WhooHoo!
New music! Always a great way to start the day! This one isn't so new anymore, but today it is available in Canada! It's good listening.....check it!
Tuesday, 16 October 2012
Monday, 15 October 2012
It's a New week! Where will it lead us?
This Weekend's Top Ten
1~sushi and a glass of red wine (maybe an interesting combo, but it's my fav)
2~cheesy dance movies. I will never grow out of them!
3~the smell of arena, and a heap of sweaty equipment....just kidding, that's disgusting!
4~a driving date with my sweetheart, and modern medical technology
5~visits with an incredible sister
6~tidying the yard for winter = teamwork!
7~really BIG dreams
8~window shopping, grand inspiration, and a whole lot to think about
9~crackling fires, the drone of the lawnmower, giggling boys, smashed snowmen, and a half pulled apart trampoline
10~the opportunity to help where it's needed
I still feel like I'm flying high from last week! I think it's a good sign. Life was too busy there for a while, and I'll admit I wasn't handling it very well, but I'm feeling back on track.
The busy won't ever change, it's just the way it is, this is nothing new! And though that is the case and each of my top ten was birthed out of the craziness of my schedule, I stopped, enjoyed, and was able to find something to be thankful for!
Life is good.
So Good!
Have a super-great Monday!
This Weekend's Top Ten
1~sushi and a glass of red wine (maybe an interesting combo, but it's my fav)
2~cheesy dance movies. I will never grow out of them!
3~the smell of arena, and a heap of sweaty equipment....just kidding, that's disgusting!
4~a driving date with my sweetheart, and modern medical technology
5~visits with an incredible sister
6~tidying the yard for winter = teamwork!
7~really BIG dreams
8~window shopping, grand inspiration, and a whole lot to think about
9~crackling fires, the drone of the lawnmower, giggling boys, smashed snowmen, and a half pulled apart trampoline
10~the opportunity to help where it's needed
I still feel like I'm flying high from last week! I think it's a good sign. Life was too busy there for a while, and I'll admit I wasn't handling it very well, but I'm feeling back on track.
The busy won't ever change, it's just the way it is, this is nothing new! And though that is the case and each of my top ten was birthed out of the craziness of my schedule, I stopped, enjoyed, and was able to find something to be thankful for!
Life is good.
So Good!
Have a super-great Monday!
Friday, 12 October 2012
Ben Howard - Dancing in the Dark (Bruce Springsteen cover)
Perspective
I mentioned a while ago that I've been thinking about perspective...well, here's what's been dancing around my head.
I read somewhere, or maybe it was something I saw or heard, but the idea was: how we see ourselves can cage us.
Does your own view of yourself lock you up, tie you up with tight strings into the picture of who you ought to be?
When you hold up the glass to your own life, does the lens you look through allow you to see all you are, or does it limit and restrict what you see?
Does this question make you squirm in your seat? Does it bring to mind scalding words you are painfully aware helped shape what you see? Does it dig up the shame you felt in the face of failure and stop you from spreading your wings in attempt to fly again? Does it remind you of all the hopes and dreams you had that you long ago abandoned for this, that, and the other thing.
We've all lived through moments like these, I surely have. Maybe unlike me, you don't think about stuff like this at all.
I've always been a girl with really big dreams, my head has always been (to some extent) lost in the clouds, and I'm no stranger to wanting to reach out and touch the stars. I may dream, I may even test the waters conservatively from time to time, but somewhere along my journey I began to believe that they were just dreams, that I wouldn't touch the stars or knock those really big goals off my list.
Why does this happen? Or better still, how?
I'm not the jaded sort, I'm not a negative thinker, I'm not the girl who stays down long when she gets knocked off the horse; far from it actually. I'm the glass is half full, always look on the bright side, whenever God closes a door - somewhere He opens a window, sort of girl. So how is it that I could give up on myself before I ever fully explored my potential?
I'm stuck on that one...but I'm betting I'm not the only one!
