Randomness

Something I realized recently...

I miss watching television. 

I don't know the last time I followed a tv series. I can't remember. 

I don't have anywhere to put it. 

Is that weird, to miss tv?  

     *I mean some people like strive and set goals to watch less tv because it really isn't that great for 

       you but that was never a goal for me...it just happened slowly and before I knew it, poof gone. 

Oh well....just something I noticed. I won't over think it. It is tv by all means. 

So a friend and I were talking about stress and stress management and came up with the idea of trying something new and I'm kind of liking it so let's chat a moment shall we :

We all have stress. Good, bad, inevitable right?

Research does show a few things help such as journaling and the whole method of getting thoughts out of your head and onto paper. Also we know the brain is visual. 

Our theory:

What would happen if you made a list of the things you stress about on a regular basis?  

Then go back to the list and assess: 

There are some things that we each stress about that are good..things we should focus on, think about, work on....go through, experience. We have the potential to impact these things. Highlight those things in green.

There are those things we stress about but really aren't of highest priority or perhaps pertinent currently so maybe highlight those yellow

AND then there are those things we stress about and lose sleep(lets be serious I sleep like a rock. I'm tired) over that regardless of what we do, say, ponder, focus on, we can't control.  Those babies are red. Highlight those bad boys red. 

Try it.

Now, the moment my mind goes to a red one, I see it in my mind. Red. Instantly I'm like: That's a red stress. I can't change it. Don't waste my time and energy on  a red. 

I was. 

I was spending a lot of time on reds when in reality I could have been putting that same amount of time on greens and getting somewhere. 

Just a random tid bit. Two people's research to validate it. That makes it valid. 

It's Legit people. 

Evidenced Based Practice right there. 

Since I'm in random land right now.

Yoga. 

You should try it. 

Don't know where to go or how to start?

No Problem...try Be you Yoga.

Tell her Jen said you want:Candlelight slow flow, beginner's style, stress reduction, life is good, find some peace and grounding again

She'll hook you up. Trust me. 

The randomness is avoiding the heart of the issue right now. 

Avoidance is a great asset right? 

A series of recent interactions with a variety of people have me pondering....a lot. 

Have you ever taken the time to look at how you're perceived?

That doesn't mean you have to change who you are to meet another's perception or expectation but if inevitability you want to grow as a person you have to be vulnerable enough to see who you really are. 

I making a commitment to really being open to seeing that.

"Vulnerability is at the core, the heart, the center, of meaningful human experiences/"~Brene Brown

This is what happens when I don't fall asleep putting Benson to bed....Randomness

Damn I should be watching T.V. 

Ugh What the heck.

Also a random tid bit

I've been follow Brene Brown for a little over a year now and find her literature fascinating.  I pondered taking one of her courses last year: Living Brave, but to be totally honest I was intimidated and didn't sign up AND it cost quit a bit so that didn't help....

But I am signed up and going to start this:

http://www.courageworks.com/shop/classes/GOIP

The gifts of imperfect parenting. Watch the video in the link. 

I believe a few friends were brave enough to want to sign up to because as she says...we were never meant to do this alone. (shoot me a message if you sign up!!)
Please join me! I am going to make a closed FB group so we can have some random chats about the lessons! Wanna join? Do it with me!

I just signed up and used the promo code FBTRIBE and got a 20% discount making it $48.

Hey that's worth it right there.

Seriously. 

The war of two worlds...

“I am a human being, not a human doing.” 

In this doers world, simply being is becoming rare and precious. 

“Everything is hype, noise, desire, desperation, speed and greed. We in the modern world are good at ‘doing,’ but anemic at ‘being.’ 

Entertainment, busy-ness, texting while walking or even driving…’Efficiency’ is an addictive myth based on our fidgety fear of opening up. 

We can not ‘do’ properly until we can, first, ‘be’ fully. 

Practice doing nothing – then – we can accomplish…ANYTHING.” ~Feinberg

*The above is taped to my computer screen at work...take a moment to think about it. 

