Life Chooses the Music, You Choose the Dance

 

"We can't always choose the music life plays for us,

But we can choose how we dance to it."

Kate B Jackson

Dancing Your Way through Life

Life offers us a variety of tunes to dance to--

some fun, some spirited, some challenging.

It's up to us to choose the best steps and 

the best path to nimbly maneuver around life's dance floor.

Two years ago, when life tossed the breast cancer dance 

my way it was time for me to face the music. 

I tap danced my way through treatment, knowing while 

I certainly didn't choose this music, 

I got to choose how I wanted to dance to it. 

And for me, the only choice was to dance through it 

in an upbeat, flowing and strong tempo. 

Find Your Garden of Hope 

to Ease You thru Difficult Times

In our garden of hope, 

our healing spirits gather

to plant the seeds of courage and light.

Our healing spirits build stepping stones

leading us softly on our journey with ease.

Find your garden of hope.

"Happiness has spread like peanut butter, thick upon me,

penetrating and soothing my rattled heart."  Lee Bryant

Happiness can Coexist with Tough Times

Despite my challenge with cancer,

"happiness spread like peanut butter, thick upon me,

penetrating and soothing my rattled heart".

How is that even possible? How could I be

happy while dealing with cancer?

Because that is where I choose to live, and that is 

what gets me through the tough times.

"We  must endure what we cannot escape." Mark Nepo

Accepting 'I must endure what I cannot escape', 

and choosing to live in the 'in-between' 

where rest and recovery reside 

are two major contributors to my upbeat state of mind.

Through life's difficult challenges 

I've learned to find ways to calm and focus myself

when the natural fear and anxiety arise, 

and I've learned to call upon my strength 

and resiliency to help me through. 

Striving to keep myself calm and focused, 

along with the support from my community assures 

happiness spreads like peanut butter, thick upon me, 

to penetrate and soothe my rattled heart despite the difficulties.

We all need a respite from worry and anxiety.

If you're going through difficult times, 

stop thinking about your troubles when you're able--

even if its for mere moments. 

Let the good things in life wrap you 

in a comforting embrace where you can rest for awhile.

Keep your focus on things that calm and center you.

Distract yourself with things you love and enjoy.

For me, doing art, listening to relaxation tapes, 

and walking my dog on the trail are all therapeutic

avenues helping to calm and focus my attention

on what's good in my life in the present moment. 

"So, if you are too tired to speak, sit next to me,

because I, too, am fluent in silence." R Arnold

Silence is Golden 

To harness my inner strength when I'm going 

through challenging times, I manage my time with others.

'Silence is golden' are words to live by when we

need to gather our strength from within to 

'endure what we cannot escape'.

We do not always need to talk. Sometimes we just

need to sit in silence with others.

If you're struggling with with the tough stuff in life,

balance your need for silence with your need for support.

Friends and family are very understanding when you let them

know you need your downtime and silence, and that 

you may not respond promptly to phone calls.

Be Calm

"Learn to be still in the midst of activity

and to be vividly in repose."

Indira Gandhi

Your Inner Blessings

"May the light of your soul guide you.

May the light of your soul bless the work you do

with the secret love and warmth of your heart.

May the day never burden you."

Kimonui Holgen

Accept all prayers, blessings and energy work

sent your way from others. You have everything

you need within you to get through the tough times,

and all the blessings from others enhances your

inner strength and courage to endure and thrive.

Lightarted Living: We Carry our Burden until Suddenly We Laugh and Pu...

Lightarted Living: We Carry our Burden until Suddenly We Laugh and Pu...:  

We Carry our Burden until Suddenly We Laugh and Put it Down

 

"We carry our burden on and on, until one day, suddenly we laugh and set it down upon the ground." Muriel Strode

Keep ON Keeping ON

With each new challenge we face the key for overcoming it is 'to keep on keeping on until suddenly, one day we laugh and set it down on the ground'.

No one is immune from life's challenges. And each challenge we face has the strength to stop us in our tracks. No matter.

