Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘General Reflections’ Category

Abundant Life

Posted in General Reflections, Goat Care (and General Farm), Health, Inspirations, tagged , , , , on December 6, 2009| 14 Comments »

No matter who you are…a busy individual  running a business…a student cramming for exams…a parent caring for youngsters…no matter your degree of busyness, I hope you remember to stop and enjoy the simple things in life. 

The simple things are the abundance’s that have been given to us. 

My kitchen is full of windows, one nearly spans the back wall.   From it I can see my shop and a bird feeder.

This morning I noticed birds watching the feeder from afar…many beautiful hungry birds…intent on seeing when “the human” was going to fill their feeder with seed.

And then, I saw the red-headed woodpecker.  He was a big young man.  As if he knew I was trying to take a picture, he flew off each time I silently inched towards the window. 

He made several trips to the feeder.  With a mouth full of seed or corn, he would fly over to the electric pole.  He carefully climbed the pole and placed his harvest inside the pole’s crevices and splits.  Delightful…smart creature! He was happy.  He knew his abundances.

Most of the birds had flown each time I took a picture…but a few remained in the lilac bushes.

Have a beautiful day…please savor your abundances, the smallest of things in life!

“Whatever we are waiting for- peace of mind, contentment, grace, the inner awareness of simple abundance – it will surely come to us, but only when we are ready to receive it with an open and grateful heart.” – Sarah Ban Brethnach

Read Full Post »

Drought Prevention, Not Just For Trees

Posted in General Reflections, Health, Inspirations, tagged , , , on December 3, 2009| 12 Comments »

Rainy December Day

Have you ever been busy enough to barely notice the rain? Have you ever laughed enough to not notice the darkness during a short winter-type of day?

Rain, it is something nature seems to require more of during the hot summer months, verses late fall when the deluge appears to check in for the long haul.  The fact is, trees can die in the winter months from a lack of water just as easily as they can during a parched summer season.  A drought can be reversed during any month of the year.

We, as humans, are in need of life-sustaining water as well.  We can experience inner-droughts.  But I am really not reflecting on the water that we drink to keep our bodies ticking.  I am referring to the life-sustaining laughter and happiness that we require. 

Do you know someone who is internally shriveled up, filled with bitterness, no longer able to see the break in the clouds, no longer able to laugh even during the darkest of days? I have.  I would love to give them a drink of the good water, to nourish their minds and souls.  Purge the ugly thoughts that seem to envelope them.  End their drought…their lack of hope.  

Do you think we need to remember that our bodies need replenishing too, not only with wet water, with spiritual water, to prevent an inner-drought? Do you think we can focus on love, laughter, humanity and gratefulness despite the dark days? The tree sustains itself during the darkest of months, renewing itself just in time for the dry summer months, should we do the same?

Read Full Post »

Refusing To Dwell On The Negative

Posted in General Reflections, Inspirations, tagged , on November 15, 2009| 9 Comments »

dairy goat buck

Bosco - Happy Go Lucky

I looked at the photo of Bosco and noticed his war scrapes.  He has been through it all with larger bucks, and stood tall.  Despite the fight to survive with the giants, he continues to seek out love and attention, and he offers it readily.  He is one healthy guy both in body and spirit.

He does not wear a pair of rose tinted glasses.  He looks through his own eyes with awe, loving every moment he is alive.

In the goat world Bosco is popular.  In the human world he would not be so much.

It isn’t so popular to be polite, positive and encouraging. 

Do I care?

Yes and no!

I feel sorry for people that are negative.  I feel sorry that do not see the wealth of their own lives.  I listen, but I do no dwell.  I cannot surround myself with those thoughts.

I refuse to dwell on the negative. 

I refuse to remain angry.  Anger happens in a flash, so does frustration, and the same goes for dissapointment.  All human emotions that we were given to us upon conception.  We learn from our emotions.  It is good to turn emotion into something that builds strength, builds stanima, and makes us a better person.  Emotion is valuable based on what we do with it.

I am happy to be a part of the non-popular, on-purpose, happy group.  If I have to stand alone (I don’t), then I will.  To the end.

