Mental Relaxation

 

 Planes, trains, cars and boats are not always at the ready to take us to dreamy destinations.

 

Work, finances and other life responsibilities sometimes get in the way of traveling even though everyone needs take occasional breaks from their surroundings, especially if life is particularly stressful or painful. 

 

You can't always take a vacation even if you really need or want one.

 

But you can read a book.

 

I saw this wonderful saying from Dr. Suess (posted above) on one of my favorite websites, The Silver Pen (www.thesilverpen.com) and was reminded of the magical healing power of reading and books.

 

I know this may sound simplistic but books can be short-term solutions to an ongoing need to give your brain something else to think about.  After I experienced the loss of my husband, I couldn't concentrate when I tried to read the newspaper.  Every morning I would go out and get the newspaper from the sidewalk and try to read it and couldn't get past a sentence or two.  It was frustrating and I would end up tossing the newspaper.  This went on for months. 

 

Then I discovered reading poetry.  Slowly, I would let my eyes go over the words and try to absorb them.  Sometimes I discovered that I had been momentarily transported in my thoughts and sometimes not.  Eventually my ability to focus returned but I learned it's a process that you can't hurry along.  Healing happens at its own pace.

 

Reading is truly a gift.  Movies can give you a similiar mental break but I always think our imaginations are better than anything a movie will show us.

 

Fiction, non-fiction, biographies, poetry, it's all good.  To loose yourself in a book is so relaxing.  Ever since I learned to read as a child, I have loved books and sometimes hold on to a book that I've already read just so I can go back and read various parts of it again.

 

There are some books that grab you right away and totally bring you into the story to the point that you feel as if you know the characters and you don't want the story to end.  I have read books where this has happened and as I am nearing the end of the book I purposely slow down my reading because I know it's going to end and I really want to enjoy each and every last word the author has written.

I hope you have found books that mentally allow you to fly away and go places you never imagined.

Sweet reading to you!

 

 

 

 

Staying True

 

Thought For The Day

 

(With Thanks To The Silver Pen)

 

 

Everyone should have a dream or two.  They can help motivate you and keep you moving forward.

 

Sometimes you can have a dream for fun as in "If I ever hit the lottery, this is what I would do."  I always say to myself that if I ever won the lottery or all of sudden inherited a lot of money, I would buy a house at the beach.

 

Then, there are the everyday dreams you can have about your personal life or your work.  Try to be realistic and not "pie in the sky" about what it is you really want.  Breaking down your everyday dreams into manageable goals could be one way of achieving them.  Think about what works for you.

 

But don't give up on your dreams.  They are important for healing your soul and keep you on course.

 

Post Election Proverb

Now that Election Day is officially over, I found the above (courtesy of The Silver Pen www.thesilverpen.com ) to be a timely and thought provoking proverb to post and to practice. 

Perspective

 

Photo By Patti Raab

 

Have you ever been sitting in your car at a traffic light waiting for the light to turn and you look out the window and see something that's probably been there for months but it's as if you are seeing it for the first time?

Why haven't I noticed that building before?  Are those new plants?  How long has that bench been there?

 

When you slow down or stop the usual routine of what you are doing, it can give you an opportunity to really see the world around you and notice the beauty of your environment.  In other words, a fresh perspective.

 

A few days ago, I had been sitting at my desk working on my computer for way too long and I decided to take a break.  Instead of walking around the office, I went outside and walked a number of blocks in direction I don't usually go.  I stood on the sidewalk and looked up at the sky and took a deep breath then I slowly walked, taking notice of the buildings, the plants, people, just life itself and how it was all happening.

 

The warmth of the sun felt great and just getting out and moving around gave me a positive perspective on the rest of the day.  It was just enough of break to shake off some stress and feel renewed.

 

You have control over your perspective about life.  Some days it is not always easy to find the wonder of being, but it is there for us to discover.  I think there is a lot of truth in the following quote which I found on the always resourceful website, The Silver Pen (www.thesilverpen.com):

Dr. Seuss

Today is twenty fours hours that has never happened before and won't happen again.

Think about it.  We all have daily commitments and responsibilities but maybe today is the day to take that first step towards doing something you've had on the back burner.

As Dr. Suess says, "You can steer yourself any direction you choose."

Is there a project you've been meaning to start? A person you need to call?  A diet or exercise change you want to introduce into your life?  A support group you've been meaning to attend?

Today we face and embrace the thing we've been putting off and see what it's all about.

For me, I have a number of boxes containing papers that belonged to my husband.  Last night, I pulled out one of the boxes, took a deep breath and just started from the top of the box, one piece of paper by one piece of paper.  I started reading what he left behind. 

I was surprised that some papers were so easy to toss but others I just stared at and they took me back to the date on the paper.  Those papers that took me back were either sad or annoying and that's why I haven't finished going through all of his boxes.

But, I was able to throw away a lot of those papers and that's something I've been meaning to get to for a very long time.

Thanks again to The Silver Pen (www.thesilverpen.com) for good thoughts and actions!

The Anti-Cancer Zone

To my family members and friends who are waging the battle of their lives!  You will understand this list of things that cancer cannot do sooooooo much better than we who support you always yet we are not cancer patients.  I say thanks to www.thesilverpen.com for putting together this list of positive affirmations!!

While your battle with cancer may sometimes be lonely, we love you very much and want to help you in your courageous fight to go into remission: 

Small Things

My small thing today is to take good thoughts, good vibes, good prayers and anything else that's good and mix it with lots and lots of "great love" and send it directly to a very special woman who is going into surgery. 

She is a quiet fighter and I admire the way she has handled her journey so much!!

xo

p.s.  Thanks Silver Pen for having the perfect thought!

Life 101

Thank you Silver Pen for posting the following wisdom

 about life its' own self:

Happy Friday!

I'm feeling better as I recouperate from the cold and cough that kicked in at the beginning of the week so thank you for your good thoughts.  Plus it's Friday so that automatically doubles the goodness!

I hope everyone is looking forward to the weekend and even if you don't have any specific activity planned, quiet time can be good and so essential in building up mental reserves.  Or maybe I'm thinking of my own need for peace and quiet and restful times. 

As we work our way through Friday and slide into the weekend, here's a beautiful poem I found on The Silver Pen (www.thesilverpen.com): 

ONE

Discovering The Silver Pen

A close relative just shared this insightful poem with me.  J. Hendel totally nailed it.  This poem and others can be found on a beautiful website called The Silver Pen.  When I first logged on to The Silver Pen a few days ago, I wondered how I could have missed this great site since it has been on the internet for a little over three years.  Things like this make me nervous because I start to wonder what else is out there that I don't know about.  Oh well...I'm sure it's a helluv a lot of stuff! 

I've added The Silver Pen to the list of blogs that I follow and I hope you will check it out when you get a chance:  http://www.thesilverpen.com/