Wednesday, May 29

Slowing Down, Taking Care of Self 5/29/13

      Good evening,

Thank you, for dropping by.  The past two weeks have been a blur.  Eight day's ago, I feasted upon Yosemite and all of its beauty.  What a day it was; doing so while cycling was fantastic, sharing the time with a
friend made it even better.

       Since then, I've been to the movies a twice, had two birthday celebrations and spent plenty of time with family and friends, while carving out time to be with myself.  My life is rich, I enjoy an abundance that can never be taken from me. The prosperity I know involves community, closeness, intimacy, celebration of life, harmony and joy, in addition to tranquility, order and serenity, much to be grateful for.

My Gratitudes for Today:

1.  Grace is wonderful.  I know its virtue from friends, family and God.  I could not life with any sense of serenity without it.  It prevents me from beating myself up, when I goof.

    Experiencing grace is a tonic that provides a loving perspective.  It reminds me know I'm doing well, when the inner critic wants to disturb the joy within my soul.  I appreciate the love and harmony I know, when grace tempers the demanding moments of life.

    All is well.  Life is not about me, me, and me.  It's about Him, God.  Trust in God is a fantastic antidote to anxiety and depression. What a puny world it is when we can't see beyond our selfish tears and fears.

2.  Someone today had a rough day.  It was affecting a time we had scheduled together. This is when the slogan, "How Important Is It?" helps.  I appreciate the peace that fills my heart, when I maintain a healthy perspective and don't sweat the small stuff.

3.  I went to an Al-Anon Family Group meeting today.  Last week was one of the least pleasant moments, when I attended this gathering. Today, it was back on track.

     I chaired the meeting this evening. I made some introductory remarks about the need for us to be positive. We want to share our mess with our sponsor and our message with the group. Our goal is to stay in the solution.

     I'm thankful during the time for sharing, someone spoke up about the negativity that pervaded the fellowship last week, because of one person's too lengthy, negative share.  He did well.  He addressed the issue before the group.  I appreciate this person's effectiveness and competency in dealing with the narcissist who dragged the group down, last week.  Believe it or not, it was the very one I wrote about here.
Here is my pannier in compact form.
The sides zip open and the saddlebags
dropout. 
4.  I have a new bag---a pannier---a saddlebag for my bike.  Am I loving it.  Today, I carried fifteen books with me, along with food, clothing, cycling related accessories and a water bottle.  I can detach it from my rack and carry it as a bag.  Am I glad.

     It came in handy while meeting with clients today.
This is it, fully loaded. It fits over
 the back rack on my bike. 

5.  I lost my glasses last week. Today, they were found at tonight's gathering.  I hadn't stressed about them.  I let go and let God deal with their disappearance.  I had enough on my plate.  Now, if only I can find my keys. They've been missing for four days. Update: I found them on Thursday, the next day, inside a pouch in the pannier. 

6.  I've been busier than usual.  During this hectic season, I've been gentler towards myself.  There's that quality, grace, again.  During rough seas, it's important making sure I do what it takes to take care of yours truly.

    I'm sleeping more, and taking life slowly as I emerge from the whirlwind of recent activities.  I'm thankful for common sense, rest, balance, enjoying life and thriving during demanding times.

How About You? 
What are your three gratitudes for today?

2 comments:

Carl H said...

Dear Innkeeper,

Tonight, Thursday evening, after a 13 hour work day, and some much needed sleep, I am grateful for;

1. The healing, restorative powers of deep sleep tonight.

2. Last Weekend...Getting out socially with spouse (all too rare) and friends to celebrate that special birthday in a palatial and historical S.F. setting, hearing a piano virtuoso perform by request live, overcoming my downtown S.F. parking angst ("with a little help from my friends...) in relatively short order, dining on 50's style drive-in/diner burgers, etc., and finally delighting in "home-crafted with love" desserts at one party-goer's home.

3. Finding some comfortable walking shoes at a local thrift store.

4. Learning at a gathering circle of friends last night that my Ray Ban sunglasses (a past Father's Day gift from my sons), lost last weekend at said birthday party, had been found, and will soon return to their rightful place on my nose! With blue eyes, and living in sunny CA, daylight life can be tough! What a joy to learn last night that they had been recovered! I too had previously needed to "Let them go."

5. Hearing, accepting and digesting without undue anxiety or panic, one chefs serious concerns about ongoing quality issues he is having a particular, signature fish we sell. I will deal with it in the morning...

6. And finally, feeling relatively satisfied that I've done the best I could, with the skills and tools I have to live life and work well this past month, as May draws to a sleepy, sunny, weekend close tomorrow!

Pablo said...

Dear Carl,

Sorry, for this late reply. Are you feeling, nurtured, that you've been connecting with many, at a rich, authentic level?

I bet your blue eyes are glad for the return of the sunglasses.

I love what Courage to Change says about us being comfortable with our efforts. "Today, my best is good enough." p 9

Quotes from the Posts

"I'm mindful that our thoughts affect the words we use, our words influence our actions, our actions shape our character and our character determines our destiny."

From "My Character Determines My Destiny." To read it, please click here.

"Progress not perfection, is better than no progress at all, especially when we're trying to rid ourselves from unwelcome dragons that dwell within the closets of our soul."

From, "Still Learning" which, within four days, became the most popular post
written. To read it, please click here.

"Worry does not empty tomorrow of its trouble, but it does empty today of its strength"
From the post: "Life Is Not a Correspondence Program." Click here to read it.

"Even though we cannot control our circumstances, we can control how we choose to respond to them."

From, "Handling Stress and Dealing With an Emotional Bully."Click here to read this post.

"Nope, being busy isn't exciting. Boring is good. Because boring is not boring; boring is being healthy, living a balanced life that has serenity"

From: "Do You Know What It Means If You Are Too Busy?" For more, please click here.

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