My Father.

The other day I was uploading some photographs of my father’s 77^th birthday reunion to a digital picture frame and I was struck by the naked joyousness of the faces of his friends. In every photograph, people were smiling, laughing, motioning, eating, drinking and talking. Their joyfulness eked out and flowed into me until I was quite mad with a desire to host another one of those reunions.

I immediately called my sister and communicated my wild idea to her.

I even sent her the photos, so she could see and perhaps experience the joy herself. I was really quite intoxicated with joy as the poet Hafiz might say.

The next day, I argued the plan and concluded it was not feasible.

I asked myself a lot of questions and came up with the simple answer:

I wanted my father to see his friends and spend time with them again.

However, I did not wish to have to endure the process of getting to that point. I did not want to have to rely on my friends and total strangers for assistance.

I called my sister and told her the plans were cancelled. As expected, she was disappointed. I understood her disappointment because I felt the same way, but I was not going down that path again. There had to be another way.

Last Friday, my father rang to say he was on the big island for a few weeks.

I encouraged him to call his friends and make appointments to visit them for the duration of his stay there. He was quite taken with the idea of leisurely seeing each one in their home. After we hung up the phone, I felt uplifted and happy. I am so pleased I discovered a better solution that is completely win/win.

I got what I wanted which was for my father to see and be with his friends for a day. Even if he does not visit all of them, the thought of him spending time with just one, makes me very happy indeed.

The Power of Appreciation

I enjoyed a super blissful weekend in the company of very good friends.

On one occasion we were discussing the power of appreciation in the workplace and how it transforms the energy there. One chap mentioned how they were singled out for some long overdue appreciation for work they had done some months ago and he said it was amazing to see how everyone's posture straightened as they were being mentioned. They were cheerful for days.

A young lady of 14 said that she loved when others gifted her with books. I thought she was talking about the books themselves but no, what she meant was others took the time to learn about her interests. Imagine that! She was appreciative of their taking an interest in her interests!

The entire conversation was very satisfying because we were all talking about, feeling, reliving and expressing appreciation for more than an hour.

Afterwards, I looked at the lives we each live and realized the main reason we are all so abundant is because of the heightened levels of appreciation we consciously embrace on a daily basis.

This prompted me to goggle the word appreciation and almost all the stuff I came across is derived from the teachings of Abraham-Hicks in one form or another, although this is never mentioned. If Abraham spooks you, just stick with the people who copied them. It is not about the messenger.

I am where I am today because of the power of appreciation which I made into a religion because of the Abraham material.

Goals 74-100.

74. Do one thing at a time and be present with it. I produce quality work when I utilize this method and a profound sense of wellbeing. I suspect being present is the key, as it engages all my senses.

75. Call friends who do not have email. I call one of them and snail mail the other. I really enjoy hand writing a letter. The process is quite relaxing and enjoyable to me. I look forward to handwriting letters and cards.

76. Mail a care package to a student. This is a little project I’ve come to enjoy. I don’t eat as much candy and snacks as I use to and this project lets me enjoy the process as far as shopping, packing and shipping goes. The rest of my pleasure comes from imagining how delighted the recipients would feel.

77. Make new friends. This year I made three new friends. I have broadened my foodie appreciation and so have they in the process.

78. Ask for help. Now that I have a good understanding of how the Universe is there for my assistance, I have been asking for help a lot more than before and I do get it!

79. Say no more often. I make every decision based upon how I feel and this means that I have been saying a whole lot of ‘nos’ to a whole lot of things I previously did for the sake of obligation.

80. Take photos of street signs with my friends name and mail it to them. There was a period of time when I would notice street signs with the names of my friends. I never got around to this project and I’ve somehow stopped seeing the signs. Isn’t that interesting?

81. See all the “gems” in New England as listed in the AAA guidebook. I am sure I have seen at least 95% of them. We’ve been everywhere in New England by now.

82. Add to my Creation Box. So this game is truly magical. Whatever I add to this box, usually manifest for me. Sometimes it is something better, but always, I get what I ask for.

