The winner of the free copy of the book is - Danette W. I have contacted Danette via email. Thanks to all who participated in the giveaway.
Start Where You Are - And The Winner Is ....
August 14, 2015
Over the last few days I've been blogging about this book, "Start Where You Are, a Journal for Self-Exploration."
Start Where You Are - A Giveaway
August 13, 2015
Over the last few days I've been blogging about this book, "Start Where You Are, a Journal for Self-Exploration."
Today's quote is:
Be Yourself. Everyone else is already taken. - Oscar Wilde
The exercise asks me to draw a picture of myself using colors and patterns that reflect who I am. We have already established that I am not big in the drawing department but I can do some electronic art that will get the job done.
So for those who may not know me. This is who I am.
I am a lover of all things wild. I love flowers, trees, I love birds and bees. I love earthlings.
A giveaway for this book will begin now run for a week. The winner will be shipped a free copy of this book by the publisher. (Blogger, Facebook & Twitter do not endorse this contest) One winner will be chosen at random via the rafflecopter tool. The winner will be notified via email. The winner will provide their shipping address for delivery.
Today's quote is:
Be Yourself. Everyone else is already taken. - Oscar Wilde
The exercise asks me to draw a picture of myself using colors and patterns that reflect who I am. We have already established that I am not big in the drawing department but I can do some electronic art that will get the job done.
So for those who may not know me. This is who I am.
I am a lover of all things wild. I love flowers, trees, I love birds and bees. I love earthlings.
I love jewelry and wire. I love pottery and life.
I'm a dreamer. I'm a worker and a doer. I am a cog in the wheel and like to get things done. I give until I can give no more. I am a faithful friend and a worthy adversary.
I can be your best ally or your worse enemy.
All these things make me.
Thanks for taking this journey with me. Be sure to enter to win on this last day of the contest. I'll pull the winner and you'll get your free copy of this book.
Start Where You Are - A Giveaway
August 12, 2015
Over the last few days I've been blogging about this book, "Start Where You Are, a Journal for Self-Exploration."
A giveaway for this book will begin now run for a week. The winner will be shipped a free copy of this book by the publisher. (Blogger, Facebook & Twitter do not endorse this contest) One winner will be chosen at random via the rafflecopter tool. The winner will be notified via email. The winner will provide their shipping address for delivery.
One thing my journey thought self exploration has taught me, is that no matter what you do in life there will be those who are going to run you down. Accepting that is one of the hardest this I've ever had to do.
An example would be my weight. I probably well about 200 lbs and wear a size 16-20 depending on the maker of the clothes. A few years ago I decided that I really needed to lose weight. I went vegetarian and exercised 45 minutes every morning at the local gym and walked in the evening. I even RAN. I got down to a size 8 in off the rack Levi Jeans. Because my max weight has been 400 lbs, I have a lot of loose and saggy skin. The less fat under that skin the more saggy I became. I had floppy breasts and a flat butt. I didn't "feel" sexy. But everyone always said, oh you look so good. You're so fit. I bet you're so happy now. And I wasn't. I hated myself. I was spending 2-3 hours a day on something that was making me unhappy.
Hubby got me a DNA test kit for my birthday. As I uploaded my DNA to several sites to see where I came from, what kind of diseases I was prone to, I stumbled across a very interesting piece of information. People with my DNA have to exercise 90% harder and 90% more often to get 50% of the results as someone without my DNA. This is why all the people in my family were larger. Our DNA made us larger.
I decided one day that I didn't want to spend 2-3 hours working out. I would rather spend that time with my hubby. I would rather read a book, or make jewelry. So that's what I did. Yes, I weight more, and people judge me. They look at what I used to look like and what I look like now and asked me things like, "Why are you fat now?" "What happened?" "Did you get lazy?"
Yes, I am fat now, What happened was I opened my eyes and realized that fitting into a size pants only matters if it matters to you. Did I get lazy? Well, people who know me, know my schedule and what I do, I think they know the answer for that. Take a moment and decide what is right for you. If fitting in the lowest size you can is what you need to do, go for it. Just give other people the same courtesy.
Start Where You Are - Giveaway
August 11, 2015
Over the last few days I've been blogging about this book, "Start Where You Are, a Journal for Self-Exploration."
The quote today is:
I'm a great believer in luck & I find the harder I work, the more I have of it. - Thomas Jefferson
The exercise asks us to list things that I have to work for in one column and how to get them without luck in the second.
