Reflecting on three timeframes – the past, the now and the future…

I have a small coffee table book called Don’t Give Up…Don’t Ever Give Up – The Inspiration of Jimmy V by Justin and Robyn Spizman. I’ve picked it up more than once over the past few days to read – and re-read – the following thirty words:

- Cherish Time, Treasure the Moment

- Make a Habit of Wild Enthusiasm

- Laugh, Think and Cry

- Live the Big Picture

- Out-Dream Yourself

- Believe in Something Passionately

- Don’t Ever Give Up

These little snippits of wisdom are going into my pocket as I remind myself to implement them into my daily life and I hope they are gentle reminders for you, too.

Jimmy V. also suggests we reflect on three timeframes — where you started (the past); where you are (the now); and where you are going to be (the future)… “If you understand where you are in your life, you can then set achievable goals and plot out your pathway to achieving those goals.”

This is exactly where I had been tripping up over the past several years… I won’t go into it, but these three time frames are exactly where I’ve spent my mindshare over the past few days of vacation. And, I decided to put several wheels in motion as I aim to return to my “true, old self” and to become “a better me.” The fun, truly happy “kid” is starting to emerge as I bring back areas of my life that I’ve missed for so long and as I start to embark on new journeys that will bring back the passion in my heart and, as a result, light up the world.  

Today’s little slice of heaven – not only setting the achievable goals, but also actually taking the first steps forward.

P.S. If you have a few minutes (11, to be exact!) and want to watch Jimmy V’s 1993 ESPY’s speech, here it is:

Get Ready – It’s Time to Move Mountains!

I have been in a reflective state of mind lately…very pensive. I am thankful for my life – I have a roof over my head, a wonderful family, great friends, a job that pays the bills, clean water to drink and food to eat. I am tremendously grateful. But lately, I can’t help but think I should be out in the world doing something more.

A few days ago, I watched Eat, Pray, Love. I’m not sure that was the smartest move in my current state of mind, but here are a few of the quotes that hit too close to home for me:

“There is so much about my fate that I cannot control, but other things do fall under the jurisdiction. I can decide how I spend my time, whom I interact with, whom I share my body and life and money and energy with. I can select what I can read and eat and study. I can choose how I’m going to regard unfortunate circumstances in my life-whether I will see them as curses or opportunities. I can choose my words and the tone of voice in which I speak to others. And most of all, I can choose my thoughts.” — Elizabeth Gilbert

“You need to learn how to select your thoughts just the same way you select your clothes every day. This is a power you can cultivate. If you want to control things in your life so bad, work on the mind. That’s the only thing you should be trying to control.” — Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat, Pray, Love)

“Faith is belief in what you cannot see or prove or touch. Faith is walking face-first and full-speed into the dark. If we truly knew all the answers in advance as to the meaning of life and the nature of God and the destiny of our souls, our belief would not be a leap of faith and it would not be a courageous act of humanity; it would just be… a prudent insurance policy.” — Elizabeth Gilbert

Bingo…..I get it. So, what’s holding me back? Why not take that leap of faith? Why not follow my heart? Goodness knows I know what my heart is telling me. Is it because I’m comfortable? Sure. Is it because I’m lacking the self confidence and self esteem I need to make the big changes? Absolutely.

Enough of this. To refer to Elizabeth Gilbert yet again, “Operation Self-Esteem – Day Fucking One.” After all, “God never slams a door in your face without opening a box of Girl Scout cookies,” right? So, time to move on. Here’s to finding and sharing L’amor che move il sole e l’altre stelle (the love that moves the sun and the other stars).

Today’s little slice of heaven… unwavering self confidence that helps propel each of us to move mountains and make a difference in the world.

Hello, childhood!

Couldn’t resist posting this – isn’t childhood a little slice of heaven?  Hope you enjoy it as much as I did… and hope you don’t lose that trusting, hopeful, fun child-like spirit within you, despite all of the sadness in the world.

Tendering My Resignation

Author Unknown

I am hereby officially tendering my resignation as an adult.  I have decided I would like to accept the responsibilities of an 8 year old again.

I want to go to McDonald’s and think that it is a four star restaurant.

I want to sail sticks across a fresh mud puddle, skid rocks across the mill pond and make a sidewalk with rocks.

I want to roller skate and play ball in the street, play ‘Rover Red Rover’, ‘Hide and Seek’ and ride my iron wheel wagon down the hill.

I want to think M&Ms are better than money because you can eat them.