83. Join the Grafton Library. Their selection of books is not as impressive as I would have liked, so I am sticking with Amazon, Paperback Swap and the Digital Library for now.

84. Take train into Boston and spend a tourist day there. We don’t have regular trains from where we live. However I have gone into Boston and spent many fun filled days there. It is a very beautiful city.

85. Fill out all questionnaires at Authentichappiness.org After I filled out this. I never returned to the site! I’m still wondering what the point of my exercise was.

86. Learn sign language. I forgot I had this in here; as a result I didn’t do it.

87. Jump on a trampoline. As soon as I find one…

88. Help someone realize one of their ‘to do’ list things. I invited a friend to come and visit – she always wanted to see NE in the fall.

89. Remember to ask ‘what’s good about this’ during a contrasting experience. This is a powerful exercise because it liberates my thoughts and feelings.

90. Eat only foods I enjoy. This has been a huge success!

91. Explore unfamiliar subject areas in the library or bookstore.

I enjoyed doing this on Wiki Random and from RSS feeds I subscribe to.

92. Visit Mesa Verde NP. Rain check.

93. To print this list and check off things because it feels good! I thought commenting on each one would help me to clarify my level of interest for each one.

94. Add to my beach sand collection. This is a fun project! I collect beach sand and display them in little bottles around my bathtub. Pink sand from Bermuda is particularly beautiful.

95. Notice the gift each day brings. Each day brings me at least a hundred things to appreciate and I do love and enjoy the process.

96 – 100. Cross-stitch projects I have not yet completed.

There you have it. My fun year of doing more of what I love and enjoy and giving up the things which no longer interest me. I’d say I am more focused on feeling good than ever before.

Goals 55-73.

55. Spend an entire summer’s day in my hammock in the garden. I attempted this many times only to end up doing a chore in the garden.

56. Become a companion with my IB. I am very familiar with this concept now.

57. Take weekends off from cooking. Done! Especially when we go on day trips in the summer and fall.

58. Sleep more. I realized this is based on the desires of my body, so I go with what my body does. Sometimes it sleeps past 11 am and sometimes it awakens at the crack of dawn.

59. Go to bed being appreciative. This process guarantees blissful, restful sleep and refreshing renewal.

60. Tapestry Bloom pillow. Stunning to say the least. I admire it each night before going to sleep.

61. More day trips to NYC, when street festivals are on. Perhaps next year…

62.Orlando in the spring. The year isn’t over and I do have plans to see the HP theme park.

63. Visit top 5 chocolate makers in New England (as listed by Yankee magazine). Rain check.

64. See the Pinchot Sycamore; largest tree in New England. Rain check

65. Breakfast at the Modern Diner listed as the best diner in New England. We never awake and alert enough at breakfast time…

66. Attend a summer concert in Tanglewood. Rain check.

67. Take naps. I do have the luxury of taking these, but I always feel I have more important things to do, such as reading a book instead of shutting my eyes.

68. Surprise someone. I did this several times this year and I do it for the pleasure I receive more than anything else.

69. Walk barefoot in the garden for a day. Oh! What fun this is!

70. Mandala coloring book. I printed some form a free mandala website and filled them in while listening to lovely music, or just sitting quietly. It is a very relaxing focused form of meditation.

71. Learn a new beading technique. Taught myself quite a few of these.

72. Read Wiki randomly on a daily basis. This lead to a lot of other interesting websites so much so that weeks would go by without Wiki reading.

73. Donate all the winter clothes I did not wear this year. I did this for the summer clothes and I suspect there will be plenty at the end of winter too.

Goals 44-54

44. Add to my collection of fine bone china plates for my dinning room walls. I actually cross-stitched a trio of teacups instead.

45. Take myself LESS seriously. This took a while to take effect, but when I got the hang of it, my life became easier than ever.

46. Continue making daily contributions to the wellbeing of self and others (Wellbeing Journal). This journal is an important part of my life. I have come to rely on it for my self- preservation.

