Little Bit of Sunshine

There is a John Denver song (raise your hand if you know who he is??) in which he sings "Sunshine...on my shoulders....makes me happy". I think he wrote that song for me. Well, maybe not because I may not have been born yet. But, he could have written it for me. Winter here is sort of like solitary confinement; minimal light, bitter cold, and little human contact. Geez, with all the germs going around, I don't want any people around me anyway. BUT, I digress. I leave for work, it's dark. I come home from work, it's dark. I haven't seen my neighbors in months, except for the occasional vision of them in fluffy down coats and woolly scarves covering their faces, venturing into the blowing snow. Since November 15th, we've had approximately 14 days of mostly sunny skies. That's 2 weeks in 4 months. Ouch! Then, one day... I leave for work, step out into the cold...and have to squint. No more darkness. I need my sunglasses. The clouds part, the birds start to sing, I have a smile on my face...and I,too, start to sing, "Sunshine... on my shoulders... makes me happy". While not necessarily a pleasant voice (imagine fingernails on a chalk board to music), my voice is joyous. I don't need a groundhog to tell me spring is coming. I only need the warmth of the sun on my face, and my shoulders, to tell me that brighter days are ahead. Let the warmth of the sun be the bright spot of your day.

Until next time...
Holly

The World Around Me

When I started blogging, I remember thinking how easy it would be. I always have something to say, a story to tell, or an opinion to share. Sometimes I sit down and feel so inspired. A topic comes to mind and I effortlessly sit here and put it all down. A little tweak here and there, an edit to grammar, and I'm done. Other times (like now) I feel like blogging and simply don't have any one thing to say. People who know me would say that they don't believe it because I ALWAYS have something to say. But, I guess I don't. I think that is a good thing. If I'm always talking, I'm not listening. Today, my ear is to the ground, listening to the world around me. I hear the chatter of my family and learn what they are thinking. I hear my pets (a needy dog, a curious cat, and chirpy birds) all making their presences known. I hear my brain thinking how nice it is to just be "in the moment" and not everywhere else. Last, but certainly not least, I hear my heart saying that it loves all of these things. I would not change a thing. Listening to those I love, in the world around me, is the bright spot of my day.

Until next time,
Holly

Let the games begin...

Moguls, luge, curling (what the heck is that??), speed skating. Where else do you get to see these sports but in the Winter Olympics? Athletes train for years, in sports that don't have a lot of media attention, to compete on the world stage once every four years. Why do they do it? While I'm sure the medals are nice, especially the gold ones, I like to believe that it's all about the "spirit" of the games, the uniting of nations and people from all different walks of life to share an experience; the desire to be the best that they can be; the pride of representing their countries, whether big or small. They enjoy what they do and have a passion for it. The Olympics allow them to share their sports and their spirits. They do it because they love it and they want us to love it too. It's time for us to get in the spirit too. Share the moments with those who work so hard to get where they are today. Let's cheer for both the underdog and the favorite. Let the Olympians be the bright spot of our day. Let the games begin!

Until next time,
Holly

Super Bowl Sunday

Another football season is coming to an end. Tonight is the game of all games, the pinnacle of the football season, the Super Bowl. To the men in my family, Super Bowl Sunday is like a national holiday. The whole world stops and it's all football all day. I just don't see the excitement or glory in a bunch of grown men running around slamming into eachother trying to get a ball over a chalk line. But, that's me. I think I'm the minority here. I am planning on spending my day making jewelry, away from the TV and the droning voices of sportscasters re-living Super Bowl moments of years past. However, come kick-off time... I'll probably watch the game anyway. Why you ask? Because I bought a "square", an opportunity to win some money based on the quarter ending scores. That's as good a reason as any I think to watch. So, to all who read this and watch the game, whether to root for your team or because you have a square... or just because you love the sport, let the Super Bowl be the bright spot of your day too. Go Colts and go Saints!

Until next time...
Holly

The Treasure Map

My mother, my sister, and I embarked on an interesting journey this week. We've gone on a treasure hunt. Not for buried chests hidden deep underground or the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but a journey of finding things in life that matter to us; finding them and making them our own. Whether it's love, success, money, healing, or just some peace, we all have something that we want, some things more tangible then others. We got together and decided to create treasure maps for ourselves. All of us brought magazines to the table, everything from golf magazines (none of us golf, but there were a lot of interesting things) to the supermarket tabloids (we read a lot of those). In a nutshell (feel free to ask for the unabridged version if you'd like to start your own),the purpose was to cut out words and pictures that represented what we were looking for, our treasures, and gluing them together on paper. In theory, it sounds simple enough, but it forces you to really identify what is truly most important. Each of us then hung our own where we'd see it daily and be able to focus on it and visualize having these things and how good it feels. The individual maps are personal, but I will share one little affirmation I cut out that speaks volumes. "Happy Energy". I see my treasure map every morning as I'm starting my day. Happy energy is the center of all things good that I want from any day. Happy energy is the armor that keeps the negativity at bay and reminds me to stay focused on what is good. Happy energy is the bright spot of my day.
Happy hunting...
Holly

Monday, Monday

Lala...lalalala... come on, sing along:) What is it about Mondays that make it the toughest day of the week? Maybe it's just me? I think not. Considering that there are plenty of songs about it (consider the aforementioned Monday, Monday), Manic Monday, and the Carpenters famous "rainy days and Mondays always get me down" lyrics. I think it's because Monday signifies the start of busy days and the usual "rat race", whatever your race happens to be... work... school... It is ingrained in us to believe that the weekends are the only time to stop and smell the roses and the rest of the week is meant to be spent running as fast as we can trying to stay ahead of the game. Maybe we have been wrong all this time. Maybe it's time to stop, take a deep breath, and smell a rose everyday, even Monday. My rose today was having a leisurely dinner with my family and catching up on the day's news. That was, indeed, the bright spot of my day.

Until next time,
Holly