October 2011 was a great month in so many ways, but one of the highlights was a visit from my cousin Dawn from Canada whom I had never met. We had SO much fun getting to know each other, sharing family stories and of course exploring the Austin area, which meant seeing some sights, snapping pictures, eating specialty foods at restaurants with atmosphere like the Salt Lick BBQ, and a visit to downtown Austin which included a Trailer Food crawl. Continue reading →
One Dead Frog – One Deaf Frog
Happy New Year to all my amazing friends and family! 2011 was the year of the “Traveling Tripps” – we were gone a lot and loving everywhere we traveled.
Now that we are into 2012, it looks very much like we will be doing more of the same – by choice of course. We are so blessed to have this ability to travel, run a successful business no matter where we are, and spend valuable time with close friends and family.
Enjoying life and making a difference is something I’ve always dreamed of and it’s wonderful to live that dream.
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S.O.S. Shut Out Static ~ Slip On Some Solitude
Do you remember when solitude was once enjoyed and appreciated? Not so very long ago, everyone knew a little solitude. We didn’t have to schedule it, or write it into our planner to block off time to enjoy some.
It was simply there … naturally woven into the spaces of time throughout the day. In fact sometimes we would intentionally seek out human connection to escape long stretches of solitude! Imagine that! It was there in abundance and while for some there was too much of it, for most of us it was a blessing.
So what is solitude? It’s spending time by oneself, apart from other people. It’s taking intentional time alone – away from the madding crowds of people, the demands of work and family, the cell phone interruptions, the emails and texts, the social networks, computers and TV’s. It’s less about doing and more about being.
As a race we humans have scheduled out solitude and replaced it with a plethora of activities that permits no room for anything but work and continuous go-go-go. Cell phones are permanently plugged in our ears, or eyes cast down at the device, and we never log off them or our computers and iPads. People are always around us and we get next to zero time alone.
We fill in the spaces of time where solitude once lived and we’ve replaced them with work, play and people … endless activities and distracions!
We used to get a little alone-time in the car … not anymore … the incessant beeps of emails, texts and FB posts take care of that; or we fill in that opportunity for a little thoughtful silence with annoying talk radio….or some other noise …. and the never-ending static energy that transforms us into “energizer bunnies” – when all the time our thirsty soul cries out for some peace and quiet!
In today’s world solitude, silence and serenity are almost non-existent because we have chosen to push them to the back-burner of life. We do it to ourselves! Nowadays most people don’t know what solitude is or where it went, and maybe they don’t care, but I do!
Solitude is valuable for so many reasons – including our sanity!
It’s in our solitude, lost in the quiet moments of the day, where we find ourselves. In our alonenness we’re better able to think, to dream, to plan and to recuperate from the busyness of life and all its earthly demands. It’s where we gain perspective on life and relationships and where we determine direction.
In solitude we are more spiritual, we develop appreciation for all we have. We become more aware of our surroundings. We can dwell on gratitude. It’s where we learn to be comfortable in our own being, to seek courage and encouragement. In solitude, we gain strength of resolve, inspiration meets us there regularly … and we find our sense of purpose.
It’s also where we connect with God in all his magnificence … alone on a mountain top … adrift on a great expanse of water or lost in the beauty of the woods. More importantly, in the quietness of our solitude we hear Him whisper to us. That still small voice of God. We hear His message, His assurance and we learn His plan for us. Most of all we feel His love.
And we discover while we are most alone, we are not alone at all.
The place of solitude is a special place for each of us to rediscover, protect and visit often. I encourage you to find those spaces of time in your life. Shut out the endless static that deafens and dulls your senses, or stimulates you into oblivion. Instead, take time and space for some solitude and while you’re there together, may you be the best of friends.
“In solitude the mind gains strength and learns to lean upon itself.” Laurence Sterne (1713-1768) British writer.
“Conversation enriches the understanding; but solitude is the school of genius.” Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) U.S. poet, essayist and lecturer.
Skipping the Senior Shuffle
Tim Conway is one of my favorite comedians, well-known for playing the role of an elderly gent with a shuffling gait. This “older than dirt” character was slow to think, slow to move, slow to react and even slower to speak.
