A cold front moved in last night… the winds were gusting to 45 miles per hour during the night and today.  The temperature was down 25 degrees when I went for my four mile walk this morning.  It was a whopping 55 degrees, I am sorry but that is cold here and will not work.  Good news is … It won’t last long!

The wind knocked the power out on the internet all day.  So, on a day when I was inside all day, there was no internet, so I really got nothing done.  I did get a lot of rest, watched a few episodes of “Glee” and read a little.  I did not leave the house after my walk, at all!

Cathy made some soup for dinner and we watched, or should I say, endured a movie… Now I have internet.  Whoo Hoo!  It is 10:00 pm here and I am sleepy, so… I won’t get much done now.  But there is always tomorrow.

Nite Nite

Went to Bookies this morning at low tide to look for sea glass.  First piece I pick up is blue… great sign!  Blue is rare and every time I find one,  I believe God is smiling down at me.  I need that!  After about an hour of sea glass searching I took a swim.  The wind was down so the surf calm.  It was so refreshing.  Sea water will heal everything.  I am sure of it.

Took a shower outdoors when I returned, now heading to a friends for lunch.  I think it’s going to be a good day.   Had a fresh salad from Susan’s garden and a hamburger patty.  Went back to Cigatoo, where I am staying through tomorrow night and help wash the dingy.  Gonna get a little work done before head to the pub for a visit.  Beautiful day today, 80’s and sunny!

No one can go back and start over but anyone and start today to produce a new ending.  The question really becomes, “Would you want to start over, if you could?”  There has more than likely been way more good in life in the past than things you would change, so I would venture to say that most of us would not like a “do over”!  Think about the things you wouldn’t have experienced and that is probably enough to stay where you are and … start from now!

Today is a new beginning… no denying that!  Every day is, really!  The way you start this year will determine how it will end.  It’s amazing how many people set goals at the beginning of each year, me included.  Most of those goals include things, position, or places.  All of which cost money, when really the things that make a difference in how your year will end cost nothing.  It really comes down to relationships and making them better.  It is time to make better choices, love more and judge less, forgive always and forget when you can,  develop new relationships and heal some old ones, remove bad habits and add new ones, decide to live a healthier lifestyle, help someone in need… the list goes on!

Start today and produce your new ending!  Happy New Year!  2012 is going to be a great year!

“When you stop chasing the wrong things you give the right things a chance to catch you.”

As Maria Robinson once said, “Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”  Nothing could be closer to the truth.  But before you can begin this process of transformation you have to stop doing the things that have been holding you back.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

