Monday, September 16, 2013

Sabbatical

Hello friends, I am taking a little bit of a sabbatical from my blog until the end of the year. Taking some me time to get some things accomplished before the holiday season. Stay well and I will see you at the beginning of 2014! Keep Smiling! :)

Friday, September 13, 2013

Pick a song, any song...

My daughter recently was auditioning for her college musical and had a bad case of the stage fright. She explained that she couldn’t control it and when it happened it affected her breathing which of course affected her singing. I started to think about how this is relative to other areas of life. When we let fear enter the party before us and it brings its friend anxiety, then nothing good can come from that. How to handle the fear is another story all together. Some people practice breathing. I know it sounds silly but when you actually pay attention to how you are breathing, it can be quite calming. Meditation is another way to go. You can do this even in a crowd of people by repeating your mantra to yourself. Eventually you will clear your mind and be able to concentrate with the task or situation at hand. I used to be incredibly shy and scared to speak in public. I had to learn to find my voice and turn that fear into determination. What I do is to think of one song in particular and I play the song in my head while picturing the calming waves of the ocean reaching the sand. I swear that I have even done that at the doctor’s office and my blood pressure which used to be high has been perfect. Anxiety is not something to take lightly though and I understand it can reach debilitating levels, but like everything else sometimes you have to try new ways to deal with it. Not all of us have auditions every day, but the stage of life can be quite gnarly and the unknown is always frightening. There is always a line of a song that will relate to any situation you are struggling with, so I say “turn it up” and let the power of music do its thing! Oh and don't forget to breathe! Keep Smiling! :)

Thursday, September 5, 2013

One Community...September

One Community is a monthly photo project in which participants photograph their homes and community with a theme in mind. The theme varies by month. The goal is to both showcase similarities and differences in our communities worldwide – and bring us all closer together in understanding through art. This month’s themes are:

WORK
GOLD
CENTERPIECE
BALANCE
WORK: This cubicle is my home away from home and where I spend the majority of my day. I get to assist school districts all over the United States get federal reimbursement to assist their special education programs. I love my work.
GOLD: My mother's bread recipe. Each time I make it, it brings back memories of my childhood and of her. The golden color reminds me of her sunny personality!

CENTERPIECE: I recently created this eucalyptus swag centerpiece for a co-worker. I love to be creative! It feeds my soul!

BALANCE: As a Libra, I am always trying to create balance. Working full time, being married and having a daughter in college makes it challenging. However, when I really feel out of balance, a trip to the ocean is just the fix! Something about the calming effects of the sea sets me straight!


One Community participants include:

Sarah Sarah is a life-long Missourian who shares her home with her husband, two sons, and an old grumpy dachshund. Like every good Midwesterner, she can (and will) talk to you at length about the weather. Sarah blogs at www.beautyschooldropout.net

Colleen lives with her handsome hubster and two feisty felines in Portland, Oregon. She loves rain and sun (in that order), words and pictures, and chatting up the neighbors. She blogs at www.underaredroof.com

Rebekah lives in Kilkenny, Ireland with her husband. An American by birth, she's discovering what it means to be an expat on the Emerald Isle. She blogs at Honeysuckle Life

Kara is a cheerful nerd living in downtown Phoenix, AZ with her law-studying husband and an anxious pound puppy. She works full time in the mental health field but in her off time enjoys sunshine, great food and the occasional craft beer. www.sunshine-cupcakes.com Wife and Mom to a houseful of boys in sunny San Diego; word geek and all-kinds-of writer; maker of things both creative and useful.

Sue is now blogging again at nobaddays.wordpress.com

Teresa lives in Massachusetts with her husband, college aged daughter and two crazy cats. She is a creative spirit who tries to find the lesson, blessing and humor in everything and she blogs at http://laughteramongtears.blogspot.com

Kelli lives in Phoenix with her dog, Willie Nelson Mandela. She is a novelist, public health advocate and United Methodist. She blogs at: www.africankelli.com

Stephanie is a lifelong Wyomingite with ranch girl roots. She has her own marketing and graphic design business and in her free time, she enjoys knitting, fishing with her boyfriend, and team roping. She blogs at www.nowicanseethemoon.co

Eduarda Schroder is a curious, visual creature who believes all pictures tell a story. She hails from Mozambique, via Portugal and NJ, and now is desert rate living with her husband and two teenage daughters in Chandler, AZ http://of-blue.blogspot.com

Sunday, September 1, 2013

Honestly...where is the honesty?

Maybe it is my morals and ethics, which like everyone goes into a gray area now and then. And we all have had a person or persons who have been dishonest in our lives. When this happens I always wonder why someone would choose to lie over being honest. What are their motives? Are they lying because they don't want to hurt you? That doesn't make sense because eventually the truth will be discovered and you are hurt ten times more. Are they lying because they just cannot deal with telling the truth? I think this is a more accurate revelation. Unfortunately, this also just causes more turmoil and more confusion. I recently was lied point blank in the face by someone I never expected to do so. So instead of focusing on the lie itself, I came to realize that I had clearly misread this person as being trustworthy. The lesson for me was knowing that and with that knowledge came the wisdom that this person was not the type of person I could ever fully trust again. This was incredibly difficult for me as then I started to question everything this person had ever said to me. And eventually the person discovered that I knew the truth all along, and then didn't even try to apologize or reason with me. That made me realize that this person could no longer be in my life. Even though being honest can be scary, it is always the way to go. Someone will probably always get hurt, but as time goes by they will respect you more for being truthful. The truth may hurt temporarily, but lies are forever. And that's the truth...Keep Smiling! :)