Trusting Your Gut - Intuition

How many times have I kicked myself for not trusting my gut? Too many time, for sure. Too many times I have talked myself out of "knowing what I know" because it looked foolish on paper. Too many times I've slapped my palm to my forehead and moaned, "I knew this would happen!" All I know is that I have within me a "sensing" ability that more aware of my surroundings than my brain. Not only is this "sense" aware of surroundings and all that inhabit them, but it has an innate knowledge of how I fit into, will be affected by, will interact with whatever lies ahead of me. That inner voice can help me navigate if I really listen. Call it a hunch or an instinct. Call it your inner voice or a gut reaction. It's intuition.

Intuition, I believe, is a mix of mindful awareness, hard-earned wisdom, insight, and God's voice within us. I don't know how it works. I'm not a philosopher, nor an existential physicist, nor a theologist or any type of spiritual guru. All I know is that I know.

Caroline Myss says that an intuitive person is one who has healthy self-esteem and can listen to, and trust, their inner voice without needing any outside validation. That sounds right on the mark. The overriding factor that keeps most of us from trusting our intuition is "How will this look to others? What will they think?" Old voices from childhood and our own self-doubt are what keep us from allowing our inner knowledge to be given a real voice. I find that prayer helps me with that. When I ask for God's guidance and the ability to hear what I need to hear, feel what I need to feel, and see what I need to see, I give myself permission to listen and trust. I allow myself to really be aware of what I feel in any given moment.

When intuition goes against everything we know to be true, it's easy to dismiss it altogether. We can temper our decisions with reasoning and cold, hard facts, but ignoring our intuition completely is nearly always a mistake. If we have a strong feeling about something, there is a reason for it. It pays to pay attention.

Just like speaking any other unfamiliar language, there are bound to be mixed messages when we first start tuning into our inner voices. Intuition, like any other gift we have, has to be used to be developed. It takes mindfulness and honest insight and faith. It takes peacefulness, sensitivity, and awareness. But mainly it take us believing in ourselves and trusting God's voice within us. It is His gift to us and it is with us always. Don't hide it away or ignore it any more than you'd ignore that big, awesome brain in your head. We know more than we think we know, if we'll only listen.

We all have spiritual DNA; wisdom and truth are part of our genetic structure even if we don't always access it. ~ Lama Surya Das

Man will have replicated his own intelligence not when he teaches a computer to reason but when he teaches a computer to have a nagging feeling in its circuits. ~ Robert Brault

Intuition is a spiritual faculty and does not explain, but simply points the way. ~ Florence Scovel Shinn

Trust your hunches. They're usually based on facts filed away just below the conscious level. ~ Joyce Brothers

The invisible intelligence that flows through everything in a purposeful fashion is also flowing through you. ~ Wayne Dyer

At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want. ~ Unknown

Shut your eyes and see. ~ James Joyce

An integral being knows without knowing, sees without looking and accomplishes without doing. ~ Lao Tzu

You are a part of everything, and everything is a part of you. ~ Ryan Smith

There is a growing body of anecdotal evidence, combined with solid research efforts, that suggests intuition is a critical aspect of how we humans interact with our environment and how, ultimately, we make many of our decisions. ~ Ivy Estabrooke (Program Manager at the Office of Naval Research)

Listen to your gut, now

Listen to that hunch

It will tell you where to go

And what to have for lunch

Pay attention to your instincts

And to that voice inside

Think back and you'll remember

That it's never, ever lied

~ Amber Gin

What Would Happen If I Actually Paid Attention? About Mindfulness

There's something to be said for the way time just magically moves forward, no matter how we dig our heels in and try to hold on. And there's something to be said for how often we let ourselves operate on autopilot while we're either living in the past, reviewing and rewriting memories, or in the future, worrying, planning, hoping, dreaming. What happens when we pay attention to the present? How much better will thing turn out if we actually do what we are doing and live where we are living?

It's impossible not to be distracted by memories or hopes. It's important to pay attention to future plans and remember our past experiences. Reliving wonderful memories and daydreaming about times to come are some of the most pleasant ways to pass time.  And we're nearly always present when it's important. So what's the hubbub about mindfulness?

