Author: purposejoyandpositives

PURPOSE, JOY AND POSITIVES is a blog created to promote thoughts and ideas about gaining clearer PURPOSE in our lives, JOY in who we are and what we do, and sustaining POSITIVES. We are all on the journey called 'life' which has many paths for each of us. Sometimes, the path is clearer with PURPOSE and more JOY filled than others. Often, there will be crossroads........again we must chose. May our choices be about a fulfilling PURPOSE, JOY in the simple and profound, and abundant POSITIVES to sustain us on the journey. PJP

PURPOSE, JOY AND POSITIVES

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For me this picture speaks tranquility. The water is calm and the boats appear to be aimlessly floating along.  As I was sitting this morning with this view, I was contemplating when I feel most tranquil. The answers included  when I am in Yoga, painting,  with my grandkids, or viewing the ocean and hearing the waves softly lap at the shore. Yoga relaxes me completely and I usually am in the moment on my mat with a clear intention for the day. Painting brings forth my creativity with color and imagination of beauty; I can get lost in my picture for hours. The grandkids provide a different kind of tranquility; of course, it   is not always tranquil. The most tranquil time with them is when I am reading a book to them and they are  literally wrapped around me, or if I happen to be at their homes and get to tuck them in after their prayers.

These are simple moments of  JOY,  calm and a feeling of being ‘right with self and the world’. It isn’t about appearances, what money can buy,  where one might travel, or the pursuit of anything.  It is that inner place of  freedom from anxiety, doubt, or  stress one can get to when all other worldly distractions are set aside. One’s heart and mind can just be. Sometimes, we have to intentionally chose to find this place.

“It is in your power to withdraw yourself whenever you desire. Perfect tranquility within consists in the good ordering of the mind, the realm of your own.” (Marcus Aurelius)

What brings you tranquility?

 

 

PURPOSE, JOY AND POSITIVES

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TODAY IS A GIFT: THAT MEANS EVERY DAY

I begin my day with prayer, meditation, and voicing gratitude. This routine helps me get focused and move forward with POSITIVES. When I skip this step of my day or it gets put on the back burner until later in the afternoon, I feel unsettled. The day is just off. By the same token, I end my day by going over in my mind what I accomplished, my plan for tomorrow, and expressing what I am most grateful for that day. Sometimes it is not a list of accomplishments for the day though. It is more like: did I do anything special for someone today?  Did I do anything hurtful today? Did I do my best today? Simple questions, yet the answers reflect whether I valued this day as a ‘gift’ , or did the day just roll into some moments, with little to be said for how I spent those moments. We always think ‘oh there is tomorrow’. But in reality, what if there isn’t tomorrow and you only have today? Wouldn’t you want to use all those moments in the day to bring  JOY into your life and those around you? Harder to do some days than others! Yes, I agree. However, we can each strive to make those moments count and relish them as a gift, opening it gently, savoring the wrapping, and treasuring the contents.

“Today will never come again. Be a Blessing. Be a friend. Encourage someone. Take time to care. Let your words heal and not wound.” (Tejas Patel)

What did your day feel like? Was it a gift to you? Can you make tomorrow a gift?

 

 

PURPOSE, JOY AND POSITIVES

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Plugged in and then there is SUPER plugged in!

Yesterday in my watercolor class, my instructor mentioned that she noticed I was having difficulty unplugging. She was spot on: my fingers just couldn’t wrap around that pencil to sketch, and I could not envision something to paint! Not my normal approach in this creative class that I truly enjoy. The suggestion from her was to just grab the pencil, put a simple picture of tulips in front of me, and do a 10 minute timed sketch. Next, move to a 15 minute timed painting of the drawing, skipping detail for the moment. I think my response was a blank stare with the thought running through my head ‘no way is this going to happen’. Guess what? I did it; in  fact, I did it twice, taking about 30 minutes altogether.

As soon as I finished this project, I noticed that my body actually felt lighter; my mood was uplifted. My thought was ‘what was going on before?’ So on my drive home, I reflected about the experience. I realized that I have been SUPER plugged in for about the last two months. Because I had been busy  caring for a family member with health issues, I had been skipping Yoga and Art Class, skipping personal time for my own interests, and then visiting out-of-town for two weeks. No wonder my persona came across as being SUPER plugged in. Interestingly, the greatest lesson for me was the change I actually felt in my body, once I unplugged and let myself get back into the moment of creating art. A good reminder for me to remember how important it is from time to time to unplug and detach yourself from the often consistent, never-ending responsibilities one has in life. I believe this  unplugging is vital to your JOY.