Luck is very interesting to me. As a Pagan person I believe that what we send out returns to us. So if you're a douche, you'll get douche in return. Some go a step further and say that it will return times three or that karma will get you. I'm not one that necessarily goes that deep into it.
Here is what I believe.
If you are a grumpy negative person who complains all the time, generally speaking people are not going to want to be around you, or help you. You'll have fewer friends, fewer pathways for relationship building and therefore be a lonelier person. On the other hand, if you're a happy positive person, who tries to do nice things for other, helps people when you can and are over all just a pretty good Joe, people will return that to you in kind.
There are natural laws that cannot be changed. If I have three dollars in my pocket, being nice to the guy next door isn't going to make my 3 dollar turn into 6 dollars. But, if I am nice to the guy next door, he might offer to cut my grass, or help me get to the store, or maybe trade some of my hen eggs for a bag of flour. These possibilities wouldn't be there if he thought I was a mean person. That doesn't mean that I'm a door mat either. I have people in my life that I will call the Takers. The Takers always show up with life is good with their hand out. They want you to give to this cause or that cause. They always want something. When you take care of yourself instead of donating to their cause, you're a vile evil human. They run you down. That is what Takers do. Takers are not concerned with your well being. They do not care if they hurt you, or those you care about in order to get what they want out of life. This is where the giver has to step back and say, no more. Know that what you have you have worked for, it wasn't given to you by others, your sweat and indeed luck helped you be where you are today.
Remember, givers need to set limits because takers rarely do. - Irma Kurtz
Don't forget to tweet daily for additional entries in the giveaway.
A giveaway for this book will begin now run for a week. The winner will be shipped a free copy of this book by the publisher. (Blogger, Facebook & Twitter do not endorse this contest) One winner will be chosen at random via the rafflecopter tool. The winner will be notified via email. The winner will provide their shipping address for delivery.
The quote today is:
I'm a great believer in luck & I find the harder I work, the more I have of it. - Thomas Jefferson
The exercise asks us to list things that I have to work for in one column and how to get them without luck in the second.
Luck is very interesting to me. As a Pagan person I believe that what we send out returns to us. So if you're a douche, you'll get douche in return. Some go a step further and say that it will return times three or that karma will get you. I'm not one that necessarily goes that deep into it.
Here is what I believe.
If you are a grumpy negative person who complains all the time, generally speaking people are not going to want to be around you, or help you. You'll have fewer friends, fewer pathways for relationship building and therefore be a lonelier person. On the other hand, if you're a happy positive person, who tries to do nice things for other, helps people when you can and are over all just a pretty good Joe, people will return that to you in kind.
There are natural laws that cannot be changed. If I have three dollars in my pocket, being nice to the guy next door isn't going to make my 3 dollar turn into 6 dollars. But, if I am nice to the guy next door, he might offer to cut my grass, or help me get to the store, or maybe trade some of my hen eggs for a bag of flour. These possibilities wouldn't be there if he thought I was a mean person. That doesn't mean that I'm a door mat either. I have people in my life that I will call the Takers. The Takers always show up with life is good with their hand out. They want you to give to this cause or that cause. They always want something. When you take care of yourself instead of donating to their cause, you're a vile evil human. They run you down. That is what Takers do. Takers are not concerned with your well being. They do not care if they hurt you, or those you care about in order to get what they want out of life. This is where the giver has to step back and say, no more. Know that what you have you have worked for, it wasn't given to you by others, your sweat and indeed luck helped you be where you are today.
Remember, givers need to set limits because takers rarely do. - Irma Kurtz
Don't forget to tweet daily for additional entries in the giveaway.
Start Where You Are - Giveaway
August 7, 2015
Over the last few days I've been blogging about this book, "Start Where You Are, a Journal for Self-Exploration."
A giveaway for this book will begin now run for a week. The winner will be shipped a free copy of this book by the publisher. (Blogger, Facebook & Twitter do not endorse this contest) One winner will be chosen at random via the rafflecopter tool. The winner will be notified via email. The winner will provide their shipping address for delivery.
The quote today is from one of my favorite books. The author chose "No one has ever become poor by giving." - Anne Frank
The exercise is to think of something you have given recently and to draw it.
