Wishcast Wednesday - How do you wish to sparkle?

The incredible Jamie Ridler has done it again!  Her Wishcast Wednesday prompt is right on the money!  (As usual!)

This week's Wishcast prompt is:

How do you wish to *sparkle*?

The reason that this is such a good prompt for me this week, is that I am currently working on an upward rise of attitude, intention, consciousness...

The last few weeks (or even longer) have been a roller-coaster of emotions, thoughts, and energy.  I've made a few decisions about my life--one of them being joining a 12 step program in regards to my eating habits (or addiction as I've come to realize).  The first meeting was last night and it was good.  Another decision is to cut back on a lot of the things I was trying (unsuccessfully*) to take part in.  I've paired down to the most important things I wish to participate in or accomplish.

Which leads me to my *sparkle* list...

I wish that my new updated blog (coming soon) is sparkly, delicious, and inviting--and a place where others feel worthwhile spending a bit of time.

I wish to sparkle with my creativity--this year I'm going to do my first craft show, put on a few Dream Board workshops with a friend, and I might even have a creativity blog (working on that too!)

My 12 step journey--I know it will probably be frought with lots of emotions, but my wish is that with the support of peers I will sparkle my way to a level of consciousness that I have yet to achieve.

I wish to sparkle with my relationships--that they are fun, easygoing, and enjoyable.

I wish to radiate sparkle!

Your diamonds are not in far distant mountains or in yonder seas; they are in your own backyard, if you but dig for them. - Russel H. Conwell

Wishcast Wednesday - What gifts do you wish to share?

Wowzers!  Jamie Ridler's Wishcast wish prompt this week is "What gifts do you wish to share?" 

And that question kind of hit me between the eyes...the last several weeks I've been having some difficult moments with feeling like what I have to offer isn't necessarily what people want.  This question really put the words to what I've been feeling--I've been trying to offer some gifts of myself but, in certain circumstances, those gifts have been rebuffed.  Hence, the "wowzers!"

As I said, this feeling of rejection--because that's what it's really about, isn't in all situations or with all people.  But each time it happens, it does hurt deep--obviously a deep wound from my past.  Feelings of rejection are a recurring issue of mine. 

But...I'm digressing into painful feelings and not focusing on the question at hand.  It's important for me to process these feelings of rejection, and I will, but not here.  My wishes are for focusing on the positives in life, to help change my feelings of pain to feelings of possibilities and light.  To know that the uncomfortable feelings also provide an opportunity to shift my focus.  Today, it's to know that the opposite of "rejection" is "acceptance"--and that acceptance is really my goal--my acceptance of ME!

So...the gifts I wish to share are:

- My ability to shift focus to the where I want to go (sometimes it takes me longer than I'd like though...)

- My collection of quotes--some times it feels inexhaustible.  Words have such deep meaning to me.

- My creativity--my arts, my crafts, my vision, my standards of detail.

- My love--my wounded heart (it's healing)
- My joy--need to share it more with myself too!

- My gratitude--to everyone who "gets" me; and to Spirit, always!

To be born is to be chosen.  No one is here by accident.  Each one of us was sent here for a special destiny.  For millions of years, before you arrived here, the dream of your individuality was carefully prepared.  You were sent to be a shape of destiny in which you would be able to express the special gift you bring the world…Sometimes this gift may involve suffering and pain that can neither be accounted for or explained…It is in the depths of your life that you will discover the invisible necessity that has brought you here.  - John O’Donahue

The blessings for which we hunger are not to be found in other places or people.  These gifts can only be given to you by yourself.  They are at home in the hearth of your soul.  - John O’Donahue

All of us are gifted.  Every person has a gift that can bring great joy and light to those who encounter it.  Our task is to stand in the sun and create a climate that will develop and nurture our gift.  - Anonymous

Because our gifts carry us out into the world and make us participants in life, the uncovering of them is one of the most important tasks confronting any one of us.  When we talk about being true to ourselves--being the persons we are intended to be--we are talking about gifts.  We cannot be ourselves unless we are true to our gifts.  - Elizabeth O’Connor

We are each gifted in a unique and important way. It is our privilege and adventure to discover our own special light. - Mary Dunbar

Thanks!!

Wishcast Wednesday - What do you wish for your home?

Talk about synchonicity!

It's been a few weeks since I posted.  I have been going through a bit of deep contemplation and change but had nothing much I wanted to really post about.  I had already decided that I would post this week for Wishcast Wednesday when I received a post from my friend and inspiration Andrea from ABC Creativity.  Her post so inspired me that I responded to her post and thanked her:

Thanks for this post! There are several things you said that really struck me (inspired me).

