I love WordPress! Here’s another great blogger I found who is using it well. I was drawn in by this quote — “Many times on my journey I stopped short, convinced I would never find the place I was trying to find, only to discover that it was right in front of me all the time. (M. Beattie)” — and liked the rest of what I saw while I was there. I now subscribe to ‘Breathe.Smile.LetGo.’…
When Life Twists and Turns
Today’s thought from Melody Beattie…
“Sometimes in life, no matter how deeply we intend to make the best decisions possible for ourselves, things happen. Marriages end, jobs turn sour, friends wane. For reasons outside our control or understanding, the situation twists and turns into something other than what we bargained for. Have you been waiting for a situation to revert to what it originally was—or what you hoped it would be when you got in? Are you telling yourself that there’s something wrong with you, when the reality is, the situation has changed into something other than what you thought it was? Things often don’t go as smoothly as we planned. Sometimes, we need to endure and get through the rough spots. But I’m talking about those grindingly difficult moments when life suddenly twists on us. These are the times we need to quit torturing ourselves. Let go of what you thought would happen. If life has twisted on you, don’t turn on yourself. Don’t try to make things be the way they were. Come up to speed. Return to now. Let yours elf accept the new situation at hand.The road isn’t always a straight course. Sometimes, even a path with heart unexpectedly twists and turns. God, help me relax and trust myself enough to deal with reality, not my fantasy of what I hoped it would” via August 28: When Life Twists and Turns Language of Letting Go.
Maureen O’Hara returns to location of ‘The Quiet Man’
Almost 60 years after filming the most famous Irish movie of all time there, Maureen O’Hara returned in style to Cong, location of “The Quiet Man,” on Friday.
The 91-year-old actress was guest of honor at the first ‘Quiet Man’ festival and she thrilled the crowds who waited hours for her arrival.
Locals clamored for pictures and autographs with the queen of the silver screen who seemed as feisty as she was when she starred opposite John Wayne in the famous film.
She told the crowd that, of all the 80 films she made, “The Quiet Man” was her best because her favorite leading man John Wayne and film director John Ford were working with her.
via irishcentral.com
Follow the ‘via’ link if you’re a fan…
10 Things to do for a Child Who Has Rejected You
“When we think of parenthood, we idealistically dream of wonderful moments and strong happy families. Sometimes life has other plans and challenges for us. Parents can struggle to connect with their own children. Step-parents can be resented and rejected by the children of their new spouse. In all such cases, an unhealthy living situation can evolve. Direct and patient steps must be taken to create a loving and functioning family that will thrive. Here are some ideas to help with this difficult task…” via allprodad.com. Follow the ‘via’ link if you’d like to read the list…
Unconditional Love
Chris Assaad shared this today over at The Daily Love…
Relationships are one of the most single most important aspects of our lives on this planet. For many of us, the joy we experience in life is directly proportional to our ability to share those experiences with others and much of the pain we experience unfolds in the context of our relationships. Whether it’s in our relationships with significant others, family, friends or colleagues, we invest a great deal of time and energy in the hope of coexisting peacefully with others, having our relationships function well and finding fulfillment in them.
Amidst all of this, we often forget that it is our relationship with ourselves that is the most important of all. We’ve all heard the saying that we can only love others to the extent that we love ourselves. Well, guess what? Not only is that true, but what’s also true is that until we learn to love ourselves UNCONDITIONALLY, none of our relationships or any other external sources of fulfillment will ever do the trick.
So what does it mean to love ourselves unconditionally? It means to be gentle with ourselves, to be kind to ourselves and above all, to forgive ourselves for our mistakes, for our shortcomings and for our imperfections. Many of us may not even realize that we have a relationship with ourselves at all. If that’s the case, the best place to start is to examine your thoughts about yourself. What does the voice in your head say to you? What do you say about yourself in conversations with others? You may be surprised to find that you’re not very nice to yourself. Go ahead and ask yourself honestly: “On a scale from 1 to 10, how much do I love myself right now?“
Regardless of where you’re starting from, the goal is 10 out of 10, which is where you will be when you love yourself unconditionally. That means that no matter what you or your life looks like today, no matter what mistake you just made for the hundredth time, NO MATTER WHAT, you still get to be loved fully and completely. That’s what real love is. There’s no condition attached to it. It’s not that when you do X, then you deserve to be loved this much. You deserve to be loved 100% just as you are; we all do. The world would be a different place if we were all experts at loving one another unconditionally and the best relationship to begin practicing this is in our relationship with ourselves.
