A Happy Place

Lessons Learned

2012-02-29T09:52:00.001-08:00

If you want to do or be something in life, you don’t need to become it.
It’s ok to remain who you intrinsically are and to incorporate
the different facets of your dreams and wants into your self.
Foundation is important, experiencing things is just that,
experiencing them, not putting pressure on yourself to become them.

Everything is temporary. We do not need to obsessively plan
or brew on things. Take one thing at a time and tackle it
and be done with it. Even dreams are temporary, we want
we dream, we strive, we achieve, we experience and decide
if this is something we want to embrace for the
long term or the short term. The important thing is
being able to tell yourself in hindsight, I did that, I experienced
that in this lifetime, let me tell you a story or two about
adventure.

If you are a dreamer, a creator, a creature of wonder,
there will always be what’s next. Some divine inspiration,
some yearning in your heart and soul. There will
be a new sea to sail, a new mountain to climb,
a new sensation, a new feeling. Life is the instrument
our soul breaths through, expresses and creates through.

If people didn’t do things because they were nervous
and afraid, nothing would be done on this earth.
We would all be a bunch of afraid, whiny,
boring people, waiting for life to run out.
It’s good to inch out of your comfort zone,
it builds confidence, it brings new experiences,
adventures! And the nervousness is temporary,
it will not last forever, only a moment
in the scope of our lives.

I’m learning to live within my means,
If I am shy I am shy. If my head shakes
when I first walk into a room of people,
my head shakes, if I’m quiet, I’m quiet,
if I don’t think a joke is funny, no more
fake smiles for me. I don’t play the game
anymore. I’m not a circus monkey. I come off
so retarded and embarrassed, when I am NOT
being me. I feel much more at peace when
I accept myself as who I am and act accordingly
Being genuine is a valuable thing.
Where would the world be if
everyone was pretending to be someone
they are not. We need all of us to be the way
we are. I’m not sure why this is, I just know
that it is important.

~Jenny

Rise

2012-02-27T14:41:00.001-08:00

Did you know...that Herb Alpert is shy? That he is also a painter and a sculptor? I've heard of Herb before, I even remember seeing his 'Whipped Cream' album in my parents music collection, but I never really gave his music a second thought. Now, I dig it. And I dig that he's shy, and I dig that he has the same birthday as me.

From a 1995 Interview in The New York Times:
"Asked about his shyness, Mr. Alpert answers in a soft, uninflected voice: "I never know what to say. Small talk makes me uncomfortable. It's not a need of mine to be stroked and doing an interview -- this is very hard for me -- means talking about the past, which is not of interest."

From another interview:
"Alpert is all about art, all the time. Yet as he goes about his business, he betrays no sense of pressure or anxiety. “For me,” he says upon emerging from the studio, “the important thing is not to think or analyze but to accept my own creativity. I’m looking for things that resonate more in the soul than in the eyes."

2012-02-22T14:58:00.001-08:00

I am one of the lucky ones
asking the questions
seeking the answers
feeling grateful
I have been spared
when I ask why?
I feel it is because
I took a chance
on myself, life, nature
all three of these
have not brought
disappointment
I am one of the lucky ones
who gets to do it here
now
in this body
what a gift
I feel somehow
ahead of the game
there is no greater miracle
than man
transforming his life

~Jenny

What Do You Want To Be?

2012-02-14T09:51:00.000-08:00

It’s hard to know what our purpose is in this life. Sometimes we have grandiose thoughts and themes of what we are destined to be, how we are to help and make a meteor sized impact upon this world. But we forget, there are quiet ways. There are plans we do not know. And perhaps how we surrender to those plans and accept not knowing how everything will play out at the moment, is part of our purpose. Others....may be watching. We may not be destined to be, Mother Teresa’s, or in the Peace Corps feeding the hungry of the world. I would say maybe, but no, I am beginning to be sure, that for some of us, or maybe even most of us, God whispers a message through our experiences, our dreams and hopes, our achievements and failures, he whispers them through our lives to the ears, senses and hearts of those who may need to hear, and in turn, their lives also offer each of us something we need.

