I Choose The Jeep

In a world filled with grueling traffic, aggressive drivers, flat tires and cracked windshields, it's nice to see a positive message on the road every once in a while.

Last week, as I was driving to Qdoba's for "Dollar Taco Tuesday" day with my friends from work, I noticed a bumper sticker on a bright yellow jeep that said "The Meaning of Life is to LIVE IT." Below the sticker, the license place said "NJYLIFE"... Enjoy life!

When I saw "NJYLIVE", it reminded me of two others I noticed on the highways recently, "HGURKDS" (Hug Your Kids) and "PEACENU" (Peace In You.) It's interesting how these inspiring messages can refocus your attention to more important things in life, instead of grumbling about the guy who doesn't use a turn signal or the chic who just ran a red light while talking on a cell phone. These three license plates remind me of the importance of my family and make me thankful for the abundance of blessings in my life.

What a stark difference that peaceful feeling was to the one I felt when a monstrous, black truck with shaded windows and jacked up tires came barreling through traffic the other day, it's 6-foot long antennae swinging wildly. The truck was plastered with confederate flags, deer-hunter symbols, profane stickers about guns and country, and threats of violence for getting too close to it's bumper.

Theories of an apocalypse-type of event occurring in the year 2012 are starting to emerge and I can't help but wonder, "what if". What if all communication ceased, what if grocery stores were completely out of food, what if we were the survivors of a catastrophic world event? Amidst all the scenarios that run through my mind, I keep coming back to the yellow jeep and the black truck. If we did survive, it is my great hope that I survive with the yellow jeep folks.

On my own car, I have a bumper sticker that says "Breathe Deeply." One day, after dropping my daughter off at school, the gym coach who directs traffic stopped me and said, "I love your bumper sticker! I always tell my kids that it's so important to breathe deeply, to keep breathing - it helps us stay calm and resolve conflict. I love seeing your car in the morning, it's a great reminder!"

I truly believe that our actions and words have a chain reaction in this life. A kind word, a smile, an act of assistance to another can help create a more positive world. I'm so grateful for the yellow jeep and all the cars that spread peace and joy among us. We need it!

Satisfied Soul

There is this wonderful little magazine I get every month called The Daily Word. It has a little affirmation, a few paragraphs of explanation, and a simple, inspiring bible reference. What amazes me about the Daily Word is how often it just addresses every little concern I have almost every day!

This weekend was one of those... you know, challenges. I had been feeling anxious about things, unsettled and distracted. There are a million plans I have for the year and so many things I want to see be a success. But, Monday morning comes, I get my little book out and what do you know... "Satisfied Soul" is my phrase for the day and what a perfect intervention at a perfect time:

"Instead of continually thinking of what I need or want, I give thanks for what I have already been given."

As I was pondering this delightful phrase... "Satisfied Soul" (I feel like the wind is blowing over a great, misty landscape everytime I say it!), I remembered another thought that got me through a particularly difficult time in my life, when I was so anxious for change I was about to burst:

"I have the patience of 10,000 years."

Our minister said this once, when talking about change. It's along the same lines as "Letting Go" and not trying to force things into place. Whenever I say that phrase in my head, I feel a rush of absolute peace, and interestingly enough, a sense of knowing that everything is going to be okay. I don't need to try to fix it now. When the time comes, I will know exactly what to do.

And so, my Satisfied Soul reaches out to other souls who might need a little peace... a little bit of knowing that everything is going to be okay. If you're a praying person, please offer up a prayer for these two lovely ladies. If you're not a praying person, maybe just an affirmation of positive healing energy for them:

BJ at Sweet Nothings for her surgery and 3 other very ill patients that passed her in the hospital
Kat at Just a Beach Kat who is hoping she won't need surgery on her hand

May blessings, peace and satisfaction surround your heart and settle on your soul! May you have the patience of 10,000 years! May you know that everything, yes - everything, is going to be okay...

(P.S. The above picture was taken on a walk we took this weekend. See more on Sunniviews!)

Oh, Christmas Tree!

