Are there phases or chapters of your life that parallel a race of some sort?  Maybe you are even finding that you are in a “life race” right now.  How do you like the word, “busy?”  Do you use the word yourself almost absently or find that others around you are using that particular word a great deal? Why are some words used excessively?   Could it be that some words can actually get “worn out” from overuse?  Is it possible that “worn out” words can in turn become meaningless?

In the spirit of “bold peace” I will share with you that I loathe the word, “busy.”  Coming from a person that loves to read & write & communicate in all forms, it is disappointing to me personally just how much I detest that particular word.  Most of us have “hot buttons” & some of them may be surrounding either a tone used by others or wording or words.  “Busy” can be used in some profoundly demoralizing ways by people.  Being a peacemaker albeit a feisty one, I find that I cannot simply sit back & listen to folks who are bringing other people down.  We get to choose whether at any given time we are lifting others up or pulling people down.  Sadly, too many times, I have witnessed folks using the word “busy” in a way that is not lifting others up.  There are countless instances of people choosing to articulate at length just how busy they are & that they will fit that other person into their excruciatingly busy schedule.  Those are not the exact words needless to say yet the spirit speaks of this loud & clear.   The ego is a small word with a potentially damaging effect on the esteem of other people within our human family if left unchecked.  Do you enjoy feeling like you are bothering someone who is already “too busy” just by taking up some of his or her time?  Yikes!  On the flip side of the coin, some folks feel the need to inflate the busyness of his or her life as either a form of competition with others or to feel worthy somehow in this fast paced world.  We do not have to listen to nor believe every single thought that comes into our minds.  We have the opportunity to challenge at times certain thoughts & change them to ones that better meet & serve others needs as well as our own.

Have you found that the people that you naturally admire & love to share time with include a myriad of inspiring individuals?  How much do you look forward to sharing time with the unsung heroes in your life that have a natural peace about them?  They could be in the middle of chaos or hardship & yet they are still peace personified.  I have found that since I am passionate about becoming an even more “present” person that I learn best from mentors, family & friends that have a peacefulness about them.  I have seen many of their schedules over the years by chance.  You would never know from the peaceful heroes themselves that they are experiencing extremely full days.  You will know that you are sharing time with someone like this when several things happen:  the time goes by faster than ever, you are already planning the next time to get together, you feel his or her “light”, you feel lifted up or better for having shared time together, feel presence, and  profoundly cared about.  The list goes on & on & your list may be different from mine in terms of the characteristics of a peaceful encounter.

We  can realize that we already “have” abundance.  Is it the abundance that is bringing meaning to our lives & to the lives of our Dear Hearts though?  I have found that when I focus on “being” &  “becoming” that the most abundant treasure is exactly there.  I love big dogs but I don’t choose to be one.  Keeping up with the Jones’ would not add any peace to my heart or the Dear Hearts in my life.  Do you ever wonder if you can “have it all?”  Each one of us will have a different viewpoint on that.  A bigger question just may be the one that asks us what “all” is?  When I look at abundance, my picture is one of being surrounded by family & friends, a purpose that is greater than little ole me, and love that is overflowing.  Each person has a different picture of what provides him or her with joy or peace or meaning.  The big part is to assess often if we are living our own story & feel that sense of abundance in our heart.  Choosing to live someone else’s story at least for me would not make any sense & sure would not lead to peace or abundance. 

Okay Saundie, where did these ideas come from today & what in the world does any of this have to do with diabetes or 365 challenges?  This morning, I chose to get up 30 minutes earlier.  What a difference that choice first thing in the morning has made to the entire day!  What a feeling it has been throughout the day knowing that the pace of the day is a gentler one.  The thought that has gone through my mind at different points in the day is “yay, I am running 30 minutes ahead of schedule so I get to be extra present in the world today.”  I found myself noticing people around me more & sharing a sense of timeless presence with people around me.  You know what?  I am not fond of running literally so why would I choose “running or racing” as a continuous life choice?  For me, I realized that yes I would need to replace one thing with another.  In this case it was giving up 30 minutes of sleep yet it was worth it.  Some days the sleep may be more important.  Let’s say that we choose to give up sleep to a point of excess.  Well, over time, my feeling is that I would be less present with people because I would be too physically tired.  There are many permutations & combinations though of how we can add meaningful abundance into our lives & the lives of people that we love.  The point is that if we are living our lives with intention, focus, attention & action in conjunction with our purpose, then we are experiencing abundance in my mind.

It goes without saying that it has taken me many years to “get” what abundance is all about in my life.  Knowing what this beautiful word means to me though makes a huge difference each & every day.  My definition of abundance has become part of the compass that I carry with me as I make decisions throughout each day.  Some choices take us in the direction of our picture of abundance & other choices take us away from this.  Every new day though, we get to make choices all over again. 

When I think of how the words “busy” & “abundance” pertain to my life since being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, I realize that words sure do either add more meaning to our lives or take meaning away.  It depends on our daily choices, that’s for sure.  For the first 3 years of life with type 1 diabetes, I tried with all my might to keep up the schedule that I had prior to diagnosis.  The truth is that many times I tried to do even more than I had done prior to diagnosis.  My ego had control of me during bouts of overdoing things coupled with denial frankly that I had a chronic illness.  Thankfully, I got a tap on the shoulder (well several) & for about a year and a half, I have reminded myself of several things daily.  The daily self reminders include:  reminding myself that I am not my best self for anyone if I burn myself out, that when I choose to overdo then I am taking energy away from “the abundance” or people & things that truly matter, that I am not a “big dog”  but rather humility is the preferred go to thinking, that if there is too much “doing” & “noise” that I cannot hear my inner compass.  When I had over filled my schedule, I did not leave any place for adequate rest, rejuvenation, getting a hold of perspective, and joy.  The great news is that now I am forever grateful that I got those taps on the shoulder so that I could make different daily choices.  The best news is that I get to carry the abundance of peace, joy & care with me every day because of the new choices.  The best part is sharing this with Dear Hearts.