47. Practice deep breathing. Ah this is so relaxing and invigorating!

48. Watch all the TED talks. TED is the most brilliant television. I watch it to maintain my brilliance!

49. Sow Morning Glory around the deck. Alas, I didn’t do this year, as I introduced the chocolate vine instead.

50. Complete all unfinished cross-stitch projects. I am so ambitious aren’t I? I completed four this year and left some for next year and other lifetimes.

51. Giving my undivided attention to what is before me. This is easy when practiced mindfully as it causes whatever I am focused upon to turn out splendidly.

52. Simplify. This is fun to do. Too fun, as I have practically given away stuff I actually use on a daily basis.

53. Eat Chinese food besides the fireplace. Done!

54. Float down the Merced River in Yosemite. Perhaps next year…

Goals 35-43

35. Treat myself to formal teatime more often. This actually a symbolic ritual I created for myself in order to deliberately live in the moment. I live and work at home so setting out tea for one in a fine boned china tea set is a wonderful interlude I have come to look forward to.

36. Play the What If game more often. This is the best process I know for overcoming resistance to new uncharted waters.

37. Make daily lists of appreciation. This is my secret to not working hard, struggling and sacrificing for the life that I enjoy.

38. Be more selective in my thoughts. I can manifest anything I think about in a short time, so I had to be up to speed with this one in order to live the life I now live. I can never afford to by a sloppy thinker, as the price is too high.

39. Focus on only good news. This ties in with the above goals; when I focus on good news, I create good news.

40. Picnic at Walden Pond in the summer. I love and adore Walden Pond!

I go there with my friends and for solitary walks. Either way, it’s a wonderful place to connect with spirit.

41. Spend a day on Block Island. Alas I didn’t do it this summer because see no. 42.

42. Weekend in Bar Harbor. I spent a week in Bar Harbor hiking and eating Maine lobsters fresh from the lobster pound. This is my pilgrimage every summer that I continue to live in New England.

43. Meditate on Flicker more often. This website has some of the most breathtakingly beautiful photographs I have ever seen in one place. Regrettably, I am not spending enough time enjoying them.

Revisiting my annual list of goals. (28-34)

28. Practice food appreciation before eating. I gave myself this goal in order to deliberately focus and think about only the food that is before me. Fortunately, I am not in the habit of eating and watching TV or reading.

29. Give up more often. Wow! I’m good at this one! Now that I have mastered this, you won’t believe how easily problems and issues resolve themselves.

30. Complete the scrapbook I am currently working on. I did finish this project rather cheerfully as it is the last one I will ever do. Scrapbooking is not my hobby.

31. Broadway theatre. I attended quite a few this year and I am very pleased about that. I love the theatre and the delicious energy that swirls in live theatre.

32. Paint laundry room. I did it!

33. Freecycle electronics. The best source for giving way stuff to those who really want it.

34. Learn to knit. I bought this kit but have not yet been inspired to take action. I don’t think I ever will, so I will add it to the freecycle list.

I vote for:

ü Vibrational alignment.

ü More love and laughter.

ü Stimulating conversations.

ü Joyous interactions.

ü Uplifting news.

ü Love of all mankind.

ü Allowing others.

ü Making peace by ceasing the struggle.

ü Wellness.

ü Focusing on what I want.

ü Feeling as good as I can feel.

ü Brilliant ideas.

ü Inspiration.

ü Happiness

ü Abundance of everything that enhances my being.

ü Delightful surprises.

ü Enjoyment in all my activities.

ü Kindness to myself.

ü Appreciation.

Elton John and writing.

22. Elton John concert. I had the distinct pleasure of attending one of these years ago and would like to repeat the blissful experience…

23. Meditate for 15 minutes a day, everyday. I have been lazy about this and promise to practice more.

24. Look for the joy in my daily routine. I have been really good about this, which is why I cannot put up with any kind of negative emotion.