1. "I'm not interested in living an "ordinary life" and I sure didn't want an "ordinary" house."  - So often I look around my house and it doesn't reflect who I really am--there's only one room in my house that does and that's my bedroom--because I decorated in colors, textures, and items I LOVE. I am going to take more time and reflect on who I actually am as I continue to redo my house in my own "authentic style"! -- you know this is something I have been working towards for years, and I AM getting there--this is just a huge great reminder.

2. "I wanted a house that would nurture me and my creative dreams."    - I'm more in that space now than ever before and, as above, am working on making sure I have creative space that inspires me.

3. "If you want more of something in your life - you have to make space for it. In your home or your calendar or your thoughts or your heart--somewhere you've got to make space for it."    - YES!!! Thank you for that glorious reminder!!

 

As I start getting ready to write here about Andrea's post and her inspiration when my e-mail pops up with an e-mail from Jamie and her question this week is...

 

What do you wish for your home? 

 

Almost as if Andrea and Jamie were talking--but definately on the same wavelength!!

 

So, in addition to the above, I wish for my home to (and it already does a lot of these):

 

- Welcome me when I come home, to envelope me in it's warmth and comfort.

- Inspire me, motivate me when needed.

- Provide a place of rest and rebuilding when life gets tough.  A lifting off spot for me.

- Show who Ceanne really is, so that when anyone walks in they "get" that this is my home.

- That others are comfortable and feel at ease and welcome.
- Julie Jordon Scott talked once about how she has quotes on her front door - I have that on my creativity "to do" list as something I'll be doing this summer.
- I think I may take some of Andrea's inspiration and do some creative art work right on my walls.  I actually have recurring dreams where I do that--perhaps Spirit has been trying to talk to me!

 

When you learn to love and let yourself be loved, you come home to the hearth of your spirit.  You are warm and sheltered.  You are completely at one in the house of your own longing and belonging.  - John O’Donahue

Prayer and housekeeping--they go together.  They have always gone together.  We simply know that our daily round is how we live.  When we clean and order our homes, we are somehow cleaning and ordering ourselves.  - Gunilla Norris

Here is everything I’ve cherished;

That these walls should glow with beauty,

Spurred my lagging soul to duty;

That there should be gladness here,

Kept me toiling, year by year…

Every thought and every act,

Were to keep this home intact.

- Edgar A. Guest

Wishcast Wednesday - What burden to you wish to put down?

Wishcast Wednesday again and this week, Jamie Ridler asks...

What burden to you wish to put down?

This wish prompt makes me want to just sit right down and sob.  I didn't realize how burdened I felt until I read this prompt.

I think that I try so much to be optimistic and positive and I try to think of my issues in a positive light that they will soon be gone.  I do positive affirmations, positive thinking and yet I know that I still carry a lot of "stuff".

Of course, I wish to let go of the burden of my "stuff", but I also know that I am a work in progress and that the "stuff" is full of lessons that I have not learned yet and issues I need to work through.

I have one specific burden that weighs heavier and is more painful than the others; that is the burden of the pain, heartbreak, fear, and self-recriminations that is the residue of an abusive relationship.

I wish to put down and walk away from the burden of thinking I could have changed anything about that situation.  That I could have changed how I responded or how he treated me.  That I could have or should have left earlier than I did.  That I let him change me. 

I think I have been holding onto these self-loathing thoughts for too long--it's time to let them go.

You did what you knew, now that you know better, you'll do better.

- Maya Angelou/Oprah


It's never too late--in fiction or in life--to reivise.  - Nancy Thayer

Thank you!

As you all wish for yourself, I so truly and sincerly wish for all of you!

Wishcast Wednesday - What do you wish to enjoy? #2

Jamie Ridler asked this week - What do you wish to enjoy? 

This question was asked in November too, and when I went back and looked at my post, I thought it still relevant, so decided to repeat it--but add updates and a few new quotes.

Such a great word, "enjoy", I just had to do some research on it. It's synonyms are: experience pleasure, relish, savor, undergo improvement...

I wish to "enjoy"...


- rich, restful, re-energizing sleep (I'm being tested for sleep apnea and my hope is this will happen really soon!) - *Update - I have now been provided with a CPAP machine and my restful sleep is slowly coming back and so is my energy!!  (yay!!)
- my continued path of improving my life so that I may "be" the person I am meant to be. - *Update - Interesting that "BE!" is my One Little Word for 2011-- I will be doing a post on that really soon.
- the walks I take with my dog--right now with my weight being so high it is a bit of a struggle, but as I walk daily I get stronger and more capable of enjoying it (she loves the walks so much that it's a shame not to be as happy as her).  - *Update - After a recent health issue, I have started to lose weight - down 16 lbs from my highest around the time of this post!
- my family - sometimes our relationships can be strained but we are working toward getting to know each other and accepting each other as we are--and in the end, love each other regardless where we're at.- *Update - I do love my family.
- great health! - *Update - It's getting better and better every day!
- a career with pay that more than supports my lifestyle and allows me the grace to give with ease to others who need it more than I. - *Update - As Karen Drucker sings "Money is coming to me easily and effortlessly, money is coming to me."  I'm building a side enterprise to increase my income.
- a romantic relationship with a man who is loving and loves me for who I am.  - *Update - Sigh, no man, but I am loving me for me!