You may be a person who loves to run.  I admire that.  May the races in your life be ones that are health building both physically & spiritually.  My heart’s hope for you is that you “run” your life your way & always through your picture of meaningful abundance.

Smiles, Saundie :)

Wishing you an abundant weekend of sun, time with Dear Hearts & all that you hold dear.  Monday's sharing is entitled, "Subliminal Chit Chat"  :)

This morning as I quickly leafed through my mail, one envelope caught my eye.  It did not capture my attention in a positive way.  Yes, it was one of those unwelcome letters with the “window” in it yet it was not a bill.  On the outside of the envelope, there is a photo of a gentleman with a caption underneath of “diabetes is a life sentence.”  That was not the start to the day that I was going to embrace that’s for sure.

The thing that troubled me most about this caption was the sense of powerlessness that I felt that statement represented. Hopefully you & I do not allow a sense of powerlessness to overtake us for long.  We are human so a moment here & there of exasperation with our health challenges is to be expected.  How long do we let these thoughts take residence in our minds though?  Not long is my heart’s hope for all of us.

When we realize that we are so much more than our bodies, then we come to consider that our minds, spirits & souls have a health too.  We choose to take the best possible care of ourselves physically when it comes to health challenges.  Are our bodies getting the big spotlight though even after we have done all that we can to be as physically healthy as possible?  Are we making choices to grow our minds & spirits too?  They make up a healthy you & me too I believe.

Personally, I do not accept the term “diabetes is a life sentence.”  It is not that I am in denial about having type 1 diabetes.  I have been there & moved beyond that.  I accept it is here.  Is there going to be a cure in our lifetime?  I don’t know.  My heart’s hope is that there is a cure for this & the multitude of 365 health challenges.  While that is happening though, there is no way that I accept a “life sentence” mentality for a “crime” that I did not commit.  We certainly do not ask for a health challenge.  Is it helpful for us to then label the challenge as a “life sentence?”  We each get to answer that question for ourselves.  My feisty self answers that question for myself with a resounding, bold & steadfast “no way!”

Are you familiar with the wise & famous quote by Henry David Thoreau? This gentleman left us with many gems to act as timeless guideposts.  The quote that I would love to share with you by Henry David Thoreau today is:  “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them.”  Yikes, the wording may jar many folks.  When I reflect often on this quotation, it propels & reminds me to spend my whole self living fully while I am on this earth but a short time.  Many times throughout life, I have found myself in the outlier category.  There is enthusiasm to be brought to life everywhere we go & I just go ahead & find it or create it.  If folks are surprised or awakened by this, well, that’s fine & if not, that’s okay too.  We don’t have to subdue our enthusiasm though to bring perceived comfort or sameness to situations.  We can choose to dare to be excited each new day.  We can choose to change up the day or our thoughts & behaviours to bring more life into every environment that we touch that day.  Then, we can get up & do that tomorrow too.  We can think & behave our way into lives of quiet desperation or we can think & behave our way into lives fully lived.  Both are choices.  Both choices can be made today & tomorrow & every day.

Diabetes is not a “life sentence” in my mind.  It is one small part of life.  It is a pain in the butt many times throughout the day yet it does not define me & I hope that it does not define you.  Maybe one of my favourite references to diabetes in my life was when someone said to someone that “Saundie is that incredibly enthusiastic lady & oh, I think she has diabetes.”  Notice, the diabetes is but a mere footnote.  Diabetes or other 365 challenges are not funny yet we can use humour with others to enjoy a more human experience.  One of the things that I have said when my insulin pump has beeped in the middle of a conversation is “sorry for the interruption, but I have to take this call from my pancreas” or “I will be right back folks after this commercial break brought to you by my pancreas.” 

Diabetes, there is no crime.  It is a tiny part of the beauty within each one of us.  It does not define us.  We do not choose to live quiet lives of desperation.  My heart’s hope for you is that you go ahead & embrace a life of full aliveness.  Let’s choose to let diabetes be a reason to fully live & discard the “life sentence” attitude.  You & I are exactly, beautifully ourselves & not a label after all.

Smiles, Saundie  :)

Have a hit it over the fence week & looking forward to sharing again this Friday with "There Is No Rush!"  :)

Is there a favourite animal as well as a treat that brings a smile to your face?  Perhaps the animal is your dog or cat or even a stuffie with sentimental value.  How about your favourite treat?  What would that be?  Let’s remember that a super delectable treat is something that we don’t indulge in often.  That’s what makes the anticipation of the treat so huge.  We have a saying at our house about the times when we are really excited about something.  We refer to whatever the excitement is about as, “we are big time excited.”  We have actions that we do with the “big time” that always brings a smile to my heart as I get to watch our boys do these.

Dr. Seuss has a book that is entitled, “Miles & Miles of Reptiles.”  Maybe you have read it to your wee one or have enjoyed it yourself over the years.  Isn’t it amazing to know that someone like Dr. Seuss left such a legacy of laughter & enjoyment for generations to come?  We may not all write famous children’s books, yet we each have an original ripple to leave to the world too if we live with “big time” intention, excitement & kindness.

When asked about my favourite pet or animal, the answer is a resounding “golden retrievers.”  I cannot remember a time in my life that I did not want to be owned by a golden retriever.  How can you not love their perpetual smiles, unique groans of joy & assistance with picking up your socks each morning.  Being exactly, beautiful originals, each one of our sons have a favourite animal & treat as well.  Matt enjoys all animals with fur & cats everywhere seem to know that he will be kind to them & approach him often.  Brian is always promoting the beauty of the giant squid as well as stingrays.  He provides us with endless facts on these creatures.  Alex has always been fond of alligators & crocodiles.  He has a number of stuffie alligators & crocodiles as well as a laughing crocodile.    You would not imagine yourself cuddling up to a giant squid, stingray, crocodile nor alligator yet it is endearing to see how enthusiastic the boys are about all of the creatures of the earth.  That feels exactly right to my heart.

