Category: gratitude

freedom · gratitude

My Year of Freedom and Gratitude

Joanne4 Comments

“To be grateful for “what is” has been my personal path to freedom. When I stop to allow and fully accept the reality of this current moment ~ NOW ~ a calmness and centeredness is revealed and available to me.” ~ Morthern Spears

Over the past few days I have read a lot about choosing a personal theme for this year; finding a word, or perhaps a phrase, which you can focus on throughout the year.

I suppose another way of putting it is to say your word should represent something you would like to achieve this year, something you hold dear to your heart.

Your word should represent the change and improvement you would like to achieve for yourself during 2011.

After much contemplation, I have decided that my own personal theme for this year will be “freedom”.

I must admit that freedom actually became my focus during the latter half of last year. In fact, when I contribute articles to the Calm Space, they are listed under “Freedom Space”. It therefore seems most fitting that I make it my year to have freedom uppermost in my mind, as I travel through this year.

There is so much more freedom to be achieved.

One of my main focuses in my quest for freedom is to live in the moment, therefore…

I choose to freely cut the strings that have tied me to past habits I have formed in my life.

With faith in the future, knowing that events will unfold around me in just the way they are meant to unfold, I need never worry myself about the future.

My focus will be trained upon the here and now, savouring the reality of the current moment as each new and wonderful event reveals itself to me.

And, most importantly, keeping my eyes wide open, I will show gratitude for all of the Everyday Inspirations I find in my life, recording their appearance to me in my Gratitude Diary.

I give myself permission to live a life embraced by freedom.

What about you? Have you given any thought to how you would like 2011 to unfold?

It’s not too late to forget the past, let the future take care of itself and centre your thoughts in the moment. Listen to your heart. What is it saying to you? Listen carefully, as your heart will speak to you, letting you know what it is you most desire from this year….from life.

friends · gardening · gratitude · happiness

Feathered Friends…and Fears!

JoanneLeave a comment
Young Magpie

Going back to the beginning of time, for myself at least, I have always been afraid of birds.

Ornithophobia ~ the fear of birds.

As a general rule, ornithophobia is brought about by an unpleasant experience, perhaps as a child, involving birds, such as being attacked in some way or pecked badly when feeding birds at a picnic in a park.

If the fear is left unchecked it can, apparently, lead to fear of leaving the home (agoraphobia). The ornithophobia sufferer could possibly fear an unexpected encounter with their feathered enemies, therefore wishing to stay within the safe confines of their home.

Another theory for the cause of ornithophobia is when a child has lived with a parent who has an extreme fear of birds and this fear is passed onto the child.

Which of the above gave me my own fear of birds?

None of them!

I haven’t even seen the Alfred Hitchcock/Daphne du Maurier movie “The Birds”!

There is not a single bad bird experience in my early life to relate!

And both of my parents loved birds!

The strange thing is, there is no logical reason for my fear.

However I do recall, as a child, having nightmares which had me waking up all a-tremble, in which birds were flapping their feathers around me!

During my teenage years, a friend suggested that my fear may not be of birds, but rather feathers.

Pteronophobia ~ the fear of feathers.

Pteronophobia (please don’t ask me how to pronounce the word!) is believed to have the sufferer in fear of being near feathers, being tickled by feathers and even afraid to use a feather duster!

Um, I’ve always loved collecting feathers, find the gentleness of feathers against my skin very soothing and have never given my feather duster any further thought other than knowing  it will dust my furniture successfully!

As a result of my fear….

…I have never owned a bird as a pet.

Never, that is, until August last year, when a pretty little feathered fellow, with the most beautiful personality and expressive eyes, won my heart. You can read the story of the first bird I have ever owned here.

So much for the theories!

I’m afraid that I’m not a typical example of a recovering ornithophobic or pteronophic person. The extreme fear of being around birds was most certainly real, although it has never caused problems in my life. There was no explanation for my fear and I have never felt the need to seek professional advice to overcome my fear.

How is ornithophobia and pteronophobia treated?

It is suggested that the sufferer confronts their fear and is taught some positive self-talk. Relaxation and meditation are recommended to curb their anxiety. Hypnosis and medication may even be recommended.

How did I overcome my fear of birds?

