Time 2 Simplify

I recently discovered a very interesting book that looks like a life changing read. It's called "The Invitation" by Oriah Mountain Dreamer. The shift in my spirit and my life has opened doors that have never been opened. The Invitation has invited me to open yet another one. My short term goal is to read this book one chapter at a time, summarize it and try to apply it to my life. Take a peek into "The Invitation" with me and see if it touches your heart and inspires you to live life more passionately and honestly.

Today is Thanksgiving in Canada. If you have gratitude in your heart every day is a day to be thankful. Below is something close to what I heard in a movie. It moved me and made me feel grateful for every moment and living in the present. Yesterday is over, tomorrow hasn't happened yet. Today is the only day that matters and this moment is the only moment that matters. You're not missing anything and you don't need to be anywhere. You're exactly where you need to be and you're exactly who you need to be at this exact moment. You're perfect just the way you are. Make every day a day of gratitude. Be thankful for all the little moments that form your days and create your life. Can you take moment to be "noun" grateful? Choose a person, place and thing and just say a quick thanks. I am grateful for friends, a warm blanket, and the trees in the fall. Simply...Marie I see the paragraph feature is still on holidays. I will keep trying.

It has been a long time since I have had a virtual voice on this world wide form of self  expression.  I have been in process.   Many moons ago I began a positive shift that would ripple out to my friends and family affecting  them in a positive way. That positivity in anyone's lives contributes to making our world a better place. Mahatma Gandhi said " be the change you wish to see in the world.". How does one accomplish this?   By changing the man in the mirror.   While i have been away from the blogging world I have accomplished some of my goals.     One of my most important milestones was a breakthrough in my health and wellness.   I discovered the chronic migraines I had can be thwarted almost permanently.  I did this by eliminating all sugar and gluten from my diet. I am enjoying being pain free.  By doing this I have shed over 25 pounds and doesn't that make every woman happier? I will do a virtual cartwheel to that resounding yes!  I also began my home organizing business.  Time 2 Simplify is the business name I chose long ago and now it is registered. I have had a few clients and I really enjoy the work. I invested in a hoarders recovery program to help get to the root of the issue and to do my best to help those struggling with this in their lives. Organizing clutter is merely a bandaid unless you try to help people consider the issues that put them into that situation in the first place. I would also like to say that my life has been blessed and forever changed by a very incredible person that crossed my path. My soul feels the goodness of the world through their words and presence.  That has caused  a shift in my being.  I feel like I am truly alive and all of my senses have been heightened.   By knowing this person I am assured that there are kindred spirits in this big world of ours.  Also, that the world is only as big as you make it.  This person is a most kind, compassionate soul.  They show no fear by allowing their heart to be free and open. One of the most important gifts they gave me was a reminder of a great life principle I used to hold dear.  It went into hiding when i experienced the loss of my mother. That life principle is to have no fear and to See only love, Hear only love and Speak only love.  I taught the children from a young age during our homeschool years that love in it's truest state is the absence of fear.  I even had a pair of sunglasses that I put stickers on the lenses to demonstrate the lesson.  The lens with the large "fear" sticker was almost completely blocked so you could see very little.  The lens with the small "love" sticker hardly blocked the view at all. You could see much more clearly. So the lesson was, would you rather look at life through the eyes of love or fear and why?  Fear lessens all that is good in life. Living with fear blocks the "aha" moments. Live in fear and You will miss the butterflies and shooting stars.  When you let go of fear you can,  Simply...move forward and experience love in it's truest form.  I say simply,  but is it really?     When my brain was faced with such a task without knowing which question to ask,  I thought and I thought and this is what I got.   (one of my seussical moments)   We are told that all we need to know about life we learned in kindergarten. I don't know about you but my memory is not the best for recalling those valuable pearls of wise kindergarten knowledge.   However, I still remember a kindergarten memory of a girl named Rose Marie.  She claimed my painting of the picture window at my house at Christmas time as her own. If I only had that teacher over for tea and cookies  she would have seen that window and confirmed that indeed the name,  Marie,  on the top right corner of the painting meant that picture was  mine and not the young, manipulative  Rose-Marie's.    At the tender young age of 5 years old  I learned my first life lesson.  I have drawn upon it throughout my life.  I found out later that others who have experienced a similar lesson now refer to it as "The Serenity Prayer".   This is still one of the most profound simple ways to find and keep peace in your heart and let it overflow into all the aspects of your life.   So I learned a mere 40 years ago to "accept the things I couldn't change, to have the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference".    Change and growth can be a smooth ebb and flow in your life if you allow it to be.   Like the rise and fall of the tides.  The Uncontrollable events of everyday life affect us like the gravitational  pull of the moon on the tides of the ocean.  To me going with the ebb and flow of life leads to a balanced life, a happy life. The lesson is simply - go with the flow. The more you fight against the natural changes in life the harder it becomes to overcome its' challenges that are here to teach us many lessons.  That in turn helps us reach our truest potential by moving forward.   The result of going along with the gravitational pull of the moon in your life will be a positive one. However, when you  don't "go with the flow" your life can be likened to nails on a chalkboard.  I'm sure you got that visual without further explanation  When you live in balance, everyday challenges are easier to accept. You have the courage to deal with them.  You will instinctively have the wisdom to know which ones are a normal part of life, which ones need your attention and which ones you can't do anything about.   The serenity prayer is a wise mantra to live by and it is the basic tenet therapists use to help you learn to live in a happier state of being.   It is also the lesson that most self help books on the planet bring you back to. If you can't change it, accept it and move on.  Simple.   Accept the things you cannot change, have the courage to change the things you can, and the wisdom to know the difference.  We all know that at times in our lives achieving balance , is more easily said than done.  If you have ever had a traumatic event shift your balance in life leaving it unstable you will understand what I mean.  So what will you choose as your inner compass to help guide your life and direct your sails? Make a choice and Simply move forward.   Simply....Marie :)  BTW blogger has an updated program and the fact that it won't show my paragraphs is puzzling to me. I have tried twice now and still not working. Perhaps next time it will be kind to me and put paragraphs where they need to be. Apologies for the crossed eyes sensation you're likely experiencing after reading this gigantic paragraph.