"A sheltered life can be a daring life as well. For all serious daring starts from within." ~Eudora Welty In honor of this big vacation week here in our small town when everyone (except the Rutherfords) heads to the beach, I give you..... "Dot's First Beach Trip!" I've said it before here at The Roomy Nest, and I'll say it again: I had a very sheltered childhood. Take a look at the picture for today's Monday Memory. It's probably circa 1972 or 1973 since I look to be about 4 or 5. My great-aunt Mattie Bell probably has my left hand in a death grip while I hold Winnie (yes, "the Pooh") in my own right-handed death grip. I can almost feel her manicured fingernails digging into my flesh! :) The other two protectors are my great-aunt/uncle Vernon & Bud. The photographer of this shot was my great-aunt Polly. (Mattie Bell, Vernon, and Polly were sisters of my grandfather.) I spent LOTS of time with these people growing up, and they had a HUGE influence on my life. This beach trip was an extremely rare occurrence, and, clearly, they were afraid of the dangerous possibilities since I had never been exposed to the ocean before. Thus, they circled the wagons around to protect me from possible drowning in ankle-deep water or the sharks that might have me for a midday snack. (#sarcasm). :) In all seriousness, I love this picture because it sums up my entire childhood/teen years in one single image. These people loved me, took care of me, taught me, and protected me from most everything you can imagine. Some of those things were warranted while others have been things I've had to face as an adult for the first time in my life. They kept a constant circle of protection around me which, in some ways, has crippled me as an adult as I've tried to wade through the waters of life. I know they meant well, and I'll be eternally grateful for them as long as I live, but I've tried to raise my own children a bit differently in some respects. I believe children must be allowed to face some things in life as early as possible and find a way to deal with them. After all, one day, they'll look around to realize the folks that encircled them with that fierce sense of love & protection are no longer around to do it. That's when the rubber REALLY meets the road! I should know. You probably do, too. "My heritage has been my grounding, and it has brought me peace." ~Maureen O'Hara I think of these precious people quite often in my day-to-day life, and I miss them terribly! There are so many things I'd love to be able to share with them now. Polly & Bud died when I was a young girl, Vernon died not long after I got married, and my sweet Mattie Bell left this earth just 4 1/2 years ago. I know that I wouldn't be the woman I am today (the good and the not-so-good) without their influence in my life. Thank you, God, for including them in Your Plan for my life! What a huge blessing! Until next time,
~D
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"Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be." ~Abraham Lincoln I've made up my mind. I'm on a mission. Today's the day. I'm claiming my share of happiness. I'm focusing on it. Here's the deal.... I've made it abundantly clear recently that I'm struggling in this thing called life. (Feel free to go back and read all about it in previous posts right here on my blog if you're confused or curious.) However, unlike some folks who I believe really DO enjoy being miserable, I am NOT striving for a life of complaining, misery, and hopelessness! I long for joy, and I know in my heart my God intends for me to have my fair share. In fact, I believe He's already blessed me with it. I've just got to be more aware of it in my everyday life and put my focus there. Make sense? I know what you're thinking. "Well, duh, Dot!" Yeah, maybe so, but it's finally starting to make some sense to me personally so I find it to be a fantastic epiphany of sorts. Here's the best part............... As soon as I started to think this way, I started seeing something happening. Reminders of happiness started popping up everywhere! It's kind of like when you get pregnant and suddenly every woman you see on the street is also pregnant.......or you buy that awesome car that nobody else in your little town has only to realize that (well, I'll be!) there are not one, but two more just like yours scootin' around the streets in the same exact color! Yeah, it was like that. One "sign" in particular started popping up daily on my Facebook wall. I have a new friend that I met just short of a year ago at a Mercer tailgate. She and her group were set up next to us, and as fate would have it, I discovered that she's my sorority sister! Granted she's a MUCH younger sister, but we're both Chi Omegas (Psi Gamma Chapter) nonetheless! Anyway, this dear sister was posting a picture every day on her wall and it always had a hashtag saying something like "#Day87 #100HappyDays" . I was intrigued! I figured she must be reading some sort of self-help book or subscribing to a specific blog maybe. So, I messaged her and got the full scoop. She referred me to a website: http://www.100happydays.com/ As she put it to me......... This international movement's mission is simple: to consciously pursue happiness every single day, even if it's something small. So, I went to the site, took the pledge (registered) and today is "#Day1" for me! :) "Don't wait around for other people to be happy for you. Any happiness you get you've got to make yourself." ~Alice Walker The concept is right up my alley for three reasons: 1) It's very simple to participate in, 2) It's all about taking pictures and posting them, and 3) It is NOT a competition or about "showing off". It's quite simple. Every day for 100 days, I'll simply submit a picture of what made me happy that day. It can be anything........ getting a Blizzard at the DQ drive-thru with my husband........ taking a solitary nature walk...... trying out a new recipe......hanging poolside with a dear friend. The main idea is to get myself in the mindset of concentrating on the happiness that IS already in place in my life and drawing strength from it. While it seems pretty simplistic to you, I'm sure, I am so excited to get started! So.... 100 Days of Happiness, here I come! Now, I won't necessarily be posting a picture every single day here on my blog, but I WIll be documenting the happiness daily on my social media accts............ Instagram, Facebook, etc. Much like a weightloss journey, it's a way to keep me accountable to myself. I'm REALLY praying that changing my mindset in this way will overflow into other areas of my life as well. Time will be the best indicator. Corny as it may sound, I have a really good feeling about this. One of my favorite go-to verses in my Bible is Jeremiah 29:11, but lately, I hear it on constant replay over and over and over in my head. God is in this with me and I feel certain this is the road He wants me to take right now. So, can I be happy for 100 days in a row? We're about to find out. I'm going to go ahead and predict that the answer is yes!
Until next time, ~Dot |
AuthorHi! I'm Dot. I refuse to succumb to the "empty nest syndrome"! So, this is my journal.....my photo album.....my attempt to enjoy the next chapter of my life as it unfolds. Welcome to The Roomy Nest! Archives
January 2020
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