Blog-a-thon Day 9

Each morning, I saunter over to my deck of No Place Like OM cards and ask myself what is important for me to hear today. Yes, I really do this, I swear. It never fails (well, once in awhile it does), so okay, it rarely fails, that I will choose a card which is perfect for me for the day. 

I'm starting to feel just a little bit down. Maybe 5-10%. This cycle of Kyle's is going on and on and I'm ready for it to be over. I am sure he is too.  It's hard to imagine what it must be like for him. 

So what card spoke to me today?

GRATITUDE

There is an old Sufi story about a man whose son captured a strong, beautiful, wild horse, and all the neighbors told the man how fortunate he was. The man patiently replied, "We will see." One day the horse threw the son, who broke his leg, and all the neighbors told the man how cursed he was that the son had ever found the horse. Again the man answered, "We will see." Soon after the son broke his leg, soldiers came to the village and took away all the able-bodied young men, but because of the leg, the son was spared. When the man's friends told him how lucky the broken leg was, the man would only say, "We will see.

We don't know what result will come from our actions each day. We can just practice gratitude for participating in the mystery of life, be open and say, "We will see."

I'm thinking what Kyle is going through right now  could be much much more intense (as it was in October). Do I detect a tiny shift in my attitude? "We will see." 

Blog-a-thon Day 8

Hey guys... I’m home and I confess to a mild case of cabin fever today. Kyle is STILL home with me. STILL? Yes! He has recovered from his illness but still can’t shake the anxiety cycle that seemed to be triggered by the illness. "Helllooo" I say to Kyle, "you are well now, you can say farewell to those nervous ibie jeebies."  It’s a brain chemical thing with him and as much as I would like to will it to be so, he is just not back to himself. 

So "breathe",  I tell myself. I have the whole day really. He just wants to sit in his chair, crinkle his red paper, and listen to music. He is calm when he is there.  Leaving his chair and especially his room, induces panic. Why not go with the flow? So I give him another easy day. I make myself a cup of tea, create a list of the 3 most important things I want to accomplish today, and set to work. 

If you read my post at the beginning of the year, you may have chosen a 2011 theme word  for yourself.  I received so many awesome responses from all of you about your WORD. 

So checking in... how’s that word thing going? If you have already forgotten yours, no worries. Write it on a post it and stick it on your mirror. It will work it’s magic into your psyche just by being there. Or, if you can’t remember it, think of a new one. See the original blog posts on the WORD for some ideas. 

A friend of mine recently mentioned in an email that her word was still working for her (so cool to hear!). MOTION. 

I’d like to propose “motion” as the word of the week for this week. I know, I know, I have too much time on my hands if I am resorting to a work of the week now.   If it doesn’t speak to you, hit the delete button. If you want a different word, come up with your own or just refer back to your WORD for the year. 

When trying to figure out how I was going to spend this day at home today, the word MOTION crept its way into my psyche. Is there something I can put in motion just 5% more this week? I feel stuck on so many projects. What if I took a few penguin steps (or even 1) to set things in motion? Nothing huge, just keep moving forward. 

This might involve making a phone call. Showing up to write. Making a slight change to the way I am doing something with Kyle.  Penguin steps = MOTION. Feels pretty good. 

Inviting you to take exquisite care of yourself this week by putting something important to you in motion. Start with just 5%. You can do it!

Whaddya think?

 Blog-a-thon Day 7

It's Sunday, what do you GET TO do today?

"Get to" has the power to shift the attitude in which you approach your day. 

"Embrace, Engage, Appreciate"

(as seen on a friend's business card)