Again! Again!!!

I am like a young child.
I hear a new song I like and like young children do when they have a song or book they like, I will  listen to it over and over and OVER again.
And I love doing that too!
No wonder they do that!
I do it so much so, that I think even my dog gets tired of hearing the same song again and if she could, she would roll her eyes while thinking, "Really?! Are you serious? Not again.....!"
But you know what?
It makes me happy.
It feels comforting inside.
No wonder children do that.
So the next time we think we can not read that book or listen to their favorite song yet one more time, try to remember that maybe it is bringing peace and comfort to their hearts and making it smile from the inside out! 

"Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life." ~Berthold Auerbach 

"Music is what feelings sound like." ~Author Unknown

Into the Swing Of Things

"Would you like to dance this fast two-step or we could swing like they are doing?", he asked me.  
I hesitated because I don't know how to dance either one.
He sensed my insecurity and so said it was OK, and suggested maybe dancing another song later, but as I observed them on the dance floor, I determined that I was just going to go for it, and try it anyway.

You see, up until this point in my life I have lived pretty reserved about things that are out of my comfort zone or that I don't know how to do, thus forfeiting many opportunities to learn and maybe even have some fun.
But as additional birthday years are accompanying me and I care more about the quality of happiness that I have in my life than of what others (or even myself) might be critically thinking, I have ventured out.

And guess what?
I had an absolute blast!!!
The poor guy.
We danced fast two-step and swing, or he did, and I got whipped and maneuvered around the dance floor, but I without question loved it!
I laughed hard and danced hard and burned up a few M&Ms I'd eaten, leaving me with unladylike sweat, but I would of replayed and repeated it numerous times, only not hesitating the next chance I got.

I learned something really important that night.
That I will not ultimately know how I am going to feel about something unless I try it. 
Unless I take a chance.
And at that point in my life, I can then decide if it is something I would like to add or deduct.
Because chances are good, if I open my heart and self to what the world may be presenting me, I might just swing into something I never knew I could love.

"To dare is to lose one’s footing momentarily. To not dare is to lose oneself." ~Søren Kierkegaard

"Don’t refuse to go on an occasional wild goose chase — that’s what wild geese are for." ~Author Unknown 

Beyond The Packaging

As a chocolate lover, or connoisseur, as I like to refer to myself, when I arrived at my destination, I received these wonderful surprises from a new found friend! 

It was truly a way to instantly become an old, stick-around-for-as-long-as-you-like-kind-of friend!
But there was something more this friend did not know.

Yes, it is correct that I more than love chocolate, but the truth is, is that I would not ever buy these for myself.

You see, they are an "indulgence", something I would not invest in. At least not for me.  (Although I have not had a problem ingesting quite a few given a public, open-ended opportunity.)

I was so touched by the gesture that it emotionally moved me. You see, I realized that hiding beyond the packaging, between the finely wrapped cocoa, was a lesson which would last much longer than the delectables themselves.

It made me question, 'Why does it take someone else to see and recognize our value?,
To see that it is o.k. and even important to add richness to life?,  To once in a while pamper ourselves with something we would not do otherwise?, To give ourselves loving attention?, To not need a reason to celebrate?'

So often we, mainly women, will not take time to look beyond the packaging of our outward appearance and see the real value to what lies inside.  Inside our hearts and souls, where maybe not many people get to really see and partake of.  We do not share the richness of our lives because we it keep stored away, not ever indulging our spirits, that honors who we really are. We instead are reserved, only bringing ourselves out for special occasions which usually are for someone elses needs.

But isn't living "special occasion" enough? Is not every day a day to celebrate our arrival into this home we call life? 

Because of this lesson, I hope to continue not only being a connoisseur of chocolate, but of a very rich, sweet life!  Thank you, my friend!



"Do not doubt the goodness in you. It is inappropriate." ~Dodinsky, www.dodinsky.com 
 

 

A Father's Love Story

When the package he had ordered arrived, there were no instructions included.
This was a cause for concern, as the contents were an indescribably, beautiful, priceless item.

He wondered however was he supposed to know how to care for such a precious gift.
So he decided just to follow what felt right to him inside his being, and just treat it with as much love and respect and care as it looked like it deserved, and hope that that would be enough to protect it from harm.

He chose however, not to keep it confined to only himself, as he felt others should be able to appreciate the exquisite phenomenon.
What he did not realize was that the loveliness and beauty that would be recognized by others would also cause them to want to take it to be a part of their lives too.

This time, setting aside the protective, almost selfish instinct he had within, he reluctantly, but lovingly yielded, allowing it to be shared.
With a weighty heart and ever so gentle hands, he painstakingly placed his irreplaceable treasure out into the world, tearfully kissing it goodbye, knowing it would never leave him completely, as although physically separated from him, they were a spiritually emotional forever bond.

This time there were instructions included that read: 'Fragile, treat with love, lots and lots of love!'

"Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body." ~Elizabeth Stone


The guys who fear becoming fathers don't understand that fathering is not something perfect men do, but something that perfects the man. The end product of child raising is not the child but the parent. ~Frank Pittman, Man Enough  






 

Men Are From ESPN, Women Are From Hallmark

I like to share little things with the customers at my work and I found a use for the little hearts I had left over from our Valentines tables.  For couples who are celebrating their anniversaries I give them this:

Then I ask them to hide it from each other as a sort of "love game".  (I know, I need a life... it's romance by proxy). 
I was happy to see one man so enthusiastic about it as he said,"I can think of 3 great places right now where she will NEVER find it!"
WHATTT?!!!
"Honey, the point is to hide it so we can find it , and be reminded of our love for each other." his wife said.
The competitive ESPN heart stopped beating and the gleam left his eyes, as he realized it was a real life Hallmark chick flick he was going into.


"The people in your life who don't need an invitation still like to get one." ~Robert Brault, rbrault.blogspot.com

I Bet You Were Horrible.....

We were driving through a plaza and I was pointing out to my young little friend the places there that had helped me prepare for the fashion show that I was in a few years before.  "There's the place that did my makeup and hair", I explained, also indicating where I was fitted for shoes and the clothing store I would represent.....

From her booster seat in the back of my car she said, "I bet you were horrible.    .....I mean that in a nice way....".  
Just exactly how can "horrible" thesaurustate (my word for translate) into "nice"?!!

After regaining my breath and control of my car, I asked her as nonchalant as possible why she would think that.
Her reply, "It's just that I've never seen old people like you be in a fashion show."

Be careful what you ask for.....

I should've quit while I was already behind!


"Pretty much all the honest truth telling in the world is done by children." ~Oliver Wendell
  

We Made It! Happy Anniversay

HAPPY 5 YEAR ANNIVERSARY BLOG!!!

Probably one of my most important goals in my life is to be what I call "true to the core".  
That what is on the inside of me, matches what is on the outside.
I have tried to do that these past 5 years by the sharing of my life lessons through this blog.

THANKS to ALL you faithful readers!