Dear Reader:

There are now two passages of “truth” that I feel unequivocally adamant about in my sixth decade on this planet. 1) We are all connected 2) Obtaining a meaningful and fruitful life depends on choices…life is a series of choices.

The “real” world we choose to live in depends on our definition of what we perceive as “real.” We can be sheep following society’s guidelines or become mavericks who seek our own unique creative guidelines through our life’s journey with the help of our Creator to lead us.

On the back of this “Power Thought Card” it says:

I discovered an interesting Huffington Post article titled: “You create Your Own Reality” by contributor Melissa Heisler. Great food for thought!

The phrase “You create your own reality” has become a popular catch-phrase in the past decade but I don’t think I actually understood the meaning behind the phrase. After reading this article I had a small epiphany on this topic:

Don’t we all have a tendency to blame others when we get our feelings hurt, or are embarrassed, or sad or angry?  We stomp home from work or wherever like the little boy who angrily takes his bat and ball home in a pout… so the rest of the neighborhood gang can’t play. (It’s my way or the highway approach to life)

“The truth is that no one can make us feel any way. Outside forces may create undesirable situations, but we are the ones who choose to react to those situations. We create our reality by how we choose to react; how we choose to perceive situations; how we judge others’ actions.”

This is where creative thinking comes in to play. Heisler explains it simply: “When I am at my most powerful, is when I am at my most accepting. I see people for who they are without judgment or attack. I accept all circumstances as they are without my perception of what that means for me or others.”

“Acceptance is seeing the world and those around us truthfully and compassionately. The ability to do this comes from disengaging the fear-sensing part of our brain. It comes from being able to turn off our unconscious stress reactions and consciously choose how we view and react to situations.”

Too often we still use the amygdala area of the brain that makes us react quickly… fight, flight or freeze. That worked well for our ancestors and pre-ancestors life style but learning to use our choice and problem-solving part of the brain creates a calmer reality for us. It would be like holding up a sign”Be Calm and Make Good Choices.”

(I remember Mandy saying that expression all the time to Eva Cate…Her pre-school used these words “Make Good Choices” repeatedly during the school day and encouraged parents to follow through after school hours.) They too were trying to teach children options for problem-solving situations at school.

(It was kinda funny…I remember seeing Eva Cate holding two Barbie dolls..she had them  fighting each other…and she was mimicking her teacher “Now now make good choices.”

So until tomorrow… We should try to find the truth of situations, not our judgments. Learn the power of acceptance instead of attack. And we will find that we can create a new, better reality for ourselves. *I sure am trying…step by step.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

On my last neighborhood walk with Vickie and Maggie (the dog) last Sunday evening before leaving for the beach Vickie and I saw this gigantic magnolia tree with these gorgeous pink colored cones.

Everywhere I look I see pink…we are now ten days out from the Race for the Cure and getting closer and closer to our goal. Here is this week’s donor information if you are interested in donating to “Legally Pink” our wonderful team or individual team member!

You can make electronic donations by using this link: Scroll down

Link: http://www.info-komen.org/site/TR/RacefortheCure/CHS_SouthCarolinaAffiliate?pg=entry&fr_id=6930

To mail a check: Make it out to:

Komen Lowcountry…*On the check memo line, please include the participant’s name you wish to honor or the team name. (Legally Pink)

Address: Susan Komen, S.C. 50 Folly Road Blvd. Charleston, SC 29407

Blessings from my home to yours!

 Guess what?  Team Captain Tommy Dingle just called to tell us our team , Legally Pink, is momentarily in fourth place for overall donations to date! We are so happy and thankful to all of you in helping us support those who come behind us with this disease or can’t physically  participate in the race.

EXCITING NEWS! *We were just notified that this Friday the top five teams will receive a special recognition!  We are so excited over this possibility after nine years of participation and hopeful we will still be in the running two days from now.The top teams are neck in neck ! All for such a wonderful cause!

Y’all are the best!!! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your continued support!!! Fingers crossed and pink bows too!