HungryForLife

The wonder of wishes

Once again I've been hoarding my wishes and not sharing with you dear readers and sharing is what this season is all about, so here goes:

Dec 24:  I wish for food that ‘blurs the line between eating and sex’ (quote from a movie but I can't remember which one)!

Christmas Eve: we laughed and gave and received. We celebrated with a meal cooked with love, creativity, and pride by Chef Brin! 

Dec 25: I wish to be love in action.

Dec 26:  I wish for these R’s: rest, reflection, renewal, regifting. ;)

Dec 27:  I wish for the joy and adventure of browsing for books. I love Barnes & Noble! After much indecision I chose to spend my gift certificate on Diana Gabaldon's newest: An Echo in the Bone. Claire and Jamie Fraser are characters I've adored for decades!

Dec 28:  I wish for connections and celebrations with new/old friends: we three L's and our hubbies met for a cookout and perfect evening of delicious laughter, food, and company.

Dec 29: I wish for safe travel for me and my loved ones—plus the ideal meet-up at the end of the travel. I drove to Orlando to meet two more childhood friends from the Bahamas that I haven't seen in several years: Shirley flew in from San Diego and Kat drove form Vero Beach. I loved catching up with them, hugging them, and of course eating delectable's with them for several hours. ;) I love you my friends and treasure our connections!

Dec 30: I wish for letting go.

Dec 31: I wish for new traditions for my new family. The three of us: me, Jeff, and mom, drove to get ice-cream at Brewster's last night and then to the town square to see the lights and people watch all the couples and families dressed to the nines for New Year's Eve dinners and parties. We even saw Brin but lost her in the crowd! We met Katie, a Goldendoodle dog, she was as soft and sweet as cotton candy.

I wish you 365 days of love in 2010.

Wish: Friends that get me!

The Three L's: Lisa, Laura, and Laurieanne!

What a kid!

My kid and I, okay she's a twenty something kid, we have our ups and downs and ins and outs, ya know? Since mom came to live with us, an entire month ago, yah it feels like eons some days, Brin has stepped up to be there for me, Jeff, and mom. I truly appreciate her help, I'm committed to my own self care and couldn't accomplish it as well without her support. I wish for her to know how much her being there means to me.

Monday nights I go to a Landmark seminar in Orlando and try and leave at 4pm when she gets off work; this week Jeff wanted to come to get away as well. On Sunday when I reminded her she said uh oh that's the night of our Christmas party at work! If she wanted to go I understood and would change my plans. She said no it's okay I said I'd stay with Gramma. I still felt sad that she was missing the celebration but I was impressed by her keeping her word.

That night she worked late and flew in the door at 5pm and said she had told them at work she had to stay with Gramma and they said, "Bring Gramma!"..."So can she come?" These are her friends, co-workers and bosses, and that she was willing to include mom is so touching. She's a waitress so it was casual and they were having a pot luck after the restaurant closed. She chose to play big and create a win-win possibility for everyone! That's integrity and love in action; she was her word with everyone and took a stand for herself. How empowering and inspiring!

They fed Gramma dessert after dessert and all mom could talk about was how much they all laughed and how much fun she had—they got home after we did at midnight! <grin> That's my kid! And that's the best Christmas gift ever! I love you Brin.

Colored in fun!

On Monday I got a UPS package. Jeff and I play a game to see who can make our delivery guy smile or interact— I have never won this game, which makes Jeff laugh. The UPS man is immune to my finely honed people skills. My first wish: that Mr. UPS has someone in his life to smile for.

The package was from Amazon, my favorite! Inside were colored pencils—a gift from my lovely client, coach, and friend; the note read....and may your 2010 be colored in fun! Hmmmmmm. Interesting. I supposed I could dig out a blank notebook to color in; I don't think of myself as an Artist but maybe I could get SARK's Playbook and Journal. Hmmmmmm.

On Tuesday our man in brown was back in action and moved with such velocity I didn't even get to dazzle him with a smile or wish him a Happy Holiday before he was a blur in our driveway. Another Amazon box; oh goody!

I laughed out loud as I opened part two of the colored pencil gift: Susanne Fincher's Coloring Mandalas: For Insight, Healing, and Self-Expression. Now the colored pencils made perfect sense. I pulled them out and immediately curled up on my couch and colored my first Mandala.

The experience was pure bliss: undiluted creative juices flowed, I was totally present, I colored with childlike innocence—no rules or judgments, I was empowered by the joy and freedom of playing. ALL this with paper and colored pencils! My second wish: (I can have two, it's almost Christmas!) I wish you the joy of coloring.

Bliss and color to you Sharon—for always touching my life in unexpected and inspiring ways. Happy, happy Christmas!

Catchin' up on my wishes...

Dec 14: Wishin' for more days like...Bahama Breeze: 4 Hours, 3 Friends, 2 Drinks, 1 Meal = infinite possibilities, endless gratitude, immeasurable laughs! Yuca fries= YUM! Who knew? Thanks Larissa! Thank you Cathy! 

