DD speak...

Injuries have histories - that's the whole thing...

so while we yowl at the time, we can look back, in wonder, perhaps, as to how we could have managed that!....

(injuries here refers to physical ones, since my DD has a habit of hurting herself, sometimes even when there is nothing around that she could have fallen on, or hurt herself on! - it's a family joke that both of us have this amazing knack of acquiring wounds and scars all over our arms and legs!!)

I'm sure...

all of us have gone through situations when we have been the butt of a joke on account of some gaffe we've made, and to hide the embarrassment, have joined in the general laugh with an apologetic 'that's me,' or 'well, what else,' or some such deprecating thing.......quite as if it is terribly unnatural to make a mistake, or say something 'different.'

While I know it is a terribly embarrassing situation, I also feel that we need to train ourselves not to put ourselves down. It comes very easy to want to blend into the wall, or disappear into the ground - but that doesn't help because what they said and what you said and how you felt will always come back to haunt. The best would be not to join into the general laughter, and to maintain a distanced silence, while boosting your own inner self and morale - simply because they would have forgotten it in the next 5 minutes, and if you are not to suffer, and to also forget it, then it is important not to let it damage you. Just tell yourself it's okay to make a gaffe.....absolutely okay.....

As to how many gaffes?....................................any number. You are a wonderful person.

We all admire the confidence some people have - confidence of dress, of attitude, of whatever they do, everything.....that hasn't just happened - it has been carefully cultivated - and to my mind (and I too am working on this) it comes from constantly telling myself.............I matter....

A new day...

and a new way to look at everything.....

I want to share two wonderful morning prayers....

This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

And

I offer thanks to you, Loving and Eternal Kind, for you have mercifully restored my soul within me. Your faithfulness is great.

I've found that these prayers especially help when it seems difficult to face another day.......

Another day should not be just another day - it should be a brand new day.......so we need to be brand new people too...

An important ingredient...

for a relationship to be meaningful is participation.

It is only when we participate in the lives of those we love, those who love us, our spouses, our kids, our friends, or our colleagues, that a relationship comes full circle and becomes meaningful...

Don't bash.....

yourself......

and don't criticize yourself overly - it can become a habit.

The thing is, we all have it within us to keep growing, stretching, and trying for better times, or higher limits or greater goals. But we limit ourselves with self criticism, which then starts off self-doubt and all the other related feelings which end up crippling us physically and emotionally.

If we feel we cannot go it alone, and need help, then we need to do something about it and get the help we need.....the best thing about seeking help is that though we may not follow to the letter what is told to us, it opens up avenues in our minds that finally help us to help ourselves....that is really how it works....truly....

Something extremely important...

for a lot of us, especially those who willy-nilly, without really meaning to just get into the whole routine and cycle of work-work-work... . It could be because we believe Work is Worship, or we love working for the sake of working, or our work brings us a lot of satisfaction, or it fulfills some deep need in us, or we are ambitious, or we have no other options... .Whatever the reason, we are caught up in work 24/7/365, and if we are not working, then there is this terrible sense of guilt that we are not doing anything 'worthwhile'.

This is what I read (I've paraphrased it) - There is no question about your devotion to your career, but life is more than just work. Each area of life, and that includes home, love, fun, need your attention too. Chances are that if we get into the habit of committing all our time to one area, then, inadvertantly - (this is the catch, because it quite often is inadvertant) - sabotage or neglect another area.

It is difficult to balance all the activities that go into every day, but then for real fulfillment, this is what we have to do, or at least, work towards.

Probably the time was right for me, because it has clearly hit home...

A...

dream home...