When it's your time to deal, sit in whatever you're dealing with until you're ready to move on. Then take a step, and then another one until one day you'll laugh and set your burden down on the ground.

You are never alone in your healing journey. Good spirits surround you caring for you. Rest. Be calm. Let the unseen healing forces work for you while you sleep. You are safe.

Always keep on keeping on.

You are strong.

You are healthy.

You are resilient.

You are healing.

You are loved.

You are safe.

We Carry our Burden until Suddenly We Laugh and Put it Down

 

"We carry our burden on and on, until one day, suddenly we laugh and set it down upon the ground." Muriel Strode

Keep ON Keeping ON

With each new challenge we face the key for overcoming it is 'to keep on keeping on until suddenly, one day we laugh and set it down on the ground'.

No one is immune from life's challenges. And each challenge we face has the strength to stop us in our tracks. No matter.

When it's your time to deal, sit in whatever you're dealing with until you're ready to move on. Then take a step, and then another one until one day you'll laugh and set your burden down on the ground.

You are never alone in your healing journey. Good spirits surround you caring for you. Rest. Be calm. Let the unseen healing forces work for you while you sleep. You are safe.

Always keep on keeping on.

You are strong.

You are healthy.

You are resilient.

You are healing.

You are loved.

You are safe.

Lightarted Living: Stop Anticipating the Worst

Lightarted Living: Stop Anticipating the Worst: 

Stop Anticipating the Worst

Stop Anticipating the Worst

What challenging experience have you been through lately? 

What's had you holding your breath?

 Are you still carrying fear and anxiety with you

 long after the issue resolved?

Stop anticipating the worst. 

Climb the mountain, don't carry it. 

Get on with enjoying life.

 

Let Go

"These mountains that you are carrying,

You were only supposed to climb."

Najwa Zebian

Put it Down

What Are You Waiting For?

You climbed the mountain. 

What are you waiting for?

Stop holding your Breath.

Breathe deeply and enjoy the view.

Time to get on with enjoying life.

All is Well

Let Go

Stop Anticipating the Worst

Stop Anticipating the Worst

What challenging experience have you been through lately? 

What's had you holding your breath?

 Are you still carrying fear and anxiety with you

 long after the issue resolved?

Stop anticipating the worst. 

Climb the mountain, don't carry it. 

Get on with enjoying life.

 

Let Go

"These mountains that you are carrying,

You were only supposed to climb."

Najwa Zebian

Put it Down

What Are You Waiting For?

You climbed the mountain. 

What are you waiting for?

Stop holding your Breath.

Breathe deeply and enjoy the view.

Time to get on with enjoying life.

All is Well

Let Go

Lightarted Living: Becoming More Upbeat

Lightarted Living: Becoming More Upbeat:  

Becoming More Upbeat

 

What Sets Upbeat People Apart?

Face it--some days you wake up ready to enthusiastically dive into the day, while other days you wake feeling the need for a pep talk. 

Upbeat people are no different in that regard. They too experience the full gamut of emotions and difficult life experiences. And some days upbeat people need a pep talk too.

What sets upbeat people apart is they have a low tolerance for sitting too long in the doldrums of life before they jump into actions steering them into a more positive frame of mind. 

Upbeat people assess the difficult situations and their options, and then do what they must do to improve their chances for achieving the most positive outcomes. 

Upbeat people's thinking and acting habits put them in control of things that matter most to them.  They trust they always have another action to take that empowers them and lifts their spirits.

The Upbeat Realist

You might think upbeat people live in La La Land and see with rose-colored glasses. But upbeat people are just realists who struggle to find the best way to get through the tougher times in life faster. 

Upbeat people accept the realities of life and find a way to deal with them.

Before you're quick to to accept you're not an upbeat person, ask yourself if you'd like to live your life more upbeat than not. If you desire to be more upbeat most of the time, a small tweak in your behavior is all that's required.

Becoming the Upbeat Person You're Meant to Be

What are the small tweaks you can make in your approach to life to become a more upbeat person?