“Each person deserves a day away in which no problems are confronted, no solutions searched for. Each of us needs to withdraw from the cares which will not withdraw from us.” (Maya Angelou)

Maybe one cannot always start with a whole day away, but what about just one hour each day for  your personal invigoration. Try it for a week and see if what you feel.

PURPOSE, JOY AND POSITIVES

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A beautiful bouquet of roses specifically chosen for  a special occasion! The tiny original vivid red buds opened into lovely, well – defined petals, one upon the other.  Each rose needs water, lots of water if freshly cut, to sustain the form and to keep them alive. Once the roses have fully opened, they have about seven days to bring  JOY to the receiver. Then they will fade away.

Our memories in many ways are like this bouquet. Some memories remain little buds and never really take form: perhaps the triggering events for those memories happened too long ago. Other memories are defining memories, sweet or painful,  which were the product of a significant event/s  in our life;  other thoughts impinge on those memories, one at time, layer by layer, until a ‘story in our head’ quietly unfolds. The story is so vivid in our mind, as vivid as the bright red color of the roses. To sustain the story, we have to keep the memory alive, nourished by our thoughts and creations of our mind. Perhaps the memories are a way to move forward from where we are; perhaps certain memories no longer serve a good PURPOSE for our well – being. And so, we chose to let go  of them.

The reality is that we have many memories floating around in our heads linked to notable events in our lives. The more significant the event, the more poignant and numerous are the memories. We are not able to sustain them all, so we must pick and choose what we wish to remember, making peace with the memories. I believe that it is better to have those chosen memories, than not to have them. Without the memories, what would we have missed in life?

“Time and memory are true artists: they remould reality nearer to the heart’s desire”. (John Dewey)

Which memories no longer serve good PURPOSE? Which memories will you choose to keep and nurture that bring you JOY?

 

 

 

PURPOSE, JOY AND POSITIVES

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Ah yes, the sounds of school!  After being gone for a week or so from my volunteering at school (volunteers can take a vacation!), I found myself reveling in the sights and sounds at school. I have always loved going to school as a student, as a teacher, as a parent, and now as a volunteer.  The bell rings; the PA announcements come over loud and clear; students trying ever so hard to be relatively quiet as they pass through the hall; laughter from the play ground; and cheering coming from the gym as one team or the other wins!

Even greater is the quiet sound of learning as these young minds take in information, store it, share it, and retrieve it when called upon. The books make no sound, unless accidentally dropped, and yet they have much to say. There are stories to tell, facts to be learned, connections to be made,and hopefully enjoyment from the JOY of reading and learning. Sometimes, believe it or not, I toy with the idea of going back to school to ‘learn something new’. Truthfully though, how many degrees does one need when they are already in semi-retirement??

The greatest sound and one that brings me JOY and fulfills my PURPOSE of the day is when I go into a classroom to get one of my students and other students  say:  ‘Is it my  turn today?’  It makes me smile and warms my heart!

Have you visited a school recently? If not, and you love learning, I encourage you to do just that. Later, reminisce about how you felt when you finished your visit.

“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn”. (Benjamin Franklin).

 

PURPOSE, JOY AND POSITIVES

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Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day. This is my favorite thought about LOVE.

1 Corinthians 13: 4-7

“Love is always patient and kind; love is never jealous; love is not boastful or conceited, it is never rude and never seeks its own advantage, it does not take offence or store up grievances. Love does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but finds its joy in the truth. It is always ready to make allowances, to trust, to hope and to endure whatever comes”.

May you have a day filled with love and JOY with those who are special in your life.

PURPOSE, JOY AND POSITIVES

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We have all heard the statement that a child’s work is play. Children play at everything from running from you, making magic mounds with their food,  pretending to be sleeping at nap time…….silently or overtly giggling every time they ‘spoof’ you. Somewhere along the way,  we adults loose the inclination to play. We are so busy working and achieving that the word play becomes obsolete in our vocabularies.

