“Summertime and the living is easy”? Maybe not so much…
Summer can produce mega stress with the kids out of school and a list of “Summer Fun” activities that keep you on the road more hours than the UPS man! Add to that, basket upon laundry basket of sweaty Tee’s and underwear; outdoor plants and gardens that need tending to; dirty dogs with fleas; sky-high gas prices dampening promised vacations; water bills that make you want to dig wells, visits from out-of-towners on their vacation; cooking on the grill; keeping the hummingbird feeder full; mowing the grass; severe thunderstorms that zap your PC and keep your nerves on edge; trying on bathing suits with 3-way mirrors; the summer kid swap with your “ex” and mosquito bites on top of sunburn…
Good grief! All this summer “fun” makes the chaos of the Christmas season look like a swing in the hammock!
And speaking of hammocks, when was the last time you rested your weary bones in one or any other comfy thing for that matter? When was the last time you did something nice for yourself? Write down what it was and how long it has been since then:
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I imagine you just created a pretty short list of event(s) and that they took place some time ago, right?
Now look at my list of 50 Fun Ideas To Give Yourself A Lift and with no guilt, excuses or reasons why not to, pick one that appeals to you. Then copy the sentence below on a piece of paper, fill in the blanks and then tape the paper to your bathroom mirror.
“This week on (write the specific day of the week) ______________,
I am going to__________________________.”
50 Fun Ideas To Give Yourself A Lift!
1. Go card shopping - mail one to a friend and one to yourself.
2. Ask the manicurist to glue a gem on your pinky nail.
3. Take any kind of a “first class free” class.
4. Buy yourself some flowers at the grocery store.
5. Lie on a blanket and stare up at the sky.
6. Sit outside in the sun, close your eyes and listen to the birds.
7. Drive to the closest body of water and splash!
8. Pick out some fancy stationery to write on.
9. Visit to an upscale market, drink the complimentary coffee and try all the
food samples.
10. Plant some garden bulbs in a tight group.
11. Brush your hair 100 times.
12. Start a project with a friend – scrapbooking, knitting…
13. Take a train ride.
14. Go roller or ice skating.
15. Subscribe to a new, fun magazine.
16. Make yourself a hot fudge banana split with whipped cream, nuts and a cherry
on top!
17. Light every single candle in the house.
18. Drive to a new neighborhood then get out and walk it.
19. Read something worthless while you get a pedicure.
20. Sing in the shower! Loud!!
21. Go to a pet store and hold the bunnies.
22. Go to the animal rescue league and bring home a friend.
23. Order a gourmet sandwich you have never tried before and eat it at a picnic
table.
24. Invite a friend to join you for “formal” coffee wearing a hat and gloves.
25. Go to a beauty school and get a facial…
Want to see the other 25? Great! Shoot me an e-mail at thebloomlady@gmail.com and I’ll send them to you right away! I’ll also add you to my list of Column Friends so you can start receiving my column and our more-or-less quarterly newsletter.
Remember: Stressed spelled backward equals desserts - and you deserve some!Choose to change things with a new attitude that says, "I'm worth taking good care of!", and begin taking time for some summertime fun just for YOU!
And smile! God loves you.
Showing posts with label change. Show all posts
Showing posts with label change. Show all posts
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Monday, July 11, 2011
Give Your Heart A Home
Have you ever noticed how the drive to a place you have never been before seems longer than the return trip along the same route? I experienced this phenomenon on a recent trip to Lake City, SC. The unfamiliar roads twisted and turned for seemingly endless miles with only the robotic voice of my GPS leading the way. I wish my GPS knew how to give what my husband calls “girl directions”. Instead of simply stating, “Continue on SC Route 134 for 46 miles”, it would say something like: “Turn right and then stay on 134 for about half an hour or so. You can go fast past all the corn fields but slow down after that. When you get to the big stop sign and blinking caution light you will see a building on the left with a red tin roof. Be sure to stop and browse, because they have great hostess gifts!” Don’t get me wrong. I am very thankful for my GPS. Without it the police at the speed traps after the corn fields would more than likely have been out on a “search and rescue” mission trying to find me!.
Joining other friends I took my seat in a comfortable wooden pew and opened the program inscribed, “In Loving Memory of Milne Eaddy”. Milne is the mother of a dear friend who is also a member of a small group of women known as the Tuesday Girls. The name was derived from the days we lived on the coast of South Carolina and met each Tuesday for prayer and topical Bible studies. Separated now by time and space, we continue the tradition by gathering once a year for a time of rest and reflection and would never miss being together in times of celebration or sorrow.
Reading the order of the service, I was struck by the number of family members participating. The prelude was played by a beloved granddaughter, the presiding pastor was a newly ordained nephew and the eulogy was given by another granddaughter. It was this granddaughter who most deeply touched me with her words.
“I am a military wife and, because of that, I have not been able to be with my Grandmother as often as I would have liked. She knew that and she knew it was hard for me to be away from her. So, whenever we talked she never ended our conversation without reminding me that, though I may be separated from my family, nothing could separate me from the love of God. She would tell me to remember the words of the children’s song, Jesus Loves Me and never said good bye without reminding me she loved me too”. With quivering hands and a lump in her throat, the beautiful young woman at the podium concluded by saying, “The love of my Grandmother and her reminders of God’s love for me has helped me be a good military wife.”
Driving home on the now semi-familiar route, time seemed to fly even as a steady rain added water hazards to my journey. I reflected on the words of my friend’s daughter based on the Biblical truth of Romans 8:38-39. They could have well been my own. “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” No matter where life takes you, with or without military orders, when you know the love of Jesus your heart will always have a home.
Joining other friends I took my seat in a comfortable wooden pew and opened the program inscribed, “In Loving Memory of Milne Eaddy”. Milne is the mother of a dear friend who is also a member of a small group of women known as the Tuesday Girls. The name was derived from the days we lived on the coast of South Carolina and met each Tuesday for prayer and topical Bible studies. Separated now by time and space, we continue the tradition by gathering once a year for a time of rest and reflection and would never miss being together in times of celebration or sorrow.
Reading the order of the service, I was struck by the number of family members participating. The prelude was played by a beloved granddaughter, the presiding pastor was a newly ordained nephew and the eulogy was given by another granddaughter. It was this granddaughter who most deeply touched me with her words.
“I am a military wife and, because of that, I have not been able to be with my Grandmother as often as I would have liked. She knew that and she knew it was hard for me to be away from her. So, whenever we talked she never ended our conversation without reminding me that, though I may be separated from my family, nothing could separate me from the love of God. She would tell me to remember the words of the children’s song, Jesus Loves Me and never said good bye without reminding me she loved me too”. With quivering hands and a lump in her throat, the beautiful young woman at the podium concluded by saying, “The love of my Grandmother and her reminders of God’s love for me has helped me be a good military wife.”
Driving home on the now semi-familiar route, time seemed to fly even as a steady rain added water hazards to my journey. I reflected on the words of my friend’s daughter based on the Biblical truth of Romans 8:38-39. They could have well been my own. “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” No matter where life takes you, with or without military orders, when you know the love of Jesus your heart will always have a home.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)