Avoidance

Have you ever done a bunch of dumb things to avoid something you knew had to be done?  Instead of jumping with both feet towards our dreams, we avoid it by....eating donuts, playing video games, watching a movie, eating donuts, checking on all our Facebook friends, writing a blog.....  None of things are wrong, but if done simply to avoid something else, they can't truly be enjoyed.

If we have a dream we're going after, but aren't sure how to get there -- wouldn't it be better to sit down and map out a plan than to run to Home Depot to remodel the bathroom?  While the bathroom project may be necessary, after it's completed, the details of the big dream still haven't been solved.  In this case, Breath-taking Bathroom = Disorganized Dream.

Let's say we made our New Year's resolution to lose weight, but we never join a gym, buy vegetables, seek out a plan that works, find support or get rid of the Cheetos -- instead we go to the local animal shelter and get a cat.  Hurray for saving the cat's life, but what about our life?   We get an immediate feel-good, but still haven't dealt with the long term needs.

It's hard to be human.  We feel feelings.  Feelings don't always feel good.  Love is amazing, but a broken heart can kill us.  Maybe it's easier to eat than to feel lonely?  But, maybe, if we took the time to feel our feelings, we could deal with them.  Maybe really feeling loneliness could lead to action which brings internal comfort.  Maybe actually confronting the disappointment in the mirror can lead to the true desire to change.

New Blog Design

Nothing profound, but check out my new blog design! I had fun creating it. I wanted something easier on the eyes and pretty.

Six Feet to Food

I have to be honest. I don't think I could ever make it as a giraffe. I think I would have died in birth.

First, the mama giraffe has to remain standing during the birth. If she sits, she'll crush the baby. What this means is that poor baby giraffe has a SIX FOOT drop to the ground when it's born....head first, I might add.

Second, baby giraffes are generally standing on their new legs within 30 minutes. Uh, yeah, because that's where the food is. It's not like when human babies get handed to their moms, cozy, wrapped-up and laying in our arms. Nope. Mama's up high. It has to work for it.

Let's review. Hit the ground with my head from a six-foot drop, then I have to work like crazy to get my new legs to work...in order to eat. No time to rest, get used to the light of the world, the feel of the grass...simply survival of the most determined.

Well, on second thought, we may be more like that baby giraffe than I thought. We have goals, dreams and desires that feel like they are outside of our reach. We may feel like we've been dropped on our heads with only four wobbly legs as tools. Let's take heart and follow the way of the baby giraffe. Our life may be at stake.

* Squeamish Warning: Actual giraffe birth with head-drop and wobbly legs - not exactly 'pretty'*

What's in a Name?

I briefly met a woman recently whom I see every day. I performed my usual smile and nod, but after I met her, I added a little half wave too. About a week after our introduction, we walked past each other and she said my name in her greeting. I was truly shocked...and then touched. She remembered me.

Names are identities. We might not love our parents' choice or maybe hate when people misspell it, but it identifies who we are on a certain level - one that separates us from the majority.

Want to inspire and encourage someone today? Say their name. They may also need a good inspirational quote or a thoughtful compliment, but when you match that with what identifies them as unique, it makes it personal.

Classic example: watch You've Got Mail again (as if we need an excuse, right?!) and watch the scene with Tom Hanks in the grocery store where he convinces the store employee, Rose, to do something she didn't initially want to do. It's a beautiful example of identifying with a stranger by using their name.