What's happening . . .

As I rebuild this blog, it is my hope that I am not confusing everybody with the posts that automatically feed into different places on the internet and to those who subscribe by email.

A couple of weeks ago I guess I was going through a difficult time with anxiety and panic attacks about being so open about myself, my emotions, my life's journey and how it affects my life.  So I temporarily closed the blog in a not so well thought out move.

I'm having to republish each post, skipping through the years and it probably seems like I'm not doing it in an orderly fashion.  The most popular posts are going in first and I am trying to make the number of posts for each year equal.

Everything happens for a reason is my life philosophy . . . I'm trying to figure this one out since I have done this before and know how much work it is to rebuild again!

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Offering love and comfort

They invented hugs to let people know you  love them without saying anything.  (Bil Keane)



Sometimes just being with somebody,  rather than words,is all that  is needed to help.

Sometimes it is difficult to see someone we love struggling, in pain, or hurting. When this happens, we might feel like we need to be proactive and do something to ease their troubles.

While others may want our help, it is important to keep in mind that we need to be sensitive to what they truly want in the moment, since it can be all too easy to get carried away and say or do more than is really needed. Allowing ourselves to let go and simply exist in the present with another person may actually provide a greater amount of comfort and support than we could ever imagine.

Perhaps we can think back to a time when we were upset and needed a kind word, hug, or listening ear from someone else. As we remember these times, we might think of the gestures of kindness that were the most healing. It may have been gentle words such as “I care about you,” or the soothing presence of someone holding us and not expecting anything that were the most consoling.

When we are able to go back to these times it becomes easier for us to keep in mind that giving advice or saying more than is really necessary is not always reassuring.

What is truly comforting for another is not having someone try to fix them or their problems, but to just be there for them.

Should we begin to feel the urge arise to offer advice or repair a situation, we can take a few deep breaths, let the impulse pass, and bring our attention back to the present. Even though we may want to do more, we do not have to do anything other than this to be a good friend.

The more we are attuned to what our loved ones are feeling, the more capable we are of truly giving what is best for them in their hour of need. Keeping things simple helps us give the part of ourselves that is capable of the greatest amount of compassion—open ears and an understanding heart.

Embracing Others

You may be demonstrative in your affection toward your loved ones today. Demonstrating the depth of your caring could be a way to show your appreciation to the people in your life, for you might recognize that actions can be so much more powerful than words. Making a point to hug, touch, or caress someone who is close to you can not only let them know your feelings but also make your relationship even more intimate. If you are unable to physically embrace the people you care about today, you may wish to give a mental hug, imagining that your arms convey all the love that you hold inside for them. Whatever the nature of your embrace, it is important to keep in mind that even a simple form of touch can be incredibly powerful.

Hugs show the real intensity behind our warmth for others. Something as nurturing as physical touch often takes us back to a time when we were young and thrived on the affection of other people. As we grow older, it is easier to forget this aspect of our lives but just as essential nevertheless. The mere act of touching allows us to open the way for others to feel our unconditional love and to create an aura of trust and understanding. It is the ultimate means through which we are able to let others know how much they mean to us. Give as many hugs as you can today, and you will make the depth of your love wholeheartedly known.

Source: Daily Om

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It's about love

"The minute I heard my first love story,
I started looking for you, not knowing how blind that was.
Lovers don't finally meet somewhere.
They're in each other all along."

Rumi, was a great Sufi mystic, lover and poet



It is how I was feeling before I met The Captain,
 I knew he was there . . . I could feel his presence in my life.
Soulmates are like that!

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Life's Best Moments

You do not need to know precisely what is happening, or exactly where it is all going.  What you need is to recognize the possibilities and challenges offered by the present moment, and to embrace them with courage, faith, and hope.

Thomas Merton

The roller coaster ride of emotions can confuse and jumble up the mind to the degree that you could be having one of life's best moments and not even realize it.  

Is it possible that there are those who are so wrapped up in their unhappy emotional state that they are ok with it?  Perhaps it is what makes them feel "normal" . . . therefore, they don't want to be happy?

Personally, I don't think so.  As a person cursed with anxiety and restlessness, I can say that the anxiety-ridden times are like walking on hot coals with no shoes on.  It is not something I enjoy and frankly, in these times, I pray for a bit of contentment to assist me in breaking out of the "bad attitude."

It is so important to surround yourself with positive, happy people.  Those who have the gift of seeing the possibilities in challenges and face them head on, laughing all the way can help you see their perspective, making the light at the end of the tunnel appear within sight by their example.  The challenge becomes a game more than the goal of the desired outcome.

We all have down times, even those positive, happy people.  The trick is to figure out how to break out of the funky mood and see the joy of the present moment.  Study your happy friends . . . something is working for them!

Discover your life's best moments, even when life isn't perfect . . .

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Peaceful Sanctuaries

"It is oftentimes necessary that we create the peaceful sanctuaries in which we wish to relax and refresh ourselves. However much we may dream of settling into the comforting embrace of a quite and uncluttered personal space, our circumstances will not always allow us to immediately do so. We may have to exert our influence over such spaces before we can experience our serenity on both internal and external levels."

Source:  The Daily OM

Isn't peace of mind the state of feeling safe and sound?

Thank you my sweetie!

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Bottomless pit of wants and desires

If you look at what you have in life,
you'll always have more.
If you look at what you don't have in life,
you'll never have enough.

Oprah Winfrey

The lifestyle theory of Simple Abundance teaches being happy and grateful for the little things in life, no matter how much or how little we actually have. It is a balance of wants and needs . . . wanting what we need and being happy with those things.

Feeling absolute contentment is a beautiful and joyous way to live. Sometimes we are taken through one of life's rocky roads so we can finally be content with merely being able to survive and appreciating everything good that comes our way . . . as opposed to a bottomless pit of wants that will never fill limitless desires.

There have been times in the past couple of years when I'd turn my attention to those unfortunate people whose life situation and circumstances were far more severe than mine . . . in those times of being down, depressed and just wanting for my life to be over, I was brought back to reality when my thoughts turned to their strife.

No matter what your situation in life, someone else is having a life struggle far greater . . . misery doesn't really love company, it is just good to know that we are not alone in our life struggles . . . everyone has them. The key to a fulfilling and happy life is knowing how to handle those times and quickly get back on track.

Don't be a bottomless pit of wants that will never fill limitless desires.

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No promises

I try to remind myself that we are never promised anything, and that what control we can exert is not over the events that befall us but how we address ourselves to them.

Jeanne DuPrau

The Earth House

Being grateful for what we have been blessed with is not easy when life circumstances presents you with challenges.  

Part of it is the optimist/pessimist thing for each of us that is just human nature and who we are as individuals.

It seems like the key is simply keeping our state of mind in control of the circumstances while being realistic and responsible.  Acting like the situation does not exist could compound bad circumstances by not being responsible.

It is a delicate balance . . . such is life!

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