Pray to God, but row towards shore.  Russian Proverb

As you know if you’ve been around my blog for long, I am a spiritual person.  I depend on God for insight, answers, and encouragement every day.  Some days are rougher than others for me and I’m sure the same is true for you, but what I have been reminded of today is that while I may pray for God’s help in getting the answers I seek, it’s still important for me to do my part.

I am part of the solution!

When have you felt rowing to shore might be beyond your ability?  From where does your strength come?

 

It’s Thursday again, already??  Where does the time go?

Time for an update…

MY THREE TEENY TINY GOALS FOR THIS WEEK

1  Make that call and set a time to meet with my new spiritual director.

2  Make final arrangements for workers on Sale Day this Saturday.

3 Search for a special THANK YOU card to send to my friend in return for her gifts to me.

HOW I DID!

I gotta say that I did really well at my goals this week. I’m super excited to report I completed them all!  Yay, me!!!

Goal No. 1 DONE!  I called the SD like I said I would. A win!  The bad part:  I got his voicemail. 😦  This guy is super busy helping people, which means it may take a while to get an appointment with him. It might even take a while to get a call-back from him, but what’s that they say about busy people?  If you want something done, ask a busy person?  Yeah, I’m asking, and I will let you all know when that call comes in and the appointment is set. For now, it is enough to have hit my goal and made the call.  Again, Yay!!!

Goal No. 2 DONE!  I have people lined up to help with the move-out for the big sale and those people have trucks at the ready.  A little snag occurred in my planning when I found out that the place our event organizer had chosen to send our left overs wasn’t willing to accept adult clothing donations.  What???!  That’s the majority of what we have left after a sale.  I immediately went to work finding another venue for the clothing donations, and YES, I found one!  We will be heading in two directions after the sale to make drop-offs for left overs and that is additional work I didn’t expect to have to do, but its okay.  Today is the first day of the sale and I’m excited about the potential. I love this event and will be on the “sales floor” bright and early Saturday morning, pushing hard for those last few items to fly out the door.  !00% of the proceeds for this sale help the disadvantaged in our community.  I’ll say it again–I love this Sale!!!  [did you see what I did with the exclamation point there. Yeah, I love exclamation points!!!!!]  LOL

Goal No. 3 Done and DONE!!!  I searched until I found the nicest card I could find and then wrote the nicest note I could write and sent it off to my friend this week. I hope it blesses her when she reads it as much as she had blessed me with my early birthday giftings.  Ain’t friends grand??!  🙂

Now, for a new week’s list of goals…

THREE TEENY TINY GOALS FOR THIS WEEK

1  Sale, Sale, and SALE. All day Saturday I will help with the sale, the move-out, the transportation of donations left over, and the clean up of the facility.  A full day, indeed!

2  I will make sure to bake some oatmeal on Sunday afternoon, to have for breakfast this week. I have been slipping in this area, but I will revive the practice of daily oats in the a.m.

3  I will follow-up with the spiritual director of my choice, calling again if I don’t hear from him and making arrangements to sit down with him, at least once, to go over my needs.

I’m excited for how this weekend’s activities might turn out.  I hope you are excited about your weekend, too.

Why is goal-setting important to you?  Do you volunteer your time, and if yes, when, where, and how?

 

 

Dawn of the Email Trekker

After today, I think I could publish a guide on how to lose your mind while trekking through the shadowlands of the US Customs system.

‘Nuff said.

They have probably red-flagged me now.

Hey, it’s not paranoia if they’re really out to get you!  😉

Have you ever dealt with international shipments of goods?  Was the number of emails that flew back and forth between you and freight brokers on that occasion more of less than a ga-zillion?

To the Moon, Alice!

I am going to age myself with this one, unless [oh, hope against hope], the Honeymooners are in syndication on cable these days.

It’s just that, well, on some days, dealing with some people, I really am tempted to physical violence.  I never give in to it, but I will confess to being tempted.

Why can’t people who will not work zip their lips when others are doing the heavy lifting?

My mister, who is a Viet Nam veteran and deals with PTSD and depression has offered to help with a big project this week and all he’s gotten is grief.  Really?!  He is willing to lift, and tote, and lug, and all you can give him is sarcasm and sass?  REAAAALLLY?

In my inner woman, I’m whittling a branch from a weeping willow tree down to its skinniest nub and getting ready to whip the backs of some legs. That’s what my grammy did when we were little and got in her flower beds.  She was fast!! Seriously, you should have seen that gramma run, and she caught us every time–welts along the calves of our legs were our reminder for next time.  Leave the flower beds alone!!!