When I was first pregnant with my son, I bought a book called What To Expect When You're Expecting. It was fabulous. It told me what I was going to feel before I even felt it. Two minutes after exclaiming that my nails and hair were growing like crazy, I would open my book and read "You've probably noticed that your hair and nails are growing like crazy about now." I kept that book near me wherever I went. Knowing what would happen as my body changed and grew and changed and grew gave me a feeling of security. But the book also mentioned all the things that could go wrong in each and every stage of my baby's development. And that's where I managed to get off course. As I anticipated each new phase and each possible problem, I began to get stuck in the "what if"s of the future. What if this goes wrong? What if the doctor doesn't notice this? What if I don't notice something in time? I spent so much time worrying about the what ifs, that I missed a huge chunk of the miracle I was living. I was growing a baby inside my own body! Things tasted and smelled different. I felt different. I looked different. My dreams were vivid and different. I could hear my son's heartbeat and feel him kick and hiccup. Sure, it's an experience that's been lived by millions of women over time, but this was my one chance to live it. And I spent far too much of it living in the future instead of in my present miracle.

Mindfulness is a focused awareness of the present moment. It lets us absorb the sensation and fullness of the moment, the small things as well as the big, instead of going through life with half of our attention on the past of future. The self-knowledge that comes from mindfulness lets us be more intentional in choosing priorities and actions that fit our life mission. Mindfulness keeps us centered and grounded in our current life, aware of the real possibilities and experiences of right now. 

When we turn off our autopilot and fully live in the moment, there's no telling what we'll learn or notice or discover. How many opportunities have passed us by while our minds were somewhere else? How many things could we learn by listening to our experiences and feelings in the moment instead of focusing on things we can't change or control? Everything we do consciously is an act of our own power. By being mindful and intentional, by letting go of the crazy mental chatter that accompanies our auto-piloted state, we become more powerful. We can change more, learn more, live more. 

I won't go into the many ways to practice mindfulness (meditation being one) because I am a brand new student of mindfulness. Mindfulness is not my natural state of being. But I'm finding that it is a benefit to me in both anxious and depressive states. I'm finding that both joy and peace increase with mindfulness. When I spend time in the now, I see so much, feel so much, learn so much. Mindfulness is the way to truly live life, instead of just going through the motions. 

May you live every day of your life. ~ Jonathan Swift

Wherever you go, go with all your heart. ~ Unknown

The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive you will see it. ~ Thich Naht Hanh

Do not ruin today with mourning tomorrow. ~ Catherynne M. Valente

If your relationship to the present moment is not right, nothing can ever be right in the future - because when the future comes, it's the present moment. ~ Eckhart Tolle

Do It On Purpose - Do It With Purpose

Purpose is the place where your deep gladness meets the world's needs. ~ Frederick Buechner

The purpose of life is to discover your gift. The meaning of life is to give your gift away. ~ David Viscott

I've always envied those people who were born with a calling; the ones who, at age three, would tell others they were going to be a doctor and stuck to that plan without ever changing their minds, becoming specialists at an age the rest of us are finally trying to figure out what to do with our lives. When asked what we "want to be", most of us - at age three, four, 8, 15, 35 - would answer with something like, "I want to be a ballerina-gymnast-scientist-inventor-detective-homeowner." 

What in your life is calling you, when all the noise is silenced, the meetings adjourned...the lists laid aside, and the wild iris blooms by itself in the dark forest...What still pulls on your soul? ~ Rumi

Sometimes our callings are colorful and grand, while our talents, abilities and fortitude don't always match up. As a child I was certain I was going to be a singer or a writer. Despite my constant practicing in high school, and achieving high placement in both All-Regional and All-State Choirs every year I tried out, I learned that I just don't have what it takes to be the singer I thought I could be. For one thing, I'm an introvert with stage fright. For another, I'm just not a very good singer. Technically, I was fine, and I don't completely suck at it, but I'm not as gifted as I'd been led to believe (ask my neighbors) and - as it turns out - it's not the driving purpose of my life, only a fun pastime. I'm okay with that. 

Writing ... I'm working on it. It is a driving purpose. Words are my favorite thing. I write and write and write. I tell stories. If I can't play with language, I start to get depressed. Whenever I've been in another country, where my foreign language skills are extremely basic, I've realized that the thing I have to offer others is my use of language; to entertain; to connect; to express emotion, interest, comfort... It's my most prized tool and asset.  

For some lucky people, the adage "Do what you love and the money will follow" has worked out brilliantly. They've discovered their purpose, worked tirelessly to hone their craft, figured out how to market themselves and ...Taa-DAA! That's a sweet life, right there. It's always worth a shot! 

