Hmmmmm...

Some days your the windshield....some days your the bug. Those other days...well, must be when I'm the windshield wiper! Your just hanging out....and nothing is bad or wonderful. It's just MEH. These days are still days to be treasured. It's our pit stop in the middle of all this LIFE that continuously happens.

These are great days for recharging. To refill our energy levels so to speak. Let's face it. It's easier to stay positive in life if you nurture yourself once and awhile. There is a reason why in flight emergency situation call for you to first put your oxygen mask on before helping others. This is so you will be able to help them. Makes sense when you look at it that way doesn't it?  I used to think I had to get permission for this. I had an extremely busy lifestyle being a full time employee, single mother, and head of household (no maids were ever used). I didn't stop! I just kept going and going past my limits until I ran out of energy and crashed. This is not an option for me today and it's a blessing. I've learned that if I learn to balance my health and my responsibilities I not only feel good, I am happy. When I'm happy, I can be positive about things that cross my path. I have a better attitude about eating healthier, accomplishing tasks, and living!

How is your personal tank today? Is it running low or full of life? Do a spot check every once and awhile. Avoid hunger, tiredness, and lack of YOU time. We cannot be there for others in life if we don't first take care of OURSELVES. 

Lessons Learned The Hard Way...

One of the greatest lessons I have learned in life is to pick my battles. Let's face it. Not everything everywhere being said or done is going to be satisfying to us. If we let it get under our skin, it doesn't upset the situation or others....it upsets us. Is it worth it? I recently attended a Women's Expo and talked to a medical expert about the effects of our nervous system on our health. It is a bigger connection than you think. When you think about it....it makes sense. If we are stressed and anxious in our day, how do we feel physically? Achy? Tired? Sick? It comes from within.

Being the "human" that I am....I challenge what I know on a daily basis. I seem to want to take something that is unsatisfying and wrestle with it until I am wore out. That is when I have to stop myself and ask "HOW IMPORTANT IS THIS GETTING UPSET OVER"? I can be upset by a doctor's decision and thoughts....but it doesn't do anything but upset me! It certainly does not change the diagnosis. I can worry be upset about the price increase in limes and lemons but as long as I buy them...does it really matter? My point is....by getting upset and complaining I am simply stealing my own joy. I don't have enough life left to do that. I choose to be happy and that requires me to use my energy wisely.

Take a moment today to look at what matters in your life. If you are getting upset over things that are out of reach or something you don't intend to do anything about....STOP! 

 Focus on what you can do and not what you can't. Make sure you tank is full before trying to drive over someone else.

Happiness Is A Choice...

It seems that each day I find a new way to be happy. It may be something as small as being able to clean my one bedroom apartment, or walking my dog further than I did the day before. There are even days that simply making an old lamp work makes me happy. I find happiness in these things because they give me a sense of accomplishment. Accomplishments make me feel good about myself. It's as simple as that sometimes.

There are things that come up in our lives that require us to be unhappy. Mourning the loss of a loved one, changes in our lives that do not seem fair, money, news we didn't want to hear......there will always be these factors. It is very natural to first feel our reactions, what isn't natural is continuing to sit in the pain or sadness from them. Don't get me wrong, just because I said it was simple, doesn't mean I said it would be easy. I find that sometimes I can be pretty happy about most things during my day but there is something that just bothers me and keeps me from feeling like it's a "good day". Once I become honest with myself and address it, then find the positive in it....I can move forward. That's when I feel the glow in my smile again and reveal the sparkle in my eyes. It takes what it takes and it's up to me to do it!

How do you feel today? Is there something small and easy you can do to make it better? When you can't find the answer try this.....Do something for someone else. It's an old magic trick that has been around for years, but it works! I SWEAR!!! It doesn't have to be for anyone you know, it may be as simple as putting something back where you found it at the store instead of dumping it in the checkout line because you changed your mind. It allows the store person to focus on helping a customer rather than clean up what we left behind. Take someone's shopping cart back for them. Do SOMETHING......GET OUT OF YOURSELF...that's the KEY. That's when the answers to my trials or sadness come. That's when we can look back and see that everything is as it should be.

It Takes Action...

Just as the old Rankin and Bass shows that come out at Christmas time say, "put one foot in front of the other, and soon you'll be walking across the floor". Life REQUIRES action. When I was growing up there were all kinds of "life" messages in movies and  cheesy kid shows. The truest thing I know is that...Everything I Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten.

