Carpe Diem

How I turned a potentially bad day into a great day.

I woke up early this morning from a very bad nightmare. You know the ones where you are screaming and screaming in the dream but in reality you can’t move or make a sound? Yes, I woke up from one of those and my fiancé wasn’t in the bed next to me. I was stricken with panic, but luckily she was just getting dressed at the foot of the bed and was able to come help me calm down. I told her about the nightmare (She said it was a night terror) and I cried in her arms. Then I realized that she had to go to work (a 14 hour shift, so I would be alone all day) and I curled up in the bed and tried to fall back to sleep while I was still creeped out by the dream. I was able to get back to sleep, but I woke up feeling off and not in the best mood. I could just tell it was going to be a bad day for me.

I stumbled out of bed and made my way to the bathroom to brush my teeth and get ready for the day, but I was hit with a thought. Why did I decide to have a bad day? That’s Right, by resigning myself to having a bad day I was making a choice to go along with whatever the day had in store for me. I was not going to just sit by and let negative things happen to me all day long, I was going to take the fate of my day into my own hands and make it a good day. No, a Great Day!

With my new positive attitude I thought of things I’d like to do with my free time today. Besides the few chores I had to do such as washing and folding laundry, cleaning the litter box, and washing dishes, I had a nice chunk of free time to work with.

The first thing I did was call my fiancé and talk to her while she was at work. It’s always a great pick me up being able to talk to her, so I called and we talked for a few minutes. Feeling slightly invigorated, I looked around the room I was in and realized I hadn’t been wearing my wedding heals for a while. I am supposed to wear them a few times a week so I can get used to them before the wedding. Well, I pulled the box over to me and I put on my shoes and admired them. I love the way these heals make my legs and bum look sexy, and they make me so tall. Putting these on instantly changed my perspective by not only making me physically see everything from a different angle, but also because they make me feel attractive, and when you feel attractive you look attractive, and that helps improve your mood and your outlook on life.

With my heals on, I decided I’d make myself a special breakfast as a treat, so I clicked over to the stove and started making my new recipe for Peaches & Cream Oatmeal. It’s the much Healthier, Gluten Free, Refined Sugar Free, Vegan version of the peaches & cream oatmeal that comes in those variety boxes of instant oatmeal. With my yummy and healthy breakfast in hand I sat outside on the back porch and enjoyed the peaceful morning. I don’t often get to relax and eat a leisurely breakfast because usually I have work or errands to do, so today I sat back and relaxed while enjoying the beautiful Autum-y weather we have been having recently.

Being outside made me want to go for a long walk since I have been too busy or too tired to go for a long walk this year, so I cleaned up my morning dishes and I changed into my workout clothes. I used to walk from our house to Horn Pond and walk around it and back. It’s about a 3-4 mile walk, but I haven’t had a chance to do it at all this year because of my new job and planning the wedding. So I got excited for the chance to go. ‘This was going to be fun!’ And after I said that to myself I realized, I have already changed my outlook on the whole day, just by doing a few simple things I had already turned a negative thought into a positive one!

It was getting close to lunchtime so I packed a picnic bento (a few of my favorite things, picnics and making bentos) and I went out for a 2 hour and 45 minute walk. While I was out I took my time to look at my surroundings and enjoy being in nature. I ended up taking a lot of pictures and taking a lot of paths/trails I have not taken before. It was amazing. The weather was warm and there was a wonderful breeze that just washed away all my cares and concerns.

 As I was heading home I noticed my brain/body urging me to move faster and get home sooner so I could get things done, but I stopped myself and took a few deep breaths. I ignored the urging to hurry up and I took my time. I kept telling myself ‘this is my time, and I do not need to rush home because I have plenty of time to get things done. They are not important at this very moment’. And instead of taking the quickest route home I took a path that was slightly longer but was more woodsy and away from the street. On the path I saw a small bunny with a white diamond on its forehead. I felt so blessed to have seen such a beautiful sight. I would have missed it if I had rushed home.

When I did get home I was getting hungry for dinner so I decided I’d make myself a big healthy dinner to round out my day. I wanted to try making an alternative bun/less burger, so I grabbed the eggplant that has been sitting in the refrigerator and I sliced it into thick pieces. I tossed them and my veggie burger on the grill and ended up making a super delicious, satisfying, and very filling dinner.

Anyway, I am now sitting and relaxing while writing this out because I wanted to share how my potentially bad day was turned into a wonderful day. All I did was change my attitude and slow down. It’s that easy. Instead of getting frustrated over my camera not working properly, I took my time to figure out how to fix the issue. Instead of stressing out over the unfinished chores, I took my time and I got to the chores when it was time for them (Right after I finish writing this.). Instead of complaining about being in pain from my long walk I did some stretches, took a Tylenol and I sat down to relax.

