Nature's palette

I am loving Bright Week! Here is a photo I took last Saturday. The little patch of orange on the tree caught my eye. I love how it contrasts with the bright-green moss.

More color for Bright Week

Here's another photo, this one with just a few touches of color. I love this idea of Bright Week -- see http://concretehoney.blogspot.com/ for more info about other bloggers who are participating.

Happy Monday

Here's another happy photo for Bright Week. Hope your week is getting off to a really good start!

Bring on the brights!

Bright Week starts Monday at concrete and honey (http://concretehoney.blogspot.com/), and I've decided to participate! We could all use some cheery colors right now, couldn't we? Here are my contributions -- some little painted cards that I created this week. Hope you enjoy!

Little inspirations

No words this time -- just some photos meant to inspire. Post a comment & let me know what you think!

Thinking happy thoughts of spring

It’s been a long time since I posted on my blog, and I think it’s about time! I’ve had so much fun reading other people’s blogs – I find them to be the perfect way to get instantly inspired and energized. But now I need to update my own.

When I first started this blog, I was fired up after the election and had vowed to support my community. I ended up volunteering with students at a study center in a housing projected located in Portland, Maine. I started about two months ago, but what with winter storms and Monday holidays, I’ve only actually done 4 or 5 stints at the center. Now comes a new job into my life, and I think I will probably have to bow out of my volunteer gig. I still feel a strong desire to help others and will look around for something I can do that will fit into my new work schedule.

What I love most about other people’s blogs are the pictures, and I’m trying to figure out how to incorporate more photos into my own. I’d like to keep the writing brief and beef up the visuals. For today, I’ll simply tell you that I am eagerly looking forward to a new season! Nothing makes my heart soar more than thoughts of spring and my new job – both have me feeling hopeful & excited! I’m going to include photos that help inspire me to thoughts of warmer days. This winter has seemed like a long one, in many respects. I emailed our local weather man to ask about the snow fall, and it turns out we’ve had much less snow than last winter (55.2 in. so far vs. 96.4 in. last year at this time), but because it has been colder, the snow has stayed on the ground longer. That explains why I haven’t seen the grass in my front yard since December! Well, it’ll be melting soon, I’m sure. Till then, I’ll be looking forward to a time when I can get outside and enjoy the beauty of Maine! May your own thoughts of spring inspire hope and joy in your life, too!

Don't get mired in too much flapdoodle!

I recently discovered a children’s book written by Maine author, Amy MacDonald. The title immediately grabbed my attention: Too Much Flapdoodle! Something about this phrase really resonates with me. I looked up the word flapdoodle in the dictionary, and it means pretty much what you would imagine: nonsense; foolish talk. The phrase stuck in my mind, and as I went about the next few days, there were several times when it popped into my consciousness.

Every time I turn on the radio, someone is moaning and groaning about the state of the economy. No improvements will come from focusing on the negative. In fact, this type of reporting is contributing to our problems. Hope is the answer; positive thoughts are the path we should be following. Unemployment is currently something like 6.5%. Folks, this means that 93.5% of people have jobs! I don’t have a job myself, and yet I know there’s plenty to be thankful for. Hyper-focusing on all that’s wrong? Too much flapdoodle!

I was standing in line the other day, waiting to mail a letter, and the woman behind me became very impatient. Now, sure, waiting in line can try one’s patience sometimes. We’ve all felt that kind of frustration. But consider what the outcome is: we post a letter, and within a relatively short amount of time – usually less than a week – our written words travel across the country, all for only 42 cents. The US Postal Service delivers hundreds of millions of messages each day to more than 141 million homes and businesses. That’s quite an achievement, and I for one appreciate their efforts! So the next time you go to mail your cards and packages, don’t gripe about the wait; appreciate the service. Complaining about a few minutes of waiting in line? Too much flapdoodle!

Everyone experiences stresses and strains during their daily lives. Everyone. Rich or poor, single or married, city folk and country dwellers. It’s not what happens to you, though, that determines if you’re happy – it’s how you react to what happens. It’s how you think about what happens. The next time you’re tempted to complain, criticize, or sink into a place of despair or depression, ask yourself this question: Is everything in my life really so bad? Is there anything good in my life I can focus on instead? There has to be something positive – look for it. Look hard. It’s well worth the effort, since it can literally make the difference between a happy life and an unhappy one. Look for the good. Do it every day. Get into the habit of catching yourself when your thoughts are going down a negative path and turn them around. Develop an attitude of gratitude. Otherwise, friends, you won’t be feeling very good. Your naturally buoyant spirit will become mired in your negative thoughts. And you may just find yourself feeling overwhelmed with too much flapdoodle!

[Thank you to Daniel Powers for the photo of the beautiful Irish mosaic. Visit Daniel online at Powers-Studio.com.]