It may sound crazy but it’s good stuff, I promise, so give it a try. Maybe you’re at a 4 out of 10 today. Imagine how you would feel at a 10 out of 10? Close your eyes and imagine what 10 out of 10 feels like and looks like on you. If you really want to see it for yourself, do this in front of a mirror.
Remember, the most important part of this is that you don’t need a reason to love yourself 10 out of 10 and no reason under the sun should have any bearing on how much you get to be loved. The best part is that once you start truly loving yourself this way, you will find it easier to love others and you will be much more open to receiving their love as well. It all starts with you, so go ahead and let the love flow unconditionally.
via thedailylove.com
True abundance
An interesting perspective from Gabrielle Bernstein…
Say Something Nice
Nice people in New York? ‘Improv Everywhere’ did a fun project I want to share with you…
For our latest mission we constructed a custom wooden lectern with a megaphone holster and an attached sign that read, “Say Something Nice.” The lectern was placed in public spaces around New York and then left alone. We wanted to see what would happen if New Yorkers were given the opportunity to amplify their voices to “say something nice.”
Say Something Nice was produced by Improv Everywhere as part of the Guggenheim Museum exhibition stillspotting nyc. This is our second collaboration in the series, the first being The Mute Button.
Enjoy the video first and then follow the ‘via’ link for the rest of the story…
Dealing with Manipulation
Melody Beattie shared this on her blog today…
A few years ago I was in Jordan on an excursion through the Middle East. I wanted to go to Pakistan, but when I got to the Pakistani embassy in Jordan, an official ordered me to go to the American embassy, miles away, saying, “You have to get a piece of paper from your government vouching for you. That’s the only way the government of Pakistan wifi even consider your request.”
I went to the American embassy in Jordan and stood in line there all day. Finally, when it was my turn, I told the gentleman why I was there. “That’s ridiculous,” he said. “There’s no such thing as an international voucher for people in the United States. That’s what a passport does. It says the American government is vouching for you, declaring you worthy and reliable to travel abroad.”
He began to speak more quietly. “He’s just messing with you,” he said, of the government official at the other agency. “Sometimes they like to play games with people, show them how much power they really have.”
I went back to the Pakistani embassy. When I returned, there was an elderly Muslim man sitting in the waiting room. He wore a turban. His head was bowed. He was reciting the Koran and rubbing his string of prayer beads.
He helped set the tone and reminded me of what I needed to do: calm down, be peaceful, stop resisting, and harmonize with the situation. It didn’t matter if the visa man was wrong and I was right. He had the power. I needed to go to him. I sat quietly waiting for my turn. When I went up to the counter, I deliberately acknowledged his point of view. Then I gently explained that I didn’t get the piece of paper he asked for from the American embassy, because that paper didn’t exist. I explained it was probably the only time in my life I’d be in this area of the world. I pointed to the poster on the wall. ‘The Himalayas are so beautiful there,” I said. “If I don’t go now, I don’t know that I ever will. You have the power to say yes or no. And I have no choice but to go along with whatever you say. It’s in your hands.”
He told me to go sit down. I did. Five minutes later, he called me back to the stand. “Here,” he said, handing me my passport. “Enjoy your visit to Pakistan.”
We have a right to get as mad as we want, but sometimes harmonizing can achieve so much more than yelling in indig nation or even fighting back. Next time you find yourself in a situation where you’re being manipulated, let go of your resistance and practice harmony instead.
God, teach me the power of moving gently, with humility and respect, through the world.