Last weekend we headed out to our local hardware store right after Thanksgiving and bought our Christmas tree. I always like to start this process early in the season. There have been times in the past that we've waited too long to get our tree and there are slim pickings on the lots. Just like Charlie Brown, I feel sorry for the slightly imperfect trees that are left behind. I think one year I even chose one of those poor trees on purpose because I just couldn't imagine it going to the dump without one beautiful Christmas bulb to grace it's pretty little spindly tree limbs!

The fluffy evergreens were lined up in abundant rows this year and we were lucky to find the perfect tree right off the bat. Our daughter was excited to help get it wrapped up put in the car. The scent of pine surrounded us and we sang Christmas carols all the way home.

What's even more exciting than finding the perfect tree is bringing down all the Christmas boxes from the attic and unpacking them for another season. My daughter announced that this is her favorite... going through all the special little treasures we've collected through the years - in addition to bringing down her little pink shimmering tree we put in her room every year. I also have a tradition of my own - heading out to the after-season sales and buying a special something for the next year. My pleasant little purchase from last year was a box of beautiful red and purple tear drop shaped bulbs with sparkling gold swirlies. Fabulous!

My absolute favorite part about decorating the Christmas tree is sitting in the dark after it's finished as it shines in all its lovely, peaceful glory. A Christmas tree, to me, seems like a giant beautifully decorated nightlight - jam packed with items that bring back the most delightful memories of the past. 'How lovely are thy branches' indeed!

What a joy this time of year is! The start of wonderful, magical things to come!

True Inspiration

My daughter takes a wonderful clogging class at a little dance studio down the road. This is her second year. When the new season started this fall, we didn't buy her new shoes. I kinda thought she'd be okay for awhile but felt it looming in the distance. It was one of those vague things that hangs around the back of your mind like fog and never really materializes. I just kept forgetting!

Until about 3 weeks ago when she started complaining that her toes hurt. The signs for used clogging shoes had disappeared from the studio walls by then and I had heart palpitations just thinking about the cost of new ones. But I knew we had to do something - my daughter started taking off her shoes in class and was clogging in socks!

So my husband made a several calls and found a discount place south of town. Of course we got lost trying to find the it, making illegal u-turns on dirt roads and frantically getting directions on cell phones. They closed at 5:00 and we got there one minute before.

Fortunately the proprietors were an older couple who didn't mind staying open a little longer for frantic parents of a clogger! They were so nice. For 25 years they had their own clogging team that toured the east coast. With great expertise they fitted her little happy dancing feet. As a bonus, they not only had the clogging taps in stock, but hammered them on for us in the back! We were so relieved and my daughter was hopping around like a jumping bean from excitement (she does that a lot!)

With such a huge weight lifted from my shoulders, I stopped for gas on the way home. As I was standing there enjoying the crisp fall air and watching the sun set in the distance, I happened to notice the sign beneath the gas prices that usually announce the store discounts on sodas and potato chips. Here is what it said...

BUILD YOUR LIFE AROUND THOSE WHO MATTER

I took a deep breath of the chilly autumn air and said a prayer of gratitude for such blessings. Not just for the shoes or for the wonderful couple that we just met, but also for the owners of a gas station who choose to inspire rather than promote. And how amazing it was to see such true inspiration at the end of hectic day.

Peaceful Donuts

How lovely is it that our local Krispy Kreme donut shop is located on Peace Street? Could there be anything more perfect then a fresh, tasty donut and a rich cup of hot coffee early on a sunny morning, placidly placed on a street named Peace? I would say that's just about as peaceful as it gets! Makes me want plop down below the sign amidst the delicious smells of frying dough and meditate.

The neat thing about this particular Krispy Kreme is that it's one of the main distribution sites, so you can watch the donuts being made. We love watching them travel on the assembly line, evolving really, from just a piece of blobby dough to its final confection.

I have to say that I've always had a struggle deciding between Krispy Kreme and Dunkin Donuts. KK has the delicious glazed creme filled donut while DD has the scrumptious powdered vanilla creme. Difficult decision. But luckily this is not one of my daily obsessions - yes, so many other things to fill my mind with, but sometimes it's just fun. Especially on a bright sunny morning on Peace Street!