1. Stop spending time with the wrong people. – Life is too short to spend time with people who suck the happiness out of you.  If someone wants you in their life, they’ll make room for you.  You shouldn’t have to fight for a spot.  Never, ever insist yourself to someone who continuously overlooks your worth.  And remember, it’s not the people that stand by your side when you’re at your best, but the ones who stand beside you when you’re at your worst that are your true friends.
2. Stop running from your problems. – Face them head on.  No, it won’t be easy.  There is no person in the world capable of flawlessly handling every punch thrown at them.  We aren’t supposed to be able to instantly solve problems.  That’s not how we’re made.  In fact, we’re made to get upset, sad, hurt, stumble and fall.  Because that’s the whole purpose of living – to face problems, learn, adapt, and solve them over the course of time.  This is what ultimately molds us into the person we become.
3. Stop lying to yourself. – You can lie to anyone else in the world, but you can’t lie to yourself.  Our lives improve only when we take chances, and the first and most difficult chance we can take is to be honest with ourselves.  Read The Road Less Traveled.
4. Stop putting your own needs on the back burner. – The most painful thing is losing yourself in the process of loving someone too much, and forgetting that you are special too.  Yes, help others; but help yourself too.  If there was ever a moment to follow your passion and do something that matters to you, that moment is now.
5. Stop trying to be someone you’re not. – One of the greatest challenges in life is being yourself in a world that’s trying to make you like everyone else.  Someone will always be prettier, someone will always be smarter, someone will always be younger, but they will never be you.  Don’t change so people will like you.  Be yourself and the right people will love the real you.
6. Stop trying to hold onto the past. – You can’t start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading your last one.
7. Stop being scared to make a mistake. – Doing something and getting it wrong is at least ten times more productive than doing nothing.  Every success has a trail of failures behind it, and every failure is leading towards success.  You end up regretting the things you did NOT do far more than the things you did.
8. Stop berating yourself for old mistakes. – We may love the wrong person and cry about the wrong things, but no matter how things go wrong, one thing is for sure, mistakes help us find the person and things that are right for us.  We all make mistakes, have struggles, and even regret things in our past.  But you are not your mistakes, you are not your struggles, and you are here NOW with the power to shape your day and your future.  Every single thing that has ever happened in your life is preparing you for a moment that is yet to come.
9. Stop trying to buy happiness. – Many of the things we desire are expensive.  But the truth is, the things that really satisfy us are totally free – love, laughter and working on our passions.
10. Stop exclusively looking to others for happiness. – If you’re not happy with who you are on the inside, you won’t be happy in a long-term relationship with anyone else either.  You have to create stability in your own life first before you can share it with someone else.  Read Stumbling on Happiness.
11. Stop being idle. – Don’t think too much or you’ll create a problem that wasn’t even there in the first place.  Evaluate situations and take decisive action.  You cannot change what you refuse to confront.  Making progress involves risk.  Period!  You can’t make it to second base with your foot on first.
12. Stop thinking you’re not ready. – Nobody ever feels 100% ready when an opportunity arises.  Because most great opportunities in life force us to grow beyond our comfort zones, which means we won’t feel totally comfortable at first.
13. Stop getting involved in relationships for the wrong reasons. – Relationships must be chosen wisely.  It’s better to be alone than to be in bad company.  There’s no need to rush.  If something is meant to be, it will happen – in the right time, with the right person, and for the best reason. Fall in love when you’re ready, not when you’re lonely.
14. Stop rejecting new relationships just because old ones didn’t work. – In life you’ll realize that there is a purpose for everyone you meet.  Some will test you, some will use you and some will teach you.  But most importantly, some will bring out the best in you.
15. Stop trying to compete against everyone else. – Don’t worry about what others doing better than you.  Concentrate on beating your own records every day.  Success is a battle between YOU and YOURSELF only.
16. Stop being jealous of others. – Jealousy is the art of counting someone else’s blessings instead of your own.  Ask yourself this:  “What’s something I have that everyone wants?”
17. Stop complaining and feeling sorry for yourself. – Life’s curveballs are thrown for a reason – to shift your path in a direction that is meant for you.  You may not see or understand everything the moment it happens, and it may be tough.  But reflect back on those negative curveballs thrown at you in the past.  You’ll often see that eventually they led you to a better place, person, state of mind, or situation.  So smile!  Let everyone know that today you are a lot stronger than you were yesterday, and you will be.
18. Stop holding grudges. – Don’t live your life with hate in your heart.  You will end up hurting yourself more than the people you hate.  Forgiveness is not saying, “What you did to me is okay.”  It is saying, “I’m not going to let what you did to me ruin my happiness forever.”  Forgiveness is the answer… let go, find peace, liberate yourself!  And remember, forgiveness is not just for other people, it’s for you too.  If you must, forgive yourself, move on and try to do better next time.
19. Stop letting others bring you down to their level. – Refuse to lower your standards to accommodate those who refuse to raise theirs.
20. Stop wasting time explaining yourself to others. – Your friends don’t need it and your enemies won’t believe it anyway.  Just do what you know in your heart is right.
21. Stop doing the same things over and over without taking a break. – The time to take a deep breath is when you don’t have time for it.  If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what you’re getting.  Sometimes you need to distance yourself to see things clearly.
22. Stop overlooking the beauty of small moments. – Enjoy the little things, because one day you may look back and discover they were the big things.  The best portion of your life will be the small, nameless moments you spend smiling with someone who matters to you.
23. Stop trying to make things perfect. – The real world doesn’t reward perfectionists, it rewards people who get things done.  Read Getting Things Done.
24. Stop following the path of least resistance. – Life is not easy, especially when you plan on achieving something worthwhile.  Don’t take the easy way out.  Do something extraordinary.
25. Stop acting like everything is fine if it isn’t. – It’s okay to fall apart for a little while.  You don’t always have to pretend to be strong, and there is no need to constantly prove that everything is going well.  You shouldn’t be concerned with what other people are thinking either – cry if you need to – it’s healthy to shed your tears.  The sooner you do, the sooner you will be able to smile again.
26. Stop blaming others for your troubles. – The extent to which you can achieve your dreams depends on the extent to which you take responsibility for your life.  When you blame others for what you’re going through, you deny responsibility – you give others power over that part of your life.
27. Stop trying to be everything to everyone. – Doing so is impossible, and trying will only burn you out.  But making one person smile CAN change the world.  Maybe not the whole world, but their world.  So narrow your focus.
28. Stop worrying so much. – Worry will not strip tomorrow of its burdens, it will strip today of its joy.  One way to check if something is worth mulling over is to ask yourself this question: “Will this matter in one year’s time?  Three years?  Five years?”  If not, then it’s not worth worrying about.
29. Stop focusing on what you don’t want to happen. – Focus on what you do want to happen.  Positive thinking is at the forefront of every great success story.  If you awake every morning with the thought that something wonderful will happen in your life today, and you pay close attention, you’ll often find that you’re right.
30. Stop being ungrateful. – No matter how good or bad you have it, wake up each day thankful for your life.  Someone somewhere else is desperately fighting for theirs.  Instead of thinking about what you’re missing, try thinking about what you have that everyone else is missing.