Who knows the small ripple effect that molds the sand just so on the shore, or what that ripple washes up for ourselves or someone else to find. It’s all a wonderful mystery, and if we can only have the courage to hoist our sails to the direction our personal wind is blowing, that small divine knowing, and sit back and enjoy the ride, until the next wind may tell us to change direction, life could be a wonderful adventure, filled with moments of surrender and rest. Today his voice asked, will you just listen for a moment, you are precious to me, remember you are precious and act and feel just so. Just do, the next best thing, next best things add up, the rest will take care of itself.

~Love,
Jenny

What...are you EXPECTING?

2012-01-30T11:10:00.000-08:00

Life..is like a laboratory, that's laboratory, not lavatory~though at times life can feel like that too. We conduct experiments, in relationships, spirituality, with God, Science, human nature, ourselves.

Recently the subject of expecting has come up. Someone dear, stopped by my office last week, and said that she is expecting good things to happen in a situation she was talking about, because we need to expect the best. This subject spontaneously came up from different sources two other times in the same week. Messages tend to happen in threes in my life.

This is opposite from my belief of many years, the old adage that "expectations are planned disappointments", that if you expect the worst then you will not be disappointed. Wow, what a shitty way to live!

If I think of a situation and expect to get fucked over, to expect it to go wrong, am I in a way, helping to bring that into fruition? And while I am thinking those things, I am feeling pretty shitty to.

Now if I focus on expecting the best, on positive outcomes, solutions, happiness and fulfillment, whether or not I am specifically thinking about how these will come about, or leaving the details in the hands of God, I am in a positive state of mind and experience a sense of relief and happiness while I am thinking these things into being, even before they have happened. Much better way to live, don't you think?

Let's try this in our laboratory as an experiment. I have read that this is like faith in action, what we expect. I expect good results!

~Jenny

A Dream Come True

2012-01-10T12:19:00.000-08:00

I have been waiting a long time to have a space to do my art journaling, painting etc. I went to IKEA this weekend and got this new desk. It's perfect. Just enough room to write, use my computer and do lots of art without having to fumble around for space or supplies.

I plan to do a lot more organizing of this space, but so far it's great. This is the nicest piece of furniture I have ever bought myself. And, it was only $60.00~thank you IKEA!

Spooky seems to like it too. Once again she is the perfect addition to anything good in my life. There is something so comforting about having a little whiskered cat friend that you love so much lounging around with you as you do things that are comforting. It ups the comfort level. I'm very happy. So far I've achieved one of the things I wanted to do this year, and it's only the second week of January! And I get to be a lot more creative with this space. It will be an ongoing project to look forward to and enjoy.

~Jenny

What's Cooking?

2012-01-07T19:21:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I've dedicated myself to cooking. As of late I have been practicing again. I made a 15 minute stew last weekend. It didn't turn out great, but I tried. It's a good start, thoughts of how I can improve upon it run through my head. It's kind of like life, I have to get used to the basics before I start screwing with and embellishing on things.

Last night I made some chicken and egg noodle soup (from a can), but added frozen Trader Joes pot stickers. I gave it plenty of time to cook and took care with it even though it was not all homemade. It was delicious, better than the stew.

Tonight, not feeling so well, and needing some comfort and simple food, I pulled out my copy of The Joy of Cooking my sister gave me years ago and looked up how to bake a potato. I threw a few in the oven, and waited patiently. When they came out and I split one open, I was reaching for the cheddar cheese processed popcorn sprinkles as a topping, but at second thought, I opted for just butter, salt and pepper. It was delicious.

Simple is better, natural is better. I find that when I take the time to cook something, I respect food more. The time and effort that goes into growing it, shipping it, the blessing of having something to eat when others don't. I savor each bite more, and know that it is nourishing my body, not just filling my belly. I also find that when I'm cooking, my mind is void of all else, any problems, obsessive thoughts, etc. I am able to stay in the moment and create something good.