Now I realize that you cannot take a whole day off from life every time you feel stressed out. That is impractical and improbable. But what you can learn from this is to slow down and things will get done. If you are rushing to get things done they will not be done properly, and end up taking longer to fix it. Also, don’t resign yourself to having a bad day. If you expect bad things to happen, then they will happen. But if you start your day off expecting great things then great things are more likely to happen.

I hope my story inspires you to Seize the Day, and to be more Positive. :) Blessed Be!

10 Tips to Change Your Life

These tips are from CharmingPixieFlora, (You may remember I posted a video of hers a while back). Anyway, she has been an inspiration to me, and watching her videos has helped me change my life for the better. I have also learned a lot about Paganism from her, and she inspires me and reminds me to connect with the earth more as well as connect with the Goddess and the God more often.

These tips were on her website/blog M. Flora Peterson and I thought I'd share them with you in hopes that it could help you change your life for the better as well.

1. Appreciate all that you have in life – The more you look at what you do have in life; your health, friends, a paying job, etc.. .it is easier to see how much you truly do have to be appreciative of.  It can make your problems seem not so big.
2. Be very clear about what you want in life – Do you want more free time, more money, to travel, etc…?  Once you get clear about what you want in life it is easier to achieve it.
3. Write down your goals – Only 8% of the population has goals and only 3% write them down. That 3% are the most successful people in the world.
4. Commit to your goals – Once you realize where you are in life, what you want, and have goals, commit to making them happen by taking baby steps towards them.
5. Give yourself a break – No one is perfect, we are all Spiritual beings having a human experience.  Allow yourselves to make mistakes or “discoveries” every now and then.
6. Aim for Harmony instead of Balance in your life – Balance can be nearly impossible to find in modern society and most experts agree that it can’t be achieved.  Aiming for harmony is as simple as allowing things to ebb and flow of the lime light of your life knowing when to put things center stage or have them waiting in the wings.
7. Create a Spiritual Practice in your life – Whether it is sitting in a temple for an hour of meditation, reading a great book, or walking outside looking up at the stars; create a time in your day to connect with your Spirit and the Divine source in your life.  Doing so will help to bring a sense of 'centeredness' in your day and in your mind.
8. Find some “Spiritual Running Buddies” - When you have people in your life that support your goals and dreams, you will all benefit!  Allow yourself to open up to the few individuals that will support your Spirit!   
9. Expect Great Things - When you begin your day Expecting great things, that is when you can create miracles every day. Try this for a few weeks and see how your life changes for the better.
10. Perform Random Acts of Kindness – This is the quickest way I have found to shift your life, your thoughts,  your energy and your outlook. Hands down!  If you are having a bad day or just want to see things differently, give someone all the cash you have in your wallet and see the look on their face.  Walk into a restaurant and pay for someone’s meal.  When you experience that shift in energy your entire perspective about your day shifts! It truly is a blessing! 

 I hope you are able to get some inspiration or some clarity from these tips. Change is good, and being afraid of changing will only leave you stuck in the same rut for the rest of your life. If you are unhappy with something in your life, you have the power to change it. Don't wait for someone else to do it for you because that may never happen. And if you rely on other people to do the work for you, you most likely will not like the outcome.  

Blessed Be!

Martian Triangle & the Magic of Wishes

I took a long walk tonight, and just as I was getting home (at 9pm) I happened to be looking at the night sky and saw a beautiful and bright triangle. I could tell part of the triangle was the planet Mars, but I did not know what the other two were.
I made a wish (like I always do when I see bright stars and planets in the night sky) and I went inside to look up what it was I saw.

Apparently this is called the Martian Triangle, and it is made up of the Planets Mars and Saturn, and Spica the Brightest Star of Virgo's Constellation. I wish I had known more about this because I would have done research and figured out what kind of magic could be preformed.

One thing I like to do when I see a bright star or a planet in the night sky is make a wish.
You might know the childhood rhyme:

I have said this rhyme since my mother taught me many many years ago. I have found that many of the wishes I made on stars have come true, so I continue to say the rhyme and make my wish to this very day.

Although in more recent years I have turned my wish into more of a prayer, and I thank the Goddess and the God after I make my wish.

Wishes are a type of magic that has to do with intent. When you make a wish you are sending out the energy into the universe, and that energy starts a domino effect that can help make your wish come true.

Although, what you wished for might not come to you in the form you expect. You need to be open with your wishes because if you are too specific about what you are wishing for, you will be expecting only one outcome. Then when your wish doesn't come true you think it didn't work. But what really happened was that you expected a certain outcome and were not open the other ways your wish could have been granted.

Also, you need to be careful with what you wish for. If you wish something with negative intent, that negative energy will come back to you times three.

I apologize if this post seems rambling or jumbled, it wasn't thought out because it was last minute.