Monday thoughts:
I enter this new week in a quiet frame of mind. While it is so easy to talk of willing oneself into a better mood, a more jovial state and that it seemingly should come easy…it is a feat of great effort at times. I moved from the mountaintop experience this weekend of hearing one speak whose life was filled with adventure and his desire to live life to the fullest was contagious. The next day I had the valley experience of having something stolen that has left me downcast and just sorrowful, really, over the unkindness in the heart of one who would take from another. Interesting…as I write this now and compare the two. One person living a life filled with giving to others and inspiring but another choosing to take from others thus discouraging. While I would never think of physically stealing from another, my thoughts now lead me to pondering my actions and my words. Where do I fill the buckets of those around me with what I say and do and where do I dip out of their buckets by my words and actions?
Tuesday thoughts:
I heard someone speak once of those who encourage us, who make deposits into our buckets. The person went on to speak of those who drained us by dipping out of our buckets but never quite contributed anything back. I had a friend like the latter once. Every time I would get off the phone with her I was depleted. She didn’t want advice and she didn’t want to change. She just wanted to share her story and move on with her day. I love to be a good listener but when the story never changes and you’re left feeling wiped out, it is time to evaluate the merits of the friendship. As I am working myself out of a melancholy mode today, I find that I am quite introspective. I want to identity those places where I can be more encouraging in both word and deed. I want to strive daily to leave others feeling the way I did the other night when I listened to the key note speaker…hoping that I invested myself into them selflessly and was a ray of sunshine in their day.
Wednesday thoughts:
Where do we find our quiet…our place and our time to think and contemplate the life we are creating around us? I am yearning for some time on the porch or a walk in the woods or a float down the river. With colder weather quickly approaching I need to be aware that too much time indoors will find me continually stimulated by movies, music, and the internet. Have you noticed even the restaurants now prohibit enjoying a bit of time with a sandwich and a drink and some solitude? Everywhere you turn, there is a screen hanging on the wall. Our world of social media and an abundance of screen time begs to intrude into our days and we have to define our limits. What will your limits be and where will you find your solitude?
Thursday thoughts:
When I say thoughtful, I am not referring to the action of exhibiting a kindness. Perhaps thought-filled would have been a more accurate word choice but it didn’t flow as well in my three-word perusal. 😉 My mind is thoughtful these days. It moves from idea to idea…stemming from a multitude of Pinterest posts – to person to person, thinking of those who are waging personal wars in their lives…against cancer, against weight-loss, against relationships – to the unseen future.
What do I want to do in this waning season of freedom with my girls before life begins to beckon my oldest into work, relationship, and higher education – to how do I finally minimalize my wardrobe…just how many pretty things does one girl need? All over the map I am. So today, I will continue on in my thought-full-ness and in the process seek a way to exhibit some thoughtfulness of the acts of kindness variety.
“A little thought and a little kindness are often worth more than a great deal of money.”
John Ruskin
Friday thoughts:
The sun is shining and my favorite season of autumn is about to begin winding down. I like delving into those periods of quiet reflection and melancholy modes. I don’t mind lingering there for a while. But, then there comes that line that, if I don’t cross it, becomes harder and harder to move out of that place. Thus…it is time to cross the line and delve back into days of change, and productivity, and eagerness for what is to come. I just realized that I like this blinking “line” in front of me on the screen. Its methodical on and off gently inquires, “so what do you want to say next?”. I want to say that I am grateful. Grateful that I don’t have to stay in one place. The boundaries set before me are generally my own. Opportunities abound for those who seek them. And, in the great fortune cookie wisdom that was once taped to my husband’s work phone…”Grand adventures await those who are willing to turn the corner.”
