One Word

Dear Readers,

The days since Christmas have passed in a blur.  Usually I think of the holiday rush as the days leading up to Christmas, at work it has been the days after.  Then add to the mix that someone quit, in the same day two people went home sick and it is the perfect storm for being straight out busy and ultimately exhausted.  I am off today so will gladly use the time rest up a bit.

A few weeks ago I was reading on artist Kelly Rae Roberts' blog that instead of making new year's resolutions, she chooses a word for the year and then does her best to incorporate it in her everyday.  (Her 2013 word has been unleash, her 2014 word is trust.)  Since I haven't ever been one to make resolutions, I really like this concept.  In retrospect if I'd had a word for 2013 I think it would've been courage.  I needed a lot of it this year. 

So now, looking forward to 2014 (on the eve of the eve of it) I have mindfully chosen a word that I would like to bring the essence of into my everyday.  The choice I have made may seem obvious, but as I previously wrote about it is a word that carries weight in my life.  My word for 2014 is hope.

Definitions

noun

1. (sometimes plural) a feeling of desire for something and confidence in the possibility of its fulfilment   ⇒ his hope for peace was justified, their hopes were dashed
2. a reasonable ground for this feeling   ⇒ there is still hope
3. a person or thing that gives cause for hope
4. a thing, situation, or event that is desired   ⇒ my hope is that prices will fall

verb

6. (transitive; takes a clause as object or an infinitive) to desire (something) with some possibility of fulfilment   ⇒ we hope you can come, I hope to tell you
7. (intransitive) often foll by for to have a wish (for a future event, situation, etc)
8. (transitive; takes a clause as object) to trust, expect, or believe with confidence

I have been thinking about this for a few weeks now and knew I had decided on the right word when a package from my mom arrived and included a magnet that says "Hope Will Find You".  I promptly hung it by my "We Must Choose Hope Over Fear" magnet that was already on my fridge.  And when I was doing some Christmas shopping (thanks Rie!) I also picked up a t-shirt that says "Hope Is All We Need".

You are invited to partake in this idea and choose a word that you would like to use/have more in your life.  I think it will interesting and perhaps fun to see where this goes. 

I hope everyone has a fun new years.  Be safe.  Happy 2014!

Until next time...
Peace & Love,
Hope

Happy Christmas Eve

Mele Kalikimaka,

Yes, I know that's actually the Hawaiian thing to say, however since the land of sunshine doesn't have its own phrase I am borrowing it in the brotherhood of tropicalness.  Or maybe tropicality.  I am working this evening and all day tomorrow (willingly!) so I just wanted to take a few minutes to wish all my blog readers all the best this Christmas. 

This morning Jak and I headed out to the dog beach even though it was cool and rainy.  With my work schedule it was the only time I could get there during daylight hours either today or tomorrow and it felt important to spend a little of my Christmas there.  I asked the gate attendant on my way in if cool and rainy  is equivalent to a white Christmas here.  That at least got a laugh out of her.

And speaking of laughs, I would like to share one of the Christmas secrets as posted on the www.postsecret.com website that I periodically mention here.  This just makes me laugh out loud.

I will leave you with some advice I got in a Christmas card this week...
"Take care of yourself, smile as often as you can, and don't forget sunscreen."
Amen.  Love it!

Have yourself a merry little Christmas.  Let your heart be light.
It's the only way to be.

Peace, Love & Christmas Cheer,
Hope

Are the Flowers Blooming in Houston?

Dear Blog Followers,

The title today is actually a line from my all time favorite movie, Apollo 13.  In the movie it is a metaphor (of course!) used when Jim Lovell (Tom Hanks) is asking if Ken Mattingly (Gary Sinise) got the measles.  No, I don't have the measles and I doubt the flowers are blooming in Houston today (didn't they just have an ice storm? or was that Dallas?  I don't watch the news.)  The reason it is the title of my blog is because the flowers are blooming in the sunshine state.  The flowers on my bean plants that is.

The seeds that I wrote about weeks ago have grown into plants and have started to bud.  Last week I had to move them out of their recycled cups and into recycled milk jugs because they'd outgrown their living accommodations.  Not everything grew, however the ones that did are happy happy.  I have four cherry tomato plants, two bean plants and a sunflower.  There is also a late bloomer coming from the original planting, though I have no idea what it is yet.  We will have to wait and see what grows.

Beyond tending my little garden, I have just been working and doing the usual stuff.  For different reasons, several people at work have left in the past week so there are plenty of hours that need to be covered.  The plan is not to hire anyone new until after the holidays because trying to train new staff when we are super busy would only add to the chaos.  It took me a while to get used to how fast things can move there and  I'm thankful not to feel so overwhelmed by it anymore. It's amazing how a little time can make a world of difference.

That reminds me of one of my hope-isms, that the slightest shift in circumstance or perspective can make a mountain of difference.  So.  Be kinder than necessary to others and also to yourself.  Express gratitude and love to those who are near and dear to you.  Sing along to Christmas carols in Target.  Buy yourself a little Christmas present (because you deserve it, Santa said so!).  And most importantly if a restaurant offers to let you take your sweet tea to go by all means say yes.  Sweet tea makes everything better.