The live audiences would laugh hysterically at the antics of this somewhat “senile” but lovable individual so skillfully portrayed by Mr. Conway. He would often ad lib his lines which confused and amused his co-stars to the point they would collapse in uncontrollable fits of laughter. It was comedy at its best – taking a real life situation and conveying the humorous side. After all, laughter is the best medicine right?
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Faces, Spaces and Social Graces
I saw a movie in 2009 that provoked deep thoughts that I’ve been mulling over for months. The movie is “Surrogates” starring Bruce Willis. “Set in a futuristic world where humans live in isolation and interact through surrogate robots, a cop (Willis) is forced to leave his home for the first time in years in order to investigate the murders of others’ surrogates.”
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So You Think Alligators Don’t Bite?
It’s the middle of the month – time to pay bills online, give the finances a cursory glance and place a big check mark next to “mid-month accounting” which has top billing on my TA-DA list. No it’s not a typo – and yes spell check is on – I simply choose the term Ta-da over the common To-Do!
Getting the task finished so I can exclaim “ta-daaaah” is so much more palatable to me than having to DO something I’m not terribly motivated to start. I get to strike off the task and sing “Ta-daaaah” – I live for that sense of achievement! But today I am motivated to blog, which will provide me with an even greater sense of satisfaction, since I have been sloughing off on entries. I will blog and shelve the accounting.
Love that we have choices in life, don’t you?
When Exactly Did Good Manners Abscond with Common Courtesy?
Do you remember when Good Manners was alive and popular and no matter where you went, he showed up and always managed to brighten someone’s day with a kind word, a good deed or a special gesture? He was a real gentleman – at work and at play.
Did you notice that wherever Good Manners went, you could always find Common Courtesy? A real lady who was always quick to say ‘please and thank you” and ‘excuse me’ – and raised her kids the same way! The two were inseparable. They made quite a couple – an item – and they were good together. Wherever they showed up, they were the main attraction – people enjoyed their company, respected them and strove to emulate them.
In the company of this congenial pair, people were polite, more considerate of others and a pleasure to be around. GM and CC were so popular, that one would never dream of hosting a business meeting, a family gathering or a party for friends without inviting them, because in their absence it was all too easy for Rudeness and Inconsideration to crash the party and spoil everyone’s fun.
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Imagine the Power of Possibility
Have you ever felt beaten down by life? Are you enslaved by circumstances that keep you trapped in a hole? Are you desperate to claw your way out, but don’t know how, and even if you do, you’re not sure you have the physical and emotional strength to do what it takes?
I’ve been there – more than once. I understand. Sisters and brothers – this is for you – the video is directed at women, but is just as applicable to men, so I encourage you to watch. Be inspired – then read on: Continue reading →
Spandex! You Are Stretching My Patience!
My friend Dorothy and I had a girl’s day out now and then when we lived in Apple Valley – a shop-‘til-you-drop kind of day. I’m talking ALL day! We’d drive 90 minutes to a huge Mall, be there when it opened and leave when the doors hit us in the rear as they closed, then we’d do dinner and get home in time for bed. The guys thought we were nuts! They were probably right – but those were some FUN times! It wasn’t that we always spent lots of money, or came home with more than we could carry; it was just the delight of the shopping experience itself. Finding a great bargain and cute clothes that fit can be a real stress buster and quite rewarding – an enjoyable experience, one you want to repeat. Continue reading →
The Whole World Stinks! No Wait..it’s Limburger Cheese
There’s a story about a grandpa and grandma who visited their grandchildren. It goes like this:
Each afternoon Grandpa would lie down for a nap. One day, as a practical joke, the kids decided to put Limburger cheese in his moustache. Quite soon he awoke sniffing. “Why, this room stinks,” he exclaimed, as he got up and went out into the kitchen. He wasn’t there long until he decided that the kitchen smelled too, so he walked outdoors for a breath of fresh air. Much to Grandpa’s surprise, the open air brought no relief, and he proclaimed “The whole world stinks!” Mmmmm – no! It was just his upper lip! Continue reading →