Imagine that you can at this very moment enjoy any treat in the world.  Perhaps, you have enjoyed a particular food only once while travelling or maybe it is a treat that is readily available.  What is it?  Is it chocolate?  I will share with you that my favourite rare indulgence is Starbuck’s Mocha.  It is something that I savor & hold with both hands & enjoy every sip.  Let’s share a “cuppa” (couple of) coffee stories.  One is just for a laugh & one is for a reason.  First, the “cup” of laughter story…  Just before Christmas last year, I was standing behind a gentleman who was almost polling people in line as to what to order for himself.  It was funny & the chap was an animated, fun fellow & that made waiting just fine for everyone.  Finally, when the gentleman ordered, he said that he would like a peppermint latte with non-fat milk & double whip cream.  I started to laugh at the juxtaposition of that.  Then the fellow turned to me laughing too & admitted that he had not considered that did not make any sense.  That’s okay though, right because having a treat may not even make sense.  The fact that the order did not make sense & a number of us were jovially laughing together (not at) with the gentleman I believe made that coffee experience even more fun for the chap.  Now, coffee for a reason…  If you take insulin, then you will appreciate that when we enjoy a treat, that the treat is enjoyed all the more when we know precisely how many carbohydrates are in the goody.  Easter Monday, I ear-marked on my calendar as the day that I would look forward to a decadent mocha.  As I placed my order, the gal working at the coffee shop advised me that they did not have the usual chocolate for the drink.  I said what most folks say that take insulin.  I asked the lady how many carbs would be in the drink with the different chocolate that day.  The lady advised me that she had no idea.  I laughed & let her know that the only reason that I was asking about carbs was because I have type 1 diabetes & needed to “do the math” for the treat.  Ah, I decided that the mocha treat beverage would need to wait for another day when all the usual ingredients were available since I have the “math” figured out for the original mocha.  We can choose to guess when it comes to carbs & math yet I have found that I do not feel too well when I do that.  Then, the enjoyment of the treat is pretty much overshadowed by the not well feeling.  Ah, the original mocha will be back  in good time & it will be worth the wait.  There was no bad news here because I could continue to anticipate that yummy treat in the future & as long as I was there anyhow, I enjoyed a regular coffee with honey instead.  That is always my plan b, regular coffee with honey.  Having a plan b even if it is just a small plan surrounding a treat is awesome I have found.  The plan b reminds me that I always have an alternative even with this thing called diabetes.  I always have choices when it comes to enjoying the odd treat or choosing to laugh whenever possible.  I can turn on the tv if I want to hear bad news yet I can tune into my own station in my mind for good news.  It is all an intentional choice each & every day.

My heart’s hope for you is that whether you like mammals or reptiles, coffee, tea, chocolate or all the above, that you tune into the positive station in your mind that is your original, big time attitude towards life!

Smiles,  Saundie  :)

Hope this weekend is Your Cup of Tea & Monday's sharing is entitled, "Innocent & Not Sentenced."      :)

While we may or may not have a basement & a top floor within our homes, have we considered that we do have these things within our lives none the less?

We can consider the basement as attitudes that are negative & upper floors as positive attitudes & choices.  When we have either diabetes or another 365 challenge, it may be easier to gravitate at times towards the basements of our minds.  What is it about human nature that can pull us at times to thoughts of focusing on what is not going “right” within our lives?  One gem that I learned through ongoing reading is that the mind cannot seem to focus on gratitude & “grumbles” at the same time.  When I read that over 2 decades ago, I will share that I was excited about that!  That gives us the antidote then.  It means that if we choose to concentrate on things that we are grateful for or things that are going “right” in our lives, that we will be detracted from the “grumbles.”  Doesn’t that sound powerful yet simple?  It is as easy as climbing the stairs say to an unfinished basement to the upper floor balcony, opening the doors & stepping outside & breathing in all that is right in the world.  As always, it is all a choice that we each get to make every minute of the day, every day of our lives.

If we have been from a mind perspective living in “the basement” for a significant amount of time, how do we climb those metaphorical stairs?  Just like in real life, one stair at a time, and maybe even with the assistance of a “battle buddy” or gentle giant, mentor or everyday hero.  We can choose to see or look to others who are looking out the top floor balcony from an attitude & action of living life fully.  Attitudes are contagious so we may want to set ourselves up for success at “catching” the one that we want.

A friend of ours that knows that I am “addicted” to reading on my journey of continuous learning, suggested that I read, “Animal School” a number of years ago.    It is a beautifully illustrated book about various animals & their personality styles & how either challenging life was or rewarding.  When the animals were self-aware of their unique capabilities & others were on the same page too, then they lead lives of incredible potential & significance.  On the other hand, when the animals were required to accomplish tasks that were not within their natural abilities, they were quite challenged to say the least & did not have a feeling of joy.  It is a little like the absurdity of us telling the honeybees to swim & the fish to fly & collect pollen.  Why am I mentioning this book?  We can at times find ourselves “in the basement” when we try to “copy” someone else’s life.  Man, the life of the “Jones’” can appear enticing.  The emphasis is on the word, “appear.”  Don’t you find though that if you are trying to live someone else’s dream that it does not draw you to the balcony of life?  It may be something to consider.

There are countless stories that have been & continue to be shared by people with 365 challenges that blow my mind.  I applaud these champions.  They are people that have to make the decision due to the challenge within their lives to take one stair at a time to propel themselves out of the basement to the upper balcony of their own lives.  They climb so high by their life examples of inspiration, that a hook & ladder truck would be needed to reach them in the home analogy because they are not even on the upper balcony, they are on the roof!  They are so cool because while others are saying, “It cannot be done”, they are saying, “I did it already” not with words but with their lives!

My heart’s hope for you is that you are already a “hook & ladder” person & if not yet, then soon.  Let’s watch the view of the sunset from that vantage together!

Smiles, Saundie :)

Have an amazing week & Friday's sharing is entitled, "Miles of Crocodiles, Coffee, Tea & Plan B"     :)

Each morning we wake up to some sort of natural state of being.  If it is a positive state of mind, we are most likely going to do everything within our human power to keep that perspective for as long as possible.  On the other hand, if for some reason we wake up in a negative mood, then we are going to have the opportunity to change that mindset.