People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime.

When you know which one it is, you will know what to do for that Person..

When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need You have expressed.

They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with Guidance and support,

To aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually.   They may seem like a godsend and they are.  They are there for the reason you need them to be.

Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time,  This person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an End.

Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away.  Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand.

What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire Fulfilled, their work is done.

The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.

Some people come into your life for a SEASON, because your turn has Come to share, grow or learn.

They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh.  They may teach you something you have never done.  They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy..

Believe it, it is real. But only for a season.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons,  Things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional Foundation..

Your job is to accept the lesson,  Love the person and put what you have learned to use in all other Relationships and areas of your life.

It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.

Thank you for being a part of my life,  Whether you were a reason, a season or a lifetime.

One of the biggest decisions we face in life is deciding who we truly want to be – at our core.  That means we have to me intentional.  I have a healthy dislike for having to make huge decisions in my life.  Having choices is great until they leave us paralyzed and afraid to move one way or another.  Free will can be a real “bitch” some times (excuse my french).  I really hate it when I hear very clearly what God is saying to me and it is so against my free will that I want to scream.  Wait I think I’ve done that!

We have a lot of choices to make about who we what to be… our identity.  A lot of time, it’s easier to just listen and believe what others say about who we are and it kinda takes the pressure off.  That defining is often bad, but gives us excuses to be the way we are and make stupid choices.  All of a sudden, it’s not our fault.  It’s our circumstances, obviously (Justification)!  Then maybe we begin defining ourselves by what we do because we want to prove we are valuable and that we use our time wisely (not me of course).  Maybe we are defined by what we like in life, the things we enjoy doing… (like going off to some remote Island), the people in which we associate, etc.  Wrong again!

Unfortunately, many times we compromise who we are… just because we want people to like us, I know we’ve all done it… except maybe the perfect ones out there.  In order to make the decision as to who you want to be, you need to choose to make critical decisions in your life that will build your character.  One being, choose and clarify the vision for your life.  (I’m so not there yet!).   You must decide to have disciplined thought!  Live by certain core values that you can rely on to help you be who you want to be.

What are your core values?  Who are you?  Who am I?

Teacher?

Lover?

Learner?

I am rambling, now.  I have such a long way to go!  … but I am searching!  That’s a step in the right direction… I hope!

Mirror Mirror on the wall

You’re really not my friend at all

I look at you and want to shout

Suddenly the truth comes out

I thought it was a friend I’d see

But NO.. I see the real true me!