Yesterday when Empress and I went out we took her old car, the blue one I sometimes drive. It has had MUCH work done to it by her father, as well as a variety of other mechanics and fixing-type professionals. It’s not a fancy vehicle, just an old Ford, but when it works, it works great. Right now it’s not* GREAT, but it’s better than the Wee Walnut.
*He believes it’s a malfunctioning spark plug wire, which he’ll get to. Eventually. As soon as he can.
Unfortunately I may have tainted it with my boggy self elf by spending so much time driving it around town. She noticed when we first sat down that there were sprouted things coming up from under one of the floormats. Obviously we had to take a picture of this!
not a mushroom, but close
We took a few shots, this one is the best. (Right, I know that’s a subjective term.) Can you see the small green shoot right next to my phone? This made us both laugh. No, it’s not QUITE as leaky as my car, but it is also not entirely sealed either. Hey, we live in a very wet place! Precisely why everything is so colorful. Sure, much of it is mold, and mildew. Just how it goes. Taking the good with the bad.
Last night I continued on with our Exceptional Life book, every other second I wanted to share so much of it with you guys. Every page of this tiny tome has some golden nugget of fabulousness! This time, specifically, they are talking about dissolving habits that are serving no positive purpose. (You’ll notice that I did not say “breaking bad habits” because that just is NOT what this is about.)
Falling into a negative frame of mind IS habitual. We stress and fret, constantly complaining about having no choices while simultaneously clinging to every small bit of (supposed ) control we can find. “When we worry, we repeat our worries over and over again until we have thoroughly frightened ourselves.” And by that time we’ve carved a groove deep into our brain with all that negativity, turning it into a beacon for even MORE garbage to fall on us.
So we find those areas where we are battling, and instead of trying to smash a part of who we are (because those habits ARE us), we aim towards dissolving them. Using focused intent, kindness, loving acceptance of our imperfections and limitations, all the while doing something on the positive side to balance out that newly formed void. “When you affirm your intentions and take action, you align yourself with Universal energy, inviting Life to rise up and meet you.”
They recommend we begin with the following to get us started.
“I gratefully accept all the good I have in my life now.
Life loves me and provides for me.
I trust Life to take care of me.
I am worthy of abundance.
Life always provides for my needs.
Abundance flows into my life in surprising ways every day.
My income is constantly increasing.
I prosper wherever I turn.”
The suggestion is that we copy this down someplace. By hand. Into a notebook, on a Post It, within our journal, or hell, on the back of an old used envelope like I did. Yes, you can ALSO type it out and/or click print. But first, WRITE it.
The very action of using your pen (pencil, crayon, Sharpie, lipstick, doesn’t matter) and making the shapes of the letters as you say it to yourself is part of the process. Involve yourself on all levels: body, mind, and spirit.
Which has kind of been a theme around here lately, every bit of NEW crap that I’m seeing and hearing and knowing, has had an aspect of all three dimensions. Even our card it like that today.
“Rejuvenation ~
Get a good night’s sleep.
Rejuvenate your body, mind, and spirit.”
I showed Emmy the card a few minutes ago and she jokingly asked, “we’re supposed to sleep in a shell?” Ha, no. I wish! Now THAT is a place I could call home. Some illustrations just call out to me. This is one of them. (If we look past the naked lady.)
One more important point, on taking care of ourselves and on living an Exceptional Life. Feelings. We must honor them. Acknowledge them. In the book they tell us that in order for affirmations to work their very best we need to allow our emotions to be registered and accepted. “Ultimately, it is the alignment of head and heart which creates the alchemy that gives your affirmations power.”
We are encouraged to pay attention to our initial reaction to a negative situation, allow ourselves to feel the natural emotions that come up. It’s a valuable point, and I totally agree. We’ve talked about this here before too. Living honestly means feeling honestly as well. The examples I’ve been reading about span all parts of life, work relationships, significant others, parents and kids, all ways that we interact with others.
So often we have accepted these troubles as just the way it is. But if we address them straight on, dissolve our negativity, practice our affirmations, and then simply let go, all the elements mesh. The Universe listens and the lesson is smooth. We are able to walk away with a smile.
Wanna see what made me smile today? Of course you do. The Daily Dog, with his girl (who was trying to take a nap after a long, tiring day of making beloved pets look beautiful).
(Annoying them with my camera Taking pictures of them both did NOT help her rest. Right, I’ll try to remember that. But come on, aren’t they both so lovely?)
Today’s Deck:
Self-Care Cards by Cheryl Richardson
Foreign License Plate (and side-panel) Report:
Wisconsin, Virginia, BC (wave, wave), Nebraska, and a simple white van that had something I’ve never seen painted on it (Mobile Meditation Services ~ Quartz Singing Bowls).
LateNight NOT Mystery:
we have a new deck in route! I won a gift card over at Kewl Kate’s place so I used it to order us another set from the Crystal Oracle guy. Just got an e-mail saying it had shipped.
