Category: Posts

It was a small act of courage, coming to this Island alone, I admit. I seriously believe it has created a bit of a domino effect. I have learned so much but mostly that when you take a chance, you never know the ripples that will come from it. If you think about it, most of the good things in your life will actually be a by-product of a few risks. The bigger the risk the bigger the reward.

What is faith, anyway? Isn’t the essential element of faith, risk? Too many in life we, “play not to lose”… boring! It’s time to start “playing to win”! That will entail maximizing risks, but it is way more fun. Breaking even should never be good enough. Don’t bury your talents.

It all starts with setting goals. I am a true advocate. Goals put you automatically in the offensive instead of the defensive posture. There will always be regrets in life. It’s a given. I’ve done a few things I regret. Don’t let your regrets be about the things you wish you had done but didn’t take the risk. Hey, we all make mistakes but regrets of the “I wish I had…” nature, will somehow haunt you forever and make your life incomplete.

I have always wanted to live on an Island. I love being near the water, the sound of the waves, the constant breeze, watching EVERY sunrise and EVERY sunset. You can’t miss it…It’s a brand new day, created right before your eyes, for you to take your next risk.

I was met with some resistance when I made the decision to jump ship. Lots of it, money, fear, people, etc. What if I hadn’t? I will be forever proud that I did take the risk. The benefits have been overwhelming. I found way more than I expected to find. I found life. I found new friends. I connected with old friends. I found worth and much much more!

I will never have to say, “What if?” Problem is, this won’t be my last risk, I’m afraid.

Hey, Jump ship…. Take a Risk! Isn’t that box getting a little uncomfortable? Step out of it every now and then. I highly recommend it!

Brand New Day

Seriously, why does it take a tragedy close to home to make you realize how precious life really is? Are we that dense? Seriously, everyday there is sickness, death, and hurt, and we still complain. We get so wrapped up in self that we begin to whine, about life not being fair, then BAM! You feel like an idiot for whining about anything. Someone is suffering majorly and your little crap becomes embarrassing. Not that our pain isn’t pain but…

The sun does rise every morning like clock work. That in itself is something positive for us to count on. The world still turns on it’s axis amazingly. Wow do we take stuff for granite. The more we dwell on ourselves the smaller our world becomes and the less we see the amazing things happening around us.

There absolutely is something in everyday to be thankful for… Find it!

Journaling (LOL, this word is not in the dictionary)…. the simple act of telling the truth.  Frankly, I’ve been somewhat redundant in the past with my journaling.  It was more of a daily diary… “Yesterday, I…”.  Very boring and a chore on top of that.  However, I realized that if you can tell the truth, you can journal.  You don’t have to leave anything out or sugar coat it.  God knows you and what’s going on in your life anyway.  You aren’t hiding anything.  Journaling can be a form of praying on paper.  It’s a great way to stay focused on your prayers or thoughts without other junk, like the laundry, seaping in.

A journal should be a record of your daily blessings, thoughts, worries, fears, or mistakes.  It is fun going back to read old entries, well, some of them anyway.  I have a few entries that I will have a journal burning session with at some point.  I will post photos of those memories long gone.

A journal reveals who you actually are, no BS!  It may just be a vehicle to help you discover just that… Who are you?  Actually, you will realize that ONLY you and God know that… well really just God, but you will get closer to understanding yourself by journaling.

Give it a try sometime.  Take 10-15 minutes.  Start in an old spiral notebook,  what ever you have lying around.  You are worth it.  Your thoughts and soul are worth it.  Worth discovering.  One promise I will make … You will discover and grow more than you know.

TIPS:

• It’s best to have a comfortable quiet, private place to write
• Be consistent and persistent.  However, if you miss a day, get over it and write.
• It doesn’t matter if you are not a writer, just write.  Glue pictures, paint, draw, doodle, whatever.
• Journal by hand on paper – this is very medicinal
• Grammer, Punctuation, spelling, and organization – not important at all.

TOPICS:

• Experiences, Thoughts, Feelings
• Reactions to something you read or saw
• Prayers out loud
• Blessings and Praises
• Fears
• Questions for God – He can take it

NOW STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING AND GO JOURNAL!

“Fill your paper with what your heart can relay, be your heart’s voice” – me

As kids we loved a good chase, we chased butterflies, balls, friends, academic, athletic or artistic goals, and eventually the opposite sex… at which point we chase degrees, money and positions.  Finally becoming complacent we stopped chasing at all and started settling.  Maybe we think… what’s left to chase?  We have everything we want and we stop chasing our dream.  I call that dying!

In the past, as a family we would all sit down once a year and share our goals.  I’m not sharing this to get an “awe” reaction.  Sometimes it was kicking an screaming from the kids… why put them through this torture of sitting and talking, crap!  But, interesting enough, because we did that, something has been planted in each of them.  They are goal oriented, like it or not.  As a family, because we did that, we took some awesome trips together, we decided together what we wanted to do, where we wanted to go, how we were going to pay for it, etc.  One of my life’s favorite memories will be our family sailing trip to Tortola, British Virgin Islands.  I think the kids will agree.  Anyway, on to my point… Goals are so important.  I was stuck in a “funk” for a while and I had no goals… except maybe getting out of bed in the morning.  Currently, my goal list is  growing… Each day I wake up… I go straight to my list and add something.  Maybe it’s something I want to do, somewhere I want to go, someone I wanna be…. I like I said earlier and part of the reason I am on this Island… I am tired of reacting… it is time to act!

Everybody needs something to chase (goals), it’s how we are wired.  We all have that in common whether it is realized or not.  We are all control freaks to some degree.  We want to know exactly where we’re going and exactly when we will get there.  “Are We There Yet?” Guess what, we aren’t in charge of everything… the greatest moments in our lives are unscripted.  But we can …Set goals, take chances, live life… Enjoy the unplanned and unpredictable, learn to improvise.  It will make life so much more worth living.