I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.   Philippians 4:11-13

Read Full Post »

American Made

Posted in General Reflections, tagged , on November 14, 2009| 9 Comments »

americanflag patrioticon.org

I bought a couple of pairs of blue jeans this week, my favorite brand, Levi’s.  Comfort and quality, and jeans that seem to fit my middle-aged figure a bit better.

I do not buy clothing often.  I am a jeans, t-shirt, sweatshirt, type of gal.  When I buy something new I find myself looking carefully at the tags, sometimes looking at where they were made after I arrive home with my purchases. 

My two new pairs of jeans were made in Sri Lanka and Turkmeniston.  Curiosity stepped in.  I looked at some of my older Levi tags.  Made in Columbia, Brazil, Mexico and Cambodia.  I stopped looking at that point.

Nothing said made in America. 

Why is that?

We speculate that American workers are all about money. 

I recently joined in on a discussion about motivating employees.  The talk went all over the place, left to right, top to bottom.  I said motivation comes from a person’s own personal passion.  Some said motivation comes from money, and nothing less these days.  Personally, money would not motivate me.  If I disliked what I was doing, no amount of money would make me feel any different. 

Would you purchase jeans that were made in America, pay more for them, to ensure the worker received their $29.99 per hour, verses the seamstress in Sri Lanka that is likely receiving $3.00 an hour, and I pray that they are not a child!

Many of us think Levi’s originated in the United States.  They did, by a Loeb Strauss, who was german born.  He developed the company “Levi Strauss & Co”.  Mr. Strauss immigrated to the United States in 1829.  Some say the original jeans fabric came from France. 

I found an interesting website AmericansWorking.com as I began thinking about American made clothing and products.  The website lists many types of products that are made on American soil.  I found a company that makes clothing and jeans, All American Clothing Company.  Their jeans look rather attractive, surprisingly they only run about $10.00 more per pair than Levi’s. 

Do I have a problem with clothing made anywhere but the United States? No.  But I am concerned about the trade balance.  I read up on that topic a few days ago.  We import a lot more than we export in this country!

I look at how many people are out of work in our country.  I look at the unemployment rate in our county alone.  I look at what we can do to keep people in work, right here, in our country.  And I wonder…how do we resolve this? How do we get ourselves back to being proud, proud to say, this is American made?

Read Full Post »

Connections

Posted in General Reflections, tagged , , on November 11, 2009| 18 Comments »

united-states-map

I listened in on a conversation between friends a few days ago.

One friend said, “I think the Internet is great for research, for learning about things, but I do not think it is right for people to be able to connect with each other as readily as they do across thousands of miles.  I do not think that is the way things were supposed to be.” 

Normally I chime right in, say how I feel.  But I remained quiet.  As shocking as this might sound, I was lost for words.

For whatever reason, tonight I stared at a map of the United States.  And then I remembered the conversation.

I looked at the map and thought about our connections.  We really are scattered about.  Far and wide.  But are we?

I thought about how we learn from each other.  How we share in bits and pieces of our daily lives.  How we can operate a business from home, doing what we love, holding onto our dreams. 

I think about my friends that do ministry work online.

I cannot fathom any of that being a bad thing.

I feel rather blessed.

How about you?

Read Full Post »

Have You Ever Lost Your Go-Juice?

Posted in General Reflections, Inspirations, tagged , , on November 11, 2009| 5 Comments »

1254559889XYHfKU stockvault.net

Have you ever lost your go-juice?

The scenario:  you are going full speed ahead, grinding through the long to-do list for the day.  All at once you slide into the break down lane.  You find yourself saying, “I cannot do any more.  I am here for repairs!” The go-juice has leaked from your engine.

Last week I wrote two posts, When 24 Hours Is Not Enough (here) and Bringing The Balance Back Into A Busy Life (here).  Unanimously, the comments circled around keeping lists, learning to say no, getting off of the merry-go-round, doing what is most important, and letting the rest go. 

I said I would share my organization “system.”  Warning, it is VERY dry reading!

