Coffee Chat: ALL the Possibilities!

I am very much a New Year's glass FULL sort of woman and every thing, absolutely every thing is possible.  My Katie, whom I love for her quiet wisdom, tends to be more realistic.  She is prone to remind everyone who spouts off their resolutions that they will be the same person on New Year's day that they are on New Year's Eve.  She's got her point.  We aren't changing a thing if we're so caught up in talking or writing or daydreaming about changes that we aren't doing them.  I've learned to prefer action over day dreams.  I've seen my youngest daughter's wisdom in her too too truthful statement. 

It was action that pushed us last year to get so much accomplished to improve our home.  The decluttering, organizing, refurbishing, sacrificing wants for carpeting and tile and shed, putting in the labor to slowly put in a few feet of mulched flower bed each month, etc. were all positive changes.  I looked about my home on New Year's day this year and said to John, "I LIKE our house now..."  I didn't hate it before, but this past year I learned to move beyond just being grateful for it, and appreciating it, to really LIKING it.  What's more the house itself seems to recognize this fact, though you may think I'm silly for saying so.  There is an atmosphere and energy connected with homes and ours most certainly has responded to the care we put into it this past year and has become a peaceful, positive, upbeat place.

What helped us along this past year, I believe, was my adherence to the sound advice on a scrap of paper torn from a magazine at an unknown point which came to earth one morning as I moved a stack of papers.  "Start where you are, use what you have, do what you can."  It was a motivator for me all year long.  Every time I got discouraged or wanted to quit, thought I couldn't do something because I hadn't any money, I'd say those words over to myself and get busy.  More got done last year than I believed possible.  And so this year, I've looked and looked for an inspiration phrase to motivate me as that one did last year. I have, at this point, most assuredly 'started'.   It's continuing this journey that interests me most. 



I won't look for a new phrase to use this year, but continue to use the one that served me so very well in 2016, focusing harder on the parts that read "USE WHAT YOU HAVE. DO WHAT YOU CAN."   Some mottos are just worth having around.  I often use Rhonda's motto "If you do stuff, stuff gets done" when I feel the least motivated.  And Katie made me a sign that reads "There's always something to be grateful for.." which I think is truer than true even in the worst of times, so I think often of those things for which I'm grateful.  These are mottos worth living by I reckon and good enough for another year or twenty.

The first of the year does find many people resolving to do better in some area or other of their lives but too many seldom DO.  They might start out gung ho, but odds are by the end of January (who are we kidding?  the first WEEK of January is usually the end of resolutions!) they have forgotten all those good intentions they went into the new year with.  I blame this partly on unrealistic expectations of themselves.  They make radical changes that are vastly uncomfortable and completely against the reality of their life and  soon fall away from their resolve to do anything at all differently. 

I learned to look hard at what I wanted to change and WHY and then cast aside the daydream and look at the reality.   I might dream of an English cottage but I can't change the fact that I live in a rectangular mobile home without  any of the wonderful adornments of an English cottage or even the possibilities of being one.  BUT I've seen many attractive mobile homes, rendered so by lovely landscaping and neat additions (like our porches) and so that is what I focus upon. 

The key thing to remember is that change is a process.  Some changes ARE forced upon us.  We lose a job or a partner or we have a health crisis and we HAVE to do things radically different.  Those times are never ever easy.  That forced change often brings with it grieving and anger and a lot of consequences.  When we're uncomfortable with the changes we introduce ourselves, it's best to take it slow.  I found that taking small steps towards a goal always worked better. I won't tell you I made 100% of my goals year after year but I did consistently produce some results each year.  I was also realistic about my expectations.   Follow through consistently and soon you've made a big change without quitting!

I have seen some lovely sites this week with sunrise and sunset both.  Just gorgeous.  I looked out the kitchen window yesterday evening and was stunned to see that all the color I'd hoped to see in the sunset and found missing was reflected in the eastern sky.  There were pink ribbons of clouds against the blue and a pearlescent moon floating amongst them and a lavender haze along the horizon.

I'm not a photographer but every now and then I get a lovely shot of something beautiful.  I think this one turned out very well, don't you?

John and I keep talking about getting a new camera for me.  I have a little Kodak that he picked up at the pawn shop a few years ago.  It replaced a really simple Samsung camera that I liked a lot.  It only just recently stopped working.   Katie gave me a nice little camera that she no longer needed and I used that for awhile until I dropped it on the carpeting here and broke the latch on the battery housing of all things.  However, my time using that camera and getting used to the settings on it, opened up a whole world on the Kodak camera.   After pushing a few buttons I stumbled upon the settings mode and I've been able to get better photos. 

That said, I am a careless person when it comes to snapping photos.  I never seem to remember I own a camera when the grandchildren are about.  Were it not for Josh, who likes to play with my camera, I doubt I'd even remember I own one.  I didn't get one photo last month when our family gathered.  Not one.

Later in December, I got a free calendar coupon from My Coke Rewards from Shutterfly.  It's a lovely way to get a unique, but inexpensive calendar.  I sorted through my photos looking for any I might use.  I realized then that I'd literally taken NO photos last year of the natural things about me, nor of the children or grandchildren.  I'd only a handful of photos of changes we'd made in the house and a few of foods I'd made.  I resolved that this year I'd go back to using my camera and try to capture life as I see it.  So I've taken a few photos this year and I plan to continue.

I know this is short and sweet but it's taken me an unbelievably long time to write it out and edit it and delete and rewrite, lol.  I hope you enjoyed our tea and will stop in again before the month ends for another 'cuppa' as my Aussie pen pal says.