September is here!

This is a post just to mark the day...couldn't let September 1st go by without blogging. Summer vacation has officially ended, we have celebrated Independence and another year has almost come to a close. I hope we are that one step closer to accomplishing what we set out to do when the year first began. It's easier said than done but sometimes you just have to put your mind to it and don't let anything stand in your way. I can't say I have any complaints, I have met some of my goals, I got to catch up with family this year and I travelled to a new land. On the personal front, I have wrestled with some demons and came up the winner. As human beings we are always striving for new ways to transcend our limitations and surpass our previous record to make this journey more exciting and fulfilling. Seldom do we want to remain in one position but rather constantly evolving into a state where we find ourselves content and free. The only thing constant is change and change we must in order to survive in a fluid world full of emotion, energy and motion! ©

Happy September all :D

Big Ben, River Thames-London/July 2010

Memories to keep you warm 

Sandcastle fun 

Sun, Sea & Sand/Summer 2010

The world that surrounds you

Photo credit - jeffbeebe.ning.com

Time is a marvelous thing. It allows us to grow and evolve into beings capable of adapting to any situation; to look at life from a different perspective; to heal our wounds and angst at times. Time makes us appreciate what we have in our life and be present for all the things happening at any given moment. Yesterday a very wise person told me that sometimes, perhaps something you were hoping to happen did not, because you were not ready for it to occur and maybe you needed to rid yourself of something for it to happen. It added a whole new twist on the saying: “nothing happens before its time.” At first I was like: “what are you really saying…that is not true!” I always thought: “what is for you, is for you” but then I figured that this young guy maybe really knew what he was saying! Mind you this hasn’t the slightest hint of anything remotely romantic or sappy as that! All I am going to say is that time after time we think we need to be in the right place at the right time or know the right people but sometimes it’s just your aura and what you project. Sometimes what you are putting out into the universe is greater than anything physical. You may have all good intentions to get where you’re going but sometimes something subconscious that you haven’t dealt with as yet is preventing that connection between what you want and you. ©

Food for thought: Sometimes we need to clear ourselves of the clutter in order to make room for the surpises. What you give is what you get.

Milestones



Photo credit - theaccidentalcommunicator.com



We often think of milestones as that one big achievement…that once in a lifetime dream coming true…but these can be found in almost everything we do in life. Whether it is the birth of a child, landing our dream job, visiting a new place, owning our own home or living to see another birthday. For most of us, we want to revel in our achievements - to savour its sweetness so the memories linger on. But others try to downplay its importance and deprive themselves of feeling that joy. Maybe because of the fast pace of life, we forget to give thanks for all of our accomplishments and then the moment is gone. It is important to give conscious thought to everything around us and experience life for what it is: a precious gift to behold. Even if you think there is nothing to be thankful for, the mere fact that you have sight to read the words on this page or enjoy a breathtaking sunset; to smell a rose, the aroma of a loved one’s cooking or the scent of rain on a newly pitched road, we must be grateful. The ability to walk or talk; if you have a talent to sing, dance or play an instrument, we must be appreciative for there are many others that can’t do any of those things and long for our blessings. Sometimes we go through life searching for that one big thing that would make us feel satisfied or keep us on par with the Joneses, but we ought to remember to be aware of our blessings and do what is right for us. Satisfaction can be found in the gaze of a small child or a hug from a friend that you haven’t seen in years. It can be found in our daily activities at work: making a customer’s day or completing a project that would enhance the quality of life of others. I recently saw a baby on a flight that almost brought tears to my eyes…I sat and I stared in awe and smiled peacefully to myself, for children are one of God’s greatest gifts. So behold the world around you: the people, places and things in your life. Ask yourself if it was taken away, which one you would miss the most and why. Give thanks for them all. Preserve your talents, skills and abilities. Cherish your youth and don’t waste it. Make the most of your privileges and never take anything for granted. Do what makes you happy and you will always have inner peace and strength to make it through to the end.©

“Work like you don't need the money. Love like you've never been hurt. Dance like nobody's watching.”

Satchel Paige (1906 – 1982)

A Look Within

They say time flies when you're having fun. But I wasn't having nearly as much fun because I was neglecting my blog...but I'm back. So many things going on, personal and otherwise. The old folks used to say, "after one time is two" but I never really understood this until recently. Things that you thought mattered so much before, feelings you experienced, people you encountered in your life: are all but points along a journey. They come and go and never stay the same as you progress through life. Every day we evolve a little bit more, events happen in your life, you meet new people, you run into old ones you knew at another time, you experience new things (perhaps old things in a different way), encounter new opportunities that changes how we perceive the world.  As our world view changes, we step out of our little private (comfort) zone and it influences how we react to certain situations...things that may have bothered us at an earlier time. Perhaps it opens our eyes to something we were blind to before and allow us to wake up to a new reality. Maybe it enables us to learn something new about ourselves, our environment or the people around us. Whatever the outcome, we need to slow down and be cognizant of the situations that present themselves in our lives. After all, if we believe in the reasoning that everything in life happens for a reason, we would stop to take note of every single moment that we experience daily, for it is then that we are able to truly understand ourselves, our relationship with others and our purpose on this journey.

"Lost time is never found again." Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)

One Step at a Time

This a follow up to the previous post...

a journey to my fitness goals...

Join me by clicking on the title link to read more.

