Endings, New Beginnings and Maintaining My Serenity.

Well it's the end of the year and the beginning of a new one.  It's time to reflect on what brought us joy, happiness, sadness and even a little fear in the past year and how we can move forward into 2015 with serenity.

For me it has been a fascinating year.  It's been a year of finding my strengths, locating my triggers and deciding that no matter what happens I can no longer allow myself to submit to everyone else's will.  I have learned that the most important person in my life is me and that if I am happy with myself then I can easily bring that spirit to others that surround me.  There are times I have wondered why it has taken me so very long to get to this point.  I was always trying to please everyone else, my parents, my siblings, my husband, my children, my friends and my business colleagues, but never myself and this has been an amazing realization.  I'd like to think that it has changed me for the better.

This blog is about finding serenity in the world that surrounds you, but you are the only one that can provide the serenity to yourself.  You must look at the pieces of the world around you and the pieces of the world within you.  If you are not content with yourself then it is the perfect time to look carefully and find out the why.  Once you can let these feelings go you might be able to located your serenity.

In 2014 I moved forward with my life plan, yes I was scared and yes it was a difficult task, but moving forward was the only way for me to survive, mentally, emotionally and yes physically.  I will explain a little more so that you understand these pieces.  In an effort to determine how much of a risk I wanted to take with my life journey I first had to remove the toxic thoughts from my emotional being.  I had to come to grips with the fact that I really had a somewhat poor body image, that I wasn't physically unattractive and that being short was really ok and that my hair was always going to be straight.  Thanks to a helpful sister and niece I have learned how to dress - that color is a good thing and comfort is not an issue.  I have also learned that it's perfectly fine to dress for me and not anyone else right down to the intimates.  I also have learned not to take any crap or negativity from family, friends and colleagues.  Now I stand up for myself and stand up for my beliefs.  It's amazing what a sense of serenity that alone can bring.

So in 2015 let's all move forward on our paths to serenity.  Search for it each and every day, search for it in yourself and in the search you might also locate your happiness.

MAY YOU HAVE A HAPPY AND SERENE NEW YEAR!

Serenity is Mine to Keep: Serenity, Travel and Thanksgiving

Serenity is Mine to Keep: Serenity, Travel and Thanksgiving: So, I recently returned from travel to Honduras for business.  I was amazed that I was able to locate my serenity throughout this trip.  It&...

Serenity, Travel and Thanksgiving

So, I recently returned from travel to Honduras for business.  I was amazed that I was able to locate my serenity throughout this trip.  It's a country that is very poor, and supposedly very dangerous, which is probably true, but I didn't actually experience danger.  What I did experience where people that are grateful for the top level medical care that the clinic I was installing LED lights into provided them and their families with.

Patience was the word of the week.  The people were lined up at the clinic each morning when we arrived at 8 am, some having traveled over an hour to get there.  Some were there for most of the day waiting patiently to be treated for a variety of medical issues or dental issues.  These people live in homes with no running water, only sporadic electricity and most work in fields picking coffee, bananas, and various other agricultural products.  I saw no tractors only hand plows, horses, a lot of chickens and a lot of cows.  I even got stuck in a traffic jam while cows were crossing the road.

It filled my heart that my team was able to provide the clinic with the opportunity to reserve their power consumption of their generators by replacing the inefficient fluorescent lights with energy efficient LED Tubes.  It also gives them much better lighting and the smiles of the staff were worth every bit of nervousness that I might of initially had.

Now we are ready to observe Thanksgiving and together surrounded by family and friends we should be very thankful that each and every day we are surrounded by light.  We take light for granted and we must strive to find serenity in things that surround us without our thinking about them.

I know that each and every night before I go to sleep I take in a deep breath, release the air along with pent up tension and find the serenity that I misplaced during the hectic day and as I release the tension and locate the serenity I allow my mind to be happy, relaxed and filled with the joy that I have an amazing family, a great home, a loving pet, light that surrounds me and friends that support me.

It's Thanksgiving so let's be filled with joy, happiness, family, friends and live life with serenity each and every day.

Finding Serenity after 7 days at Sea.

So the question of the day is how to find my serenity post an incredible 7 day cruise to Alaska?

First off let me just say that that being on a massive cruise ship can be intimidating if you let it or it can be a wonderful new way to peacefulness and serenity.  I choose the later.

From the moment I stepped foot onto Holland America's Amsterdam I felt joyful, adventurous, calm and filled with a peacefulness that I didn't have on land.  For 7 days I forgot about work, forgot about world issues, didn't look at email, or surf the Internet, only relaxed, slept, ate, danced, read, and enjoyed meeting lots of people.  I had the opportunity to stand on deck each day and watch humpback whales breaching, dolphins playing, I got up close to calving glaciers, watched harbor seals sunning themselves and took loads of photos.

I will admit that having a cabin steward who straightened up my stateroom multiple times a day along with folded towel sea creatures on my turned down bed and placed chocolates on the bed each night didn't hurt either.  It was also wonderful having fabulous meals each day and drinks in the bars each evening.

A trip to Alaska is not to be missed.  Each of the days in the inner passage brought a feeling of serenity with the nature that surrounded me.  Massive glaciers, loud cracking sounds when ice broke away, ferocious looking totem poles scattered throughout the forests, rocky shores filled with shells and stones, bald eagles and salmon that jump out of the water - this was truly awe inspiring and also sad that in the very near future these sights might disappear, due to rising temperatures and global warming.

