Through The Tulips Words of 'Wiz'dom

November 28, 2013

Beauty in Everything

Filed under: Gratitude — gardener @ 9:21 am

fall
This afternoon I came home from what would be considered a pretty ‘non-traditional’ Thanksgiving morning, (but definitely ranks in the top 10 of my all-time favorites) and one of the first things I noticed was the golden color on the ground and what was left of the golden leaves in this lone tree.

It wasn’t sunny at that particular moment, but yet something about the way the leaves contrasted with the skies- and the morning I’d just experienced, brought a smile to my face.    I grabbed my phone- and made a b-line towards that area and proceeded to take a few shots-   granted, as usual, the photo doesn’t do the color justice.

It is the little things in life that really bring me the most pleasure.  The laughter shared with friends,  time spent with family, and the colors of Fall- to name a few.

There is beauty everywhere, and all we have to do is look around to find it.

 

 

Wedding Bells

Filed under: Life,Things I Love,Women — gardener @ 7:27 am

There are few things that excite me more than to see people that I love filled with happiness and joy. Recently, two of my dearest friends have decided to get engaged, and the wedding plans are in full swing. I’ve been blessed enough to be asked to be a part of the planning and celebration, which has inclueded the discussion of rings- both are leaning towards the idea of platinum wedding bands, which I think will be perfect with the engagement ring.

I can not wait to hear the date- which is yet to be decided, and then the planning really begins. I love weddings, even more so when it’s between two people that I adore.

November 24, 2013

Fall Beauty

Filed under: Inspiration,Life — gardener @ 10:47 am

beautifulYesterday was one of those days when the weather couldn’t be better.  It was cool out-   and the skies were a gorgeous shade of blue, that I only notice this time of the year.    Rarely can I come close to capturing it in an image, but yesterday I came pretty close.

The sunset that followed this photo was as magnificent as this particular shot.    The blues became gorgeous shades of yellow, orange,  red and even purple.  It was breathtaking to say the least.

Many people dispise this time of the year, because it means cold weather is coming and the ‘death’ of summer, but I see it so much differently.  I see it as a resting period-  a time to rejuvinate, to pause and reflect.  Fall is one of the seasons where I find myself the most energized, in spite of the shorter days.

It could be days like this year round and I would be thrilled, but instead, I’ll be grateful for the ones we have, as I know it makes me appreciate the beauty of them even more.

Still Looking

Filed under: Home — gardener @ 9:47 am

Some of you know that Marcel and I have been in the market for a move for quite some time. We love the area we live in, but we’ve wanted to move to find something that better suits our needs for quite some time. The reason we haven’t done that yet? We haven’t found the right place. I have been checking real estate crm and we both look at the real estate in the newspapers, but we have both agreed that we aren’t interested in ‘settling’ for something that is OK. We’ve both agreed when we find ‘the one’ that we’ll know, and until then, we are both happy and content where we are.

I love that the market seems to be rebounding some, and I know that this coming year is going to be one of my best ever!

November 7, 2013

Happiness: A Do-It-Yourself Project

Filed under: Food for Thought,Life — gardener @ 10:52 am

key
The photo to your right is of some antique keys that I took at a museum while mom and diddy were here visiting.    I  have this unexplainable love of door knobs and keys.   I’d never seen any like these, so they were particularly fascinating to me.

Keys are important in life-   they open things.   Doors, cabinets, chests and the list goes on.    They even have a place in opening hearts, at least that’s how the saying goes.

I had someone ask me the other day- what the key to happiness was.    This person isn’t someone I know well, but they have shared a few of their personal struggles with me, and I consider it a gift that they would share personal things with someone who is technically a near-stranger.

It was something I’ve never been asked before, but I did pause to think about it.    I am a happy person.   My life isn’t roses and sunshine all the time, but my choice is to focus on the good in my life, and that brings me a great deal of happiness.

I believe where so many of us go wrong (myself included in this, once upon a time) is that we think ‘people’ or ‘things’ can bring us happiness, when in reality all that does is guarantee that we are chasing the ever elusive mistress.

