Comfort...

The hummingbird drinks

The bee hums a rhythmic tune

and nature offers comfort

I was in need of comfort this morning and when you walk out in my back yard my Rose of Sharon tree is in full bloom. As I stepped out the door, I saw several humming birds and bees enjoying the flowers on my tree. I couldn't help but smile and I found comfort in the beauty!

Barefoot...

One of my favorite things I look forward to when I'm out in the world doing things where I have to wear shoes is ~ taking them off! My feet feel so free and able to connect again to the earth. I've been a barefoot girl since I was a young child and I still love that barefoot feeling. One of my goals is to buy some toe shoes http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/index.htm ( there are a lot of other sites I just picked one to show you) so my feet can be closer to mother earth even when wearing "shoes."

Fine Line...

I told someone the other day that I wasn't a "needy" person and then the next day I had MAJOR stress happen and I was afraid to call or reach out because I just said I wasn't needy. But I got to thinking about it and is reaching out really needy? I guess my life had been so saturated with "needy" people for so long, I get confused and think I should be strong and not ask for a shoulder to cry on. Well another thought pattern to rearrange in my brain ~ having someone to lean on when they offer, is not "needy" but maybe actually a strength.

Big House...

Late week I was pet sitting for someone who lived it a BIG BIG house ( much bigger then this one pictured), it was like a museum! And I kept thinking I should be feeling jealous and maybe if I had the money to have a house like that you hire people to keep up with cleaning, yard work etc. and then it would seem delightful ~ Nope ~ none of that appealed to me! Simple is the way for me. I keep thinking about one of those "little houses" or a mobile house to drive and park where ever my little heart wants to be. 

Five Words...

Clouds, rain, hazy, shade and breeze are all words that take on a whole new meaning when most of the work you do is outside and your car has no air condition. This five words are now ones I view with a new perspective. I've always enjoyed the clouds and shade on a hot summer day but right now, they can be the life saver in a week or a day. Today was one of those days, and I didn't notice until I got home what a difference the clouds/rain made. I had a little more energy and actually felt like doing more when I got home instead of sitting down for a couple of hours just to generate enough energy to make dinner. It's the little things ~ I am grateful!!!

Roots and Wings...

"There are two gifts we should give our children; 

one is roots, and the other is wings"

Being a mother has ALWAYS been the only thing I wanted in my life ( will... except for a loving husband to go along with that), and my hope is that I have provided them with roots and wings with which to fly. My oldest son has flown away, but not far. He has roots here and his wings are strong. He has landed just fine and is doing well. My other two children may not have physically left the nest but they are flying in different ways that is so beautiful to watch.

Value...

" Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory."

Dr. Seuss

This is one of the reasons I named my blog "A Present Moment" to help me find value in those moments before they are just a memory. But it is a life long, moment by present moment challenge to be present and paying attention. But when those times slip by, a memory is left and sometimes that memory can be bittersweet and it can leave me feeling like I need to offer forgiveness either to myself or another. It offers value either way to my life with hindsight and reflection.

Breath...

I woke up today very overwhelmed!!! I'm trying to BREATH through each present moment and offer NO resistance. Some moments are more successful then others, but that's okay. I know "this too shall pass" and I'm trying to flow with what is.

Friday...

Usually by the time Friday rolls around, I'm dragging and my mind starts grumbling instead of appreciating. So this Friday I decided to make a list of things I am grateful for ~

I can walk

See ~ the bunny in my yard

Hear ~ the owls hooting and the birds singing

Smell ~ the herbs I'm growing

Taste ~ the healthy food I prepare

Hug my children

Listen ~ to those that need to speak

Enjoy a cup of tea

Sit quietly

Pet my cats

Drive my car

Spend money

Remember my family and friends

Share my words on my blog

Read a good book

Speak kind and loving words

Stay cool on a warm summer day in my home

Plenty of food to eat

Water to drink

And SO much more...

I am grateful!

Association...

The other day while observing natures patterns, colors, textures, I was noticing a lot of green and red combinations. Now my mind associates green and red with Christmas and when I've done drawings or used paint I steer away from putting those two colors together. So it got me thinking about what other things in my life do I associate with that may not be real and finding that awareness to change how I view certain things. 

Some of the red and green I came across ~

Roses

Other Red flowers

Red Lady Bug

Berries

 Tomato's 

Strawberries

( all have green leaves or the lady bug was on a green leaf )

Walk...

Everyday I'm interacting with mother nature while walking other peoples dogs. This gives me lots of opportunities to observe and bath in her beauty. The other day I posted about the Mimosa tree and now another awesome tree is in bloom ~ the Crape Myrtle. With its beautiful cluster of flowers, and when they start to drop off, leave behind this blanket of confetti that covers the ground. Just so pretty...

Story...

As I often do, I look for quotes to spark an idea to write for my blog. Today as I was scrolling, I come across some of the same ones I see a lot, like: "She believed she could, so she did." or " There is only one way to succeed at anything and that is to give everything." These are all well and good, and they do boost my enthusiasm but at the end of the day I'm still stuck. That is why I'm reaching out to talk to someone. I need someone's constant presence for awhile to walk me through this place. Sometimes it takes more then just believing and sometimes it takes asking for a hand to hold while you try. I have issues that have kept me in relationships and paralyzed in other areas of my life from stories I've been told and I've believed over the years and I now have space in my life to dig deeper.