25. Work on Geni. This is a family tree project that is ongoing. I have to upload photos for each person next.

26. Prepare a new recipe at least four times a week. I do this with great inspiration and appreciation.

27. Develop a daily writing practice. I love to write with my gel pens, so this is ongoing.

19 -21 jewelry and furnishings

19.Create more beautiful one of a kind jewelry. I have been wholeheartedly enjoying this one! I create when I am inspired and it’s always a thing of beauty. This year I’ve probably sat down about four or five times and within those times, I’ve had many hours of pure fun. I only go to my atelier when nothing could keep me from it – that’s how I know I am inspired and ready to do something amazing. It also takes just a few minutes to do something fabulous. If I have to convince myself to go there, it means I am not ready and whatever I create will be awful. Creating from a place of pure joy is the best feeling in the world.

20. Compile and publish a recipe book. This sounded good at the time I thought of it. Since then I’ve felt it to be quite a burdensome task. Instead I’m continuing with my foodblog as a record of my own creations as well as those of others I enjoy. I’m happy to tweak a recipe to suit me and to create new ones when I feel inspired.

21. Refurnish dining room. Since writing this I’ve added a dimmer switch, two new dinning chairs and some new cross stitch frames on the wall. I’m well pleased with this room for now…

18. Stay at a Castle in Scotland or Ireland.

This has been a lifelong goal of mine and I just thought I’d move it up to 201o and now 2011! Seriously, there is nothing more romantic or thrilling than staying in a Castle with a magnificent library! I could hardly wait.

I’ve been thinking of Bovey Castle or Dundas Castle in Scotland to name just two. Meanwhile researching them has been a real thrill and when I do go, I hope I am just as thrilled!!!

Photo Diary and meeting the President.

Goals 10- 17

10. Record a photo diary. I took the photos but did not formally organize them in a diary form as I’d hoped. Instead, I used them for my various blogs or just saved them on my computer. I do plan on trying out the photo diary one of these years!

11. Rendezvous with more friends. This year I met some friends I had not seen in more than twenty-five years and I made some new ones. I also reconnected with family members after a period of estrangement. It was all good!

12. Listen to a different XM station each day. This goal was so that I can introduce myself to a variety of world music. It didn’t work out because I could not be in the vicinity of the radio long enough. Also I enjoyed listening to audio books more of the time. I had other times where I would peruse the web for world music and found that it was more enjoyable to me then, as I was single mindedly focused on appreciating the music.

13. Ride in a hot air balloon. Ah I have yet to realize this particular pleasure!

14. See the Northern Lights. This too, as I have to be in Alaska in either March or September to fully appreciates the Aurora Borealis. I like that I still have this to look forward to for some reason.

15. Become more vibrationally attuned. This goal has to do with me paying more attention to the way I feel or tuning in to my own vibrations. I have been doing an exceptional job of this and I continue to do so, as nothing is more important that that I feel good!

16. Meet the President of the United States. After spending 14 hours watching the Inaugurations I was besotted with meeting the President and I still am. I look forward to this event.

17. Receive a postcard from every state as well as every country in the world. – Didn’t happen in one year, but it’s getting there!

9. Plant more vegetables

I did it!

I planted tomatoes, bell peppers, chive, scallions, rosemary, thyme, pumpkins and lots of edible flowers.

I was quite impressed with the bumper crop of cherry tomatoes I had this year. I've got a freezer full of them!

I'm also about to harvest the pumpkins!

8. Work out at least 4 times a week

I am really pleased to say I've been carrying out this resolution for more than ninety five percent of the year so far!

The exceptions would be when I'm on vacation or on a road trip.

I really enjoy exercising my body. I do a variety of different types of exercise so as to not to get bored with any one routine.

I always listen to an audio book when I am not following a yoga DVD.

Just yesterday, I spent the morning walking around Walden Pond. The above photo depicts part of the path.

7. Visit Parents

This felt like a really good idea at the time I wrote it.

It sounded like the right thing to do as in it’s my duty to visit my parents.

However the right thing for me to do is what feels good to me and not what duty dictates.

This year, it felt better for me to think of them as enjoying a peaceful life and allowing in the health and wellbeing that is always flowing.

6.Explore a different area of New England every other weekend.