~Jenny

Peeling It Back

2011-12-28T08:55:00.000-08:00

....there are growth spurts in sobriety. I am going through one. Everyone has a limit. It's a new year. I'm embarrassed when I awake to find that I still have problems I was dealing with years ago, even a year ago before I got sober. I care more who I surround myself with. I find now that I would rather be alone, than have friendships or relationships that are not only less than one deserves, but disrupt the peace in my life. My peace is valuable now. I guard it, I work for it, it can mean the difference between two paths for me. It's time to cultivate better relationships, associations and friendships. It's time to be patient until that happens. My people are out there. They are like me. Trying to live daily for a better life, to be a better person. Working at it. Why settle any longer. I do not settle in life anymore. I deserve better than this. It's time for some peace. It's time for positive places, people and things.

It does not matter to me who is right, who is wrong. If I understand you or you understand me. I just want peace. Better to just leave some things well enough alone.

“He keeps his road well enough who gets rid of bad company”
Proverb quotes

“Associate with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation; for it is better to be alone than in bad company.”
George Washington

My List

2011-12-22T12:36:00.000-08:00

There are things that make me feel better. If I tell myself them enough, I feel like a new person.

1. everything happens for a reason. we may never know why until further down the line, or even during this lifetime. but there is a reason.

2. you can't control other people.

3. sometimes you have to love people from a distance to maintain your own quality of life.

4. everything passes.

5. most of the time it is we who make ourselves crazy, or allow others to affect us to that level (see #3)

6. there is always a way out and a solution.

7. you are allowed to change your mind at any time.

8. don't just accept yourself the way you are, relish in it, embrace and use it.

9. we all have our own purposes and places in life, I don't have to or want to do yours, you don't have to or want to do mine.

10. when things get too overwhelming it always helps to give them to God, as many times as you need to each day.

11. life...is short, find your happiness, and your peaceful place and don't ever let anyone take that from you.

that's it for now.

~Jenny

The March of Time

2011-12-20T13:11:00.000-08:00

Let us honor
the marching of the times
autumn came and went
with beautiful smokey music
deep colors and warm scents
hearts at rest breathing deeply
in the decay of the old
the blank slate of the trees
the quietness to come

Winter
with her billowing
cold, snows and wind
a million lights upon the earth
a million fires within the hearts
of men and women
a quiet time to
for listening, remembering
giving

The Spring will come
with cool breezes
fresh grass
and easy afternoons
slowly warming the earth
and our hearts
back to life
it is louder
it is gentler
it is the neutral time

Summer
with her juicy melons
sandy beaches
sometimes scorching heat
a time to hold on
or a time to run wild
and to rest
and to laze about
with her sounds of water
laughter
as the sun crackles and spews
from above

The times march on
there will always be more
and never less
If there is no more
there will still be
different

~Jenny

Christmas With You

2011-12-09T12:43:00.001-08:00

Christmas is decorated at my place
this year there is simplicity
in what was put out
crystal glass candle holders
each unique that were received
as gifts by two very special people

Selected ornaments from my youth
wonderful Wintery scents
just enough sparkling white lights
just enough nostalgia and glitter

Each piece placed with thought and care
nothing complicated
nothing un-enjoyed in the doing
nothing silly
it is just enough

My memories fade this year
finally
of Christmases past
and I relish this very year
season and life
I have with you

This is our home
this is our cat
these are our decorations now
this is my heart
this is your heart
all sparkling and beautiful
just enough

~Jenny

2011-12-09T12:35:00.000-08:00

"My beloved child, break your heart no longer.
Each time you judge yourself, you break your own heart.
You stop feeding on love which is the wellspring of your vitality."

"The time has come,
Your time to live.
To celebrate and see the goodness that you are."

"You, my child, are divine.
You are pure.
You are sublimely free.
You are God in disguise and you are always perfectly safe."

"Do not fight the dark,
Just turn on the light.
Let go and breathe into the goodness that you are."
~by Swami Kripalvanandji

Affirmation & Proclaimation

2011-11-28T09:35:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for my life exactly as it is today.
Everything is exactly as it should be at this moment.
I feel free when I release control, and trust
in God's plan for my life.