A Fathers Choice...

Happy Fathers Day to all the fathers that "choose" everyday to be a father to their children!

And thank you to my father who passed away nineteen and a half years ago ~ he used his last breath to let me know he loved me.

Today...

~Today's present moments ~

Smiles

A warm cup of tea

People holding hands

A girl named Wisdom

Catching the last of the sunset

Dinner and ice cream with my son

A lady on a motorcycle with a dog riding in a backpack

Fine LIne...

Being an introvert its a fine line to know when your taking time to recharge from the world or your isolating. What I've noticed since I don't get to hang out with my group of friends much anymore is that without that planned scheduled time we use to get, I find myself closing off and isolating. So it has been a struggle for me to stay connected even the littlest amount. I've just started working on sending a text out once a week to family or friends. And as silly as it seems, I find that hard to do. I put it off everyday and then I make myself send it. This also makes it a difficult challenge to expose myself in my business http://www.wholefood-living.com/, so I'm hoping that this small practice will be a start to getting myself out there, starting with staying connected to those I know are safe and love me.

Seeing Double...

When things happen in life I tend to look for a symbolic meaning, but tonight I saw a double rainbow and it was spectacular. I started to look up "what does this mean" but then I decided NO... I'm going to just let this be a beautiful spontaneous present moment, take it all in and then let it go!

Questioning...

A friend today wrote a post about friendships, and after reading it, it my heart felt sad. Sad that my life is not what I had hoped it would be and I try hard everyday to not question the road I'm on,because I don't have the answers and if I dwell to long there I get too depressed. I LOVE my group of friends, they are the closest I've ever had in my life, and right now because of circumstances I have been distance from all of them... I SO miss our gatherings full of laughter and conversation. Our children mingling together, food brought and shared by all.  Even if I was talking, I enjoyed being in their presence. Life is about living the questions but sometimes it's hard not to want to know... And sometimes it's about seeing it all in a different way ~ but I'm not quite there yet.

Brick and Mortar...

I'm so grateful today for Mother Nature and all her beauty. As I was driving around town, from one place to the next, surrounded by roads, cars, and buildings, all I could think of was how I just wanted to walk among the trees and breath! Breath in all the oxygen, hug a tree, dance in the leaves, smell the fragrance of the cool damp woods, and just be in that space. I'm grateful that I have a backyard that provides a small taste of all that and I can recharge and connect when needed.

Mimosa...

This is the season for the Mimosa Tree to be in bloom. With it's beautiful flowers and fragrant smell... the memories rush in. Many a summer my sister and I spent in Florida where my dads family was from. And that is where I was introduced to the awesome Mimosa Tree. I just thought the flowers were so pretty and delicate, and the leaves were light in texture. It kind of has a lingering smell like the honeysuckle, you can smell it from a distance. The Mimosa tree will always make me smile.

Body...

I was thinking today as I did my regular yoga routine, how our bodies are run like a well oiled machine when taken care of. And I thought of yoga like the oil keeping my bones and joints moving ( kind of like the Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz) and my thriving to eat healthy as the fuel in my tank that keeps me going strong. But for me it all stems for an every growing "self love"~ that is an ongoing process. Are there days when I wonder if I even ate a fruit or vegetable all day ~ absolutely, are there days when doing yoga and being still and meditating seem like it's to much work and it's easier to just skip it ~ absolutely! But my awareness of self care/self love brings me "back to center" and I start over again because I feel worthy...

Opening...

I'm learning through a number of people lately how important it is to share and be vulnerable with those I walk this planet with. It's hard to open up and exposed my inter being, but you never know who you might touch with your words. We are all connected in this life and even though our paths are different they are still all the same. And when others share a part of themselves, they unknowingly give me the courage to do the same. 

Present Moment Haiku..

A family of gophers

With a significant loss

But they carry on

While I was waiting to get my brakes done on my car  ( had three hours to wait), I started a book I am really enjoying and got a surprise visit in a near by field of gophers. There were three, what looked like a parent and two children. I asked the owner of the car shop about them and he said one of the parents had just gotten hit by a car not long ago. 

Money...

As I'm allowing more "flow" in my life, I am challenged by having to spend a very large amount to fix my brakes that I didn't have. But I am trying not to freak out and am grateful that I had a credit card to put it on. I've been working on reprograming my thoughts concerning money and to allow it to flow freely in and out. Out is a lot harder to allow but it had to be done, so I can not resist and accept what is or I can panic, and I don't want to do that anymore ( or at least not as much). I did also think that whatever financial obstacle that I have, at least I'm in charge. Years ago in my marriage money was such an "out of my control thing" that I am grateful that I know where ever penny is spent and what values I choose to spend it on.

Miss...

I was looking forward to finally connecting with friends that I don't get to see very often anymore and the plans all fell through. I found my self in tears missing that connection, missing the time I use to have and missing a significant other in my life that you don't have to try so hard because they know you and are there for you ~ always. I am letting the tears flow and the feeling pass through without resistance. It's not the first time I've felt it and I'm sure it won't be the last. But it reminds me to pay a little more attention to those far away and to keep that connection alive, no matter the distance.

Happy...

Being out in nature, even if it's just my back yard makes me happy. I don't know if other people feel the connection with nature too, but there is something about just stepping outside, walking among the trees, hearing nature sing, that changes my whole outlook. It puts me in a happy place that no other thing can do.