Some Things I Love This Week

...that I met a funny guy with really bad OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) at my garage sale that insisted he could fix my computer so I wouldn't need to buy a new one... and it turned out he was totally right!

...beautiful mosaic sparkly glass pumpkins that make even me think of Fall as a cozy seasonal change that means another summer is really only 8 short months away... and that I can find lots of things to love about the other non-summer seasons.

...that my hair is blonder than ever thanks to time spent in the sun in Palm Springs.  It's like taking the summer with me right into the Fall.

"Back Pose Of Smiling Female Looking At Camera" by imagerymajestic/ found at freedigitalphotos.net

...how I managed to stain the deck on the very last truly warm day.

...that I have a few tomatoes left that will ripen while still on the vine.

"Tomatoes" by Simon Howden/ found at freedigitalphotos.net

...how glad I am that spending time at the vacation place has made me acutely aware of how little stuff I actually need to live.  And that I am now putting a plan into action to get my regular home into a similar state.

...that the neighbor lady got to have a whole day of laughing and visiting and just enjoying the company of her friends while we whiled away the hours selling stuff that other people could use more than we could.

...how tremendously different my nephew's attitude is towards learning since we've started with the homeschooling.

...my own openness to new experiences that have been previously completely uncomfortable.

What are you loving this week???

Maybe

Art by Stuart Miles, found at freedigitalphotos.net

When I was a kid, 'maybe' always meant no.  No matter what.
'Maybe' was said in the presence of others for the purpose of keeping up a charade.
'Maybe' was nothing more than a negative disguised as openness, so outsiders wouldn't suspect how rigid things really were.
'Maybe' was reserved for those few moments when I forgot the rules, slipped up and made a request in public.  'Maybe' was code for "don't make that mistake again."

It's funny how even after we learn that the rest of the world is not the same as what we may have experienced growing up, the effects of the ingrained lessons of our family will often linger on- even if we don't mean for them to.  Sometimes it catches us by surprise just when we feel how strong we are and just when there's really no reason to fall back into old habits.

Right now I am awaiting the final answer to a fairly big 'maybe'.  And I'm reminding myself that an answer of yes or no is just that.  An answer.  A fair answer that doesn't mean anything other than that. 

Life is full of questions and answers and sitting with a 'maybe' is not necessarily a bad thing.

Maybe that's what life is... a wink of the eye and winking stars.
-Jack Kerouac

I Don't Care Who Ya' Are, That's Funny Right There!

Even If It's Raining

There is an intriguing prospect that may just change life quite drastically for me and mine lurking just around the corner.  (I promise to give details if/when this thing comes to fruition.) 

I couldn't help but notice that when looking into said prospect I started to think/act quite a bit differently.

I wondered at why it would take a different life situation to make me think so differently.  So much more openly.

I wished it didn't take the prospect of a pretty big life change to make me want to make more positive changes in my life overall.  I thought about where I was when I decided to dump a bunch of weight.  And how that had been the same kind of light bulb moment and I wished that I could somehow make these kinds of things happen without having to face up to some sort of negative aspect of life first. 

I just love the idea of going right ahead and jumping onto the positives that help to make life so much better and really want to start doing those things without the push of a negative to get me to that point.  You know, I kind of want to get past the point of needing the proverbial cattle prod to improve myself!

For today, my goal is to get out and exercise in the fresh air as much as possible, even if it's raining. 

This is a tough one for me and yet I just know that I will be rewarded with even better health and other beautiful and wonderful non-tangibles along the way.

What do you struggle with doing that is easier when life prods you in some way?  What is the best reward that you have reaped from a life change?