 A couple of days ago, I had a friend ask me why I was so calm with a world pandemic going on around me. I am actually a member of 3 different "at risk" groups. I have a heart condition, asthma and an auto-immune disease. Basically I have 3 strikes against me. I should be terrified and yet I am not freaking out, hording food, toilet paper, or sanitizing products.
For me, it is simple. I cannot control the pandemic. No one can. By acknowledging I am not in control, I eliminate the stress of trying to control it. What I can control is how I respond to it. I stopped obsessively watching the news. I watch only in the morning and the evening. If I have questions, I go to the CDC or our state's Department of Health website to get the facts, NOT Facebook. I wash my hands 25-30 times a day. I stay out of highly populated areas. I have enough food and supplies for 2 weeks. I get outside and walk around listening to the birds sing and see the trees starting to show their leaves. These are the things I can control. I am grateful. I am able to work from home. There are many people who cannot and do not know if they will have a job tomorrow. My husband and I are fortunate to have our grown children and their spouses live close by. Our grand-baby brings us such joy even if we can only video chat with her. There are many people who do not live near their families or do not have a strong familial connection. I have a strong network of friends all of whom check in on me and I check on them on a regular basis. I started sending cards to the elderly patients in a nearby nursing home where they are no longer allowing visitors to uplift their spirits. And everyday at 11:11 AM I pray the Serenity Prayer. Let go of the fear. Look beyond yourself and do something nice for someone else. Check in on your family, friends, and neighbors. Take charge of only those things you can control and reach out for moral support when you need it (we're here for you, too). Quote Words are singularly the most powerful force available to humanity. We can choose to use this force constructively with words of encouragement, or destructively using words of despair. Words have energy and power with the ability to help, to heal, to hinder, to hurt, to harm, to humiliate and to humble. ~Yehuda Berg Discussion The art of communication is dying. We would rather send a text than call someone on the phone. There is so much more to communication than sending a smiley face or thumbs up emoji. We are all losing the ability to “read” people’s facial expressions or understand the tone of their voice, email, or text and effectively respond appropriately. When was the last time you sat down across the table from a friend or family member and had an honest and open conversation? How many times have you misread someone and had your feelings hurt only to find out that was not the intent? Prompts Sunday - Read the quote out loud. What is your initial reaction? Why? What about this quote do you agree with? Disagree with? Monday - What does communication mean to you? What types of communication are you aware of? Tuesday - How does this apply to your life right now in this moment? Do you have difficulty expressing yourself to your family, friends, coworkers, or strangers? Are you often misunderstood? Wednesday - When thinking about how you communicate, how can you be more effective? Think of all the ways you’ve mis-communicated in the past, how could you have changed your words or tone in order to prevent disagreements or misunderstandings? Thursday - What words did you use today that were negative or hurtful, positive or uplifting? Did someone react differently than you expected? Tomorrow, practice mindful communication. Be careful in the words and tone you use to communicate with others. Friday - How did you change how and what you said today? Did you find this difficult or easy? Why? Saturday - After reflecting over the last week, what is your reaction to this quote now? What changed? What stayed the same? Stone - Chrysocolla
Essential Oil/Herb - Lavender
Animal Guide - Toucan
Who am I, really?