Though it would be the greatest thing ever, our purpose isn't always our professional calling. Even so, never let that fact stop you from doing what you love whenever you can. Find a way. Fill your life with YOUR purpose! Take inventory of your gifts and look for opportunities to share them with the world to cultivate love, beauty and delight. Use your talent and strengths to make a difference and move forward. Live your life with intention.

If you have a purpose in which you can believe, there's no end to the amount of things you can accomplish. ~ Marian Anderson

Pursue some path, however narrow and crooked, in which you can walk with love and reverence. ~ Henry David Thoreau

Determine the thing that can and shall be done, and then we shall find the way. ~ Abraham Lincoln

To love what you do and feel that it matters...how could anything be more fun? ~ Katherine Graham

Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant. ~ Robert Louis Stevenson

JUST A FEW PEOPLE WHO LIVE(D) WITH DEFINITE PURPOSE

Dr. Seuss

Jane Goodall

Mother Teresa

Temple Grandin

Begging Your Pardon...

While this probably bothers no one at all except for myself (since my 1 or 2 readers are wonderfully kind and forgiving), I have to apologize for something. It seems that I bit off more than I could adequately chew with the April Plan of 30 Virtues in 30 Days. I'm afraid that - in the interest of sticking to my "post per day" deadline, some of my "virtues" posts have been partially - or fully - "phoned in", meaning they just didn't have my full attention. Don't get me wrong...none of these posts have had any real simmering time, let alone anything more than a rough edit, before being published for the world to see. But some days (IRL) have been more congested than others and, in the interest of sticking to the plan, I'm afraid my writing time for certain posts was squeezed down to nothing. But I've stuck with it, nonetheless, and I feel great about that. Thanks for reading anything I write. It means a lot and I vow to give you better stuff as time goes on.

The Power of Helping Others

If you ask most people, they love the idea of helping others and making a positive difference in some way. Millions of volunteers help with thousands of causes every day. Sometimes, for public interest, mainstream news shares stories of people who have helped in significant ways, saving and changing lives. I love those kinds of stories. They're heartwarming and they generate loads of interest in whatever particular cause is being showcased. People surge forward in for a brief time, inspired by what they've seen. But then life happens and all is forgotten. Finding the time to serve isn't an easy thing to do. We're all living such busy lives, rushing here and there, trying to take care of those we love and never finding enough time to do it all. When it comes to doing things for others regularly, it can be nearly impossible to find the time or energy. But it's important. It's huge. It makes the world go 'round. And it's worth the effort. Not just for those being helped, but for those who are doing the helping. 

Years ago, after graduating from college, I underwent training to become a children's grief group facilitator. One part of the training involved a full weekend of sharing and hearing about the most profound losses in each of our lives; hopes and dreams, grandparents, friends, parents, pets, children, cousins...we cried as a group about each loss. It was incredibly emotional and we were all weary and drained by the very end of the weekend. Our assignment, as we were dismissed, was to go out and do life-affirming activities. Play with children, walk a neighbor's dog, help in a soup kitchen, bring joy and comfort to others. To bring ourselves back from the low of reliving our losses, the cure was to lose ourselves in the service of others.

Reasons to Serve:

SERVING OTHERS HELPS US HEAL

Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves.  ~ Jim Barrie

The best antidote I know for worry is work. The best cure for weariness is the challenge of helping someone who is even more tired. One of the great ironies of life is this: He or she who serves almost always benefits more than he or she who is served. ~ Gordon B. Hinckley

SERVING OTHERS SPREADS LIGHT AND HOPE

Be a lamp, a lifeboat, a ladder. Help someone's soul heal. Walk out of your house like a shepherd. ~ Rumi

I don't know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve. ~ Albert Schweitzer

SERVING OTHERS HELPS US GROW IN WONDERFUL WAYS

The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others. ~ Gandhi

The more I thought about myself, the weaker I became. The more I recognized that I was serving a purpose larger than myself, the stronger I became. ~ Eric Greitens

SERVING OTHERS IS OUR MOST NOBLE RESPONSIBILITY AND OUR GREATEST CONTRIBUTION

Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth. ~ Muhammad Ali

What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world remains and is immortal. ~ Albert Pine