2011-11-17T15:33:00.001-08:00

"People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. The people who get on in this world are they who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can't find them, make them."
- George Bernard Shaw

Are you letting the moods of others control you? (by Karen Casey)

2011-11-10T10:38:00.000-08:00

"It’s far too easy to get pulled off course, I think. The myriad moods of the many people we encounter on a daily basis, if allowed to control how we feel in the moment, will keep us unsettled and unfulfilled for most of the day. It’s no fun to live in this kind of turmoil. But the habit is hard to break.

For many, it begins in childhood. Perhaps a very demanding parent prevented you from having an identity that was separate, in some respects, from the family. What dad believed, every one had to believe. Or you had a teacher or a boss that belittled you for your “imagined” inadequacies.

What we seldom knew, then, was that how others treated us was a reflection of how they felt about themselves. It didn’t define us. That is, unless we let it define us. It’s never too late to be fully in charge of our own moods, our own behavior, our own attitudes, our own goals for the future. And the empowerment we feel when we do step up to the plate is beyond explanation.

We will never feel the same, or even look the same, once we take control of our own course, our own direction in life. If this seems farfetched, try it. You will feel the inner excitement the first time you walk away from some one else’s definition of you. This will be the “carrot” that invites you to walk away again and again."

2011-11-08T10:32:00.001-08:00

What progress, you ask, have I made?
I have begun to be a friend to myself.
~Hecato, Greek philosopher

Paint By Number

2011-11-03T14:22:00.000-07:00

I was recently in an office that had a collection of paint by numbers tastefully hung, nearly covering one wall,with a few others scattered here and there. I asked if they were painted by herself, "oh no, she said, I scour thrift stores for old 1950's paint by numbers." They were all in different frames, and there was something I loved about it.

I read up on the 1950's paint by number craze. It's very interesting, there is actually an on-line paint by number museum.
http://www.paintbynumbermuseum.com/lobby 1950's critics proclaimed this was not art, but people were proudly displaying them in their homes.

I just love how they make me feel. I've looked up modern paint by number kits, and found some I really like. I just may give it a shot at covering one of my own walls with several of these. They even have "masterpieces" you can paint!

and this...this is simply beautiful to me~(The Avenue of Trees in the rain below)

thinking of ordering the kit from
http://www.goodpaintbynumber.com/

I think I've found a new hobby, and I hope I've introduced you to something new too!

~Jennifer

Letting It Go

2011-11-01T12:51:00.000-07:00

The word is release. It's a wonderful word, for so many things. I was just reading an article about a spiritual woman who helps people loose weight by getting in touch with the real issues. At the bottom she has a picture of herself that was taken after, she says, she "released" 50 pounds, not LOST, RELEASED! I love it. I have a few pounds to RELEASE. I RELEASE YOU pounds, your free!

Seriously, if you really look at it, the things we need to "stop" doing in our lives, do not need to be seen as some sort of confinement or giving up of something or going without. We can simply look at it as releasing the things that make us feel bad or hold us back, or cost us our happiness.

This is my new Mantra. I want to release myself from some weight, I want to release the weight and the issues that are a part of it. I want to release people, resentments, judgments. It sounds so much more beautiful that way, and much more of a happy, loving endeavor~to set these things FREE. To set yourself FREE.

~Jennifer

Adaption

2011-10-26T08:44:00.000-07:00

The bad news: a human being can get used to anything.

The good news: a human being can get used to anything.

~Jennifer

DO NOT GO GENTLE INTO THAT GOOD NIGHT

2011-10-25T10:01:00.000-07:00

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rage at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

~Dylan Thomas

2011-10-19T12:57:00.000-07:00

"Let the writer take up surgery or bricklaying if he is interested in technique. There is no mechanical way to get the writing done, no shortcut. The young writer would be a fool to follow a theory. Teach yourself by your own mistakes; people learn only by error. The good artist believes that nobody is good enough to give him advice. He has supreme vanity. No matter how much he admires the old writer, he wants to beat him." ~Faulkner

2011-10-18T15:59:00.000-07:00

“To serve a meaningful work of art is almost like adoring the Master of the Universe in prayer.” ~Madeleine L’Engle, bestselling writer and author of A Wrinkle in Time

Halloween Spirit

2011-10-10T13:52:00.000-07:00

We are getting into the Halloween Spirit around here. I made a pumpkin out of a book this weekend.