There will be countless moments throughout the day where externals cross our paths & again, we may find our thoughts going in either a positive or glass half empty kind of spirit.

Isn’t it funny in life when we realize that along the way, we have grown fond of particular colours, flavours, textures, sights, sounds, numbers & a myriad of other favourites?  The number 3 as I have shared with you previously is my favourite number.  It became the favourite number by chance. 

Can the feelings surrounding exasperation, contemplation & determination all be positive ones?  I think so.  You & I have probably shared oodles of times of exasperation surrounding either our diabetes or other 365 challenges.  This morning my insulin pump went off during what was meant to be quiet time within a community group that I was participating in.  It may seem like the sound of our pumps is at the pitch of a megaphone or one of those air horns at a hockey game.  In reality, the sound is not really that loud at all.  It is the perception though that makes the sound seem like it is magnified during quiet times.  We have no way of knowing when our low battery alarm is going to go off on our insulin pumps.  The alarm seems to sense though when we are in situations that require quiet.  Do we find this annoying or exasperating or disappointing or do we choose a different reaction from the menu of emotions?  You will already know at least one of the reactions that after pausing I will choose.  It will be one of, 3 possibilities.  Either, it will be humility, humour or honesty or hopefully all 3 in unison.  That does not mean that I don’t find myself initially feeling a reaction of agitation but rather that I choose not to remain that way for long.  If we have diabetes or another 365 health challenge, we have likely found that we have had a great deal of practice responding to misinterpretations surrounding our health.  How many times have you found yourself explaining or correcting your health challenge to others?  Chances are that we share that misconceptions are in full force surrounding our diabetes & we get to pass through exasperation directly to a positive & genuine emotion & action that works for us.  Some folks who do not understand diabetes or another 365 challenge will find humour to be a unifying way of sharing the truth.  Other people prefer a polite yet more detached, shortened yet honest version of explanation.  Humility, I find goes a long way in relating the information to others.  When we truthfully share that frankly before we had diabetes or another health challenge that we did not understand the challenge either makes us human.  It helps us to be more approachable & hopefully others will want to more accurately understand our health challenge.  We can let go of initial exasperation in other words for the greater outcome of dispelling myths & building relationships where we can educate others with understanding.  If we choose to get outwardly  exasperated with people who have been unfortunate enough to say something that is inaccurate that we have heard for the hundredth time, then we are missing an opportunity.  Put another way, if we become frustrated with the person’s question, then the person is not going to want to probably take the time to understand what the challenge is like in reality.  Here’s another idea to ponder.  If others are asking questions or making statements about the health challenge, then we have an opportunity to keep that door opened & correct misconceptions & educate with the truth.  If we close that door to conversation, then we have opened up another door that we may not enjoy & that is the one where others don’t voice their thoughts but rather choose instead to make silent assumptions. Let’s go ahead then & pass by or through exasperation to an emotion that will keep our relationships progressing on a more positive track.

The second “triplet” of potential impediment to building understanding amongst folks about our health challenge is contemplation.  That is the over thinking that can sometimes happen in life.  It can be the sense of we need to think about something more or research something greater prior to becoming fully involved.  Initially, that makes great sense.  Do we ask ourselves though if we are perpetually studying our thoughts & then not prepared to ever move forward with action?  Are we in a state of perpetual, “I’ll think about that” or “I will do something about that soon?”  I know that I have fallen into that cycle myself.  Have you for example as a wee aside found yourself voicing these words, “we should get together soon?”  When is soon?  I have asked myself that question & realized that it is basically “out in the ether.”  There will be opportunities to educate others on what life feels like with health challenges.  Are we advocating or “thinking about it” or “getting to that soon?”  The antidote that I have found that works wonders for over contemplation is enthusiasm with a purpose.  Each person will have his or her antidote that works best.

The third triplet is determination.    Determination can be viewed most obviously through a positive lens.  To have a determined spirit & a steadfast plan are admired characteristics.  Determination without action though may equate to planning out a holiday however neglecting to go on it.  We often hear the words, “I am determined to do that” or a variation of this.  What does that mean?  It depends on the circumstances in all likelihood.  Some folks voice these words to make a positive impression on others.  Other people don’t find the need to posture or make grand announcements but rather live an active life of determination.  Then there are many others including myself who are partway on that journey in between those 2 extremes.  My personal antidote for unactioned determination is accountability.  I find that if I either write down the goal that I am determined or committed to action that the discipline needed is realized.  In other situations, I tell either a mentor or family member or friend what it is that I am devoted to completing & attach a completion date as well.  That works wonders.  Again, what works for me will not necessarily be the way that best meets you at your needs.  You will know what works best for you.

If we believe Margaret Mead’s words, “never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has”, then we may look at the triplets of “exasperation, contemplation & determination” more fully.  We may ask ourselves if these triplets are roadblocks to making a positive difference in the world or if they are propelling us to positive action.  Ultimately, it is the action that we take, the example that we set through action that leaves a personal legacy. 

My heart’s hope for you is that you go ahead & put your positive purpose into action.  One person does make a beautiful difference.  One small group of devoted people makes a difference. 

Smiles, Saundie :)

Have a super weekend & Monday's sharing is entitled, "Bring on the Hook & Ladder Truck!"  :)

How amazing is it that we each get to choose to bring our joy to even the most mundane tasks within life!  Thank goodness for this, don’t you think?

When I think of instances where we might buy into the too trodden pathway of going through the motions, 3 things come to mind:  being” borg-like”, “being comfortably numb” or “living lives of quiet desperation.”  Intentionally, these 3 examples, my heart believes everyone will relate to at least one of.  Some folks will relate to the reference to the “borg-like” selection towards life if you are a Star Trek fan.  Can you be “an original “within “a collection?”  We get to answer that question for ourselves.  Perhaps, you are a fan of Pink Floyd music & are fond of the song, “Comfortably Numb.”  That can become a life choice for some folks as well.  It can become the “I am fine” so it is more comfortable to stay exactly where I am on life’s journey rather than change anything much.  We get to ask ourselves if “fine” is real or even “good enough” for our lives.  Finally, there is the famous quote by Henry David Thoreau in reference to many folks leading lives of quiet desperation.  Yikes, we could not possibly want this for ourselves or others I hope.