BEING BLESSINGS FOR OTHERS BRINGS BLESSINGS TO US

By becoming the answer to someone's prayer, we often find the answer to our own. ~ Dieter F. Uchtdorf

One of the great ironies of life is this: he or she who serves almost always benefits more than he or she who is served. ~ Gordon B. Hinckley

When you are able to shift your inner awareness to how you can serve others, and when you make this the central focus of your life, you will then be in a position to know true miracles in your progress toward prosperity. ~ Wayne W. Dyer

When you reach out to hurting people, that's when God is going to make sure your needs are supplied. When you focus on being a blessing, Go makes sure that you are always blessed in abundance. ~ Joel Osteen

How to Serve:

SERVE ENTHUSIASTICALLY, EXPECTING NOTHING IN RETURN. SERVE AS MUCH OR AS LITTLE AS YOU CAN. 

Do your little bit of good where you are. It's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world. ~ Desmond Tutu

If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one. ~ Mother Teresa

You have never really lived until you have done something for someone who can never repay you. ~ John Bunyan

The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit. ~Nelson Henderson

SERVE WITH A LOVING AND HUMBLE HEART

Charity sees the need, not the cause. ~ German Proverb

If you can't do great things, Mother Teresa used to say, do little things with great love. If you can't do them with great love, do them with a little love. If you can't do them with a little love, do them anyway. Love grows when people serve. ~ John Ortberg

Choosing to Turn Pain into Beauty - Quotes on Personal Growth

One day, in retrospect, the years of struggle will strike you as the most beautiful. ~ Sigmund Freud

Never be afraid to fall apart, because it is an opportunity to rebuild yourself the way you wish you had been all along. ~ Rae Smith

It is your reaction to adversity, not the adversity itself, that determines how your life's story will develop. ~ Dieter F. Uchtdorf

There are no such things as limits to growth, because there are no limits to the human capacity for intelligence, imagination, and wonder. ~ Ronald Reagan

Growth is painful. Change is painful. But nothing is as painful as staying stuck somewhere you don't belong. ~ Mandy Hale

Hardships often prepare ordinary people for extraordinary destiny. ~ C.S. Lewis

Those who move forward with a happy spirit will find that things always work out. ~ Gordon B. Hinckley

We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us. ~ Joseph Campbell

Change is inevitable. Growth is Optional. ~ John Maxwell

I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it. ~ Maya Angelou

God will not pour fresh, creative ideas and blessings into old attitudes. ~ Joel Osteen

We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them. ~ Albert Einstein

Perhaps strength doesn't reside in having never been broken, but in the courage required to grow strong in the broken places. ~ Unknown

The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new. ~ Socrates

Become who you are. ~ Friedrich Nietzsche

The things which hurt, instruct. ~ Benjamin Franklin

When life is sweet, say thank you and celebrate.  When life is bitter, say thank you and grow. ~ Unknown

And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was greater than the risk it took to bloom. ~ Anais Nin

Creativity - the Real Mother of Invention (and Fun)

Creativity is piercing the mundane to find the marvelous. ~ Bill Moyers

Creativity is the real mother of invention. Not necessity. Necessity may be the alarm clock for creativity, but invention is creativity's baby. Creativity has a lot of babies. Thank goodness. Some thrive, some lay dormant for years, some die <sob>.  Thoughts, ideas, solutions, songs, stories, art, music, innovations, DELICIOUS COOKIES...all are products of creativity. Our creativity is as prolific and industrious and abundant as we allow. If we were to let creativity out to do her thing more often, we'd be living such colorful, brilliant, FUN lives! We're all born with creative souls, so why do we sometimes shy away from creative thought? 

ADULTHOOD: WHERE CREATIVITY GOES TO DIE?

Every child is an artist, the problem is staying an artist when you grow up. ~ Pablo Picasso

Sometimes non-creative adults attempt to murder creativity in children. I don't like those adults much. I feel sorry for them, of course, because someone must have insisted that they relinquish their own creative energy and their lives have surely been duller and dimmer and less colorful since then. But I don't respect people who steal joy from children because their own joy was stifled as a child. Grow, people, grow. Break the negativity cycle! 

I saw as a teacher how, if you take that spark of learning that those children have, and you ignite it, you can take a child from any background to a lifetime of creativity and accomplishment. ~ Paul Wellstone

Some people, when becoming grown-ups, feel that creativity will lessen their ability to thrive in the world of meetings and bills and responsibility. We all know these people. Let's have a moment of silence for them now. 

