Life Balance: a feat we try to achieve while searching to be the best that we can we, while simultaneously raising our children to do the same. This is the equilibrium in our inner life force whereby our heartbeat matches the divine force that exists all around us. When this life balance peaks, our sense of peace, joy, love and wisdom acts as one with our very soul.
The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age. - Lucille ball
Today is my gym friend Nurse Sunshine's Birthday. There we were at 5 a.m. doing the treadmill together. I hadn't worked out in 2 weeks due to the sore back, and she really didn't want to get out of bed and go, but did anyway. Talking just made the workout more fun, less mundane. Somehow, the connection between people makes it all worth it on the days our bodies just want to lay in bed and do nothing...for the 5 minutes or so we have before the kids get up.
Nurse Sunshine gives herself the most wonderful birthday present. She wants to spend time with the hubby...aw how romantic, right? Yes, she wants him to spend time with her, doing whatever she wants. There I was, imagining him cooking her a gourmet meal, pouring her a glass of wine, massaging her feet while drawing her a bubble bath, all with the kids at grandmas...but Nurse Sunshine's ideas were even better, more wild, more fun. She spends time with her hubby on her days--Mother's day, birthdays, doing whatever project she most wants completed. It could be mulching the gardens, it could be cleaning and scrubbing the patio. The kids join in too. It becomes family time, with everyone helping out. They get one big thing done that she really likes to look at, to accomplish. What a great idea!
Birthdays really become our days, but how often do we do what we like most? We no longer have the hot dog birthday parties in the backyard like CK had as a child on California Road. Every year, her Mom let her have a group of 15 kids in the backyard for her own party. Both of her grandma's would be there and we would eat lots of ice cream. I so loved walking down the road to her party. It was like it became my own to get to go every year and share it. As CK's sons had birthdays, she continues the tradition of having the special day. Of getting to pick the food, and the event and the theme. Your day, your way.
Sometimes we look at birthdays as times of grief, especially on the "0" birthdays. Its hard to look past the numbers and see the accomplishments. The love, the unions and marriages, the kids, the wonderful jobs, the joyful friendships, the bloom of life no matter what the age. Why do we try to boil all that down to a number, as if that is all that matters? How can we be even begin to condense our souls to that one thing?
I like the idea of making the birthday your day. As woman, we don't do that enough. We really should take one day a month and call it our own, and do what we love, and get things accomplished we want. Feel good for us. Because when we do that, we can give it back to the world tenfold.
Make today and everyday your birthday. You deserve it.
Showing posts with label joy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label joy. Show all posts
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Friday, February 1, 2008
The Yes Man
Life Balance: a feat we try to achieve while searching to be the best that we can we, while simultaneously raising our children to do the same. This is the equilibrium in our inner life force whereby our heartbeat matches the divine force that exists all around us. When this life balance peaks, our sense of peace, joy, love and wisdom act as one with our very soul.
"In order to experience joy, you must first say yes to it."--me
In the autobiography, "The Yes Man," by Danny Wallace, the story begins when Danny must take the bus home one day when the tube breaks down in London. He sits with a perfect stranger who asks him how he is. And for once, instead of the standard "Fine" he answers with the truth, that life is not good. He remarks how he has just been staying in every night, not going out when friends asks, not really bothering with food, watching the telly day in and day out, not really bothering with life. Or course there is a girl involved in the despair and the joy sucking events that leaves Danny at home, but the stranger challenges him anyway on saying no.
"So start saying yes " the stranger responds. So Danny does. The resulting true story will make you check the forward constantly to be sure the events really happened. Danny makes the mistake of telling one close friend only what is going on, that he will say yes to whatever comes his way, and of course, the friend constantly makes his buy the beer and pay for the dinner. But in the end, Danny finds joy in a new career, and a new girl. The resulting adventure will bring you much laughter and joy and the need to read the book right through to the end.
My youngest son Luke has the happiest disposition of anyone you will ever meet. He just is really joyful from the minute he gets out of bed, until he goes to sleep at night. And he will do anything for anyone, because he likes to make people feel good. I think a large part of his happiness is that he says Yes. While his siblings bemoan the fact that they missed this deadline or didn't bring that home so they can join something, Luke has himself signed up to play wrestling in the house league 2 nights a week, to play intramural floor hockey before school, and to play in a town floor hockey league on Saturday. The child who often forgets one folder or another, and is truly sad that he does, keeps all his social activities at the top of his brain. "Now tomorrow Mom you get to sleep in, because my team doesn't play until 1030 this week. You can even read awhile before you need to drive me there. "
In a family that just doesn't get sports, Luke is a wonder. He manages to find things that fit into our time and our limited budget. He finds his joy. He says Yes.
Often as adults, it's easy to get stuck in a rut. We do the same thing week after week, see the same people, eat the same meals, watch the same things on TV, and then we wonder where our lives are going. Why we feel so empty. Why things seem to bother us more. Where the joy disappeared to.
Somehow, we want the life to be the same, but be more joyful. Stability is nice, but coming to a stop so people wonder if you are still breathing, is not. Take a risk. Go for coffee with a friend. Take up that hobby you always wondered about. Give yourself one night a week for something fun you plan. So no to the TV, and yes to interaction with real people. If doing the same things, in the same job is sucking the life out of you, take a right turn and don't look back. Drive a new path, forge a new trail. Make a change. Read a new book. Listen to happy music. Watch some favorite movies and laugh. Plan a brunch with people you haven't seen for some time. Go to a new church. Change your hair. Change your underwear. Change you attitude. Say yes.