Recently I've begun to evaluate what I see when I take a good look at myself. I've been flipping the pages back to find out exactly when I put myself on a shelf and walked away, when I stopped using my voice, and why it was okay to step back and allow myself to be caged by what I saw, or sadly, by what other people thought I should be.
Maybe the more important point is that I've come back to the shelf, and I'm dusting myself off.
Those dreams are still there. They may have reshaped themselves, but the big ones are there, and my hope is that I will continue to discover what I've been hiding!
So perspective. It's a funny thing, and though I have likely way over-thought it, I feel new; a little dusty- (tripping over my own feet), unused, and about to conservatively step out of my cage.
I feel good. I feel on the cusp of greatness. I feel like that moment when the sun peeks over the horizon and a new day and all its beauty is about to burst forth. That's it, I feel as though I'm about to break out of me, and be who I'm supposed to be. I don't have it together yet, (and what I see as 'together' today, may be altogether different for tomorrow), but each step, each thought, each moment is a push in the direction of getting me to where I need to be.
Perspective
I've never listened to the words of this song before, in all honesty, I just didn't like it. So I likely changed the station or skipped over it when it came on....it never spoke to me, and that's ok.
That's the old me! I found a new way to hear it. A new voice, a new arrangement, a different Perspective! I love it now. I really do, and I hear more in the words than may have been intended.
A little perspective can do so much to change what you see, what you hear, and how you go about doing what you do!
Enjoy the view from where you are! Open your eyes and see things differently, challenge yourself in the dusty corners of your life, clean the lens you look through, find a new spark and leave the cage behind.
Happy Happy Bright Shiny Friday!!
I mentioned a while ago that I've been thinking about perspective...well, here's what's been dancing around my head.
I read somewhere, or maybe it was something I saw or heard, but the idea was: how we see ourselves can cage us.
Does your own view of yourself lock you up, tie you up with tight strings into the picture of who you ought to be?
When you hold up the glass to your own life, does the lens you look through allow you to see all you are, or does it limit and restrict what you see?
Does this question make you squirm in your seat? Does it bring to mind scalding words you are painfully aware helped shape what you see? Does it dig up the shame you felt in the face of failure and stop you from spreading your wings in attempt to fly again? Does it remind you of all the hopes and dreams you had that you long ago abandoned for this, that, and the other thing.
We've all lived through moments like these, I surely have. Maybe unlike me, you don't think about stuff like this at all.
I've always been a girl with really big dreams, my head has always been (to some extent) lost in the clouds, and I'm no stranger to wanting to reach out and touch the stars. I may dream, I may even test the waters conservatively from time to time, but somewhere along my journey I began to believe that they were just dreams, that I wouldn't touch the stars or knock those really big goals off my list.
Why does this happen? Or better still, how?
I'm not the jaded sort, I'm not a negative thinker, I'm not the girl who stays down long when she gets knocked off the horse; far from it actually. I'm the glass is half full, always look on the bright side, whenever God closes a door - somewhere He opens a window, sort of girl. So how is it that I could give up on myself before I ever fully explored my potential?
I'm stuck on that one...but I'm betting I'm not the only one!
Recently I've begun to evaluate what I see when I take a good look at myself. I've been flipping the pages back to find out exactly when I put myself on a shelf and walked away, when I stopped using my voice, and why it was okay to step back and allow myself to be caged by what I saw, or sadly, by what other people thought I should be.
Maybe the more important point is that I've come back to the shelf, and I'm dusting myself off.
Those dreams are still there. They may have reshaped themselves, but the big ones are there, and my hope is that I will continue to discover what I've been hiding!
So perspective. It's a funny thing, and though I have likely way over-thought it, I feel new; a little dusty- (tripping over my own feet), unused, and about to conservatively step out of my cage.
I feel good. I feel on the cusp of greatness. I feel like that moment when the sun peeks over the horizon and a new day and all its beauty is about to burst forth. That's it, I feel as though I'm about to break out of me, and be who I'm supposed to be. I don't have it together yet, (and what I see as 'together' today, may be altogether different for tomorrow), but each step, each thought, each moment is a push in the direction of getting me to where I need to be.
