2015 05 24 Remember..

Living Life
with an
Attitude of Gratitude

Life has been extraordinarily busy of late.  That's a good thing! Keeps me from getting board. It also has a tendency to keep me from writing. That's not such a good thing.

Someone asked me the other day how I thought the Attitude of Gratitude influenced my SAORI, or visa-versa. I totally think that SAORI has taught me to me more grateful; to be more accepting of the beauty around me. 

As the conversation continued the person wanted to know if SAORI and the Attitude of Gratitude wasn't just settling for less. My question was less than what? 

As a kid I was a perfectionist. And even back then I began to see that perfectionism was a ticket to an unhappy life. Do not misunderstand, I am not talking about doing your best, I'm talking about perfectionism -- where you constantly compare yourself to some ideal. This comparison will either make you feel like a looser or give you a false sense of superiority -- depending on how you interpret the ideal. When we do our personal best, we have achieved our own personal perfection.

Today my gratitude list includes (but is not limited to!)

--> The service men and women who gave their lives in defense of this country.
  
--> Knowing which jobs I can tackle myself (with the help of Hanley of course!)and which are better left to the professionals. 

--> SAORI! The friends I have made. The places I have gone. The peace, forgiveness, and acceptance that has invaded my life.

--> Coffee!

--> Personal Trainers who kick my butt.

2015 05 11

Living Life
with an
Attitude of Gratitude

Monday morning.  Mondays can be rough. You get into a different routine on the weekend, and then BAM it's back to reality. Good Monday Morning to you!

We've been in a bit of an upheaval here at Chez HanDen....the master bedroom is finally being fixed after the major leak in the chimney chase that occurred  in December 2012! The Chimney was fixed in January 2013, but the inside had "minor damage" and got put on the proverbial back burner...Until I decided that Fiber Festival Season would be a good time to get it fixed.

On the one hand: perfect time! On the other hand: not so much. lol  It has added a fair amount of stress to my daily routine. Good news is: we will be back in the maser bedroom and closet before the end of May. We have to be. We have students coming to stay that will be staying in the house.  

How does any of this relate to Gratitude?

Today I am Grateful for:

Mothers. -- Seems appropriate since yesterday was Mother's Day.  I am not a fan of "Mother's Day" (it seems a bit arbitrary to me, like Valentine's day. totally made up to sell people stuff), BUT I am a fan of Mothers.  And Fathers.

Summer in GA. -- The calendar may still say spring, but it is Summer weather. And we all know what that means: AIR CONDITIONING! (brrrr I'm cold!lol)

Birdsong in the Morning -- Ok, so I may not have been saying thank you at 5 a.m., but I really do love hearing the birds first thing in the morning.

All the Dudes that worked on our bedroom -- it is nearly finished.  Yippppppeeeee

Coffee -- I think I need another one.

2015 05 02 The Simple things

Living Life
with an
Attitude of Gratitude

Some days it's the little things that are the most important.

Today I am thankful for

Birds singing in the morning.

Flowers blooming in the garden

Friends who make me laugh.

Berries with yogurt and granola

Coffee!!! in one of my favorite mugs.

2015 05 01

Living Life
with an
Attitude of Gratitude

 Not too long ago I was accused of being a "Pollyanna" ... I was told that I look at the world through rose colored glasses. According to this person, that is the only way to live a life focused on the positive.

I feel sad for that person. They are missing out on so much. Trust me when I tell you, I see and am fully aware of the horrible crap that exists in our world. And those that know me well will tell you that I am a cynic. 

I am. And it is because I know this about myself that I make a conscious effort to see the positive in any given situation.  I am not always successful. That's reality.

Focusing on the positive helps me find the things for which I am grateful. 

Today I am grateful for:

Jack the Contractor -- (1) he believes he has found the last source of leak in the chimney (2) he has repaired the wall in the bedroom and best of all the bedroom is painted.... more on that another time.





Hanley -- who took down all the closet racks so I could paint the master closet...and then told me what a good job I did!

The Floor Dudes -- who are going to put in a new hardwood floor in the master bedroom. (Even though they are not here yet).





Quick delivery -- of gridwall hooks (yes I needed more!) 

Coffee -- always coffee.

2015 04 22

Living Life
with an
Attitude of Gratitude

I don't write every day. Maybe I should. Like most of us, life is busy, and sometimes I don't sit down to write a post.... I am still thankful.

