“Life is like a bed of roses…..you never know when you’re going to get ‘thorned’.”
By me..…Debi Doolittle (thanks to Forrest Gump for the inspiration)
How’s that for positive thinking! Now here’s one for the flip side:
“When you have challenges, sometimes you might want to just start life over and have a happy life….but….you can’t. So the next best thing is to start now and have a happy ending.”
We’ve reached the “half way” point, and beyond. Now here it comes….I’m going to say it as millions have before…..get ready……Take Time To Smell The Roses. Better yet. Take time to maintain the roses so you will have the ability to smell them. OK….that analogy sounds weird but hey, you get the point (no pun intended).
The older we get, the more stuff we take on. We rush from activity to activity; errand to errand. Amazing how we get it all done! But are we happy, relaxed, and carry a low stress level? Hmmm…..not always. So just for fun, throughout my ramblings, I will share some stories of my ‘Stop And Smell The Roses’ moments….sometimes silly, always fun, and always that brief ahhh moment. Take time to enjoy life and all of God’s wonders in the middle of the craziness.
Note: Even though I write from a woman’s perspective, this does not mean that men cannot benefit from some of the tips offered on my page. Both genders will benefit from making smart food choices as well as exercise regimes. As it would be appropriate, I will include special tips for men under the categories listed at the top right of the page.
Remember that dream you had about your life when you were in your twenties? I know….it’s been a while so I’ll give you a moment. OK. Got it? For some of you, that dream materialized…..a husband/wife, a house with a white picket fence, kids, grandkids, dogs, cats…..or….a fulfilling career that is taking you into a nice retirement. Whatever that dream was, maybe it just didn’t come true for some of you…..like me. So now what? Pick another dream and keep moving forward, even if that original dream keeps tugging at your heart strings from time to time. And you know what? That’s OK. We’re only human.
We are all on a personal journey. Note the word “personal”; not a journey someone else has chosen for you….not your family; not your friends. Your journey is the one God has planned for you and He is right there with you as you take each step. So no matter what happens…..and in life it WILL happen…..the only way to make it without totally losing it is to put our faith in the Lord – 100%….not 50%….not with conditions attached (“I trust you Lord to find me a job….but only if that job is something I want”).
As life takes us down different paths, we do not have to just sit in the wagon waiting for someone to pull us along. We can take charge of our lives where we can enjoy all of the wonders God has created AND we can have quality of life. It’s all about choices.
We hear that phrase touted over and over…..”quality of life”…..but what does that mean? Living to our fullest capacity with or without mental or physical limitations. There are a lot of folks who think that they can’t control the physical part, and sometimes even the mental part. “Oh, high blood pressure runs in our family so I can’t stop that from happening to me.” Are you kidding? For many people, you CAN stop it! Again, choices.
So let’s talk about the high blood pressure thing, as an example. At this point in life you figure it’s too late to start exercising. Never. After all these years you feel you’ve earned the right to eat whatever food you want. Nope. You have allowed certain situations in your life to build up to stress overload so you casually sit back and let your doctor hand out pills like they were candy; the “band aid approach”. Do you seek appropriate counseling to help you get over it? No, because somehow the general population has attached some stigma to mental health. Choices, choices, choices.
So what is the point of all of this? You CAN make it through this life being happy and feeling good, even if you have stage 4 cancer and “feeling good” is getting a really cool wig or getting a fun manicure. Some folks would say this is vane……but vanity is only if you make yourself look good for others and want to show that off. When you look good to yourself, you FEEL good (it’s a mental thing).
Since my dream has never materialized, and that I’ve been through more trials than one could count, and that I’m starting a new career at age 62 when most of my friends are retiring (lucky me, I get to start over), I would love to share some really cool things with you……just in case you might be that other person in the same boat as I am…..or something close.
Whoever coined the phrase, “Livin’ the easy life”…..well, they ought to be shot for false advertising. There is no such thing as “easy” in life. If you sit back and take it easy, you also take what life throws at you…..and sometimes it ain’t pretty.
Going back to the “quality” thing…..we CAN control that part. What we cannot control is the longevity part. Only God is in control of that. So I choose to feel my best….every day….in spite of my physical limitations. How about you?
My blog is intended to assist you on your own journey; to give you tips and things to ponder. I do not know everything, nor does anyone else. I will not copy and paste entire textbooks or research papers; instead, I will provide links to sites with examples of the topic. Just because I may reference one particular book doesn’t mean there are not others that are just as qualified to provide factual information. My purpose is to help you save time and cut through the myriad of stuff out there. Hey, it’s taken me my entire life thus far to figure this out so hopefully you won’t have to go that long before you, too, can get on the right track……oh, and the “right” track is what is right for you!
Oh, and just in case you are wondering…..I was born in 1952 so am I right there with ya.
** Don’t forget to check out my categories at the top right page for a lot of great, informative stuff! Each main category contains text, as do all subcategories. **
