The residue of dissention. Choose one another love instead

 Dissention.

This thought is important. I have been a part of large groups for over 20 years. And I have been the target of dissentive activities as well as hearing directly from dissenters and having to make a choice in not just my own alignment....

....speaking from my experience as the outcast and outlier...false statements presented as facts...are still maligned. It was a simple situation that, because someone was set against me in a false understanding (which, to this day, they never sought to clarify) decided to bring ill intent and rally many others with false statements and worked up attitudes towards me....

I tried to address the others individually and it was too late...many already had an idea about me which was ungrounded....and so I chose to walk away.

YEARS later, the one who had rallied others in false statements and attitudes toward me now rallies others in social gatherings and get togethers.

Many who decided to get on the hate train, have tried to come with kindness and awkward interest...

The marks of getting pulled into dissention remain LONG after whatever people are being rallied against. The truth always comes out and that feeling of having been caught up in someone else's agenda as well as knowing that you could have chosen for peace, unity, and greater beneficial thoughts and actions....it hurts.

I am grateful for the strength of choosing to align with what is supportive, what is focused more on building up, and what is beneficial, sustainable, loving, and unifying. If THESE things are not a part of an argument, then consider what is truly at the heart of the matter.

#Lovefirst #Divinegifts #lifelearnings #oneanotherlove #gratitude #humbleout #seeothers #Sawubona

More flow less struggle

 

Good morning!

That was a close call!!! Going for a glass of lemon water and opening the new bottle of lemon juice I had...And the lid was not coming off. I'm thinking..."Maybe it's because it's cold"...."I'm not lifting as I am turning..." ....the little tabs need to be broken first"...."It got on there, so it must come off somehow..."

Well, as I spun this little lid around and around, lifting and turning, and even resorting to try and snap the tabs off the bottom, I realized, those tabs are NOT snapping off....and then WHOOSH!! The bottle slipped out of my hand and headed straight for the floor! GASP!!!

And,....didn't break! Thanks goodness!! So I got out tweezers to snap the taps off (LOL I don't give up is all I could think about...) I got the tabs off and yeah.....the lid still wasn't coming off ...... I was about to go down the dark path....you know the one?? Where you try to bandaid and rig up a way to make something work that is clearly not trying to work at all? Where we start something and have a decided way it has to happen AND finish and we "muscle" through to make that bugger work!!! Or when we know, that something is just not working, but instead of going to the revision and possibly re-do stage....or even start over (we don't want to "waste" all that effort we put in...) , we rig up whatever we can to make that bugger work.

Honestly, it almost reached the point of effort where I could have squeezed ALL the lemons that would have filled this bottle by hand.....but ...I didn't. I said to myself..."The last bottle did NOT give me this much grief!!" Now, of course that was at the point that I was using my teeth to pull the lid off ...BWAHAHAHA...It looked like I chewed that bugger off!!! I gave it a victorious DASH across the kitchen, grabbed the old bottle, a funnel, and proceeded to transfer the juice....to a bottle and lid that I know works....that helps me have a SMOOTH morning routine, that allows me to flow into my morning connection ports....that I can trust to work for me time and time again, day in and day out....I don't need new and fresh if it is going to be a struggle in each day to do what I want to be simple and effortless.

Can you think of anything that gives you daily stress where you can consider finding ways to make it more effortless and flowful? Have you established the habit of having to "muscle" through the hard stuff instead of finding the way to make it an experience of more ease?

I don't mind grunting through a strength workout with heavy weights, but most other areas of my life, I am definitely looking for the flow. Even right now, my strength workouts I have taken outside doing heavy lifting around my yard....there is always a way to bring less struggle and resistance and more flow into our lives.

And for me, today, this was one of them

#thankyouGod #whenallyouwantislemonjuice #lemonsqueezy #lookfortheflow #mindfulmatters #mindset #grow #solutionoriented

Stepping out in summer

 A rainy morning walk in the 'hood...was a great way to kick of summer break. #mypurseandjacketmatched #didntplanit #keepingitsimple

Inspired to remember to trust and expect miracles today

 

Good morning! Currently it is raining quite a bit here and the ground around our home is really saturated now. Pooling is beginning in our garden (I JUST finished planting LOL).

