Trade a Tradition!

     When I was younger, I delighted in the sanctioned snack food binge-fest that occurred at our house on New Year's Eve. Sometimes we would manage to stay awake long enough to watch the famous ball drop in New York City's Time Square on the television; sometimes we would not. For me, it was all about the cheese and the smoked miniature sausages! I loved drowning them in barbecue sauce and counting how many I could eat until my stomach said, "no more!" As I got older, though, I did not enjoy what my body felt like afterward. It had nothing to do with alcohol or even staying up too late--i rarely included those factors in the experience--this was about learning that no matter how much i might like something, it might not be good for me. Sometimes one reaches a point where headaches and stomachaches just aren't worth it anymore!  
  
     This year I have decided to trade my "binge" tradition with a bit of a "detox" approach.

     Tonight i'll trade the cheese for some teas; those famous wienies for some spinach (which i really like and haven't had in ages!), and any sugary soda for a relaxing lavender foot soak. I really think that slowing down tonight, relaxing a little, and being mindful of my present situation and future goals will be just what i need to rocket in to next year with health, happiness, and the heart to do all that's in store for me to do. Today i'm also taking time to secure and send some goody boxes that have been waiting to be mailed, return some deposit containers, and start some new secret envelopes. See, the energy's flowing better already!

       Eat, drink and be merry safely. Have a bright day and a wonderful new year!

Love on Long Island, NY

Greetings from Ithaca! For the past two weeks, i was blessed to be part of a group of volunteers who gave their time and talents to help in shelters on Long Island. While the hours were long and the frustrations sometimes evident, the overall sense of the adventure was one of love and respect for community. We met so many people affected by Hurricane Sandy who wanted to help their neighbors and were truly appreciative  of the efforts of others...it was very humbling and inspiring. It saddens me to think it takes a disaster of this magnitude to bring people back together, but it is a joyous thing to see people indeed coming together to help one another. I hope that in the days and weeks ahead through the recovery process folks continue to show kindness and gentleness to each other. We can make the world a brighter place, one smile or cup of coffee at a time. I will not forget the people i met, and wish them peace and comfort through the tough days ahead. I look forward to reuniting under more favorable conditions and celebrating their new outlook. I urge each of you to do what you can with what you have where you are. If you are able to give of your time, money or supplies, there are people near you who could benefit. Don't wait for a disaster to show you care.

Carrots as Metaphor?

Carrots are good for us. They contain things to keep us healthy and strong. Sometimes they are perceived as a reward for effort. I like carrots. Yet, i must confess, there have been times i have refused carrots because the raw ones do require a lot of effort to consume. Sometimes it seems like they take forever to chew, and i actually get tired before i finish the process! In this introduction, I'm talking about actual carrots, but i challenge you to ask yourself, as i asked myself this morning, have you ever avoided a metaphorical "carrot" (decision, project, relationship, etc.) because it seemed like it might require "too much work?" (guilty as charged over here). Have you ever considered what outcomes might be missed by not being willing to put in that effort? With a couple months left this year, take some time to consider and pursue some carrots. You'll be glad you did, and you might even be surprised by how good they make you feel. Have a bright week!

I'm Still Writing...

...I just haven't been building in enough time to post! Please, do stay tuned for updates this week and next...great things are happening in my professional and personal growth that might just inspire you to press on with your journey of ever-increasing excellence. Until then, stay reasonably healthy in mind, body and soul, and if you're so inclined, choose one of your special gifts or talents to share. The world needs your bright moments each and every day.

100 Day Challenges

There was a fair amount of buzz yesterday about using the last 100 days of this calendar year. Perhaps we need a little re-start, or a reason to try something new, or motivation to finish something we started. I liked the idea of challenging myself to (re)commit to doing something I enjoy but have not been honoring: writing.  I decided that every single day for the rest of the year,  i will write something. It may not be a lot and it may not be anything i want to share (though i hope it will be) but i will write first and judge later. I look forward to sharing the better stuff with you, and hope that some will share their challenges and success stories with me. For those particularly interested in sharing, if I gather enough, i would like to compile them into another project. Let's write! (or anything else that you want to do) Use the time you have. Do something that makes you happy. 99 days left to this calendar year...

Joy in little things

Is your heart light? What ideas or experiences help you return to that feeling? Thursday morning i was pleasantly surprised by little things that helped me think of great things. I walked with a friend i see about once a week on a common commuting schedule to a local coffee shop. I was able to admire the pastry case selections without choosing (needing or wanting) a single one. Victory! Then as we walked to the bus stop on the corner, I found eleven cents. A shiny penny heads-up and a dime to go with it in the give-away jar! Fantastic! When i arrived at work, a coworker announced she had made a blueberry-blackberry buttermilk cake to share. Yum!

