Over the past couple of months I’ve had a small plumbing problem in my shower. Nothing huge or in need of immediate repair, but frustrating none the less. I kept putting off calling the plumber due to all sorts of reasons and excuses, but I finally got him out here the other day and got it taken care of. What a blessing. I didn’t realize how great it is to not worry everytime I turn off the faucet about it leaking. I also didn’t realize how much it affected my water pressure until I got in the shower after it was repaired. It was like a whole new experience.

I bring this up because it reminded me of all the tolerations we deal with on a day to day basis. They’re usually little things like my faucet, or a closet that needs to be cleaned out, or the oil change for the car. But, here’s the thing…….these small seemingly insignificant things are huge energy drainers. It’s astounding actually, just how much energy we use up dealing with the little things that are easily taken care of. We don’t realize it at the time. It’s only after they are no longer a worry that we see how much time and energy we wasted thinking about them or putting up with them. How nice it is to free up that energy for other things and not have them cluttering up your mind and your time. It’s so much easier to just do it and be done instead of putting it off.

So I pose this question to you today……what tolerations are you living with every day that take up your time and energy? It’s time, I think, to just do it.

This past month has been a particularly difficult one. It seems that everyone I know including me, has had problems and major life issues to deal with. But in the midst of all the turmoil, there is still beauty and blessings abounding. The trick is to recognize those blessings. When things are so hard and the sky is so dark, we have to remember that the sun is still shining even though we may not be able to see it at the time. In times of our deepest dispair it’s hard to remember that we still have the choice to recognize what’s right with the world. And somehow, remembering to notice the good parts makes the worst parts a little easier to deal with. I don’t advocate that you should ignore the fear, the sadness, the confusion, or that you shouldn’t ask why this is happening. It’s important to honor these feelings and give yourself permission to feel them freely. It’s also important to reach out for help and to accept the hands that are offered. I do advocate, however, that you try to remember and be grateful for the good things life has to offer you. Be grateful for the time you’ve had with the person or special furry friend you’ve lost and the lessons you learned from knowing them. Be grateful for the changing of the weather from rain to sun or sun to rain, whichever it is that you’ve been needing. Be grateful the help and support you receive and the people who offer them. Even when your heart is breaking, be grateful that you can feel the emotion so intensely. Because you cannot recoginze true joy if you have nothing to compare it to. It’s all about learning to walk in balance and beauty. Sometimes it’s a difficult journey, but in the end we are blessed to have experienced it. It’s what life on this plane of existance is all about.

I’ve spent the last few years cleaning out stuff. It’s amazing how much we accumulate over the years. Not just the stuff in our homes, although that can be overwhelming when we really start to look around. There’s also the stuff in our heads. All the useless information and beliefs that we’ve developed throughout our lives. We seem to pick up ideas and beliefs without even realizing that so many of them aren’t ours to begin with. It’s interesting when you sit down and really look at what you believe and why you believe it. Some of it resonates deep within us and we know it to be part of our truth. Some of is is quite surprising and we look around and say where did that come from and why do I accept such a truth? I don’t think many of us take time to complete an inventory of our thoughts and clear out the old antiquated ideas that we’re hardly conscience of. But if we don’t continously look for them and clean them out they become so ingrained in our thinking that we hardly recognize ourselves anymore. How can we expect to improve ourselves and move forward when we have so much junk in the way? How can we be inspired by new and wonderous realizations, when all that old stuff is there blocking our view? So lets get rid of all that dusty old stuff in our heads and make room for our core beliefs to shine through to the world. And let’s make room for the new beliefs that inspire us to walk in balance and beauty and show our true selves to the world.

I was thinking today about how life evolves. In remembering some of the places I’ve lived and people I’ve known I realize that each and every one has added to the fabric of my life. Places and people have come and gone, each one contributing their own uniqueness and memories. Some of these transitions have not been easy, while others were barely given a thought. But each one built somehow on the other, propeling me forward to greater places and things. Old friends dropped away and new friends entered. Jobs came and went. Homes were enjoyed, then left for someone else to make a life in. And for each place, each person, there are memories of times both grand and terrible. But in truth, letting go of these things when they no longer served or were outgrown was beauty in and of itself. There is something about letting go that allows us to breath in the freshness of the unknown and continue to move onward toward newer and better things. Nothing remains static and to hold onto these things serves no useful purpose. Fond memories and gratitude for the road traveled are enough. So treasure each and every memory, good or bad. Realize that you are who you are today because of them. Bless them and let go. Focus on the miracles in your life today and on the memories you’re making right now. Tomorrow, look back, smile, let go and keep moving forward.