I want to lie under a big oak tree and run a lemonade stand with my friends on a hot summer’s day.

I want to return to a time when life was simple.  When all I knew were colors, most of my multiplication tables, and a few nursery rhymes.  All I knew was to be happy and I was blissfully unaware of all the things that should make me worried or upset.

I want to sleep in a tent in the back yard without worry or fear.

I want to think the world is fair.  That everyone is honest and good.

I want to believe anything is possible.

I want to be oblivious to the complexities of life and be overly excited by the little things again.

I want to live simple again.  I don’t want my day to consist of computer crashes, mountains of paperwork, depressing news, how to survive more days in the month than there is money in the bank, doctor’s bills, gossip, illness, and the loss of loved ones.

I want to believe in the power of smiles, hugs, kind words, truth, justice, peace, dreams, imagination, mankind, and making angels in the snow.

So here is my check book and my car keys, my credit card bills and all my statements.  I am officially resigning from adulthood.

And if you want to discuss this further, you’ll have to catch me first, cause…

TAG!  YOU’RE IT!

Weekends are made for…treasure hunting!

Yes – you read that right… What a wonderful long weekend it has been! On top of spending time with amazing family and priceless friends, we attempted to find buried treasure!

My mom - searching for buried treasure!

Let me start from the beginning.

My brother (Rich) loves scavenger hunts – especially those involving puzzles that you have to solve. So, of course when the book “The Clock Without A Face” came along…well, it’s right up his alley! If you aren’t familar with the book, it’s a story with hidden clues. The clues lead people around the country to buried treasure (in this case, twelve emeralds in various locations…the emeralds appear to all be at rest stops along major interstates at the base of trees…). Since he’s based in California, when he (and his friend Austin) discovered that there *MIGHT* be an emerald along I-95 in Delaware at mile marker 5… well, who does he call? His family based in Pennsylvania, of course!

Rest stop at mile marker 5 in Delaware - Look at all of those trees!

So, on Saturday, Ryan, Don, my mom and I packed up our shovel and drove an hour and a half down to Delaware to scout out I-95! Of course, upon arrival, the rest stop at mile 5 is under construction…to the extent that ALL of the trees are ripped up!  (See the picture to the left!)

And, after attempting to scour the trees along the shoulder of the highway (see my mom in the second picture up above), we quickly decided the author of the book probably wouldn’t be so risky as to put the treasure on the shoulder of the highway (it seemed slightly unsafe). So, after a valient effort, we retreated back to the car… treasure-less.

Regardless, it was a fun adventure – how many people can say they have searched for buried treasure?! And, we are excited to see where the emerald really is (it could be in any state - the clues on the fourth floor of the book seemed to hint at an Interstate 95). All I can say is it better not end up being near where we were in Delaware… ha! 

So, today I am thankful for life’s little adventures – especially those bring us together as a family and those that connect us with new, kind people along the way! 

Have you ever gone on a treasure hunt???

Pass on the gift: Heifer International

Did you know?:

“A flock of chicks can help families from Cameroon to the Caribbean add nourishing, life-sustaining eggs to their inadequate diets. The protein in just one egg is a nutritious gift for a hungry child. Protein-packed eggs from even a single chicken can make a life-saving difference.”

And, for just $20 this holiday season you can buy a flock of chicks and help a family through Heifer International.

“Heifer helps many hungry families with a starter flock of 10 to 50 chicks. A good hen can lay up to 200 eggs a year – plenty to eat, share or sell. With Heifer recipients’ commitment to pass on the offspring and training, the exponential impact of adding chickens to communities in poverty is truly a model that helps end hunger and poverty. Because chickens require little space and can thrive on readily available food scraps, families can make money from the birds without spending much. And chickens help control insects and fertilize gardens.”

Even if you aren’t ready to donate yet, I encourage you to visit Heifer’s site and read about the impact all of the various plants and animals can have on helping to enrich the lives of individuals in struggling countries.

So, today’s little slice of heaven: All of the volunteers and supporters of organizations like Heifer International who are working with communities to end hunger and poverty and to care for the earth… This holiday season, please consider ”passing on the gift.”

Turn up the heat – on giving back

Admittedly, I have been complaining lately about how cold it has been – outside, at the office and even at home. We joke at the office about wearing mittens without fingers to help keep our hands warm while we are typing… I’ve even considered ear muffs…and should I mention snuggies?