"Stability is nice, but coming to a stop so people wonder if you are still breathing is not."--me
If someone or something brings you joy, run to it. Make the time for it. Change your thinking on it, and you just might change you life. I have alway loved the saying, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." I like to add, the journey begins, when you say yes.
Where might you be in 60 days if you said yes?
"In order to experience joy, you must first say yes to it."--me
In the autobiography, "The Yes Man," by Danny Wallace, the story begins when Danny must take the bus home one day when the tube breaks down in London. He sits with a perfect stranger who asks him how he is. And for once, instead of the standard "Fine" he answers with the truth, that life is not good. He remarks how he has just been staying in every night, not going out when friends asks, not really bothering with food, watching the telly day in and day out, not really bothering with life. Or course there is a girl involved in the despair and the joy sucking events that leaves Danny at home, but the stranger challenges him anyway on saying no.
"So start saying yes " the stranger responds. So Danny does. The resulting true story will make you check the forward constantly to be sure the events really happened. Danny makes the mistake of telling one close friend only what is going on, that he will say yes to whatever comes his way, and of course, the friend constantly makes his buy the beer and pay for the dinner. But in the end, Danny finds joy in a new career, and a new girl. The resulting adventure will bring you much laughter and joy and the need to read the book right through to the end.
My youngest son Luke has the happiest disposition of anyone you will ever meet. He just is really joyful from the minute he gets out of bed, until he goes to sleep at night. And he will do anything for anyone, because he likes to make people feel good. I think a large part of his happiness is that he says Yes. While his siblings bemoan the fact that they missed this deadline or didn't bring that home so they can join something, Luke has himself signed up to play wrestling in the house league 2 nights a week, to play intramural floor hockey before school, and to play in a town floor hockey league on Saturday. The child who often forgets one folder or another, and is truly sad that he does, keeps all his social activities at the top of his brain. "Now tomorrow Mom you get to sleep in, because my team doesn't play until 1030 this week. You can even read awhile before you need to drive me there. "
In a family that just doesn't get sports, Luke is a wonder. He manages to find things that fit into our time and our limited budget. He finds his joy. He says Yes.
Often as adults, it's easy to get stuck in a rut. We do the same thing week after week, see the same people, eat the same meals, watch the same things on TV, and then we wonder where our lives are going. Why we feel so empty. Why things seem to bother us more. Where the joy disappeared to.
Somehow, we want the life to be the same, but be more joyful. Stability is nice, but coming to a stop so people wonder if you are still breathing, is not. Take a risk. Go for coffee with a friend. Take up that hobby you always wondered about. Give yourself one night a week for something fun you plan. So no to the TV, and yes to interaction with real people. If doing the same things, in the same job is sucking the life out of you, take a right turn and don't look back. Drive a new path, forge a new trail. Make a change. Read a new book. Listen to happy music. Watch some favorite movies and laugh. Plan a brunch with people you haven't seen for some time. Go to a new church. Change your hair. Change your underwear. Change you attitude. Say yes.
"Stability is nice, but coming to a stop so people wonder if you are still breathing is not."--me
If someone or something brings you joy, run to it. Make the time for it. Change your thinking on it, and you just might change you life. I have alway loved the saying, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." I like to add, the journey begins, when you say yes.
Where might you be in 60 days if you said yes?
Friday, December 21, 2007
Yuletide Joy
Life Balance: a feat we try to achieve while searching to be the best that we can we, while simultaneously raising our children to do the same. This is the equilibrium in our inner life force whereby our heartbeat matches the divine force that exists all around us. When this life balance peaks, our sense of peace, joy, love and wisdom act as one with our very souls.
The wells of joy are a little thin this year. No real reason either. Everyone is healthy. Everyone is working. The day to day problems of kids growing older and Mom's losing their sanity still abound. Money is tighter then ever. Planning is worse than ever. God took care of most of the problems in the form of overtime this fall and in the form of a Christmas job. And we also balanced by cutting back on the mindless Christmas shopping. Bought smaller. Bought smarter.
So today, when I asked the twins to give me something to feel joy about, they responded thoughtfully. We're all on vacation tomorrow from school and work. (Yeah!) And we can all be together next week and do a jammie day (Awesome!).
And the dog isn't farty today. (Nice!)
It doesn't get any better then this.
The wells of joy are a little thin this year. No real reason either. Everyone is healthy. Everyone is working. The day to day problems of kids growing older and Mom's losing their sanity still abound. Money is tighter then ever. Planning is worse than ever. God took care of most of the problems in the form of overtime this fall and in the form of a Christmas job. And we also balanced by cutting back on the mindless Christmas shopping. Bought smaller. Bought smarter.
So today, when I asked the twins to give me something to feel joy about, they responded thoughtfully. We're all on vacation tomorrow from school and work. (Yeah!) And we can all be together next week and do a jammie day (Awesome!).
And the dog isn't farty today. (Nice!)
It doesn't get any better then this.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)