Dec 15: Wishin' for gifts that bring out the best in me, from someone who knows my authentic self! Thanks Sharon!

Dec 16: I wish for making time to PLAY—no rules only bliss!

Dec 17: I wish for more movies like Invictus that inspire me to live big, bigger, biggest! Plus the ideal friends to watch them with. Thx L & L I love our Chickie time! 

Dec 18: I wish for friends who are there when I give up—who never give up on me!

Dec 19: I wish to add to my treasured memories of Christmases past: the laughter, sharing, giving, cooking, and celebrating each other. Christmas is love in action.

Connections

I wish for continued connections between me and long distance friends. I'm meeting the lovely Larissa Parks for lunch today. She and her family are visiting Orlando this week from Maryland. I first met Larissa before she had even started the VTP she came to a little get together at Antonette's house where several AssistU VA's were staying for our first Community Recognition Awards. She came and ate with total strangers and fit into the crazy household as though she were part of our extended family. Read more about this successful and passionate woman's VA biz here and her newest adventure here!

Jan 2nd update: Cathy Lamothe (Jacksonville), Larissa (MD), and me!

Last week I had tea with Sheri Brogni in Leesburg—she was visiting from Phoenix. Sheri is also an AssistU VA that I was delighted to meet at our next two Community Recognition events in Last Vegas last year, and Minneapolis this year. We had such a great visit and so much in common; our daughters are close in age, our elderly moms are both named Dorothy, we have a passion for what we do for a living, and we were both willing to go out while it was raining cats and dogs to meet each other! Big vugs Sheri!

Three Days of Wishes

Friday, Dec 11: I wish for someone who loves me unconditionally when I am frail and wrinkled and need to be taken care of.

 

Saturday, Dec 12: I wish for books that touch, move, and inspire me and dedicating the time to read each day just for me.

 

  Sunday, Dec 13: I wish for balance: between work, play, and rest; time with loved ones and time alone; sharing and reflection; exercise and stillness.

Today’s wish: Making Space

Mom and I went thrift shopping for an hour this afternoon. I’ve been boxing and bagging things to donate to the Humane Society thrift shop and still have too much. Anyone who knows me or has seen my bookcases knows my mantra: books are forever. Period. Yet I actually parted with a dozen books from a dozen years ago. They were mostly self help, new-agey type books, and ya know they just didn’t speak to me anymore and it was easy to let them go. A dozen books doesn’t create that much physical space on my shelves but it made a space in my life of awareness of how much I’ve grown and transformed. I’m really not the person who read those books.

The thrift shop had a fifty percent off sale and guess what I found? Books of course! Four hardcover books by four of my favorite authors for only fifty cents a piece—brand-new-never-even-read hardcover books. My new used books look great in their new space!

I wish you space in your home, your life, and your heart. Imagine all the ways you can fill them or simply revel in the new roomy you.

Enough already!

Today's Wish = Patience

When I’m impatient I have an agenda—I’m results oriented and pushy. I’m in ‘Git ‘r Dun’ mode! I was aware today of each time I was impatient: it takes mom a long time to get dressed; the computer dragged; traffic was bogged down. I get frustrated—I want to jump in and make it happen—no matter what.

Awareness is the key for me. With this awareness I was able to see that I wasn’t present. Impatience is future oriented and not about the now. I wanted her ready so we could go; I wanted the computer running at top speed and not wasting my time; I wanted to get there not dawdle. I felt there wasn't enough time, but when I dug deeper I got to: I’m not enough. 

Being impatient means justifying being right over being loving. What’s the impact of that? Hurrying mom along and making her wrong for being slower and not being empathetic or helpful. I’ve succeeded in making her feel as I do: not enough.

I have to physically stop. Focus on my breath, center myself, and love myself as I am in all my humanness and know that I am perfect, whole, and complete. All I have is time. When I do this I discover I stop living in my head and return to my body in the present.

Creating the possibility of being patient frees me: to offer her help or cheer her on in her accomplishments; if the computer actually takes five minutes to boot I can sit and meditate and breathe; and traffic being slow gives me and mom a few extra minutes to have a conversation, share a favorite memory, or listen to her tell a childhood story. These delays are blessings in disguise and every moment we have is a precious gift.

I choose to give the gift of patience to others and especially to myself.

Tooth Fairy please!

I wish that I am always able to be there for my daughter even though it’s tough to watch her fall. I love her truly, madly, deeply and I know she is an amazing and capable young woman. Sometimes we all make mistakes—especially in our youth. Brin fell in the bathroom on Saturday and knocked her front teeth loose, not out, but definitely loose. It makes me cringe just thinking about it. When I have nightmares it often involves loosing my teeth or my teeth being loose, not the pain but something about the loss of my teeth is overwhelming. Watching my child grow from mistakes and accidents is harder than experiencing them myself.

 

We’ve learned if the roots aren’t damaged teeth amazingly can reseat themselves. We’ll know more after x-rays tomorrow and which ones need to be capped from being chipped.

 

I’m using two days of wishes to wish for good news from the dentist!