I have felt a little torn between two worlds lately. 

In the one world I want more...

...yet I want less.

That makes no sense at all does it?

When we turn the corner to August every year I get a little melancholy.

Summer is winding down and we are turning the corner into a new school year soon. 

The reality of that for me personally is just so.....

heavy.

I had put it aside mentally, until a couple weeks ago when a friend asked an innocent question about school shopping and before I could form a sentence I was crying.

Sigh.

*If you can relate call me. We can start a support group.

The last day of school the kids and I started making our summer bucket list. 

It includes all kinds of ideas from big to small. 

In passing, a friend made a comment about our bucket list and rolled her eyes 

like I was just over the top. 

Here's the deal. 

The bucket list isn't for the kids.  

It definitely isn't for any super mom status.

In fact, it is the direct opposite. 

The summer bucket list is for accountability. 

It holds me accountable 

to stop.

That's it. `

If there is no list I will, "maybe next weekend" us right into fall. 

 I know that this day will come every year where summer is winding down and the weight of the school year will begin and if I can't remember to just stop doing and start being...well it scares me. 

Most summers include the "where are you going on vacation?" question. 

If I am completely, honest deep down I really want to answer something exotic or magical. 

I had started tucking away a little money through the year to put toward some sort of a summer vacation, but as life would have it I made the decision to use our vacation fund on something that came up that I felt was pivotal. Not fun. Not exotic or magical,  However necessary. 

I know that's just part of life. 

Part of "adulting," but that doesn't mean I can't take a night to cry about it right?

Knowing that most the vacation fund was now "spoken for" the next question came to light, what will we do for a get away?

One day I had Kadence review our summer bucket list and her top thing to do this summer was swim and Cohen's top item was fishing. Well it didn't take a genius to put the picture together that perhaps camping was just the thing for us. Thankfully mom and dad put on a brave front and accompanied the Calahans camping, since I don't have a boat and there is no way this mama is taking a fish off the hook. 

Here's the thing I know but seem to so easily forget......

You do not have to spend a lot of money to go somewhere that feels exotic...

or magical really......

Maybe the magic is in the simplicity. 

Maybe the magic is in escaping reality for a few days. 

Maybe you just have to be willing to find magic wherever you are. 

so tell me: How do you find the magic where you are?

You can't make this stuff up

This happened this weekend. 

You can't just make this stuff up! 

An older, wiser, amazing couple were in the pool this weekend.

They grabbed my attention as I noticed the wife heading over to the slide. My first thought was "that's awesome she is going down the slide!" 

Then I glance over and there is her husband...

fidgeting with the phone, 

telling her to wait a minute, 

then came the hand gesture for her to go...

he made a video of her going down the slide!

It didn't stop there. They watched the clip. Laughed.

Then off he goes. 

Yep. He was headed down the slide and there she was standing with her phone to video it. 

I could not stand the awesomeness of the moment so after contemplating it for about 3 minutes I swam over to where they were hanging out and said...."ya know if you wanted to race, I could record it for you." It took them all of 1 second to make that decision! 

She responded with "Oh yes then I could post it on Facebook!"

Oh I love them even more now.

Afterwards I got their phone number and texted the video to them (their phone died) as they were watching it on my phone he harassed her that he obviously won. They re-watched it and she noted he took off before she said "Go" so she planned to post it on Facebook with the caption "Cheater!" 

As I walked away smiling to my core, 

the gentlemen said "Thank you so much, that just made our vacation." 

I just said "No, thank you." 

It made my day.

Still makes me smile today.

Life is hard.

Life is full of responsibilities, stress, day to day tasks.

How does one  maintain a sense of adventure, like these two lovely folks?

. 

I'm sure they have had their fair share of hardships.

I don't know their life story.

I don't need to.

I can see it in their eyes. 

I know that they choose to live this one wild and crazy life they've been given.

That's all I need to know to find admiration for who they are. 

When I grow up I want to be like them.