Recently on facebook there have been a lot of memes about friendliness, trust, thankfulness, and the general lack of those things in our (predominately American) society. People can't even seem to disagree without resorting to name calling. This recently even infected one of my favorite fb groups. So very very sad. And as we head into another political season, this will just get worse... so topping my list today:


the \/ on the right side of posts on facebook...... I can love people without sharing their political or religious beliefs. And I can continue to love them and laugh with them when I don't feel like I'm having their beliefs shoved down my throat, or feel like they are accusing me of (fill in the blank here) because I am in the group at which they are pointing fingers.  I can block the content of their favorite political or religious or whatever group... and they will never know. we are both happy.

My dear Hanley...... without him Shows like Stitches and SAFF simply would not happen. We are on the road now to Stitches South. He takes vacation time to help with these shows, does 99% of the loading, and all of the driving....And for that he gets a nifty title: VP of Logistics, Transportation, and Manual Labor. He has a department of 1.

Blue Skies.  After several days of rain..and the discovery that the leak in the chimney chase is not fixed....we have blue skies... and nice weather for our drive to Nashville.

Friends who keep me sane (sorta), remind me to me a better version of me (even if they may prefer the evil side of me), and who understand -- and even share -- my addiction to fiber.

Sunflower seeds .... what's a road trip without sunflower seeds?

I would love to hear about your gratitudes.

2015 04 13 FLOWERS!

ATTITUDE of GRATITUDE

Brought to you by
FLOWERS

Photo taken on Barbados February 2010 by Denise

The other day I featured Roses. Today, a variety of flowers. All of these are tropical flowers, and the photos were taken on Barbados in 2010. It's one of the things Hanley and I like to do on vacation (and occasionally just around town): take photos. I especially like to photograph flowers. But how many photos of flowers does one person need? Like friends, can one ever have too many? 

I find flowers to be so very interesting. They are each so different: The intricacies of the designs, the varied colors, and (sometimes) the unexpected things that camera catches. Kinda like my friends!

This particular photo was taken not long after I began my SAORI journey.  I did not expect to catch the beauty of imperfection, or the joy of irregular patterns. But they are there. My friends are beautiful like that too. Imperfect (thank goodness, 'cause otherwise what would they be doing with me!), colorful, intricate. Some are delicate, some are hearty. All are full of heart.

Today I am grateful for:

* Friends.  Friends who keep me sane. Friends who challenge me to be better than I am. Friends who recognize gifts I do not see in myself. Friends who call just to say "Hi." Friends who love me in spite of my shortfalls. Friends who post their morning gratitudes.







* SAORI. It has enriched my life beyond measure. 

* Morning Workouts: I may not particularly enjoy the alarm going off at 6, or sometimes waking up 30 minutes before it goes off, but I do love the results of feeling stronger.





* ART. Separate from SAORI. I have so many friends who are artists in a variety of media. And I have a good amount of their art in my home! 






* COFFEE It may have something to do with the waking up before the alarm. It may just be that it's coffee.

2015 04 05 Roses

ATTITUDE of GRATITUDE

Brought to you by
ROSES

  

I love this photo of roses all crammed together.  Different colors, randomly placed, all sitting together sharing their beauty with the world. I think they are like my friends. Similar and different. All beautiful..... of course, some of my friends are more like Daisies ..... and others are Petunias ...... Wow! think how awesome that photo would be with even more varieties of flowers! .... so much for my great analogy...... lol

I've been thinking a lot about this ATTITUDE of GRATITUDE life.... I think it's how I was raised. I can remember my mother telling me (in response to a comment about not liking something that was for dinner), "You will eat it and be thankful for it."  The message: look at the positive, there is food to eat. And eating something you don't like is way better than starving. 

Today I am thankful for

* Friends: Last night I had a dream about a friend. she lives on the west coast. In my dream she was seated in the middle of a table surrounded by people deep in conversation. She was smiling and nodding and laughing. She likes to do all those things. She sees me and calls me over, she has someone she wants me to meet. She believes that SAORI may be what this person is looking for in their life. She has been listening to them...hearing more than the words that they say. She is good at that too. Thank you Sam for your listening skills.

* The Birds that greet the morning sun with

their song.  Even on a day when I can sleep-in, their song comforts me. ... mostly. The Wren can be a bit boisterous in its song. But that is ok. Maybe we should take a lesson from the Wren. Sing our song loudly.

* Laundry: Do not miss understand.... I don't actually like doing laundry. But the fact that I have to do laundry means that I have more clothing than just those I am currently wearing. And when the laundry is done, it means I have more choices in what to wear tomorrow.

