To be happy, one must find one's bliss!-Gloria Vanderbilt

{EAV:cf36012a888ed327}

During the month of December I have joined the Reverb 2011 Project.  Some of my posts will require much courage as I will be answering as truthfully as I can, brutally honest, reaching deep within my soul.  Something that I have been refusing to do for years.

17. Bliss

ImagineGolf

What are three things that make you feel the most blissed out? What can you do in 2012 to invite more of that into your life?

“Now a soft kiss - Aye, by that kiss, I vow an endless bliss.” 

― John Keats 

Relaxing on the ocean gives me great feelings of Bliss! The warm breeze, watching the seagulls and birds flying in the beautiful blue sky, hearing the waves hit the shore and the hot white sand between my toes are a few of the things that create peace within me. 

Where we currently reside there are no warm white sandy beaches!  The Pacific Northwest is beautiful but their beaches are lacking in that department! Therefore in 2012 there would need to be either more traveling to the Caribbean or maybe a move to a beautiful tropical island! Being loved and spending time with my family also creates feelings of Bliss and Joy in my soul. 

18. Ordinary Sparkling Moments

Image via Wikipedia

Reflect on the ordinary moments that bring you joy (e.g., the tea pot whistling, the sun setting). What moments would you like to relish in the coming year?

The first thing we do in the morning is have a couple of cups of coffee. Despite my Latin background, I never drank coffee before I married my husband.  The day just feels odd if we haven't done our java ritual!


When it is sunny and warm here in Seattle, we love to sit outside and drink our coffee. Sitting between the hummingbirds and butterflies fluttering around the flowers adds that perfect ambiance to our morning!


To be able to relish more of these moments it is looking as if maybe we should make that big move. As I write this, I am beginning to see a common thread! Will we actually make the move we are always talking about? Only time will tell...

19. Joy

Photo Credit Adriana Negron

What does a joyful life look like for you?

Overall a joyful life is one filled with gratitude.  I always love to say, "The best gift in life is when you recognize all the blessings that surround you!" 

When you are able to be grateful and recognize all these blessings as soon as you open your eyes in the morning, your day can only get better from that moment on!

For me to be surrounded by a husband that truly loves me, the blessings of my children and grandchildren help create a joyful life! Again with my theme, living near the ocean on the Caribbean, is the dream location I would love to be spending my joyful life!

20. Community

Where have you discovered community, online or otherwise, in 2011? What community would you like to join, create or more deeply connect with in 2012? (Author: Cali Harris)

These are a few online communities which I love.  My goal is to be more active in some in the upcoming year.

Related articles

• #Reverb11Days 13 & 14 (reachingforpink.wordpress.com)
• Where to go for a relaxing beach vacation? (ask.metafilter.com)
• Confused.com's top 10 holiday destinations for 2011 (confused.com)
• Sandals Resorts named top hotels in the Caribbean | British Airways - Travel Industry News (travelnews.britishairways.com)
• Reverb11 - better late than never! (therevandtheboys.wordpress.com)
• Sunday Morning Bliss (hummingbirdand10th.wordpress.com)

You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough! Mae West

Image: arztsamui / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

13. Love

"A loving relationship is one in which the loved one is free to be himself -- to laugh with me, but never at me; to cry with me, but never because of me; to love life, to love himself, to love being loved. Such a relationship is based upon freedom and can never grow in a jealous heart" 
— Leo Buscaglia

What are the things (or people or animals) in this world that you love the most?

I love my family so much. We have five sons and they have become the best men in my life! Our eldest and his wonderful wife have given us the blessing of two beautiful granddaughters. Thankfully they live a few minutes away from us so we get to see them quite often.  

I recently was able to go to a family reunion and was struck by the love I saw between my cousin and her husband.  This is their second marriage and they have five grown children between them.  They both are great step parents to their children.  I was thinking at the time that blended families should be more like them and if they aren't why not?  

Image: piyato / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

14. Marvel

“It's been my experience that you can nearly always enjoy things if you make up your mind firmly that you will.” 
― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

What have you done well over the past year—the little stuff and the big stuff? How do you celebrate the positives?

Despite my health, financial concerns and physical limitations, I stopped feeling sorry for myself early in the year.  "Normal" is gone, and "normal" may not be coming back anytime soon or ever.   I am learning to embrace who my outer shell is now, but I am still the same person inside. Sure when I look in the mirror at times I may not recognize the person looking back at me, but my soul continues to be full of love and joy.  