[2 or 3 seconds of quietude]

The creative adult is the child who survived. ~ U. LeGuin

Every child is an artist, the problem is staying an artist when you grow up. ~ Pablo Picasso

Yet, look around and you'll see that the most successful and happy adults are those who have managed to engage their creative genius. They take chances and try new things and enjoy the creativity of others. They're resourceful and innovative and interested in life. The very best parents are delight in and encourage their child's natural creativity as well as share their own. Creative people are more interesting, more fun, and generally more resilient.  

Creativity is the power to connect the seemingly unconnected. ~ William Plomer

Even when we know and appreciate our own creativity, it can sometimes hide from us when we need it most. How do we beckon our particular Muse when we most need her? Here are 3 quick jumpstarts to try.

1.) BRAINSTORM

There is a road from the eye to the heart that does not go through the intellect. ~ Gilbert K. Chesterton

Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep. ~ Scott Adams

Don't look for the ONE RIGHT ANSWER to anything. There may be many right answers! Look for 10 or more good answers and give yourself 30 minutes to come up with them. The first  idea might come a little slowly, but then you'll find that they come faster and faster once you editing each thought. Giving ourselves a time limit and a goal to produce as much as possible allow us to let go of "rules". We can produce so much when we're not worried about making mistakes. 

2.) PLAY LIKE A CHILD

You see a child play, and it is so close to seeing an artist paint, for in play a child says things without uttering a word. You can see how he solves hi problems. You can also see what's wrong. Young children, especially, have enormous creativity, and whatever's in them rises to the surface in free play. ~ Erik Erikson. 

Do something that engages your whole being. Jump on a trampoline, kick a ball around a field, run barefoot in the grass, swing, hide something and then draw a treasure map, splash in puddles and dance in the rain, build a fairy garden under a tree with twigs and leaves and pebbles. These kinds of activities keep us in the moment, letting us delight in just "being". Creativity awakens in such moments.

3.) DO SOMETHING ELSE ENTIRELY

All profound distraction opens certain doors. You have to allow yourself to be distracted when you are unable to concentrate. ~ Julio Cortazar

All the really good ideas I ever had came to me while I was milking a cow. ~ Grant Wood

It could be a timing thing. Maybe we're too tired to figure anything out. Sometimes we're trying too hard. We may be hungry or achy or distracted by one pesky task that needs to be done. Take a break and give your mind a chance to focus on other things. It'll be like rebooting your computer. 

I could go on and on about creativity; about how it's necessary for life and love and peace, about how it takes fortitude and hard work to carry out, about how tricky it can be to maintain around negative people. There's so much I want to learn about my own creativity and how to inspire creativity in others - particularly children. Onward, onward, down my colorful, zig-zaggy path I go, learning and creating and giving. 

Don't think. Thinking is the enemy of creativity. It's self-conscious, and anything self-conscious is lousy. You can't try to do things. You simply must do things. ~ Ray Bradbury

Creativity comes from trust. Trust you instincts, and never hope more than you work. ~ Rita Mae Brown

The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt. ~ Sylvia Plath

Creativity is more than just being different. Anybody can plan weird; that's easy. What's hard is to be as simple as Bach. Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity. ~ Charles Mingus

For more ways to grow your creativity, check out these links and books:

Anything written or created by Keri Smith
TED Talks on creativity
How to Get Ideas written by Jack Foster and Illustrated by Larry Corby
And check out 5 classic challenges to Test Your Creativity at 99u.com 

WARNING: Creativity should only be used for good. Evil creative usage will result in bad energy and will come back to haunt you in some way. Honest.

Simplicity...It's Complicated!

I really want to simplify my life. I want to wake up in the morning and be grateful. I want to brush my teeth and stretch and pray and grab a cup of coffee and quickly check my Facebook. And check my Facebook. And check my email. And look at my shop activity on Etsy. And see what the deal of the day is on Audible. And check my Facebook. And follow the links I find on Facebook. And quickly pop in at Pinterest, just to find a perfect photo for my next post, and look    at    the   fooood... And dammit! How'd it get to be 8:30 already??? I haven't worked out or eaten my simple, healthy breakfast or finished today's post, let alone tomorrow's, and didn't I promise myself I'd catch back up and get ahead of the game with my writing deadlines? I have orders to package and ship and laundry to do. I have to weed and water my side yard and file a bunch of stuff and clean the cat boxes. I should be in Arizona with my mom, or working at a real job. I have people to call and places to go and things to think about. My front door isn't going to find the perfect color and paint itself, you know. And what about things like oil changes and networking and vision boards and colonoscopies? Isn't today the day I have slated for washing all my exterior windows? I need new shoes.

