
Good evening, everyone!!!
These last several months have definitely been some of reflection and inner workings. One way I've been working on this is by heading out to the waters with my sister. We grab the kayaks, find someplace we haven't been, and we take up the challenge of being one with nature.
Today, was so enlightening, so confirming, so needed, that I told her before we ever got off the river I would be blogging about today, LOL.
See, I've been doing something this summer that would mean absolutely nothing to anyone other than myself, but I decided to collect mementos from the different areas we visit. About a month ago we went to the Seven Pillars. I collected my first set of stacking stones, which is a way of allowing me to bring about balance within my life, along with patience. I decided that every trip we take this summer I will find stones that speak to me and collect them to help remind me to work to the goal of balance and patience within my life.
So, yes, today I collected a few more stones to also remind me of today's lessons whenever I look at them.
I also collected a few mussel shells, because they were beautiful. A golf ball, because where we found it was completely out of place (we did find like 3 or 4 more on this little peninsula we stopped on, just strange, LOL).
We had a blue heron that stayed with us throughout our journey today. From start to finish, he was always there leading the way. He would fly on ahead, sometimes allowing us to paddle beside him for a few moments before he took off and waited for us up river a little ways. I looked up his spiritual symbolism, of course, and found out he was the perfect guardian for us today. His symbolism stands for: self-reliance, spiritual awakening, meditation, inner peace, and divine connection. All fitting for our day and our deep conversations as we paddled down river. He did leave me a couple of feathers floating in the water, which I of course, graciously accepted. When birds bring enlightenment to your life, they normally leave a feather behind as a gift and a reminder of their lessons. I have quite the collection of feathers from over the years, LOL.
Another symbolism on the water is definitely the Dragonfly. Most of you know my passions for dragons already, but the dragonfly, well, I adore them as well, Dragon is in the name, ya know, LOL. Usually, they ride along on my leg or toes as we paddle downstream. I always let them ride along for as long as they like. Their symbolism is lovely: change and light. Reminding me to hold onto the joy in this life and try to always show my truest colors in this world around me.
As sis and I met the challenges of rocky waters beneath us, it reminded us that life comes with challenges every day. We are faced with decisions on how we handle the challenges. Like those kayaks getting stuck on the bottom, rocks of all sizes in every direction, rapid waters flowing past us, we could have said, "Nope, the water is too shallow to navigate today," and we could have quit. But as we reminded ourselves numerous times, on many many rock bars, "We were not raised to be quitters." So, we soldiered on through the rough waters to the smoother waters ahead.
That's life. Life comes with bumps in the roads, smooth sailing, and sometimes more than our share of things to overcome. But you don't quit, you put your eye on the smooth waters ahead and keep going until you reach them.
If you keep your focus on the bad things that happen in this life, well, your focus on the outcome is always going to be bleak. Even if the bad things you're going through at the moment are truly life changing, there's a reason for them being there. Find your focus, move yourself in the direction of the positive and even if you have to crawl to get there, start moving.
We spoke some on depression as it seems to plague this world today. People want to say the reason it wasn't a 'thing' back in the day was because medical research has come a long way since then. Sure, medical research has come a long way, but in this author's opinion, sometimes a long way can also be too far. A good deal of the time people are low on Vitamin D when they are depressed. Sure, a supplement can be helpful, however, there is one sure fire way to get that magnificent vitamin, sunshine. How many people today hardly go outdoors? And when they do, because they are TOLD, they lather up in sunscreen. A product that is beginning to be linked to skin cancer, interesting, hmmmmm...
I can't stress enough, get out in that sunshine and enjoy life as it should be enjoyed, freely and openly. I supplement my calcium and vitamin d every day because my body can't maintain it, but just because I supplement does not mean I won't be about absorbing what God gave us naturally. Because I HATE feeling depressed, lost, consumed.
I come in from a day of kayaking down the river and I feel so refreshed, so alive. I feel at peace once again. AND I'm not saying everyone should go kayaking. If it's not your cup of tea, then by all means don't do it, but get outside, let the sunshine absorb into you, feel the energy it provides from just being out there. They can make all the lightbulbs in the world and never be able to provide you with real sunlight advantages, regardless of how it's advertised.
The good Lord put things in place to give us what we need in this life. We only have to seek them out. Most are right under our noses.
In this life we are stronger than we give ourselves credit for and at least 80% of what we go through we put ourselves in the midst of. When we are down, a good deal of the time we want to get others to be down with us, just as when we are celebrating something in life, we want others to celebrate as well. Life can be a double-edged sword if we allow it to be.
I may or may not have told this story before, but I once knew a lady who was on hospice. The nurses from hospice would come and find her out walking alone each day. They would tell her, "You shouldn't be doing that, you're going to die." She always responded with, "I will if I stay in that bed. But I'm not ready to surrender yet." Six months later she was taken off hospice, because this lady was going to live come hell or high water. She's outlived several family members and is still taking her daily walks to this day and enjoying her grandchildren that she wanted so badly back in those days. It's been more than 20 years ago now.
We're given a life to live. It's not over until God says, "Come home." I've told my children in advance my own wishes for whatever the future holds for me. Because frankly, I'm getting older and things in life happen. One thing I know for sure, is I came into this world kicking and screaming and the plan is to go out the same way. I will always vote for myself quality over quantity because I want to savor every moment the good Lord and Lady allows me to have.
Because at the end of the day, we all will just be pictures on a loved one's wall after we're gone. I want my children and grandchildren to look at my pictures and say, "That was my mom/grandma and man she was one hell of a woman."
Everyone have a lovely night!!!