Think about it. Be nice, don't hit, always say "please" and "thank you". Those were the simple ones to follow. It was the lessons like this one that I forget. You will get nothing if you don't take the necessary actions to get there. I could stand all day in the garage and it will never make me a car!  I can hope to someday be a great writer but if I don't start the first chapter I will only be a writer in my own mind. We want others in life to treat us with respect and love. The question is...do we give it? I want to get to a point in my health that is acceptable for me and I will never get there if I don't do my part. Sometimes it's the lack of motivation that needs to be sparked but honestly, sometimes it's the simple fact I need to get off the PITY train and do it! It's always easier to play the victim than than conqueror. It just doesn't work that way! 

SO.....this is what I do. I take it slow at first. I stay focused on what I want to accomplish and I keep going. If it's one thing I have learned about myself is that I'm a "fighter". I don't know what "giving up" means. Although there have been times I wanted to....I can't. That is a GREAT GIFT! I'm lucky because not everyone thinks that way and it's sad. In moments of weakness (let's face it...we all have them) I feel it, sometimes cry about it, and then shift into a plan of action. It is what works for me and what I know is that all the faith in the world is not going to change a thing if I don't do my part and Take Action!

 It's in all of us....we just need to find it and USE IT!!!

When We Look Hard Enough...

No one ever said it would be easy, they just said it would be worth it!  It is one of the tougher things to do in life. There are times I would rather have to move 20 bricks across a football field to find the answer than to look within myself. I grew up knowing that if you worked hard, you would get what you earned and then some. It all came to be true. There are just those OTHER things in life that money and hard physical work cannot buy. You know what they are.

The cards we are dealt aren't always the ones we want. Life isn't always fair. Why do bad things happen to good people. Do NICE GUYS always finish last??? Points that have been pondered over the years and the questions haven't changed. Guess what??? Neither have the answers!  I know life isn't fair, but it helps us to build our own individual character. If it was easy, we would all be the same. So called BAD things happening to GOOD people...I believe that it's because we are strong enough to handle it. Russell Wilson's dad always taught him not to ask "why me?" but to ask "why NOT me?!"!! What does it mean to finish last? Is your life over??? NO!

What I know for this girl is...I am one of the strong! I am nice and just because a "season" in my life ends, does not mean that it is bad. If I ask myself honestly...I know I am nice and this far, I have NEVER finished last! So, I keep moving forward, onward and upward and don't look back because the best stuff has yet to be revealed!

Growing Spurt...

I am back from my 'growing spurt' as I like to call it. Wow...a lot can change in a year. 
      One year ago, I had just gotten back from seeing my daughter after she had completed boot camp. 
        One year ago, I wasn't on oxygen 24/7.
       One year ago, I was fully self-supporting and worked a good job. 
       One year ago, there were even different people in my life than there are today.

So many changes in what seems like such a short amount of time. It can be overwhelming.

Life happens...we have no control over that. With every change comes a choice. Will I embrace it? Or...Will I resist it? There are always those first choices. Not every situation is the same and I certainly do not respond to every situation the same. What I know from experience is that when I stop trying to wrestle with it or figure it out, it all just falls into place. AMAZING!! The more I fight with it or meddle with it, the worse it gets. WHY? Here's the bummer, I don't know...all I know is it make me unhappy!!! I am trying to learn to embrace the changes and pick my battles today. This girl gets tired in her older years...

My point is, I first  have to recognize what my actions are. If I'm being a 'big turd'...I know something is up and I need to just let it go. When I'm not making the best choices, I need to step back, take a break, and recharge. I only have control of what happens with me. I am responsible for making myself happy. I am responsible for taking my health seriously and doing what I need to be doing.
 I AM RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS GIRL!
 If I'm not happy, it's MY fault and I re-evaluate. I'm not saying I am incapable of throwing a fit, I'm just saying when I'm done feeling like that and acting that way, I stop wrestling to control it then I can get back on track.

That's when it happens...everything just falls into place.

Just Taking A Minute...

I just wanted to take a minute to apologize for not being around for a little while but I believe that taking time out for growth is also important. I'm ready, and I will be back after a good nights rest with plenty of inspiration and positivity to share.

For One Day...

     King For A Day by the Thompson Twins was a fairly overplayed song when I was growing up. It was the first thing that hit my mind when I saw this poster by Gayle Forman. Think about one moment from several months ago. What emotion do you feel? HAPPINESS...frustration...EXCITEMENT...sadness?  Now, what happens when you think about that same moment??? Time has passed, things change, feelings change. Does it create the same feeling?

