Music melts pain. Perspective of Gratitude.

Music melts pain. Perspective of Gratitude.

Energy work, Gratitude, Life Choices, Perspective, Public

Music melts pain.with gratitude. 

 

How you ever noticed how fabulous music can make pain, worry, stress just vanish?  Perspective and mood change as well.  It is with gratitude that I tell this story.

I’ve had a few glitches from a snowshoe fall last week.  Of course not in the deeper snow in the bush but in the parking lot.   Yesterday I decided to break from far too much computer work and catch the MET Opera simulcast.  4 ½ hours of deeply moving music made the world disappear.  Then a spontaneous invitation to have dinner at a friends house was offered.  I had planned on getting back to the computer but……..food always rules. Lovely visit, wonderful meal and a sharing of their travels to Iceland stories vaporized that evening.  I’ve planned a trip to Iceland on the way to Sweden this spring therefore was very interested in their opinions.

 

Gratitude

This morning upon awaking I attempted to chastise myself for not getting as much done yesterday as planned.  However, soon found that feeding my soul yesterday gave me that much more oomph to forge ahead this morning. As the afternoon approached, I again let the mind take over and started on the slide into grumpiness that I soon had to change and go out.

A friend had invited me to a classical concert.  We found out a few days ago that Hugo Wolf String Quartet had cancelled and I was wishing I could just stay in and make my mark in my online programming.  Of course I wouldn’t let a friend down and computer neck was starting up.  I was delighted to find that the substitute was the amazing Gryphon Trio.  Their selection of music and expertise was just what I needed.

By midway I had forgotten there was a world outside the hall, neck glitch was gone and I left there with a spring to my step that had been absent on the way in.

The point of this rambling is……

NEVER turn down an opportunity to hear music of any nature, let alone world class performers.  You can never go wrong as music truly is a sure fire way to nourish your soul.  And for me, strings work their magic on my heart as well. Everything is an energetic vibration – find the ones that resonate with you the most. Partake with gratitude. Go out and book a concert, listen to local music or just hug a musician.  Where would we be without them?

Can something be Exciting and Peaceful simultaneously? Overcoming fear.

Can something be Exciting and Peaceful simultaneously? Overcoming fear.

Perspective, Public, Uncategorized

Excitement, fear and peace….all in one

Watch this video clip and decide for yourself.

Baumgartner’s space jump

How exhilarating and humbling!

This is how I view that life should be.

The perfect job, relationship, hobby, event et al could be the exact combination needed of all.

Just think what being with a partner that gave you the comfort of your favourite sweater but still after years ‘made your tail wag’. Dog lovers will get this one.

Wouldn’t it be lovely to go to work each day with that combination of belonging yet a touch of that little kid magic of what the day will bring?

I see kayaking in this light.

I love the peace and connectedness of floating on a river (gives me the combination of both water and forest) coupled with the charge of turbulent water or waves/wind that I receive due to my inability to swim and fear of water.

I love being on or near the water but cannot put my face in. Which leads me to fear…..

We all have our fears. Although many might say they are irrational but to our minds, emotions and physiology they are very real. Why let fear stand in the way of doing something memory making?

Is overcoming fear possible?

I have overcome or at least side stepped some of my fears because I was born with insatiable curiosity. Wanting to know what something feels like or looks/sounds like overpowers my little voice telling me to not do it.

I have never regretted stepping beyond my fears and experiencing life – and oh what a great world we live in when we embrace it and explore.

But do keep in mind, that sometimes fear is a warning sign of danger or boundaries being overstepped. More on this later.

Be safe! Be fulfilled! Be challenged!

Now get out there and just do it.

Disaster or silver lining? Road block or opportunity?

Disaster or silver lining? Road block or opportunity?

Perspective, Public, Uncategorized

Can you find the silver lining?

Although………things are not always the way they seem. Perhaps the initial event looks to be unwelcome. But think back to something that happened in your life (or another person’s life) that started out looking catastrophic.

Things like losing a job, a close relationship ending, household problems. Later you see that it was a blessing to get out of a soul killing job and now are doing something you love!

Or perhaps a year (hopefully less) after a break up you see how toxic that person really was for you? Or even if not toxic, just ‘flat line’ – and now you’ve been able to meet a vibrant loving new mate. Or learned to enjoy ‘just being you’.

Perhaps the extra expense of having to fix a household issue helps you discover an unseen additional problem, when fixed now is not major – but could have grown to be. Or maybe even you’ll make a connection with someone connected with the repair.

 

 

AND WHAT ABOUT COVID 19?  

This seems to have brought us perhaps all of the above.  But is it all catastrophic?

Water, air & soil is repairing itself.  The animals are roaming freely to our enjoyment.  New connections are made as within communities or globally we set aside our differences and lend a hand.

 

I know some times ( or lots of times) it’s not easy to see the ‘silver lining’ or to accept that everything really is o.k. I don’t know to whom I can credit this saying – but I love it!
“Everything works out in the end. If it hasn’t worked out, it’s not the end.”

Care to share your switch around events?

5 Reasons Why Making Mistakes Is Good For You

5 Reasons Why Making Mistakes Is Good For You

Life Choices, Perspective, Public

5 Reasons Why Making Mistakes Is Good For You

It might sound crazy, but the reality is, making mistakes is indeed good for you. You may be surprised at some of the reasons why, so keep on reading this article to know more!

  1. You learn what you need to improve on

If you’ve got a checklist of things you need to do for your system to work, and you make a mistake, then you know you need to remove that item from your list and replace it with a much better option.