Blessings to all!!!
These last several months have definitely been some of reflection and inner workings. One way I've been working on this is by heading out to the waters with my sister. We grab the kayaks, find someplace we haven't been, and we take up the challenge of being one with nature.
Today, was so enlightening, so confirming, so needed, that I told her before we ever got off the river I would be blogging about today, LOL.
See, I've been doing something this summer that would mean absolutely nothing to anyone other than myself, but I decided to collect mementos from the different areas we visit. About a month ago we went to the Seven Pillars. I collected my first set of stacking stones, which is a way of allowing me to bring about balance within my life, along with patience. I decided that every trip we take this summer I will find stones that speak to me and collect them to help remind me to work to the goal of balance and patience within my life.
So, yes, today I collected a few more stones to also remind me of today's lessons whenever I look at them.
I also collected a few mussel shells, because they were beautiful. A golf ball, because where we found it was completely out of place (we did find like 3 or 4 more on this little peninsula we stopped on, just strange, LOL).
We had a blue heron that stayed with us throughout our journey today. From start to finish, he was always there leading the way. He would fly on ahead, sometimes allowing us to paddle beside him for a few moments before he took off and waited for us up river a little ways. I looked up his spiritual symbolism, of course, and found out he was the perfect guardian for us today. His symbolism stands for: self-reliance, spiritual awakening, meditation, inner peace, and divine connection. All fitting for our day and our deep conversations as we paddled down river. He did leave me a couple of feathers floating in the water, which I of course, graciously accepted. When birds bring enlightenment to your life, they normally leave a feather behind as a gift and a reminder of their lessons. I have quite the collection of feathers from over the years, LOL.
Another symbolism on the water is definitely the Dragonfly. Most of you know my passions for dragons already, but the dragonfly, well, I adore them as well, Dragon is in the name, ya know, LOL. Usually, they ride along on my leg or toes as we paddle downstream. I always let them ride along for as long as they like. Their symbolism is lovely: change and light. Reminding me to hold onto the joy in this life and try to always show my truest colors in this world around me.
As sis and I met the challenges of rocky waters beneath us, it reminded us that life comes with challenges every day. We are faced with decisions on how we handle the challenges. Like those kayaks getting stuck on the bottom, rocks of all sizes in every direction, rapid waters flowing past us, we could have said, "Nope, the water is too shallow to navigate today," and we could have quit. But as we reminded ourselves numerous times, on many many rock bars, "We were not raised to be quitters." So, we soldiered on through the rough waters to the smoother waters ahead.
That's life. Life comes with bumps in the roads, smooth sailing, and sometimes more than our share of things to overcome. But you don't quit, you put your eye on the smooth waters ahead and keep going until you reach them.
If you keep your focus on the bad things that happen in this life, well, your focus on the outcome is always going to be bleak. Even if the bad things you're going through at the moment are truly life changing, there's a reason for them being there. Find your focus, move yourself in the direction of the positive and even if you have to crawl to get there, start moving.
We spoke some on depression as it seems to plague this world today. People want to say the reason it wasn't a 'thing' back in the day was because medical research has come a long way since then. Sure, medical research has come a long way, but in this author's opinion, sometimes a long way can also be too far. A good deal of the time people are low on Vitamin D when they are depressed. Sure, a supplement can be helpful, however, there is one sure fire way to get that magnificent vitamin, sunshine. How many people today hardly go outdoors? And when they do, because they are TOLD, they lather up in sunscreen. A product that is beginning to be linked to skin cancer, interesting, hmmmmm...
I can't stress enough, get out in that sunshine and enjoy life as it should be enjoyed, freely and openly. I supplement my calcium and vitamin d every day because my body can't maintain it, but just because I supplement does not mean I won't be about absorbing what God gave us naturally. Because I HATE feeling depressed, lost, consumed.
I come in from a day of kayaking down the river and I feel so refreshed, so alive. I feel at peace once again. AND I'm not saying everyone should go kayaking. If it's not your cup of tea, then by all means don't do it, but get outside, let the sunshine absorb into you, feel the energy it provides from just being out there. They can make all the lightbulbs in the world and never be able to provide you with real sunlight advantages, regardless of how it's advertised.
The good Lord put things in place to give us what we need in this life. We only have to seek them out. Most are right under our noses.
In this life we are stronger than we give ourselves credit for and at least 80% of what we go through we put ourselves in the midst of. When we are down, a good deal of the time we want to get others to be down with us, just as when we are celebrating something in life, we want others to celebrate as well. Life can be a double-edged sword if we allow it to be.
I may or may not have told this story before, but I once knew a lady who was on hospice. The nurses from hospice would come and find her out walking alone each day. They would tell her, "You shouldn't be doing that, you're going to die." She always responded with, "I will if I stay in that bed. But I'm not ready to surrender yet." Six months later she was taken off hospice, because this lady was going to live come hell or high water. She's outlived several family members and is still taking her daily walks to this day and enjoying her grandchildren that she wanted so badly back in those days. It's been more than 20 years ago now.
We're given a life to live. It's not over until God says, "Come home." I've told my children in advance my own wishes for whatever the future holds for me. Because frankly, I'm getting older and things in life happen. One thing I know for sure, is I came into this world kicking and screaming and the plan is to go out the same way. I will always vote for myself quality over quantity because I want to savor every moment the good Lord and Lady allows me to have.
Because at the end of the day, we all will just be pictures on a loved one's wall after we're gone. I want my children and grandchildren to look at my pictures and say, "That was my mom/grandma and man she was one hell of a woman."
Everyone have a lovely night!!!
Blessings to all!!!