Introducing My 2010 Trio: Gratitude, Nourishment, Acceptance

Finally, my first post of the year 2010. Coming to you via my BRAND NEW LAP TOP!!!! (After much frustration and messing around with settings and help from a tech friend to allow internet access)


Thanks to my darling Sweetheart, Fishguy, I got my Christmas wish.

Choosing has never been something that has come easily to me... Believe me, “Decide” was one of my top 10 words to choose from for this year. But, I chose Acceptance instead.

I accept that decision making is not my forte.

I won't beat myself up about it anymore.
I've also always been a fan of things that come in threes and three is my lucky number.

So, rather than picking one word for 2010, I arranged a trio instead.

Gratitude is my primary word for 2010.
This year for me, is about to be all about embracing Gratitude.
About being grateful.
Great-full.
I am grateful for all that I have and all that I am.
I am grateful for my wonderful, loving, supportive partner.
I am grateful for our awesome, kindhearted kid (sugar-plum, elf, pumpkin)
I am thankful that I am strong and healthy.
I am thankful that we have a warm and cozy home and friends both old and new, living near and far away.
I feel deep gratitude, for every day and person and lesson in it.
Because I have so much to be thankful for, I want to practice acknowledging it on a daily basis.
I intend to be more mindfully thankful each day and ensure a habit of counting my blessings and radiating an “Attitude of Gratitude”.
I also find that when I am feeling down on myself, unworthy and “not good enough”, it helps to remember just how much I really do have to be grateful for.

I also have an attitude of gratitude toward the abundance of nourishment (my second word) available for my use.
Nourishment~ to make grow, or keep alive and well with food.
My intention is to nourish my skin and body, my mind and heart and soul!
To feed my self and my family with love and healthy foods.
To keep reading and learning and writing.
To keep alive my heart songs by giving voice to them joyfully and often.
Rejoicing in the making of melodies and meat(less)loaves!!

Acceptance ~ less judgement, more appreciation.
Finding Santosha every day, contentment in the here and now, peace with what is.
This isn't about becoming complacent or accepting inappropriate behaviours or injustices.
It is about being less harsh on myself and loving and accepting all the parts of me including the procrastinator and the cynic and the grumpy old fart (Hey you kids, get off my lawn!!”).

I am participating in Jan's Meditation Challenge over at Awake Is Good. I found a nice way to incorporate my words into my meditation practice today. This is my mantra with each breath.
Inhale ~ Gratitude
Exhale ~ Loving Kindness
Inhale ~ Nourishment
Exhale ~ Loving Kindness
Inhale ~ Acceptance
Exhale ~ Loving Kindness
Repeat.

Unexpected Holiday

My little sugar plum was off to visit her grandparents all last week. Fishguy was working all week. I was expecting to work my regular Mon, Tues, Wed, but the enrollment at the daycare has really dropped this summer, so I worked 6.5 hours last Monday and have been off ever since!! I work again tomorrow.

So what, you may ask, have I been up to all week long? Well, without a child around (or a hubby) it is possible to get caught up on all the house work and laundry… and stay there (for a little while anyways!).

Mostly, I’ve been de-cluttering. I cleaned out my closet (it was long overdue) and I cleaned out Sugar-Plum's closet too. She will be arriving home on Thursday with a large addition of new clothes and shoes courtesy of a shopping spree with Grandma, so I just had to clear out the old (and too small) to make room for the new.

I put 2 garbage bags and 2 largish boxes in the trunk of my car to drop off at Community Care on my way to work tomorrow. That felt good!

I also went through all of Sugar Plum’s school work for the year, recycling much of it, and organizing the report cards, awards, special projects etc. into folders to be put into the eventual scrapbook that I have been planning (for about 4 years) to make of all such things!!

I have a tendency to be a huge procrastinator…. More about that later… LOL!

I’ve wanted, for quite a while now to paint the room that I use as my yoga space. It is also the place where all the musical instruments live. This room, I call the studio. Well, this week I actually managed to get started on this project by tearing off all the hideous wall-paper border in that room! Yay!! It’s a start. I also showed Fishguy the paint-chip colour samples that I have selected to paint the room, to which he said, “Nice!”.

Are my colour choices obvious enough?
Next step: go and buy the paint. I’ll keep you posted on how that goes.

Anyways, besides cleaning, laundry, closet-purging and organizing, recycling, border removal, paying bills and filing receipts, I did manage to fit several non-householdy activities in as well.

• Yoga every day (day 100 is tomorrow!!!)
• Guitar playing and singing every day
• Raspberry picking
• Visited a couple of friends for tea
• Had a lovely dinner out with Fishguy on Saturday night
• Watched some movies
• Went for a swim
• Read some of Sugar Plum's Library books
• Read Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (almost done)
• Journal Writing
• Blog Writing
• Listening to music
• Just hanging out at home being happily introverted!!

Not a bad way to spend an unexpected stay-cation. Incidentally, I consider this list to double as my graditude list for this week!!

Welcome to My Rainbow!

Thank You Christine!!

I had actually already tried what you suggested, but it didn't work the first time. After I got your comment, I tried again and, as you can see, it worked!!

All my font options are back now that I'm in "compose" mode rather than "Edit Html"

Blogging life is just so much more fun in full colour!!

I’m Downright Giddy!!

In case you haven’t already guessed, Christine is my new Best Friend!! And if by some miracle you have happened here by accident and do not already know who she is, you absolutely must check out her fantabulous blog, BlissChick; a deep well of inspiring wisdom.

Christine has been “Paying It Forward” by passing on blog recognition and leaving a trail of giddy newbie bloggers in her wake! I am very grateful and honoured to be counted as one of them.

And what a great idea it is too! Kinda makes me wanna….. Pay it Forward.

And so without further ado….I would like to make mention of some of the blogs I like to frequent when I am quenching my thirst for wisdom, laughter and inspiration.

The Zen In You
Yogadiva’s Divine Life
12 Pairs
Everyday Reading
It’s Not All Mary Poppins
warm chords
Serena Lewis

These bloggers are not new, but well worth recognition and checking out!