Do you Use...

 Do you use your college degree now; if you could do it over again would you attend college?

I can only answer this with the wisdom of hind site except the part of "do I use my college degree," and that answer would be no. If I know what I know now I would not attend college and I would set my creative spirit free, the one that I let myself and others keep locked up, imprisoned with all the rules, advise and pursuit of perfection. Going to college did one thing, it gave me the confidence that I did have the ability to learn ~ a feeling I lacked in grade school when I was told that I had a learning problem and was put in the "special class" with only a handful of other students. Everyone that walked by the room knew who was in there! And my mother never missed a chance to share this information. I do believe college is suited for some and some people it is not. I don't regret it, because like all past decisions, you can't change them, so I took what I liked from the experience and left the rest.

This is a cooperative blog that a friend and I are participating in together, so check out what she has to say about this question from her perspective http://gentlegull.blogspot.com/

Glaring...

Today I am humbled by my humanness. A situation in my life today gave me a glaring view of my humanness and it was very bright. And sometimes an apology is the only thing one has to offer the other. I tend to beat myself up over and over again for not being perfect and having caused someone, even if unintentionally harm. I will work on being kind to myself today and once again, pick up forgiveness for myself, and reach for my acceptance, that mistakes are part of the human experience. It hurts my heart today and I know I can not go back and change anything, so today is a somber day of reflection and another chance to accept "all" parts of me, not just the pretty ones.

Deeply...

This was a leaf I found and it was leathery feeling and full of awesome texture!

A single leaf fell

Breath in deeply the fall air

Change is coming soon

Preserve...

My actions are speaking loudly this week. I've been very forgetful, saying things that don't make sense, trying to drive with my sunshade still in the window, etc, etc, etc. I have not had space in my days for awhile now and that is partly my fault. I have trouble sometimes saying NO and not pausing long enough to think about my week before I speak. When one day runs into the next with no breathing room, I get a little off center, as my actions have clearly presented to me. As always, with awareness comes change and my hope is I will remember this lesson and allow my life to have ~ PAUSE and preserve some present moments ~ just for me!

Explain...

"Learn to say "no" without explaining yourself."

This is something I constantly have to work on. I catch myself, most of the time, after the fact to not explain myself to anyone about anything. It's hard! But with awareness comes change. Each time it happens I have the opportunity to try again.

Face...

"There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face."

I have been doing dog walking for quit a while now and sometimes just that sweet look or that lick on your face can change my whole outlook... 

Battles...

"Be selective in your battles, for sometimes peace is better than being right."

Kushandwizdom

This is something I have certainly learned with age. Pick your battles! Many many years ago I had a hard time letting go when everything always seems like it was so wrong. I felt if I let it go, that it would never change,  so I held on so tight, changing nothing and having anything but peace. It feels much better today to just let it pass on by. 

Security...

"It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power."

Alan Cohen

A friend posted this quote for me today... I love quotes! I know in each line there is truth, but when I'm in the midst of the false security it feels real. I love the part of the line, " for in movement there is life," it reminds me of a river and how it flows so effortlessly, flowing through each day, each season, over each obstacle. Clinging to what I know is something I can see, moving towards the unknown are all the things I can't see and for me it's a process of learning to find that adventure and excitement  even in the dark, for "in change there is power."

Thaws...

As the snow drips, the world thaws out and comes back alive. I love when we're all snowed in and the days are frozen. The noise of everyday is silenced and we're left only hearing mother nature and our own heart beat. I'm grateful for the few days we had, when time seemed to stand still, but life is not meant to be stagnate. I would not want to be frozen in this moment forever. But it was a nice change of pace.

Dare...

"Resist the temptation to allow the past to shape or foreshadow the potential of the present. Dare to not know. Dare to show up."

" You have never been in this moment before. It's a wild arrogance to assume a static world. And when you enter this moment with excitement and love, you change the possibility of every possibility."

Tama Kieves

I am in a place in my life, in moments that I've never been before. I'm trying hard to not allow the past to shape my present moments. My dear friends are walking me through this unknown and helping me enter it with excitement and love. But it's up to me, to DARE to not know, to DARE to show up.

Change...

"Don't be afraid to change. You may lose something good, but you may gain something better."

