Courage, Confidence and Connections

I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW!        Yesterday was a spectacular day where I live. The sky was bright blue, the air had a sweet fragrance and a slight breeze. Some days you just need to go for a drive and see some beautiful sights. That is exactly what I did.     The rock formation you see in the photo is Smith Rock, a beautiful area right outside my door. It is majestic and awe inspiring. I rolled down the windows in my van and drove slowly around the area while stopping to take some gorgeous pictures along the way. A family of deer decided to come out and say hello on one of the backroads and pose for me.      Nature speaks volumes. It says, I’m here, stop and and enjoy life folks. Life can be so busy and so engulfing that we let it pass us by. Just this morning, I received news that someone I have known for quite a few years passed. Having been ill off and on for a while, it did not come as a surprise but no one is ever prepared when it occurs. M...

  SING, SING, SING     The other night I watched the movie, “Florence Foster Jenkins” with Meryl Streep playing the part. I had never heard of her and yet she did have quite a following as it turned out. She was not particularly pretty and well, not the best singer (understatement).     However, I’m not a movie critic or an opera critic, let alone one to judge talent. She did have trouble staying on key and timing was an issue. She had a sweet husband, played by Hugh Grant and then there was her pianist. He was a talented young man who was so patient and kind. She was laughed off the stage and openly humiliated because of her lack of skill and talent.     In many minds in the movie and probably in her life, she was a laughing stock and not taken seriously. My point in this blog, however is to say that she did not let that stop her. She was encouraged by her husband constantly and was able to fill Carnegie Hall in her final concert.      ...

  WORRY OR PEACE?     Where are you right now? Thank you for coming to read my blog. I’ve been gone a few days recently from my writing. I love to write and yet, in all honesty I was spending my valuable time worrying.     About what you may ask? That’s not relevant but suffice it to say, I was overly concerned about things in which I want answers and yet they weren’t coming.  Even if you do have control, is worry worth it? I hope you say NO! Worry is a waste of you, your life, your peace and most of all, your health.      Worry never gives anything good, it only takes away from the good. It seems so easy at times to give advice and yet so tough to take it from yourself. Remember the phrase, “preaching to the choir”? As a preachers kid, it’s kind of a funny saying.     What are you worrying about? How do you let go of it? I don’t have all the answers, no one does, but peace is easier to come by than you might think.  Worry come...

  LOVING YOURSELF     One of the inspirational posts I follow on Facebook is ‘Ravenous Butterflies’. Their quotes and pictures are so beautiful and uplifting. This one popped up this morning with the photo. “ "Let someone love you just the way you are .... as flawed as you might be, as unattractive as you sometimes feel, and as unaccomplished as you think you are. To believe that you must hide all the parts of you that are broken, out of fear that someone else is incapable of loving what is less than perfect, is to believe that sunlight is incapable of entering a broken window and illuminating a dark room."  Marc Hack  Fulvio Rinaldi #ravenousbutterflies #marchack #fulviorinaldi #love #acceptance      What really spoke to me was the comparison of the light illuminating a room through a broken window. We all have broken pieces, don’t we? If you live on planet earth and are breathing, in all likelihood you didn’t have a perfect upbringing or adultho...

STILLNESS     As I pondered today what to write, I was not sure what to say to you. What would speak the loudest or have the most impact. We are all in different places in our lives and what one thing could I say that would have meaning?      I sat out on my screened in porch and observed the birds flying to and fro, zooming around, gracefully sailing through the air, landing for a moment on a branch in a nearby tree; next minute, on the ground looking for something to eat. I love the birds, the sounds, observing their flight. As I sit and write this, I can hear a dove cooing in the distance on a spectacular sunny day with a slight breeze.      I came up with nothing. Then off to do a couple of chores and play with my cat. It must be spring fever, I said to myself. I digress yet again. Back to the topic of stillness. Life is so crazy, busy or not, it can be crazy. Distractions abound and technology pulls us into a false sense of doing s...

PERSPECTIVE     This photo is very unique isn’t it? We see the building behind it upside down and then right side up in the glass or glass paperweight, I’m not sure what they are using here. Think about it, perspective. What does it mean? A particular attitude toward or way of regarding something; a point of view.      There is beauty in seeing things differently. Everyone has a perspective of their own. Do you leave space for others to have a divergent opinion? What a boring world and life it would be if we all were the same in how we look and think. So many factors influence us in our lives such as how we were raised, where we grew up, who we were around and our own life experiences contribute to who we are now.     No surprise, a movie reference here, ‘A Beautiful Mind’, I watched last night for about the 4th time. It is based on the true story of John Nash, a brilliant mathematician and a Nobel Prize winner. He had schizophrenia that started to man...

  MEMORIES     This is a photo I will always treasure with my beautiful Mom. She’s living in North Carolina and I don’t get to see her often. This was taken at a favorite place of mine in Pinehurst, North Carolina at the Carolina Hotel on the front porch. The azaleas were in bloom and it was about this time of year in April of 2010 as I recall when I had returned for a visit and to gather my belongings prior to relocating to Central Oregon.      The Carolina Hotel reminds me of the old plantations in the south and I am sure that was intended and it has been there for almost 100 years. Memories are fabulous. Oh, you say, if they are good ones! We all have good and bad memories don’t we? Sometimes they get mixed up in our minds and we can’t separate the good from the not so good.      We can choose to dwell on the good or bad memories. For so many years I could not see the good in a lot of my memories and only felt sadness and pain. Oftentimes ...

