a quiet mind

i've been contemplating meditation lately.  not so much weighing out the pros and cons, seeing as how there are no cons that I am aware of, but considering the commitment... finding a starting point and fully dedicating myself to that moment each day.  probably in the morning before the chaos of life rolls in, in the form of a rousing two year old.  i even had my yoga instructor privately guide me through a meditation during our last practice.  it was elevating and soothing and wonderful.  "i want this every day," i told her.  so what a coin-ki-dink that i should run across the following in my latest issue of self magazine.  i really look forward to their last-page tidbits.

we talk about the time we spend sitting, thinking and breathing in a guilty way.  as if the absence of action implies a lack of accomplishment.  but doing nothing is doing something.  by emptying your head of your usual to-dos, you create space for new ideas and experiences.  your mission this month: be still.  you'll build the launch pad for your next adventure.

i'm pretty sure this was a sign.  hello morning mediation!

love.

spreading light

Surround yourself with positive people – positive energy is infectious. When we surround ourselves with positive people their energy transfers to us as well – remember when a candle lights another candle it doesn’t lose its flame, it makes the room brighter.


-- Priya Sher via The Daily Love

of all the rights of women, the greatest is to be a mother. - lin yutang

yesterday i....

- scored some serious snuggle time with my pillow and tucker while hubby took care of sully.  sleeping in 'til 9am... delightful

- woke to the smell of bacon (and a feast of other foods)

- got big morning hugs from my favorite little guy in the whole world

- also got 4 sweet cards and 2 thoughtful texts

- soaked up glorious sunshine and cool breezes all day

- was visited by my stepson

- did glitter crafts with the boys on the back porch after breakfast

- savored 2 solo hours at home with my coffee

- went flower shopping

- did a little landscaping

- strolled to the neighborhood pond with hubby, sully, and the fishing pole at dusk

- enjoyed lots of laughing

- even more "i love you's"

- and, for dinner, pigged out on my favorite burger in the world: five guys!

life is good. 

happy mother's day to all!

forgive. be kind. create. be happy. do good. give your best.

"People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered; forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives: Be kind anyway. What you spend years creating others could destroy overnight: Create anyway. If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway. The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway. Give the best you have, and it may never be enough: Give your best anyway. In the final analysis, it is between you and God: it was never between you and them anyway."

-- Mother Teresa



via this gal

take the reins

think about what makes you happiest - the one
thing guaranteed to get your heart racing and a big
grin spreading across your face. got it? good.
now do that thing.  yes, today.  taking control of your
life is about knowing what you want and going after
it without hesitation.  you don't need permission.
you just need to know you deserve to be happy.

-self magazine; march, 2011

replenishing time

"Love never dies a natural death. It dies because we don't know how to replenish its source. It dies of blindness and errors and betrayals. It dies of illness and wounds. It dies of weariness, of witherings, of tarnishings."  -- Anais Nin


i found this is an old blog post of mine, circa 2008.  reminds me to go home and water the "plant".

break free

when you're in the thick of it all,
it can be easy to lose sight of what's
important.  (remember what they
say about not seeing the forest
for the trees!) so here's a bright idea:
rather than feel crowded by your
obligations, take a deep breath
(or 10), clear a space for yourself and
focus on what truly matters. you're
happy.  you're healthy. and you're
loved. everything else is just details.


compliments of the december issue of Self magazine

People think a soulmate is your perfect fit, and that's what everyone wants. But a true soul mate is a mirror, the person who shows you everything that’s holding you back, the person who brings you to your own attention so you can change your life. A true soul mate is probably the most important person you’ll ever meet, because they tear down your walls and smack you awake. But to live with a soul mate forever. Nah. Too painful. Soul mates, they come into your life just to reveal another layer of yourself to you, and then they leave.
And thank God for it.


- Richard from the book Eat, Pray, Love

I have said before that I do not know

what the most important lesson is that I will ever teach my children.

I do know that when they are older and telling their own children about

their grandmother, they will be able to say that she stood in the

storm, and when the wind did not blow her way...

she adjusted her sails.
 
-- Elizabeth Edwards
 
 
* I snagged this quote from a good friend who has been facing some challenging winds lately.  She is a strong lady who lives this quote and I am inspired by it.

be happiness itself
~ buddha

three grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for

-- J. Addison

"A girl should be two things: Classy and Fabulous" ~ CoCo Chanel

a stolen treasure

I found this little gem posted in the mix of my best friend's blog and although i've never enjoyed the craft of thievery, here I am, stealing it. Hope she doesn't mind. :)

if i had my life to live over, i'd try to make more mistakes next time. i would relax. i would limber up. i'd be sillier than i have been on this trip. i know a very few things i would take seriously. i would be less hygienic. i would take more chances. i would take more trips. i would climb more mountains, swim more rivers, and watch more sunsets. i would burn more gasoline and eat more ice cream and less beans. i would have actual troubles, and fewer imaginary ones. you see i'm one of those people who lives sensibly and sanely day after day.

oh, i've had my moments, and if i had my life to live over i'd have more of them. in fact, i'd have nothing else. just moments one after another instead of living so many years ahead each day. i've been one of those people who never goes anywhere without a thermometer, hot water bottle, rain coat and parachute.

if i had my life to live over i'd go places and do things and travel lighter than i have. if i have my life to live over i would start barefoot earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall. i would play hooky more. i wouldn't make such good grades, except by accident. i'd ride more merry-go-rounds. i'd pick more daisies.

-nadine stair, age 85

"You can complain because roses have thorns, or you can rejoice because thorns have roses." -- Ziggy

"Have the courage to seek the truth" -- David Cottrell

"The reason people find it so hard to be happy is that they always see the past better than it was, the present worse than it is, and the future less resolved than it will be" - Marcel Pagnol

In a time of much change....

People grow through experience if they meet life honestly and courageously. This is how character is built.

~ Eleanor Roosevelt

You Say Goodbye, And I Say Hello

When Cari D made the decision to pack her memories and leap from Charleston to her current hometown, DC, I must say that my heart was a bit broken. Together since the age of 14, she's been my leaning post... Saturday afternoon beach buddy... roomie... late-night back porch gossip gal... the first person I called the day I passed my driver's test... truly my greatest girl-friend. Even though this move occurred almost 2 years ago (and she is wonderfully happy, I should add), I still feel a twinge of home-sickness for her when the salty beach air is warm or I hear the churning of margaritas in the blender. She's an incredible lady and Charleston will never truly be the same without her daily presence.
Shortly after her move, she came back bearing gifts. Mine - a dainty blue clay pot etched with tiny white flowers. It was filled with dirt and contained the beginnings of a "Forget-Me-Not" plant - soon to become a blossoming of delicate sky-blue flowers. Although I'm sad to say that the precious plant is long deceased, the beautiful pot still adorns my living room. In the midst of Spring cleaning this week, I ran across the message that was enclosed and it just served as one more reminder of why I love her so...


"Don't be dismayed at good-byes. A farewell is before you can meet again. And meeting again after a moment or a lifetime is certain for those who are friends." -- Richard Bach

My luz muffin comes for a visit to Charleston in less than a month bringing a wonderful new surprise... a baby bump in her belly.

*happy tears*