Did she hate us. NO!!!  She wanted us to act responsibly and grow up to be good and functioning citizens who helped others and did our part to contribute in constructive ways.

Was she wrong in her actions?  NO!!! She knew left to our own devises we would pick her flower beds clean and trounce all over her lilies, destroying them.  She’d worked too hard to see that happen.

Did she love us?  YES.

Did we love her?  OH, YES, YES, YES!!!

Today, I need to practice my mediation techniques and calm down.  THEY need to settle down, too. My husband is tranguil and fun-loving most of the time, but that can change when he’s been pushed too far.  Painted into a corner, they will hear him tell them in colorful details how he feels about their lack of participation while their tongues continue to wag.

When have you been part of a team that included a couple self-important blowhards?  How do you handle lazy people who want to be boss?

What Matters

“Size matters not…” –Yoda

I agree, at least some of the time. I would disagree with the notion that size matters all the time, though.  Let me explain.

On Saturday, I took mum out for an early Mother’s Day celebration.  We visited Eldridge Park in nearby Elmira, NY. Mom has been waxing nostalgic lately, and I have been the lucky recipient of some of her musings.  When she was a kidlet her dad was in the habit of taking her to Eldridge Park, where for 20 cents, he and his eldest could watch a movie projected on an outdoor screen together. Under the stars parent and child bonded, mom said.

I found it heartwarming that a few cents bought such a big piece of real estate in her heart!

While we were driving through the park, we were stopped in our tracks by a momma duck and her ducklings.  The significance of the moment hit me right away.  Talk about size mattering!

[Actual ducklings seen on Saturday were half this size. The teeny, tiniest things!]

Here, we found ourselves one of five cars, weighing several tons each, suspended in motion by six lumps of downy brown fuzz zigzagging across the entrance to the park. Back and forth they swerved, these  brown mottled puffs of fluff, while we patiently waited for them to push back panic long enough to regain their sense and “get-outta-the-way.”  It was a cuteness overload.

Again, the significance of something small impacting something much larger struck me.

Have you ever been tempted to follow Henny Penny’s lead and proclaim to all in earshot, “the sky is falling!”?  Me, too, but here’s where I go wrong.

The sky is not falling.

Life is not over.

All is not lost.

People do care!!!

Six ducks stopped six cars, while two adults exited their cars in order to shoo them back to safety.  Any of us could have easily driven over them, crushing the life out of them at any moment, but we didn’t.  We altered our plans to accommodate their agendas and we did it willing, while enjoying it thoroughly.  Amazing!!!

My conclusion:  Sometimes cuteness and vulnerability trump size.

I know, shocking, right?!

When have you seen something that convinced you life is beautiful and full of wonder?  What is your favorite thing to do at the park?

Stupid Newfangled Machines!

When has your GPS system looped you around where you really wanted to go?

Early May Goals

Last week I set some new goals. It’d been a while.  It felt good to get back in the rhythm of things, but the week passed quickly. Sometimes I can’t believe how quickly the time passes!  Can you?

MY THREE TEENY TINY GOALS FOR LAST WEEK

1  Set a time for meeting with new spiritual director.

2  Finish reading another chapter of  The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, and write another review.

3  Finish up PR for sale at church, getting signs updated and posted in the community.

HOW I DID WITH MY GOALS

I did pretty well this week meeting goals number 2 and 3–completed them both.  Yay!

It was kinda difficult getting those signs done and out the door for the church sale.  It rained the days I did it.  Doesn’t it always rain the days you have to do outside work?

Always!

Goal No. 1 was a bugger this week, and I did not get it done.  I’m not sure why I didn’t get it done. I think I might be hesitating starting up with this fellows, just because my hope is to delve into some of the problems I’m having with hesitation in general these days when I meet with him.  So long as I can put off the initial meeting, I don’t have to deal with the rest of the work, right?  That’s what my slacker brain keeps telling me, anyway.  I have decided to put this goal back on my list for another week and try to get ‘er done. I really need some time with someone unconnected and impartial, who can assist me with some of this hesitation I’m dealing with right now.  Back on the list it goes…

Speaking of rain:  it has rained nearly every day this week in NEPA. The good news is that the rain has been mild and no flooding has occurred. I live on top of a NEPA nob, so flooding is not an issue for me, but I have friends in the lowlands and they have been put to the test the last few years.  I’m glad I don’t have to deal with those kinds of troubles.

Oh, and I finished the book the big bosses from far-off land asked us to read.  I posted about The Five Dysfunctions of a Team last week, but I didn’t do a final summary of the book. That’s on the way, so please look for it and bug me if I don’t get it done.