Personally, I find that changing up routine is something that I enjoy.  The other thing that is awesome is knowing that for the things in life that either need to routinely be done or are pretty mundane, I have this thing called creative excitement that I get to employ.  Take type 1 diabetes care as an example.  For the infusion sets, the ones that I use need to be changed every 3 days.  Do I want to change them every 3 days or ever?  No, of course, I don’t.  Do I change them every 3 days anyway.  You bet I do!  Our sons know that when I change the infusion that I am going to make a short hopefully humourous announcement to let them know that Mommy is going to be unavailable for 5 minutes.  Sometimes I will say something like, “Mommy is going to be in outer space for 5 minutes changing her infusion site” if we have watched a space movie or “Mommy is going to be in the kitchen doing the dreaded infusion site” however I then begin to recite a twist on “Green Eggs & Ham.”  Sometimes it will go something like, “I do not want a needle here or there, or with a goat or on a boat…”  It puts a human spin on something routine & undesirable & it shows the boys a couple of things:  that even when we don’t want to do something, if it is for the greater good, we do it anyhow whether we feel like it or not, and we can choose to do anything with humour.  It turns out that even routine or undesirable tasks in life can be completed with our own originality. 

When it comes to diabetes or other 365 challenges, there could be many things that are either routine, a bit of a grind or undesirable about our physical self care.  What is going to serve us better we ask ourselves:  a pessimistic attitude or an optimistic attitude?  We answer that question for ourselves.  We get to add our own flair to every situation in life thankfully.

Do you know what will often give me a hint that someone that I don’t know that well  may need a lift?  It is contained within his or her handshake.  If I shake someone’s hand & there is a “limp fish” handshake happening as opposed to a firm one or shake & the other hand on top of mine, there may be a clue there.  Could that “limp fish handshake” be a small sign of the “borg-like”, “comfortably numb”, or “quiet desperation” happening?  Maybe, maybe not.  We get to choose to find out.  Why?  The reason is that you & I don’t want that for others.  We don’t want folks to merely be “fine” or worse, “merely numbed out” in their attitudes towards life.  If we know that there is more for ourselves & others, then of course, we want to share that.  That is a choice too.

If you are living with an adolescent, you may be familiar with either receiving answers that are caveman like grunts or articulations of “fine.”  Here’s a wee story of a recent outing with our family of a “fine” transformed into countless laughs.  Our oldest son, Matt is preparing for the sacrament of confirmation & this celebration is happening in a couple of weeks.  He is therefore in need of a suit.  You can imagine how excited he was about the task of going out with his family to try on a suit.  If you are imagining a 5 foot 11 inch bundle of excitement at the possibility then turn that thought upside down & you will have the exact picture of his attitude towards suit shopping.  Matt has come to realize that his parents can be a bit eccentric so it did not faze him too much when what I am about to share with you unfolded.  (No pun intended)

As our family stepped into the suit shop, the gentleman working there approached us & asked us if we could use some assistance.  Without hesitation, I let the gentleman know that we were looking for a suit for Matt in either orange corduroy, a blue leisure suit like the one that “cousin Eddie wore in Christmas Vacation” or a Bobby Vinton type style.  This was met with quite a laugh from the sales fellow who had not had a humourous interchange like this before in the store.  Best of all, our Dear Heart, Matt, although still stating that everything that he tried on was “fine” was laughing heartily during the whole suit shopping experience.  Brian jumped in & insisted that the suit required a Pink Panther tie & we all got a great laugh from that too.  As a wee aside, we did not choose the Pink Panther tie for this particular occasion yet it may just show up for a future occasion!

Life is a treasure to fully live & share.  If we received a beautiful gift & it was wrapped up & placed on a table in one of the rooms of our home, would we either mundanely walk past it & say that it looked “fine” or would we leave it there still wrapped up potentially forever?  I emphatically say, I hope not!  Wouldn’t we rather get excited about seeing the gift, & unwrap it with joy?  My heart hopes so.

My heart’s hope for you is that whether your day consists of taking care of routine or mundane or splendidly exciting tasks that you embrace every moment in your own creative originality.  Say, maybe we could choose to dust in a blue leisure suit at least in our imaginations!

Smiles, Saundie  :)

Have some laughs this week &  this Friday's sharing is entitled, "Life's Triplets:  Exasperation, Contemplation & Determination"  :)

Do you agree that most things in life are fleeting?  The one exception is love.  Love lasts absolutely forever. 

Over the years, I have experienced a myriad of responses to my enthusiastic attitude & way of life.  There have been questions of: “how do you remain positive throughout life?”  And there have been statements from others of “I could never look at life that way.”  Let me share with you as well, that there have also been surprised looks, as well as statements like, “I don’t believe it that motivation stuff because it never lasts.”

When the odd person here & there makes the pessimistic statement that they don’t believe in motivation, I hope in my heart that they find what they need when the time is right to live the life that they were meant to fully live.  I hope that they find the answers that bring meaning to their lives.  Each person makes different choices physically, cerebrally & behaviorally.  It is not my intention or right to judge what will work for others.  We each get to make our own choices thank goodness.  During one conversation with a fellow many years ago, the chap phrased his dislike of all things motivational in an offensive way & as a bit of a personal attack on me for enjoying inspirational quotes & photos.  I went ahead & smiled & said, “okay, I hear you, but you better stand well back then because this stuff is contagious.”  This chap challenged me often with the “motivation stuff” over the course of a year.  Finally, one day, I received the surprise of my life when this gentleman said to me, “my wife tells me that I have had a better attitude over the last several months & I told her that I must have caught something.”  Then he laughed & that was the day that I smiled big time for this fellow.  He had chosen a positive attitude for himself.

