Shades of Change

When we face difficulties in our life, it is easy to get sucked into the muck of the problem. Catastrophic health issues, unexpected emergencies, long-term elderly care responsibilities and family changes, all create stress and zap energy from our seemingly, limited ready-reserve.
Next, we are bombarded daily by Internet ads that say “Have a good day.” Family members tell us to do things like “Cheer up.” And then there are people like me, who remind you “How great life is.”

However, when we encounter challenging moments, it is not always easy to see the lighter side of life. In fact, the longer the ordeal lasts, the less apt we are to recover fully from it, and/or regain our previous energy and enthusiasm about life.

Don’t Despair. Frequently, the biggest barrier to any type of recovery is our ATTITUDE. Do you want to get better? Can you make time for yourself? Are you going to allow this set-back to ruin your entire future? No, no, no, no and no!

Here a few simple guidelines to follow to help you get back on your feet after an extended absence from mainstream, everyday activities.

Steps to growth/change:

1. Pick yourself up and decide to make a change.

2. Figure out what you want and come up with a plan to ahieve it.

3. Take action, nothing happens by just thinking about it. You must act.

4. Continuously monitor your progress and make any changes that are necessary to keep you moving forward.

5. Be patient with yourself and reward the small achievements. Nothing happens overnight in any recovery or healing circumstance.

Everything takes time. Change is gradual. There are steps that can aid your desired outcome. Generally, you must begin with baby steps and as you make progress the strides become longer and higher. The key is to keep working at it. If you try to move ahead by leaps and bounds, oftentimes, you will miss something along the way.

So, on that note, the quote of the day is:

“Similarly to the autumn leaves requiring specific climatic and chemical changes in order to transform their colors, each individual’s growth involves certain stages of development that needs time to be integrated into the routine flow of their life.” tc

Diversity is Divine

Many years ago, I decided to become a volunteer with Hospice. Towards the end of my 20 hour training week, our volunteer group participated in a simple exercise. We were instructed to go to a table and select a variety of ribbons, yarn, string, rope, twine and other cord-like materials from this table. We were invited to select different colors, textures and lengths.

When everyone had picked their pieces, we were told to gather the material at one end and tie it in a knot. Next, we were instructed to braid the lose pieces together. I must say, most men have not had a lot of experience braiding and this part was amusing to watch.

The purpose of this exercise was to remind each one of us how different and unique we are. And, regardless of the differences, our lives have been woven together. Not one ribbon, rope, twine, yarn or string was the same, just like cultures. Not one newly created braid was the same, just like people. Looking at my braid and the others in the room, I realized how diverse the population is! For the volunteers, this project was a powerful reminder of how different the people are that arrives at hospice to share in the transition of death.

I still have my diversity braid and it is a rainbow of colors, textures and lengths. Through this exercise, I began to see how colorful and beautiful the world really is when we remove the conditioning of judgment.

So, on that note, the quote of the day is:

“We are unique individuals but made from the same colorful Light of the Creator.” tc