MY THREE TEENY TINY GOALS FOR THIS WEEK

1  Make that call and set a time to meet with my new spiritual director.

2  Make final arrangements for workers on Sale Day this Saturday.

3 Search for a special THANK YOU card to send to my friend in return for her gifts to me.

Well, that’s about it. This week the goals are purposefully teeny tiny.  As we all know, teeny, tiny goals make for winning scenarios, and winning builds strong habits.  If you’re wondering about this philosophy I hold, check out the explanation of my Three Goals Thursday emphasis here.

Until next week, set some goals, keep ’em tiny, and keep moving forward!

What teeny tiny thing could you set as a goal this week that when completed will make you feel like a winner?  What is the great goal you’ve ever achieved?

 

Let Them Eat Cake

I find it ironic that yesterday I posted about my sugar and flour FREE oatmeal cookies, and today I went to lunch with a friend who surprised me with a half sheet birthday cake about three weeks early.

What is up with that?

Of course I had to have a piece, but I kept it teeny-tiny and then took the cake back to the office to be enjoyed by the minions there. I didn’t get a picture of it until after it’d already been cut into.

My friend does such an awesome job decorating cakes, and this one she made from scratch.  We are both trying to slim down, and she knows I try to avoid the processed stuff, so the cake part of this cake is all home-made.  Yum!

Look at that detail!  She is all flowers and lace, and pink everything. Me, not so much, but it sure does look pretty, doesn’t it?

She brought me flowers too, and a beautiful card!

I have the best friends a gal could have!!!  Just call me Lucky Lori!

When have  you been surprised by a friend, in a totally awesome way?  When have you surprised someone else, and what did that surprise include?

Back to Basics–Sugar and Flour FREE

Disclaimer:  Photo depicts half-eaten cookie, because hey, I couldn’t resist!

Have you ever thought about the good ole days and remembered something that seemed important to you back then?

That happened to me last week.   I was reminded of the walks I used to take, the eating schedule I used to be on, and the cookies I used to love to eat–they are both flour and sugar FREE!

Then it happened!  I looked over at the counter and there, in plain sight, with brown spots all over them, were two bananas.  It was kismet.  I was fated to make a batch of those cookies I had remembered so fondly only the week before.

For all you who would warn me that I need to lose a few more pounds, so treats are probably the last thing I need, this:

These cookies are full of gluten-free old fashioned oats, with sugar-free applesauce, almond milk, and overripe bananas.  They meet every one of my eating goals and I include them in my daily meal plan, so they aren’t really “treats”.

Here is an All Recipes recipe for the cookies, which is nearly identical to the recipe I use.  The big difference with mine is a lot more cinnamon. I love them spicy!

I will warn you: If you make these cookies, be prepared for them to have a very different consistency than your normal crumbly oatmeal cookie. Without flour or sugar, these kinda resemble the mouth-feel of a rubbery mouth guard.  But hey, at approximately 52 calories in each cookie ( as opposed to 125-175 per cookie with normal oatmeal raisins), you can’t go wrong with these.

Remember what I said the other day:  EVERYTHING IN LIFE IS A TRADE OFF.

These are a good trade-off if you ask me.  Enjoy!!!

What is your favorite cookie flavor?  Can you stop at just one?

 

 

Have you been there?

One of hub’s favorite episodes from Parks and Rec is the hunting episode.

Why? Because he loves hunting, or did once.  Now, he loves talking about hunting more than actually getting out there and freezing his bum off hunting.

Good for the woodland fellows, for sure!

During P&R’s hunting episode, Ron gets shot in the head and he’s angry. Who wouldn’t be?

I know how he feels.

I’m sometimes angry too, and when I am the last thing I want someone to say is, “Calm down.”

I might need to calm down.

I might be better off if I did calm down.

Everyone around me might be better off if I calmed down.

Problem is, the last thing I want them to say to me in that moment is, “Calm down.”

Absolute last thing!

But today I’m not angry, and during the past five years I can only remember a handful of times when I was angry.  I attribute that to hormones mostly, or the lack thereof, but it might be partly due to maturity. Let’s hope so.  😉

These days when I’m tempted to get angry I say to myself, “Self, is the amount of energy you’re about to expend on anger worth the effort it will take to regain a sense of peace and serenity after the fact?”  In most instances, it’s not, so why do it.

Everything in life is a trade-off!  Remember that and you will do well in this world.

Have you ever been so angry that staying calm was the furthest thing from your mind?  What constructive thing did you do with your anger, or how did you move past it?