Watch your thoughts; they become your words.

Watch your words; they become your actions.

Watch your actions; they become your habits.

Watch your habits; they become your character.

Watch your character for it will become your destiny.

- Hillel

The best way to get people to think out of the box

 is not to create the box in the first place.

– Martin Copper

Not everything that is faced can be changed,

but nothing can be changed until it is faced.

– James Baldwin

Have a great week everyone!  As you all wish for yourselves, I also wish for you!!

Wishcast Wednesday - What hunger do you wish to feed?

Thanks so much to Jamie Ridler for creating Wishcasting Wednesday--it has been one of the most healing experiences of the last year for me.  If you're looking for a place to do some soul searching and have a wonderfully supportive group of creative and loving people behind you, check it out!!

This week's prompt...

What hunger do you wish to feed?

When I first looked at this question, I had to kind of laugh because I'm actually going through a medical situation where I am hungry but can't feed it...

It seems that's all I'm talking about.  I had a gallbladder attack last week and have had to seriously curtail the type of eating I have been doing--no fats, sugar, processed foods, dairy, white flour, etc.  All of the types of foods I have been eating in my unconscious lifestyle.  So, I've been eating lots of fruits and vegetables, rice, oatmeal, etc.  The attack is mostly over, near as I can tell, the pain in my stomach, back, and shoulder is gone and I can move around without pain. 

And, I'm very, very grateful for my body for letting me know just how unhappy and unhealthy it has been.  I'm sure it was telling me in so many subtle and not so subtle ways and finally had to resort to something big to finally get through to me.  "you need to take care of me!"

I have been hungry for and have cravings/desires for the junk but I know I cannot do that to my body, mind, and soul any longer--one of the reasons being that if I do, I'll have to have my gallbladder out and I do believe we're created with organs for a purpose and I don't want to have anything removed that doesn't HAVE to be. 

Since I've been eating so many clean foods I actually am feeling better, have more energy, feel lighter, mentally clear, and am sleeping better (even without my CPAP machine).  Amazing how we can be so conscious and unconscious at the same time...

Okay, so on to Jamie's question, the hunger I really, REALLY want to feed is to create my best life...I have been doing a lot of work towards that but I am definitely a work in progress.  But I am finally starting to set my life up to succeed.  This week, I finally decided to pull the plug on my cable TV (as of this coming Friday). I've said it before, I spend waaaaaayyyyy too much time in front of the TV mindlessly watching life happen on the TV and not participating in mine.  I wish and hope that my stopping sitting in front of the TV screen will provide me with the energy and desire to do things such as:

• Going for walks with my sweet, beautiful dog--Ruby (picture below)--she loves to walk so much and is such a great dog she deserves to have the best life too and she deserves more involved attention too.
• Just move my body more, period.
• Spend more time reading so many of the books I have purchased over the years--the knowledge has not come to my through osmosis so must read them ;o)
• Do more creative work--I have so many started projects that are not completed.  They weigh on my mind.
• Explore my creativity more.
• Have space/time for my mind to be creative about my future--make plans/have goals.
• Stop procrastinating about the things that need to be done around the house.
• Spend time with friends--what a novel idea, getting out in public.

So the hunger I wish to feed is to be a participant in life--my life and the life around me.

If you do not take care of your body, where will you live?  - Unknown

A high quality/authentic life has more to do with what you take out of your life than what you add to it.  – Cheryl Richardson

(isn't she the cutest???)

To all Wishcasters:  As you wish for yourself, I truly wish for you as well!!

Wishcast Wednesday - What do you wish to renew?

Jamie Ridler is the fabulous creator of Wishcast Wednesday (as well as many, many other talents).  This week's wishcraft prompt is...

What do you wish to renew?

Although I know the meaning of the word, I wanted to look it up in the dictionary to see what it said there.

renew - 1. restore to original state, make new, revive, regenerate  2.  patch, fill up, reinforce, replace  3. get, begin, make say, or give anew, continue after intermission, grant or be granted continued validity of , recover

I loved when I read "continue after intermission" because I feel like my life is so many intermissions followed by the "play" again--I have often had to take a time out to regroup.  Thankfully, I usually come back better than ever.

I also feel like so many times in my life I am patching, filling up, and reinforcing myself--repairing myself.

