I was taking a walk the other morning and came upon a new tree emerging from a tree trunk. It was one of those moments where I appreciated new life springing up from a something that used to be alive.
In years to come, how the new tree grow? What will it become? Will the roots grow deep while the old trunk decays? Will it stay small because the host doesn’t have enough nutrients to sustain its growth? Will it grow just right and be able to bend with the wind, stand up to snow and ice, and provide shelter for the small critters? My mind went in a million directions with questions.
I realized as I am writing this, my little tree could be considered a metaphor for life.
It is so hard to believe that spring is almost here…at least in our part of the country….and it feels like it happened overnight. This past weekend our daffodils started to bloom, our purple crocuses are above ground, the forsythia bushes have a few yellow leaves and the grass has gone from a muddy brown to green. What a positive difference seeing all of this does to one’s soul and attitude.
Hubs laughs and rolls his eyes at me all the time because when we are outdoors I am always picking up rocks. I couldn’t begin to tell you what type they are, but they are varied in size, shape, color, and texture. Last spring on a walk with Wally I spied a rock in the shape of a heart…at least it looked that way to me. Of course, I had to pick it up and bring it home and I placed it outside on our fire pit table. There it remained, through the summer, fall and most of the winter until…..
One of the large snowstorms of the season I got a little too confident when clearing the snow off the deck. My little heart survived this long, I know where it was placed on the table, yet, I got sloppy and over the railing it went, along with a shovelful of snow. That particular storm dropped 18 inches of heavy wet snow and I knew there was no way I would be able to find it until spring. I was disappointed at myself for being careless.
Between storms and as the snow melted, I would search the ground for where I thought it should be. I was uncovering leaves, and moving around the bits of snow to see if I could find it. After several attempts, I had given it up for lost. Maybe the Universe needed it back to give to another person.
Last week when Wally and I were outdoors, I was walking in the area of where the snow went over the railing, and there it was, my little heart out in the open.
I know a lot of people don’t get excited when they hear snow is in the forecast. I admit, I can be one of them. The thought of shoveling and everything else that goes along with snow removal can be daunting (especially when the weather people are predicting a foot of the white stuff). This is my current situation. This slow moving nor’easter started last night and is expected to end tomorrow morning.
As a kid, I would excitedly look forward to times like these. When school was called off, I would go to the neighbors and shovel them out for spending money (I don’t know if that is even a thing anymore – definitely not in my neighborhood). We would stay out all day and go sledding, have snowball fights, make snowmen, and create snow forts when the snow had accumulated enough.
Now, as an adult I don’t do those things for the length of time that I used to (I still make snow people, shovel for myself, and throw snowballs – I still play :-)). But, in the early morning of a snowfall, I stand in awe of of the peaceful beauty that surrounds me. An amazing blanket of white quiet – undisturbed of sound or footprints. A reminder of my many blessings.
“So what is bringing you inspiration? Do something that inspires you, one thing at least daily, to breed more inspiration into your life.”
~Gabby Bernstein
If you have never listened to or heard of Gabby, you need to stop what you are doing now (just kidding) and find one of her podcasts. She is an amazing motivational speaker. She is a genuine human being who has a lot of personal experiences she shares.
I was listening to her this morning and the above excerpt spoke to me, so I thought I would share. I hope her inspiration to me is my inspiration to you.
We are a week into the new year and I am so excited to see what good things will unfold in 2023!
2022 was my painful growth year, thus, the lack of postings. It was a roller coaster ride with some situations that rocked my world. I have been extremely blessed that it has been a really long time since I have had to deal with something (never mind multiples) of that magnitude.
I am a project solver, so when the first event occurred my natural reaction was to put time limits on myself to get through it and move forward. Yes, I know, not the best way to cope. And, yes, I had some Angels in my life remind me that real life isn’t that simple.
I gave myself over to the situations, allowed myself the grace to FEEL and take the time that each situation needed to understand, rationalize, make peace, and move forward. My synopsis sounds simple, but trust me, it was a bumpy ride (and at times downright ugly).
I am not spilling my “cryptic tea” for sympathy but to remind whoever reads this:
Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.
Plato
And to my Angels, THANK YOU for carrying me when I need it.
I am sure you have heard the question, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” Well, today is my day of taking a few bites into some neglected areas in my office. In all honesty, I know I won’t eat the elephant in one sitting, but I am happy to say I am making a dent.
When I was moving around some items, I came across an old fortune cookie fortune. I must have kept it because it spoke to me.
There are so many things that can get in our way on the daily, sometimes hourly. It is how we respond to those nasty instigators that will define your hour, day, week(s), month(s) or even year(s).
In my prior life, I was part of a training called Six Sigma and if I am not mistaken (I have not been able to verify it online) one phrase we were told was to “check your weather”. Now this had nothing to do with looking out the nearest window, but everything about your mood and attitude. Mood and attitude can define your interaction with others.
In recruiting (and in any part of life really), if you are having a lousy day because you spilled coffee on yourself, that lousy day “weather” could possibly flow into a conversation with the next person you encounter. Unfortunately, if you let it, that lousy moment will set the mood for your entire day.
We all have those days, weeks, months – I am no different. Sh*t happens. It wouldn’t be life if it didn’t. However, I do my best to try to keep my day as peaceful and positive as I can.
A dear friend told me of something she recently heard –
“If you are depressed you are living in the past. If you are anxious you are living in the future. If you are at peace you are living in the present.”
― Lao Tzu
My wish for you today, and always, is that you find peace, joy and positivity in every day.
With Love, Blessings and Peace
Oh, and here is a picture of my peaceful sunrise this morning….