💓Turn your disappointment into a time for active discovery.  Take Action.
💙Take positive actions without concern for the outcome. Don't think about it; just do it.
💚Turn failure into learning experiences. 
💛During the tough times, do what you must do without dwelling on it.  Step into the water at high tide.
💜Find a way to endure what you cannot escape. Develop a go-to mantra or affirmation to get you started when things go awry. 

Decide on the most important course of action and begin. Once you begin, keep going.

Finding 'The Happy' in the Delicate Dance of Life Unfolding

I've enjoyed an ongoing dialogue for years with my sister-in-law, Lee, about LIFE unfolding. She sends me a mantra, I send her a picture of LIFE unfolding with her mantra in it. She sends me a photo of peonies unfolding and more renditions of her mantra and I send her a new picture out of her peonies with new affirmations. 

When you DO SOMETHING with a mantra or affirmation, you instill a positive frame of mind into a dynamic way of living making it easier to be upbeat faster.

Let your life surprise you. Try out one of Lee's unfolding affirmations below or create one of your own. Choose your upbeat and life affirming mantra, and then live it.

Life is unfolding in a relaxed and peaceful way.

LIfe is unfolding in the most humorous way.

Life unfolds with great ease and calm.

Life unfolds in the most delightful and centered way, with many happy surprises!

Everything is playing out in the most happy and delight-filled way

Happiness has spread like peanut butter thick upon me, penetrating and soothing my rattled heart. 

Becoming More Upbeat

 

What Sets Upbeat People Apart?

Face it--some days you wake up ready to enthusiastically dive into the day, while other days you wake feeling the need for a pep talk. 

Upbeat people are no different in that regard. They too experience the full gamut of emotions and difficult life experiences. And some days upbeat people need a pep talk too.

What sets upbeat people apart is they have a low tolerance for sitting too long in the doldrums of life before they jump into actions steering them into a more positive frame of mind. 

Upbeat people assess the difficult situations and their options, and then do what they must do to improve their chances for achieving the most positive outcomes. 

Upbeat people's thinking and acting habits put them in control of things that matter most to them.  They trust they always have another action to take that empowers them and lifts their spirits.

The Upbeat Realist

You might think upbeat people live in La La Land and see with rose-colored glasses. But upbeat people are just realists who struggle to find the best way to get through the tougher times in life faster. 

Upbeat people accept the realities of life and find a way to deal with them.

Before you're quick to to accept you're not an upbeat person, ask yourself if you'd like to live your life more upbeat than not. If you desire to be more upbeat most of the time, a small tweak in your behavior is all that's required.

Becoming the Upbeat Person You're Meant to Be

What are the small tweaks you can make in your approach to life to become a more upbeat person?

💓Turn your disappointment into a time for active discovery.  Take Action.
💙Take positive actions without concern for the outcome. Don't think about it; just do it.
💚Turn failure into learning experiences. 
💛During the tough times, do what you must do without dwelling on it.  Step into the water at high tide.
💜Find a way to endure what you cannot escape. Develop a go-to mantra or affirmation to get you started when things go awry. 

Decide on the most important course of action and begin. Once you begin, keep going.

Finding 'The Happy' in the Delicate Dance of Life Unfolding

I've enjoyed an ongoing dialogue for years with my sister-in-law, Lee, about LIFE unfolding. She sends me a mantra, I send her a picture of LIFE unfolding with her mantra in it. She sends me a photo of peonies unfolding and more renditions of her mantra and I send her a new picture out of her peonies with new affirmations. 

When you DO SOMETHING with a mantra or affirmation, you instill a positive frame of mind into a dynamic way of living making it easier to be upbeat faster.

Let your life surprise you. Try out one of Lee's unfolding affirmations below or create one of your own. Choose your upbeat and life affirming mantra, and then live it.

Life is unfolding in a relaxed and peaceful way.

LIfe is unfolding in the most humorous way.

Life unfolds with great ease and calm.

Life unfolds in the most delightful and centered way, with many happy surprises!

Everything is playing out in the most happy and delight-filled way

Happiness has spread like peanut butter thick upon me, penetrating and soothing my rattled heart.