Good morning everyone.
Well, we are in the first week of March and everyone around our area is more than ready for spring. It has been a case of textbook winter around here for sure. Last year, I remember strolling out onto my porch throughout the winter season, enjoying 50-60 degree days, taking snapshots of the flowers that continued to bloom in my garden..no such luck this year!! I think we have more than made up for the low water table that last year's winter created this year, and as I look out my window...it's still coming down!! I've found it best to just accept every day for what it offers you and make the best of it. Yeah...I daydream of waking to birds singing, curtains billowing with a soft, fragrant breeze, the warmth of the sun on my skin as I begin preparing my flower beds and pots for planting and cleaning up the yard for mowing season...the smell of fresh-cut grass, and the ground-rumbling scraping sound of the snowplows tearing through the neighborhood to be replaced with the buzzing of weed-trimmers and lawn equipment just like everyone else, but I no longer spend the valuable time I have each day searching for that greener grass...instead, I go about my days knowing that it is what it is and spring WILL come...it always does.
Anything worth having is worth working for and through:
A. I purchased a wood stove insert for my fireplace to turn an inefficient source of heat into an efficient one. On one hand...it is one of the best investments I've made, BUT it isn't without a lot of hard, heavy work, mess, and going out into freezing temperatures several times a day to bring the heat indoors. However, this first burning season, my wood was completely free and I saved 1/2 of what I would have spent on propane to get through the winter--excellent way to kick off the first season using it..however, from here on out...it will have to be purchased...though STILL at a savings of what I would spend to heat the entire house with propane. So, nothing is entirely free...you see, though I have already paid for this unit with the money saved in heating costs the first year using it!! Was I sure of any of this when I made the decision to dole out the remainder of any savings I had to my name last fall? No. Purely a leap of faith....that manifested to answered prayer & a satisfied hope.
B. This time last year, I was in fear of losing my home. As I looked to the future, desperately searching for employment for 3 months, I saw no positive outcome--though one did arrive, no matter how much I tried to convince myself..it wasn't gonna happen and I sit here in the sanctity and solace of what I term "my sacred space" typing away in my blog, more than a year later with quite a different attitude. I now can look back and say "it has NOT been easy...BUT, I've managed to care for, pay for, and maintain this place on my own for the past 2 years. Many dollars, countless hours, much labor-intensive time...but she still stands...stronger than ever with one set of hands, one mind, and a heart completely enamored by her beauty and value. It is a relationship I have going with this place...it isn't about real-estate value, or the love of the material...it is a series of give and take. To me, everything I put into my home, she gives back. For all of the active time spent cleaning, raking, mowing, and puttering around, and money spent, there is the quiet time spent smiling in my heart as I look at how she shines when she is pampered up a bit. The saying "you get what you give" applies to inanimate objects as well...it is all about perspective. When you throw ALL of yourself into something....anything...it becomes an inseparable part of you--yet another mirror...another manner for which to present yourself and for others to truly know you. Having a "nice house" is not my thing..having a warm and welcoming home is.
C. My tenants of 4 years in my attached 2-bedroom rental unit moved out last month. My immediate response to the news that they were leaving---PANIC...and I'm talking like a switch--it was that fast. My mind immediately went to how long it took each time it became vacant to get it occupied once again...at least a couple of months...it was winter...I am only working part-time and am dependent upon that income (even though half of it goes right back into the place during the winter months)...but still. I wasted no time advertising it..on every venue I could possibly think of..other than the area newspaper--you get too many weed-outs that way, and I didn't have the time for that!! The response was tremendous...my panic dissolved. A young girl that I work with had been looking for a place...and I had mentioned a two-unit, completely remodeled inside and out place down the street from me...both beautiful places...a couple of months earlier. She had gone to look at them and decided that she didn't want to drive all that way as her little boy was enrolled in school in the adjoining town where she also worked. When my place came available, I didn't even think about mentioning it to her...because after all, it is even further away from town than the places she looked at... albeit, only a few houses--but that was her reason...so I figured she was out of the question. She saw my advertisement and contacted me...came up and looked at it (while my tenants were still there) and immediately snapped it up. Crisis #1 averted. Onto crisis 2, 3, 4...etc... The tenants left the place a deplorable mess and the odor was just unbearable. They left one of the doors wide open to the winter cold and used 10% of the propane that I PROVIDE in less than 8 hours (which is usually a weeks-worth). She and I spent every free minute we had...along with my daughter over there cleaning, painting, repairing...and more than two weeks later...it is STILL a work in progress. The damages were beyond normal wear and tear and I kept their security deposit...which doesn't even cover the cost of the repairs that need to be made, the time we spent intensely cleaning...to get it ready for even occupiable readiness. There was the discovery when the priors turned off the electric that #1. They had run up quite a hefty bill with the electric company that made it a major pain in the ass for my new tenant to get it turned on in her name, as she had to send all kinds of proof that she wasn't turning it back on for THEM and #2. That the boiler system and lights in the basement were wired into the rental's breaker box...oh joy!! Another expense!! Then...there was a water leak--and not a little one-- from the spigots of the washer hook-up AND the main shut offs to those were so corroded, they wouldn't turn either way...so both shut-offs had to be replaced as well as the spigots with new ones with a shut off there. Then, as my tenant spent her first night there...she turned the light on in the bedroom and heard a loud "pop"...and she had no electricity in the bedroom or bathroom...the culprit...a completely damaged and broken outlet that just fell out when the cover was screwed off of it...and another headache.