Simplicity simple? NO. WAY.  Simplicity is so not simple. Simplicity takes work and thought and insight and commitment. Simplicity sheds the unessential and calls for an intensely honest assessment of what is truly important. It's your life, in 20 words or less. It's taking the "what matters most" approach. Simplicity is complicated.

I didn't have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead. ~ Mark Twain

The art of simplicity is a puzzle of complexity. ~ Douglas Horton

About 5 years back, I downsized to a smaller home and let go of loads and loads of stuff. Boxes and crates and truckloads of stuff was loaded up and given to others or thrown away. I've had at least 3 garage sales and keep thinning out my possessions, but I've still run short on horizontal space. Time to clear out even more. I crave emptier shelves. I want less to dust. My house would feel better with more open space. 

Even without all the "stuff" my son and I have managed to collect, it's still so tempting to fill my life with things that I should be doing, things that I have to do, and things I want to do. There aren't enough hours or storage space for what I think my life should be. I need to work harder, be smarter, socialize more, go on adventures, do more for others, be a better me. There's so much to do!!!

But what do I really need? How much do I need to have or do to live a healthy, happy, fulfilling life? Good question. Scary question. I need a home, of course, for myself and my pets and my son (whenever he chooses to come back). I need fresh water and the ability to procure and prepare food. I need weather appropriate clothing, and - possibly - at least one little black dress. Living where I live, keeping my well-maintained and filled with fuel is hugely helpful to a productive life. Electricity and indoor plumbing, while luxuries in other places, are necessities here. I need running water, at the very least, to maintain good standards of hygiene and to water my plants. My cellphone - a smartphone - brings huge convenience in a tiny package. My computer, my iPad, my WiFi, my vacuum, my washer and dryer, my refrigerator, my stove and microwave, my bathrooms - or at least one of them - outfitted with all the normal fixtures...heat, air, windows that open, a comfortable bed, tables, art, music, office doo-dads, good scissors, Advil, good tortilla chips... I am as needy as they come. And don't get me started on my to-do list or the fact that I feel perpetually guilty for not keeping up with Martha Stewart.

Voluntary simplicity means going fewer places in one day rather than more, seeing less so I can see more, doing less so I can do more, acquiring less so I can have more." — John Kabat-Zinn

So how can I simplify my life? I can start by figuring out what I want my simple life to look like and work from there. On Zen Habits, I found a list of 72 ideas to simplify my life.  Haha! 72 simple ideas! But I think it looks like a good start. Joshua Becker (someone who has walked the simplified walk and lived to write about it) has written many books on the "hows" of simplifying your life and all the benefits that he and his family have reaped. The one I'm looking at is a Kindle book called Simplify. I can't endorse it since I haven't yet read it, but I'll let you know down the road. I'm excited about simplifying, no matter how complicated. 

As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler; solitude will not be solitude, poverty will not be poverty, nor weakness weakness. ~ Henry David Thoreau

It's not a daily increase, but a daily decrease. Hack away at the inessentials. ~ Bruce Lee

Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials. ~ Lin Yutang

Simplicity is about subtracting the obvious and adding the meaningful. ~ John Maeda

The more simple we are, the more complete we become. ~ August Rodin

Get Your Funny On

Day 23 of the April Plan is about humor. Humor is good for you. Appropriately employed, it has a significantly positive effect on your life. It can help us deal with pain and painful situations, it can lighten moods and encourage joy and learning. I don't think anyone will argue that humor is essential for a healthy life. But since it's not at all funny to write about humor, I thought I'd just share some things that make me laugh. Many of these are pulled from my ancient archives, but still get a chuckle out of me. You may have seen most of these already as well, but still...They're funny! There's just enough here for a tiny respite from mundanity and grumpiness. I've also added some links to funny sites at the bottom of the post. If you have a funny to share, please add it in the comments section. I'm always happy to laugh. Have a happy day! 

ANIMAL LOVE:

             

                                                                  

This is one of my favorite videos. It always inspires a laugh no matter how many times I've seen it.

