Look at life through the eyes of a child

There are no seven wonders of the world in the eyes of a child. There are seven million. ~Walt Streightiff

I count being a grandmother, to my three grandsons, as one of my greatest blessings.  I am constantly amazed at how much information they store and I love how they take that information and interpret it as they see it.  This past Christmas, I took my two oldest grandsons, who were two and five at the time, to the local festival of trees.  For them, it wasn’t about the hustle and bustle of people, the loudness of the room, the limited parking or even the rows of decorated trees; for them, it was about putting the tiny tickets in the buckets, not in hopes of winning a tree, but just to watch them fall in and of course, it was about meeting the “real” Santa Clause too. If life was only as simple as they see it….

Share your experience when you look through the eyes of a child, what do you see?

Making a promise to MYSELF and keeping it

I feel keeping a promise to yourself is a direct reflection of the love you have for yourself. I used to make promises to myself and find them easy to break. Today, I love myself enough to not only make a promise to myself, but I love myself enough to keep that promise.  ~Steve Maraboli

I don’t know about you, but I am willing to go to the ends of the universe in order to keep a promise I made to someone, so, I wonder why I won’t do the same for myself.  I’m not talking about a new year’s resolution that may or may not have been made under the influence, instead I am talking about a promise like giving myself downtime each week, taking better care of myself, enjoying life more, etc.  So, today I PROMISE to allow myself to decompress at least once a week.  I am going to shut off my phone, stay off social media, shut myself in my room and listen to music in the dark or read a good book or snuggle under the covers and watch a chick flick.  I need to remember that it’s ok to be good to myself; I am just as important as the next “guy”.

Share what types of promises you make to yourself?  Do you keep them…break them?

Be Silly…Be Wild…Be Free

Make mistakes, take chances, be silly, be imperfect, trust yourself and follow your heart. ~Unknown

Recently, my husband and I went out for drinks, apps and a little bit of dancing; trying to relieve some of our everyday life stresses.  Ordinarily I am quite reserved, so I keep my moves to a minimum, but that night, something came over me and I decided to just let loose.  I did a little bit of the robot, the twist, the macarena and even threw in a little “Pulp Fiction” action and to be clear, there was very little alcohol involved.  I can honestly say that night will go on the list of one of our best date nights; I haven’t laughed like that in such a long time.  Well, “they” were right; laughter is the best medicine, because it wiped away our stress that night.

Share a story when you let your hair down and got silly.

Relax with a good book and reap the benefits

Whenever you read a good book, somewhere in the world a door opens to allow in more light. ~Vera Nazarian

Experts say that reading is good for your overall health; it reduces stress and provides greater tranquility.  Stress from work, personal life or just everyday life issues just melt away when you sit down and engross yourself in a good book.  Well, I think that it is time to check reality at the door, break away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and slip into the world of make believe.  When I read a book, my mind shifts gears; I am instantly transported to a new world; a world where men are sensitive yet strong, at times have fangs or shape shift into wild animals or where they are super sleuths or avengers of the universe.  Reading is also soothing; to read, you have to sit and be still, which may be the only time of the day that I can do this.

Share what you do to unplug from the world.

The President

Every citizen of this country should be guaranteed that their vote matters, that their vote is counted, and that in the voting booth, their vote has as much weight as that of any CEO, any member of Congress, or any President.  ~Barbara Boxer

When my sister called and said “Do you want to be part of a history making event?”; I didn’t think that meant standing on the side of the street screaming “Vote for Obama”.  But, wow, what a moment that was; a moment that I could share with her and a moment that I could share with my parents who grew up in the era where blatant racism was simply the accepted way of life.  Do I agree with everything that President Obama has done with the country?  The answer is no, but I feel that he has always had the country’s best interest at heart.  I am proud to be an American and I am thrilled that I lived in the era where a black man could be and was, elected the President of the United States.

Share a story where you supported a political figure or became in involved in politics in your community.

Christmas Memories

When grandparents enter the door, discipline flies out the window. ~Ogden Nash

Last year, I thought it would be a great idea to spend the morning decorating the Christmas tree with my husband and grandchildren.  In theory, the idea sounded like a warm fuzzy “Hallmark” moment in the making but in reality not so much.  The reality was my one year old grandson Khyson running around screaming and grabbing all of the ornaments off the tree as soon as we put them on; my four year old grandson Mekhi screaming at Khyson for taking the ornaments;  me screaming at Mekhi for screaming at Khyson, and then my husband screaming at all of us for screaming.  Once we got ourselves under control and the Christmas tree was decorated, I had the bright idea to take a picture of the boys in front of the tree; still striving for that “moment”.  But, like the picture says, Mekhi stood there like a wooden toy soldier and Khyson was just unwilling to stand still for even one second…CLASSIC!

Share a holiday story where things just didn’t work out quite the way you wanted or expected.

The Bucket

Friends are the most important part of your life. Treasure the tears, treasure the laughter, but most importantly, treasure the memories. ~Dave Brenner

I was introduced to the “Bucket” about 5 or 6 years ago.  A friend of mine hosts an annual “Bucket Party” party at her home every July.  It’s an afternoon of great food, a kick in the butt drink and friends, old and new.  Not sure what is in this bad boy, but I know there’s tons of different flavored rum with splashes of juice.  Looking forward to summer 2015!

Share a tradition that you have with your friends.

The Proposal

The love of your life will find you when you least expect it…the most exciting relationships happen when you’re not looking. ~Unknown

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This covert operation that my boyfriend, who I met via online dating, put in motion included my kids, friends, siblings and both sets of parents.  What started out as a quiet night out to dinner with one of my closest girlfriends somehow turned into a night that I would agree to spend the rest of my life with my best friend.  As my girlfriend and I were walking back to our cars after dinner, we passed the park where my boyfriend and I first met and I noticed that there was a candle and wine glasses on the table where we shared our first kiss.  I stood there confused and then all of a sudden my boyfriend stepped out of the shadows with that “gotcha” look and I almost hyperventilated because it finally dawned on me that this “was the moment”!  As I was calling my friends and family, who already knew, to share the news that I was getting married, my son hopped the small fence surrounding the park and we just hugged, laughed and cried; PERFECT!

Share your proposal story.

 

Turkey Day Storm

Nature has no mercy at all. Nature says, “I’m going to snow. If you have on a bikini and no snowshoes, that’s tough. I am going to snow anyway.”  ~Maya Angelou

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This “innocent” looking band of snow almost brought Thanksgiving day to a screeching halt.  We lost power late Wednesday night; not a good thing when you’re the family member hosting Thanksgiving dinner.  Not sure how you can cook a turkey with an electric stove when you’ve lost electricity to the house.  But when you have an awesome sister, who says “Pack everything up and come on over”, then there is nothing to fear.   Little did she know that she would be hosting not only dinner but me and my family as well, since the power was out for three days.

Please share one of your near disaster holiday experience