Now That I’ve Gotten Your Attention

New to my blog? Before you read my Simple Abundance entry for today, you can read more about why I started this journey here.

‘We have contemplated the journey within to authenticity. Perhaps you’ve started to let gratitude till the soil of your soul, preparing it for the seeds of Simple Abundance: finding the Sacred in the ordinary, realizing that all you have is all you need, welcoming creative choices, and savoring life’s small moments. Maybe you’ve set aside a time to begin a daily dialogue in search of your authentic self, indulged in the pleasure of dreaming with the illustrated discovery journal, or embarked on the golden mirror meditation to meet the woman within.

Then again, maybe you haven’t…

If you wonder why I suspect this, it’s because I have been where you are now. I know. I know how days, weeks, months, and even years escape your grasp. I know what it’s like to put everyone else’s needs before your own so that you can’t find a half-hour a day for yourself. I know how easy it is to find heartfelt excuses for why you can’t begin something new even if you yearn, desperately. I know how easily the word ‘tomorrow’ slips out unconsciously. Tomorrow you’ll begin. Tomorrow. All this I
know.

But what I know most of all is that reading about a journey is not the same thing as taking one.

Now that I’ve gotten your attention, let me tell you about the rest of the year. Each day from now on we’re going to use the daily grist of our real lives as a cause for celebration. That’s right, celebration. I have learned many lessons on the Simple Abundance path. Chief among them is that the details of our days do make a difference in our lives, that no experience is ever just for drill, and that everything can be a a springboard for inspiration if we are willing to be open to the goodness of life. How many times in the past have we chosen not to change our lives or the better simply by not choosing? Today, make a choice. Choose to continue on the Simple Abundance path or close this book now. If you choose to close the book, my blessings accompany you. May peace and plenty be your portion. Pass this book on to a friend.

If you are still with me, you know what you need to do today, not tomorrow. Take another look at your life. Give thanks. Accept your circumstances. Give thanks. Count your blessings. Give thanks. Show up for each days meditation. Be willing to give the basic tools a fair chance. They can help you find your way. Above all, have faith in yourself and Divine Change. “One does not discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time,” the French writer Andre Gide warns us.

Set the sails.Pull the anchor. Cast away. Feel the wind at your back. Keep your eyes on the horizon.

Or stay on shore.

But choose.’ -Sarah Ban Breathnach, Simple Abundance A Daybook of Comfort and Joy

I am so happy Ms. Sarah Ban Breathnach understands we are all human and sometimes not so capable of embracing all the blessings, all the circumstances, and we are all guilty of putting things off until tomorrow.

I am really bad about thinking, tomorrow I will get it done. Tomorrow I will fold all the laundry. Tomorrow I will get the kitchen mopped. Tomorrow I will scrub the bathroom. Tomorrow I will get ______, _______, and _______ off my to-do-list.

But really, we are choosing this. Choosing to put things off until tomorrow.

We have to stop. I have to stop.

And does this quote not explain my life, and the life of many women, many moms, many lost people…

Today I am grateful for:

Spring Break Week– The big kids needed a break from school, schedules and rules. I needed a break from routine, carpool, and big kids fighting as they both went on separate vacations with family. The break was nice!

Routine– yes, I am grateful that routine is back after a week away. It really is a love/hate relationship, but in the end, my children and I need it, but as I said, the break was nice!

Denial– it is still an essential element of survival for me. some days. I am pretending my baby is not turning one this week. Let’s see how this goes!

Organization Tools– this week I am working on finishing up the organizing that needs to be completed in my laundry room. I am also working on more organization tools in the kids rooms. Pray for me, would you?

My Blog Redesign– it inspires me to accomplish more. My vision is becoming real one step at a time. I am grateful for that.