Don't fight it . . . .

How is it, that with so many brilliant beings on our planet, so few recognize that when one's life encounters turbulence, choppy waters or setbacks, it's always a sign that things are about to get wildly better than they've ever been before?

Don't fight it! 

This is really, really, good news!

Via Notes from The Universe

Photo by MAT NEIDHARDT via One League Artists

For your viewing pleasure . . . .

Beauty comes from within,

but sometimes,

well, you just have to enjoy the view!

Happy Friday!

Wishing you a lovely weekend!

Photo by Nils Odier via Agent Bauer

Let's hear it for "more girlfriend time" . . .

 I received this email from a good friend of mine and thought it was worth sharing.....

 ... I just finished taking an evening class at Stanford. The last lecture was on the mind-body connection--the relationship between stress and disease.  The speaker (head of psychiatry at Stanford) said, among other things, that one of the best things that a man could do for his health is to be married to a woman whereas for a woman, one of the best things she could do for her health was to nurture her relationships with her girlfriends.  At first everyone laughed, but he was serious. 

Women connect with each other differently and provide support systems that help each other to deal with stress and difficult life experiences. Physically this quality "girlfriend time" helps us to create more seratonin--a neurotransmitter that helps combat depression and can create a general feeling of well being.  Women share feelings whereas men often form relationships around  activities. They rarely sit down with a buddy and talk about how they feel about certain things or how their personal lives are going.  Jobs? Yes.  Sports? Yes.  Cars? Yes.  Fishing, hunting, golf?  Yes.  But their feelings?--rarely.  Women do it all of the time. We share from our souls with our sisters, and evidently that is very good for our health.  He said that spending time with a friend is just as important to our general health as jogging or working out at a gym. 

There's a tendency to think that when we are "exercising" we are doing something good for our bodies, but when we are hanging out with friends, we are wasting our time and should be more productively engaged--not true.  In fact, he said that failure to create and maintain quality personal relationships with other humans is as dangerous to our physical health as smoking!  So every time you hang out to shmooze with a gal pal, just pat yourself on the back and congratulate yourself for doing something good for your health!  We are indeed very very lucky.   Sooooo let's toast to our friendship with our girlfriends. Evidently it's very good for our health.

Photo by James Strack via One League Artists

Have I told you? . . . .

The gift of silence . . . .

Graphic from the book Be

by Kobi Yamada

Sensory Deprivation . . . .

I want to go dancing and wear a dress that swirls and floats around me, and laugh. I want to feel the shimmer of silk as it glides over my arms and down my body, the joy of fingering its whispery softness. I want to sleep in my own bed and luxuriate in the cool crispness of clean sheets, and rest my head on my own pillow. And go to sleep when I want to, with all the lights out, and wake up when I'm ready. I want to stretch out on my couch under my blue-plaid afghan and listen as my favorite music seeps from the speakers and into my being, watering the parched landscape of my soul. I want to sit on my porch and sip hot coffee from my stoneware mug, and read the newspaper, and hear the dog bark at blowing leaves and trespassing squirrels. I want to answer the phone and call my friends and family and talk until we catch up on all the words we've saved for each other, and laugh. I want to hear the train hoot through Loveland, the gravel crunch in the driveway, and car doors slam as friends come to visit. And the tinkle and clink of silverware on china, the hiss and gurgle of the coffee maker. I want to feel my bare feet on the cool whiteness of my kitchen floor, and the soft blueness of my bedroom carpet. I want to see the colors, all of them, every color ever spun into existence. And white, true white, pristine and unblemished. And acres of green trees, and miles of yellow-ribbon highways, and yards of Christmas lights. And the moon. I want to smell bacon sizzling, a steak broiling, Thanksgiving dinner and my father's tomato vines. And fresh laundry. And the ocean. But more than all of this, I want to stand in the doorway of my son's room and watch him sleep. And hear him get up in the morning and see him come home at night. And touch his face and comb my fingers through his hair, and ride in his truck and eat his grilled cheese sandwiches. And watch him grow and laugh and play and eat and drive and live. Mostly, mostly, live. And put my arms around him and hold him until he laughs and says, "Mom, that's enough!" And then be free to do it again.                    

-Deborah E. Hill

The above article was written by a woman in prison. Can you imagine having all the beauty of what life has to offer taken away? 

Don't take life, 
and all it has to offer
 for granted.

From the book Highlighted in Yellow

by H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

and

Rochelle Pennington


Photo via Google Images

Words to live by . . . .

Happy Friday!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Enjoy what you've earned . . . .

A lot of time I wasted

wishing I could be

the opposite of everything

my mirror showed to me.

But then one day I realized

the only thing to do

was try to be a better me

and not another you.

Life is a "package deal." If today you were a bit wealthier, skinnier, smarter, or cuter than you already are, there might have been prices to pay in other areas of your life. Maybe you wouldn't be as insightful, spiritual, or compassionate as you are today. Or maybe you wouldn't laugh as much, help as much, or roll exactly the way you do now.