  OVERBOARD     I recently watched the movie, “Overboard” with Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell. I have to say it is one of my all time favorites. I want to keep this blog today on the lighter side and have some fun with it.     Goldie’s character was living a life that wasn’t a happy one in spite of all her riches. My question is to you, are you having fun and happy in your life? Why or why not? Take a minute to consider and ask yourself that question. We all need resources to live our lives on the planet earth, make no mistake about it. However, sometimes we need to fall off our “ship” and lose our minds to find ourselves.      I love how Kurt Russell has a moment of ‘ah ha’ and takes her to his little house, more like a shack with 4 wild boys and sells her on the lie that she lives there and they are her boys. She knew it didn’t feel right but gradually became who she was told she was and adapted to her new life. It was a few months before her memo...

  WHICH WAY WILL YOU GO?     As of late, it seems fear has been an enormous issue in our society. I won't take on that monkey if you will indulge me for the comparison, but I will say we have options and get to choose the path we want to take. Many would say, I can't help it, I'm afraid! My answer, why? I understand fear more than I will get into here. I am here to encourage you and assist you in changing directions.     In 1933 in his inaugural address, Franklin D. Roosevelt said, "Nothing to Fear but Fear Itself". That is so applicable today and can often be applied. Fear is like a creeping vine called Kudzu. It creeps in and makes it's own path, destroying and choking other plants along the way, is how I understand it. Fear has a way of snowballing and growing, and growing and growing and before you realize it, you have an avalanche of fear taking over everything. It is also very unhealthy for our bodies, literally.     Your life has ...

  CHANGING LENSES     It’s all about perspective, as we have talked about preciously. So, let’s change our perspective in my blog today. I have a client who is a professional photographer. Working with her has given me some insight on cameras, lenses, angles, perspectives and more. We will explore those in a new light (pun intended).      Many years ago with a close friend, we were into photography and I love taking pictures of my pets, scenery, beauty all around me. My many photo albums are a testimant to that on my bookshelf. Over the years I have collected quite a few of family, friends, beloved pets, and an abundance of scenic views. There is so much beauty to see and capture on film, although film is not used as much now as in the past. Technology has made it simpler to be a “photographer” if you will indulge me on the use of the word.     But, does everyone see things through the same lens? Of course we don’t so here’s where I want to look ...

  REFRESH..REBOOT..RECHARGE     The weekend is coming, but why wait until the weekend to do a refresh, reboot, recharge for yourself? Let's consider why this can be a daily option. I don't care for the word "habit"so much. It implies routine and stagnant to me. It can be a good word I suppose when it comes to brushing your teeth, taking a shower, exercise of course.     But what about that time to give yourself a break, celebrate an accomplishment, take a deep breath and mostly show yourself some love? Today I will take a closer look at those three words to help you gain a new perspective.     Refresh... Give new strength or energy to; reinvigorate! I love that.  Everyone will have their own ideas and ways of being refreshed. Some ideas are to go outside and breathe some fresh air (hopefully there is some where you are); do some stretches; put on some music you love and if you like, dance; watch a funny movie; visit with a friend; a...

  WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?     Hello to all of you out there and thank you for coming back to visit me here. Since my blog is about Courage, Confidence and Connections, let's explore a little on the subject of thinking. This will take courage I can assure you.  Do you think about what you are thinking about? Does that sound strange to you?     Life can be crazy sometimes and often take us for a crazy trip. If you will visit your own mind sometimes, you may discover that you are the driver or pilot of the craft. Our thoughts are very powerful with the ability to take over our lives while we are hanging out in the back seat or being a sleepy co-pilot. The universe fascinates me in many ways with how it is ever expanding it's horizons. Okay, we live on earth and what "in the world" does that have to do with what or how we think, you ask?     You are constantly creating your life with your thoughts whether it is intentional or unintention...

  MERRY-GO-ROUND     I grew up riding on Merry-Go-Rounds and you may have as well depending on your generation. We also had see-saws, but I digress. Well, I am not really sure why this topic came to mind, but I will run with it and see where it goes; hopefully not in a circle!     There are different kinds of merry-go-rounds and carousels. I love those too. Childhood fun came in many forms and that was one of my favorites. You needed someone to get it started and keep it going. It helped if there was an adult around to do the pushing, if you catch my drift and in my generation, we weren't as cautious and somehow we survived.      Then there's the one in real life and the definition I found was, "a set or series of repeated activities that are quick, confusing, or difficult to leave". That about sums it up, doesn't it? You may have been in situations or circumstances that could be in that category. Once you get going, there's no gett...

 JOY     What does joy look like to you? It can have many faces and aspects, can't it? How do you find joy when you just don't "feel" like it? For starters, you already have it inside you. Today I read this quote from one of my daily encouragements, "Every single human being is meant to be in joy. It is our natural state, and we know it, because when we feel negative emotions we feel terrible. We want to be happy. And the biggest thing to realize is that happiness is a choice because it is a feeling generated from the inside of us. We have to make a decision to be happy on the inside now, to magnetize a life of happiness on the outside."      Are there some things you can do to help you be more joyful? Absolutely!! It's different for everyone and I have written before about how we think and it's affect on us in every way. I love the photo here because I love sunflowers. They always make me smile and they can be huge as well. A very unique flower tha...

  DOORS     Let me say first of all, this lovely photo is by Henri Le Sidaner - The Garden Door, The Console, 1924     Doors are fascinating, aren't they? An appropriate quote by Helen Keller, "When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us." We all know Helen Keller was blind and yet she could "see" in so many ways. Such wisdom from someone who did not embrace her limitations but "saw" beyond them and shared the wealth with us.     I'm not sure who said it, but truly there are none so blind as those who will not see. Where am I going with this? Much of the time, we don't see what is right in front of us be it in our personal or professional lives, relationships, opportunities. It's as though we stare at that closed door hoping by some chance if we keep looking at it, it will open or evaporate. You've also heard it said that if one do...