But what I like best from the description is "to be granted continued validity of...  Who wouldn't want to be granted continued validity--to know that you were always valid no matter what your inner voices had to say.  What would we all be able to accomplish if we knew we were always valid???

So, that's my Wishcast wish this week...I wish to "renew" my validity so that I may be able to always know that I am valid--no matter what my inner critic (or outer critics) have to say.  I am valid!

As you all wish for yourselves, I also wish for you with all my heart!

Life is a Do-It-Yourself project.  - Unknown

Creativity flourishes when we have a sense of safety and self-acceptance.  - Julia Cameron

Be patient with yourself.  Self-growth is tender; it’s holy ground.  - Stephen Covey

Thanks for reading, as always!

Wishcast Wednesday - What do you wish to say "Yes!" to?

A new year and a great new Wishcast prompt from Jamie Ridler.  If you'd like to join in to this great supportive group of Wishcasters check it out.

What do you wish to say "YES!" to? (Jamie didn't put the word yes in caps and in quotes with an exclamation mark, but I think it should almost always be seen this way.)

Over the holidays I watched the movie "Yes Man" with Jim Carrey, although it perhaps didn't have the best script, for me it had meaning.  I could see in myself the "no" person Jim Carrey's character was before going to see a motivational speaker and making a covenant to say "YES!" to every opportunity that came his way. 

Now, I love Jim Carrey for a couple of reasons, first he's Canadian ;o).  Second he believed so much in himself that, when his family was struggling to make ends meet, he wrote himself a check for a million dollars knowing that he would cash it some day--and he did, and then some!  Third, his spiritual philosophy, near as I can tell, is very close to mine--it's somewhat loosely based on the Law of Attraction and that every "person, place, and thing" are all part of the Universal energy that we can all create with./from  He's got a better handle on the creation part than I do at this point...

So, all this to say is that I wish to start saying "YES!" to more opportunities that come my way, which is also another way of saying "YES!" to living, which also has to do with my One Little Word of the year, BE!.  (okay, stomach dropping, feeling a bit scared because...well...because...). 

Wish still stands!

Thanks!
C.

For all that has been, thanks. For all that will be, yes.

- Dag Hammarskjold

Wishcast Wednesday - What do you wish for the New Year?

Jamie Ridler is the creator of Wishcasting Wednesday (to name just one of her many talents).  Here's how to participate...

You can be a maker of magic and a tender of wishes. It’s easy. Answer the wish prompt on your blog and then add a direct link to your post in the box from the link above. Support wishes by visiting other participants, leaving a comment saying “As (insert name) wishes for her/himself, so I wish for her/him also.” It’s that simple. There is great power in wishing together. Let the magic begin!

What do you wish for the New Year?

I've been asked a few times over the last few days what my New Year's Resolution is and for the first time since I can remember, I don't really have a focus.  Many years ago, I stopped doing the list of 10 (or so) New Year's Resolutions such as quitting smoking, losing weight, etc., etc, within such and such time.  Although, thankfully, I have quite smoking many years ago it was not due to a New Year's resolution specifically.  So...quite a few years ago, I started New Year's "Intentions"--usually one specific but more global thing that I could focus on for the year.  An example would be, "My Health".  This has helped somewhat but not completely. 

As I said above, this year I hadn't really gotten around to thinking about my Intention(s) for 2011, but I thank Jamie for being a catalyst to get my mind working after my week's rest. 

I do have wishes and dreams that are always on my mind--just not one specific thing.  So...What I wish for the New Year--2011 is:

• Improved health--actually, I'd love to have fabulous health in 2011!
• I wish to increase my wealth and pay down/off debts
• I wish to have increased energy for life
• I wish for increased vitality
• I wish to wake each day knowing it will be a fabulous day
• I wish to talk to myself with positive, loving words
• I wish to be a great friend
• I wish to be loving and accepting of my family
• I wish to be successful, in whatever I focus my mind on
• I wish for mindfulness
• I wish to create a meditation practice
• I wish to focus my creativity inward to inspire my best life (vision boards, authentic creations, etc.)

(Kind of looks like Resolutions to me???, oh well...)

Today, I spent the day organizing and tidying a couple of rooms in my house, which I hope will help me with how I will spend my time on my dreams and wishes.  Both of these rooms face west so have delicious afternoon sunshine and light in them. 

Instead of having a dedicated spare bedroom, I have moved the spare bed (a futon actually) down to my basement rec room.  I have then made one room a dedicated office-slash-craft room.  I have the desk facing my window for great light when working on my creative projects.  When I wish to use my laptop I can put that on my desk and type away.  But, since it's a laptop I can move it anywhere in the house so my "office" is just where my paperwork is stored.  Most of the room is dedicated to my creative juices.  It's not a super colorful room, but it I really like how it's set up right now--roomy and everything has a place to go.  It needs a new paint job and the wall-paper from the previous owner should probably go now, but...here it is...