Perspective
I've never listened to the words of this song before, in all honesty, I just didn't like it. So I likely changed the station or skipped over it when it came on....it never spoke to me, and that's ok.
That's the old me! I found a new way to hear it. A new voice, a new arrangement, a different Perspective! I love it now. I really do, and I hear more in the words than may have been intended.
A little perspective can do so much to change what you see, what you hear, and how you go about doing what you do!
Enjoy the view from where you are! Open your eyes and see things differently, challenge yourself in the dusty corners of your life, clean the lens you look through, find a new spark and leave the cage behind.
Happy Happy Bright Shiny Friday!!
Tuesday, 9 October 2012
Michael Kiwanuka - Bones (Bing Lounge)
A late and slow start to the week is not feeling like such a bad thing at the moment. The Thanksgiving long weekend did much to revive and prepare me for another busy week!
Here's a few things I'm thankful for, just in case you haven't grown exhausted with all the sharing!
I have an amazing husband
My kids are healthy
I have a warm house, food in my freezer, and stack of blankets to cuddle up in
I get to do what I love everyday
I am surrounded by beautiful people who speak truth into my life almost daily
It's a lot, and there is so much more that I will continue to give thanks for.
I'm also loving this past long weekend. Friends, family, a wedding, a friendly game of cards, chilly fresh air runs, cookies fresh from the oven, and an easy song to perk my ears up and send me into the week on this fine Tuesday morning!
I don't need a jolt this morning to get me going. I'm feeling sort of dreamy and like a shorty week is going to cut me some slack in the race at the moment.
Give this smooth voice a listen! It makes me feel like I'm floating along on the water at my own leisure! I hope it sets the tone for your week and has you cruising along until Friday arrives!
Here's a few things I'm thankful for, just in case you haven't grown exhausted with all the sharing!
I have an amazing husband
My kids are healthy
I have a warm house, food in my freezer, and stack of blankets to cuddle up in
I get to do what I love everyday
I am surrounded by beautiful people who speak truth into my life almost daily
It's a lot, and there is so much more that I will continue to give thanks for.
I'm also loving this past long weekend. Friends, family, a wedding, a friendly game of cards, chilly fresh air runs, cookies fresh from the oven, and an easy song to perk my ears up and send me into the week on this fine Tuesday morning!
I don't need a jolt this morning to get me going. I'm feeling sort of dreamy and like a shorty week is going to cut me some slack in the race at the moment.
Give this smooth voice a listen! It makes me feel like I'm floating along on the water at my own leisure! I hope it sets the tone for your week and has you cruising along until Friday arrives!
Friday, 5 October 2012
Here's what I know
I am pretty sure I feel this at the end of each week, but seriously, what a week!!
It amazes me how much can happen in 5 short days, but then I remind myself that there are 4 of us and that leaves a day each, with the added bonus of a 5th to allow for sneaky surprises, and it all makes a whole lot more sense.
I'm a planner, so when my head hits the pillow Sunday night, my whole week is scribbled in the calendar, alarms are set to remind me through my phone, and on the counter rests papers layered with lists that will show me how to take care of my 4 people, and everyone else who I can fit in.
A little crazy, and in desperate need of control? Probably! I'm okay with that, I understand that I desire to see our schedule, and though it is relatively flexible, knowing I have a plan gives me perspective; without the plan I know I would be easily overwhelmed with all I expect of myself, and with all everyone requires of me.
This week threw my whole plan out the window, and sort of stomped all over it, while laughing and rubbing it in my face!
It was good. No, it was a great week! And I learned once again that straying from the plan isn't so bad!
Top Ten (in all it's bizarre randomness)
1~ the stomach flu isn't all bad! I was rewarded with a whole day of cuddles, snuggles, hilarious conversations, and no reason to change out of my pajamas
2~ sometimes forsaking the list actually means accomplishing a whole slew of other important things
3~ my lists don't have power over me, and I won't let them stop me from living a really awesome life. It's all about the small things after all, and the irony is the small things are the biggest gifts!
