Reflections and Lessons – Page 3 – Join me on a blessed and heartfelt journey of discovery!

When the Earth Held Her Breath

June 24, 2020June 24, 2020
by admin

The landscape for most people has changed, at least a bit if not dramatically, with the advent of the pandemic. With shelter at home decrees or just plain wanting to stay safe, what was perceived as a ‘normal’ daily routine quickly became a thing of the past. For me there was a period of time that it felt like the Earth was holding her breath as we figured out how to navigate living in a world with the threat of a deadly foe that was unseen and virtually undetectable.

When a Waterfall Meets Concrete and Steel

May 5, 2020May 4, 2020
by admin

Lower the bar. Don’t worry about what you are accomplishing, there are more important things to consider during these times. I recently had this posed to my by someone asking that isn’t this the time to lower the bar, if only for a bit?

I had to sit with this for a moment as my initial reaction was quite strong. Lowering the bar has never been the answer for me. Pushing through and reaching the bar is what I know because there is always more work to be done, more learning to be accomplished, more cleaning to do, more books to read, more…just fill in the blank. However, I reminded myself, we are all facing different challenges that a mere three months ago we hadn’t even considered. So maybe there was some validity in exploring this option.

Should & Entitlement

March 12, 2020April 10, 2020
by admin

It’s funny how we recognize something in another that we don’t see in ourselves. I had heard often that others are a mirror to us if we care to look and pay attention but I am not sure I ever truly understood or believed this theory. I have found that when I am sitting in judgement of another that is usually a signal that I have healing to address but for other emotions or thoughts which I don’t identify as a ‘judgement’ I hadn’t felt this mirror business held true. Until I listened to a podcast by Kara Lowentheil about entitlement.

Read more “Should & Entitlement” →

A High School Hangover

February 6, 2020February 4, 2020
by admin

I had the chance encounter with someone that I had associated with in high school a few years back. We had not been close but had many mutual friends during our teenage years and our paths had crossed on a regular basis with friendly interaction the norm. Many years had passed before our paths crossed again at a public function. I acknowledged her with a smile and greeting, however, she acted as if we had never met and remained very distant. I thought this strange and took on the burden of her reaction thinking I must have done or said something that warranted the treatment. Believing this was a one time encounter I didn’t pursue the issue and didn’t even give it much thought for quite some time. Then, several months later, she joined the adult dance class I was in. Again, week after week, she treated me not only as a stranger but as if I didn’t exist. Wow, I must have really done something, I chastised myself, ceasing my friendly overtures and mentally shrugging because you can’t fix something if you don’t know what the problem is. Read more “A High School Hangover” →

Just Say…

January 23, 2020January 21, 2020
by admin

No. It is a simple one word statement. A word made of just two sounds. A word to tell someone the ‘opportunity’ they have presented me is not one I wish to take. This single word, however, has been rather elusive in my vocabulary when being asked to help or assist someone. I have witnessed plenty of people that don’t have trouble saying ‘no’ and they have told me it’s easy. Just say ‘no.’ Despite this advice I kept finding myself with too many tasks and responsibilities. I wasn’t letting this word do the heavy lifting for me. If you are like me, seeing need and not wanting to let people down, here are some steps I have found helpful in letting this simple two letter word work for me.

You Make a Difference

January 15, 2020January 14, 2020
by admin

‘You make a difference.’ The words were spoken with gratitude and conviction, catching me off guard but they echoed through my mind for days. What a sweet acknowledgment from someone about how something I had done had impacted her life in a positive way. Someone I didn’t know. Someone I hadn’t met before. The action she was commenting on was not a grand gesture but just something I do in the normal course of my work. A practice others have felt unnecessary and challenged me about but I have continued due to my beliefs. And yes, while I believed this action would ultimately help someone, this was the first time I had proof positive that it had accomplished the intended outcome.

Read more “You Make a Difference” →

A Word

December 30, 2019
by admin

New Year’s resolutions never really held much attraction for me and were not something I ever put into practice. I used the excuse it was because I had heard so many people abandon their resolutions in a matter of months if not days, so why bother following what seemed an impractical practice? In all honesty, however, I don’t believe practicality entered the equation. I believe I was more afraid of failing. Afraid of not achieving a goal I had put out to the universe and perhaps had been ill-conceived at its inception. This didn’t mean I didn’t try to change and grow, have better health, save more money, read more books and a myriad of other things I wished to accomplish. It just meant there was no definitive goal. Read more “A Word” →

Finding My Voice

November 20, 2019November 18, 2019
by admin

Being vulnerable and just being yourself in this world is truly frightening. There are so many masks that we wear depending on the role and the situation, and while many times there is logic behind these behaviors, there have been times I have found myself hiding behind this mask. Keeping the mask on. Not saying what I want or believe and putting up with disrespect and disparagement for the sake of the cause. For fitting in. Ultimately this has come at the expense of my emotional wellbeing, not understanding the importance of establishing the line in the sand for my fundamental beliefs and how I should be treated. More recently I began to understand these lines are necessary and are key to a healthy and joyful life. With this new found knowledge and understanding I have removed myself from environments that were not healthy for me and when the individual(s) were not willing to acquiesce to my requests for change. Not an easy thing to do but a necessary action for healing. When we do this, however, sometimes we let others cage us in too much in not wanting to experience discomfort, pain and unwanted feelings.

Just Be You Boo

September 18, 2019September 12, 2019
by admin

We all have expectations of ourselves and others. In many instances it is a function of being a part of society, filling the roles that have been structured for survival of the community. I don’t know about you dear friend, but, the expectation to be some one other than who I am has been an influence throughout my entire life. Either to present a more professional presence, be more fun and impulsive (I tend to be serious and introspective in nature), to be more outgoing with new people, more forthcoming in large groups of people or to not be sooooooo sensitive. These are some of the areas I have often fallen short in, receiving criticism and judgement consistently through my life, to the point I believed that who I was was not okay. I believed I needed to be someone else and so I changed as best as I could.

Celebrating Changes

August 28, 2019August 13, 2019
by admin

Labor Day is a day that was established to recognize the achievements of the American worker and was officially observed as a national holiday beginning in 1894. It is a day that we often celebrate with picnics, public gatherings and parades, or shopping Labor Day sales which ironically are not tied to the meaning of the national holiday in any way. Having been established so long ago and with the changes in working environments brought about by unions and protests, the meaning behind the holiday seems to have been lost. For most people today, Labor Day signals the end of summer. The end of sun filled days spent frolicking outdoors, the beginning of shorter daylight hours and the approaching cold weather of winter. Read more “Celebrating Changes” →

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