Thanks for letting me share this story from Melody Beattie’s blog with you. It speaks to me where I’m at right now, in fact, I wish I would have seen this story two days ago before I had to deal with dishwasher installers from HomeDepot… :-)
Cool!
Facebook has a cute little feature now that I never noticed before; ‘On this day in XXXX’. I like it…
The Highest Reward…
“The highest reward for a person’s toil is not what they get for it, but what they become by it.”
– John Ruskin, Ruskin was best known for his work as an art critic, sage writer, and social critic, but is remembered as an author, poet and artist as well.
via thedailylove.com
8 Thrifty Back to School Date Night Ideas
- Image by Merlijn Hoek via Flickr
“When you’re married with children, finding alone time as a couple is difficult. But when school is back in session, the additional demands of extracurricular activities and assorted family member schedules make it nearly impossible. Tack on the cost involved with a night out, and most couples just simply decide to forgo date night as a luxury. But that kind of thinking needs to be adjusted. Date Night with your spouse doesnt have to be an all-out romantic extravaganza taking weeks of planning. In fact, Date Night doesnt even have to be at night! The important thing is to carve out some time for just the two of you so you can recharge, refocus and maybe even romance each other. Here are 8 Thrifty Back to School Date Night Ideas that you can try.”
Go to the source to read the article: Family Minute – 8 Thrifty Back to School Date Night Ideas.
Psalm 51:10-12
This is my mantra these days as I ‘reboot myself’…
“10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”
Learn to Love the Taste of Water
“Everyone knows drinking water is vital for our health, but not all of us are keen on its taste or relative tastelessness. Make sure you drink enough water and enjoy drinking it with these tricks suggested by WikiHow.The suggestions fall into two categories: change the taste of water or how it tastes to you or change how you think about water. Tips in the first category include trying other water sources, such as mineral water, or adding things like lemon or mint to the water to add more flavor.” Me? I’m trying. I squirt Nellie & Joe’s Key West Lemon Juice in my water. How about you?
Go to the source to Learn to Love the Taste of Water…
Which Wolf Are You Feeding?
An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy.
“It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.”
He continued,”The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.
The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.”
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”
The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”
via esdeer.com
Lake Michigan ride…
Just another beautiful view as my wife and I took a bike ride in our neighborhood…
Taken with picplz.
How to straighten a bike wheel
Guess what I’m working on this afternoon?
Here’s another…
Really bent? Bang it!
Love Me When I Least Deserve It
“Love me when I least deserve it, because that’s when I need it the most.”
– Swedish proverb
via thedailylove.com
On Love & Self-Love
“The bad news: there is no key to the universe. The good news: it was never locked.”
– Swami Beyondananda
via thedailylove.com
If-Then Thinking
We all do it sometimes and, whether it is conscious or unconscious, it is a sure fire way to crap on the present moment. It is living life based on a future that may or may not ever happen. I call it “If-then” thinking. It sounds like this: “If so and so happens, then I will begin to start living. Then I will be happy.” Maybe you do not realize how big a role if-then thinking can play in your life. Take a moment and name something you’d like to have. For some folks, it’s a promotion. “If I get that promotion, then everything will be okay.” Others might be thinking about finding a partner. “If only I could find the right girl or the right guy, then I would be happy.” Some would like to get out of the wrong situation. “If I leave my boyfriend, then I will feel free. Or, if I divorce my wife, then it’s all good.” And still others think it’s about the money or the car or the house, “If I had a lot of money or a phat crib, then I’d get recognition, then I’d get the sex and then I’d have the power…” Blah, Blah, Blah!
Look. There is no way to live in the present moment, to appreciate life and to be a successful person, while you are stuck in If-then thinking. There will always be an underlying sense that something is wrong or missing, which is preventing you from being content. Actually the only thing preventing you from being content is the thought that you are not. I define contentment as looking at life without wishing it was different. It is a highly advanced state of mind that does not come naturally, but which is available to us all if we work for it. For effect, I will quote a rather coarse friend of mine who once stated, “If-then thinking shits in the face of contentment.”
via thedailylove.com
Follow the ‘via’ link if you want more…
Bright, shiny objects! 
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