Rest, SWEET, Rest

“The faster I go, the behinder I get.”

              ~ Lewis Carroll

How easy it is for us to get caught up in the idea of our own grandiosity and forget that the world, and our lives, will, indeed, go on even with a temporary lull in our attention!  So often we push on, to the point of exhaustion, believing that our needs are secondary to our bosses, our spouses, our children, our parents, our friends, our places of worship, our communities, the committees we serve on, the pets we care for, the garden, the laundry, the shopping, the, the, the……And then wonder why we left that important graph out of the report, left the shopping list on the counter, scorched our child’s school uniform, lost the directions to the new meeting place….A weary mind will find a million ways to tell you to STOP! Hopefully, it won’t be the broadside of a truck, after running a red light that finally makes you get this!

Here’s the truth:  YOU are the most important being in your universe. Without the necessary care required to keep YOU nourished, fed, exercised and rested, all the other people and things in your life will suffer in one-way or another.  A body and soul receiving only part of what they need, can only give part of what they have to others. It’s a lose, lose equation!

Economists and financial advisers will tell you that you cannot have a realistic and workable budget if you don’t pay yourself first. Take what you need for savings, expenses right off the top.  So it is with your time and life budget….you have to pay yourself first if there’s to be anything left for the rest.

Like everything you do, say, think – good self-care is a choice. So, whether you spend your day at an office or in your home, make and take a time out (or two) everyday. Turn off your phone, TV, computer, Ipad/pod, Kindle, Nook, voices in your head and go sit in a park, your car, on your front porch…and REST. 

Your business will not shut its doors because of your twenty-minute absence, REALLY.

Your family will live to see another day if dinner is fifteen minutes late, REALLY.

The school bake sale will still go on even if you don’t get the brownies there by 10 am, REALLY. 

You and every one you love, and all the things you do, will be better for your few minutes of nothingness, REALLY!

PUT YOUR FEET UP!

Dorothy

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Optimism Is An Intellectual Choice!

During the frenetic and busy spring days ahead we hope you take time to:

smile

express appreciation

laugh

dream 

enjoy the bounty of your life

breath

express gratitude

To read our daily quotes, connect with our Facebook page The 51% Project we hope you enjoy them!

Wishing you a spectacular week ... Susan and Dorothy

Tipping Points

Life is always at some turning point; maybe it’s even fair to say that sometimes, it’s at a tipping point.   Those magical, often stressful, times present us with choices.  We can grumble and moan, or empower ourselves to think bigger and embrace the possibilities that moving forward will show us.

Finding some inspirational thought helps me to remember that every challenge brings opportunity.  Here's what gave me inspiration and joy this week:

Follow your bliss and doors will open
 where you didn’t know they were going to be.

-Joseph Campbell

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams.  
Live the life you’ve imagined.

-Henry David Thoreau

On resilience:  
Our greatest glory is not in never falling, 
but in rising every time we fall.

-Confucius

The greatest danger for most of us is not
 that our aim is too high and we miss it,

but that it is too low and we hit it.

-Michelangelo

You are the embodiment of the information

 you choose to accept and act upon.  To change your circumstances

 you need to change your thinking and subsequent actions.

-Adlin Sinclair

I’m here to live out loud.

-Emile Zola

I am larger, better than I thought, 
I did not know I held so much goodness.

-Walt Whitman

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Defensive Driving and Other Good Choices

Life is the sum of all your choices.

  ~Albert Camus

Have you seen the car commercial where they simulate a crash and, upon impact and airbag deployment, the driver turns off the ignition, turns on the hazard lights and unlocks the doors – disaster averted!  It’s slowed down to about 30 seconds of viewing but probably equates to 3 seconds in real time. The assumption being that in 3 seconds - a heartbeat, a blink of the eye  - actions were taken that saved this man’s life.  Of course, the selling point of car in the commercial is that it comes equipped with these safe guards, its computers churn into action should an impact occur, so no human action – or thought - is required. 

We humans have to rely on our own good sense to prevent crashing into obstacles, though.  We have to mentally, and sometimes physically, turn off the knee jerk, old tape, ego based reactions to things that press our buttons, or are destructive to our or others’ happiness or well-being.  Though unlike the car in the commercial that automatically switches to safe-mode when things are going wrong, gratefully, we do have the capacity to override our human tendencies…it’s called choice.

The car commercial images flashed in my mind the other day when I found myself crashing into a situation with a guaranteed bad outcome. So, like the man in the commercial, I made some quick choices: I turned off the fuel….the presumptions and judgments in my head;  turned on the hazard lights … caution, caution …. stepped back, slowed down, took a deep breathe; and unlocked the doors …made the choice to exit gracefully.  Disaster averted – no casualties – no dark cloud hanging over the rest of the day/week.  3 seconds and nobody got hurt!   

Of course, it doesn’t always go that way.   Sometimes my awareness/reactions are dulled by the heat of the moment and I pass, what I USED TO THINK is, the point of no return.  However, I’m learning that even when things seem to be speeding toward impact, I can still choose right action and avoid the crash.  When caught up in an escalating argument or disagreement, I can choose to take a time out, I can choose not to fuel the fire by being honest about my motives, I can give up my need to win, I can simply say, “let’s stop.” 

On the road defensive driving serves us well.  So it is in life, too.  By being aware, by practicing respect and courtesy, by recognizing the “danger zones,” we can avoid both fender-benders and big crashes.

Drive safely!

Dorothy

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Dorothy:

The conversation at the yoga studio had turned to grousing and grumbling about the weather, when quietly a fellow student said, “But just think how much we’ll enjoy our beautiful tulips in July.”  The “vibe” in the room changed instantly, and I was reminded of the sentiments of our last blog.  How quickly we can change things by what we say.  By the expressions on all our faces, it was clear we had just shared an ah-ha moment.  Somewhat embarrassed to have been caught, as innocent as the “catching” was, spewing negativity out into the space; we were also delighted by the reminder of the extraordinary duality of our wonderful mountain environment.  With just a few thoughtful words the perspective, and the mood, of the other eight women in class had changed, and, in spite of the snow pelting the windows, I’m sure there were visions of beautiful tulips above all our savasana (relaxation) mats.  And, all was right with the world again!  Thank you Kathy.

Susan will not be joining me here this week as she is finding that life is, indeed, BUENO in beautiful, balmy Cabo!   I wish you inspiring sunrises, and peaceful sunsets my friend!

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Thank you for retuning this morning.  We appreciate your support and encouragement and hope we are meeting your needs.  Please let us know if there is a particular issue, challenge, book, poem, etc, you’d like us to share.  You can leave you comments here on the blog, or at our Facebook page.  If you choose to go to our Facebook page, please give us a “LIKE” while there!  Thanks!