It was Zig Zigglar that coined the phrase, “motivation does not last yet neither does a shower & that is why we need it daily.”  Few things of this world last so why would we expect to be inspired briefly & then become doubters in the power of positive influences for our mind because we need to put these back into our minds the next day.  We brush our teeth everyday & don’t grumble in doing this.  Is our mind of any less value?

We get to choose not only daily but moment by moment what we are going to feed our minds.  If we know that we are going to be in the company of others that are of more of a pessimistic persuasion, then we may want to be super prepared.  I think of these encounters like that of building a sandwich.  We are going to put one level of positive food for our minds on the outside, then the middle may be the negative encounter & then following that, we have a plan in place to rebuild our positive attitudes again.  People make their own choices.  Sometimes, we receive feedback from others that they have decided to “catch” a positive attitude.  Those are fabulous occasions!  We don’t rely on that though.  We are exactly, beautifully ourselves, steadfast & unbreakable in our spirits.  We choose to hold tightly onto what feeds our minds in a healthy way.  We don’t feed our minds hydrogenated fats so to speak.  We feed our minds the finest menu of goodness & truth.  We don’t let anyone else “order” for us in other words.  Do you let the person at the next table to you order the food that you are about to eat at a restaurant?  If you & I agree that sounds absurd, then let’s think of our thoughts in the same way.

My experience with type 1 diabetes has taught me that most things in my life are magnified.  I have always been a huge advocate of positive attitude or feeding my mind spiritually enriched “foods.”  Before diabetes, I was enthusiastic & enjoyed all things inspirational.  Now, I appreciate these things even more. 

So, yes, let’s go ahead & realize that most things are fleeting yet there are some things worth repeating daily…shower, brush teeth &feeding our mind inspiration for the day.

My heart’s hope is that you enjoy the buffet of mind & spirit building foods just right for you.  Order for yourself at your own table!

Smiles, Saundie :)

Have a sensational weekend & Monday's sharing is entitled, "Orange Corduroy, Blue Leisure or Bobby Vinton?"    :)

The stories that we share with one another of family, friends, neighbors and strangers that have given each of us a beautiful piece of kindness are the treasures in life worth focusing upon.

Do you find that if you really spend some time & effort being present with people that you meet that there is a tendency towards negativity?  If that is the case, why do you suppose that is?  Could it be that it is easy to resort to negative thinking?  Possibly, have we as a society in general failed to realize that we have an abundance of goodness at our fingertips?  What is it about some rare folks that is magnetic because we see & feel within them an authentic peacefulness?

Many years ago, I remember vividly asking a mentor why there are some people that come into many of our lives that pull us down.  The mentor’s name is Robert.  Robert shared that every single person that comes into our lives is there for a purpose.  He challenged me to realize that the folks that we meet up with that offer negativity are the folks that if we choose to, we can learn a great deal from.  I could not help but give him a perplexed look at that answer.  Robert went on to explain that those are the folks that we learn about how not to behave or emulate.  That gem of wisdom stayed with me.  That shift in thinking has been priceless.  It is a little armor for the rare occasions in life that another person does not necessary wish us well.  Our job then becomes more about remaining steadfast in doing the next right thing yet also recognizing the types of behaviours that we are prepared to learn from & not pass on.  Breaking a cycle of negativity takes a bold decision, determination, and right action.  Do you know what else breaks “dark” circles?  Replenishment from an everyday hero!

It is one of the simplest things in the world to jump on the crabby, complaining, criticizing bandwagon.  Perhaps the 3 c’s are about a situation or worse yet, perhaps in attack of another person in our human family.  Here’s a neat way of looking at the 3 c’s though.  We can choose to break that behavior apart by not jumping on the bandwagon ourselves & being bold, courageous & standing alone if needed in not being part of the negative cycle.  It is difficult yet those things that are truly important take courage & bold choices. 

Let’s focus, enjoy,& appreciate those lights in our lives that are people that lift us up & encourage us to be our best selves always.  My heart’s hope is that you can easily picture a person in your life that is an everyday hero to you.  It could be a parent or another family member or a friend or someone in the community or the world that shows you day in & day out by his or her example what a hero looks like.  Over time, I would love to share many every day heroes with you.  None of them are famous in the worldly sense yet to so many, they are precious, incredible souls.

Today, I would love to share my Godparents with you for a few minutes.  Just under 10 years ago, these incredible Dear Hearts came into my family’s lives.  This may sound strange but prior to a decade ago, we were total strangers who had never crossed paths.  That is probably not what you were expecting to learn.  We never know who is going to come into our lives that is going to make such a powerful, profound & precious difference.  My God Mom is truly the most peaceful person I have ever known.  She is the type of person that takes what seems to be a complex challenge in life & simplifies it almost instantly.  She speaks with understanding of everyone & has a grace that is indescribable.  She seamlessly separates people from behaviours & courageously stops people in their tracks if a behavior is not one of goodness.  Then she keeps loving the person whether the other person decides to listen to her or not.  She just keeps doing what is right day after day.  You know that there are people that you swear that when you are sharing time with them that the clock is somehow moving at the speed of light.  Every single visit with our Dear Heart Godparents is like that.  Every single time when we need to leave one another, I always find myself saying the same thing & that is, “I cannot stand to see our time together end.”  My God Mom is like that with everyone.  Over the past 10 years not once have I heard Justina say that she is busy.  Others have shared the news of Justina’s schedule yet when you are with her, you feel like you are the most precious person in the world.  She has a beautiful way of being profoundly present with each person that she shares time with.  Then there is her husband, our Dear Heart God Dad, Eddie.  Eddie is an absolute joy.  He is passionate & excited about life & learning.  With 5 different intellectually stimulating books on the go at any time, Eddie has read more books than anyone else that I know.  He loves to share his books & talk about what he has learned & ask lots of questions about how our family have found different books to be like.  Everything that Eddie does, he does with all his heart.  When he greets you, it is like an instant party.  One of the things that I love to do is to surprise Eddie by showing up somewhere unexpectedly when I know he will be there.  He always gets super excited & usually says that he had a feeling that we would be there.  He is a hoot.  Eddie has a wisdom & a kindness & a genuine love that he shares with everything that he has.  He loves it when he has a house full of family & friends. On a funny note, Eddie literally will not allow you to leave if he thinks it is too soon.  So funny!  Eddie is extremely scholarly & learned yet is humble & loving & deeply spiritual.  He & Justina are people that we can absolutely talk to about anything.  Every one of us need someone like that.  How amazing does it feel to be yourself totally & know that you are absolutely loved & treasured no matter what.  It is precious.