I also moved all (okay, most) of my books into one room where I can have quiet time to read and reflect.  I've also decided this will be the room that I can do my vision/dream boards in--supplies are kept in the old-fashioned looking suitcases on the floor and in the closet.  In these photos, you also get a look at my love--my precious dog, Ruby--the spot she's sitting on was supposed to be for the cats, but I guess with the suitcases on the floor, she can reach it...This room also needs a paint job as it's been through a few changes of what it's meant for--I still love the color--sage green--just needs to be updated.  The chair is also deceptive, it's actually as big as a love seat, so it's been renamed the "love chair" by my friends--very comfortable.  I think I'll try my meditating in this room too.

I wish for these rooms to provide the inspiration and quiet space for me to focus my energies to continue to move into my best life!

Tomorrow I will be doing my first vision board of the year with Jamie's question this week of "What will you say to yourself whenever you look in the mirror this year?

As you all wish for yourself, so I truly wish for all of you!!

Thank you!

C.

Wishcast Wednesday - What is your winter wish?

Bless Jamie Ridler for her weekly Wishcast prompt (and her other endeavors as well)!

I wasn't sure I was going to join in this week because when I saw the prompt, my mind drew a complete blank...confused really..."how do I answer that?"  But...I thought, I really need to go to the other Wishcasters and give them my support by commenting on their blogs.  And then when I was reading the other Wishcaster's words, it came to me what my Winter Wish is...

At this holiday time my mind so often goes to the "catch phrases" of the season because I really believe them to be important.

I wish for Peace on Earth, kindness toward others, joy, love, comfort, care...the list goes on and on...

Also, as winter is really a time for hibernation for nature and, as I live in one of the coldest provinces in Canada, I tend to spend a lot of time indoors "rebuilding" in the winter.  So...I wish for rest, rejuvenation, creative time with myself, reflecting, learning, growing, and treating myself with "extreme self-care".

And, I also wish the above for anyone who may need it.

Bless all the Wishcasters and all who wish for a better life!

When we make a world tolerable for yourself, you make a world tolerable for others.  - Anais Nin

The personal life deeply lived always expands into truths beyond itself.  - Anais Nin

They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night.  In their grey visions they obtain glimpses of eternity.  - Edgar Allan Poe

Wishcast Wednesday - What do you wish to transform?

Jamie Ridler's Wishcraft prompts are so inspiring and life changing.  If you're interested, here's how they work...

What do you wish to transform?

You can be a maker of magic and a tender of wishes. It’s easy. Answer the wish prompt above on your blog and then add a direct link to your post in the box below. Support wishes by visiting other participants, leaving a comment saying “As (insert name) wishes for her/himself, so I wish for her/him also.” It’s that simple. There is great power in wishing together. Let the magic begin!

This is a very "simple" wish but hard to put "out there" for the world to know.  I wish to transform my financial present and future...the way I think of the money I make, how I spend it, save it (or haven't), how I can use it to help grow my best life.

My family history with money is mixed, my parents both grew up in the depression and they had/have memories of money always seeming to be hard to come by. 

We grew up, not poor, but seemingly"lacking", we couldn't buy milk because it was so expensive so we had powdered milk (yuck, none of us would drink it), most of our meals were comprised of ground beef as a base, we couldn't buy the "cool" jeans for the start of school--only the knockoffs, etc.  At the time I didn't realize it, but it was an atmosphere of lack--"we can't afford that".  So...that seems to be my reality.  I spend a lot of my money unconsciously without regard to the future I wish to have and often have a feeling of missing out on some really great opportunities because I don't have the finances to take part.  I know that a lot of my financial difficulties are because of my attitude and not because of the amount of money I bring into my household--I do make enough money to support myself very well. 

One of my brother's seems to spend  his money similar to me--he makes a decent wage but does not necessarily save or think of the future when spending day to day.  My other brother has not made as much in his earlier years--makes a decent wage now--but has always taken care of his finances in a way that supports his life so that he can live it pretty much how he wants.  Not sure how children that grew up the same way can be so different, and how one brother learned the financial lesson so well--even as a child--but myself and my other brother just didn't "get" it.

So...I wish to transform my financial consciousness to know that I CAN and DO support myself and my hopes and my dreams very well.  I can save to support my future goals.  I can have a budget that pays my living expenses easily and with gratitude for having a house/home to live and thrive in.  So I can live in a way that "supports my life pretty much how I want".

 

Beauty doesn’t lie in the expenditure of much money, but in the artistic disposition of little. - The Charm of the Unexpected

Prayer and housekeeping--they go together.  They have always gone together.  We simply know that our daily round is how we live.  When we clean and order our homes, we are somehow cleaning and ordering ourselves.  - Gunilla Norris

Work like you don’t need the money, love like you’ve never been hurt, dance like no one is watching.  - Satchel Paige

Thank you.  As everyone wishes for themselves, I truly, truly wish for them as well!

