Voice...

"Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I'll try again tomorrow."

Mary Anne Radmacher

I could relate to that little voice at the end of the day that say's, " I'll try again tomorrow." It's that small step you don't always manage each day but you keep showing up and trying again!

Woke up...

The first thing my brain did when I woke up this morning was start comparing myself to others. This person was doing this, that person was achieving this, and my self critic started filling my mind with negative talk. I tried not to let it throw me off for the whole day. I allowed the voices to be there and while choosing to ignore them, I struggled on and off and worked on things I "had" to do but also on things that make me smile. So by the end of the day I was feeling better... and had stopped comparing.

Roar...

"Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, I will try again tomorrow."

Mary Anne Radmacher

This is so true for me, many a day. I don't need to feel hopeless, like I failed myself. I need to remember that I am still courageous and there is another present moment to try again!

One Step...

When I was hanging out with my wonderful group of friends yesterday, one of the topics we talked about was the transition going on in my life. But one friend keep saying  "one step at a time" and there was something about the tone in her voice, that brought me peace in that present moment. So all day today I keep hearing her voice chanting in my head...

"One step at a time Nancy, one step at a time" 

Drummer...

"Maybe you’ve felt like you’re not cut from the same cloth. You’re probably right. You’re not ‘normal.’ You’re not ordinary. I’d say you’re extraordinary. You’re a voice. You’re a presence. And you are here to bring something different to the conversation. Let your difference make a difference."

Tama J. Kieves

My mother had given me a little plaque to put in my room when I was young that read:

"If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears however measured or far away." 

I always felt growing up that my difference to the others in the family was a defect, something to feel bad about because I couldn't see life the way they saw it. But now a little older and wiser, I'm realizing I can bring something different to the conversation... AND that I CAN make a difference in the world!

The Dress...

I ended up making a dress for my daughters senior prom. We had looked for weeks and she couldn't find one that she liked. She doesn't like the typical prom dress which made it that much harder to find. So as I was making the dress (with no pattern) and with four days to spare, the critical voices in my head was whispering, "Your not doing a very good job, you could do better, it will look like it was "made." But as I finished, down to the last minute, as we are walking out the door, I silenced the voice and choose to say "I did a good job. Could I have done better sure, but I did a good job." With that the critic was silenced!