"Do One Thing..."

Eleanor Roosevelt was one tough cookie and classy chick all mixed into one. I love her quotes. Every now and then I go to Goodreads and read her bits of wisdom.

This morning, one of the blogs I frequently sip my green tea over, asked this question:

"How often do you do something entirely new?"

It was, indeed, a "good read".  Reading the blog, I was taken back to one of the grand First Lady's quotes:

"Do one thing everyday that scares you!"

I realized that I have been on the path of new adventures. Starting up a book club, becoming a vegetarian, returning to pottery and art, attempting things I thought were too hard, going places alone (a lot), making new friends. Four of my friends are starting a little walking club. Four women and I are making a trip to Jacksonville, Oregon to a Britt concert and I am starting my own business, just me, no partners! I have actually just presented a proposal to our church for a brand new kind of ministry. I am making my dog his own wheat and corn free food!

Don't worry, my friends, I am still as woo~woo as I've always been!Just a more balanced woo~woo.

There are even changes going on in my brain. I am finding that my attachment to old ways of thinking are slipping away. My reactions to the statements and actions of some people have become a detached observation, not an emotional reaction. 

Don't get me wrong, my bloodlines insure that there will still be plenty of emotional reaction; I have not become a Steppford wife, I just get to choose what events I am going to merely observe  and which ones will hit the emotion button. Once the E-Button has been pressed, it is also my choice to stay emotional, or search for where and why the emotion is there. With that awareness I can choose whether to stay in the emotion or step back and observe.

It is strange that the older I get the  more courage I muster up from the core of me. Maybe it is the fear of what-if-I-fail just doesn't have the clout it used to have. I have detached from caring if strangers, or people I know, witness me falling on my ass. I am in the game.

Tomorrow I am taking very dear ashes to the coast to spread them in the waves. A pain in my heart as I typed that; but facing those events that cause us pain in the heart and completing them will help us build courage. And "courage" as we know means "from the heart."

So, unlike Eleanor, I am most likely not going to do something that scares me every day. Being the First Lady of the United States and waking up each morning probably filled that requirement for her.

I am, though, going to do something new each day...okay....maybe not each day, but I promise you this, Reader, I will not end another week of my life without trying something new some time during the week. I would venture to say, though, that Mondays will probably not be the day I try something new; too cliche, too mundane and, more honestly, already too hard to get those turbos charged on Monday.

List of New Things I Will Not Be Doing

Bungee Jumping

Soft Tofu

Nascar

Watching Professional Baseball......("wake me up, before you Go, Go. Don't leave me hanging like a yoyo!")

Marathons

Mud Wrestling (though I am willing to try peanut butter or tapioca pudding)

Sailing anything under 50' on the open sea.

Sailing anything over 50' on the open sea.

Logging

Swimming the English Channel (speaking of channels, I won't be watching HBO, either)

Climbing Mt. Everest  or any other peak over 14,000 feet.

Hang Gliding

Parachuting

Participating in MXC Challenges

I do have a Bucket List and may post it down the road, in fact, maybe I should add that to the bottom of the list: #137.  Post Bucket List

One of Ms. Roosevelt's quotes I will be paying a great deal of attention to is my favorite:

"Happiness is not a goal...it's a by-product of a life well lived." 

Happiness is not a goal; it is a by-product.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/e/eleanor_roosevelt.html#s77hMdSCwkKQ0Dr6.99

A New Friend

Life is kind of crazy. Most of you know that but I just wanted to state it for the slow learners!

My husband and I have a good friend who was running his own interview radio program a couple of years back. The show was based on people who were living their passion. I did most of the background research for the show, biographical types of information.

One day my husband suggested to our friend that he might talk to a woman he knew through some of the classes and presentations he gives. Our friend sounded excited, asked me to call her and see if she was interested in being interviewed on air.

Turns out, she had no interest in being interviewed but our friend befriended her.

Any of you who have read my blog for any length of time have probably come to the conclusion that I am very metaphysically minded, or, as my husband describes me, I'm a little "woo-woo"!

Last week our friend and I were having a conversation over coffee. I made one of my "alternate-state-of- consciousness" comments and he covered his face with his hands. I punched him in the shoulder and inquired, "What's up?" (like I didn't know)

When he finally lowered his hands from his face, he asked, "Do you know ___________ ___________?

"No, never heard of her!"

He was a little surprised that Frank hadn't already introduced us. Most likely didn't get the introduction because Frank is already surrounded by so many women passing through our home who dwell in the woo-woo world of alternative consciousness, that the thought of one more made him tremble! (My husband witnesses the miracles of psi everyday. Like a good Catholic man, he just crosses himself and moves on!)

"Well, you need to meet her." Our friend emailed me her contact info, after clearing it with her.

I contacted her.  We made arrangements to meet.

She is fantastic. She exudes openness, acceptance and curiosity!  I can't wait to introduce her to other friends. She shows up 100%, she doesn't check any parts of her at the door. She is also up for adventure....I feel a women's retreat coming on and it is going to make headlines! Get Ready Friends!

The men, Frank and our friend, are in big doo-doo with me for being so selfish and keeping her all to themselves for so long. There will be consequences to pay!