An Invincible Summer - A Woman's Journey

Can you love someone that you have never met? Not the way one loves an actor or a national hero, but truly love? My sweet friend in healthier days. Five years ago I met the most wonderful woman on Happier.com . Happier was one of the first steps I took to start changing my life. I was still living in craziness when I found that app. It was basically social media but everyone on Happier made a choice to be positive, uplifting and happy-focused. When I got on, I set about finding a community and boy did I ever. I "met" about 50 people that helped me on the journey to a better way of life. One of the people I met is Sharon. Happy and sweet, positive and captivating, we became friends. Sharon is Native Alaskan by heritage and when we met she was living with her partner Stevie in Mekoryuk on a tiny island called Nunivak, off the coast of Alaska. Sharon is a fighter. Our Happier and Facebook communities have been beside her as best we could as she battled Metastatic Breast...

Still full of fears but learning, day by day, to be grateful and happier. Being purposeful about enjoying the moment and allowing my heart to fill up with the beauty around me. Found this 10 step list a few months back and read them each morning before I begin my work. 10 Truths that Happy People Never Forget Happy people: 1.     They believe that they are completely worthy of happiness in life. 2.    They don’t let their circumstances decide their mood or their overall state of happiness. 3.    They are grateful, always and every day, rain or sunshine. 4.    They are extremely generous – they give and help and serve others frequently. 5.    They love life, they accept life and feel in harmony with life. 6.    They are free of judgment, be it themselves or others. 7.    They get curious, rather than angry, when things don’t go their way. 8.    They believe in their own power ...

Last night my girl was not acting herself. I knew something wasn't right but I asked and she brushed me off. I waited for awhile and went into her room, sat next to her bed and gave her a chance to talk and talk she did. She's dealing with a heartbreak and a disappointment. She's having to make a hard decision that she wishes she didn't have to make. I have some very strong opinions in the matter but my Al-Anon tools took over. They told me to be quiet and to listen and to wait. She talked and talked. She did not ask my opinion, I did not give it. Amazing! She knows what to do, she does not need me to advise. Constantly telling loved ones what to do sends them the message that you feel they are incapable of making good decisions for themselves, hamstringing their decision making process and not allowing them the victories or repercussions of good or bad choices. I'm late to the learning process but better late than never. I learn way more from my kids than I ...

One of the many things that was instrumental in starting the change in the way I think of myself as a victim of circumstance was to watch a TedxBoston video called Sharer of Joy: Nataly Kogan. She was the one who made me realize that despite whatever was going on around me, I could still make a choice to be happy. After watching the video, I quickly downloaded the Happier App that she and her Happier people created. I began to experience a new kind of social media. Slowly building on-line relationships with people from every walk of life and all over the world, who were consciously choosing happiness despite problems with love, health, children, etc. It's a world where I spend 10 minutes each day catching up, encouraging and getting encouragement. The shift in my thinking has been gradual and started before my Secret Keeper had his mental and physical meltdown. I believe that this shift made a sad transition in my life much more bearable. It helped me realize that my world had no...

A few days have passed since I last blogged.  I would love to think that's because I am busy living life and healing and being positive.  I was busy trying. Bringing out Xmas boxes, while necessary, was hard. As was attempting to string hundreds of light strands in the yard alone.  Well not completely alone. I had a little help but her lack of opposable thumbs was much less a hindrance than the unexpected and much needed rain that lightly misted me for awhile. Eventually the rain decided it was serious; at which time, all of us (moist boxes, two cats, one dog and a frizzy haired woman) made a mad dash for cover. Escaping from the turmoil in my head, the car and I headed over to a "Meetup" that was suppose to be a movie and dinner with 14 strangers. My car and I sat in the parking lot and waffled back and forth. Finally the car won and drove away with me in it. NO movie and NO dinner. That's OK. It's not a failure....it's just life right now and it ...