It took longer than I thought, but I'm pretty happy with the results. Some variations are to glue a stick in the middle for a stem and then tie a ribbon around it, and stain the edges with tea for a more rustic look. I also of course contemplated putting silver or orange glitter on the stem or around the edges, but I think I'm liking the nice simple clean look. My crafty sister would be so proud
= )

Blog County Fair 2011

2011-09-17T12:11:00.000-07:00

Here is my mixed media entry for the Blog County Fair. I call it Buddha Art. It's a mix of collage using acrylics, mixed media images and beads. Some of the supplies were recently gifted to me by my sister. I thought it would be nice to create something with them.

Jewels by William James

2011-09-07T10:04:00.001-07:00

“Acceptance of what has happened is the first step to overcoming the consequences of any misfortune.”

“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.”

“Action may not bring happiness but there is no happiness without action.”

“Begin to be now what you will be hereafter.”

“Every man who possibly can should force himself to a holiday of a full month in a year, whether he feels like taking it or not.”
(Yes, I whole heartedly believe in this = )

“How to gain, how to keep, how to recover happiness is in fact for most men at all times the secret motive of all they do, and of all they are willing to endure.”

“If you believe that feeling bad or worrying long enough will change a past or future event, then you are residing on another planet with a different reality system.”

“If you want a quality, act as if you already had it.”

“It is wrong always, everywhere, and for everyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence.”

“Our faith is faith in someone else's faith, and in the greatest matters this is most the case.”

(All quotes by William James)

Resilence

2011-09-02T09:10:00.000-07:00

“You can get sympathy or you can get better but you can’t get both. You can be in your comfort zone or you can have growth, but you can’t have both. You can be interested or you can be sold-out-committed, but you can’t entertain both. You can have excuses or have results, but you can’t do both. Choose the path that develops your visceral fortitude.”
~Mario Cortes

“Happiness is not the absence of problems but the ability to deal with them.”
~H. Jackson Brown

“Stars may be seen from the bottom of a deep well, when they cannot be discerned from the top of a mountain. So are many things learned in adversity which the prosperous man dreams not of.”
~Charles Spurgeon

“Stop feeling sorry for yourself and come have a cigarette and a cup of coffee.”
~Jennifer Miller

On Loyalty

2011-08-31T10:31:00.001-07:00

“A person who deserves my loyalty receives it.”
~Joyce Maynard

“Achievement of your happiness is the only moral purpose of your life, and that happiness, not pain or mindless self-indulgence, is the proof of your moral integrity, since it is the proof and the result of your loyalty to the achievement of your values.”
~Ayn Rand

“Confidentiality is a virtue of the loyal, as loyalty is the virtue of faithfulness.”
~Edwin Louis Cole

“For above all things Love means sweetness, and truth, and measure; yea, loyalty to the loved one and to your word. And because of this I dare not meddle with so high a matter.”
~Marie de France

“No more duty can be urged upon those who are entering the great theater of life than simple loyalty to their best convictions.”
~Edwin Hubbel Chapin

A Jimmy Buffet Kind of Monday

2011-08-29T09:19:00.000-07:00

“Searching is half the fun: life is much more manageable when thought of as a scavenger hunt as opposed to a surprise party.”

“If I couldn't laugh I just would go insane, If we couldn't laugh we just would go insane, If we weren't all crazy we would go insane”

“Is it ignorance or apathy? Hey, I don't know and I don't care.”

“Wrinkles will only go where the smiles have been.”

“Indecision may or may not be my problem.”