Bear with me...I have a very good reason for rambling on about my recent trials and tribulations people---and here it is: THROUGHOUT this entire time, I have depleted my money to the point of not having enough to make my March house payment...let alone the other half of my bills...I've doled out money as if I have an endless reservoir, AND have plans to spend more of this nonexistent resource...as if I do. I have never felt so at peace and so unruffled by negative circumstance in my life. The last time I felt the least bit stressed was when I got the news that my tenants were moving out--and that only lasted for about 10 minutes..no lie. The enormous response of interest quickly laid that to rest...but it was my new tenant, who ended up contacting ME when I wasn't even going to consider telling her that was really instrumental in completely changing (for good) my perspective on those bothersome little circumstances that would like to completely negate my best intentions and positive outlook. It was at that very point that I relied on what makes me who I am...my manner of reflective thinking. This caused me to say to myself: "I don't know why I EVER stress or panic about anything...because throughout my ENTIRE LIFE...any fear I ever had was short-lived and replaced by an even better scenario than I could imagine anyways." It made me really think and therefore solidify in my everyday life that this thing called "worry" was a step in any process that could be TOTALLY eliminated, because it was a waste of time and energy. It took all of one day to retrain my mind...and I really had nothing to do with it as far as an active process went. It just happened...
Throughout all of the mountains that appeared out of nowhere...resources spent that I didn't have...I have NEVER in my life felt so much at peace and so very contented. I don't think I could be any happier, more self-assured, or more hopeful for what each day brings, until of course, today turns into tomorrow.
I have finally found my peace...my truest, most pure peace...and I've realized that it was built upon the strongest of faith, my propensity to dig to the lesson each trial has been put in place to teach me, and to accept the growth and wisdom it offered so that I could come to that day where I finally "recognized" the pattern it drew for me. At 48...some may say I was a stubborn student...and I even laugh at myself for that reason, but for everything under Heaven, there is a time. I have no regret...I have nothing of myself to forgive, and I just sit back and enjoy the universe's sense of ironic humor (it is ALWAYS ironic) and wake each day feeling grateful that I have another day to squeeze the most life out of.
What matters to you? Look at the thing that takes the most from you...consumes most of your drive...sometimes to the point of exasperation...but always gives you a return. You'll have your answer. Your energy and the attitude that encompasses it and the intention that gives birth to it is most instrumental in the manifestation of outcome. I no longer best-case/worst-case anything, as I've FINALLY learned, it takes care of itself. What I DO focus on is my attitude..if I live like I already have it...in other words..my intention is TO have it...my actions are in line with getting it, maintaining it, counting on it...then it already IS at its conception--circumstance is OUTER, weaker, and more inconsistent. Will is inner, stronger, and unyielding to circumstance. Whatever will be...will be and I don't know 'bout ya'll...but I would rather set myself up for success. In this life...money and time are of no consequence to success...intention and attitude are where its at! Money will come and go and time will pass anyway...
"Therefore, I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask..believe you have received them and they will be granted you." Mark 11:24
"The preparations of the heart in man (intention) and the answer (outcome) of the tongue is from the Lord. All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit (the intent/the truth). Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established. <---this one right here is a complete explanation of all that I have written. Let go of worry and look back at all of the times you worried needlessly in the past to end up at an outcome that was favorable...and your thoughts from that point will be directed AWAY from worry...seemingly all by themselves. Let the universe take care of the circumstance...you hold steadfast to the initial intention...if it be pure and conceived in a spirit of contribution..blessings will abound.
I wish for everyone a great day and an appreciation for every minute of it.