Happiness is a do-it-yourself project.    No one can want you to be happy enough for it to ‘happen’.   No one can do enough for you to bring you happiness.   Sure, it may bring you joy and may a sprinkle of happiness to your life, but those are like toppings on a cupcake-   the extras.    Real happiness comes from loving and accepting yourself.   Happiness comes from within.

 

October 21, 2013

All Good Things Have their Time

Filed under: Life,Travel — gardener @ 3:18 am

I’ve had a fantastic time with my family and Marcel, traveling, making memories and loving every moment. I have had some time to reflect and I’m excited about the changes that are happening in our life- Positive changes, that will mean great things for us both.

I feel a certain sadness that this family time is coming to an end, but I also know that as this time closes, we are already planning for other great things- new travels and new adventures with people we love.

Expect to see more from me in this space- on a regular basis as I resettle into a regular routine- which is going to be quite different than the one I had pre-travels.

Helping Friends

Filed under: Life — gardener @ 1:19 am

I was talking to a friend who lives in southern California last night and she was asking if I knew of anyone who could help her with employment law san diego. She had a few questions based on a situation she had with a former employer and even though she lives in the area, she wasn’t sure of who to contact. I love that the Internet allows us to find information for people across the globe with a few key strokes. I don’t know how we ever managed without it.

September 30, 2013

Attitude of Gratitude- Letting the Sun Shine In

Filed under: Food for Thought,Gratitude,Inspiration,Life,Life's Little Hiccups — gardener @ 3:58 am

flowers
If you know me in my eyeryday world- then you know that even though I am human (thankfully) and do have my moments, that I do try to find the positive (silver-lining if you will) in every single day.

It’s no secret to those who know me- that this year my integrity has been tested,  my heart has been broken, and at one point I wondered if the pain of it all would ever get any better.

I won’t go into the details here, because quite truthfully- the details don’t matter.    Obstacles happen in life- and there is often this misnomer that if we choose to walk away from things that have become too painful and / or toxic to stay a part of that it is easy.   I can assure you- it’s anything but.   Especially when you have a half-hope that you could be wrong- that you’d really like to be wrong, only to find out that you are anything but.

It goes back to the quote from Maya Angelou that I love so much-  “When people show you who they are- believe them.”

So- it’s been a difficult year, but I knew that just as all things- that it would get better, and it has.   While some people would let an obstacle make them bitter- or let them live in a victim role, I know that I’m anything but.    Was I hurt?  Yes!

Did it make me question 90% of every relationship in my life?   YES

Did I allow it to make me bitter?    NO!!

Rather than become a victim to the story and make it about me-   I have thought and analyzed and been able to understand why things are what they are.    As I’ve mentioned before- it’s not about me- (it never was) and I know that I’ve always acted with integrity- even when I really didn’t want to.      That’s what matters- what I ACTUALLY did when called to task, as opposed to what I THOUGHT about doing..      The truth always takes care of itself..    It will never be my job to be judge, jury and executioner.

So now- months later, I can honestly say I’m better.    I’m grateful for the huge life lesson and the doors that it has opened since.

I feel the sun shining on my shoulders and it’s a beautiful feeling.

Grateful-   that’s me.

Learning New Things

Filed under: Life,Travel — gardener @ 3:57 am

I really have so much to talk about and share- and I need to actually check and see if my WP app works on my phone since upgrading to iOS 7 on my phone and iPad- then I can post more often. As it is now- I’m letting the family use my laptop and I’m just using my other devices.

I’ve loved meeting new people and learning a little Spanish and French along the way. I even had someone talk to me about abogado de inmigracion in the US. Granted, my Spanish is very limited- just like my French and German, but it’s always fun to hear about people wanting to move to the US and try to break through the language barriers.

Traveling

Filed under: Gratitude,Inspiration,Life — gardener @ 3:45 am

Traveling- that’s something we’ve been doing quite a bit of this last month. I have so much to share about our adventures, and there are still adventures to be had.

The biggest thing, aside from seeing some amazing places and spending time with some of the people I love most in this world is the time to gain new perspective on some things I wasn’t sure about. Sometimes you need a fresh look at things and now I have that, and look forward to putting it into action.

One step at time- right now there is more fun to be had and adventures to take.

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