Being the Change

You Want to See.

I've adopted this as my "life quote". Not sure where I heard it, but I liked it instantly and saw that as a mantra, it eliminated my internal need to gripe or complain about any given situation. If I've run into nothing but rude people during the day, then I'm extremely kind to everyone that I come in contact with. If I feel like I haven't connected with friends in a while (life gets so hectic) then I make an effort to put a card in the mail. If I want KJ to step up his husband game, then I double check to make sure that my wife game is on point. See what I'm saying. It may not work for everyone, but boy does it work for me. It silences the inner negative nelly in a heart beat.

So in being the change I want to see, I've:

1) Slowed down to realize that a lot of the rushing around I was doing previously was ousting the very ones who were most important to me. I can take a phone call instead of rushing inside of Walmart. I can snuggle a little longer b.c the dishes aren't literally calling my name. I can revamp my agenda to pop in and see friends and family, b/c after all isn't that the bonus of not working outside of the home? ;-) Yep. It is.

2) I try to listen more intently. No matter how trivial the story may sound, it matters to some degree to the person taking the breath to tell it. Because of this, I've had some of the nicest conversations with the most random people. Mostly old women in the check-out line at Walmart. (oh and one really sweet girl in Dollar Tree who called me 'ladybug' which I found to be extremely endearing as that's what my mom used to call me growing up)

3) Made a conscious effort to hug the little mini every chance I get b/c she's quickly adopting little habits and I think compassion is often best displayed in a warm squeeze.

4) Decided to make a random doc appt to just check on my overall health (I feel fine, no worries, but haven't had a regular physical in about 2 or 3 years) b/c I want to say I've made every effort I can to ensure my health and vitality for later.

There are a hundred other things on my "being the change" radar ranging from being more environmentally conscious (seriously my family's 'footprint' is probably ridiculous) to being more 'kindly honest' (I don't think I could ever be brutally honest, but in not trying to trample feelings before I've either remained completely silent or taken a long detour of avoidance).

Other than being lost in this thought, the haps this way are that:
I'm hoping to start reading several good books. In the mood for thought provoking so I think I'll start with Thousand Splendid Suns or A Long Way Gone

Several graduations this week. Man, I remember that feeling of life being no larger than my experiences up through high school. My goodness, I'v gotten old. hehehe

Looking for new recipes. Made up a hashbrown and sausage casserole. Very good except the consensus is that I should omit the crunchy topping next time. I got a little crunch happy this time. :-)

Happy Monday friends.