4~ family in all its glorious dysfunction is the most beautiful thing!
5~ righting wrongs and telling the truth can often make you want to puke, but it is vital to growth, and the road less traveled is never dull
6~ my heart may be fickle, but I cannot be accused of not giving my all
7~ I love to learn, I love to learn, um yeah, I love to learn
8~ I can only do what I do. And oh boy, what I do is crazy important! What I do is necessary, it is needed, it is vital, and I am right where I'm supposed to be, doing exactly what I am called to do!
9~ waiting is hard, lessons shape character, sharing your heart is like walking on thin ice, loving is easy, acceptance is often a roadblock-and roadblocks are not always what we believe them to be. (vague, I know....but think about it, this is huge stuff)
10~ pizza brings people together, laughter lightens the load, hugs must be cherished, the list will be there tomorrow, a cup of tea can open a door, tears only sting for a while, fear is often healthy-but not a way to live, weather will always be a hot topic, we can't be everything to everyone, and there will always be that person who wants to tear you apart. Love is worth fighting for, and our friendships should build us up and make us better. We all need to want to be better.
It may not look like only ten, and you're right, it's not. I'm okay with that too! I'll stick with this list as it is, because I had a BIG week, and to take any one of those beautiful things out would be a lie.
Enjoy the snow (YIKES), find beauty in it. Make your own top ten, you might be surprised at how much goodness is in your life, and once you can see that list of goodness, be thankful!
Happy Friday!
Wednesday, 3 October 2012
Jesse Ruben - Advice Lyrics
Mid-Week Confessions...
I've got nothing to reveal this week, unless you haven't already figured out I love words as much as I love an acoustic track.
Well thank you very much, Jesse Ruben, with this sweet little number I get both! I stumbled upon this fine young fellow a while ago now, and I find most of his music refreshing, but this one in particular speaks to the deepest bits inside of me.
If you've ever felt lost, uncertain, or in doubt of yourself, these lovely words are sure to hit a chord with you.
This song makes me want to lay outside in the grass on a sunny day, staring up at the clouds so I can ask all the questions that overlap in my head. I don't need the answers, or expect those clouds to formulate words or pictures above my head to solve all my current mysteries. Sometimes I just need to speak my truth out loud and set it free, other times I just need to sing like my life depends on it!
Take a listen, and if you're not as in tune with the acoustic as I am, head over to your favorite music site and check out the album version, take a listen and hit "buy", it's a Good one!
Enjoy!
I've got nothing to reveal this week, unless you haven't already figured out I love words as much as I love an acoustic track.
Well thank you very much, Jesse Ruben, with this sweet little number I get both! I stumbled upon this fine young fellow a while ago now, and I find most of his music refreshing, but this one in particular speaks to the deepest bits inside of me.
If you've ever felt lost, uncertain, or in doubt of yourself, these lovely words are sure to hit a chord with you.
This song makes me want to lay outside in the grass on a sunny day, staring up at the clouds so I can ask all the questions that overlap in my head. I don't need the answers, or expect those clouds to formulate words or pictures above my head to solve all my current mysteries. Sometimes I just need to speak my truth out loud and set it free, other times I just need to sing like my life depends on it!
Take a listen, and if you're not as in tune with the acoustic as I am, head over to your favorite music site and check out the album version, take a listen and hit "buy", it's a Good one!
Enjoy!
Monday, 1 October 2012
DISAPPOINTMENT
How do you deal with disappointment? Do you pick yourself up somewhere in the midst of the freezer aisle as your arms heap with countless carbs and promises of sugary, greasy, cheesy redemption? Do you browse the racks for that perfect bauble that will indeed sooth your sorrow and cause your neighbors eyes to bulge, because yes, you will make sure they see it. Do you silently suffer as the world continues to whirl?