C.

Wishcast Wednesday - Where do you wish to go slow?

Jamie Ridler's Wishcast prompt this week is Where do you wish to go slow?

Before I respond I want to make mention of my father as today would have been his 82nd birthday.  My father, papa, passed suddenly on Valentine's Day, 2003--he just sat down and passed away.  Although he was 74 at the time and not in great health it was still a blow to us kids and my mom.  We still miss him so much but know he's with us in Spirit...Love you dad!!

Here's a tattoo I got in commemoration of my father.  I had it tattooed on what would have been his 80th birthday.  It is Chinese lettering for "papa" as that's what I called him often and then wings to signify his spirit.  And, I also put a picture of my papa taken a couple of years before he passed...

When I was looking through the pictures I also found this favorite picture of mine of my parents when they were dating and thought I'd share...

Soo...back to "reality"...

In response to Jamie's prompt, "Where do you wish to go slow?".  I wish to go slow to enable me to enjoy the love of people I am close with, so that I may keep them in my heart.

I wish to slowly savor life, the beauty of life, the beauty of nature as my father taught me to do--to treat nature with respect.

I wish to go slow with life.  As we age, the hours, days, weeks, months, years just seem to go by so very fast.  I wish for the long, slow days of my childhood when it seemed the days stretched on forever...sometimes I thought the anticipation of something great would just about kill me--I can just see myself with my arms wrapped around myself with a big smile on my face, excited, waiting...  I wish to feel that type of anticipation again.

Blessings.  As you all wish for yourself, so I truly wish for you!!

C.

Wishcast Wednesday - What do you with to invite in?

Come on in!  Jamie Ridler's Wishcast prompt this week is...

What do you wish to invite in?

This week, it's an easy question for me to answer because I found out last week that I do have sleep apnea and have an answer to my exhaustion--something other than the self-deprecating things I have thought it was.  Yesterday I picked up my CPAP machine which will, hopefully, help me get the rest my body is in need of.

So, I wish to invite in...deep, restful, restorative sleep.  To be followed shortly by renewed energy, passion for life (again), and more leaps into life.

Yes, I truly believe that getting good rest will be life-changing for me.  Over the last several years, I have slowly began to turtle, to the point that I barely leave my house except to work.  But almost all I am able to do is work--because that is where I have directed my energy to, out of necessity.

I wish to blossom again!

Imagination is more powerful than knowledge.  - Albert Einstein

Knowledge allows you to see things as they are.  Imagination allows you to see things as they could be.  - Unknown

We cannot become what we need to be by remaining what we are.  - Max DePree

As you all wish for yourself, I also wish for you!!!

C.

Wishcast Wednesday - What do you wish to celebrate?

Hooray!!

Jamie Ridler's Wishcast prompt this week is...What do you wish to celebrate?

As soon as I saw that, my mind went to thoughts of "hooray!", feeling great, and a huge smile on my face...that's what I love about these prompts, the question takes you to that mental space and feeling of the question. 

I was at a workshop recently and the speaker talked about "positive inquiry" and how important those types of questions are to us each and every day.  When we ask questions that take us to a positive place, such as "What's good?" our emotions follow along.  Jamie's prompts take us there...brilliantly. 

So...what I want to celebrate are a few little things... 

After a week of feeling ill with one of the worst head and chest colds I've had in a looooooonnnnnnggg time, I'm feeling pretty spry.  I still sound like I'm ill, but my body knows better and has rebounded with lots of really good energy.

While I was ill I took some serious stock of my life and the direction it's heading and I decided the direction was not in the interest of my best life.  Now, I talk the good talk, but the actions have not been following the talk.  So, I'm refocusing myself and setting some goals for myself that are pushing/pulling me more where I want to be.

I've had to do some begging and pleading with God/Spirit/the Universe, which I really hate to do--the begging and pleading part.  I feel I have a pretty good relationship with Spirit, but, again, I haven't been living in Spirit lately.  I think I've been living a bit unconsciously (or a lot), but God and I are on a better foot now.

Mostly, I'm just celebrating having a renewed energy and drive to live my best life!!

Oh...and I want to celebrate along with Jamie for her new book - Wishcasting Journal: 52 Wishes to Awaken Your Dreams.  It must be such an amazing feeling for her!

I'm reading this book called "Soul-Full Eating" by Maureen Whitehouse and am thoroughly enjoying it.  Realizing that the food I choose, how I prepare it, and how I savor it are all part of the process of nourishing myself, not just the food itself or the act of eating. (another thing to celebrate!!)  In the book, I found these two quotes, I'm not sure if they match the "theme" today but I just love them!