(all quotes by Jimmy Buffet)

Happy Monday = )
(warning this statement is an oxymoron)

Diligence (something to strive for)

2011-08-24T09:34:00.000-07:00

"Being forced to work, and forced to do your best, will breed in you temperance and self-control, diligence and strength of will, cheerfulness and content, and a hundred virtues which the idle will never know."
~Charles Kingsley

"Diligence is the mother of good fortune, and idleness, its opposite, never brought a man to the goal of any of his best wishes."
~Miguel de Cervantes

"I never could have done what I have done without the habits of punctuality, order, and diligence, without the determination to concentrate myself on one subject at a time."
~Charles Dickens

"If your determination is fixed, I do not counsel you to despair. Few things are impossible to diligence and skill. Great works are performed not by strength, but perseverance."
~Samuel Johnson

Gratitude

2011-08-23T12:24:00.000-07:00

I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder. ~G.K. Chesterton

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Praise the bridge that carried you over. ~George Colman

He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has. ~Epictetus

We thank Thee, O Father of all, for... all the soul-help that sad souls understand. ~Will Carleton

Today's Gifts

2011-08-19T09:26:00.001-07:00

"There comes a time in your life, when you walk away from all the drama and people who create it. You surround yourself with people who make you laugh. Forget the bad, and focus on the good. Love the people who treat you right, pray for the ones who don't. Life is too short to be anything but happy. Falling down is a part of life, getting back up is living."
(I found this on Facebook. I'm not sure who wrote it, but it is beautiful and worth sharing)

Goals

2011-08-17T09:15:00.000-07:00

"Goals in writting are dreams with deadlines."
Brian Tracy

"I find it fascinating that most people plan their vacation with better care than they do their lives.Perhaps that is because escape is easier than change."
Jim Rohn

"The goal you set must be challenging. At the same time, it should be realistic and attainable, not impossible to reach. It should be challenging enough to make you stretch, but not so far that you break."
Rick Hansen

"You must have long term goals to keep you from being frustrated by short term failures."
Charles C. Noble

"It is those who concentrate on but one thing at a time who advance in this world."
Og Mandino

"If you raise your children to feel that they can accomplish any goal or task they decide upon, you will have succeeded as a parent and you will have given your children the greatest of all blessings."
Brian Tracy

"Decide what you want, decide what you are willing to exchange for it. Establish your priorities and go to work."
H. L. Hungt

"Setting goals for your game is an art. The trick is in setting them at the right level neither too low nor too high."
Greg Norman

Your~Self

2011-08-16T11:59:00.000-07:00

“You must decide and define who you are. Not others, not past experiences or old perceptions. Until you define who you are by your own inner standards, you will not know freedom. Decide who you are and be it, and know freedom in all things.”
~Jennifer Miller

Acceptance

2011-08-15T10:28:00.000-07:00

"At the heart of personality is the need to feel a sense of being lovable without having to qualify for that acceptance."
~Paul Tournier

"Bad humor is an evasion of reality; good humor is an acceptance of it."
~Malcolm Muggeridge

"Happiness can exist only in acceptance."
~George Orwell

"I'm not wise, but the beginning of wisdom is there; it's like relaxing into - and an acceptance of - things."
~Tina Turner

"Acceptance of one's life has nothing to do with resignation; it does not
mean running away from the struggle. On the contrary it means accepting
it as it comes. . . . To accept is to say yes to life in its entirety."
~Paul Tournier

2011-08-12T09:11:00.000-07:00

All Living Things Need Love,
& Attention.

~Jennifer Miller

Happy 8-11-11

2011-08-11T15:01:00.000-07:00

11 is the number of angels. 11 is the number of awakening. 11 is the number of "we are with you right now." 11 is the number of divine love. 11 is a secret~when paired with another 11, 11:11, a code we had forgotten. Do you see 11:11 often? On clocks or anywhere else? I often see 11:11 corresponding to a spiritual thought or realization in life. I feel the angels near and often see a spark of light to accompany this. Sometimes it is blue, sometimes it is white. 11:11 may be our destiny, and when it comes time, we may perfectly understand it's meaning and reason. It is a loving and flashing reminder of who we really are, and why we are really here.

