My eldest son came to town this weekend to take me to lunch and as usual we engaged in stimulating conversation. We went to one of his favourite …
A conversation about Scandinavian sea monsters, things that aren’t, and hard times.
Stock.Adobe.com JB’s last post was about fun words, kangaroo words specifically, something new for me. Intellectual, intriguing, inspiring. My words …
My Life Became Easier When
It occurred to me today:
As a casual observer of Life (meaning those moments when I am not self-absorbed and actually pay attention), that,
Self-indulgence does not only mean ‘excessive or unrestrained gratification of one’s own appetites, desires, or whims (thanks Merriam-Webster), but it also means unrestrained gratification of The Negative.
You know, The Pity Party, the old Poor Me, Paralyzed by Fear, kind of self-indulgence.
It occurs to me that All types of self indulgence induce some kind of Paralysis, restricting us from truly living life, because it narrows our Scope of Possibility.
Of course it is all Negative because it is all Extreme.
It occurs to me Moderation is The Key. A rather tiresome thought oft repeated. Hmm well now I have something else to consider.
Oh! And M-W notes that the first known use of the word was in 1636. See? Now that is an takeaway!
*Two months since NY. Resolutions (called goals by some). Where are you on yours?
Last year I had an 80% success on my goals and pleased with the result set three more goals for 2019.
By January 22nd I scrapped all three and did a reset. Important to do this if you want to succeed. Sometimes our goals are just a wish list. It occurs to me the key to success lies in assessment and action. We either continue or reset. I reset to four measurable, attainable goals that deal with Finance, Healthy Eating, Business Development, and Writing. I did not just scrap them but took the time and documented exactly why they were being scrapped and what was replacing them.
* Business development is really quite a small thing, but I decided to turn my hobby time into a teeny tiny business. Having spent the last eight years in retirement doing what I loved, it occurred to me that I could assign an actual worth to what I do. So GCK was born. GrannyChrisKnits is being developed. Baby steps. GrannyChrisKnits@mail.com. Recent projects in demand:
This hat is a warm chic favourite.
*The Writing goal took a bid of serious contemplation. A love of words and intriguing story lines were not enough to drive me forward. My one underlying thought for this year is, ‘Enjoy what you do, and Do what you enjoy” I found I have a skill at reviewing books and articles and can present thoughtful and at times witty observations. I discovered this when I joined a Canadian Authors group where we write but also critique the works of other members. During discussions at month’s end I found I expressed some insights that surprised me. I stopped feeling guilty at what I had not written, and started to be excited at what I was reading and doing. I also belong to a book club that meets once a month called, Crime and Coffee.
My progress in all things this year was held up a bit due to the loss of a dear dear friend and Aunt who passed January 23rd. It occurs to me grief uses a lot of energy and whilst I have continued to move forward it has been at a slower pace. Her memory is an inspiration. Nuff said on that.
* I found myself wondering this week what the value of apology is. Aside from a public show of regret, that may not be at all sincere, but is required for political purpose (as we have seen on this week’s news), what truly is the purpose? If I feel guilt about something I did, and I approach the wounded party (no matter how much time has passed) and I beg forgiveness, am I really trying to make the other person feel better or just myself? It occurs to me that if I express regret at causing hurt that is fine. But if it is an apology that ends with, ‘Please please forgive me.’ Then I think that is a problem. I guess it is important to say you are sorry but it is not okay to saddle the wounded person with a demand for forgiveness. Hmm What think you?
*It occurred to me this week that Drama is over rated in our lives. I am wondering if great excitement is just an energy sapper. Spewers of drama are exhausting and I think sometimes the Message is lost is the Swirl of Energy. I recently read ‘Born A Crime’ by Noah Trevor about his life in South Africa. It was raw, real, and by being without great drama it encouraged serious thought and consideration. An excellent book.
I’ve been watching a lace curtain of snow fall outside my window this morning. It occurs to me that Spring will be most welcome.
On to another week. March 1st came in like a lamb. It occurs to me it might go out like a lion. Then again it might not,
Some folk like to get all tangled up in semantics. Sometimes I am one of them.
But when it comes to Do-Overs I pretty much believe Life is full of Do-Overs and a second chance is a D-Over.
If it were not then how could we ever progress?
What do New Year’s Eve, Birthdays, September, and the first day of each new season have in common?
It is all about being able to re-do.
Popular saying: There are no-do overs in Life but there are second chances.
As you know I believe Re-do and Second Chances are exactly the same thing.
A baby learning to walk takes missteps. Do we tell that baby ‘No re-dos.’ Of course not. At some point there is a redo. Every great inventor had re-dos, sometimes a thousand times or more until they got it right.
Perfection is never achieved but we can and will re-do. And so it will be for ever. Humans are not the only creatures to re-do. Technically every living organism does a re-do, even at a cellular level and that is how mutations develop. Intrinsic changes that help us adapt to our environment. To survive.
And that is what happens on our journey. We re-do.
As a wanna be golfer I think Life is Like a Game of Golf.
Sometimes you play along and get to the 18th hole and shake your head wondering what went wrong.
Sometimes you play along and get to the 18th hole and shake your head wondering what went right.
But all it takes is one good stroke to keep you coming back. That one good step for the baby keeps it trying.
Trying to do that again and figuring next time you will remember what and how you did it.
Fact is, sometimes you just do it. If you are dieting you can follow all the rules; journal, measure, and weigh, plan, and somehow still come up short. Although consistent effort will tell in the long run. Sometimes you skim by, barely following rules, and are rewarded. Go figure.
Until death, we all get to Re-do somehow. It doesn’t take a New Year, new season, new month or even a new day. A Re-do, re-commitment, can take place in a new second or minute.
In a second you can decide to re-do your diet, your work, your commitment to your relationship, to yourself.
The ability to RE-DO is Hope. And hope is what Life is about. Hope is believing there is something better. And I think ‘better’ can only be done by re-doing, Learning, improving.
RE- DO AND BE GENUINELY KIND TO YOURSELF
It is What it Is
Or
Is it?
Lately it seems I am hearing the statement, IT IS WHAT IT IS more frequently than ever before. Perhaps I am just sensitive to it because for some reason it rubs me the wrong way. People interviewed on TV are saying it, people around me are saying it. Something about it just doesn’t sound right. So I have to ask why.
I guess most would mean it to sound like a situation or circumstance is real, and there is merit in that but somehow it is, to me, an incomplete thought.
This is what I hear when that sentence is spoken:
It is what it is – finality
It is what it is – therefore nothing can be done about it
It is what it is – so suck it up
It is what it is – nothing can change it
It is what it is – and like the proverbial leopard unable to change its spots neither can we change this
It is what it is – so give up
It is what it is – accept it
This is what I want to hear when that sentence is spoken:
It is what it is – but what can it be?
It is what it is – but how can we change it?
It is what it is – and we will change it.
It is what it is – but we still have hope
It is what it is – but nothing is impossible
It is what it is – but we will not stop trying to improve it.
It is what it is – and we will change it!
this is a log of my life...such as it is!
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