FLUBBED HEADLINES:

Maybe because of tight deadlines, maybe because of lack of sleep, maybe because they just don't know any better, journalists the world over produce fodder for hilarious misunderstanding when trying to synopsize their article into a succinct headline. Here are just a few that have been around for a long while. Still funny.

 MAN ROBS, THEN KILLS HIMSELF

BOYS CAUSE AS MANY PREGNANCIES AS GIRLS

PROSTITUTES APPEAL TO POPE

DRUNK GETS NINE MONTHS IN VIOLIN CASE

BAR TRYING TO HELP ALCOHOLIC LAWYERS

TEENAGE PROSTITUTION PROBLEM IS MOUNTING

DEAD EXPECTED TO RISE

BLIND WORKERS EYE BETTER WAGES

MILK DRINKERS TURN TO POWDER

TWO CONVICTS EVADE NOOSE, JURY HUNG

HOSPITALS ARE SUED BY 7 FOOT DOCTORS

FARMER BILL DIES IN HOUSE

(A FEW MORE) FAR SIDE CARTOONS BY GARY LARSON:

CHURCH LADIES WITH TYPEWRITERS...(CHURCH ANNOUNCEMENT BLOOPERS):

They're Back! Those wonderful Church Bulletins! Thank God for church ladies with typewriters. These sentences (with all the BLOOPERS & TYPOS) actually appeared in church bulletins or were announced in church services.

The sermon this morning :"Jesus Walks on the Water." The sermon tonight: "Searching for Jesus."

Miss Charlene Mason sang "I will not pass this way again," giving obvious pleasure to the congregation.

For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.

Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married on October 24 in the church. So ends a friendship that began in their school days.

At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be "What Is Hell?" Come early and listen to our choir practice.

Scouts are saving aluminum cans, bottles and other items to be recycled. Proceeds will be used to cripple children.

Low Self-Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 PM. Please use the back door.

Please place your donation in the envelope along with the deceased person you want remembered.

The ladies of the Church have cast off clothing of every kind. They may be seen in the basement on Friday afternoon.

The pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the Congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday.

Weight Watchers will meet at 7 PM at the First Presbyterian Church. Please use large double door at the side entrance.

DAVID LETTERMAN FUN FACT:

Due to a typo in is contract, illusionist David Copperfield once had to pull a rabbi out of a hat.

CHUCK NORRIS FUN FACTS: 

(Taken from Chuck Norris Cannot Be Stopped: 400 All-New Facts About The Man Who Knows Neither Fear Nor Mercy by Ian Spector)

Doctors once found sixty dollars worth of nickels in Chuck Norris's stomach.

Before Leo Tolstoy met Chuck Norris, his book was called Peace.

All of Chuck Norris's toes are big toes.

Chuck Norris tightrope walked across the Pacific Ocean, stopping only once, in Guam, to liberate it from the Spanish.

Chuck Norris's rap sheet actually rhymes.

Chuck Norris owns all of the No. 1 pencils.

When Alexander Graham Bell made the first phone call, all he heard on the other end was Chuck Norris's heavy breathing.

Chuck Norris whistles in German.

AND JUST A FEW MORE MEMES:

That's it for today. Go forth and laugh. Go get your funny on. 

For more funny check out 

The Onion - a hilarious satirical news site

BuzzFeed -  a potpourri of (real) news blips, quizes and entertaining lists of memes

Stop. Drop. Be Grateful.

How do I practice gratitude? I practice gratitude by acknowledging and appreciating those things that bring me comfort and joy and hope and health. [YESSS!!!] I practice gratitude by sharing my blessings with others. [EXCELLENT!!!] I practice gratitude by grumping and whining about the things I need and wish I had.
...
...
...
[crickets]

Well, the grumping and wishing are more like precursors to my practice of gratitude, like the antsy feeling a runner gets before deciding they need a run. With any hope, by the time you hit the half-century mark, you know yourself fairly well. And the one thing I know about myself is that if I find myself feeling stuck or fearful or unloved or incapable, it stems from an ungrateful attitude. 

