Living Life Beautifully

It is a pretty day.   The sun is not out.   In fact, it is cloudy and looks like it might rain. But the day has a nice soft breeze and everything is green from the recent rain. So....it is a pretty day. Each morning I go out onto my back deck with my tea or with my journal, and I sit for a bit. I listen to the birds and I look out onto the property and see the tall wild grass, the cactus, the tiny wild flowers that have started to bloom, the old wash house with its weathered wood, the trees with their fresh leaves starting, and I smell the fresh air that fills this place.  It is my favorite part of the day. As I sit there I often think about how so many people would cut it all down, plant grass and keep a perfectly manicured lawn.  I find myself looking at our property through the eyes of others and what they would think, and I start to pick it apart and judge every flaw.  Why? Bruce and I placed our home in the center of a brush filled lot.  We have only e...

Several years ago I read something that really made sense to me. I can't remember where I read it or what exactly it said but it talked about how saying the words "I am ......." before some value that you wish you had.  It was explained that, in doing so, it could change your subconscious thinking.   We all have so many thoughts running through our heads at any given moment and I would guess that not all those thoughts are positive.  If you are a woman, then you probably have many more thoughts running at one time than any man would.  Most of us have high expectations for ourselves, so every imaginable self criticism comes to mind and runs on a continuous loop in our heads. When we read the bible it has so many areas that talk about taking captive your thoughts, thinking of only good things, speaking words that only lift us up, and BELIEVING what you pray for, so it will be done.  So the trick for most of us is to shut down those negative subconscious thoughts t...