Look for the Tranquil Places Just at Hand

Susan at A Southern Daydreamer hosts Outdoor Wednesday. This is my first contribution, but I've seen many beautiful photos posted there. A trip around many of these may offer a few moments of tranquility in the midst of a busy day. Sitting at my kitchen table (sometimes with my laptop)the photo above is the view from my breakfast nook picture window. The setting (there's a park right behind our home) is a most relaxing spot to work and enjoy life at the same time. Blessings like this one, because it is so close at hand, often go unnoticed as we hurry through life. What are the little blessings around you today...the small spots of tranquility in your life...that if taken for granted may be missed so quickly and easily?

Remember to stop by Susan's blog, leave a few comments, and take the time to smell the roses there.

ALIVE! -- Returning to the Blog World

Last post on health & wellness or anything was May 26th. After a 2 month hiatus, perhaps a little explanation is in order.

With thanksgiving to an awesome Heavenly Father who provides healing and makes us ALIVE! in Him, I'm still here to give Him the glory.

A fine line between life and death...an allergic reaction gone terribly bad in early June, found me in the hospital receiving super gargantuan mega-doses of the drugs I prefer to avoid. With a diagnosis of strep induced toxic shock syndrome and celluliltis, I'm very grateful that these were available as a life saving measure.

For someone who just doesn't do sick well at all, the patience it is taking to arrive at complete recovery has been challenging indeed. The first month was just a blur. As I've begun working again and keeping the grandchildren a bit, I'm slowly getting back into my routines. That means ALIVE! will come back to life!!!!

Looking forward to sharing more great thoughts on life and living it to the fullest -- making the most of each new day, and finding ways to stay healthy and well in body, mind, and spirit. Meet me here. Kindly, leave comments along the way.

*Photo from www.stockvault.net

Keep Your Life Simple

Cleaning out some of my vast collection of emails, I came across these words this morning. As we head into the incredibly jam packed weeks ahead, I believe these speak volumes to how we each determine the most important priorities for ourselves and our families. Very well written, and I only wish I could give credit to the one who penned them -- alas, that person remains anonymous to me at this time. Should I learn of the source I will certainly share with you. Perhaps there lies more precious wisdom from this same individual.

Insulate yourself from the killing pace of change. Granted, we have to keep up when it comes to business, but do we really need to strive to have the latest and greatest in all aspects of our lives? My answer is no. We don’t have to be trendy in every aspect of our lives to keep up. On the contrary, you’ll find it easier to run at the front of the pack if you keep your life simple, and if you keep in touch with who you are and where you’ve come, rather than what you own.

Train yourself to look at time as a precious resource rather than a merciless taskmaster. I am a firm believer in time management — managing to enjoy my life while conducting business, rather than filling in every gap with a meeting or project that will get me further ahead.

Hang out with people with whom you have fun. Seek out and make friends with people who accept and affirm your worth as a person.

Accept your human nature. You’ll never have the perfect answer to every question. Don’t lead yourself or others to believe you do. Make a habit of searching for challenging new concepts and opinions contrary to your own to help you develop a better understanding of your world and how to live well in it.

Develop your own list of things that make you feel good. Keep that list handy and apply at least one item to your life on a daily basis in order to keep the negative effects of stress at bay

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