In short, mistakes help you improve your systems and processes. Through trial and error, you’re making your systems run more efficiently and effectively.

  1. Making mistakes mean you’re taking action

At least you’re doing something right? If you’re not doing anything, you’re never going to find out if something’s working or not. You’ll just assume it’s working because that’s what it says on the theoretical tin box.

But when you take action, you learn which methods and which processes are wrong or are not a good fit for your system.

  1. Mistakes make you smarter

When you make mistakes, you’re forced to think of another way to make sure your system runs correctly. By experimenting, you become smarter than you were before you failed.

By committing mistakes, your mind is able to think outside the box. You start getting creative just to arrive at a solution that will help fix your problems, whatever it may be.

  1. Mistakes give you another opportunity to start over

Just because you made a mistake or you failed doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world. Far from it, in fact. Because when you make a mistake, it gives you a fresh start, an opportunity to start over. And while you’re rebooting, you can go through and review your processes and see how you can further improve it.

3 Simple Habits to a Happier You

3 Simple Habits to a Happier You

Body/Mind/Spirit, Law of Attraction, Perspective, Public

3 Simple Habits to a Happier You

We all want a happy life.

Happiness brings with it better health, more satisfying relationships, it makes us more creative, and attracts happy people into our lives.

But being happy can be a challenge. It’s easy to set our focus on the bad things in life while ignoring the good.

 

Here three proven habits to help shift the spotlight back onto the good things and create more happiness in your life:

“Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence.”

~ Aristotle.

Practice gratitude. People who express gratitude on a consistent basis are more optimistic, less materialistic, and more forgiving. Here’s one method of harnessing the positive power of gratitude:

  • On a piece of paper rank your happiness on a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being ‘never’ and 10 being ‘all the time’. Seal your answer in an envelope and set it aside. At the end of each day, write down 3 things you’re grateful for. It can be ordinary (clean running water) or uplifting (watching your child graduate). After two weeks, rank your happiness again and compare it with your original score.

 

Chances are you’re significantly happier.

Perform acts of kindness. Giving not only benefits the receiver, it contributes to the givers’ health, happiness, and sense of social connection. Try this simple exercise to get started:

  • Chose one day this week and perform 5 acts of kindness. They can be big or small, random or planned, for a stranger or someone you know. Dropping a quarter in a stranger’s parking meter, donating blood, or, at work try cleaning the communal kitchen area, or pitching in on a colleague’s project. At the end of the day write down what you did, how the person responded, and notice the difference you feel.

 

Offer forgiveness. Keeping grudges means holding onto anger, resentment, and hurt. Practicing forgiveness releases the pain and allows us to move on.

  • Think of a grudge you’re holding. Acknowledge your feelings, thoughts, and sensations around the experience then ask yourself, what areas in my life is this grudge negatively affecting? How is it impacting those around me? What positive change would occur if I let it go and moved on? Forgiveness isn’t about minimizing feelings or condoning transgressions. It’s about letting go and setting yourself free.

We all experience life’s ups and downs. By implementing these habits into your daily life you’ll be better equipped to handle whatever challenge life throws at you and experience more happiness. You deserve a happy life!

How to make the holidays sparkle when alone.

How to make the holidays sparkle when alone.

Law of Attraction, Motivation, Perspective, Public, Uncategorized

Bah

Humbug?

Do you cringe when the Hallmark Moment holidays approach?

Will you be alone and not looking forward to it?
Want to change that? You can if you really want to.

Pity Party

I won’t be seeing my son and his lovely partner until after Christmas. My electronic day timer note popped up to decorate. Snorting…I deleted that wondering what would be the point. No one would see them except me. (note to self for future reference: I’m worth doing it for – but that’s another blog) Bah Humbug!

This is the first Christmas since my Mom passed as well.

Today I thought about my stuffed Grinch and I put it on the staircase…which led to thinking about a few treasures I’ve kept from childhood – are you ready for this? Causing a Smile.

So I said to myself “Self, just get a few of your favourites out – you don’t have to do it all”. I dug out the decorations from the basement to find my fav’s. And then couldn’t resist bringing them all upstairs.

Most of my decorations are beautifully handcrafted by friends, my Mom and picked up in travels. Several of my friends are no longer. The day went from smiles from memories of years gone by to tears of missing them.

Several times I stopped decorating as I just didn’t have it in me. But I kept coaxing myself back.

“Christmas will always be as long as we stand heart to heart and hand in hand.”
–Dr. Seuss

Idea sparks

Then I wondered who else wouldn’t be seeing family? I decided to scope it out and invite them here for dinner.

No sooner did I get that thought solidified and things started to change. I discovered that there were several hikes going on in the area over the holidays and an out of town friend I haven’t seen for far too long emailed me to invite me for dinner. And there is a great house concert planned for one of the evenings.

The outcome?

When you feel grumpy or un-motivated just take one little step forward. If that’s all you accomplish that’s still great. But hopefully like in this case it will be the first step to changing the situation. Guess what? I ended up putting all the decorations up and it feels good!

The Bonus? I’ve discovered (or they discovered me) several amazingly fun events to attend – seeing old hiking pals and perhaps meeting some new. AND I then get to celebrate again when my son arrives!

Will it be easy? Nope – but it definitely will BE.

Your choice – pity party or Grande Party. Scrooge like feelings or Gratitude? I know which I prefer.

Change your Thinking – Change your Mood – Change your Life!

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