While sitting here and planning out a few next steps to take, I looked up and saw a ninja staring back at me LOL. "Remember", "trust", "inspire", "miracle" are the stones he is surrounded by. (It's Cole from Ninjago if you don't know...my fav )

So I am choosing to be inspired to remember to trust and expect miracles today (like a sunny break ☉☉).

What miracles have YOU experienced or are in your life right now ?

#ThankyouGod #gratitude #rainrain #gardengrow #pauseandreflect

One another love in Action. We are unified through our advocacy.

 Good morning! As I dropped off the hubby at work this morning, and was leaving the parking lot, I got the head nod and wave from one of his co-workers. I haven't met him officially before, but he knows I am the "wife"

.

Yesterday was spent outdoors for the most part, celebrating Father's Day with a church picnic, and then supporting the running community that "we" are a part of...now, for those that know, it's my hubby who does most of the running , but we show up, support and sometimes, do a bit of the running ourselves (sometimes in a different direction LOL )

Years ago, we were actively involved in a motorcycle association...similar deal...we were a part of it, primarily through the experience of one that ties us all in it together.

Well then, what are my interests? What does the family get associated with because of my involvement or interest? That's a great question! Healthy eating is one. Being involved at the community and culture level is another. Encouraging those around us. Sharing the love and joy of God in our lives with those around us. But mine are more everyday practices, not as "identifiable" as the activities of the rest of the family.

We are unified through our advocacy. "We", as a family unit, choose to support and advocate for one another, even if it just means being present. From there, people will choose to connect with us because we represent a part of that connection for them....that 6 degrees of separation is actually 6 degrees of connection...

Which leads me to the point...we, as humans, may tend to focus on the negative, but one thing I have experienced that goes beyond that habit....is we ALL are always looking for ways that we CONNECT!

It impresses me every time. We went to watch the racers come in yesterday for the RVR Ultra Race and the community and connection there was awesome. Always is. No pressure to get up and run anything. No questions about whether or not we are runners. Everyone bringing their own level of presence to the table, and all accepted with warmth.

By association I became an advocate. And through that, I gained connection. To people I would not normally meet. Having conversations I would not normally have, and it has definitely enriched my life.

What associations and connections have you gained from supporting others?

#thankyouGod #connectioniseverywhere #thereisUnityinHumanity #oneanotherlove #divinegifts #WEaretheAbundance #lifetothefull #FathersDay #JoyFULL

Turned failed pasta into pizza

 
From "failure" to success Knowing your ingredients really helps. This was SUPER tasty and satisfying. Just what we needed on a sunny day.

#glutenfree #vegan #cheesesaucewasGreat

When pasta turns to paste. Turning a perceived failure into an opportunity for something new

 Can you guess what this is?

FAILURE! That's what! Can you believe that this WAS pasta? We buy a #glutenfree chickpea pasta and no matter how little cooking time and rinsing down with cold water, this pasta didn't hold up and turned to paste...TWICE! (I adjusted the method so it wouldn't overcook and nope, didn't work )

It's just a bad batch. But I am not into wasting edibles...so we went along with the paste, added water, cassava flour, spices, and baking soda and we're going to try and make pizza crust (am I trying to keep things Italian or what? LOL)

Can you relate to food "failures" in the kitchen? Sometimes they are some of the best stories to share (joyful connection in our imperfections )

Stay tuned.... This is going to be lunch

#creativityatitsfinest #makethemostofit #fromscratchcooking #StillgoingToEatit

Thrive Life Mash Potato Breakfast Fritter

 I know the 100 day food challenge is done, but my older son is being creative in the kitchen for breakfast. #scoopandgo with egg powder, mashed potatoes and water. Smells so good!

#personalchef #yumyums #KidscookThrive #breakfastsmadeeasy #ThriveLifeFoods #gratitude #Idonthavetocook

Race course flagging time

 This was Friday afternoon...dropping him off on the side of the highway in order to go run and mark the course for the RVR Ultra this weekend. Good luck to all the racers this weekend!