You bet!

I've been going to someplace other than my own backyard for most of this year.

New England is truly beautiful in all seasons and so there is much to see and experience in a short time.

I haven't yet run out of places to visit and that's a good thing!

5. Take an annual cruise

For the last five years we have been going on annual cruises. For us it's the perfect way to totally relax and not have to do anything we don't want to do. I appreciate the wonderful cheerful crew, the interesting destinations we choose, the food, language, culture, climate, architecture and customs of the places we visit.

Perhaps the best thing about cruising, is that I get to see a place first hand and determine if I want to return for a longer period at a later date.

4. Watch more feel good movies.

I watch movies purely for the entertainment value, specifically to laugh and feel good. As with my reading habit, if the movie does not feel good within twenty minutes, I abort the process.

Life is too short, for me to waste it on being terrified out of my wits, or getting dragged into an emotional wasteland of tragedy and sadness which feels really bad to me.

3. Read the rest of Ursula Le Guin’s books.

My first book by Ursula Le Guin was The Left Hand of Darkness.

I was quite intrigued by her writings and since then have read a number of her books. I adore her imagination and it was in A Wizard of Earthsea that I first read about a school for wizards.

This year I acquired a few more titles, which I will be reading next year :)

In the above photo you can see two bookplates Ursula gifted me with.

Thanks Ursula!

2. Read a book a week

So far I’ve read over 44 books this year.

I’ve started many more, but stopped at page 50 if the plot wasn’t interesting to me.

It’s not that the books were poorly written but mostly because the subject matter wasn’t appealing to me.

I read only for pleasure now.

I have at least fifty or sixty unread books in my personal library at the moment and this has caused me to set a new reading goal for next year.

I am to read only the books that are currently in my possession. Next year I will not be buying any new books. Of course gifted books are the exception to this rule…

1. Make a list of 100 things to do in 2010

I will be spending the next couple of weeks going over my list of 100 things I wanted to accomplish this year.

So far, I've got #1 checked off!

I managed to complete the list making in January 2010.

I had forgotten about the list, until today. I just migrated to a MacBook Pro and as I was going over my documents I saw this and decided I ought to blog about my progress.

In reading over the list, I realized I had a lot of fun creating it. I can still feel the excitement of thinking up some of those aspirations.

Of course a lot of it I didn't do yet, while I did do a lot of things which were not listed.

I know we are only in October, but I have to say I had heaps of fun this past year.

Welcome fall

Wow! I can't believe I haven't posted here for months.

I have had a very adventurous summer.

I am sitting here enjoying the breeze from the over head fan and music coming from the numerous wind chimes outside as winds pick up tonight.

It is wonderful to sit here and just enjoy the sounds of nature as she dances her way through the evening.

Are you undermining your own happiness and wellbeing?

The other day I heard something about me that really pissed me off.

It wasn't the thing about me that pissed me off, it was the person who said it.

I was pissed off because it was such a waste of a good human life.

Imagine you are the owner of the car of your dreams.

Now imagine you abandoned it in a parking lot, or pushed it off a cliff.

You are probably asking yourself, "Why would I do that?"

Well that's what this person has chosen to do with her life.

Yay, I know it's none of my business, so I will talk about how I cultivate my own happiness and wellbeing.

I choose to talk about the happy events from the past and about my expectations for the future while always appreciating my now.

I have zero tolerance for those who want to dredge up the past and speak of it from an attitude of victimhood.

I stay away from those who think that someone owes them something; either their boss, kids, parents, friends, government or me.

I spend a great deal of time cultivating the art of laziness which is to say, I do only that which feels good.

I use any process I can think of to move myself into a better feeling place.

Tired of speaking sweetly - Hafiz

TIRED OF SPEAKING SWEETLY

Love wants to reach out and manhandle us,
Break all our teacup talk of God.

If you had the courage and
Could give the Beloved His choice, some nights,
He would just drag you around the room
By your hair,
Ripping from your grip all those toys in the world
That bring you no joy.