I really enjoy spending time with my family.  Creating memories for my children and grandchildren is so much fun for me.   I celebrate by thanking God every day for all the blessings He has given me. 

CIRCULAR FEAR
© Jurie Maree | Dreamstime.com

15. Fear

“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” 
― Nelson Mandela

The easiest way to overcome fear is to confront it. Rather than brainstorming reasons to avoid your “fear,” shift your attention to the reasons for confronting your fear. What fear would you like to overcome in 2012?

I really would love that 2012 will bring ME back. I want to stop going in circles. I think that I have cycled through certain situations over and over again in my life.  2012 is going to get me off this roller coaster!  I have always wanted to paint, write books and continue to travel the world.  I want to look back on my life knowing that I tried everything I always wanted to do. I am not sure what has kept me from doing these things.  Fear of Success? Fear of Failure? 

Image: wiangya / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

16. Transitions

“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.” 
― Mother Teresa

Over the past year have you experienced any major/minor life transitions? How has your life changed? 

These past three years have brought some changes to my life. I used to take for granted being able to walk a few steps without feeling ill, stand, think clearly or any physical activity for that matter.  

Before my heart used to race after I ran or walked briskly a few miles.  Now I get to feel my heart twittering like a hummingbird in my chest without so much of a slight change in position. Despite all the physical changes there is a reason for it all.  I am not sure what it is yet, but I know God has a plan.  

During the month of December I have joined the Reverb 2011 Project.  Some of my posts will require much courage as I will be answering as truthfully as I can, brutally honest, reaching deep within my soul.  Something that I have been refusing to do for years. 

Related articles

• Reverb-2011 Days-1-11 (mombloggerbuzz.com)
• Caged Bird~Mistakes (mombloggerbuzz.com)
• Hyperadrenergic Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (mombloggerbuzz.com)
• Julie Unplugged (juliejordanscott.typepad.com)
• Just Because You Can Doesn't Mean You Should (devacoaching.com)
• #Reverb11 Day 4 Fear (reachingforpink.wordpress.com)
• Couraged by the Daily Motivator (tommyboizee.wordpress.com)
• My Favourite Poem - To an English Friend in Africa, by Ben Okri (bintercultural.wordpress.com)
• The Complexity of Fear (my.psychologytoday.com)

Image by Cool Text: Free Graphics Generator - Edit Image

A Caged Bird~Mistakes

SONGBIRD
© Bumidin Iberhim | Dreamstime.com

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson

12. Mistakes
It’s easy to focus on our mistakes—to reflect with 20/20 hindsight and berate ourselves for what went wrong. Bring your awareness to a mistake you’ve made over the past year. Unveil one positive lesson from that mistake. How can you actively use this lesson moving forward?


I am positive I have made several mistakes this past year. However, the biggest and most currently painful mistake is expecting people to treat me like I treat them.  This is not just anyone that I am speaking about, it is someone that you would expect would want to treat me special. 


Each morning I wake up wanting to make this person feel loved, but day in and day out I am hit with the realization that they just do not feel the same or want to do the same for me. For years I kept on turning the other cheek so to speak, giving without expecting anything in return. Right now I am feeling that continuing to do that is just a load of crap and a waste of precious time! 


Due to my current situation I am like a bird in a cage. One of these days someone is going to open the door to this cage and I will fly away. Not to search for a new nest or a new bird, but to be free to be happy.  If that means alone so be it. 


The one positive lesson that I am  learning from this mistake is to not make the same mistake again, ever. I pray that I have learned this difficult and sad lesson. 


During December I am joining the Reverb 2011 Project.  Some of my posts will require much courage as I will be answering as truthfully as I can, brutally honest, reaching deep within my soul, something that I have been refusing to do for years. 

Related articles

• Life (writeyourprayers.wordpress.com)
• Top 100 Motivational Quotes of All Time! (billcrosby.com)
• Motivational Quote of the Day - 16 Nov 2011 - Making A Decision - Ralph Waldo Emerson (shyra.wordpress.com)
• Blessings in disguise (positivelybranded.wordpress.com)
• Finish each day... (thinkingthrough.wordpress.com)
• A Majestic Bird (mmaikers.wordpress.com)
• "The Transcendentalist," by Ralph Waldo Emerson (jillianreadsbooks2.wordpress.com)
• Reverb 2011 Project (abeautifulrippleeffect.com)