Gratitude is one of the sweet shortcuts to finding peace of mind and happiness inside. No matter what is going on outside of us, there's always something we could be grateful for. ~ Barry Neil Kaufman

When you are grateful, fear disappears and abundance appears. ~ Anthony Robbins

Often Sometimes I forget this about myself and continue to burrow deeper into my misery, depression and self-pity, hiding from insight and unable to rally or turn myself around. But when I find myself ruminating about all I lack, wishing for this and for that - which inevitably happens - my higher self recognizes the particular soul illness I'm suffering and leads me to the cure: 

STOP. DROP. BE GRATEFUL. 

Gratitude is an opener of locked-up blessings. ~ Marianne Williamson

It's fairly clear to me that practicing gratefulness regularly, as in daily, can keep me from sliding into fear and worry (my own personal nemeses). So why don't I do it? I try, I really do. 

On my To Do list, there is a daily task labeled "Gratitude List". I've been keeping one for years. The plan is to list at least three things a day about which I feel grateful or blessed. The reality is that I haven't made it a priority and will go for days without writing anything down then, suddenly catching myself in an anxious, whiny state, will open the list and make 25 entries. And when I do that, a small miracle occurs. My outlook brightens. Good things happen. Life is suddenly better than I'd thought. Immediately!!! And - no joke - bigger blessings and opportunities start showing up. True story! Gratefulness for the things you already have brings about more things for which to be grateful. It's a beautiful thing.

It is impossible to be both grateful and depressed. Those with a grateful mindset tend to see the message in the mess. And even though life may knock them down, the grateful find reasons, if even small ones, to get up. ~ Steve Maraboli

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow. ~ Melody Beattie

Feeling grateful is important. But so is expressing gratitude to others. Have you ever thanked anyone, out of the blue, for something they've been doing for you for years? 

"Hey listen, I just want you to know how much I appreciate you being there whenever I need an ear, shoulder (any other body part)..." 

 
"Mom, thanks for dealing with me in such a loving way during my teenage years. That can't have been easy." 

"These cookies are just a small token of gratitude for how hard you've been working, despite all that's been going on in your personal life."

Let us be grateful to people who make us happy they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom. ~ Marcel Proust

The deepest craving of human nature is the need to be appreciated. ~ William James 

Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it. ~ William Arthur Ward 

Too many times I find myself, when praying, asking God for this and for that. Protect my son. Give me strength. Help me help my mother. Take this fear. Heal my friends. Help, heal, give, stay, take...Grant miracles...Move mountains, please, please, please... He hears all my requests. He acts on my behalf. I still feel sullen and lost.

It's not until I remember to thank Him for all the crazy, awesome blessings and all the mundane, easy-to-overlook blessings, that I feel light and empowered. And - again - here come more blessings, flowing into my life.

If the only prayer you said was thank you, that would be enough. ~ Meister Eckhart

You pray in your distress and in your need; would that you might pray also in the fullness of you joy and in your days of abundance. ~ Kahlil Gibran 

Sure, maybe being grateful just makes us more aware of the good things around us and doesn't really bring any brand new things into our lives. But 1.) I don't think so, and 2.) no matter what, wouldn't you rather see the good things than the bad?

Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance. ~ Eckhart Tolle

My mission is to start making gratefulness a daily priority, like brushing my teeth (may I mention that I'm grateful for straight, healthy, white teeth?). I really want it to become a habit. Wake up and be grateful: Thank you for my comfortable bed, soft pillow, warm comforter. Yippee...it's coffee time! Work and be grateful: I'm writing! I'm creative! I have reading glasses in every room! Clean my home and be grateful: Yay, I have a home!!! I fixed my washing machine all by myself! Thank you, God, for vacuum cleaners. Yes, even the mundane things are worth our gratitude.

My expectations were reduced to zero when I was 21. Everything since then has been a bonus. ~ Stephen Hawking.

I'm not talking about turning into Pollyanna - blind to reality, purposely ignoring difficulties, sadness and cruelty in the world. I'm saying that I want to focus on all the good, be thankful for all I'm given, acknowledge that I am richer and stronger and more well-loved than I could ever know. When I'm in a place of gratitude, I'm in a better place to share my blessings and help others. And when I share those blessings, blessings keep on coming.

What you focus on expands, and when you focus on the goodness in your life, you create more of it. Opportunities, relationships, even money flowed my way when I learned to be grateful no matter what happened in my life. ~ Oprah Winfrey

We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures. ~ Thornton Wilder

Imagine...we can change our own worlds, and even change the world, just by being habitually grateful - practicing gratitude. Let's do it.

When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed. ~ Maya Angelou