As a grandmother, I have rediscovered the JOY of playing. Hide and go seek seems to have reinvented itself and the favorite hiding place is behind the curtain. Playing in the water, splashing each other reminds me of when I used to do that as a kid. Catching lightening bugs and putting them in a jar was an after supper fun thing to do back in the day. A few years ago, I became aware that the grandkids were now starting to get into board or word games….Cupcake, Junior Monopoly, and  Zingo are some of their top choices. ( I have a small supply of duplicate games at my house).  They always have to teach me the ‘rules’ because I am an adult: how could I possibly know them? And do they make you PLAY by the rules!

Often as adults, we need to remind ourselves that it is certainly okay, even GOOD to remember to play. We might need to give ourselves ‘permission to play’.  George Bernard Shaw is credited with: ” We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing”. Think about that: play makes you laugh, feel light hearted, and like a kid again. It should bring you JOY!

Try adding a play date each week with a friend, sibling, significant other, spouse or anyone who will say ‘yes, let’s do it!’.  How did it feel?

P.S. Playing games on the technology devices does not count!

PURPOSE, JOY AND POSITIVES

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As I sat after completing my daily prayer and mediation, I gazed out across the gulf (on vacation)  and thought about the analogy between life and the ocean. The tide comes in and goes out on a regular prescribed basis, much as our natural breath that sustains life does……..it is not under our voluntary control. Sometimes, the water is calm so we don’t even notice little ripples here and there. Events in our life happen and the path takes shape with only an occasional ruffling of our feathers by some miniscule events, which overall don’t affect the big scheme of things.  Other times, unexpected events in life are pretty rough patches that come crashing in, much as the sudden squall with vicious waves hurling themselves against the shore. It may be all we can do at these times to ‘hold our own’ so the proverbial ship doesn’t go down with us in it. We survive the high waves, allow the calm to return, and yet the course of the journey may need to change. We might even choose to adjust/realign our PURPOSE.  Growth and change might only come about because of those high waves we figured out how to navigate and by giving ourselves the time needed to calm and realign.

“The ocean stirs the heart, inspires the imagination, and brings eternal JOY to the soul.” ( Robert Wyland )

How are you doing with the ripples, waves and calms of your life ocean?

 

 

PURPOSE, JOY AND POSITIVES

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Yesterday at Yoga, our instructor focused on the word ‘contentment’,  and suggested that contentment is all in one’s perspective. As I started thinking about it over the last 24 hours, I defined contentment differently at various stages in life.  Teenage contentment might come when a driver’s license and high school graduation are obtained; moving from there into perhaps vocational/college degrees being completed, thus leading to the first career job.  Career accomplishments, purchasing the first home, choosing a husband/wife, and building a family all hold significant feelings of contentment. Life keeps marching on with both its ups and downs, sometimes with contentment just out of reach, and other times, it might feel like WOW, life is so good!

All of this being said, I think that the key to real contentment lies deep within and is only reflected as we obtain these milestones in life. It is the reflection of our own inner way of approaching life …….the old proverbial half empty or half full glass! Ultimately, the way we feel about ourselves, our identification with our PURPOSE in life as we see it, and how we go about growing and further advancing our individual PURPOSE will show up in our level of contentment.  However, it is more than this. I believe it is really about what’s in your heart. Gratefulness, humility, and peace lend themselves well to contentment, no matter what the outward accomplishment may or may not be at any given stage in our lives. From this we can find peace and JOY!

“A grateful heart is a beginning of greatness. It is an expression of humility. It is a foundation for the development of such virtues as prayer, faith, courage, contentment, happiness, love, and well being.” (James E. Faust)

 

 

 

 

 

PURPOSE, JOY AND POSITIVES

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Sometimes we might find our train of thought rushing full speed into the territory of  ‘oh, if only I had done this or have made a different choice, things possibly/probably would be different today’.  This type of thought process may come to the forefront after a disappointment, a frustrating day (or week), or when we see others doing greater things than we perceive ourselves doing. The challenge with this is that our past, present nor our future will ever be ‘picture perfect’. Indeed, our life reflections from time to time may include less than GREAT thoughts about the past. However, that is just it……..those events are past. The PURPOSE they serve is to learn from them, live with PURPOSE in the present, and find JOY in today.

“The past is a place of reference, not a place of residence; the past is a place of learning, not a place of living.” (Roy T. Bennett)

Think POSITIVE; find JOY!