~Jennifer Miller

Life Is Short

2011-08-10T09:40:00.001-07:00

"Mindfulness is a love affair~
with life, with reality and imagination, with the beauty of your own being, with your heart and body and mind, and with the world."
~Jon Kabat-Zinn

Stay In The Present Moment

2011-08-03T09:05:00.000-07:00

"The great arises out of small things that are honored and cared for. Everybody’s life really consists of small things. Greatness is a mental abstraction and a favorite fantasy of the ego. The paradox is that the foundation for greatness is honoring the small things of the present moment instead of pursuing the idea of greatness." ~from A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle

On Letting Go

2011-08-02T09:06:00.000-07:00

“Some of us think holding on makes us strong, but sometimes it is letting go.” — Herman Hesse

“There are things that we never want to let go of, people we never want to leave behind. But keep in mind that letting go isn’t the end of the world, it’s the beginning of a new life.” – Unknown

“Every breath is an opportunity to receive and let go. I receive love and I let go of pain.” – Brenda MacIntyre

“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.” – Lao Tzu

“We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the life that is waiting for us.” – Joseph Campbell

“The Tao Te Ching says, When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be. When I let go of what I have, I receive what I need. Have you ever struggled to find work or love, only to find them after you have given up? This is the paradox of letting go. Let go, in order to achieve. Letting go is God’s law.” – Mary Manin Morrissey

2011-07-30T16:52:00.000-07:00

Affirmation #2

2011-07-28T08:52:00.000-07:00

"I glide through my day with ease. Something good will happen today and I await it with openness and excitement. I will recognize it when it comes.
I accept wherever I am today as my now."
~Jennifer Miller

je ne sais quoi

2011-07-27T13:15:00.000-07:00

We shouldn't worry so much about what we look like. If we have the perfect skin, clothes, hair, are thin enough, fit enough etc. A healthy look and vibe is a good start. Even with age if we do the best we can do for our bodies health and outlook, it's enough. You could have everything you ever wanted on the outside and more, but not radiate a glow of health, happiness or love~and thus it would not matter.

What kind of energy do you carry within you? Do you shy away from talking to people because you feel less than or inadequate? What qualities do you find in others that you feel drawn to and make you want to be around that person? Certainly not the clothes they wear, or their hairstyle, or if they've had plastic surgery. There is an undeniable gift in each of us called our je ne sais quoi. In French this means An intangible quality that makes something distinctive or attractive.

If you met yourself today, what would you like about you, what would be special about just you? We each have a light inside of us. Often we don't let it shine because we think it will not be accepted, well received, liked. The right moths will be drawn to your flame.
~Jennifer Miller

A Happy Song

2011-07-26T09:07:00.001-07:00

Ultimate Optimism

2011-07-22T08:52:00.000-07:00

Optimism is the foundation of courage. ~Nicholas Murray Butler

Of course I look at the glass half full. The only time I would look at it half empty is when I think about how good the first half tasted. ~Drew Deyoung

If you realized how powerful your thoughts are, you would never think a negative thought. ~Peace Pilgrim

Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence. ~Helen Keller

Lesson of the Day

2011-07-21T11:03:00.000-07:00

"Even if we are right and the other person is definitely wrong, we only destroy ego by causing someone to lose face. The legendary French aviation pioneer and author Anotoine de Saint-Exupery wrote: "I have no right to say or do anything that diminishes a man in his own eyes. What matters is not what I think of him, but what he thinks of himself. Hurting a man in his dignity is a crime."
from: How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

(sometimes we teach what we need to learn~)

A Happy Place: "When you come upon a path that brings benefit and...

2011-07-20T10:53:00.000-07:00

A Happy Place: "When you come upon a path that brings benefit and...: "'When you come upon a path that brings benefit and happiness to all, follow this course as the moon journeys through the stars.' Buddha"

2011-07-20T10:52:00.001-07:00

"When you come upon a path that brings benefit and happiness to all, follow this course as the moon journeys through the stars." Buddha

Affirmation #1

2011-07-19T09:36:00.001-07:00

"Life is manageable today. Answers come easily in their own time. You feel relaxed and your mind is gentle and quiet. You have patience and faith for the future and rest in the moment regardless of what is going on around you." ~Jennifer Miller

2011-07-15T08:44:00.001-07:00

"A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history." ~Gandhi

Snow Leopards Photographed in Afghanistan

2011-07-14T14:46:00.000-07:00

http://news.yahoo.com/photos-elusive-snow-leopards-thrive-surprising-spot-150801114.html

2011-07-14T08:48:00.000-07:00

"Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow."
~Albert Einstein