Gathering My Lessons
I am constantly learning from my life. Someone special to me said that I could glean a lesson even from a recipe.
Which is what I did in my post, When The Recipes Must Go.
I call them Ahas. I can also stand on a Soapbox every once in a while.
And I learn some pretty big stuff from some little people in my life. The good and the bad and
the happy and the sad. My friendships are very important to me. The past holds some wisdom yet to be learned.
And my husband’s lessons are occasionally shared by his voice here. I may repeat myself, but guaranteed,
I’ll get you to think about life just a little differently.
You May Have To Prove Who You Are…To Yourself
Why does it always catch me off guard when people gush about how they read what I write and are inspired? Or see my art and tell me how talented I am? It catches me off guard because I am in the practice (actually pretty good at it) of disregarding myself. Like so many others, I undervalue my talents because after all, they are just something I do. But this is an injustice I am realizing I may have to right. As now I’m stuck in a purgatory of feeling over-appreciated by some and under-appreciated by myself. I may have to prove it to...
read moreHow to Knock Fear off Your Brain Hill
If you’ve read anything on self-development and personal growth, you know that fear figures prominently in messing your life goals up. Fear takes on many shapes and feelings like anxiety and perfection and is mostly to blame for everything that messes with your life’s satisfaction. Fear knows everything you know and will ask you to not even acknowledge these truths but there it sits, king of your brain hill. Usually the first suggested exercises to work through and conquer your fears will be to name them. A series of questions...
read moreOn Bossing Yourself Around
Kids and big folks alike don’t want to be told what to do. At my house we jokingly say,”Because if you tell me to do it, I’m not gonna do it”. We quite openly use reverse psychology on our kids. “Hey Fiona, whatever you do, don’t go to the potty.” And off to the potty she goes. It works every time even though she knows exactly what we are up to. So bossing yourself can prove to be difficult as well. I think a lot of us never grow out of that punk attitude of not wanting to be told what to do. Besides making it hard to follow...
read moreShadowy Places
I had the pleasure of a private communication with a friend recently and thanked her for her forthrightness on the subject of over-drinking. I mentioned her and the piece she wrote about her own experience getting through to a new place with that anxiety driven behavior when she inspired me to look at my behavior and see how my assumptions about my life were no longer true. And now I don’t have to quell needless anxieties anymore. Or not as much perhaps. It struck me as significant when she said that many other of her connections had...
read moreIs It Harder to Give Up on You or Give You a Chance?
At any given moment, we have at least these two choices : we can set to work on the tasks we see ourselves in need of accomplishing to get to where we think we want to go. Or we can give up on ourselves and decide the effort is not worth it. Or we’re not worth the effort. When you don’t feel worthy of the effort, you live a lifetime of giving up. I asked myself, what is more difficult, giving up or giving yourself a chance? You’d think that working toward something , be it a better life or self-esteem or relationship with...
read moreA Few Thoughts On Mother’s Day
All-consuming, persistent, relentless, and unforgiving. Motherhood is 365 days per year of these and many more words, flattering and not. One day to recognize all of this feels cheesy. But then Christmas feels all too short to celebrate our oneness with Gratitude and salvation. We’ll be celebrating more Mother’s day next weekend as my husband had to work this weekend. And honestly, the kids are cute and smart but they’ll only take as much initiative as they’re told to when it comes to Mother recognition. So my thought...
read moreYes Butters
I used to chat with my friend’s father all the time. We would have long discussions in which he would be the star but his life just never seemed to go his way. I would always offer up helpful advice or perspective busters, as I do. And his answer was always, “Yes but….”. After many sessions of these discussions I finally realized that, while I had been baited to listen, his commitment to taking any responsibility for the events in his life was lacking. And so I would get caught in the stream of Yes Buts. I propose that there are...
read more100 Days of Shalagh Project : Days 14 Through 33
I’ve passed the month mark for the 100 Days Challenge. Or 100 Days of Shalagh as I’ve hashtagged it on Instagram. And as I suspected, it’s not been that hard to do. Partly because I knew going in I’d already proven I could create for 100 days straight (See my starting post on the background to this decision). And partly because the size and medium limits, much like the ICAD challenge, were contained so that it was not daunting to do a 4 × 6 drawing or sketch. And I’m of the mind that done is good enough. The...
read moreWhat Do You Truly Believe About You?
In the bathroom moments ago, I was thinking about what I was going to be doing today. And what are the possibilities (endless). And suddenly I was aware of what I think of my capabilities. Am I the sort of person who can restructure her life to make more important projects happen? Like writing a book? Hold the answer because that instant is when the magic, or the damnation sentencing happens. What you believe is what happens. Mostly. What we believe in ourselves is what we will create. I ask you, what do you believe about yourself? What do...
read moreWhy Make the Effort?
When you don’t feel you are worth it, like the effort to go to the doctor or make those changes to your diet or get more education for a better paying job, why and who you are making the effort for may be your key to motivation. You don’t value yourself enough for the effort? So be it. But if you have children, their needs for your best You always trump everything. Your why is always your key to getting your life done. And if you have kids, they are a bigger why than we even realize. They are witnessing everything that we do and...
read more
