Brace Yourself

Every given day, the possibilities are endless. There's no way of knowing who you'll encounter/what you will face/what you will accomplish. Although there are some givens, the outcomes can very easily vary. The only thing that is certain is you're in control of how you handle whatever comes your way. Make a conscious effort to make the best of any given situation. Think about what you can take from the experience and what you can do to make the outcome as positive as possible. Keep in mind, you can't please everybody/solve everything but you can walk away knowing that you didn't let someone/something get to you in a way that caused you to react in a way that you may later regret or in a way that is out of character for you. How your carry yourself is very important. You might have to make adjustments / do things differently or just kill em with kindness but if you follow your instincts and your heart, you'll know that you did all you could. So, brace yourself for whatever may come your way and if all else fails, smile and remind yourself that this to shall pass. 

Try This!

I'm kinda cute, but I have my flaws (smile). Brit and I joke about my Monday morning start up plan. I weigh myself, take a few measurements and say I'm going to stick to it this time. No sooner than I say it, I find a reason to change my mind. I find it easy to find reasons to do something or in my case, not to do something when it comes to myself but, if I tell someone else I'm going to do something, I do all I can to get it done and keep my word. I'm finding that I need to make a commitment to myself too. I already know that I can do whatever I put my mind to. I just haven't taken the time to make myself a priority. Just like I'm there for others, I can and should be there for myself. By no means am I going to stop helping / being there for / encouraging others. I'm just going to make myself a priority as well. So if by chance, you are like me, put yourself on your commitment list; make yourself and whatever you want to accomplish a priority then, give your word to yourself and keep it.

A Few Quotes

"Life's ups and downs provide windows of opportunity to determine your values and goals. Think of using all obstacles as stepping stones to build the life you want." - Martha Sinetar

“Man often becomes what he believes himself to be. If I keep on saying to myself that I cannot do a certain thing, it is possible that I may end by really becoming incapable of doing it. On the contrary, if I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning.”
- Mahatma Gandhi

"That some good can be derived from every event is a better proposition than that everything happens for the best, which it assuredly does not." - James K. Feibleman

Quitting

Quitting may seem like an easy way out but, it really isn't. It may enable you to get out of doing something you don't want to do or something that you think is too hard to do and it will allow you to walk away from something that requires more effort than you're willing to give but, it leaves you second guessing yourself and possibly sets you up to believe that you don't have to commit to anything because when the going gets tough, you can just move on and attempt something else. Unfortunately, that attitude can affect every aspect of your life. If you don't believe in yourself, why should anyone else? As you go through life, you will find that anything worth having is worth fighting for and the very thing that is making you feel like you should quit can prove to be your motivation and inspiration once you see it through. 

This I Know

The pain, the disappointment, the heartache and the mixed emotions that come with the situations we find ourselves in and the things we go through can be overwhelming, frightening, unforgettable and eye - opening among other things. They can cause us to build a wall, stop believing, lock ourselves in a jail of our own making, or simply just give up, but they shouldn't because once the tears dry up, or simply slow down and the wounds are bandaged or possibly healed, you will find that something good comes out of every situation, every heartache, every loss, every let down. Through them we learn life lessons, we find out who our friends are, that more people than we ever imagined care about us, that we're stronger than we thought we were, that we have so much potential, that settling shouldn't be an option and that if we trust in God and remain prayerful he will see us through whatever it is we're facing / going through. He will help us heal and put people and opportunities in our life that we will know were heaven sent.It's easy to wallow in self - pity but when you do, you miss out on so much.  

A Random Thought

Prayer and Tenacity; what a combination!

Homecoming

People that really know me,know that I really don't care for the game but, I love the players. I was and always will be Kam's number one fan and he could count on me encouraging him and cheering him on even though I couldn't tell you the position he played and covered my eyes through most of the plays I didn't miss a game. Through it all, I've cheered for both teams because I feel it takes a lot to be out there and be a part of something and most importantly, if they're out there, there grades are good.The coaches knew where I stood and that they had my support. So through the years, the coaches have become more than coaches to me. They took a wonderful freshman (as they do many) and turned him into a wonderful young man. I've come to know a lot of the players and quite a few of my babies still play so tonight, I'll be the one clappin and cheerin with my eyes partially closed and a heavy happy heart because the boys of fall will be doin what they do best, gettin it done and having a good time and I'll be rememberin a precious young man that forever changed my life and the best part of it all is I'll be with family,friends, and some of my babies and I'll get to see people I haven't seen in a while. What's even better is it's homecoming tonight. Excitement will definitely be in the air!   

