Christmas Is Here If You Care

I care! For the first time in YEARS I care. I am so excited about Christmas this year. Since October I have been looking at Christmas decorations with the slightest bit of shame. I happened to be one of the people in years past that would bah-humbug such action. I couldn't understand why everyone wanted to skip months of thier lives just to "enjoy" one day out of the year. This year is different though. I know why I am excited its not because of gift getting or gift giving. Its because its the time of year when there is a collective effort to be kind and to look inside yourself and find the good in life. Now combine those things with comforting lights on a Christmas Tree, the familar crooning of Bing Crosby and Rose Mary Clooney and the smell of pepermint hot chocolate it gives me an overwhelming sense of excitement.

To help me explain my transformation I call upon Faith Hill. . .See the lyrics below from http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/faithhill/whereareyouchristmas.html

"Where Are You Christmas"

Where are you Christmas
Why can't I find you
Why have you gone away
Where is the laughter
You used to bring me
Why can't I hear music play

My world is changing
I'm rearranging
Does that mean Christmas changes too

Where are you Christmas
Do you remember
The one you used to know
I'm not the same one
See what the time's done
Is that why you have let me go

Christmas is here
Everywhere, oh
Christmas is here
If you care, oh

If there is love in your heart and your mind
You will feel like Christmas all the time

I feel you Christmas
I know I've found you
You never fade away
The joy of Christmas
Stays here inside us
Fills each and every heart with love

Where are you Christmas
Fill your heart with love


So my peeps don't get bogged down by the commercial bombardment of Christmas. Keep it simple, Love is all you need to give this year.

I would also like to thank all of our service men and women and their families. Merry Christmas Troops!

Feeling Quiet

It is strange not to have the Internet at home anymore. Even more strange is that at work I am cutting down on my Internet usage too. My life will never be Internet free, but I am excited to say its not as Internet dependant anymore.

I haven't been on Facebook in a while. I have determined its good thing to not have constant access to a bombardment of information that doesn't really change my world. No more seeing who is finding a lost sheep on who's its ville and what's its farm. It is also good for me to not take every quiz about what sort of personality disorder I have (but I don't think awesomeness is a disorder).

I have made more time for important things like hanging out with friends, making winter hats and scarfs, reading and cleaning. Its great. My obsessive compulsive desire to know every little detail of all my friends lives was getting out of hand. Worse then that was my compulsion to check if anyone was commenting on my cute pictures or cleverness. Vain??? Yes, so to say the least this is a learning experience in humility and reminding myself that what matters in the long run is what I think about myself.

I have enjoyed the quiet. I don't feel I have to have noise or media flashing at me ALL OF THE TIME. It is wonderful. I have greater sense of my space and where I am in it. Its nice when you take time to make everything around you stop spinning and just hold still and quiet your soul and yes my friends BREATHE.

Vision

Last week in Happy Class we started vision boards. A vision board is a tool to help you create a matching vibration to what it is you want to have/be or do in your life and in your world. http://www.squidoo.com/what-is-a-vision-board. I was thrilled to be doing this. A few months ago I had made 3 small visions boards for my house and they make me very happy. I have collected a ton of magazines for cards that I make. I had all the tools necessary to make an outstanding vision board. It took me hours this weekend to complete it, but it was worth it. It was an interesting way for me to gain some insight into my dreams, goals and soul.

The first pictures are of the meager beginnings of my vision started last Tuesday:

Travel Section: Well its obvious that I need to go to Europe.


Love Section: Yes I am aware that Hugh Jackman is taken, but I would like someone with a kind smile and compassionate eyes.


Me Section: Who I am and who I want to become.


Health Section: Though its missing in these initial pictures it makes a grand appearance in the finished project.

This is my finished board the picture doesn't do it justice. I have to say I love my board its inspiring and exciting.


This is the mess I made . . .I enjoyed every moment of it.

Happiness Homework

I signed up for a community education class that started last Tuesday. The class is called Creating Happiness: Law of Attraction. As I have only attended one class its hard to explain just what the class is all about other then putting into practice the art of being happy. Of course it is acknowledged that people aren't happy all of the time. Your happiness is your responsibility and nobody elses. We were assigned to think about what makes us happy and come back this week and share. Of course I wrote down what makes me happy and I thought I would share with my blog readers (this is only a glimps of what makes me happy). I also challenge you all to think about what makes you happy.

What Makes Me Happy...
Music-because its an expression of all the emotions that touch my soul
Singing
My family and friends - the support and love they give me is infinate
Making people smile and laugh
Accomplishing my health goals
Nurturing and caring for others
Paying my bills
My job and my co-workers (seriously I have a great job and work with awesome people!)
My Mazda Protege aka Baby
Good books that inspire me to be the best version of me and encourage me to grow
Having the ability to create and share my creations with others
My body, all my senses, my moving limbs, my voice
Laughing until I "weeze" or can't breathe
Movies
Pajama Days
Traveling and seeing other places. Learning what makes these places and its people special.
Learning
Watching documentaries on PBS about subjects that I may not have ever been exposed to otherwise
Getting letters, cards and magazines in the mail
Smell of bubble gum and pepermint gum
Having a place to live and food to eat
Knowing I am not alone in this universe
Having a sense of community and commonality with human kind
Knowing that a broken heart can't kill me
Hope
Faith in myself
Hugs
Smiles from strangers
Being able to afford to decorate my home
Ice Cream especially chocolate peanut butter cup blizzards from Dairy Queen
Confidence
My clothes being to big for me because I have lost inches
Seasons
Cloud watching
Sunsets
Love and peace of mind make me the most happy