Eddie & Justina are our spiritual mentors, every day heroes, friends & chosen family.  When I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes just over 5 years ago, there were several Dear Hearts that stepped up in supportive ways.  My heart will be forever grateful.  When we are diagnosed with a “365” health challenge, it is a time of being unsettled to put it mildly.  Our worlds may feel upside down.  It may even feel like things will never “be right” again.  There is the physical side of a “365” health challenge that needs immediate tackling.  Thankfully, there are a great many gifted health care providers that walk us through the physical side of our new found health challenge.  How about the emotional side of the ongoing illness though?  We are more than our bodies so sooner or later our feelings catch up with us too.  I remember January 2008 well.  That was the month that I started insulin & came to terms with the fact that until type 1 is cured, I would have to enter into a “new normal” way of doing the job of my pancreas.  It was overwhelming.  At night, I found that I could not go to sleep.  I asked myself why I had a sudden & ongoing onset of insomnia.  Through reflection, I realized that I did not want to go to sleep at night because honestly, I then felt that I did not have faith that I would wake up the next morning.  I was afraid to go to sleep & felt panicked & fearful that the insulin would knock me into a coma overnight.  Bigger than that, I would get up & walk around the house & look upon our small, sleeping young sons.  For night after night for most of January of 2008, I would quietly sob as I looked at our sons & the same thought would go through my mind.  The thought was always, a mom never wants to leave her children.  I mean that I wanted to make sure that I would be here to raise them.  Prior to 5 years ago, I had had perfect health.  I did not trust insulin truthfully those first 3 weeks.  You know how it feels when you go a prolonged timeframe without sufficient sleep.  It becomes more & more difficult to find perspective.  There is nothing quite like a great night’s sleep to often put things into proper perspective.  Without proper sleep, though, well, yikes.  I finally asked myself what I was going to do to break the cycle of fear at sleep time.  The picture of 2 faces came instantly to mind & those faces were those of Justina & Eddie.  After I shared my feelings with them, it really was like the weight of the world was lifted.  A peacefulness & calmness came over me after talking with them & listening to their loving, understanding, accepting words.  That was the last week of January 2008.  For sure, I have had the odd night here & there that I had trouble sleeping just like you.  The great thing though is that not once has the sleeplessness since Jan. 2008 been due to fear about insulin or diabetes.  That is the power of an everyday hero, mentor & Dear Heart (or 2).

None of us are meant to go through anything alone.  We are meant to have others to celebrate with & others to share challenges with.  My heart’s hope for you is that you have a “Justina & Eddie” in your life too.  If you don’t yet, then please know that they are out there.  Please don’t stop looking until you find your “Justina & Eddie.”  Be ready to welcome your every day hero, mentor & Dear Heart Friend when the time is right for you.

Smiles, Saundie :)

Have a week of choosing to celebrate the beautiful everyday heroes in your life & hope to share time with you again this Friday with "This Stuff Doesn't Last"  :)

When you were a small child, did you enjoy dressing up in a variety of costumes?  Perhaps, you even took the persona on & had great fun with the costume & an active imagination.  It is a heart’s delight when our sons have dawned costumes over the years & put on skits.  Play is good for our hearts. 

In our complex world, the simple has received a costume too.  There are seemingly so many layers of complexity that it appears that it is difficult at times to strip situations down to simplicity.  When things are simple, we don’t usually hear the words, “I am so stressed out about this” attached to the situation.  Do we value simplicity though?  Our collective actions would suggest that we seem to value complexity.  Complexity though can prove to be a costume hiding what is truly underneath & at the core of each one of us.

When our sons are Power Rangers or Spiderman, we still know that they are themselves underneath.  They know this too.  This is a straight forward example of what is at the core underneath costumes.  It can be more involved to welcome the core of adults.

We have all likely heard the saying, “you cannot judge a book by its cover.”  This is true in almost all aspects of life.  It certainly is true in many human encounters.  Once we become a certain age, we learn certain behaviors that cloak our true identity.  My experience has been that to live life with our hearts perpetually on our sleeves does not necessarily serve everyone or every situation.  We learn that some behaviours are valued in some situations.  We learn to adapt.  That makes sense. 

Do we realize that people are not always understood or seen for who they truly are?  Are some folks really refined in the art of “techniquing” or putting on false charm during public encounters?  Do those folks’ behaviours suggest that they are potentially better friends, neighbors, employees, or community organizers?  Boiled down to a simple answer, we may quickly answer yes.  Let’s turn our thinking inside out & upside down for a moment.  What if I told you that my experience over the years has been that I profoundly appreciate folks who may have a more “weathered” exterior behaviourly.  I like to call these encounters, “meeting people who are sheep in wolves’ clothing.”  My husband laughs everytime he hears this reference.  These are the unsung heroes that don’t “technique” their way through all facets of life, but rather live authentically & are at peace with the fact that some people as a result will “get them” & many will not.  That takes incredible courage to stand out in the crowd by voicing what is true & right with a spirit of generousity towards others.  It is not the popular way.  It is the person that courageously takes a stand with a straight forward stance from a servant’s heart that is a beautiful person to be admired in my mind.  It takes a boldness to stand up for others & for simple values in the world.  It takes bravery.  It takes choice to discard masks or costumes of “techniquing” or having a personal agenda & instead standing in the way when a fellow human is being pulled down. 

