need.
18. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.
20. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply a part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
23. Smile and laugh more.
24. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

Society:
25. Call your family often.
26. Each day give something good to others.
27. Forgive everyone for everything.
28. Spend time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6.
29. Try to make at least three people smile today.
30. What other people think of you is none of your business.
31. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

Life:
32. Do the right thing!
33. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
34. God heals everything.
35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
37. The best is yet to come.
38. When you awake alive in the morning, thank God for it.
39. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.

Last but not the least:
40. Share this message with everyone you care about.

xo

early signs...

that spring has sprung!

I'm trying to ignore the obvious... climate change, etc. But spring is in full bloom around here - forsythias along the driveway (on time) cherry blossoms in front of my house (a full month early)...

creative juices

After what feels like its been SUCH a long time, my urge to be even the tiniest bit creative is really coming back! Feels like a part of me is waking up again, and it just feels so good to be in that mode. Especially when I feel like just making something because I *feel* like it, instead of having the pressure to do it.

Its like a body part is reattaching itself to me...

A habit is a habit when....

.... you forget to perform said habit (because you're so tired and confused and LOST) and you *d*r*e*a*m* about the fact that you forgot to DO the habit before you went to bed and in your dream you wake up in the morning and DO the habit before you did anything else that day.

Which of course I did. :o)