First apartment after 45 years homeless

Occasionally life smacks me into place and today was one of those days as I read Steve Sacre’s story. Homeless for almost 45 years, Steve now has his first apartment of his own. What a great thing! Stories like Steve’s make me step back and realize I need to stop complaining and appreciate what I have. There will be days when I feel chilly, but I have four walls surrounding me and a roof above my head and for that I am grateful. 

As winter gets closer, think about the people who are down on their luck – whether homeless or out of work or can’t afford to pay their bills… Find an organization near you where you can donate – not just money, but time, too. I promise it will be an experience you will never forget… and maybe, just maybe, because of you someone will get a jump start like Steve Sacre did. Don’t we all deserve second chances? 

Today’s little slice of heaven: second chances

Shaking things up!

Today’s post is for Adam (@alty21) who declared today that Sonic’s Peanut Butter Fudge shake is a little slice of heaven. Here is Adam dreaming of his shake:

While I haven’t tried it, I will trust that it is a little slice of heaven. Just don’t show Adam Sonic’s nutritional guide that states this certain large shake has 46 grams of fat… (http://www.sonicdrivein.com/pdfs/menu/SonicNutritionGuide.pdf). Good luck with that!!

Today’s little slice of heaven: Sonic’s Peanut Butter Fudge Shake

Why empathy can help change the world

It’s slightly obvious, right? But, in this case I don’t just simply mean having empathy. Let’s take it a step further and act on it. Consider the process known as “design thinking” (thanks to Stanford’s d. school and my highly influential big brother!):

The first part of it – understanding and observing – is where empathy comes into play. Instead of developing products for the sake of developing products, or developing a process for the sake of developing a process, think first about actual needs and seek to truly understand the “issue” at hand.

George Kembel, in his talk on Awakening Creativity said: “If you focus only on the innovations (that is an outcome-only focus), you risk killing creativity. But if you focus on the innovators, one thing I’ve learned is you will most likely get both. In the end, creativity may be a latent capacity that is available to all of us…that design thinking may be a kind of process that can begin to awaken it in more people than we had otherwise realized or imagined. The transformation to a more innovative culture requires the hard work of reshaping organizations and teams. Less we get overwhelmed by the enormity or the responsibility of the task, let us always remember that it always begins in our own individual transformation. And that gives us a place to start. And the rest, I trust, will follow.”

Design thinking has been applied to improve international social issues – read about Embrace, a low-cost infant warmer, as an example – but it can also be applied to every day situations. So, while we can’t all travel and develop solutions to make a drastic change in the world, we can make changes within our own work environments and daily lives. To get started, try today’s little slice of heaven: a spoonful of empathy.

For more information about design thinking, check out Tim Brown’s book “Change by Design.” It’s a great read!

Trick or Treat?

How would you describe the “smell” of Fall? I vote for a combination of leaves, apples and pumpkins. It never fails, every year I always end up buying some kind of apple flavored Yankee candle…apple cider (by the way, Starbucks and – on a more local note – Square One in Lancaster, PA both have terrific caramel apple cider!)…apple dumplings…and, I make endless quantities of pumpkin bread! I use a delicious recipe that was passed down from my mom.

Here it is for you to enjoy!:

Pumpkin Bread

Cream together:

1/2 cup oil

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup pumpkin

Mix in:

1 3/4 cup flour

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp cloves

In a separate mug, heat 1/3 cup water… then mix 1 tsp baking soda into the hot water (it will fizz)

Pour the water/baking soda mixture into the bowl containing everything else

Grease bread pan

Pour the pumpkin mixture into the bread pan

Bake at 350 degrees for 40-60 minutes (it might need slightly more depending on your oven)

So, today’s little slice of heaven: Pumpkin Bread. This isn’t a trick – it’s certainly a treat! Hope you like it as much as we do!

Do you have cold feet?

You might think this is a funny topic for a first post. And, at first glance you might think I will dive into relationship advice. But, no. I simply just love socks.

Do you realize how many different types of socks exist? Short socks, medium socks, tall socks. Socks with toes. Socks without toes. Fuzzy socks. Holiday socks. Socks with stripes. Socks with dots…. I could go on for hours – there are ALL KINDS OF SOCKS!

But, the neatest socks of all are the ones that can help around the world. My favorite – solmate socks. Check this out: 

This picture was taken in Benin, Africa in April 2007. A church in South Strafford (where Solmate Socks is headquartered) spent a year raising money through sales of Solmate Socks, in order to fund the building of a cistern in this village.

So, today’s little slice of heaven: socks. Read about solmate socks here: http://www.socklady.com/fundraisers.php and consider a fundraiser with the socklady.