Your Desires

Dreams can and do come true. You can make your dreams come true if you put the time and effort. Passionate Participation. 

"Success is recognizing you are more today than you were yesterday." The Story Teller

I Spired

This is a good time to get inspired about the future, your goals and executing on those goals. I'm grateful for all of the inspiration I've gotten from thinkers and writers through the years, so I wanted to share my favorite, most inspiring quotes with you. Below are more than 10 snippets given by the Story Teller. Whatever mood you are in, or whatever situation you may find yourself caught up in, a little excerpt goes a long way in bringing peace to your heart.  

"Knowledge without context is trivia." "Knowledge without purpose is trivia."

"If you can define specifically what failure is, then anything else is success."

"The most perfect relationship you will ever have is the relationship with yourself."

"If you do not have to be what you are you can be something different."

"All things have a beginning, middle, and end."

"Embrace anger and love it for what it teaches you about yourself and for what you can change."

"Never accept that you are the one that will validate or invalidate someone else's laws or beliefs."

"When you find yourself in a situation resulting from the ramifications of past events, the longer you hang on to what has happened the longer you hurt yourself."

"Teach by your actions not by the need to speak out and be heard."

"Recognize that today is unlike any other day you ever had."

"The reality of it is that you are always more than you think you are and you are less than you will be."

"It is up to me to choose to believe in anything, including believing in myself. 

“Life is not a thing to be solved. It is a most wondrous mystery to be enjoyed.” 

"Joy is what happens when we allow ourselves to recognize how good thing are."

"Life is the school, Love is the lesson."  (my favorite bumper sticker) 

Self Control

This is an oldie, but couldn't be more perfect for me at this time.  I'm putting down my glass of water right now and taking the time to send this to you because I love you and I hope you find it a helpful reminder, too.

  

  Stress  Management for Women!  This is absolutely a wonderful email story!!!!

"A  young lady confidently walked around the room while leading and  explaining stress management to an audience with a raised glass of  water. Everyone knew she was going to ask the ultimate question,  'half empty or half full?'  She fooled them all .... "How  heavy is this glass of water?" she inquired with a smile.   Answers called out ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz. She replied , "The absolute  weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold  it for a minute, that's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour,  I'll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you'll  have to call an ambulance. In each case it's the same weight, but  the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes." She continued, "and  that's the way it is with stress. If we carry our burdens all the  time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy,  we won't be able to carry on." "As with the glass of water, you  have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again.  When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden - holding  stress longer and better each time practiced. So, as early in the  evening as you can, put all your burdens down. Don't carry them  through the evening and into the night."

Celebrate Life

Start your day with positive thoughts. Find Happiness in yourselves then share that love with others.   Celebrate the small gifts you receive today. Being optimistic and motivated can be very contagious. 

  

Find the humor and laughter in your life. Laughter helps us relax. We must become the things we like to experience. Life is how you make it. How far are you willing to go for it? 

 

A Toast To Dad

Today is Father’s Day and I could not help and take a moment to reflect. 

Many of us can look at our fathers and recognize that we wouldn’t be where we are or who we are today if not for the many ways they have positively impacted our lives and shaped our characters. Father’s Day provides a great opportunity to make our dads feel special and to know how much we value them. 

I was 5 years old when my father passed away and just 7 years ago when my step father passed away.  I am very fortunate to have had multiple “father figures” in my life to learn from.  Each of them taught me vastly different life-lessons.  They did not preach their ways to me.  Instead, they simply lived their lives and I gained valuable insight. I will take a moment to share some of the things I appreciate about these wonderful men.

My dads taught me:

-There is no substitute for hard work. He owned a company but titles did not matter to him.   He showed up every day to perform a service and he did his job until he couldn’t do so anymore.  

-His easy going spirit.

-His sense of humor.

-His joy in life and his belief in me.

-His joyous outlook on the world, his awesome way of being there for people.

A tribute to my father: The First Good Man I Ever Loved. Dad, I love you for an infinite number of reasons. I feel so blessed to have you as my father and I’m thankful for the wonderful life you have given me, and for a little light heartedness, -His half of my genes: earthiness.

I thank you, Dad. I am grateful that you were on this planet at that time.

Simple Pleasures

You have only to observe your cat's behavior closely to learn some of the secrets of happiness and a contented life.

My cat's enjoy the simple pleasures of life:

• Learn to Play. Cats, no matter what their age, are never embarrassed to let their kittenish side show. They’ll chase a butterfly or roll in the grass in the sunshine just because – you should, too! Play is good. Studies have shown that people who play regularly will be calmer and happier.

• Live in the moment. Cats know how to live in the moment. If there is a ray of sunshine, a cat will stretch out in it, enjoying each warm sunbeam. If there’s a soft pile of laundry warm from the dryer, cats will lie down in it. If there are birds flying around outside, cats will enjoy their antics. Learn to appreciate the little joys of life.

• Don’t hold a grudge. If you push your cat off your lap or your keyboard because you are busy, he/she will just find another spot near you to settle down. If you wake your cat up, he/she will not be grumpy. They don't sweat the small stuff! How much stress would be eliminated from your life if you followed their example?

• Take plenty of naps. Cats know that naps are good for you. You might have to go out hunting late at night or get up early to see the sunrise, so it’s a good idea to take a power nap now and then. Researchers have found that people who take a 20 minute nap have improved creativity, better performance, are more alert and have better cognitive function. 
• Eat well.  Cats are usually thought of as finiky eaters, and will often reject food that humans consider choice tidbits. If cats do accidentally eat something disagreeable, they know enough to cough it up as soon as possible on a nice soft rug or bed. While a cat's diet may not be ideal for humans, eating a balanced meal is definitely one of the keys to health and happiness. If people were as finikey as cats, they would not eat fast food or junk food. Like cats, we would do well to know what our bodies will tolerate. And if we allow ourselves a special treat now and then, it just adds to our overall happiness.
• Be Kind to Your Friends. Cats reward their furry friends with a quick rub or by washing their faces. Cats know the importance of having friends. Psychological studies have shown that friendship is surprisingly important to people, too. Social support can lower blood pressure, protect against dementia and reduce risk of depression.

We would do well to follow our cat's example by learning how to enjoy the simple pleasures of life, and using our creativity to find the fun in our everyday lives.