Give to Get

As part of my 101 in 1001 list I made a list of personal commandments.  As part of my working on remembering my list I thought I would continue to share my commandments and why they are on my list.  Be Heather, my first commandment is a great commandment that can be easily adapted for anyone.  My second, Dance With God. Let Him Lead. is one that I continually have to remind myself of.  My third, Let Go of Perfect,  is one that I think many people can relate to.


Today I'm sharing my fourth personal commandment: No Deposit, No Return.


Effort.  Life takes effort.  Sometimes we want to give up.  We just don't care.  But it's at those moments when our account depletes, the cup empties.  If you don't put anything in, you will never get anything out.


It takes one dollar to get two dollars.  It takes a half a glass to get a full one.  It takes two people in a relationship.  It takes work to succeed.  It takes time to grow.  You need to give a little, and you could get a lot.  So this commandment's reasoning is short and sweet.  If I don't put anything in, I won't get anything back.  Everything has value, everything is important.  But sometimes I need the reminder that I need to work, to put a little effort into my life.  Into all aspects of it.  Relationships, work, happiness, faith.


No Deposit, No Return.

Remember to live life the best you can, love the most you can.  Moments are precious, many things can wait, The Sunset Won't.  

And I'm Thankful...

Thanksgiving.  A holiday to express thankfulness and gratitude for things both big and small.  With the chaos of our lives sometimes it hard to appreciate what we have.  So today is a day that we remember.  There are so many things that I could list off that I'm thankful for, its hard to pick just a few.  But we all have to start somewhere.  We need that first snowflake to make a snowman, the first piece of wood to build a home.


I'm thankful...


for the true friendships I have, the friends who are there no matter what.


for the sunsets which remind me that the sun will rise tomorrow, which brings the promise of a new day, a second chance.


for the beauty in the world around me.


for my relatively good health.


for my family, every last crazy, irritating, supportive one of them.


for my choice in career; it may be crazy and some days it seems like its not worth it, but I love teaching.


for my faith in God.


for the food on my table and the money in my wallet.


for my education.


for life.


I'm thankful.

Remember to live life the best you can, love the most you can.  Moments are precious, many things can wait, The Sunset Won't.  

What are you thankful for today?

Wordy Wednesday

It's Wednesday.  For many, it's one of the busier days of the week.  You realize all the work that must be done before Friday.  Maybe you have commitments in the evening that tie you up. Maybe you are just tired after a couple long days at work.

Regardless, Wordy Wednesday here at 'The Sunset Won't' is a quote, short passage or verse that I enjoy and want to share with you.  Today's quote is from a TV show called Being Erica:

Change. Sometimes it sneaks up on you. Sometimes it hits you over the head. And sometimes you turn a corner, only to find you're different in some small way, and the world doesn't look quite like it used to. So, where do I go from here? No idea. And for the first time, I feel like that's a good thing. 

Nobody's Perfect

As part of my 101 in 1001 list I made a list of personal commandments.  As part of my working on remembering my list I thought I would continue to share my commandments and why they are on my list.  Be Heather, my first commandment is a great commandment that can be easily adapted for anyone.  My second, Dance With God. Let Him Lead. is one that I continually have to remind myself of.

My third commandment is to Let Go of Perfect.  I am a major perfectionist.  It's quite possible that I have a little CDO (O.C.D. but alphabetized) that contributes to my need for perfection.  Another large part might be that I seem to have a need to please other people, to be what they think I should be, to be perfect.

But really, we all know that there is no such thing, right?  Well we can tell ourselves that, but it doesn't mean we believe it.  I always thought that to get from point A to B it had to look like this:

But someone once pointed out that if it were to look like this:

Then that would be okay too.  There is no right way.  There's a your way.  And a my way.  But just because they are different, doesn't mean they aren't both right.


Perfection:
That's a mighty tall order.  And I think it's our imperfections that make us who we are.  If I work and work to have the perfect hairstyle, wear the perfect clothes, look perfect.  If I try to be the perfect teacher, friend, sister, daughter, mentor.  If I try to have the perfect faith.  The perfect dream.  The perfect work ethic.  If I do all those things, and don't achieve them, then what does that make me?  But if I realize that perfection is something I shouldn't try to attain.  Rather I should try to attain the best that I can be.  Not the best in general.  But the best Heather that I can be... isn't that what it's all about?

That isn't to say that I shouldn't be the healthiest version of me I can be.  Or the smartest, or best teacher that I can be.  But that's the point.  Its not the best, period.  It's the best, I CAN BE.

So my third personal commandment is to Let Go of Perfect.  To understand that there is more than one way to do something.  That God made me just the way I am and that to Him I am perfectly me without changing anything.  So as I strive to let go of perfection for myself, I have to also let go of my desire for others to be perfect... but that's a whole other story.

Wordy Wednesday

It's Wednesday.  For many, it's one of the busier days of the week.  You realize all the work that must be done before Friday.  Maybe you have commitments in the evening that tie you up. Maybe you are just tired after a couple long days at work.

Regardless, Wordy Wednesday here at 'The Sunset Won't' is a quote, short passage or verse that I enjoy and want to share with you.  Today's passage is a letter from the end of a book by Brenda Minton, a letter to her readers.

Life sometimes feels like a puzzle that isn’t quite coming together the way we want it to.  We have all the pieces, we know what it is supposed to look like and we know how we want it to go together, but for some reason we can’t make it work.  As things crumble, as pieces fail to fit and nothing seems to work, we begin to see the edges of the puzzle come together.  The framework is there, it just takes time and patience.  Sometimes we have to move on and then later, when we look back, we suddenly see that what we thought was a plan falling apart was actually God’s plan coming together.