I don't draw well so my page is blank, but I can say that today I made a bourbon butter cake. It was delightful. I decided that I would share it with my aunt and a family friend. Hubby and I cut the cake in thirds and went about to deliver it to each of their homes. It wasn't a huge thing. I did make it from scratch by creaming the butter myself, Hubby helping by alternating the wet and dry ingredients. It was indeed a labor of love. Food for the soul. Something we created together to share with those we cared about.
It was fantastic.
Don't forget to enter the contest for this wonderful book and leave me a message about what you have given recently.
Start Where You Are - The Giveaway Begins
August 6, 2015
Over the last few days I've been blogging about this book, "Start Where You Are, a Journal for Self-Exploration."
Today I'm going to chat about the exercise that references a quote by Martin Luther King, Jr.
Only in the darkness can you see the stars.
The exercise is to think about a difficult situation and write down what you learned from it.
Some of you may be familiar with some issues I have had with family certain members of my biological family. One member has decided that I am abusive to them, even to the point of blocking me on social media and taking to outlets under assumed names to bash me. I found such and entry and as I always would began to address the situation directly. It wasn't until after I really thought about it that I realized that what I was saying wasn't going to change anything at all. I was actually more concerned that people see that the family member was wrong and I was right. The drive to become right soon outweighed any positive benefit of the dialog.
I went back a few hours later and removed my comments from the conversation. There was nothing to be gained. I learned the hard lesson that when people have the mind set to misunderstand you, there's nothing you can do to change. You must just move on.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this exercise. Feel free to share your stars.
A giveaway for this book will begin now run for a week. The winner will be shipped a free copy of this book by the publisher. (Blogger, Facebook & Twitter do not endorse this contest) One winner will be chosen at random via the rafflecopter tool. The winner will be notified via email. The winner will provide their shipping address for delivery.
Today I'm going to chat about the exercise that references a quote by Martin Luther King, Jr.
Only in the darkness can you see the stars.
The exercise is to think about a difficult situation and write down what you learned from it.
Some of you may be familiar with some issues I have had with family certain members of my biological family. One member has decided that I am abusive to them, even to the point of blocking me on social media and taking to outlets under assumed names to bash me. I found such and entry and as I always would began to address the situation directly. It wasn't until after I really thought about it that I realized that what I was saying wasn't going to change anything at all. I was actually more concerned that people see that the family member was wrong and I was right. The drive to become right soon outweighed any positive benefit of the dialog.
I went back a few hours later and removed my comments from the conversation. There was nothing to be gained. I learned the hard lesson that when people have the mind set to misunderstand you, there's nothing you can do to change. You must just move on.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this exercise. Feel free to share your stars.
Start Where You Are - A Review
August 4, 2015
Start Where You Are - a Journal for Self-Exploration by Meera Lee Patel - Amazon Link
A giveaway for this book will begin on the 6th and run for a week. The winner will be shipped a free copy of this book by the publisher. (Blogger, Facebook & Twitter do not endorse this contest) One winner will be chosen at random via the rafflecopter tool. The winner will be notified via email. The winner will provide their shipping address for delivery.
A giveaway for this book will begin on the 6th and run for a week. The winner will be shipped a free copy of this book by the publisher. (Blogger, Facebook & Twitter do not endorse this contest) One winner will be chosen at random via the rafflecopter tool. The winner will be notified via email. The winner will provide their shipping address for delivery.
Dismiss whatever insults your own soul.
The exercise says, think of three ideas that you disagree with, ideas that hurt your spirit and are harmful to your well-being. Write them down on three separate pieces of paper and tear them up.
To me the while being a figurative way to address problems, the act of physically writing things down and destroying them has a powerful impact on real life situations. We can look to the magical world for examples of this with the use of poppets or with the writing down of curses in antiquity. Some today still use slips of paper under an enemies house as a way to show power over them.
Few things bother me this deeply any longer. I know that I have control over very few things in my life. I have to respect the fact that others have their own feelings, goals and dreams to be concerned with. I have to remember that not only am I not in control of what they think, they are not in control of what I think about their actions. I take it upon myself to very physically dismiss those things that insult my soul. I will not be abused and I will not hunt you down to be a part of my life.
These days, people are far too sensitive and spend entirely too much time playing the victim. Misery loves company. We have a choice to sit in that negativity or open up our lives to all the wonder that is around us. We can grumble about what we don't have or rejoice in what we do have. We can share hateful, ugly messages about people from our past or we can stop, open up our minds and move forward with life. You do not have to continue to perpetuate the ugliness. You can take the initiative to move forward and be happy.