Well, we are in the first week of March and everyone around our area is more than ready for spring. It has been a case of textbook winter around here for sure. Last year, I remember strolling out onto my porch throughout the winter season, enjoying 50-60 degree days, taking snapshots of the flowers that continued to bloom in my garden..no such luck this year!! I think we have more than made up for the low water table that last year's winter created this year, and as I look out my window...it's still coming down!! I've found it best to just accept every day for what it offers you and make the best of it. Yeah...I daydream of waking to birds singing, curtains billowing with a soft, fragrant breeze, the warmth of the sun on my skin as I begin preparing my flower beds and pots for planting and cleaning up the yard for mowing season...the smell of fresh-cut grass, and the ground-rumbling scraping sound of the snowplows tearing through the neighborhood to be replaced with the buzzing of weed-trimmers and lawn equipment just like everyone else, but I no longer spend the valuable time I have each day searching for that greener grass...instead, I go about my days knowing that it is what it is and spring WILL come...it always does.
Anything worth having is worth working for and through:
A. I purchased a wood stove insert for my fireplace to turn an inefficient source of heat into an efficient one. On one hand...it is one of the best investments I've made, BUT it isn't without a lot of hard, heavy work, mess, and going out into freezing temperatures several times a day to bring the heat indoors. However, this first burning season, my wood was completely free and I saved 1/2 of what I would have spent on propane to get through the winter--excellent way to kick off the first season using it..however, from here on out...it will have to be purchased...though STILL at a savings of what I would spend to heat the entire house with propane. So, nothing is entirely free...you see, though I have already paid for this unit with the money saved in heating costs the first year using it!! Was I sure of any of this when I made the decision to dole out the remainder of any savings I had to my name last fall? No. Purely a leap of faith....that manifested to answered prayer & a satisfied hope.
B. This time last year, I was in fear of losing my home. As I looked to the future, desperately searching for employment for 3 months, I saw no positive outcome--though one did arrive, no matter how much I tried to convince myself..it wasn't gonna happen and I sit here in the sanctity and solace of what I term "my sacred space" typing away in my blog, more than a year later with quite a different attitude. I now can look back and say "it has NOT been easy...BUT, I've managed to care for, pay for, and maintain this place on my own for the past 2 years. Many dollars, countless hours, much labor-intensive time...but she still stands...stronger than ever with one set of hands, one mind, and a heart completely enamored by her beauty and value. It is a relationship I have going with this place...it isn't about real-estate value, or the love of the material...it is a series of give and take. To me, everything I put into my home, she gives back. For all of the active time spent cleaning, raking, mowing, and puttering around, and money spent, there is the quiet time spent smiling in my heart as I look at how she shines when she is pampered up a bit. The saying "you get what you give" applies to inanimate objects as well...it is all about perspective. When you throw ALL of yourself into something....anything...it becomes an inseparable part of you--yet another mirror...another manner for which to present yourself and for others to truly know you. Having a "nice house" is not my thing..having a warm and welcoming home is.
C. My tenants of 4 years in my attached 2-bedroom rental unit moved out last month. My immediate response to the news that they were leaving---PANIC...and I'm talking like a switch--it was that fast. My mind immediately went to how long it took each time it became vacant to get it occupied once again...at least a couple of months...it was winter...I am only working part-time and am dependent upon that income (even though half of it goes right back into the place during the winter months)...but still. I wasted no time advertising it..on every venue I could possibly think of..other than the area newspaper--you get too many weed-outs that way, and I didn't have the time for that!! The response was tremendous...my panic dissolved. A young girl that I work with had been looking for a place...and I had mentioned a two-unit, completely remodeled inside and out place down the street from me...both beautiful places...a couple of months earlier. She had gone to look at them and decided that she didn't want to drive all that way as her little boy was enrolled in school in the adjoining town where she also worked. When my place came available, I didn't even think about mentioning it to her...because after all, it is even further away from town than the places she looked at... albeit, only a few houses--but that was her reason...so I figured she was out of the question. She saw my advertisement and contacted me...came up and looked at it (while my tenants were still there) and immediately snapped it up. Crisis #1 averted. Onto crisis 2, 3, 4...etc... The tenants left the place a deplorable mess and the odor was just unbearable. They left one of the doors wide open to the winter cold and used 10% of the propane that I PROVIDE in less than 8 hours (which is usually a weeks-worth). She and I spent every free minute we had...along with my daughter over there cleaning, painting, repairing...and more than two weeks later...it is STILL a work in progress. The damages were beyond normal wear and tear and I kept their security deposit...which doesn't even cover the cost of the repairs that need to be made, the time we spent intensely cleaning...to get it ready for even occupiable readiness. There was the discovery when the priors turned off the electric that #1. They had run up quite a hefty bill with the electric company that made it a major pain in the ass for my new tenant to get it turned on in her name, as she had to send all kinds of proof that she wasn't turning it back on for THEM and #2. That the boiler system and lights in the basement were wired into the rental's breaker box...oh joy!! Another expense!! Then...there was a water leak--and not a little one-- from the spigots of the washer hook-up AND the main shut offs to those were so corroded, they wouldn't turn either way...so both shut-offs had to be replaced as well as the spigots with new ones with a shut off there. Then, as my tenant spent her first night there...she turned the light on in the bedroom and heard a loud "pop"...and she had no electricity in the bedroom or bathroom...the culprit...a completely damaged and broken outlet that just fell out when the cover was screwed off of it...and another headache.