It's easy to stay comfortable. I have a friend who says her daughter sees life as " all change is bad" and sometimes for me it feels that way. It's a risk that if I allow myself to be bigger and different then I've ever know I may just surprise myself. 

I Am Enough...

"We can only be who we are and at some point, that has to be good enough."

Today my mantra is "I am enough." And as I continue to evolve and change with each present moment, that doesn't change my "knowing" that right now ~ "I am enough."

Pumpkins...

It's that time of year when we go get our pumpkins to carve into a jack-o-lantern. When my children were little it was a tradition to go to http://www.carriganfarms.com/ and go for the hay ride, visit the little petting zoo, drink fresh squeezed apple juice and then run into the field to find the perfect pumpkin. Now... we go to the store and pick out a pretty one! But my oldest son is coming in a few days and will help carve the pumpkins with his brother and sister. Over time somethings change, but still a beautiful present moment it will be.

Perspective...

"Some see a weed, some see a wish."

http://happsters.com/

Isn't is amazing how something stays the same but when you change your perspective it can looks so different!

Change...

Change is hard sometimes, even in the smallest of things. I've had to recently change banks and I'm trying to get use to the new system. It seems like a small thing and I know once I get use to it, a year from now it will seem easy. But right now I just want to scream " I don't want to change, I liked it the way it was." Not so much because I loved where I was banking but because it was familiar. Good reminder that familiar is not always the best place to be. I guess I feel like I have so much stepping out of my comfort zone right now in my life I didn't welcome this unexpected change. But life, if nothing else, is about change, and I can either go kicking and screaming or allow it to be. So today I allowed myself to kick and scream a little and that's okay.

Mean Girl...

Yes... that would be me! A mean girl - to myself. I have noticed when I self-talk to myself I am really not a nice person. I certainly would never say the things I say to myself when I forget something, misplaced something, make choices that in hindsight are not my shining moments, to anther person. But because it's me, myself and I, I think it's okay to not say encouraging and loving things to myself. With awareness comes change and right now I am not happy with the way I'm treating "me", so I am raising my consciousness and looking for change! It feels better already...

A Good Quote...

"It is very easy to be tricked by the circumstances of the present moment. But, dear seeker, remember that everything changes! Life is an exercise not in adding, but in constantly letting go of what you know and who you think you are and to have the courage to become brand new. When we fixate on the past, we welcome it into our present moment, which keeps the past alive. When you give up the fight

THAT is when you'll take flight!"

- Jackson Kiddard, author & polymath.

Change is Beautiful...

As I was driving down the highway yesterday, I noticed the tree's changing from fall to winter. I have learned over the last few years to really love the bare trees and to enjoy the change. While looking at the trees I realize they tell me, "one thing is for sure - change happens, but that doesn't mean it is a bad thing, Change can be BEAUTIFUL". I guess it's all the way you look at it. I have always allowed "change" in my life to be a scary, dreaded, unwelcome process. But little by little I'm finding the unknown that change brings more of a welcoming place to be. A place that I allow myself to "just be" and it's okay, because I know I am not alone on this journey and I am loving myself more each day. And with that, I know - ALL IS WELL...

Live the Questions...

One of the benefits of letting go of our attachments to the past and the future, and the stories that keep us stuck there, is that it " empties us out." It allows us to be fully present and open in the moment.

I am currently reading a book called "The Art of Uncertainty". A book that fits into my life and is letting me cling to it while I let go and find comfort in my uncertainty. I've crossed and burned all the "known" bridge's in my life and am now left with only the unfamiliar. One moment I am excited and elated and the next I think I've lost my mind and become uneasy and fearful. The book is helping me walk through the moments and know "This too shall pass." It reminding me that... We think that impermanence makes us suffer. It is not impermanence that makes us suffer. What makes us suffer is wanting things to be permanent when they are not. Finding the peace in "change" is a life long goal. It is something that is guaranteed. Nothing ever stays the same. Each moment brings with it change and when we stay present it's not as frightening.

Just remember:

If your in a bad situation, don't worry-it'll change.

If your in a good situation, don't worry-it'll change!

and

The closest to being in control we will ever be is in that moment, that we realize we're not.