Friendship, Self-Control, Helping Others, and Sheer Gratitude all combined for a BRIGHT day.

All in a Day!

Today I took a "vacation" day to do some things at home. It was so nice to sleep till sunrise, lounge with my cat, and finish reading a book! I made and sampled a pan of brownies, surfed a store's website for deals on "essentials" (and chose not to buy yet), and processed a couple loads of laundry. My big event of the day, however, was attending a volunteer instructors' planning meeting over dinner. Someone else paid for dinner, and we worked as a team to establish a training schedule for local and regional basic disaster preparedness classes. I am very excited to be on the schedule as a co-teacher for this round of sessions this fall. I will also be attending a two-day class next week! I explained to the team member driving home that I feel renewed purpose and excitement, like i have a new way to use my formal education as a "teacher" -- it's been a while since i worked with really young students and while i love them dearly, i find greater confidence and comfort in "community education" than i did in the public schools. I enjoy a quieter day job in an academic library these days, and then gain additional experience and excitement through volunteerism. I feel so blessed to be able to help and to belong to a diverse, gifted group of caring individuals.

Updates: Perfect Timing

Sometimes, no matter what's happening in life, be it perceived as good, bad, or something in between, circumstances align and enable us to see how perfectly the pieces fit together. Most of us have ups and downs, difficulties, and hopefully someone and something helping us re-balance.

It's already been more than a couple of weeks since we started talking about the Spreading Joy Challenge. If you haven't already discovered it for yourself, it's impossible to share true joy without renewing your own in the process! I think that's the special quality about actions rooted in love: like an infinite multiplier, those thoughts and actions, "vibes" or ripples expand, flow, and return. It just feels GOOD.

What I'm recognizing tonight, in having tried to help others, I am also helping myself. I am breaking away from old thought patterns about what other people might think. I'm less fearful of emotion and connecting with others. I've always wanted to be  a "giver" and am learning that to truly be a better one, I also need to better develop the "receiver" aspect...You know, as in one hand to give, the other to receive? yeah, that.

This afternoon i learned of the passing of a retired coworker. While sad, I was also relieved for her, and glad that I was among those who got to visit her in her final days. This evening, I received my copy of Marie Wikle's book, Spreading Joy Daily. I started flipping through it, and found a piece about sharing joy through sorrow. Of course, it spoke to my heart tonight, and I am determined to do that at work tomorrow with my team. Those times often bring people closer together.

Marie sent me special messages on Twitter and while I haven't met her in person yet, her good will reached me like having an old friend in the room offering hugs. In this moment of knowing others care, I felt valued, refreshed, and uplifted. That in turn gives me the strength and desire to go out and make a spot a little brighter.

I hope that each of you in your ups and downs finds whatever it is that speaks to your heart in that moment of need, that you are able to embrace it, and to use it for good.

How are you doing with your challenge(s) today?

It's almost the halfway point (two day warning) of a recent 30-day challenge I embraced. It doesn't take long to discover lots of little (and big) things we can do to help someone along the way. Maybe one day all you think you can muster is a smile to every single person you meet. Not knowing their full stories you might not realize just how great an impact that could be for someone. Maybe another day you get to do something a little bigger and you get to keep it a secret. Those are super-charge days. I like to dream of being wealthy enough to be a generous, anonymous benefactor. These days, mysterious mini-blessings feel pretty big, too. It's not all about money, and not about what you have, but what you choose freely to do. I encourage you to experience the happy heart of one who lives (and gives) cheerfully.

Rememberize Your Card!

I experienced great joy this weekend...I hosted my niece on an impromptu visit. She brought Flat Sally with her to have some fun and record it in her travel journal. For those of you not familiar, there is a series of children's stories about Flat Stanley, which contribute to absolutely fabulous elementary school lesson plan ideas. Many children have taken a new interest in their environments, experiences, and means of recording them as a result. They make these flat pals who join them on some adventures, and then they write about them to share with their teachers and their classes. Flat Sally joined us on a walk to the local library (which sadly was closed for early summer hours already), a bus ride, and a trip to the corner store for milk and eggs. She helped us make French Toast for breakfast and shaped some homemade salt dough into a beautiful set of sculptures. We baked a "one bowl" chocolate cake from scratch. She helped my niece with a really neat card trick. I "rememberized" my card and they knew exactly which one it was!

I am looking forward to future visits. We still have museums, parks, and concerts to enjoy. We have farmers' markets and festivals coming later this summer. We have other friends and family to join us or take their own turns to visit. We might even be able to find some yard sales or host one. Most of all, we have love and great imagination. Please, dear heart, rememberize that and carry it with you always.

