Peace

Maybe peace begins within. When we have reached the place of truth and serenity in our individual lives, we are capable of getting along with others; people in our immediate family, in our neighborhoods, at work. Then we bring a freedom from disturbance as we travel the highways, following the laws of the road and showing courtesy to other drivers and their passengers. The mental calm extends to strangers we make eye contact with in stores, in the library and museums. As we reach out to others, we begin to understand we are all important, we all matter, we all bleed when wounded. We are trying to survive. There is no such thing as status in humanity. Social standing is relative. Our rank is our right to exist. If we all truly understood this, peace would be unavoidable.



Image courtesy of Graphics Grotto.

Getting Ideas

How many times do we miss a great adventure or a new experience because we give up?

An idea peeps through the window curtain, and we have a choice to glimpse and do nothing or open the curtain fully, grasp the idea and run with it.




We might have to try again and again to succeed, but what bliss when we do.

Easter Bonnet

However you celebrate Easter,
Whoever you are with,
Wherever you are,
May you make the day special.

If you believe in miracles
Or in chocolate bunnies,
Cherish your blessings
And believe in hope.

Friend

The statistics on sanity say that one out of every four persons is suffering from some sort of mental illness.

Think of your three best friends. If they're okay, then it's you.

Moon

Image courtesy of Graphics Grotto.com


Your smile is gentle
Sometimes full beam
Even a sliver shows a hint
of humor

You scamp.
You flirt with us all.

Constant Craving

If you don't know it by now, I am a big fan of of KD Lang's voice. If I could sing, this is the voice I would want.

When I think of craving, I don't think of food. Not food for the body anyway. My cravings have to do with sustenance for my inner being. Nurturing my soul is what I seek daily.

I am not perfect. Surprised? Ha. Living in this little town has put me around kindness and caring that I have wanted in my life. Thinking I was not worthy of love and believing being tough and disconnected was my only way to get through life, I prevented gentleness and serenity most of the time.

Now I understand that when I am challenged I am able to deal with the hard stuff without giving up the great stuff.

Good Intentions

Are good intentions a waste of time?

I don't think so.

For me, thinking about doing something is the first step. I walk all around it in my head like a new dance step. It might take several turns on the dance floor to make the right moves, so in my head a smooth move is the result of the mental practice.

Trying something new takes courage. Making positive changes can be "ouchy". Uncomfortable.

Stepping out of the comfort zone is taking the first step. Sometimes it is a new adventure. Occasionally taking that first step leads to amazing growth and wellness. It all began with a thought, then became a good intention that morphed into a healthy change.


Drawing found on Google.

Some People Don't Get To Be-Bop Through Life

A lone flower is propped up by a boot at a shoe installation marking International Day for Landmine Awareness at Simon Bolivar Square in Bogota, Colombia April 4. On each of the more than 9,000 shoes is the name of a land mine victim representing those injured in Colombia. Colombia is second to Afghanistan as the nation with the largest number of victims. (Fernando Vergara/Associated Press)

The more I wake up and smell the flowers in my life through my ongoing recovery, the more aware I am of other people. In my closed in little life I always said Columbia was one place I would never want to live. My previous husband and I almost moved to Belize about twenty years ago but after much investigation and meetings with other people living in Belize, I was the one who just would not live so close to Columbia.

Then I saw this photo today and cried for my fellow human beings who have lived and died in Columbia. I had a choice and most of them did not. I will keep this photo handy and when I feel sorry for myself, contemplating the hardships of others will take the focus off me. I am a card carrying member of the human race. We are all in this thing called life together.

Dare To Dream

Reach for what you want
Work to achieve it
It's not going to be handed to you

The Importance Of A Water Supply

A boy carries a container of water in Kabul on March 16. (Dar Yasin/Associated Press)

My grandchildren turn on the water faucet. And waste water. Children in Afghanistan fetch water like this.

Some Of Us Can Change Our Stripes

I can only speak for myself.
The times that I would be present
in the moment and in sync with
the universe, were special times.
They didn't last long though.
But the memory of them lasted
much longer.

Each time it happened, I would seek change or ideas or suggestions of what to do outside myself, with no idea that things needed to change within. It would be funny except it was not funny at all. I was a miserable human being, depressed and playing parts to fit in with those people around me.

Now I understand the dissociation was learned behavior in early childhood. It had become so normal for me that I did not know what I was seeking was clearly within my grasp. I was no longer a child trying to survive; the tools I learned then were getting in my way as an adult. It was a disorder getting in the way of living a full and healthy life.

I learned to face the truths, forgive the past, realize when I would "disappear", and gradually spend more time in the present. The past few years have been a discovery beyond my dream, the life I wanted is better than the glimpses I had here and there. This has nothing to do with anyone else; my stability and health are not dependent on husband or family or friends. It is something I have worked hard to learn and incorporate into my being. The stripes that needed changing in my case were on the inside. It is the icing on the cake so to speak that my hubby and I have chosen to improve our relationship as we each worked with counselors individually. Life isn't a fantasy; it is real and sometimes scary and difficult. For me now, though, I choose to be in the moment, dealing with unpleasant things as they occur, changing what I can to make things more palatable, accepting the things I cannot change. Sounds familiar, right? Reading it or hearing other people say it is different from voicing the Serenity Prayer from my heart. It is not just some words to repeat over and over; the Serenity Prayer has helped change my life from stripes to polka dots of peace.