What Do You See?

What do you see?

Life is all about perspective, or how we see things; our point of view from where we sit.

In the book, "To Kill A Mockingbird," the young girl Scout finds herself unwillingly standing on the front porch of the "scary and mysterious" neighbor named Boo Radley.  (His nickname Boo was for obvious reasons. The embellished legends of his nightly prowls around the neighborhood were longstanding and though untrue, continue to this day.)

Scout had just crashed into the porch as the wildly spinning tire she was curled up in went rolling out of control.  As she stands in this frightful spot and desperately tries to shake the dizziness away, she looks down her neighborhood street and sees her world in a different light....from Boo's perspective.

Cape Disappointment

Cape Disappointment

Road trips are my favorite....short or long, near or far.  It doesn't matter as long as I can roll the windows down and the wind can blow in my hair and "my" music is playing a song I can sing loud and long!  This makes me very happy.

This past weekend I headed out to Tacoma and ended up taking a detour.  Tacoma was forgotten when I saw a sign for Long Beach and I have always wanted to go.  So forget the map that was plotted on my iPhone Google maps.  Real Gurl was off and free-wheeling.

On my drive, I saw this sign for Cape Disappointment (above).  Some might think it wasn't a good omen for the day but I am sure glad I didn't turn around, because it wasn't too far from Cape Disappointment that better things came along.

Furnishing Your Rut

Since we have already established that perfection is The Great Myth, and I myself declare this to be true, then we may as well own up to the fact that we sometimes fall into a steady pattern of self-defeat.  It may be by choice, because of someone else's choices, or it just may be our own darn fault.  Whatever the case, there are times in life when we fall into a very sad routine that seems impossible.  It feels good for a while but then....

The good news is…..It’s okay.  Everyone does it.  Fall, baby, fall.  Let go.  Sink into the comfort of...what is it?  Despair?

The important part is….DON’T STAY THERE!  Don’t get comfortable.  Don’t decorate and get your favorite blanket and popcorn (and Lord knows what else) and a stack of romance movies like you are burrowing in for the winter.  This is a trap.  It FEELS so good and actually comforting for a while but eventually it is suffocating and dries out your spirit and crackles your bones.  I repeat with emphasis: DON’T STAY THERE!

Here are some helpful hints to dig your way out that I have put into use on more than a thousand occasions!

1.  Listen to your self-talk and be determined to speak more kindly to yourself. Be the CEO of your life and take charge of those thoughts that treat you like a whipping post. I am not lonely, I am lovely. Get it?

2.  Find a friend that, if they can’t help or provide the answers you seek, they will listen with their whole heart until you are through spilling the entire mess. The best ones will do so without condemnation or unnecessary commentary.  It usually requires someone that actually accepts you for you but sometimes a stranger even works.

3.  Pick an inspirational poem, song, saying, scripture….anything that makes you “feel” something and repeat it, read it, and even shout it to yourself when you feel the urge to just burrow back down and tune out the world

4.  Give to someone else.  Yes!  Go outside of your comfort zone and help others.  It does not matter how big or small. Just give.  This is the Super Secret to getting out of a rut.  It changes your perspective like sunshine after the rain.  

Fall into the occasional rut. Cozy up in the den of forgetfulness for a time.  But for heavens’ sake, don’t furnish it!

#realgurl

Like You Have Amnesia

Many of you, like me, collect sayings, poems, prayers, and inspirations.  Of the hundreds in my collection, the one above is one of my absolute favorites and I wanted to share it today.

1.       We can all agree that life IS short.  It is flying by and there is no second act.

2.       So don’t hold back.  Give it ALL you got.  Take chances and try new things.

3.       Forgive like you have amnesia.  Simplified, forgive AND forget! Never to be remembered.

4.       Believe like a kid.  Wishing on a star, blowing a dandelion, double rainbows……BELIEVE with abandon.

5.       Love like crazy.  I mean, LIKE CRAZY!  Another favorite saying of mine…..Love Wins.  Every time.

6.       Be yourself.  100% authentic.  No carbon copies of someone else.  Genuinely you.

Run your race.  Just be you.  

Live, give, forgive, forget, believe, love and be.

  

“To be who you truly are you must forget who they told you to be.” -unknown

#realgurl

Secret Assignment

“Our job is to love others without stopping to inquire whether or not they are worthy.”  ~Thomas Merton

  

I am challenging myself today, to live by the above statement.  I am choosing to look at others as I hope others can look at me....happy, sad, broken, perfect, confused, smart, new, old, neat, messy.

We are all the same.

Don't be afraid to show your imperfections.  It makes you perfectly real.  No woman would ever honestly say they would love to stand next to another woman looking all gorgeously tan in a size 2 bikini.  It's because we don't want to be compared to what we consider perfect.

Can you see the craziness to that?  We want to be perfect thinking it will earn us friends and influence when in fact, perfection can drive others away!

You are loved and perfectly you, imperfections, quirks and all.  That makes it possible to risk loving others just the way they are too!

We are all on a unique journey and no two are the same.  No one is perfect.  No one is worthy.  But I have found if you give a little grace, you get a lot of grace.

So this is my secret assignment today, especially: to practice caring for others whatever their station in life, accepting others right where they are without judgment.  It isn't my job to determine if someone is worthy or not.  

It is my job to love.

Assignment accepted.

#realgurl