I've taken a 30-day Challenge. Will you join me?

Today is the start of a new fiscal year at work. It is also the beginning of a new month, and a time to discover lots of new opportunities, reasons to be grateful, joyful, and helpful to others. I found a "Spreading Joy" challenge and couldn't resist. I like to shine my little light making the world a brighter place. It brings me great happiness to add to a more positive experience for the people I encounter each day. I don't need or want recognition for any of those things I do so I won't be listing any of them here, but I do want to offer you that same special feeling that occurs when we do good in the world. Drawing from the ideas and inspiration shared by Marie Wikle on http://www.spreading-joy.org/site/
I accept and share the challenge to spread the joy each and every day this month and beyond. Start small (unless you're ready for big already) and help hearts grow.

First Retirement Check!

I've had so many flashes of genius lately, i couldn't choose which to write about in timely fashion. Tonight I am home and so excited to have received my very first retirement check that I had to write about it. That's right, a retirement check. There are these lovely rules in New York State whereby an inactive account needs to be rolled or refunded and it just so happens that it's been a while since I've been a regularly contributing member of the New York State Teacher's Retirement System, so they gave me some of the money. Some of it. They were kind enough to deduct taxes first! If I start teaching in a public school again, I'd need to rejoin and re-contribute, but that option remains mine to decide.

It was a most timely blessing, as I'd only just thought about it again this past weekend, realizing i was supposed to mail a written request for it or instructions with my intent. I have not yet reached a status where my bank accounts hold much "surplus" (indeed after verifying balances early in the week, I'll have a grand total of $3.31 between two accounts till Friday's payday deposits). I am so grateful I don't need anything this week. I am so delighted to finally be able to reconsider opening a local savings account and so glad to have been reminded not to stress about bill dates, travel dates, ongoing projects, or yet-to-be-defined adventures. Only three or four more decades to go until i receive the next one...

Thanks, Grandma. Somehow, it feels like my guardian angel in heaven helped with the timing. Happy anniversary, not sad...I hear heaven is a most awesome place to live. Thanks for visiting Earth for a while.

A little more Discipline Required...

Given the dates of my last posts as compared with recent declarations, I realize i need a bit more self-discipline! While i write primarily for my own edification at present, i recently declared that i would attempt to regularize a timeframe for posting in case there are more of you out there simply waiting for the next update. It would be awful to disappoint you! I have such excellent role models, too...i don't have a good excuse. A friend of mine writes a daily reflection for subscribers and hasn't missed one since starting a year and a half ago! I know many who do much more than me and believe it's time to get my act together. ; )  Knowing how much i enjoy reading others' positive thoughts, I hope to shine a little brighter on the dreary days for others.

I'm not going to declare a particular day or time just yet, but i will think about that this weekend. I do plan to increase frequency and quality of posts. I believe that will happen when i commit (and follow through on said commitment) to update in set time-frame. Here's to new growth from all of us. Years ago among the many lessons I learned was that we'd be known by our fruits...so let's plant those seeds in kindness, gentleness, and all the rest. (next post: perhaps a reflection on the developing fruits?)

Always Something New to Try!

...be it a recipe, project, book to read, place to visit, or something else, I find that I am continuously discovering new things to try. Today's discovery was a recipe for pinto bean fudge. I created a keyword search for pinto bean recipes and encountered several dessert recipes that include pinto beans. I am so intrigued, I may just have to try making brownies or fudge with pinto beans. What a clever way to include more fiber in a fun way. I wonder what my dad would think? I'm not sure I'd tell anyone not allergic till AFTER they try the treats. What do you think?

It reminds me of the miniature carrot drop cookies my mother made when i was little. I absolutely must determine where i saved that recipe because I want them rather badly. I remember taking these to school, complete with a sweet orange glaze icing, and sharing them with friends but not telling them till after they said "YUM!" that they actually had carrots in them! Leave it to a mom to make something "good for you" taste good enough to get people to actually eat it.

I have a few other tasks this week to which i must attend, but i promise to update with candid commentary regarding anything i try with the pintos. I welcome your suggestions and favorites, as well.

Have a bright week!

April Fool's--a little late?