On exercise:
"...But without that inner desire and strength to do it on your own and cognizance of your purpose for doing it, you will fall by the wayside and it's even harder to get back going again. It is indeed a lot of work and although it's not one of my favourite things in the world it's worth it in the end, as you reap not only physical benefits but overall well-being..."

Turn over a new leaf

So I decided to turn over a new leaf when it comes to healthy living...I joined a new online network in an attempt to give it my all when it comes to eating healthy and exercise especially. What prompted this metamorphis, you ask? My trainer gave me a strong reprimand the other day at the gym. His complaint: my complaining! In all seriousness, I need to take heed. Although I am not overweight, there are some things I need to work on. So this time, I am going to try to keep it zipped and just do the exercise! I try to eat healthy most of the time, but sometimes you need to reward yourself and cheat a little, just don't make it a habit. Cardio is also a weak area of mine...that I need to work on, so once I condition my mind to do more of it, it should be okay.  Bread and pasta has been absent from my diet for some time now, so too have been carbs and sugars after 6:00 pm and I have seen an improvement. It is my goal to start cooking up some healthy and creative recipes that promote even more healthy living!

Anyhow, check out my new find!: http://www.wholeliving.com/

Top 10 List of things you hate about social networks!

Okay this post is a diversion, but the whole idea of a blog is for it to be “cathartic” and have a release/purge of emotions/thoughts and this is simply that. 

Do you hate those fake social networks as much as I do? Don’t even utilize it much anymore except for maybe short glimpses to retrieve something of vital importance that I did not store anywhere else or to wish someone Happy Birthday...gone are the days of just remembering someone’s birthday or storing it in a diary!
Anyhow, I compiled my Top 10 list of things most despised about social networks:

1) The way random people add you for no apparent reason except to mind your business or to buffer the quantity of friends on their friends list!

2) When you log on and your supposed “friends” do a disappearing act from your profile for no apparent reason except maybe jealously, falseness or snobbishness and you wonder how those very people ended up on your friends list in the first place!!!
3) The way the said persons who disappeared are the same persons that sent you a friend request!
4) People who throw a hissy fit for months on end because you did not accept their friend request!
5) Why persons send you a friend request and then block out portions of their profile after you have given them “whole hog” access to yours and you discover it randomly while trying to send them a birthday greeting!
6) People who delete you then still try to mind your business!!
7) The way you log on just for a minute, then end up getting caught up for periods on end in everyone’s status updates before finding what you came on to do in the first place!!
8) The way persons on your friend list feel the need to announce every single thing under the sun that they are doing at any given moment in time, like if anyone wants to know what they had for breakfast, lunch AND dinner or how they can’t seem to find the right partner or job! It’s like: “why are you airing your dirty laundry in public and do we even care???" For heaven’s sake be a woman/man, suck it up and DEAL WITH IT!!!! Nobody likes a crybaby who is moping all the time!
9) Those damn virtual hearts, pillows, friends circles and sorority girl requests that “pull” all your personal information and those non-stop status updates for mafia points, potatoes that need harvesting or golden eggs that were laid!!
10) And last but not least those FAKE PEOPLE!! If you are truly my friend pick up the phone and call me, send me an email/text message or drop me a line the old fashioned way!! I still have all my old letters and cards from my long time friends.
It's a vicous cycle out there folks, let's not get caught up in our virtual worlds and forget the essence of what friendship is all about. Lot's of people are getting themselves into serious trouble through social networking...It's time we start acting like friends instead of letting the click of a mouse dictate our pace when it comes to choosing and keeping friends...for the most part we don't communicate with our real friends soley on networking sites.

Easter Reflections

It’s Easter weekend and though this signals the end of Lent, it is also a time of reflection for the Christian community as it is a reminder of the suffering Christ endured when He gave up his life for our salvation. And at this time we should turn inward and give thanks for the little things in our life. Even if we are not deeply religious or we did not give up anything during the lenten season, we can certainly make sacrifices in our everyday life in appreciation of the things others may have sacrificed for us at one time or another, whether it is our parents, a loved one or a friend. Whatever we do, we must never take things for granted and always remember the good which has been done for us...and if we look at the bigger picture we should be aware of the reason we are all here today, whether you believe in Jesus, God, or some other Divine Being. Without a belief in something greater we are mere aimless souls without direction or purpose. So although we may be using this long weekend to catch up some much needed zeez and relaxation, or taking advantage of the great outdoors, hitting the books or just spending time with family and friends, there should be a moment of reflection and appreciation of a more holistic view.

"Appreciation is a wonderful thing: It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well." - Voltaire (Francois Marie Arouet) (1694-1778)

Reward yourself: You deserve it!

Sometimes we need to reward ourselves for a job well done, accomplishing one of our goals or just being one step closer to living a life of peace and contentment. Whatever the reason I am sure it feels good to treat ourselves lavishly if only for a day or an hour. It sends a signal to ourselves that we are capable of great things and provides an incentive to keep on reaching for the stars. Too many times we let people rule our lives and prevent us from living unfettered. The sky is the limit to our accomplishments if only we believe.

This one is for that group of daring people I just spent the last three months with conquering our fears together and doing crazy things that I would never have dreamt of doing say maybe 10 years ago..."Murder & Mayhem" maybe at first....but fun it was!

When was the last time you heard this one???!!!