All my life I’ve been in love with horses. I begged and begged as a child, but to no avail. I was actually in my 50’s before I got my first horse. A series of synchronistic events as well as a dear friend got me to volunteer as a side walker for a therapeutic horseback riding center. I was in heaven. I couldn’t imagine anything better than being at the barn. Because I’ve worked for the last 25 years with people with disabilities it was a perfect match for me. I didn’t want to be anywhere else, but sadly, bills have to be paid so I continued to work at my “real” job. A few years later my friend and I started our own center and we’ve been so blessed to be successful. However, it’s a not for profit center and nobody gets paid right now, so I continue to work for somebody else and spend my weekends at the barn. When I got my coaching certification I had the brilliant idea to incorporate the horses into my coaching practice. I had no idea how to do this, but diligently researched and studied. I found a couple of well respected teachers who offered programs, then the gremlin reared it’s ugly head. “You’re too old” it said. “You can’t afford it, how stupid to even consider such a thing.” Hummm. “ You’re not good enough” he told me. “You’ll never make it work. You’ll look like a fool. No one will be interested in your brilliant idea.” After a short struggle I finally managed to shut him up and enrolled in one of the courses. It starts this week and I’m so thrilled and excited. I know that I will have all the support I need to be successful and finally realize one of my biggest dreams. I mention this because I want you to understand that you’re never too old to do what you want to do. That gremlin in your head is a trickster who definitely doesn’t have your best interest at heart. It’s OK to be afraid. The point is to push through the fear and do it anyway. It’s OK to be old. Old is just a number and nothing more. It’s OK to ask for help when you can’t figure it out for yourself. People love to help. Gets the serotonin flowing. So what is it you’ve always wanted to do and what’s your excuse for not doing it? Are you doing to make that dream come true or spend whatever time you have left full of regrets? Take it from me….it’s so much more fun to just go for it. Besides, life’s about the adventure of the journey, not your destination.

Has anyone told you today how wonderful and amazing you are? It’s true in spite of what the little gremlin in your head might want you to believe. You are a magnificent manifestation of spirit right here, right now, just the way you are. You are beautiful beyond belief. A star shining brightly. A lantern in the night leading the way home for some weary traveler. A jewel gleeming brilliantly. A flower with it’s face to the sun. Forget the little gremlin, forget the mirror that allows you to see only imperfections (which are beautiful too, by the way), forget the grumpy boss, the dissatisfied co-worker, the guy next door who makes you feel small, less, not good enough. It’s not true. You are better than good enough. You are GREAT! Celebrate your astounding self. There is no one else like you. There is no one else with your thoughts, feelings, ideas. There has never been and never will be anyone just like you. You are one of a kind. A delight. A treasure. Thank you for being you. And in case no one else has told you lately, allow me to say that you are beautiful, wonderful, and amazing just the way you are. You are loved and cherished. I love you just because you’re you.

How often do you express gratitude. I don’t mean just saying a polite thank you, I mean real gratitude, from your heart. Do you ever think about it really, how many things you have to be grateful for? We take so many things for granted. We walk in a room and flip on the light without ever thinking about the miracle of electricity. We run to the store and fill our carts without ever considering what it took to get the food there in the first place. We hop in our cars, on a bus, or on a train and never give it a second thought. And what about flying. Good grief! How crazy is it that we can sit in a chair, two or three miles in the air and go 500 miles an hour? Television is still in it’s infancy compared to transportation, yet we can sit in our living rooms holding a small box in our hands and watch hundreds of channels. Do you ever think about how many people it takes for these things to happen? It’s astounding when you start to break it down and look at the multitudes of people and skills needed for just one of these things. We tend to forget, I think, that all of these miracles don’t just appear. There are lots of people working hard, doing their part every day. There is a lot of new technology available, but somebody had to think of it first. Then it had to be developed and delivered. So next time you flip a switch, hop in your car, channel surf, or buy groceries, say thank you. Thank you for all the wonderous things available to you each and every day and all the people that make it possible for you to live so well. And while you’re at it, don’t forget to say thank you to all the people in your life, your family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers for doing their jobs and making your life better.