As I traveled back to reality this week, I keep wondering if there is a way to preserve the feelings of peacefulness and serenity I found on the boat in my everyday life.  Perhaps each day I will take a walk outside or at the very least sit on my deck each evening at sunset and surround myself with nature.  I will make an effort to walk around a lake, visit the ocean, or meander by a creek (are you catching a theme here).  Our connections to water are life giving and the sounds of nature can truly be filled with serenity.

So take the time out of your day to give yourself a mini-vacation go outside and be apart of nature.

May you be filled with serenity!

Serenity and Life Mottos

So today I took one of those quirky online quizzes - it was supposed to clue me in on what my life's motto should be.  This is what I got - 
"If you can dream it you can achieve it" - Always dare to dream, because even though it's hard for you to believe it right now, your craziest, most wonderful dreams might actually come true.

So what I want to know is - is this really a life motto? Shouldn't we always just try to go after our dreams?

I do have a confession though for most of my life I'm fairly certain that I simply pushed my dreams aside to do what was expected of me. It's only been relatively recent that I have learned to put aside my fears of what will everyone think of me and just simply go after what I want out of life.
It's interesting that in changing the course and direction of my life I have become more involved with life that surrounds me, more involved with people and more in touch with my need to be happy with who I have become.

I am no longer allowing anyone to walk over me or insist that this is what's best for me.  Now I will listen to their suggestions but if I don't feel it's in my best interest I will let them know, in a nice way.  It has taken me quite a few years to learn to be my own best advocate, my own best bud, but I think I have finally arrived.  

I know that sometimes I slip into my old ways, but here's the thing I now know that I can reverse the situation and stand up for myself.  Life sometimes has a way of showing us how to move forward, the key is to recognize when you need to step towards a new dream and when to push back and move away from the old one.

Move forward and you will be moving toward your serenity.  I truly believe in myself and that feels me with serenity each and every day.

Serenity is Mine to Keep: Serenity, Sammy, Sadness, and Spring Renewal

Serenity is Mine to Keep: Serenity, Sammy, Sadness, and Spring Renewal: Every spring we look at the renewal of life that surrounds us.  Last week we unfortunately had to put down our beloved pet - Sammy (Samson)....

Serenity, Sammy, Sadness, and Spring Renewal

Every spring we look at the renewal of life that surrounds us.  Last week we unfortunately had to put down our beloved pet - Sammy (Samson).  He was in a lot of pain, very weak and not eating or drinking - he was also almost 17 years old.

As anyone who has every visited us can attest to he was a very unusual, unique cat.  He loved water, loved people, loved attention and was very loud (loud mewing, loud purring)  my brother-in-law once referred to his purring as a mack truck in idle position.  I had a very difficult time making this decision, but I didn't want to see him suffer needlessly just because we would miss him.  I did not sleep well that night, I actually dreamt that Sammy decided not to succumb and the drugs that they had given him didn't work and instead he bounced back, but alas it was really only a dream.

That evening I posted our sorrow on Facebook along with a picture of a happy Sammy and was overwhelmed with the response and caring expressed by my Facebook friends and family.

The next day although I was still sad and Hercules (our 2nd cat) followed me all around the house as if he knew something was off, I felt a sense of serenity - that we had made the right decision and that Sammy was in a better place.  Hercules is still a little confused but he's becoming more bold now that his mentor has gone.  Hercules now has his place at the top after spending the past 15 years in the shadow of Sammy.  Life goes on.

Spring has brought renewal and in a few days it will bring together family and friends for Passover. There is a definitive sense of calm, joy and love that surrounds our family seder.  This year's seder will be small for us, but I'm okay with that.  Small numbers do not mean less joy but more talking, more laughter, more singing and more fond memories and of course great food.

I have learned to cherish each moment of these special times.  To find joy and serenity in living each day, to finding the love that family and friends provide and to maintain my serenity at the end of each and every day.  Sometimes it might be a challenge, but mostly it's a joy.

Keep happiness, joy and serenity a daily part of your life.

Finding Serenity in a Major Family Change

Yesterday my 84 year old mother moved from our family home to an independent/assisted living facility. It's the beginning of a new chapter in her life and the beginning and end to a chapter in my life and that of my siblings.

She was ready to move forward although it was a little stressful.  The move was quick and relatively smooth and her apartment is very nice.  When I left last night my mother had gone to dinner with her new neighbor and she had already been welcomed by the Welcoming Committee and several of the staff.  My sister commented that it kind of reminded her of a college dorm especially since they have communal dining, but it very very upscale.

I am positive that my mother will find her place in her new home, luckily she already has a number of friends who live there as well and she is a very social person.

Since this is a blog about serenity I probably should mention that her moving to this new home has brought me serenity in knowing that she is safe in a community that will watch out for her, in a home that is conducive to an active life while maintaining a safe environment for everyday living.  Last night for the first time in a while I slept soundly, part of it was due to the physical exhaustion, but part was due to knowing that mom was in a safe place.

On a different note - I am really really sick of this winter, snow, ice, cold - it makes it difficult to be serene when you have snow for the 5th time, although before you have to go out and shovel or clean your car off or drive in it, just sit back and look out the window and observe the beauty of it all and the wonder of the world.  I look out my backyard at the watching squirrels and birds eating seeds from the feeders that my neighbor puts out and enjoy the serenity of the peaceful world around me.  Even now with the ice coating the trees and the grey skies I'm finding my serenity and enjoying just sitting at my Macbook writing this blog while the world around me is either in the dark (power outages) or sitting in massive traffic jams due to falling trees across the roads.

Find Serenity in the beauty that surrounds you.