Friday's Special Moment of Gratitude

Simplicity is about subtracting the obvious and adding the meaningful.”                                                     ― John Maeda, The Laws of Simplicity: Design, Technology, Business,Life

For some reason it seems like the next few weeks are going to be really busy and could get complicated.  So I have decided to set an intention to simplify things for the month of August.  As a young girl I used to love to sit on the front porch and read during the summer.  The days were long and it seemed like everything slowed down.  Now, things still move at a fast pace if I let them. So this month I am going to slow down and let go of anything that is not necessary.  I am going to enjoy the sounds of the crickets and watch for lightening bugs. I am going to spend time with family and friends, enjoy my grandchildren, and paint a simple picture each day.  Before I add an activity to my day I am going to stop and ask myself, "Is this meaningful?  Will it make me laugh"  "Does it help someone else?"  "Will it make a difference in my life or the life of someone else?   "Does it sound like fun?"  If I can't answer yes to most or all of the questions, I not sure why I would need to add the activity to my day.  It should be interesting to see how the month goes when I take the time to analyze exactly how I spend my time.

Just closing my eyes and picturing a calm summer month filled with beautiful flowers, fresh fruits and vegetables, and cool evening breezes sounds perfect.  I know that life can't always be perfect but I do believe that I can continue to take tiny steps each day to create a life that is filled with simple but beautiful experiences.  I invite you to join me in creating and experiencing an old fashioned summer!

One thing that I will not change is my practice of sharing what I am grateful for each week. It is so easy to overlook all of the wonderful things that happen each day and this practice helps me not to do that.  My husband has a chronic lung disorder which he handles very well.  This week we went to a dinner for people who have Pulmonary Hypertension which is a rare disease. The room was filled with people of all ages who are fighting this disease and the complications that come with it.  The doctors came to discuss the disease and there was a patient who spoke about her experience.  Not that I am expert but most of what they said I have heard before.  But the thing that stands out in my mind was the wonderful attitude of everyone who was there. They laughed, they shared ideas as well as their personal strategies to make life easier.  They supported each other with their smiles, their stories and most of all their laughter.  It was a wonderful uplifting meeting and for that I am very grateful.

                     Each Friday I join the many artists at Paint Party Friday.  It is a perfect way to start the weekend.

                 When you share your talent and your dreams with the world magic happens.  Let the magic begin!