Day Eighteen: Success At Last!

Last night, I made it to bed at 10:25 pm!!! In anticipation of a busy Sunday including church and going to a farm to pick cherries, rasberries and blueberries, I surrendered to the Land of Nod hours ahead of my previous pattern. It wasn't hard at all! And I may do it again very soon (smile).

Days Fifteen - Seventeen: "Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be late!"

Said the March Hare in "Alice In The Wonderland."

Dare I say that I have been having the most fun NOT meeting my goal of getting to bed by 10:00 pm. in this 30 Day Challenge? Well, it's true. I really thought tonight would be the night, but alas, a fascinating book, work on my new website and a desire to confess the absolutely delightful time I am having of not meeting this challenge have all conspired with me to once again fail. I don't normally take failure lightly - but I have actually learned many things about myself, my choices and my life during the last two weeks of this challenge. And I like myself and what I've discovered, so this time has been valuable. As a formerly ultra-rigid person, I am enjoying the experience of being more laidback and going with the flow. Somewhat. My black and white persona is welcoming in more shades of gray, actually seeing some silver sparkling on the underside of flexibility. It's all good.

My reasons for wanting to get to bed earlier are to get to the gym early in the morning before the family wakes up and to have morning tea parties with my girl, who is an early riser. We are going to start a Mother-Daughter Tea Party devotional together, so I press on to transform myself to more of a morning person. With God's help. And with more of a serious effort, trying not to have too much fun in the evenings (smile).

Days Eleven - Fourteen: Life Happens

Photography by Miki In the midst of our good intentions and honest-to-goodness want to get to its, life happens. And you have to go with the flow, picking up where you left off and continuing on the journey no matter what. As I've been reiterating to my daughter recently regarding some challenges in her own life, it's not about being perfect. It's about giving your best. And when we fall short of that, which we all inevitably do, it's imperative that we continue forward anyway. Be a river, sometimes raging forward and at other times gently trickling along, not a stagnant pond. Like the arrow in the above picture, keep going forward.

Days Nine & Ten: Being Mama, Watching Butterflies and Pondering Gifts

Being Mama overrules other activities as I help my butterfly prepare for her dance recital Saturday. An afternoon and evening performance. A little solo. Her love of dance and the gift God's given to her. The joy of watching her. Mama is so proud :-) This photo is from a recital a couple of years ago - my baby's the one in the air.

My mother was a professional dancer who started studying at the age of three. Though her career on the Japanese stage was cut short, she later taught for many years and performed here in the States. I used to love watching her as she told the various stories - a noble samurai defending his honor or some tragic tale. Japanese dramas almost always seem to be so melancholy!

What I've observed about my mom dancing or even my little princess pooh is that there is a certain command, a confidence that can't be replicated when you are flowing in your element or area of gifting. I don't think it can be taught, only released. In watching the rehearsals for my daughter's recital, there are many dancers who seem to genuinely enjoy dancing regardless of skill level. It is a pleasure to watch them. Some dancers merely go through the motions, and it makes me wonder why. But there are always a few who radiate an inner joy and light as they dance, and your eyes are drawn to them. Their gift of dance is obvious as they effortlessly move around the stage. Butterflies, I call them.

We all have different gifts and abilities, an area we can flow in that comes from an inner sense, an inner knowing. It's not taught, though it should be developed. It should be tapped into and released in our lives - it's an important part of who we are. Do know your areas of strength, your giftings, talents, etc.? I am pondering my areas and how I can incorporate them more in my everyday. Oops, gotta run - it's time for rehearsal!

Day Eight: A Reminder Why The Days Are Being Counted

Remember the 30 Day Challenge? It started as a way to pinpoint a specific goal or habit and challenge yourself to daily record the steps you took to meet that goal. Over the course of 30 days, a goal could be met and a new habit developed. Over a week ago I wrote, "The next month is a blank canvas of potential and opportunity... to meet goals, make positive changes, to show yourself what you are capable of, to accomplish something positive...."

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Funny thing: I have not met my goal yet in getting to bed by 10:00 pm., though I will continue with that as my goal for the remainder of this challenge. Along the way, I have discovered a lot about myself and why this particular challenge has been hard to meet. I am also taking steps to help make this goal a reality; for example, I discovered that our whole family's sleeping times were off and that really impacted when I went to bed. The older kids have been talking and giggling in bed way past their bedtimes, and that affects my alone time. The baby's sleep time is later than I think it should be. What started out as a life adjustment for me has turned into a bigger one for the whole family.

Meanwhile, the awareness of quality of life has made this time more. . .quality! I feel like I am living more intentionally, rather than merely drifting along in this life. In this way, the 30 Day Challenge has helped with positive changes in this first week.

What about you? How's life? Enquiring minds want to know...

Day Seven: A Good Day

Today was a nice, peace-filled, serene kind of day. My toddler's kisses woke me up. I had three in depth conversations today with dear friends, catching up on life details and experiences. The lemon-basil my daughter and I planted is really growing and smells wonderful. A book I ordered and have been anticipating reading again for a long time arrived today. I worked out at the gym and then went shopping. A deliciously cool breeze is coming through the window. All is well, and tomorrow we get to go strawberry picking. How's life?

Day Six: He's Always Been Faithful

An absolute favorite song of mine (song #2 on my blog playlist below), so appropriate for today: Morning by morning, I wake up to find the power and comfort of God's hand in mine Season by season, I watch Him amazed, in awe of the mystery of His perfect ways All I have need of His hand will provide He's always been faithful to me I can't remember a trial or a pain He did not recycle to bring me gain I can't remember one single regret in serving God only and trusting His hand All I have need of His hand will provide He's always been faithful to me This is my anthem, this is my song, the theme of the stories I've heard for so long God has been faithful, He will be again His loving compassion, it knows no end All I have need of His hand will provide He's always been faithful to me