Love sometimes gets tired of speaking sweetly
And wants to rip to shreds
All your erroneous notions of truth

That make you fight within yourself, dear one,
And with others,

Causing the world to weep
On too many fine days.

God wants to manhandle us,
Lock us inside of a tiny room with Himself
And practice His dropkick.

The Beloved sometimes wants
To do us a great favor:

Hold us upside down
And shake all the nonsense out.

But when we hear
He is in such a “playful drunken mood”
Most everyone I know
Quickly packs their bags and hightails it
Out of town.

~ Hafiz ~

(The Gift – versions of Hafiz by Daniel Ladinsky)

Delightful thoughts

A pot of orange pekoe tea.

Completing a purple and gold necklace.

Sitting out on the deck in the late evening, watching the stars come alive.

Reading White Teeth.

Sleeping between crisp, cool, clean white sheets.

A new fountain pen.

A long walk on the beach this weekend.

Crab cakes.

Red nail polish.

Afternoon naps in the hammock.

Consistent joy

Surely joy is the condition of life - Henry David Thoreau

I really do get it that I am not going to feel good unless I am in alignment with who I am.

When I have to go out and water the plants in ninety degree temperatures, I don't say to myself, "I don't feel like it". Instead I focus on how the plants would appreciate this drink of water and how I won't mind getting a few sprays on me as well. I focus on the wellbeing of the plants as I make my way around the garden.

When I ask others to accompany me, I usually get, "In this heat?" or "I don't feel like it." Or "Not right now."

But the plants doesn't know of those answers, and if I were to think like that I won't ever go out and tend the garden, in fact I shouldn't have a garden at all, if I were to harbor this kind of self-limiting thinking.

Therefore a shift in perception is self empowering. I am happy to be tending to the plants because the thought of me quenching their thirst is a happy one. I feel joyful whenever I think of my plants, whenever I look at them or tend to them. All aspects of gardening brings joy in one form or another and even when the chores are burdensome and inconvenient, I deliberately focus upon the wellbeing of the plants so that I may continue to carry on with the chores without resistance.

Consistent joy and happiness requires only a shift in perception.

Wildflower garden

Lately, I've been spending most of the time in the garden.

The wildflower meadow is abundant with flowers. It is the most wonderful place to see and feel the wellbeing that is flowing to us at all times. When I am in this garden I know that all is well, all the time!

Talk about joyous experiences and leave out the rest.

I enjoy phone calls and email from friends who just want to share their wonderful life with me.

I heard from a friend on Sunday, after months of silence. She explained that she wasn't in a good feeling place to call before. I cannot tell you how much I loved her in that moment. She was brilliant enough to realize that she can only be of value to herself and others when she is feeling good. We talked about the good stuff she is now experiencing and the wonderful ways in which the Universe is responding to her.

We both felt uplifted and inspired at the end of the hour. I know this is how I want to feel at the end of every single interaction I am having with others.

Summer is here!

The positive aspects of this lovely warm weather includes basking outdoors, browsing the garden shops, transplanting the purchases, weeding the garden, moving around plants and anything else to keep me outdoors.

It is wonderful to be outdoors again! Living in a temperate climate makes me appreciative of the short but lovely summers we have here.

I tend to grow flowers rather than vegetables because I enjoy the sight of the flowers more.

Flowers are always cheerful and that's the best reason to grow them.

It is all about me!

I cannot do anything about other people's unhappiness or grievances with me or others.

This is their own personal responsibility to tend to and has absolutely nothing to do with me or others.

What I can do is to continue to want better feelings, experiences and circumstances for them. I can continue to see them as being happy, healthy, frolicking beings loving and enjoying their individual lives.

The pay off for me thinking of others in this manner is a deeper more enriching personal life experience.

Creating objects of beauty

I am so appreciative of my talent and love for cross stitching!

It provides me with a wonderful avenue for quiet, meditative interludes.

I enjoy removing myself from the endless buzz of daily life.

I love the journey of the unfolding of a new pattern.

I enjoy the splendor of the colors.

