Little Reminders

These days I'm marveling at my outlook on life. Even though the shiny new-ness of my new-found self sometimes gets tarnished and I have to remember how to shine it back up again.. I am still happy. It's amazing how old habits can overtake my brain and I find myself thinking negatively or being unkind. But with only slight effort I can bring myself back to my platform of loving kindness. It's baffling that when I find myself removed from the platform... I have forgetten how to get back to it. I have to start all over from the beginning to remember how to get back there. There are no shortcuts. The beginning.. is BREATHE.. then find the quietness inside. Sometimes, it's hard to find the platform and it takes me a few days of effort. But I'm on it now, and that is what is important. I've been logging all of my summer activities and I can't wait to write them here. Work and Play have kept me busy so actually sitting down and writing it all out will have to wait. I'll have plenty of time once Josh goes to Dallas. I find it amazing that I am comfortable with him going, because I will get to spend quiet time with myself. Amazing, how that thought even crosses my mind as a good thing. It just amazes me. 
Here's a great article I found on Yahoo... I am glad to have read it, because it reinforces the focus I need to keep. In other words... It's Dog Time = now.

Life's little secrets from the young and the old.

by Sarah Beston, Shine Staff, on Mon Aug 16, 2010 8:39am PDT15

Life's simple pleasures are best learned through the young and the old. Those effortless joys that we experience as children at the beginning of life are rediscovered in the end, and they teach us all the secrets we need to live a happy life.


I learned these secrets on my visits to my grandmother's nursing home after she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Old men and women in wheelchairs lined the hallway. Occasionally one of the patients would look up and smile, but most just concentrated on the person next to them...conversing about something they probably wouldn't remember thirty-seconds later. Who they "were", where they came from, and what they owned didn't matter anymore and you realized it never really did. In the nursing home, as with young children, It was all about the moment-- similar to a dog walking into a room, tail wagging, only to forget a few seconds later why he came into the room to begin with. For a moment I would reflect on how life is cyclical. It starts and ends in diapers. It starts and ends with no teeth. It was interesting to see what put a smile on one's face at a time in life when nothing superficial mattered.


Here are the secrets shared by children and old people that we should always remember:


Secret 1: Ice cream and cookies are always good (even if you don't have teeth)


My grandmother was known as the cookie monster. She was always armed with the Royal Dansk Butter Cookies (those cookies in the blue tin that come in five varieties...pretzel ones, round ones, square ones, swirly ones, and other round ones that aren't as good as the first round ones) and she was not afraid to use them. Ever.


Secret 2: Companionship means everything


Just sitting with someone, even if you can't communicate with words, creates a feeling of love, comfort, and support.


Secret 3: Live for the moment and in the moment


Our minds are what take us out of the present moment. When you quiet your mind and put aside the stress of the past and the anxiety of the future, you can allow yourself to just be. Old people and babies are naturals at this.


Secret 4: Love even if you don't know why


Babies and old people don't judge love, they just love because it feels better than the alternative.

Secret 5: Nap-time is the best

Taking a daily nap can do wonders for your mood and help you feel refreshed at any age.

Secret 6: Take daily strolls

Whether in a stroller or a wheelchair, the fresh air and the feeling of sunshine on your face always generates a sense of calm.


Secret 7: Hum, sing, and dance as much as you possibly can


My grandmother loved "The Twist." If it isn't Chubby Checker and the Fat Boys that get you, so be it, but we all have that one tune that when you hear it you can't help but be in a good mood. That was ours. We would bust it out and when my grandmother could dance she would, and when she couldn't, she would just squeeze my hand as we hummed.


It is the living in between these opposite ends of the spectrum of life where we have to reflect on these times and remind ourselves what truly matters.


What simple pleasures do you enjoy?