Just Sit There

Just sit there right now.

Don't do a thing.

Just rest.

For your separation from God

Is the hardest work in this world.

Let me bring you trays of food

And something you like to drink.

You can use my soft words

As a cushion

For your

Heart

- Hafiz, Persian Poet

Love is all there is.

You live that you may learn to love.

You love that you may learn to live.

There is no other lesson.

Hence, your Soul is always full,

Of Love.

- Unknown 

Thanks!
C.

Wishcast Wednesday - How do you wish to grow older?

Hmmmm.  Jamie Ridler has done it again with a Wishcraft prompt that has me imagining my beautiful self as I age with grace...

How do you wish to grow older?

Some days I feel a LOT older than I'd like.  Up until fairly recently, I still felt like I was in my 20's, not the 45ish years I've spent on this earth.  Recently, I've felt all of those 45 years and they can feel painful and heavy, but they can also feel like great experience, accomplished, etc.

The picture I have in my mind of growing older, and so the answer to the question "How do you wish to grow older?", is:

- in/with grace (love that word!!)
- in joy
- in anticipation
- in health
- in faith
- humbly
- living my best life!

The simple rose, at each moment of its slow blossoming is as open as it can be. The same is true of our lives. In each stage of our unfolding, we are as stretched as possible. For the human heart is quite slow to blossom, and is only seen as lacking when compared to the imagined lover or father or mother we’d like to become.

It helps to see ourselves as flowers. If a flower were to push itself open, which it can’t, it would tear. Yet we humans can and often do push ourselves too much. Often we tear in places no one can see. When we push ourselves to unfold faster or more deeply than is natural for us, we thwart ourselves. For nature takes time, and most of our problems stem from impatience. - Mark Nepo

Many knotted and crooked trees reach old age, naturally perfect, because they are useless to the house builder.- Chungliang al Huang and Jerry Lynch - Mentoring, the TAO of Giving and Receiving Widsom

Compared to the age of the Universe, you are new to Nature.  No one can really predict to what heights you might soar.  Even you will not know until you spread your wings.  - Gil Atkinson

Thanks!

Wishcast Wednesday - What do you wish to enjoy?

Another great positive inquiry prompt from Jamie Ridler. 

What do you wish to enjoy?

Such a great word, "enjoy", I just had to do some research on it.  It's synonyms are:  experience pleasure, relish, savor, undergo improvement...

I wish to "enjoy"...

- rich, restful, re-energizing sleep (I'm being tested for sleep apnea and my hope is this will happen really soon!)

- my continued path of improving my life so that I may "be" the person I am meant to be.

- the walks I take with my dog--right now with my weight being so high it is a bit of a struggle, but as I walk daily I get stronger and more capable of enjoying it (she loves the walks so much that it's a shame not to be as happy as her).

- my family - sometimes our relationships can be strained but we are working toward getting to know each other and accepting each other as we are--and in the end, love each other regardless where we're at.

- great health!

- a career with pay that more than supports my lifestyle and allows me the grace to give with ease to others who need it more than I.

- a romantic relationship with a man who is loving and loves me for who I am.

Not too big of a list, is it???  ;o)

When we are motivated by goals that have deep meaning, by dreams that need completion, by pure love that needs expressing, then we truly live life. 

- Greg Anderson

Happiness is like a kiss.  You must share it to enjoy it. 

- Bernard Melzer

All of you have loved someone, have done someone a kindness, have healed a wound, have taken on a challenge, have created something beautiful, and have enjoyed breathing the air of existence.  Every moment you make a difference. 

- Random Act of Kindness

 

Have a great day!!

Wishcast Wednesday - What do you wish to shed?

I love this Wishcast prompt from Jamie Ridler, mostly because it's an easy one for me to answer  ;o)

What do you wish to shed?

I wish to shed...

- the literal and figurative excess weight I carry
- the current clutter in my home
- negative thinking that leads to no place I wish to go
- being inactive
- my extreme tiredness and lack of energy
- any perceived feelings/beliefs of limitations or lack
- worry or concern
- guilt or shame over my life and the way I live it and/or have lived it
- fear of moving forward--or whatever fear of the moment is holding me back!

I wish to break free from all of those feelings that I feel are chains that drag behind me.

Guilt is the most common obstacle that prevents people from making choices that will improve the quality of their lives. - Cheryl Richardson

Creativity flourishes when we have a sense of safety and self-acceptance.  - Julia Cameron

When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid. 
 - Audre Lorde

Thanks!!

Wishcast Wednesday

The great thing about Jamie Ridler's Wishcast prompts is they automatically influence a positive response.  This helps us so much when we are on a path that is sometimes littered with our past doubts, limitations, etc.