Until next time...
Peace & Love,
Hope

On This Day

Dear Peeps,

Seven years ago today a certain furry friend came into my life.  I had found him online at a nearby animal control and with some help from my friend Mary Ann, Jaksen Apollo was entrusted to my care. 

Because we are together everyday it's easy to forget that those early days were trying at times.  Jak had a lot of energy, he'd been in a pen at animal control for two weeks and he would also sit and bark at me for reasons I didn't understand.  In addition, I cried off and on for the first few days because although I didn't feel like I was replacing my dog Clyde (who's battle with cancer had ended six month prior to getting Jak), having another dog was filling that hole that Clyde left and I had to process that.

Clyde was my serious dog.  I had him throughout my 20's and I feel like his personality was representative of where I was in my life during those years.  Jak arrived shortly before my 30th birthday and I decided early on that his sunny disposition should represent my 30's.  And I do think these 7 years have been lighter for me than my 20's ever were, although I'm not sure I will ever have as much personality as Jak.  Like just yesterday when he found something edible (in his mind) on the beach and I had to wrestle it out of his mouth.  The look he gave me said it all.  I don't call him Stink Eye McGee for nothing.

Tomorrow is Jak's official birthday.  After having him for a whole 12 hours I called the animal hospital to make an appointment to have him neutered.  Because he was a stray and there was no way of knowing his actual birthday, the day I initiated contact about him was put as his birthday by the vet's office.  He was estimated to be about two years old when I got him so tomorrow we will celebrate his 9th birthday. 

Jak blesses my world everyday.  I can't imagine having made this move without his companionship.  He's my motivation to get out everyday, he's my much needed laugh at times and he's my lovey dovey sleeping on my feet at other times.  Currently he has his head out the front door while he waits in hope that I will get up and open the box of cereal.  (He gets the frosted mini wheats that don't have frosting.)  Thanks again Mary Ann for helping to unite us.  He's a good friend.

Until next time...
Peace & Love,
Hope

Joy to the World

Dear Friends and Family,

I would like to add an item to my bucket list.  Participate in a flash mob.  I really do believe they bring some unexpected joy to the world and everyone could use a some of that.  Here is a recent flash mob video I came across...

In my own little corner of the world I am bringing some joy by decorating for holidays.  Putting Christmas decorations on a palm tree in 80 degree weather is a new experience for me and I have to say I liked it!  I am also proud of my Charlie Brown replica tree and at a suggestion from colleagues, I even came up with a make shift blue blanket (Wooby) to put under it.  My aunt picked up some Christmas tree boughs from Home Depot and made me a real wreath to hang on my door which makes it smell like Christmas around here.

The palm tree also has a string of blue lights on it, as I love my blue Christmas lights!  I haven't taken a night picture of them as they are the intense LED lights and I don't think they will photograph well.  I wanted to move the box in the picture (used to carry my plants inside when it's gets cold) but after the maintenance guy had a incident with that box and a snake the other day it is likely I may never touch it again.  It'll probably stay there till it blows away or I move, whichever comes first.

I am sorry/not sorry to hear there is some wintry weather back in the home state.  Sorry that my friends and family have to deal with it.  Not sorry that I live where it's 80 degrees today.  For those dealing with the inclement weather, stay safe and stay warm.

Until next time...
Peace, Love & Joy,
Hope   

What's In a Name

Dear Compadres,

The name Hope has always felt to me like it comes with a certain weight.  It's the kind of name you can live up to or crumble under the pressure from.  It's not just a name, it's a commonly used word.  A common word that can inspire, carry people's dreams and wishes or be the light in the dark. The reason I bring all this up is because yesterday I stumbled upon a dictionary definition of hope.  It included two words that I didn't expect to see.  Trust and confidence.  Really?  Hope isn't just some whimsical thought?  There's trust and confidence involved in it.  Oy.  The name just got a little heavier.

When I came across this definition I had taken a break from making calendars of my photography for my family as Christmas presents.  This is something I do each year and each year I struggle to pick out 12 pictures that I deem worthy of printing.  Mind you I have literally taken hundreds of pictures, a lot of them I love, but when I think about giving them to others my confidence and trust that they will be liked goes out the window.  And with the coincidental, or ironic, timing of the meaning of hope, it's sort of given me an identity crisis.  Can I be named Hope and not emulate the essence of it's meaning?  Okay, deep breath, I think it's important not to panic.  I've made it 36 years without crumbling under the weight of the name so I must be doing something right.  I suppose without the trust and confidence that something good can happen there would be no hope.  And a world without hope would be pretty bleak. 

So perhaps the lesson here is this.  That I just need to hope, with trust and confidence, that in the calendars that I made and in life in general I'm doing my best to put forth the essence of my name.  To be Hope I have to have hope. I got it now!

(Hey Mom, did you ever consider naming me Seth anyway?)

Until next time...
Peace & Love,
Hope

Lighthouses

Dear Readers,

Thanksgiving was quiet, the weekend was busy at work and today I'm catching up on chores.  For lack of anything interesting to write about I decided I would share this by Anne Lamott...

Shine on, kids.  Light the way.


Until next time...
Peace, Love and Be the Light,
Hope