Get by with a Little

What would you do if I sang out of tune?

Would you stand up and walk out on me?

Lend me your ears and I’ll sing you a song,

And I’ll try not to sing out of key…

~ The Beatles

It’s nice to have a fan club: people you can rely on to support you and to give you that little boost when you need it. Especially when you don’t ask for it. Change is exciting, but the waiting can be hard, especially when the direction isn’t clear. It’s a process and requires patience, which of course, isn’t one of my strengths. Maybe that’s part of my lesson: change happens on its own time. And as I wait for my future to unveil itself, I need to focus on all of the parts of my life that are wonderful.

Sometimes, it’s nice to hear that little birdie whisper in your ear to say that you matter.

Thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

16 Little Angels

I’m a day late with my blog post.

I’m not ok with that, but I hope you will forgive me. I’ve been wrestling with my feelings around the recent tragedy in Newtown, CT, and debating if I should write about it. One of my nephews is in kindergarten, and he is one of the most precious people in my life. I was visiting my nephews this past weekend, when the events occurred that will forever be burned in our minds.

Since this blog is about my explorations about life, love and happiness, I decided to replace the post I had scheduled. This is so much more on my mind at the moment.

As the holidays approach and a time for self-reflection begins, take some time to consider what truly matters in your life. For me, I was ever so grateful to be able to hold that squirmy little boy close and dream about the wonderful, long life he will hopefully live, filled with joy, happiness and lots of love.

I turned off the television and stopped reading the news articles about the person who did this. Instead, I choose to cherish and adore my nephews, and celebrate the bravery and sacrifice offered so openly.

This video resonates with me, especially the piece about the ’16 little angels’ that were saved that day as a result of a young woman’s bravery. That’s where I choose to focus my energy. Enjoy, and please share if this does resonate with you as well. We can’t undo the tragedy of what occurred, but we can help encourage positive to result from it.

Parachute Optional

When I was working on a name for my blog, I considered a lot of options. One concept that kept coming up was taking a leap of faith. As I wrote in my first post, my inspiration was a quote by Margaret Shepherd, “Sometimes your only available transportation is a leap of faith.” It seems rather fitting for my life right now.

There are days that I’m exhilarated since I’ve given myself the freedom to try new things and to explore anything, and other days, I’ll admit it, I’m scared as hell. It would be so much easier to just jump right back into what I’ve done for the last twenty years, but I know where that leads: burnout, unhappiness and lopsided priorities.

But, what if…?

What if I don’t like what I decide to do? What if I suck at it? What if I can’t make enough money to survive and I lose everything? What if…?

My mind spins with all of the possibilities, good and bad. Then I stop and think: what is the worst thing that will happen if I face my fear and take that flying leap? 

‘I’d rather regret the things that I’ve done than the things that I haven’t.’                                                                                  Lucille Ball

Redefining the Game

 

A wise person that I know has a quote that I love: “Don’t should yourself.”

Here’s how it’s used: “I should be a doctor.. I should make a lot of money.. I should get married.. I should.. [fill in the blank.]”

When you ‘should yourself’, you are living your life based on someone else’s beliefs. You determine what you should do based on your friends, family- people who may genuinely care, and present you with what they believe will make you happy.

I lived much of my life should-ing myself. I pursued a professional career achieving some success. When it no longer fit my life, I kept at it, because I should. I was doing well, right? I was successful, so how could I leave it when I didn’t know what I was leaving it to do? What would my friends and family think?

Goodbye should. Hello want.

I welcome the new me. Yay!!