Just for Fun! – Page 10 – in thriver words

Travel Tip #4 – Just get out there and do it!

Getting out of your house and away from your normal routine is a great way to help shift your focus. It’s hard to worry about the dust under your bed when you’re looking up at a glistening waterfall seeing and hearing the power of the rushing water. The uncertainty of a pending sale disappears when you get lost in the beauty of an artistic masterpiece in a museum. A stack of laundry awaiting you in your utility room is quickly forgotten amidst the splendor of colorful autumn leaves. Spotting unexpected flowers growing from a log can absorb your attention, pulling your thoughts to the present moment away from any worry about something that may or may not happen.

The knowledge that a change of scenery can create a break in your thought patterns can be a useful tool when you’re feeling uncertain of your ability to make a big life change. Whenever you notice that your thoughts are circling around and around your fear of change, take a trip and refocus.

If you don’t have the time or money to plan and travel a long distance, recognize the treasures that are around you. Walk to a historic cemetery and photograph interesting memorials; go to a neighborhood park with swings and swing as high as you can; attend a free lecture at a nearby college on a subject about which you know nothing; visit a botanic garden or just walk through a local nursery and note which brightly colored flowers beckon.

Externally expanding your horizons on a regular basis will help you build the confidence to expand your internal horizons. Recognizing the unexpected beauty in your external surroundings can spark a recognition of the possibility that there may be unexpected beauty within yourself. Perhaps all you need in order to see it is a shift in focus.

Where you travel and what you do are not nearly as important as the opportunities created by doing something different, so allow yourself to get out there and have a great experience!

Dessert First! Day Seven.

I find myself at the end of this week in which I have deliberately savored the rich, sweet moments of every day BEFORE I rushed off to fill an obligation, achieve a goal, or take care of something for someone else feeling as though I’m at the crossroads of two realizations that seem paradoxically at odds with each other. First I feel as though this practice of Dessert First has resulted in additional insight and positive momentum. It has also begun to soften the edge of my communication with others. Because of these positive results, I feel as though it is important to incorporate this practice into each day going forward.

This belief is juxtaposed against the realization that one of the reasons for the positive effects of Dessert First is that it was an interruption to my previous habits and patterns. If I begin to make Dessert First a habit, it will lose the power of the interruptive effect.

So what should I do? This might be a true dilemma for me if I were asking the question two days ago, but as is often the case, the universe has stepped in to assist me with discernment. Last night I was in a state of deep, sound sleep when I was awakened by the phone. It was the alarm company summoning me to meet the police at the office. The drive takes less than 10 minutes. I usually spend that 10 minutes feeling increasingly frightened about the possibility of what I will find when I get there. I know what a break-in feels like. I’ve experienced 3 successful and one attempted break-ins at my home in the last 6 years.

This time, I was awaking from such sound slumber that I threw a ratty flannel robe over my mismatched pjs and headed out struggling to get fully awake. There was no time for fear to take hold. The event turned out to be nothing more than a simple interruption to perfectly comfortable rest. There was no visible reason for the alarm. I could ignore the interruption and stick with my previous plan.

But I made a different choice. I allowed myself to sleep late and refocused my day away from the to-do list and back to taking care of myself. As I made that choice, I realized that the universe often assists me with unexpected interruptions that give me a chance to learn. I need not fear incorporating a positive practice into my day. Whenever repetition becomes a limit to insight, something unexpected is sure to come along to assist me in shifting my focus. I can relax and continue to enjoy the rich, sweet moments of each day.

I am grateful for this week’s insights, grateful for the alarm, grateful that the alarm didn’t mean a real break-in, and grateful for all the beautiful moments each day brings. It has been a fantastic week.

Dessert First! Day Six.

Today, I’m on the road working. My routine has been compromised by the bathroom remodel. It takes me two trips to the office before I realize I’ve forgotten my make-up. Now I’m faced with a choice. I can ramp up and push myself so that I feel more efficient, competent, and on top of things, or I can laugh off the mistake and take 10 minutes to go home and fix my face as they say.

An unplanned trip home will still put me on the road in time to be prompt for my meeting. I choose this option. I’m not quite on track for savoring the beauty of the moment, but I did not give into the temptation to move into fast forward setting a frenetic tone for the day.

Once I leave my house, every moment is accounted for. I manage a long glance at the stained glass window in a customer’s office and relax my shoulders briefly, but through much of the afternoon I feel the burden of everyday reality weighing on me.

Even so, I watch events unfold in front of me to make the day easier. Two maintenance men unexpectedly help me unload the 12 heavy boxes I’m transporting. Rather than just dropping off a sample, circumstances give me a chance to visit with a potential client. I return to my office in advance of rush hour traffic to find an exciting email in my inbox. I take a moment to absorb the news and feel happy.

If I had not been practicing Dessert First, would I have even recognized these serendipitous events? Probably not, so I am grateful that discipline and practice in one area is carrying over into other areas. For the second time this week, I recognize a cycle of positive momentum building.

So, let’s leave this on a high note for today and come back tomorrow to wrap it all up in a bow. Until then…

Dessert First! Day Two.

Initially it was more difficult than I anticipated to stick with my intent to do dessert first. The morning presented the challenge of nonworking phones, an unexpected customer visit, and an irate phone call from another customer at a university who believed she had been shorted on an order. While the visiting customer tried to look at his website on our screen, the printer jammed upon printing his ads causing the computer to freeze. The thought of anything pleasant seemed beyond my grasp. It was going to take some resolve to follow my plan.

Perhaps I should mention that all of this followed an hour of pulling up carpet and moving furniture in my bedroom so that the 2nd full bathroom in my 1910 house can be demolished due to the same water damage tha caused us to demolish the bathroom below two weeks ago. And did I mention that this is the only other full bathroom in the house? In addition, on the way to the office I had fielded a call from an unemployed friend who is feeling angry and desperate.

When I finally managed to turn my mind back to my intention to savor the small pleasant moments of each day, I felt angry, unsettled, and a bit overwhelmed. Nonetheless, I accepted my visiting customer’s invitation to an early lunch. I told him how I felt. I savored a hamburger steak with crispy edges topped with grilled onions. I lingered and enjoyed catching up with his family stories even though I had not yet researched the order shortage for my other customer. I began to feel a tiny bit more relaxed.

Back at the office, I researched the problem and could document that we had delivered the full order and that it had been signed for by the university. Even with that, I recognized that they believed there was a problem so I had to deal with them as if there were a problem. Was there some morsel of pleasure I could savor first?

I turned my attention to some invoicing that needed to go out. This felt good to me because it means cash flow sooner rather than later and is a way of taking care of my finances. Then I made the phone call. Once that was done, I went to the dry cleaners and the bank. Along the route, I noticed a huge weeping willow tree blowing in the breeze. I took a moment to watch the scintillating leaves.

By the time I returned, I was feeling peaceful and calm. Then I got the phone call that someone at the university had misplaced a box of my customer’s order. Ahhhh, more relaxation that problem is gone. Perhaps even the brief moments of pleasure I managed to lean into were having an effect?

Late afternoon presented a minor bump in the road, but by evening I was feeling energized by positive energy and happy as I began a book I’ve been looking forward to at bedtime. In the moment it’s hard to analyze anything, but this morning (the morning of Day 3), I awoke feeling joyous with an excitement toward embracing whatever the day may bring.

Could it be that the small shift in focus that I managed yesterday was a powerful catalyst for how I’m feeling today? Perhaps. Check in tomorrow to find out.