7 decisions... er... intentions

I love books. They often change my life. Some of my favorites are:
The Gifts of Imperfection – Brene Brown
The Alchemist – Paulo Coehlo
Here if You Need Me – Kate Braestrup
The Forty Rules of Love – Elif Shafak
And The Traveler’s Gift by Andy Andrews.

I know, Andy Andrews is a tiny bit cheesy and a lot bit conservative and “inspirational” and “motivational” and I tend to shy away from those types. ((Ok, I don’t tend to shy away. I’m decidedly motivated and inspired by those types.)) Although I haven’t liked any other of Andrews’ books, The Traveler’s Gift was the first one I read and I loved the ideas it held. Part of the book was the Seven Decisions. Because I take things from books and integrate them into my

needing hope

Source

Sometimes Mark makes me change the channel. The news is too gloomy, my heart is broken again for the pain I see in the world. I stare with silent tears running down my cheeks, he looks at me, then sighs and takes the remote away. “Your heart cannot break for everyone,” he says, “Let’s watch something uplifting.” 

And it’s true, my heart needs hope.

A little good news on a Monday!

I love good news, and I love reading about people who are making good things happen. This article made me happy today, and I declare Mondays from here on out as "Good News Mondays". So let it be said, so let it be done. Amen! :)

 Good news Monday story of the day:

9 Nanas 

Somewhere in West Tennessee, not far from Graceland, nine women -- or "The 9 Nanas," as they prefer to be called -- gather in the darkness of night. At 4am they begin their daily routine --

own [your] story - a story from a reader

I received an email from a reader who’s sister shared my “Shame – its what’s for dinner” blog with her. She is a Christian and wanted to share her perspective on shame, grace, and learning to let go. Brene Brown (I know, I’ve been preaching the gospel of Brene Brown a lot for the past few days) talks about “owning your story” and how when you tell your story to a non-judgmental audience, shame can’t disable your spirit.

New Year New Goals!

So, I was thinking about my goals for 2009... Generally I abstain from [public] New Years Resolutions because [generally] I'm terrified of failure and any symbolence thereof.

That said, I have made some New Year's resolutions this year:
1. Wear lipstick.
haha, I know, thats an easy one. But not one I really do currently. However, I recently got my hair cut very short due to a gross miscommunication between myself and the pro-cuts hairdresser (I shouldn't have believed her when she said after a quick glance at the picture that she knew 'exactly' what I wanted!)... I wound up with short hair. Boy short. not that there's anything wrong with that... but nonetheless, I am now a tall, slim, big eyed boy. With LIPSTICK.

2. Read more books. In 2008, I probably read about 6 or 8 books. Maybe more, since I read in spurts. Maybe more like a dozen. But I'm goaling (like that? I coined a phrase!) - I'm goaling for 1 book a month.

3. Do a full body detox. I don't want to use those nasty drinks to do it, I'm going to try the water and whole foods option. But it does include giving up some things I'm very fond of - you have to eliminate: processed foods (ok with me, I don't like them anyway), alcohol...(it gets worse), sugar!!, caffiene!!!!! and smoking. Oh dear. But I can do it for the limited amount of time it takes to detox, right?
How long does it take anyway???

4. Finish my degree. Only about 7 more hours to do that, so I think its accomplishable!! then I have to decide if I'm going to Nursing school or something. Deciding what to be when I grow up - forever my lament.


On a side note, I discovered something today in my early morning stupor. Something that has been lurking around for months in the shadows and I just haven't noticed or paid attention to... I discovered something that came to me and I can't place when I got it... PEACE. Yes, Peace! Really!

I remember a few years back, after a life lived with fear and apprehension and feeling so down and discouraged, I found hope in my closet. It was hiding, but when I liberated it, it brought me all manner of joy. I got a tattoo at that time, of the Japanese symbol for Hope on my stomach. Its my symbol, just for me, to remind me of what I've gained. I have said since that I longed for peace, and when it came, I would get the symbol tattooed beneath hope. Today, I realized, confident and smiling, that I have peace. Hope and peace. What more could you ask for?