Get the picture? The events and circumstances, challenges and accomplishments that have shaped your life, that have left you wanting more of this and less of that, have also honed your finer senses and polished your character as nothing else could have. You are the package! Enjoy what you've earned. Bask in your radiance. And understand that your differences from others are also your advantages. It's what you're made of! But realize they helped form the magnificence that you are today. 

From the book Choose Them Wisely

by Mike Dooley

Photo via Getty Images

What is your YouTube? . . . .

From the time we are in grade school, we're taught to think that the best answers and ideas are in books or come from someone else's head. What the world really needs to know right now is what kind of dreams and crazy ideas are in your head! 

In 2005 three college guys wished they had a simple way to share videos online with their friends, so they threw together a simple invention - a way for virtually any video to play on any web browser, and started their own little company called........

                                     

One year later they sold their company to Google for $1.6 billion, and Time Magazine named their idea "Invention of the Year."

It's easy to come up with big ideas. Just think of something that everyone agrees would be "wonderful" if it were only "possible", and then set out to make it possible.    -Armond Hammer

From the book 5

Where will you be 5 years from today?

by Dan Zadra

If you believe . . . .

Photo via Getty Images

How sweet the surprise . . . .

-Unknown

Photo via Google Images

How do you want to be remembered? . . .

A friend of mine lost a family member over the weekend which sparked a thought about leaving a legacy. I'm not referring to a financial legacy. I'm talking about an expression of your personal values, priorities and intentions, and what kind of impact it would have on your family and friends. Have you thought about what stories your loved ones will tell about you after you've gone?  What kind of significant meaning do you think you'll pass on to those you leave behind? We all want to live a life that matters. When I think about all the people I have known that have passed, there are several who have touched my life in such a way that their legacy actually acts as a guide for me.  With one person in particular, I am reminded of his courage, what it took for him to face everyday obstacles, and how he did it with such grace. With another, I think of how it was no effort for her to put others first. It came naturally for her, and she wouldn't have had it any other way. These people made such a lasting impression on me, that it has helped determine MY actions. That is a wonderful contribution! Personally, I feel that if you can put something in the world that wasn't there before; particularly something that could possibly make a difference in the lives of others, then you are well on your way to leaving a meaningful legacy. We worry about a lot of things in this life that ultimately don't matter, and today I'm just reminded to think about the things that do.

Photo by Jeremy Underwood

Time waits for no one . . . .

Anytime is a good time to do good . . . .

Promise yourself . . . .

Photo by TJ Scott via flickr

Pure pleasures of summer . . . .

Lemonade

Hammock naps

Outdoor cafes

Picnics

Fresh fruits and vegetables

Swingsets


Photo's #1 & 5 by Colin Cooke
Photo #2 via Google Images
Photo #3 via Getty Images
Photo #4 by Lerkenfeldt Photography
Photo #6 by Laura Burlton via flickr


Happy Friday!
Have a lovely weekend!

Follow the sun . . . .

I have determined that one of the best things about being on vacation is not having to watch the clock. We just look to the sun, then determine which direction to face our chair! Life definitely slows down. Isn't it ironic then, that vacations always go so fast? Why is that? The quote below is a perfect description of how we have gone about our day. No schedule. No time constraints. We are definitely allowing the mood, not the clock,  determine how our day will flow.  


Today, I just wanted to share these beautiful photo's of Grace Kelly on the beach. I love the  glamour in them. Stunning, aren't they?

Grace Kelly

"At the beach, life is different. Time doesn't move hour to hour, but mood to moment. We live by the currents, plan by the tides and follow the sun."

-Unknown

Photo's via Google Images

Photo via Getty Images

Face your fears . . . .

I'm a scaredy cat when it comes to the water.  I love looking at it, but getting in it has not been the easiest thing for me to do ever since I had a water skiing accident when I was in my late teens. I had on a life vest that was too big for me, and when I went down, the vest rose up my body and was floating on the surface, which left one of the straps wrapped around my neck, leaving me trapped under water. I came to the conclusion that I was a goner, although I never stopped fighting with that stupid vest. It finally came loose and I surfaced. Needless to say, I spent a lot of time OUT of the water after that! But hey, you can't let a little near-death experience stop you from getting back in the saddle, right? Check out the photo below. (I'm the third one back on the right.) Not only did I know this crazy trip would require me to get back in the water, but damn, I knew if I fell off this raft, I may have to fight for my life again!  I made sure my life vest was one size too small, and it was so tightly wrapped around my body I could hardly breathe! Not only that, but I bruised my feet because I had them tucked so tight underneath a strap across the bottom of this little boat, just for extra stability. Sometimes I can hardly believe I did it. But I did, and I literally never stopped laughing. It was so much fun, extremely exhilarating, and an adventure that I would have missed out on had I not said "what the hell." Do you have a fear? Do you realize that if you were able to conquer it, you may enjoy life a bit more fully? Don't let your fears hold you back from living a life full of adventure. For me......letting go of my fear of water (at least for a little while) allowed me to enjoy one unforgettable ride!

Photo by Class VI River Runners

Savor the journey . . . .

From the book Love Life

by Kobi Yamada, Dan Zadra & Kristel Wills


Photo via Getty Images