* A day to Sleep-In. Actually it has been 2 days. Hanley gently insisted, "You aren't setting an alarm are you?" ..... well, ugh, no..... of course not! lol Two mornings of sleeping until my body said it was time to get up. Tomorrow is another story.

* SAORI I have said it before. SAORI has brought so many wonderful people into my life, has allowed me to go places I had only dreamed of, and makes my heart sing.

* and Coffee the world is so much better with coffee.

2015 04 02 Forest Green

ATTITUDE of GRATITUDE

Brought to you by

FOREST GREEN

A beautiful deep shade of Green that I find calming and meditative. Two things we all can use in our life. 

Today I am grateful for:

* Hanley: He's Awesome. I am so thrilled to be travelling this path with him!

* Allergies:'cause they mean spring has sprung!

* A good night's sleep: I feel so much better today than yesterday morning.

* Coffee! Even with a good nights sleep the morning wouldn't be the same without coffee.

* Lorrie: She makes sure the house is clean (we will not talk about neat) and when the guests are back to back, she makes an extra trip to turn-over the bedrooms.  

Wishing you a calm and meditative day.

2015 03 17 Sunshine & Rain

ATTITUDE of GRATITUDE

Brought to you by

SUNSHINE and RAIN

This past week we've had both here in Georgia..in the same day.  Rainy morning, sun shines in the afternoon. Start out with clear skies, rain later on. We need both at this time of year. A bit of each, and not too much of either one.  I think we've been pretty lucky. No thunderstorms. No torrential downpours. Just soft rain, sometimes for most of the day. Then sunshine and clear skies. All telling the flowers and trees that it's time to show their stuff. 


Today I am grateful for:

* The little \/ on the facebook feed. Not only can I choose to not see my friends game score notifications, I can also choose not to read re-posts from sources I care nothing about. And, as we gear up for another political season (did the last one ever end?)I can keep my friends, keep up with their lives, and not be subjected to what I think of as extreme party politics. Love that little \/. I am grateful for the programmers who wrote that little piece of peaceful facebooking into existence.

* The kindness of strangers. The little things mean so much. A smile. A door held open. I am grateful for those strangers that brighten my day without knowing it.

* The birds singing. They start before sunrise. It's like they are calling to the sun, urging it to rise from its slumber. I am grateful for the early morning songs the birds sing.

* Coffee. I know it makes the list often. But I really am thankful for coffee. I am grateful for a strong cuppa joe.

* Friends. Today I am especially thankful for the ones that are willing to proof read potential articles, and those that are so helpful in planning events. I am grateful for Debbie, Sarah, and AnnLynn. 

2015 03 26 Thank List

Attitude of Gratitude

Brought to you today by the color Red

Why red? Well, it is one of my favorite colors. But it is also the color of the flower in the American Greetings logo.

Why am I interested in the American Greetings Logo? Well, they have a project going on called the Thank List. It seems that 95% of Americans believe that WE (Americans) have a civility problem. And American Greetings proposed solution: Gratitude.

The idea is to encourage people to say thank you. Thank you for the big things. Thank you for the little things. And to start with a Thank list.

So, it seems that American Greetings and I are on similar tracks. The idea is to Write Down the people & things for which you are Grateful. Research shows positive benefits to your brain just by WRITING IT DOWN! American Greetings is more about the people aspect, and remembering to say, "Thank You."

Last night I posted a preview of today's blog on my facebook feed. This is my nephew. I still call him Ronnie...He puts up with it. Take 5 minutes and watch. You'll be glad you did.

Now not all thank yous need to be "epic." They simply need to be Sincere.

Today I am Thankful For:

* My Family. All of them. The Brothers & Sisters-in-law. The Nephews & the nieces & the "greats" (we can't call them the "little kids" anymore as several of them are as tall or taller than ME!). The in-laws & the out-laws. The Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins. Thank You for being you and for the love we share.

* My Hanley. He really is the BEST! And, I've had people ask what our "secret" is.... well, it's no secret. Please and Thank you go along way. Even for the little everyday things like taking the trash out, or mowing the yard, or doing the dishes, or getting the other one a glass of water. Please and Thank You. 

* My SAORI family. It is growing everyday. I am so thankful for each of you and the things that you teach me.

* The Kindness of Strangers. The dude that ran past the dry cleaners (his intended destination) to open the door of the UPS store because my hands were full and countless others like him. 

* My Artist friends. Thank you for your continued inspiration...and the additions to my growing Art Collection.

So think on it. Our country could become a more civil place to live if we simply adopted an Attitude of Gratitude. Making a Thank List is the first step. Saying Thank You is the second. Making it a daily habit is the third.