I keep a Franklin Covey planner.  Daily activities are broken down into 3 sections – a short daily task list, an appointment schedule, and a new list of notes throughout the day.

The planner also contains what I refer to as the “long list.”  It contains tasks that I may not be able to complete that day.  The tasks are color coded:  pink-must do as soon as possible, yellow-very important but not top priority, blue-important but can be done at a later date.  I also keep a shopping list (for the business), an inventory list (for the business), and a wish-list.  What is a wish-list? Websites that I want to visit, books I want to read, places I want to visit, things I want to look at, things that are not important at all…except to my own well-being.

When the “short” daily to-do list is too long, when I feel overwhelmed, I select 3 items that has to be done that day, only 3.  I mark them with a hi-liter to ensure I stay focused.  When the 3 tasks are done I feel tremendous! It works. I accomplish what I set out to do!

The most important thing to do is not procrastinate.  I cannot put off the “worst of tasks.”  When something important is put on the back burner it comes back and bites me in the rear.  Putting off a task of low importance, I often find to be helpful.  I end up glad that I didn’t do it to begin with.  It is like an idea that you tuck away.  You do not forget it, but something better eventually comes along!

Last week, I was in the middle of a busy task filled day when I ground to a halt in the emergency lane.  The go-juice was gone.  The brain went to mush. 

The break-down repair ticket contained orders such as dropping what was not necessary, taking a long walk, calling someone I love, and deliberately scheduling time for enjoyment. 

The biggest thing I did was to become very aware of what I was doing that was not necessary.  I scheduled email time, scheduled blog time, scheduled soap shop time, and deliberately stepped away from everything that was not going to make or break my day.  When busy, a person has to be deliberate…it makes for a much healthier being!

I plan/hope to stay out of the emergency lane for a while!

Read Full Post »

Abandoned Buildings – Hope For Lives

Posted in General Reflections, tagged , on November 8, 2009| 9 Comments »

 

stockvault.net for sale

A few days ago my husband and I hit the road for the day.  He was making cold calls for prospective clients.  I enjoyed the scenery.  I love the harvest season!

As the drive progressed I noticed more and more abandoned buildings and houses.   

It is apparent that people and businesses simply pulled up the stakes.  Left.  Moved on to, hopefully, a better place in their lives.

For sale signs everywhere.  Older signs had been replaced with newer ones.

I am not depressed over what I saw.  I am just hopeful for the people involved. 

I checked a few minutes ago on our county unemployment rate.  I stopped watching the figures when they neared 13%.  The latest report states 15.3%.  Wow.

A friend approached me a month ago, asking if I could use some help.  Her normal hours are being cut drastically.  She works in a retail location.  I explained that I run my company myself.  I can use some help.  Yes, I can! Can I afford to pay anyone right now? No.  I wish I could.  If I could, I would definitely hire her first.  And if I could, I would hire the poor folks that need the help in the worst sort of way.  I cannot.  Bet your bottom dollar, I feel like being generous.  I work hard here.  I keep my nose to the grindstone.  But looks can be deceiving, this is tough for all of us! As I told my husband yesterday, “It is a blessing that one of us is working!”

All I can do is pray for you. 

Obviously I do not get out of the area often.  I go ten miles in either direction, that’s about it.  Such a site to see, and I am glad I saw it.  Not glad for what is happening, glad that I know.

I hope help and change comes soon.  There is hope.

 

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. —Jeremiah 29:11

 

 

 

 

 

Read Full Post »

Speech Writing For Dummies

Posted in General Reflections, tagged , on November 5, 2009| 12 Comments »

openphoto.net

Do I really know how to write a speech? No.  But I am doing it.

It has been 8 years since I have talked about anything other than general conversation in front of a group larger than a handful of people.

I met a local woman recently when she stopped at my house to promote her new business.  We ended up hitting it off.  Before we ended our hour-long conversation she asked if I would be interested in doing a couple of local speaking engagements.  Gulp.  I said yes.

As she walked away, she said, very nonchalantly, “Oh…I want you to talk about your entrepreneurship skills.” 

Are you giggling with me? I cannot say entrepreneurship, much less discuss it.

I am doing the gig today.