We can think ahead and move forward because we can picture a different way of living when we have something to focus on.  Really a brilliant concept!  Thank you Jamie!!

This week's prompt is What do you wish to step into? 

The question itself automatically gives me an image of forward movement.  Where should I place my "foot" next to move forward living my best life?  What do I wish to envelope myself in?  These are also the questions that come to mind when I read Jamie's prompt.

I wish to step into...

- My own gloriousness!!!

I spend too much time doubting my own fabulousness, thinking that others will only see the overweight person in front of them and not the message that I could deliver.  I keep thinking--why would anyone listen to me when one look at me shows that I'm not living what I talk about?  If I can trust my own fabulousness so will others...

- Really living what I know to be true!

As written above.  I KNOW things but I don't always follow them for myself...time to step into what I know to be true!

- Really, REALLY trusting that the Universe is supporting me, ALWAYS!

I am a control freak (yes, it's true) and I have to keep reminding myself that I do  not need to be in charge of this life show.  I need to keep moving forward in the direction I KNOW to be true and right for me and then let go of the doubts and fears.  Trust that I am fully supported because I BELIEVE in Spirit, God, the Universal energy that is everywhere!

The journey you get is only as good as the one you settle for.  - Bob Koehler

How would your life be different if you learned how to love and respect your body as though it were a precious creation, as valuable as a beloved friend or child?  How would you treat yourself differently?  - Christiane Northrup, M.D.

The price we pay for authenticity may seem high, but who among us can truly afford to continue living as a spendthrift of the self?  - Sarah Ban Breathnach

As always, thank you for listening/reading.  I truly, truly appreciate all of the support and feedback I get here.

C.

Wishcast Wednesday - How do you wish to come out of your shell?

It's like Jamie Ridler is helping me lead the life I want to lead!!!  This week's Wishcast Wednesday wish is perfect! 

How do you wish to come out of your shell?

The reason that this is perfect for me (as I'm sure it is for so many others) is that I actually feel like I'm taking a slow peak out from the cocoon that I've been enveloped in.  I'm slowing beginning to think of other people other than myself--but, knowing I need to take care of myself first.  I am dreaming of possibilities for my "best life" that I believe are totally possible!  Some, for the first time in years and years!!

• 
  
  Teaching courses (crocheting, vision board, etc.) at a local facility.
• 
  
  Knowing my full time job will work out somehow (it's been a period of flux for the last several months as we're in a huge transition and I kind of fell through the cracks and did not really have anything to do!) and that my experience and skills will show through to the new management and I will feel useful again!
• 
  
  Realizing that a change is possible, even at the age of 45.  My mother was 47+ when she lost a huge amount of weight and changed her life--why can't I?  (I don't know why I had forgotten that?)
• 
  
  That even a loving relationship/partnership is possible for someone who has had a wall up for...yes...15 years!  And that I can let down my guard and show that I am really a softy at heart.  (I cry at sappy commercials for goodness sake!)

So, Jamie's Wishcast Wish is, as always, helping me to open up to the possibilities in my life.  Or at least put it in writing, which makes it more substantial and out to the Universe!

I wish to come out of my shell tenderly, eagerly, safely, with confidence, knowing that my life is supported by the Universe, by Spirit, and I am enveloped in love!

Compared to the age of the Universe, you are new to Nature.  No one can really predict to what heights you might soar.  Even you will not know until you spread your wings. 

- Gil Atkinson

When you come to the edge of all the light you know, and are about to step off into the darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing one of two things will happen: There will be something solid to stand on or you will be
taught how to fly.

- Barbara J. Winter

Wishcast Wednesday - What do you wish to begin?

This week's great Wishcast Wednesday prompt from Jamie Ridler is...What to you wish to begin?

I love this question!  As I do so many of Jamie's prompts.  This one is timely as I, like a lot of people, feel that September is sort of like having New Year's all over again.  School is starting up again, people are back from holidays refreshed and energized, work starts speeding up again after the summer slowdown, etc.

My wish for this week is...I wish to begin making money doing what I love.  Yesterday, I came up with an idea of how I can make some money part-time by teaching people a few of the things I'm pretty good at: crocheting, vision boards, making mocassins and mukluks (and baby one's too).  There's opportunities through a local industry that I may be able to take a leap and teach with--in the evenings or weekends.  I'm kinda scared even thinking about it as I have this little voice in my head that says "why do you think that you have something to offer that people would want to buy?"  I know that this is my ego speaking, not wanting me to change the status quo and I need to stand tall, do the research, have a great plan/proposal, and just take that step...

Whatever you do or dream you can do--begin it.

Boldness has genius and power and magic in it. 

- Goethe

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams.
Live the life you’ve imagined.
- Henry David Thoreau

Leap and the net will appear
- Zen saying