COMMON Struggles

COMMON is the Five Minute Free Write prompt for today.

What do we all share?

We all have COMMON problems here in middle America. We have toilets that get clogged, cell phones that break when dropped, kids that are naughty upon occasion and our own choices and behaviors are questionable at times.

But, why do I and several of the people I know act like we have the corner on a particular problem? If it is a COMMON struggle, how come I think I'm the only one failing at ___?

Because another COMMON thing is that we convince ourselves that no one else is struggling with it too. It doesn't matter if that is true or not, it's what we choose to believe in the moment and so we run with it and let it cement in our souls like it is the Gospel. It isn't. It's actually nonsense.

Seriously, when was the last time you were sure:

No one else ate when stressed like you do?
No one else made that BIG mistake?
No one else was depressed like you?

We all are. We do it. We think it. You are not alone. You can make it through today, one breath at a time.

When you need me, I am here.

Messy Monday: Comfort, Eyeballs, and Blooming Where You're Planted

 Today I am combining my Five Minute Free Write with my Messy Monday because both are relevant together. 

COMFORT - Five minutes on this word when I could write volumes...

I've used many things for COMFORT over the years. Food is the one I've worn the most obviously, 

 ... as I write this I am listening to my Love hold our son accountable for his choices and I'm feeling the need for something soothing... because he does it differently than I do... sigh. 

I lose weight on vacation because I'm a stress eater. But, I've found this tea to be quite helpful in the past few years. I prefer the Kava over the honey lavender, but both work. It's less hazardous than eating, drinking alcohol, smoking or whatever else, to sit down and drink a cup of tea. OR depending on the moment, suck down a cup of lukewarm tea as fast as you can before you develop a twitch from the stress or eat your young... 

My friend needed me to bust out some cupcakes this weekend. I had grand creative plans that shrunk with the amount of time I had and supplies I needed. I highly recommend keeping a stockpile of candy eyeballs and food coloring handy.

Also, the regular googly eyes they have at the craft stores are helpful too. I love to put them in all kinds of places. This April Fool's Day I plan to glue them on to all of the food in the fridge, so the kids will have their food looking back at them.

But, for Saturday's party, bright yellow frosting, and an eyeball or two made for fun birthday cupcakes. I always say, "Love is something you do" - and this was a fun way to show up for my friend and let her and her daughter know I love them.


Messy is stabbing myself with the sharp tiny points of the frosting tip while trying to clean it by sticking my finger through, yelping in pain and then laughing because I stabbed myself with a frosting tip! Hard!

I'm a messy hair loving beach girl. I grew up on the southern California beaches and feel most like myself near or in the crashing waves. A bright light goes on inside of me that lies dormant until the smell of salt water floods my senses, the ocean breeze whips through my hair and I get sand on my toes. I have never loved being anywhere as much as I adore being on the California beach. 

Until...

Colorado. It's not just the altitude that makes me woozy and light headed. Its the sunshine and the stunning beauty of the wild rugged Rocky Mountains. When I go there, I don't want to leave. This is very messy because we live in Idaho. We have beauty here in our Idahome. There are pretty beaches on the lakes where we live and lovely mountains too. They just don't compare to the salty air, crashing waves, beach hair, the majestic Rocky Mountains and up close and personal high altitude sun for 300 days a year. 

We are in our Idahome for a bit longer and it's not a bad or hard place to live. We have great jobs, great friends made over the 26+ years we've lived here. Only God knows when it will be time to move to our Mountains or when I will be at the beach next. Until then, we bloom where we remain planted and soak up the occasional sun here. 

Thanks for joining in my Messiness! I hope you have a lovely week! 

Flexibility is KEY to Live Courageous!

When the word "Flexibility" came to mind as my focus for 2016 I had no clue what it might look like in the day - to - day reality. I am not, by nature (and nurture) a structured planner but I do like to have order and systems in place.

Until it becomes impossible to keep the order and run the systems. 

I spent 74 days with a migraine. On day 75, I woke up without one. It felt amazing. Like someone broke me out of jail and I could run free - but not very far. The migraine leveled my plans for the year. It forced changes in my life I didn't' know were needed and provided a re-alignment opportunity.

I had to wade in slowly to the water of my life, living more by an outline than a script. 

I used to believe my life needed more and more structure in order to be successful and achieve my goals. I mapped out my days with chunks of time allotted for each focus and tried to keep "on track". This amplified my anxiety and super-powered my stress. I discovered I was trying to make my round peg fit in a square hole (life by script). 

Living by outline means creating a framework of focus and choosing to find peace in the details. Flexibility as a lifestyle, instead of something forced by circumstance takes a crazy amount of courage (at least for me).

I love wisteria. It is a great example of what I'm talking about. The framework is the fence and the vine grows. It requires pruning (as do I) but its a messy kind of beautiful, like my life. I show up to grow, trust the process, thankful to adapt, and be fully present in the moment.

Now I am swimming strong, moving through the water of my life, establishing a new rhythm knowing flexibility is KEY to Live Courageous!