One of my favourite recent examples of meeting up with someone who was a “sheep in wolves’ clothing” is somewhat related to diabetes.  Every 4-6 months, I make that unwelcome trip to the medical lab for bloodwork in preparation for my endocrinologist appointment.  I don’t know anyone who looks forward to going to the blood lab.  On this trip to the blood lab, I did what most people do who have to go there, I got up super early & tried to get it out of the way.  I was patting myself on the back for arriving at the parking lot 15 minutes before the lab was scheduled to open.  I thought that it was going to be great to be out of there in record time.  Upon entering the hallway to the lab, my heart sank.  There was already a line up of at least 20 people!  Then it hit me that most folks have to fast for a morning lab test so it made sense that people would choose to get to the lab as early as possible.  There was a great deal of grumbling going on in that hallway.  Personally, I decided to “take it as it comes” since I had a book with me.  This would be an opportunity to enjoy one of my books.  As I was about to open my book, the gentleman in front of me began to speak to me in what would have appeared to many as a gruff-like way.  Ah, I thought to myself, this just may be a “sheep in wolves’ clothing.” 

The gentleman was not subdued like many others in the line-up.  He turned to me & said, “what are you reading pony tail girl?”  I had flown out of bed that morning & stuck my hair that way in a race to get the lab over with.  I laughed & showed him the book.  The book was about patience.  He asked me if I was into all that self help stuff.  I answered that I am more an advocate of continuous learning because I do not know what I do not know.  Then I asked him what he was reading.  He was reading a criminology book.  I was fascinated.  During early university, I had considered a career in probation & parole.  I had read plenty of criminology books & found them to be quite interesting.  We chatted for a very long time & one topic lead to the next.  We soon found the weaving of the thread of common experiences & people.  We had both volunteered for the same organization in town.  Best of all, he had worked with my Dear Heart God Dad several years ago at the correctional facility.  Before he mentioned my God Dad’s name this gentleman described him as someone that stood up for all that was right even at personal cost to himself…a man of principle through & through.  Then he said my God Dad’s name.  That was when not only did I know that this gentleman in front of me was indeed a “sheep in wolves’ clothing”, but also that this was going to be the best trip to the lab ever.  It was an honour meeting this fellow.  Neither one of us could believe how fast that 45 minute wait went by.  He has the courage to be himself & I admire & admired that.

As we approach each new day, my heart’s hope is that we enjoy the gift of folks out there that “get” that we don’t need costumes.  We get to choose to be ourselves.  And in turn, may you be exactly yourself.

Smiles, Saundie :)

Blessings for a weekend of joy to you.  On Monday, I will share, "Every Day Heroes & Mentors" :)

Over the years, have you found yourself in a situation where you have commuted to work?  It could be by car or by bus or train or subway.  Years ago, I commuted to downtown Toronto.  Since I was not fond of the idea of driving through rush hour traffic, I chose instead to take the “green limousine.”  That is a nickname given to the GO train.  I drove to the Go train station, then took the train to Union Station & then took a subway to another part of the city. 

During those commuting years, I saw firsthand what “commuter face” looked like.  Having been raised in a small town of 1500 people in the Georgian Bay area, I found myself wide-eyed the first week of that particular commute.  A lot like a herd of cattle, all of us commuters would find ourselves navigating our way through Union station to the next connection.  There was no stopping for even a fraction of a second & you soon found yourself in the middle of a huge crowd moving in a specific direction.  You had to know ahead of time your plan of navigation otherwise you had to go the way of the commuters until you could get out of the basket weave of people on a mission to get to their cubicles.  It felt frankly very unreal. 

Do we sometimes stop to think about how our lives at times can become a lot like that vision of the rush hour commute?  Everyone out there can meld into one great mass & we don’t necessarily see others as individuals but rather as a bit of a faceless crowd?  Are we part of that faceless crowd at times?  Have we checked our “pulses?”  By this I mean, do we go ahead & be fully ourselves or are we too invested in either being like everyone else or perhaps even wishing to remain unanimous?  Ultimately, this can prove to be a potential conflict with the message that we are given from society that we need to set ourselves apart to say progress in environments of leadership?  Or we can feel conflicted when we stop & quiet our minds for a few minutes & truly ask ourselves if we are merely going through rituals without intention.  We know we are in “there” somewhere & there is very likely a part within each one of us that is ready to shine.  In order to shine though, we must make a choice as to whether we open the curtain so to speak on our lives.  Just because the majority of folks are doing things a certain way may not meet you at your needs.  We are all originals so why do we either intentionally or unintentionally often choose to be copies? 

When we see someone out there that is not living life the same way or living within a faceless crowd, who has a passion within that is bursting out, how do we react?  You may be surprised at the number of times that I have heard stories & witnessed firsthand that folks “with a pulse” are being either subdued or rejected.  Do these people, fully alive & not afraid to be an original make, others uncomfortable?  Do they cause something within others to on some level question how they are living?  Do people not want to change that which is uncomfortable?  Why don’t we want to encourage “originals?”  We each get to answer that question for ourselves.

Lately, I have started saying quite a bit to others to “go ahead & be excited.”  We each have something that we are absolutely passionate about.  Maybe we even have several passions…how great is that!  What is stopping us from overflowing with excitement at least about things that speak to our hearts?  Are we afraid of how others will react or respond?  Guess what, if we all think that way then nothing is going to change for the better in this world.  It only takes a few positive sparks or catalysts to send a ripple of goodness out into the world.  These ripples then grow & change the world for generations to come.

So let’s go ahead & check our pulses & ask ourselves if today is the day that we are going to be the originals that we are each created to be.  And let’s also remind ourselves to encourage others to be the beautiful originals that they are too.

My heart’ hope for you is that you are neither a face in the crowd nor a person seeing only a faceless crowd.  Have a beautiful pulse & encourage others too.  Find the light within yourself & then share it with the world!

Smiles,  Saundie :)

Blessings for a beautiful week & this Friday's sharing is entitled, "This is not Little Red Riding Hood" :)