Time is valuable...
We have all heard this before. We have all processed the saying. We all recognize that it is to be true, but we keep pushing through our day, going through the same routines, the same motions; work, laundry, workout, cook dinner, rinse and repeat. Then something happens, whether it be devastating, eye opening or an 'ah ha' moment and we are reminded, yet again, that time is more valuable than ever. I hate to use the saying, the older you grow, the wiser you become, but it's true. You start to see more things happen, you start to experience more of those life changing moments and you truly start to understand that we are only here for a certain "amount of trips around the sun". While this can be a bit of a morbid topic, it doesn't have to be. You see time is a gift, what we choose to do with it, ultimately is up to us. Do we wake up every day to make the best of our days or do we get so caught up in the routine of everyday life that we forget what it's like to actually live?
What if today you were told what your expiration date was? How would you live differently? What would you do differently? Would the small things matter? Would the big things become even more important? Would you put the phone down more and learn to enjoy the experiences first hand? How would your daily life change? Would you be any different today than you were yesterday? We might be in the slow lane or we might be in the fast, but I think the purpose of the ride is to enjoy it. If we keep taking the same road, looking straight ahead, we are going to miss some of the most incredible views. Take the time, look around, enjoy the view and most importantly: don't get caught up in the routine of every day life, make it a point to put a little life into every day.
Purrfect View
Squirt (Should have been called Litterbox...thanks Mary)
He also looks a lot like Toothless from How to Train Your Dragon
Last of my cat spotlight (you're probably saying, finally) before I start diving into the some fun views from my fury friends because I read, animals, especially cats are a lot like their humans...it further proves that my cats are the coolest (hahahahaha).
This is Squirt! And while I know that you can grow into your name, I never understood how true that was until we got this little (sh*t)...hahaha. I rescued him from my place of employment about 7 years ago. Another one of my fun finds and don't tell Fun Filter (again, what I call my husband) until I bring it home and say "Surprise, we have a new animal!". Squirt was on his last leg when I found him and my big heart couldn't let him go. $6,000 dollars in new flooring later, he is my most expensive animal to date. Turns out, like me, he needs to be on anxiety medicine because he freaks out at everything and (unlike me) pees on our carpet. 3 months of being on medicine, he is starting to come around more and be a fun cat. He has a secret love affair with our dogs and you can find him wrapped up in their arms at all points of the day; but the moment I get my phone out to take a picture he is gone, so I have very few pictures of him. Maybe we will work on that next, but until then, I will let him focus his time and energy on using the litterbox and not my carpet.
TUNE INTO MY HEART
Celebrating Great Music
Ahhhh, I love music so much! This song hit me right in the feelz...soooo good!
WHO SAID IT BEST
MY HAPPY
Finding friendship in the most unlikely places...
I love Pixar shorts. They make me laugh, they make me cry and most importantly, they make me think. I love this short and while it has a sad theme, it was a great reminder that good can come from some of the most difficult of situations. Plus it has a kitty and a dog...my heart melted.
HAPPINESS FOR ALL...
Liz Climo (a character artist for the Simpsons) is one of my favorites. Every cartoon she does makes me smile, not only because she features animals, but she shows how they work together to overcome their limitations. She is very creative and I always go visit her Facebook or IG posts when I need an extra giggle. Check her out on facebook https://www.facebook.com/LizClimo/ or Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lizclimo/?hl=en
She will be sure to bring a smile to your face!
What to wear...
I am so in love with this company! It amazes me that the simplest concepts are the ones that amaze me the most. Good humans, making good products, raising all of the awareness to love everyone and giving back some of its proceeds to great organizations. Plus some great sayings on the shirts, which makes my heart so happy! I probably own about 10 different shirts from this company and I keep going back for more!https://onlyhumanco.com/about/
SheaStyle
I think one of the hardest things in the world is having a loved one hurt and not being able to do anything about it. This became even more evident while I was having a conversation with my daughter as she had tears in her eyes and explained to me how hurt she was that she was not included in a couple of sleepovers that her friends had.
I admire my daughter beyond words. She is very well balanced with my husband's good qualities (intelligence, witty, laid back, etc.) and my qualities (anxiety, good looks, independence, etc.) as I was looking at her, it pained me that she had to inherit what I like to consider one of my strongest and weakest traits; my big heart. Awww, how I wish that she could go through life without having to go through the same struggles that I had and continue to go through. As all my heartbreak and hurt through the years rushed through my head; I knew that what I had to say was going to be a pivotal point in my daughter's life. That day, more than any other, it was important for me to be a Mom, but even more important for me to be her friend.
We all struggle with fitting in, no matter where we are in life. People that we think are friends, aren't. Those that we think we can count on, we find out we can't. Sometimes we are loosely holding on in the dark, for that one hand to show us the light. As I explained, to my daughter, sometimes when you are hurting the most, when you find out who and who are not your friends, that is when you find out what kind of person you are, what kind of friend you need to be and what it is that you need to do for others. These lessons, as hard as they are, build you to become the person that you deserve and what this World needs more of.
As our conversations continued, I asked her "Do you think that I am a good friend?"; "Do you think that I have a lot of friends?"...with eyes rolled she answered, "Yes!". As I explained to her that I was never the popular kid, it was honestly something I never wanted to be. What I always wanted to be was the best friend I could . Does it hurt sometimes and suck sometimes when you aren't included in things? Absolutely! Does it hurt when you are a good friend and sometimes people aren't one to you back? FOR SURE! What this can't prevent you from being is a good friend yourself. Be a good friend! Yes, even to those that don't deserve it. The tears are okay, the heartbreak is okay because what it is proving to you is everything that you do not want to be. We have so many things in this world to turn us cold, to harden our hearts, to close us up, to break us; a person that takes these situations and learns to grow; those are the strong ones, the one in a million, the brave. These people are you. Take this situation and allow it transform you to become the light in an often too dark of a world.
So as our conversation was coming to an end, throwing in a few "Mom jokes" to make her smile, I looked at her and was just in awww of the amazing kid that she is. I was going to apologize for that big heart she inherited, but I instead reminded her that it was a gift. It might not seem like it now or even a lot of times throughout your life, but I promise, some day it will make perfect sense and you will understand that this heart and all that you are make up you! And this life would be nothing without you.
Some of the things we struggle with in our childhood we continue to struggle with as adults. I think it's when we start to see our struggles through someone else's eyes that we are reminded of the uniqueness we hold. Something that we thought was a curse, is in fact a blessing. Things that we wish we wouldn't have had to experience, molded us into the person that we are. As I looked at the "mini-me" staring back at me, my heart smiled and I knew that she was going to be just fine because she is braver, stronger and loved more than she will ever know. That girl staring back at me is invited to my sleepover's anytime because that girl gets what life is all about; love, belonging, accepting and being the best friend she can be!
(asked Kennedy if I could put her face on my blog, she agreed, but said "If I become famous, it's all your fault!")--Love that kid
"Because if you found meaning in your life, you don't want to go back, you want to go forward."--Tuesdays with Morrie
Nothing Butta love for you all! :)