Upstate New Yorkers are used to some pretty crazy weather, but many were caught by surprise yesterday. You see, many of us are familiar with expressions like "In like a lion, out like a lamb" for March and even "If you don't like the weather, wait a few minutes--it'll change!" but yesterday, the best I could think of to describe the day was "April Fool!" because we got, according to the local news, "The biggest snowstorm of the season."   While that's technically true, we had an incredibly mild winter so this late "storm" was most shocking simply because it was, well, LATE. After such a mild winter, and even summer-like temperatures in March, some areas saw accumulation of heavy, wet SNOW yesterday. Some saw tree damage, power outages, and deep puddles. I saw a deep, slushy mess that warranted a "personal safety" decision not to walk down the street at 6am. Even more amazing, most of the evidence of yesterday's precipitation had vanished by this afternoon! I suppose this is further evidence of the importance of both dressing in layers and allowing oneself enough lead time before morning departure to ensure proper assessment of immediate surroundings. Hope you had as much fun as I did experiencing it--I got to take a vacation day to read, write and relax.

Thank You, Gentle Readers

Thank you, Gentle Readers, for your patience with my previously inconsistent schedule and style of writing. After reflecting today about that which brings me joy and value, I recommit to write regularly. Sometimes I fail to hold myself fully accountable unless that accountability extends beyond myself. Whether there be one or many of you today or in future, I will assume that someone is expecting a new post at least once a week. This begins as an exercise for me but I hope it will enable all who encounter it to grow as well. If it generates joy, new ideas and projects, or income, all the better...for today, it suffices that I have taken a decisive next step on my journey and invite you to join me if you like.

Peace, Love, and Bright Days!
~pma

Come Join the FUN!

Toastmasters demo meeting and Area Contests in Ithaca, NY
TOMORROW, 3/22! If you'd like to participate, or if you are just curious and need more info, let me know.
We would love to share with you the benefits of a safe, fun, professional club environment in which to learn and grow one's communication and leadership skills.

A Challenge

When I was young, one of the challenges (or expectations, you may say) my grownups presented me was to [always] leave a place better than I found it. Over time, that has manifested in many ways, from the simple, physical appearance (like wiping a counter or dusting a corner) to sometimes less tangible yet still palpable "aura" of a place (like people taking the time to affirm each other and their efforts). I offered it on Twitter today for anyone who might like to give it a try.

Perhaps you enter a community room and see a coffee mug or a plate in the sink. Do you send an email blast to the entire list serve, or do you rinse it and put it away? Depending on your take on things, either of these behaviors might be acceptable, even warranted, given surrounding circumstances.

Maybe you say "Good morning" to someone who's already convinced that today will be anything but a good day. Do you disengage, or do you interact with that person a little bit? To what end? Are they smiling by the time you part ways?

You or someone you know has been transferred or downsized. Although it may be tough to leave, can you walk away with head held high, knowing you made a difference while you were there?

If those are too big for today, just focus on your own mood the next time you walk through a doorway. Are you glad to be there? If not, what are you going to do about it right now?

I'm Back! I Hope You Missed Me!

Time keeps on ticking. I have so many things I need or want to do, I always have to choose among them. I never mean to ignore any of them, or diminish the importance of the ones that take me longer to accomplish. Some time ago I learned an economic concept known as "opportunity cost" and began applying it to most of my "major" decision-making. It involves the idea of assessing the trade value of one choice over another. Sometimes the choices are "no-brainers" but sometimes they are difficult. I find it challenging to choose when there are two or three (or more) things that are very desirable but scheduled for overlapping times, or perhaps competing for some other resource, like money.. The "opportunity cost" is what you theoretically lose or give up when choosing the alternative(s). Sometimes the cost is great, and sometimes simply necessary. Sometimes I just take entirely too long to think about the choices whether or not they have any significant consequence. Today's reflection came as a flash for a tweet. As it came to me, I felt a release of tension and a burst of positive energy! I focused on the directive and decided to share it with you.

Do not allow opportunity cost obsession to stall your decision-making or adventure-taking.

Monumental Milestone

Thirty-five years ago, a couple braved a blizzard to welcome their own firstborn baby into the world. Through the years that baby became a dreamer and a doer, and at 12:18pm EST, she became age-eligible to pursue the United States Presidency (though not really interested at this time).

I'm sorry i haven't written in so long, but what a neat way to reconnect--my last post was about deconstructing the word "can't." My parents acted like the word didn't exist and always encouraged me to try anything I wanted. Throughout my life if someone else tried to tell me "You can't..." it often made me want to prove I could. Always participating in a variety of activities, challenging myself to try new things, and even agreeing to do things before I knew how to manage the logistics. I think it's become the manifestation of my hallmark yes.

I'm going to start reading You Can't Be President and see if I'm crazy enough to prove the world wrong. It's exciting and also a little sad that I still have the opportunity to become the FIRST female president of the U.S. Though I personally am not a big fan of politics I wanted to make the announcement to get people thinking. This year most of my graduating class will also become age-eligible to run for the Presidency, and we are quite a group.We have become the future.

From gametes to golden years, thanks Mom and Dad for life, opportunity, and the drive to keep reaching.