Think Before You Speak

Today when I spoke to some people I work with, we exchanged formalities and said how we were.My response was, "I can't complain, no one cares anyway." Although I said it jokingly, I had to instantly correct myself because there was no truth to that statement. No sooner than I said it, I knew I was out of line. I can honestly say that I'm truly blessed and have a lot of people in my life that care and I will be forever grateful for them. It was a prime example of think before you speak because even what you say in jest, can be taken seriously, misunderstood, turned around, and possibly used against you. In this case, we laughed it off together and I corrected myself to them but, the comment I made, stayed with me. That's why I'm blogging about it. Knowing that I have a lot of people in my life that care and that the presence of God and his goodness and grace surrounds me and keeps me mindful of what is right and wrong, made me think twice about what I had said. I must say, I'm grateful for that too because it makes me aware of what speaking before I think can lead to.

Follow Your Heart

Ones hearts' desires aren't necessarily someone else's. As a result, we tend to set goals and dream dreams while wondering what someone else will think. As long as our pursuits are legal, moral and don't hurt anyone, we deserve a chance to make them happen. Too often, we become our own what if because we are actively pursuing who we think we should be / who someone wants us to be rather than who we desire to be. The good thing about life, no matter how complicated it may be, is we have a chance to do anything we put our mind to, we just have to take that chance. Our choice to follow along and keep the peace, can keep us from becoming who we're destined to be.

Change Is In the Air

My favorite season begins tomorrow and my mind is on the changes I’ve been through and for the most part survived as well as the ones I want to make, should make and need to make. While I was imagining the possibilities, and working on my plan of action, the serenity prayer came to mind; “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.” At this point, all I can continue to do is step out on faith and remain prayerful because change is inevitable and at this point in my life, it’s a must. If you’re facing changes or simply have the desire to make some changes in your life, take a chance. Step out on faith and see where it takes you. The possibilities are endless and stepping out of your comfort zone can be very rewarding.

A Bit Of Advice

"Don't be your own what if."

It's Time

Take a few moments to think about all the things you do on any given day and all the roles you have. While doing this, think of a way to celebrate being you just because you're you and make a date (in ink) to make it happen. After that, applaud yourself for all you've accomplished so far and encourage yourself to do all you have yet to do. Then, take a moment to let go of your worries and doubts. If your loved ones are near embrace them and let them know how much they mean to you. If they're far away, call them, text them, e-mail them, or send them a post on Facebook and let them know how you feel. You'll soon realize that even though things could be better and there's room for improvement, you still have so much to be grateful for.

Don't Stop Dreaming

From the beginning

we are told

sweet dreams

dream big

dreams come true

We grow up

believing what we've been told

then

life

possibly fate

intrudes

on those beliefs

we waver

wander

wonder

possibly give up

but

our dreams

are our dreams

so

we hold on to them

and hope that what we were told

is true



Reality has a way of tainting your dreams but, if you continue to believe in your dreams and work at achieving them, you can make your dreams come true. Keep believing and inspire others to do the same. Remember, it's never to late to be what you might have been, to achieve what you want to achieve, go where you want to go, do what you want to do; you just have to imagine the possibilities and establish a plan of action and take the necessary steps to make it happen.

My Go To Words

Today was one of those days that my mind wandered no matter how hard I tried to stay on task. One of the things my mind got stuck on was words. I kept thinking which words mattered most in my life. I thought about my family, my friends, my friendships, my relationships, motherhood, work and life in general and decided to pick the top 10. In no particular order, I came up with faith, forgiveness, gratitude, patience, hope, compassion, flexibility, honesty, persistence and loyalty. For me, each word has helped me in some way or another and they're words I strive to live by. I have my days and sometimes my moments  but, for the most part, I get through the things I face by reflecting on the words that mean the most to me and doing my best to adhere to them.

Dilemma

Today, a friend of mine stopped me in the hall. She wanted to share something with me but, she didn't want to hurt me or bring up memories of what I had been through. However, the weight of what was on her mind and heart was something she needed to share so God allowed our paths to cross and I'm glad they did. When we're going through something, we don't want to burden anyone so for the most part, we keep it to ourselves. Fortunately, we are blessed with friends that are willing to be there for us, comfort us, listen to us and help us through whatever we're facing. I'm glad that she cared enough to put my feelings first but, grateful that in an instant our friendship proved to be strong enough to withstand what she was holding back. As a result, her prayer chain grew and we found that in times of need the only thing that matters is being there for one another.