Got down to the pub at 9:30 yesterday morning.  I was so excited.  I get to go fishing with Pete.  First he made some Souse (Fish Soup) for breakfast, yum!  Then, finally around 11:00 we got it all together and cast off.  Me, Pete, Willie and Ferdi. (new friends from Charleston, SC).  We went outside the cut and hand lined on the bottom.  Deep!  Hunting for grouper.  That was so fun.  Caught a few little ones.  Had one on my hand line and a shark swooped by and decided to take my fish and my entire line… good thing, I don’t think that would have been good for my hands.  After several hours of fishing and trying to find the honey holes, we went to the end of Lynard Cay and jumped in the water.  The water colors are unfreaking believable to say the least.  We did a little beach combing, ate a little mango and cheese, then fished a little more.

We made it back to the pub just in time for the band to crank up.  Perfect timing.  Today was Ben’s surprise engagement party.  A pig and lamb roast.  I walked to the love shack for a quick shower, then headed back down.  Bryan LeMar was playing with the band today… he is good!  He is giving me some guitar lessons today or tomorrow, score!  I had trigger fish tonight.  The Pub was packed.  Stayed until 9:30 or 10:00 – that is late for me.  Fun Day!

1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.
8. It’s OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.
12. It’s OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don’t compare your life to others’. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don’t worry; God never blinks.
16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.
17. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.
18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.
19. It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Overprepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: “In five years, will this matter?”
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.
35. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.
36. Growing old beats the alternative – dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.
38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.
41. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
42. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
43. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
44. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
45. The best is yet to come.
46. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
48. If you don’t ask, you don’t get.
49. Yield.
50. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift…

I seem to be repeating myself about Friday Night at Pete’s but…. How unique!  The Locals (home owners in Little Harbour)  come and go here, because most of them are from the US or Canada and have other homes, so the crowd changes with the coming and going of the locals.  There are a few actual year-rounders, Laine and Bernard, Rollie, Darlene and Frank, and prop more I don’t know but most are wanderers.  I like that!  So the crowd is ever changing but consistent at the same time. Or should I say predictable.  Then there is the aspect of the boaters – big variable!  People also come over in the Winding Bay taxi’s… That’s the Ritz, so some come not having a clue what this place is about so they are all dressed up, even wearing heels… that’s a crack up when they get out of the car at the place where, “The Elite Eat In Their Barefeet“.  Sweet!  Depending on the weather or time of year, who knows who you could meet.  Met a nice couple last night and had great fun!  There aren’t many places like this.  You must come to Pete’s at some point in your life.  This is a photo of me and my friend, Pete!

I admit it (First step to recovery, right?)- “I have an eating disorder, I love to eat“.  Overeating is as much a part of my personality as my hazel eyes.  Eating here, in this place, on this Island, is heavenly, to say the least.  Crawfish (lobster), all types of fish… tuna, wahoo, king fish, grouper, hog fish, barracuda… you name it, I’ve tried it!  None of which is fattening in itself, I guess, right?  Well, thanks to my neighbors who feed me every night, we have changed all that…add a little cheese (of every variety), crackers, Wine and or Margaritas, unbelievable salads, risotto with parmesan and butter, potatoes, freshly baked homemade bread…. and of course, let’s not forget dessert, no matter how small. Thanks, Cath!

My walking 12-16 miles a week in the full sun, sweating bullets, is not putting a dent in my disorder.  My neighbor, with his lovely sense of humor, says to me… “You know, You can say, No Thank You!“…. well Gordo… I can say, “Bite Me” too, but I don’t say THAT!

So TOMORROW… I plan on losing weight, again.  No sense on going on one of the many stupid diets I have been on in the past, pills, drops, upside down diets, low fat, high fat, low carb, high carb, all protien… they don’t work.  I weigh too much, because I eat too much… It’s that simple.  So here’s my thought process (and the bottom line of my disorder)  I am not going to count calories (too much trouble).  Maybe I will cut out carbohydrates (or basically quit eating anything I actually like).  Nah… Maybe I will just cut back, Eat smaller portions, just say no to second helpings… yeah right!  I am doomed.  I’ve heard it is a good idea to drink a full glass of water before eating your meal… will Wine do?  It’s liquid!

It’s a shame others aren’t as successful as myself when it comes to dieting.  I think I will write a book about my success.  I will start journaling immediately, so it will all be well documented.  This weight loss could completely change the course of my life.  I am not sure I am ready for that but… I will head off on my new journey and different direction – TOMORROW!

Stick with your friends through thick and thin.  Did you ever wonder what that means.  It is so easy to maintain a friendship through the good times, but just wait until someone makes a stupid choice or decision.  Don’t regret being able show them how you will stick by them as an encouraging presence and practical helper through their darkest days.

You may not understand their choices, or endorse their actions. It is easy to struggle with the consequences of what they are doing, and leave. You don’t even have to go anywhere physically, but all of a sudden you are  withdrawing your availability and friendship. Selfishly tucking your heart into a safe place, a little box and walking away.

I desperately want to learn to stay.

Stay through conflict.

Stay through struggles.

Stay through suffering.

Stay through discomfort.

Stay through misunderstanding.

I desperately want to break old habits.

Stop closing my mind to find a happy place

Stop hiding.

Stop withdrawing.

Stop fleeing to comfort.

Stop taking the easy road.

I want to leave, but my heart longs to stay. I long to learn but that might be painful.  I long to be able to give grace to others as the One who never leaves does for me.  I long to love unconditionally!

(ideas from Proverbs 31 Ministries)