Gradually, unexpectedly, and without even trying!

During the last three years I have spent hours, which have turned into days and even weeks, out in my garden, alone ~ planting, digging, weeding, mulching, watering, pruning ~ with a family of magpies standing nearby, chortling to me and quietly walking so close to me when my back has been turned that I could have reached down and touched them!

They are not afraid of me!

The magpies have talked to me in their own very intelligent bird language. At times, I have been certain that I know exactly what they are telling me!

The adult birds bring their baby birds to me, asking for titbits of food from my kitchen. They are so trusting and tame that I’m sure they would allow me to hand feed them, in the same way I hand feed my own little pet bird, Charlie.

Gratitude for my new friends and their habitat.

Just as surely as nothing in particular, (that I can put my finger on anyway,) gave me the fear of birds, my fear has vanished.

As I have pottered the hours away quietly working in my garden, appreciating every brightly coloured flower and butterfly, the industrious bees and warmth of the sun, I have felt no fear.

My garden is a safe, enjoyable haven.

Perhaps my calm and appreciative demeanour has been evident to the birds, who have happily shared their “home” with me, sensing the happiness I have felt within my surroundings with their own “sixth sense”.

Whatever the reason is for overcoming my fear of birds, I’m just happy that it happened! 🙂

friends · gratitude · happiness

People Come Into Your Life for a Reason, a Season or a Lifetime

Joanne2 Comments

Many months ago, an email arrived in my inbox, one which stood out from the standard “forwards” I regularly receive from my friends.

This email defined friendships; and the words were memorable.

Yesterday, as I contemplated the many topics that I could cover during the month of January, in keeping with the theme of “friends”, the NaBloPoMo theme for the month, I wondered if I still had a copy of the old email.

My wondering soon came to an end, however, when another copy of the same email arrived late last night, not surprisingly from a very dear friend who lives on the other side of the world from me! (That was a case of the Law of Attraction at its best!!)

The email defines the various friends who find us during the journey of our lives, dividing the friendships into three categories ~ those who are there for a Reason, a Season or a Lifetime.

When Someone is in Your Life for a Reason

When a friend appears in your life for a reason, they are there to meet a need you have at that time, such as to offer their guidance and support throughout the course of a difficulty you may be experiencing.

They seem to be sent by God, to assist you during a physical, emotional or spiritual difficulty.

Then, without warning, something happens to bring the friendship to an end.

They leave your life, perhaps due to an argument you have with them. The reason for them appearing in your life has been fulfilled, your prayers have been answered and it is time for them to move on.

When Someone is in Your Life for a Season

When a friend comes into your life for a season, it is your turn to help, enabling you to share, grow or learn.

This friend is likely to bring peace, happiness and laughter to your life, in huge doses!

Believe in the friendship, it is very real, but only for a season.

Lifetime Friendships

The purpose of lifetime friendships is to teach you lessons which will last a lifetime, lessons to be built upon for a solid emotional foundation.

It is your job to love this friend, accept these lessons and put what you have learned from them to use, in all of the other areas and relationships of your life.

Friendship is a Two-Way Street

As I read through the email, it occurred to me that friendship is most definitely a two-way street. Friends are not in your life to only satisfy your needs and to help you grow.

To be classified as a genuine friendship you also must share with your friend your love, support, encouragement and loyalty.

Only then will you fully appreciate and realise the full extent of genuine friendship, no matter whether the person is in your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime.

advice · challenges · Changes · freedom · gratitude · happiness · inspiration · vision

Sense and Sensibility ~ Part 1

Joanne4 Comments

After my husband and I first met, it didn’t take us too long to realise one striking difference between the way we each looked at life ~ which was…

His head ruled his heart,

while,

My heart ruled my head.

Over time, and convinced of the (false) belief that I would please those close to me, and most of all my husband, I made the effort to kiss my airy-fairy ways goodbye, lock away my gut-instincts, hunches and intuition and throw away the key.

“Reason” became my middle name. Everything simply had to be well thought through, the pro’s and con’s weighed up and carefully balanced, in fact, every action I took must have a reason for it, before being given the honour of materialising.

My newly found practicality, along with my down to earth attitude and conservative manner would bring beams of pride to all of those people who I held in high regard. Yes, it would…

Surely it would…It would, wouldn’t it?