Time

Time is confining
It is a thief
and a liar
It says it does things it doesn't do
I needed it to be on my side
But it wasn't
in an instant
it stopped
Or maybe paused long enough
To give me time to internalize
The incident I long to forget
I call it an incident
Because if I call it what it is
I might dwell on it
And I don't have time for that
Because time doesn't heal all wounds
And I don't have time to waste  

I may be wrong but I don't believe that time heals all wounds. It's a cliche', but at the same time, I feel that it does ease the scarring and lessen the pain if you let it. In order to do that, you have to make a conscious choice to move on in a positive way rather than continue to dwell on what's bothering you and / or on whomever / whatever hurt you. If you don't, the very thing / situation you desperately want / need to get over will control you and your actions and you don't have time for that.

Today

Today I got in contact with a friend / co-worker, via Facebook. With all the cut backs and layoffs that are going on she happened to be affected by them, as did I so we haven't seen each other since June but, she had been on my mind. I didn't want to seem nosey or be in her business so, I said nothing, although I thought about her often and asked another co-worker how she was. What I found, was she was thinking of me just as I was thinking of her and felt the same way as I did but, we had no way of knowing that because neither of us spoke up . Our posts that followed, led to my blog post today. There are times that we think of someone / see someone that we want to check on / say something to but , we think we're out of line and we say nothing because we don't want to over step our boundaries. In being overly cautious of our communication etiquette, we fail to acknowledge them and let them know we're thinking about them. Never taking the time to realize that what we say can possibly make a difference in how they're feeling, how their day is going and / or their outlook. At the very least, it will let them know that someone cares how they are doing / feeling and that in itself makes saying something worth it. 

Untold Stories

"There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you" ~ Maya Angelou ... when I read this quote, I was inspired to write this poem... We tend to hold so much in, or fail to express what we're feeling with the hope that someone will / can read our mind. In failing to say what is on our mind we silence ourselves and our voice. This realization gives credibility to suffer in silence. Mind you, we don't have the right to express ourselves in a way that hurts and / or disrespects others but, we should think twice before we continuously hold things in that can turn a simple problem / misunderstanding into a grudge that we internalize and hold on to.

Untold Stories
throughout life
moments pass
things transpire
emotions range
subjects are created
characters emerge
plots intensify
refusing to be locked away
catalysts
choices
consequences
come together
without warning
sometimes colliding
sometimes mingling
always lingering
creating illusions
that mimic deception
causing
true feelings
to
become created ones
speak up
release your thoughts
so YOU can be heard...

Resilience

I got the idea for this blog post through Facebook stalking as my daughter Britney calls it. Since you're probably wondering why I would admit to any kind of stalking, I'll tell you. Originally, God blessed me with two babies and then he saw fit to bless me with many. Some of them I've known since Kindergarten, some since Jr. High, some since High School and a few since College. I love them all and they all have a special place in my heart. So randomly, I check up on them just to see how they are / what they're doing and lately, their posts have been about adjusting to the steps they're taking in life and the difficulties they face. I offer them words of encouragement to remind them they're capable of so much because I know that life can be intimidating and can leave you wanting to give up but you can't, so, to all my babies and anyone that takes the time to read this post, know that you have the ability and potential to overcome anything that you face because before you is all your dreams and within you is all you need to succeed so, work hard, give your all, dream big, inspire others and believe in yourself. You may have to take baby steps, study harder / more than you want to, read a lot (which isn't a bad thing), step out on faith, ask for help over and over, prove yourself and / or put up with stuff you don't want to / feel is necessary, but it's all part of your path in life and who you're destined to be so, just suck it up and do what you gotta do and don't forget to find a positive in all that you face and a reason to smile while doing it.

Lesson Learned

Some of us don't have this problem and that's a good thing but for those of us that do, myself included, my advice is take a picture and when you do, don't automatically delete it or crop it because of some perceived flaw. So often, we stand in the background or volunteer to take the picture when we should be embracing who we are, what we're doing and who we're with. I can honestly say I've taken more pictures this year and saved them and posted them without dreading the added pounds, messed up hair or whatever detail got to me before because when it mattered most, I found that I wasn't in a lot of the pictures we had taken over the years. Pictures that I wished I was in, pictures I could hang on the wall, share with others or post somewhere, pictures that would help me relive precious memories didn't include me because I was to busy deleting and cropping them through the years. Although I'm not completely reformed, (I still delete and crop a few of the pictures I take), but now, I take the time to really look at them and focus more on what we're doing and who I'm with and I pick the best one rather than get rid of them all.