Creating a Positive Life
This project is about finding beautiful moments, but what about the days that I just can't seem to find one? (Or at least not one that would translate well into a picture or is even possible to take a photo of.) I mean, I cannot logistically take a photo of every single experience or meaningful interaction in my day that makes me smile. "Hold on. Say what you said again and let me get my camera out and snap a photo of you while you say it." That would be ludicrous.
What if on those days, I create moments instead? At first I thought, "Well, that's cheating", but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that we are actually creating moments all day long every day. Of course there are things that happen in our lives that we absolutely cannot control, but a lot of the time we do play a huge part in what occurs.
For example, the alarm goes off at 6:30. I am in a deep and peaceful sleep, and would much rather stay in that place, then have to get up, get dressed, and start the morning's shenanigans to get ready for work and school. But I make a decision right then and there. Most days I get up. But if I decide for once, to stay in bed, that can create a completely different story for my day. It's like those old pick your own ending' books. There are small choices that we make all day long. Basically, we are creating a large portion of our day without even realizing it!
For the occurrences that we have no control over, we can choose our reaction, at least for most of them. There are some instances where there is no choice but to grieve or fully feel the negativity of the situation. For those unfortunate events, whenever we are ready, we can choose to come to a form of acceptance and find peace within that.
But for minor challenges, such as another person's behavior towards us, we CAN decide how we will react. This is something I have had to work on in myself. Sometimes I will imagine myself as that person, so that I can try to see from their perspective as to why they might be acting a certain way. I have found that to be helpful.
If I am having a really bad day, I can respond with frustration and curse each moment, or I can choose to purposefully create a positive moment amidst all of it. It can be something simple, like pausing to make myself a cup of warm, soothing tea or indulge in a glass of wine (with chocolate on the side). I could send someone a thoughtful text, letting them know that I am thinking about them. Doing something for someone else is a great way to add a little sunlight into the day. Maybe I just decide to forget all my tasks for an hour and go take a walk. Getting out in nature often helps me to feel more at peace. Occasionally, I may choose to just let my tears flow, which can be comforting in its own way.
We are all artists in this way. The picture we paint will most likely have dark, shadowy colors and messy lines, but we can also paint brighter colors and purposeful, cleaner lines and shapes to add contrast onto the canvas. The number of bright colors that make it on there is up to each artist. Contrast on a painting can be quite lovely, though.
For me, this week has been full of created moments, and for some reason they all have to do with food. I've been in a goofy mood and apparently hungry as well. 😋 😁
My 'moments of good' for the week:
I find citrus fruits so uplifting. The scent/taste is so refreshing and the colors are bright and cheery. My happy little citrus tree:
Sweet and sour bicycle:
A batch of spicy peppers from a friend...I have been putting them in everything and my stomach does not appreciate it very much. But they are sooo good.
More lovely veggies from our garden and hers:
I had that famous "aha" moment when I realized that I have actually been creating a lot of my moments throughout this project without even being aware that I was doing it. But that is okay. Positive living is a combination of noticing what is already there, and consciously bringing forth moments of happiness. You never know what chain reaction will take place when you add more deliberate acts of kindness for yourself and for others. What will your moment(s) be today?
P.S. I would love to hear about your beautiful moments (created or observed 😊). Feel free to share them in the comments below. I don't think the comments allow pictures, but if you have taken one that you want to share, you can do so on my facebook page (link in side bar of blog) or you can email them to me at thewildolive39@gmail.com. I may even do a post each month with readers' photos/stories as well (with permission, of course).
What if on those days, I create moments instead? At first I thought, "Well, that's cheating", but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that we are actually creating moments all day long every day. Of course there are things that happen in our lives that we absolutely cannot control, but a lot of the time we do play a huge part in what occurs.
For example, the alarm goes off at 6:30. I am in a deep and peaceful sleep, and would much rather stay in that place, then have to get up, get dressed, and start the morning's shenanigans to get ready for work and school. But I make a decision right then and there. Most days I get up. But if I decide for once, to stay in bed, that can create a completely different story for my day. It's like those old pick your own ending' books. There are small choices that we make all day long. Basically, we are creating a large portion of our day without even realizing it!
For the occurrences that we have no control over, we can choose our reaction, at least for most of them. There are some instances where there is no choice but to grieve or fully feel the negativity of the situation. For those unfortunate events, whenever we are ready, we can choose to come to a form of acceptance and find peace within that.
But for minor challenges, such as another person's behavior towards us, we CAN decide how we will react. This is something I have had to work on in myself. Sometimes I will imagine myself as that person, so that I can try to see from their perspective as to why they might be acting a certain way. I have found that to be helpful.
If I am having a really bad day, I can respond with frustration and curse each moment, or I can choose to purposefully create a positive moment amidst all of it. It can be something simple, like pausing to make myself a cup of warm, soothing tea or indulge in a glass of wine (with chocolate on the side). I could send someone a thoughtful text, letting them know that I am thinking about them. Doing something for someone else is a great way to add a little sunlight into the day. Maybe I just decide to forget all my tasks for an hour and go take a walk. Getting out in nature often helps me to feel more at peace. Occasionally, I may choose to just let my tears flow, which can be comforting in its own way.
We are all artists in this way. The picture we paint will most likely have dark, shadowy colors and messy lines, but we can also paint brighter colors and purposeful, cleaner lines and shapes to add contrast onto the canvas. The number of bright colors that make it on there is up to each artist. Contrast on a painting can be quite lovely, though.
For me, this week has been full of created moments, and for some reason they all have to do with food. I've been in a goofy mood and apparently hungry as well. 😋 😁
My 'moments of good' for the week:
I find citrus fruits so uplifting. The scent/taste is so refreshing and the colors are bright and cheery. My happy little citrus tree:
Sweet and sour bicycle:
A batch of spicy peppers from a friend...I have been putting them in everything and my stomach does not appreciate it very much. But they are sooo good.
More lovely veggies from our garden and hers:
I had that famous "aha" moment when I realized that I have actually been creating a lot of my moments throughout this project without even being aware that I was doing it. But that is okay. Positive living is a combination of noticing what is already there, and consciously bringing forth moments of happiness. You never know what chain reaction will take place when you add more deliberate acts of kindness for yourself and for others. What will your moment(s) be today?
P.S. I would love to hear about your beautiful moments (created or observed 😊). Feel free to share them in the comments below. I don't think the comments allow pictures, but if you have taken one that you want to share, you can do so on my facebook page (link in side bar of blog) or you can email them to me at thewildolive39@gmail.com. I may even do a post each month with readers' photos/stories as well (with permission, of course).
Comments
@Mom I'm so glad it made you smile and laugh. :) That is the best compliment I could receive. Thank you always for the encouragement.
xoxo