I have been writing.  I have been writing lists, lists of things that I need to get accomplished, like we talked about here and here.  I’ll discuss that later…I am on a study, and your comments are part of it.  The rest of the writing has been an outline of the speech.

I had no idea where to start.  But the ink flowed.  Now I feel compelled to share with you what I learned while speech writing:

  • Determine what you are going to talk about.
  • Make an initial outline.
  • Copy greater details into your 2nd outline.
  • Read the speech several times.  Then, stand up and speak it.  Practice.  Practice.  Practice.
  • Do not read to your audience, speak.
  • You can talk about yourself, your business, but keep it interesting.
  • Turn your speech into a learning situation for the audience members.  Give them something to think about, or something to learn from.
  • Do not drone on.  Throw in short sentences.  Use expression.
  • Thank the audience for their hospitality.
  • Toss in something fun.  Put something of interest in front of the audience for them to wonder about during your speech.  For example, at the conclusion, I am going to throw out a few goat and soap related questions and give soap and lotion samples for participation. 

Remember, it isn’t about making money, or any other self-gain, it is about the community knowing what you do.  Knowing that you are there.  It is what they get from you, not what you get from them!

Wish me luck.  Am I nervous?  For some reason, no. 

This is a lot different from my career when I taught the departmental technical procedures.  It is a lot different from writing manuals.  It is a lot different from attending corporate meetings. 

I have never actually done this beofre.

But I can do it, sure I can!

By the way…I need all of the prayers I can get.  Tee hee!

Read Full Post »

Bringing The Balance Back Into A Busy Life

Posted in General Reflections, Inspirations, tagged , , on November 4, 2009| 11 Comments »

bigphoto.com

As you sift through the daily list of things to do, do you find yourself wanting to set the work aside? Do you vision yourself pushing away from the computer? Could you possibly be so bold to consider turning off the cell phone?

We are definitely a world full of list makers.  Lists that guide us through each and every day.

As elaborate and carefully put together our lists are, some of us are better than others at working a balance into our lives.

Is balance in life important? 

Busyness in life does not segregate itself into a few of life’s roles.  Power to the homemaker that has learned to say “no.”  By example, perhaps she can help the business owner that feels he nearly needs to work around the clock.  And what about the woman that reports to the corporate job each day? She drags herself to the laptop, even working from home on the days she is too sick to travel to the office. 

We can block off the calendar to show others that we are not available during a certain period of time, to ensure we get work done in our office, can we do the same for our personal lives? 

Some say their minds are healthier, they accomplish more when they simply say, “Enough is enough.”  Does shutting the work day down lead to procrastination? Or does it lead to a fresh start, accomplishments that abound once we return to work?

I know, some of these questions are “no-brainers.”  But we do not always listen to our brains, we ignore our wills, even though they are screaming out to us, “Stop this ride!”

At what point do you “stop the ride?”

Do you take charge and pull the brake?

Do you come to a screeching halt, just when you cannot possibly take it any longer? Or do you plan for a smooth stop?

Read Full Post »

When 24 Hours Is Not Enough

Posted in General Reflections, Inspirations, tagged , , , on November 2, 2009| 23 Comments »

Indecision

Do you ever feel as if there is not enough time in a day to get everything done that you want to do?

I’ll reword the question just slightly. 

Are there times when you feel that you cannot accomplish what you need to do?

I am there at times.  As hard as I try, I am there more frequently than I would like (or like to admit).

What about you? What do you do when the list is longer than a day, or perhaps longer than several days?

Do you make a list and prioritize?

Do you pray?

Do you walk away, take a break?

Do you say humorous things like, “Stick a fork in me, I’m done!”

What do I do? I make a list.  If I end up making a list that is fairly daunting in size, I hi-lite 3 items on that list.  If I accomplish those 3 crucial items that day, I accomplished what I set out to do.  It was obatainable, and it felt good. 

But it isn’t always that perfect or simple, is it?

What do you think? Before I say more…I am curious about your initial thoughts.  Who knows, you may change the discussion path completely!

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »

Design a site like this with WordPress.com
Get started