A 24 hour period can change so much. It can change our mood, our direction in life, and our patterns. It only takes an occurrence to spark a memory of those moments. I find myself looking back on some things in life and seeing that what seemed like a travesty could now sprout a SUCCESS. I see where a certain circumstance shifted me in the direction it was time to go. Sometimes it can be sad. If there is someone you miss, maybe a loved one has passed, or a friend has left, you feel it right in your heart. I am pretty certain there is a string from my heart to my eyeball too because it yanks on the valve that creates a tear. I think about that tear and it's identical followers.  I find that for me, those tears do not always have pain behind them. When I open my eyes a different perspective forms. Where I could only see the pain or down side of this event then, I am able to see it clearly now. This is when I know I have let go of the sadness and negativity. It is freeing when you think about it.

When life feels stagnant and it seems things will never change, stop and think back on where you were 6 months ago, or even a year ago. LIFE changes daily and just when you think its the same, look again. 
You may be SURPRISED!!!  

No words today...just happy!!!

Have an amazing day and be happy...

It's All A Chain Reaction...

ALL it takes is the first one to start. It doesn't seem to matter what emotion or action it is that we take, it seems to keep being passed on and is so widely spread we do not see how far it will reach. We just know it happens. Human kindness...begins with us.

This week I swallowed some pride and took the high road in a situation that honestly still makes me cringe at times. I had to, it was just the right thing to do. From this one action, I have been blessed many times over this week. Now, I can't swear that this is what happens every time to every one or if this is where it started. What I do know is that is how it worked for me this week. I was in line at the coffee shop and found out the lady in front of me had bought my coffee for me. I felt really "lucky" at that moment and was pretty excited...and then I thought. UH OH! Pay It Forward Shari...YOUR TURN!!!  I sort of panicked as I thought about what I could do. I now had my 2.50 to share with someone else. Did I buy the person behind me their coffee? No. I went to different places and spread some forwardness in my own way. Does it matter where we do it? NO. Does it matter HOW we do it? NO. It's the principal of it. The best part is that it didn't stop there for me. I was getting gas and had to go inside to see the clerk. I noticed a young boy next to me who had a birth defect which caused him to have one little arm. I smiled at him and then he spoke to me. He said..."I'm sorry." I looked around like what did he do? I replied, "Why are you sorry"? He said for what happened to you to make you wear that on your nose. I smiled and took a good look at him and thought about what he just said. It gave me goose bumps. That's a good person in front of me is all I could think. I assured him that it turns more into a blessing every day and listed a couple of positive aspects of my condition. We parted with compliments and all the way home I thought about this. Here is a boy who deals with his disability daily and he reaches out to someone he sees is "ill". It brought a tear to my eyes. Look what doing the right thing in life can SPARK.

We may not all have the money to buy someone's lunch or coffee in the "Pay It Forward" theory but we do know human kindness. We do know right from wrong, politeness and helping our fellow man. We know how to smile at someone who is frowning and we know how to hold a door for someone. The point is, this is all a CHAIN REACTION and it has to start with someone but it takes the efforts from the rest of us to keep it going.

Show some random KINDNESS today and make a difference.

We All Wear Masks...

We all wear MASKS. We are sometimes uncertain about when they go up but we know when they are on securely. These masks are not often worn to hide our looks, but rather to hide our pain. Whether we are experiencing physical pain, emotional pain, or just the random pain due to fear, we put them on. We wear them proudly and flaunt them around as if it were really as it seemed.

Mask wearing can start at a young age, but when I think about it, I probably had them at times from the age of 8 on thru today. In all honesty, I have wore mine to hide pain, to hide truth, to hide expression. The mask was the "look good" to the outside world. It protected me from someone knowing what was going on inside or to protect me from fear. I could uphold that strong, unbreakable reputation of the person I portrayed. It was safe and constant. I still put it on once and awhile, but today it is so others don't hurt. Today, I put it on so that I don't create a reason for someone else to lose hope.

What I do know is that I can't always be strong, I need a shoulder to cry on too. I can't always keep up with what needs to be done, but I can DO MY BEST...DAILY!  I've learned that just because I have to ask for help or have someone listen to me, it does not make me weak, or turn me into a negative person. We all have it within us to be negative...but we all have it within us to be POSITIVE too. I battled with myself for the first 5 months of this disease and I punished myself for something that isn't my fault. I set a standard for myself that was not realistic. I had to figure it out. I had to re-evaluate what this new lifestyle would be. I had to realize I was still the same woman, only 
 
BETTER!  YES...BETTER!

I'm thankful that I get to press through the ailments of this lifestyle change, I am glad it is me instead of someone I love. I have learned so much in this short amount of time and I can handle more.

I've got this!!!