Bear with me...I have a very good reason for rambling on about my recent trials and tribulations people---and here it is: THROUGHOUT this entire time, I have depleted my money to the point of not having enough to make my March house payment...let alone the other half of my bills...I've doled out money as if I have an endless reservoir, AND have plans to spend more of this nonexistent resource...as if I do. I have never felt so at peace and so unruffled by negative circumstance in my life. The last time I felt the least bit stressed was when I got the news that my tenants were moving out--and that only lasted for about 10 minutes..no lie. The enormous response of interest quickly laid that to rest...but it was my new tenant, who ended up contacting ME when I wasn't even going to consider telling her that was really instrumental in completely changing (for good) my perspective on those bothersome little circumstances that would like to completely negate my best intentions and positive outlook. It was at that very point that I relied on what makes me who I am...my manner of reflective thinking. This caused me to say to myself: "I don't know why I EVER stress or panic about anything...because throughout my ENTIRE LIFE...any fear I ever had was short-lived and replaced by an even better scenario than I could imagine anyways." It made me really think and therefore solidify in my everyday life that this thing called "worry" was a step in any process that could be TOTALLY eliminated, because it was a waste of time and energy. It took all of one day to retrain my mind...and I really had nothing to do with it as far as an active process went. It just happened...
Throughout all of the mountains that appeared out of nowhere...resources spent that I didn't have...I have NEVER in my life felt so much at peace and so very contented. I don't think I could be any happier, more self-assured, or more hopeful for what each day brings, until of course, today turns into tomorrow.
I have finally found my peace...my truest, most pure peace...and I've realized that it was built upon the strongest of faith, my propensity to dig to the lesson each trial has been put in place to teach me, and to accept the growth and wisdom it offered so that I could come to that day where I finally "recognized" the pattern it drew for me. At 48...some may say I was a stubborn student...and I even laugh at myself for that reason, but for everything under Heaven, there is a time. I have no regret...I have nothing of myself to forgive, and I just sit back and enjoy the universe's sense of ironic humor (it is ALWAYS ironic) and wake each day feeling grateful that I have another day to squeeze the most life out of.
What matters to you? Look at the thing that takes the most from you...consumes most of your drive...sometimes to the point of exasperation...but always gives you a return. You'll have your answer. Your energy and the attitude that encompasses it and the intention that gives birth to it is most instrumental in the manifestation of outcome. I no longer best-case/worst-case anything, as I've FINALLY learned, it takes care of itself. What I DO focus on is my attitude..if I live like I already have it...in other words..my intention is TO have it...my actions are in line with getting it, maintaining it, counting on it...then it already IS at its conception--circumstance is OUTER, weaker, and more inconsistent. Will is inner, stronger, and unyielding to circumstance. Whatever will be...will be and I don't know 'bout ya'll...but I would rather set myself up for success. In this life...money and time are of no consequence to success...intention and attitude are where its at! Money will come and go and time will pass anyway...
"Therefore, I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask..believe you have received them and they will be granted you." Mark 11:24
"The preparations of the heart in man (intention) and the answer (outcome) of the tongue is from the Lord. All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit (the intent/the truth). Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established. <---this one right here is a complete explanation of all that I have written. Let go of worry and look back at all of the times you worried needlessly in the past to end up at an outcome that was favorable...and your thoughts from that point will be directed AWAY from worry...seemingly all by themselves. Let the universe take care of the circumstance...you hold steadfast to the initial intention...if it be pure and conceived in a spirit of contribution..blessings will abound.
I wish for everyone a great day and an appreciation for every minute of it.
No comments:
Post a Comment