Can you answer this question without thinking about it? Can you answer it at all? I’m not talking about the labels (wife/husband, mother/father, sister/brother, job title, etc.) All of us can do that. Most of us think we know who we are. We claim to know what we like or dislike, what our favorite music, books, TV program, or movie is. We think we know what makes us happy, sad, angry, etc. Many of us work in a job we hate, because it pays the bills and we honestly don’t know what would make us jump out of bed in the morning, excited to go to work. Do we truly “know” who we are or are we mirroring what our family, friends, co-workers, and society in general expects of us? This weekly series will look at who “you” are, not what you reflect to people based upon their expectations. It requires you to be “honest” with yourself even if it becomes uncomfortable to do so. Put aside the expectations of others and the fear of judgement, look deep within to find out who you truly are. Each week we will pose a question or topic for you to carefully ponder. There are no right/wrong answers and you don’t need to share your thoughts unless you wish. The intent is to get you thinking about who “you” are. Everyone has a gift. Do you know what yours is or is a hidden talent you haven’t discovered yet? Think about how you use or would use this gift to improve your life and the life of others. QuoteIn order to carry a positive action we must develop a positive vision. ~Dalai Lama DiscussionEvery new year people make resolutions to "fix" something about themselves they do not like. Focusing on what is "wrong" with them or something that is "wrong" in their life. Most resolutions have faded or outright failed since the first of the year because most resolutions are started with negative mindset. Before one can change their life they must change their mindset. PromptsSunday - Read the quote out loud. What is your initial reaction? Why? What about this quote do you agree with? Disagree with? Monday - What does positivity mean for you? Tuesday - How does this apply to your life right now in this moment? Wednesday - When thinking about what you want to change in your life and the reason behind it, how can you make it more positive? Consider the New Year's resolutions you've made in the past and how you phrased them. Thursday - Watch your internal dialogue. What words did you use today that were negative, that made you feel shame, guilt, sad, etc. Tomorrow practice changing your internal dialogue. Friday - How did you change your internal dialogue today? Did you find this difficult? Why? Saturday - After reflecting over the last week, what is your reaction to this quote now? What changed? What stayed the same? Stone - Clear Quartz
Affirmation: I am energized. I am positive and dispel negativity. I can overcome obstacles and heal. I can attain my goals. Essential Oil/Herb - Peppermint
How are you feeling today?Are you stressed? Overworked? Feeling tapped out? In a rut? This is not a late night infomercial. I am not trying to sell you some slick gadget you'll only use once. No matter how you're feeling everyone needs a "mental break". Our brains are constantly working (even when when you're sleeping).  Here's the ChallengePick 3 (or all of them if you'd like) "tasks" from the list and do them today. You can do them all at once or spread them out. Each task is only *2* minutes.
Quote“You build on failure. You use it as a stepping stone. Close the door on the past. You don't try to forget the mistakes, but you don't dwell on it. You don't let it have any of your energy, or any of your time, or any of your space.” ~Johnny Cash PromptsSunday - Read the quote out loud. What is your initial reaction? Why? What about this quote do you agree with? Disagree with? Monday - How do you view “failure”? Do you feel guilty or shameful? Do you see it as a lesson you have yet to learn? What are the driving factors behind how you view “failure? Tuesday - How does this apply to your life right now in this moment? Do you allow your failures to dictate your life. Do you allow them to stop you from trying again? Wednesday - Has anyone shamed you for failing or making a mistake? What ‘old recordings’ from your past hinder you from taking a chance, a risk? How did it impact your relationships with others? Thursday - Now think about the reverse. Have you ever shamed someone for a mistake or failure? How did it impact your relationship with that person? Friday - We expect children to make mistakes and learn from them. Why is it so different for adults? Give yourself permission to make mistakes. How does that change how you feel about failure? Saturday - After reflecting over the last week, what is your reaction to this quote now? What changed? What stayed the same? Stone - Tiger's Eye
Essential Oil/Herb - Basil
Animal Guide - Tiger
Each Sunday we will be providing a journal topic for the week with a prompt for each day. Set a time each day to journal in a place where you can sit quietly without interruption to reflect on your thoughts. You don’t need to answer the daily prompts, they are provided in case you need a little boost to get your thoughts flowing. Quote“Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe.” ~Gail Devers
I’ll Push You by Patrick Gray and Justin Skeesuck My family recommended this book to me as Justin is my dad’s cousin. Justin has always been a charismatic person. He is full of love and life. Justin has a great sense of humor and loves adventures. Patrick is Justin’s best friend from childhood. They shared many adventures together and were always there for each other. They bring out the best in each other and have a friendship that others strive for. In college, Justin began to have unusual symptoms. He was eventually diagnosed with a progressive neuro-muscular disease. It left him without the use of his legs and arms, and in a wheelchair. Patrick has remained by his side through it all. Justin heard about people doing a pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago. He tells Patrick about it and how he thinks it would be an amazing trip. Patrick’s response is simple: “I’ll push you.” This book tells of their trip on the Camino de Santiago. The setbacks, struggles, triumphs, and spiritual realizations. It is a testament to what true friendship, love, devotion, and sacrifice is. It is a beautiful story that will inspire you and touch your heart. It will open your eyes to how true friendship can change our lives and push us to be a better person.  Enjoy!
Misty We all have our own path to walk through in life. My path is not my "sisters" or "brothers" and they each have their own. We have discussions, some passionate, some silly, some downright strange. While open and honest discussion is encouraged, please keep it civilized. We are not here to judge or criticize. We are here to encourage and lift each other up.
If you have a question, ask it. We'll answer it if we have one. If not, we'll help you find one. If you're struggling, share it. We'll hold your hand, give you a "hug" and help you through it. If you are lonely, join us. We enjoy getting to know new people. You might make a friend along the way. Come sit for a spell and join in the conversation. You can join us over at our Facebook Group too. |
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