How we as adults deal with disappointment is so different, though the feelings are the same, than the ways of a child. We have trained ourselves with unhealthy tools to "get through", and sadly so many of our coping mechanisms perpetuate other unhealthy issues.
Watching a child deal with disappointment is so refreshing. The sting is visual; it's written in their eyes, on their brave little faces, and in body language that betrays their efforts to brush it off.
We've all been there, haven't we?
The problem is, as a parent we want to keep our kids in a protective bubble as long as possible. Or at least I do. I don't want them to toughen up through experience, I don't want that tough shell to be built by lessons of life, or harsh words from a buddy on the playground. I don't want to see innocence lost or sweet laughter fade.
We can spin disappointment any which way we please, but at the end of the day, it's still just disappointment and it sucks. We can prepare ourselves for the fall in every imaginable way, and once the ball has dropped, we can sooth and begin to heal.
Tears are healthy. Attitude is essential.
Failures, if we can toss out that word, defines us so much more clearly than success. To boast is easy, but to hold your head up and congratulate your neighbor, your friend, or your brother in the midst of your disappointment, is a marker of character.
I'm preparing my family the best I can, and the only way I know how. I know there will come a time when I will not be able to wipe the tears away, when this mother's arms will not be chosen. I dread that day and my heart breaks into pieces just thinking about it, though I know full well it is part of the cycle. I know I have a short amount of time to build character into my boys. I'm vividly aware I have a lot of work to put into it, because I understand that disappointment at times are plenty. I will cherish the moments I'm asked to dry the tears, and I will without shame show them my own. I will do my best to model for them a character worth of emulating.
If disappointment breeds character into my family, I'll boldly stand up and hold my arms out for all that comes our way. The cool thing is, we will do it together, because we are a unit, and with each mountain or valley we are chosen to climb, we are not alone.
How do you deal with disappointment? Do you pick yourself up somewhere in the midst of the freezer aisle as your arms heap with countless carbs and promises of sugary, greasy, cheesy redemption? Do you browse the racks for that perfect bauble that will indeed sooth your sorrow and cause your neighbors eyes to bulge, because yes, you will make sure they see it. Do you silently suffer as the world continues to whirl?
How we as adults deal with disappointment is so different, though the feelings are the same, than the ways of a child. We have trained ourselves with unhealthy tools to "get through", and sadly so many of our coping mechanisms perpetuate other unhealthy issues.
Watching a child deal with disappointment is so refreshing. The sting is visual; it's written in their eyes, on their brave little faces, and in body language that betrays their efforts to brush it off.
We've all been there, haven't we?
The problem is, as a parent we want to keep our kids in a protective bubble as long as possible. Or at least I do. I don't want them to toughen up through experience, I don't want that tough shell to be built by lessons of life, or harsh words from a buddy on the playground. I don't want to see innocence lost or sweet laughter fade.
We can spin disappointment any which way we please, but at the end of the day, it's still just disappointment and it sucks. We can prepare ourselves for the fall in every imaginable way, and once the ball has dropped, we can sooth and begin to heal.
Tears are healthy. Attitude is essential.
Failures, if we can toss out that word, defines us so much more clearly than success. To boast is easy, but to hold your head up and congratulate your neighbor, your friend, or your brother in the midst of your disappointment, is a marker of character.
I'm preparing my family the best I can, and the only way I know how. I know there will come a time when I will not be able to wipe the tears away, when this mother's arms will not be chosen. I dread that day and my heart breaks into pieces just thinking about it, though I know full well it is part of the cycle. I know I have a short amount of time to build character into my boys. I'm vividly aware I have a lot of work to put into it, because I understand that disappointment at times are plenty. I will cherish the moments I'm asked to dry the tears, and I will without shame show them my own. I will do my best to model for them a character worth of emulating.
If disappointment breeds character into my family, I'll boldly stand up and hold my arms out for all that comes our way. The cool thing is, we will do it together, because we are a unit, and with each mountain or valley we are chosen to climb, we are not alone.
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