Fight the urge to hibernate

As the winter settles in like it will never leave, and the temperatures drop, don't give in to the hibernation urge.

Life is too short!

Don't do it!

Christmas is just around the corner and soon, almost before you know it - spring will show up. (no really it will!)

Don't give up on going out, wear an extra layer or two.
Don't give up on your beach body and eat another round of snacker doodles.
Don't give up on your life just because you never see the light of day while toiling every moment of sunlight away in a congested building filled with grouchy cold-infected people.
Don't stay inside because snow is wet.
Don't think that life is dim, if you never see the sun.
Don't think that all love is lost, if you don't go to a wedding every weekend.
Don't loose hope,  count the days.

Look up and see the snow falling, feel the brisk air fill your lungs for another day, hibernation is just hiding. Don't hide. be bold!

Drowning in things

I realize that I have WAY too much stuff.

Stuff is what I like to have around me to keep me occupied, and entertained.

Too much stuff seldom, if ever promotes creativity. I find that managing, cleaning up, organizing and sorting stuff is a daily occurrence - and I am a huge procrastinator.

There are things you need to survive (shelter and food), things you need to be socially acceptable (clothes) but beyond this there are layers of perceived need that have slowly grown up around the bare essentials and choke out reason soon enough.

I just bought a new microwave. We use a microwave everyday. Then it broke and we did without for over a month while the new one arrived. Do we NEED a microwave? No. Is a microwave convenient? YES!

Is owning a microwave essentially a good thing or evil? It may be too soon to tell, as I enjoy warmed up leftovers as much as the next guy.

Not just the microwave has been on my mind, but the piles of toys and tools and piles of piles of seemingly "useful" items, that will never be used.

I will sleep on it and keep looking out for ways to thin through what I do have in order to truly be able to enjoy owning things, without the burden of things owning me.

Have a super week!

Find The Way

Many people just give excuses, don't fall into this trap.
Many people can't say no, don't be ensnared by these lies.
Many people don't know what they really want, don't follow this crowd.
Many people are lost, you are not lost.

No one is lost, they have just temporarily given up.

Find the way.

There is ALWAYS a way.

Find the way.

Once you have found the way - lead the others to it.

Don't let anyone feel lost.
Don't let anyone flounder.
Don't let anyone feel hopeless.
Don't let anyone give up.

Laugh it off!

Laughter sometimes will change my mood.

Seeing my little guy laugh ALWAYS changes my mood.

Part of my journey of returning to less is the realization that I can not control anything beyond myself.

I can choose to enjoy what life gives me or I can lament that I didn't get more.

Each of us has the ability to smile and laugh at how far we have come and how serious we take the things that don't really matter, and laugh whole heartedly with those people and at those things that truly give us joy!

Having a child of your own really challenges you with what the "small stuff" really is. Do YOU sweat the small stuff?

Don't sweat the small stuff - Laugh it off!

Take some time this week, starting today and have a good laugh and let go of the idea that you need to control everything.

Return to less, worry less but laugh more and LIVE more!

Get your giggle going and soon the small stuff gets smaller and the big stuff doesn't seem that tough.

Slow Steps

I literally rush from thing to thing and never really allow myself to enjoy the journey!

I rush to work, then rush out for a coffee, then rush to eat lunch, rush home from work, rush to a movie or rush to finish dinner, then relax for an hour or two of TV, rush to update the blog, rush to bed - just to do it all again the next day.

Now taking the fast lane is not a bad thing, but to be in the fast lane 20 over the speed limit with the cruise control locked in, while eating a sandwich, listening to an audiobook juggling a coffee and getting wound up at anyone who dare challenge your dominance in the lane is a getting a bit out of hand.

Recently I have tried to slow down and #lookup and enjoy what it means to just be.

I know there is a lot of buzz around smart watches and "wearables" like fitbit that shackle your wrist with constant reminders of this completely artificial construct that we have labeled "time". I love not having a watch. Having to pull my phone from my pocket to check the time takes just enough effort that I increasingly find myself not doing it. (maybe I am getting lazy or maybe I am beginning to realize that exact time keeping doesn't matter)

Slow steps:
walk at half pace today and see how that makes you feel.
Do you feel like you have more time to enjoy the exercise and experience of the journey?
Do you feel stressed out that you are "wasting" time not getting there right now?

Take a few slow steps and observe your mood today!

Soar with the Eagles

That's not an eagle! That's an Osprey!

Right you are but "Soaring with the Ospreys"just doesn't have the same ring to it.

When ever you are feeling downtrodden and earthbound, just look up and enjoy the sights that greet you.

There is a whole world of entertainment out there in the natural world. Somethings you just don't fully get watching the nature channel, like a sunrise or a majestic flight of the Osprey.

So there may not be majestic birds where you are but there is something flying around.

Flight is a fairly new thing to mankind, but not for birds.

Even spending a few minutes watching the flight of a crow, pidgin, or sea gull can be an up lifting reflection of how something so complex for man is effortless for nature.

The things we struggle with most are usually the things where we seek to circumvent nature or take shortcuts to get what we want, when we want it.

Take some time this week to unplug from the screens and look up to the feathered friends that show us how simple life can really be.

Travel Unencumbered

Travel light.

There is a mentality that we need to be prepared, and consumerism tells us that to be prepared we need "stuff" in case of an emergency.

Travelling light is a better option, it allows you to be agile and maneuverable if there arises any emergency.

This week think of the items that you cary with you on a daily basis, keys, phone, pens, wallet, snacks and ask yourself one question: "Is this weighing me down, or serving me on my daily journey?"

For me, eliminating a card or two from my wallet, or getting a smaller wallet is a victory.

Eliminate keys you don't need and items you never use.

Soon you will feel light as a feather as you travel light.