This was pretty helpful for me.
Lessons Learned - Start Where You Are
August 3, 2015
Over the course of my life I have had many opportunity to truly mess things up. I have been a runaway with no one to turn to and held captive as a prisoner by those that should care for me. I have been a mother caring for a very sick child and a daughter feeling abandoned by my mother. I have been a grand daughter, respected and a wife, loved an honored. Over my many years I have suffered at the hands of an abuser and even been the one to abuse myself.
I have at times even attempted suicide. I felt that there was no way to end the pain and that my life could never get better. I have battled less with my Bipolar Disorder and more with the trauma I experienced from medication and therapy. I struggled with yo-yo weight cycles and the severe side effects that modern medicine saddled me with.
I watch as friends and family move in and out of my life, each for their own specific reasons. I can only look around me and think about the things that I can control. I can only control what I say, I cannot control how it is heard. I can only control what I do, not how is it perceived. I expect nothing from those around me and instead do what I can to be in the here at now at all times.
Each day we are presented with choices. These paths have both negative and positive consequences. In my life, just as I'm sure in your life, some of the choices may not have been the right choice. Perhaps the choices, looking back may have been better served by postponing the choice or not making it at all. Yet, we cannot go back in time. We have the option of staying in the negative framework of the mistake or moving forward to change it.
Today I've been working with a book called Start Where You Are, a Journal for Self-Exploration. A giveaway for this book will begin on the 6th and run for a week. The winner will be shipped a free copy of this book by the publisher. (Blogger, Facebook & Twitter do not endorse this contest) One winner will be chosen at random via the rafflecopter tool. The winner will be notified via email. The winner will provide their shipping address for delivery.
I have at times even attempted suicide. I felt that there was no way to end the pain and that my life could never get better. I have battled less with my Bipolar Disorder and more with the trauma I experienced from medication and therapy. I struggled with yo-yo weight cycles and the severe side effects that modern medicine saddled me with.
I watch as friends and family move in and out of my life, each for their own specific reasons. I can only look around me and think about the things that I can control. I can only control what I say, I cannot control how it is heard. I can only control what I do, not how is it perceived. I expect nothing from those around me and instead do what I can to be in the here at now at all times.
Each day we are presented with choices. These paths have both negative and positive consequences. In my life, just as I'm sure in your life, some of the choices may not have been the right choice. Perhaps the choices, looking back may have been better served by postponing the choice or not making it at all. Yet, we cannot go back in time. We have the option of staying in the negative framework of the mistake or moving forward to change it.
Today I've been working with a book called Start Where You Are, a Journal for Self-Exploration. A giveaway for this book will begin on the 6th and run for a week. The winner will be shipped a free copy of this book by the publisher. (Blogger, Facebook & Twitter do not endorse this contest) One winner will be chosen at random via the rafflecopter tool. The winner will be notified via email. The winner will provide their shipping address for delivery.
Going through a few of these exercises helped me put a number of things into perspective. I know some of my family read this so I'd like to just get a few things out in the open.
I don't blame anyone for my childhood. My childhood is over, I am an adult now. Any thing I may be upset with you over is directly related to things that you have done to me within the last 2-3 years. I am not looking to hold anyone accountable for anything that they are not directly responsible for. If you didn't say it, then it isn't yours, let it go.
I don't hate any one. Let me repeat that. I don't HATE. Not my Ex, not my step-dad, not my mother and not my kid. I don't hate, period.
I have learned the following lessons:
You only live right now. Tomorrow is not here yet and yesterday is gone. I do what makes me happy. I take care of my animals, I take care of my husband and I am kind to those around me. I do what I can to help everyone.
Let me repeat that part. I do what I can to help EVERYONE. I don't care about your skin color, your marital status or your position in life.
I put my feet in the grass. I feel the sunshine on my face. I breathe. I do not argue and I do not fight. My goal is to be happy. I would like to be happy with as many other happy earthlings as I can. If they wish to participate, I am here.
I didn't get here quickly or quietly. It took me nearly 30 years to come to terms with who I am as a person. I used to not like me. I used to require antidepressants and struggle to understand where my purpose was in life. I am not that person any more. I am not sad and afraid. I am not someone who can be bullied into conforming.
I am proud and happy. I am big and happy. I am an artist and happy. I make things that make me happy. It took a very long time to get here and no one is taking that away.
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