Well, of course it did!

With my newly developed maturity and common sense, a certain standard was expected of me. And I aimed to please.

But every now and then, rarely actually, but just occasionally, I would make contact with kindred spirit, a dreamer of the highest standard, a gut-reactor who thought nothing of throwing caution to the wind. I would scramble around to find that discarded key, unlock my soul, and off I would go, reverting back to my flippant ways of times gone by.

It was during these so-called “moments of madness” that I would feel free and alive again, finding the strength again to move mountains and swim across the oceans. And all because my intuition told me so.

After much tut-tutting from those-who-knew-what-was-best-for-me, (and plenty of pouting on my part), I would make my return to the Land of Common Sense, unlocking the gates of wisdom with my reliable Key of Reason.

Did I manage to retain the stamp of approval, kindly bestowed on me by those who I held in high regard? Yes, I did. Everyone approved.

Everyone…except for me.

For many years I continued with this masquerade, pleasing the multitudes, whilst never pleasing myself. Saying yes, when I secretly held back the urge to say no.

Who knew I was living a lie, a life ruled by other people’s standards? No one. ‘Coz I always found a way to enjoy life, look on the positive side of every situation, skilfully navigating my way around the obstacles.

I didn’t just fool the people in my life; I was also fooling myself, by being something that I wasn’t.

Then something changed. That “something” changed absolutely everything. Hot on the tail of being “Ms Fix-It”, “The Whipping Post” and “Communal Door Mat”, I walked away, never to return. I turned my back on it all.

I came home, but not just home to my house, I came home to me.

My instincts had been screaming out to me, telling me that the place I went to every morning to work, where we (my husband and I) each operated our separate businesses from, was not the place where I should be spending my days.

While I had my own business and my husband an entirely different business, which we had worked at from the same premises for a number of years, the two businesses constantly overlapped. He made decisions and choices for my business and I always managed to get dragged, (screaming and kicking, I will add!) into his.

Packing up my bare essentials and moving my business home was a blessing to me. Throwing caution to the wind worked well for me. No amount of coercing changed my mind. With my heart back where it belonged, in its rightful place as The Guide to My Life, I have come of age.

Did I upset anyone by taking such a strong stance for my life? You betcha I did!

Was I ever swayed back into pleasing everyone but me? Never.

Did I care? Honestly ~ No.

Over the last three years my life has evolved into what I want it to be. New lessons have appeared in the most unexpected of places.

And all of these unexpected places have been cleverly disguised as The Simple Things in Life.

(Photo credit ~ alwayschallengeunhappiness.blogspot.com)

gratitude · happiness · inspiration · spiritual

Affirmations ~ “My Intentions for Feeling Good About Myself Today”

Joanne2 Comments

“Today I will direct my thoughts to dwell on the positive about me, and the good things I have done. I will withhold any self criticisms or negative self talk. I will not hold others opinions above my own.

Today I will refuse to participate in anything that takes away from my feeling good, or entertain thoughts of self doubt.

Today I will remember that as an ever loving, joyful soul, I am not my body, nor am I the things I have done, therefore I will not compare myself with others, or judge myself in any way.

Today I will not go against my inner voice of conscience nor put on a “woe-is-me” scene. I will cancel any unrealistic expectations of myself. I will willingly accept whatever is present.

Today I will do something good so that I have more good thoughts about myself tomorrow.

Today I will remember that I am enough, I am okay, alright just as I am, and I give myself permission to just be myself. I will make it okay to say “no”, even if it displeases others. I will forgive myself and forget what I have forgiven. I will always do the best I can in whatever circumstances I find myself in.

Today I will only see, think and hear good about myself. I will practise being patient, kind and gentle with myself. I will take every opportunity to laugh at myself, and refuse to take life too seriously. I will respect myself and treat myself with the V.I.P. status I am worthy of.

Today I choose to have positive and self supporting attitudes and to participate only in those expressions that add to my inner harmony and well being, and I especially prefer to be involved in those things that will have me feeling good and full of appreciation about myself at the end of this day….

And about all, it is my intention to be gentle and kindly towards myself…no matter what percentage of these goals I achieve.” ~ Author Unknown.