There is nothing more satisfying or more beneficial to me, than doing something for the joy of it.

Being worthy

I recently became aware of the fact that I have been allowing myself to feel my worthiness. I use to parrot this phrase before, while still putting other people's desires before my own.

It wasn't until I was called selfish one too many times, that I began to grin like a selfish cat.

Yes, I am finally being the worthy being I was born being.

I am the center of my own universe, just as you are the center of yours.

I have been picking and choosing what makes me feel really, really good, what rings my bell and what will be most fun and interesting for me in the moment.

In choosing what brings me the most joy, I am actually living my dream. I am not just dreaming it, or hoping for it, or preparing for it; I am living it.

What type of chatter do you listen to?

Fortunately I spend most of my time alone, which means I am not privvy to any sort of chatter outside of what is going on in my head.

When I do have opportunities to converse with others, I am interested in what's good in their lives. What new, exciting, inspiring things they experienced and what are they looking forward to.

I enjoy when we verbalize our appreciation for all the good that is going on around us.

I adore uplifting conversations.

Ocassionally someone will whine about their co-workers or mate and the thought in my head is you are going to get more of that and sure enough the next time we meet that person will have more to add to the previous whine.

We can either chatter about what's good in our lives and in the world and thus create more good, or we can chatter about what's wrong and create more of that.

The choice is always ours.

Cultivating happiness

What makes me happy?

The immediate answer is anything and everything that pleases me!

How do I cultivate happiness in my life?

By feeling my way to it.

It is a path that we all have access to at all times, and contrary to all the false teachings I use to guide myself with, it doesn't come from anyone or anything outside of my very own attention to the way I feel.

My feelings are my only guide to my happiness. I'm always deciding how I want to feel and by choosing the best feeling thought, I am usually, mostly, quite happy.

750 Words

I practice stream of consciousness writing on a daily basis. I've been doing it for a number of years now, give or take a week here and there. Mostly I enjoy the process with gel pens and a spiral bound notebook. A month ago, I discovered 750 words which allows me to do the same process using my keyboard.

At first it was very difficult as I could not get use to typing my thoughts as fast as they were flowing. It felt awkward, compared to the smooth rhythm of pen on paper.

However, by day three, I became used to the process and now I am at day 17 and I find it to be utterly comfortable.

I am very appreciative of Buster Benson for creating this outlet that is so convenient for those of us who are focused on evolving and expanding ourselves.

He is contributing to humanity more than he can ever know. Like me, Buster is a born uplifter and anything we can do to guide our fellow beings back to the basic knowledge of Joy is what we are here to do. Don't you just love that?

Positive Expectations

I was going over some notebooks for recycling and saw I had made a lot of entries around the subject of positive expectation.

At one point, I was making daily lists of positive expectations. I was enthralled to read these again, as a lot of them had materialized in wonderful ways. Positive Expectation is quite powerful as it sets the tone for life experience.

I notice when I have positive expectation, I am confident and knowing it will come about. I just expect it to be the best, whatever it is.

Even when it turns out not to be, the thing that follows is usually much better than my best expectation of the previous thing.

In other words, nothing ever really goes wrong and everything keeps getting better and better.

I am now inspired to dedicate a new notebook to daily lists of Positive Expectations!

Being kind to me.

Are you allowing the wellbeing that you are identifying to flow into your experience?

I am and I want to allow even more of it.

It is interesting to note that even when I am not allowing my wellbeing to flow, new ideas are being born in that moment which continues to take me forward into even a better life than before the new idea was born...

I've just got to go and when I don't I get earaches and headaches. See how that works?

So firstly I have to begin by making peace with where I am.

That's easy. I've being doing that all week. Suddenly the most important thing in my life right now is me.

Self appreciation is big on my list. Now I mostly take care of myself before I do anything else:

Meditation, naps, appreciation lists, participating in activities I enjoy, first and foremost. I was doing all these things in reverse order before. Now I find that I no longer have to do most of them at all, as there are others who are willing to do it for me.

The resources of the universe are at my fingertips once I practice being kind to myself.