Dear Reader:

I think Honey’s hand-made clay turtle represents my thoughts on slowing down in the best and cutest way! I have so much fun changing flowers in it…enjoying the different attire of the creative ‘Honey’ turtle planter!

Slowing down is hard…whether one is in the throes of a growing family and a challenging job or simply retired…because slowing down means breaking so many habits and beliefs that keep our lives harried and unsettled for far too much of it.

Slowing down means letting go...and as we have all experienced in other arenas of life ( letting go of problems, letting go of old hurts, letting go of envy or jealousy, letting go of loved ones,  etc.)  is never easy.

It is the November theme of being grateful for our lives… just the way things are… that gets to the bottom of the time dilemma. Even in the busiest schedules we still have the ability to prioritize the most meaningful things in it to us. We must remind ourselves  that each and every day can not be re-lived…so what small change can we make to put joy and others first… to feel the best sense of gratitude possible when it ends each evening?

Author Mike Robbins sums it up with his famous quote… “Gratitude and victimhood can’t exist in the same space.” 

We might have to get up and go to work each day but that is because we have a job to go to…we might struggle over balancing time with family and our job but that means we have two things some people would give anything to have…a loving family and a job.

Once we stop whining and pouting about the lack of time in our lives…(which by the way is the same 24 hours everybody else on this planet has)… and, instead, start looking for ways to improve our quality of time…our emotional state changes from poor me to thoughts of our spouse or children or pets and the famous maxim returns…

“Your worst day may be someone else’s best day. It’s all perspective. How we see ourselves changes how we see the world.” 

Julie Andrews was right when she sang about “Some of her favorite things” in the Sound of Music. Psychologists today tell us gratitude opens the door to happiness and joy. If we’re feeling frazzled, we need to think of something or someone we love… our kids, favorite hobbies or past-times, our dog… or home. Within seconds positive thoughts stimulate the release of feel-good chemicals in our brain.

And for heaven’s sake… we need to stop trying to be a perfectionist in every teeny, tiny aspect of our life. We aren’t made to be perfect…it is not in our DNA…we were created to be happy and grateful to our Creator and the friends and family around us who love and encourage us. Then we should  pass this same love and encouragement on to others.

So until tomorrow…Let us strive for a purposeful life…not a perfect one. Find time to enjoy the greatest gift we have..life…and with it…meaningful  relationships throughout our lives!

“Today is my favorite day”   Winnie the Pooh