Life's a Dance, Commandment Style

In May I shared my 11 Personal Commandments, things that I want to remember and live by. My very first commandment was to Be Heather.  Since then there have been edits, tweaks, removals and additions.  The first is still the same, to Be Heather.  My second commandment is Dance With God.  Let Him Lead.


Throughout life one of my challenges has been to remember that there is something bigger than me (according to my beliefs).  That God has plans for my life, and knows how to get me to where I am to be.  All I have to do is let him lead.


Somewhere I heard the saying "dance with God, he will let the perfect man cut in."  I loved the image of dancing with God, with celebrating life, enjoying it, experiencing it.  Remember to live the way He tells us to.  Letting Him lead.  That can be just as hard.  But he knows every step.  Every turn.  Every dip.  Every lift.  He knows the routine, you just have to let him lead.


It doesn't matter whether you believe in God, or some other higher power.  Perhaps you believe in chance, karma or serendipity.  No matter what it is there are times when perhaps, like me, you need the reminder that there are forces bigger than yourself at work.  There's a country song that goes, "Life's a dance you learn as you go.  Sometimes you lead, sometimes you follow.  Don't worry about what you don't know.  Life's a dance, you learn as you go."


So experience the dance.  But I need the reminder to Dance With God.  Let Him Lead.


Happy Dancing,

Wordy Wednesday

It's Wednesday.  For many, it's one of the busier days of the week.  You realize all the work that must be done before Friday.  Maybe you have commitments in the evening that tie you up. Maybe you are just tired after a couple long days at work.

Regardless, Wordy Wednesday here at 'The Sunset Won't' is a quote, short passage or verse that I enjoy and want to share with you.  Today's WW are the lyrics to the song Sweet Serendipity by Lee Dewyze.

I ain't got no car and I've got one pair of jeans

They've been stretched too far and now they're weak at the seams.

I can't say what's next and I got nothin' up my sleeve

But I don't lose my head cause it ain't really up to me.

(Chorus)

And I'm doing just fine. 

I'm always landing on my feet in the nick of time

And by the skin of my teeth

I ain't gonna stress cause the worst ain't happened yet

Somethings watching over me like sweet serendipity.

I don't ask for a lot, no nothing more than I need.

Because I love what I got, don't need to play the lottery.

I just want to be strong at the end of the road,

I don't want to hold I want the strength to let go.

(Chorus)

And what will be will be,

in the nick of time and by the skin of my teeth.

I ain't gonna stress cause the worst ain't happened yet.

Somethings watching over me like sweet serendipity.

Don't look fate can only find you.

You can't choose for something to surprise you.

Set sail without a destination, just see where the wind will take you.

You never know when you're gonna fall, but I'm not worried.

(Chorus)

Find the sweet serendipity in your life today!  Happy Wednesday.

Attitudes Are Contagious

Attitudes are contagious.  Is yours worth catching?

I went to dinner with one of my relatives last week.  We had a great time.  And I could tell that there was something different about them.  They were so much happier than the last time I had seen them.  It was as if they had shed the sadness, anxiety and hurt that had been weighing them down.  Their happiness, was contagious.  Granted, I wasn't unhappy, but it was so great to see the happiness radiating from their face.

That made me think of the saying about attitudes being contagious.  How often do I use that very thought in classrooms I go into.  If material seems boring, or its Monday and kids are tired I change my attitude (sometimes I amp it up) and the students see it.  They begin to model your attitude.  This happens so often in life.

Our attitudes are like the clothes we put on, right there for people to see.  So make it a great outfit.  A beautiful, bright, clean outfit.  One that others will want to emulate.  Make your attitude worth catching.

Remember to live life the best you can, love the most you can.  Moments are precious, many things can wait, The Sunset Won't.  

Wordy Wednesday

It's Wednesday.  For many, it's one of the busier days of the week.  You realize all the work that must be done before Friday.  Maybe you have commitments in the evening that tie you up. Maybe you are just tired after a couple long days at work.

Regardless, Wordy Wednesday here at 'The Sunset Won't' is a quote, short passage or verse that I enjoy and want to share with you.  Today I am sharing quotes whose authors are unknown.

Respect yourself.  Take pride in your work ethic.  Treasure your reputation.  It is easier to maintain a good one that it is to regain a lost one.

You can do anything. But not everything.

Happy Days Are Here Again

As I continue on my journey to complete my 101 in 1001 I am continually amazed at how happy I am working on my list of 101 Things That Make Me Happy list.  

And this is the last portion of my list!  Thanks to those of you who have been there every step of the way.  Hopefully by reading the list you have been reminded of some of the everyday things that can bring a little piece of happiness to your day.

Through our crazy schedules it's sometimes hard to find the things that make us happy because we assume they have to be big things.  But the little things are just as important as the big ones.  Remember to live life the best you can, love the most you can.  Moments are precious, many things can wait, The Sunset Won't.

Here is the conclusion of My Happy List:

91.  Doing things for someone without being asked.  I am currently living at home, but this can apply to nearly any situation.  Work or home or out with friends.  Filing or typing something, pulling out a lesson someone can use or working one on one with a student.  Folding a basket of laundry, making dinner, cleaning the house.  Picking up the tab.  When I do something for someone else without being asked, a random act of kindness it makes me happy.

92.  Knowing the songs that are on the radio.  I took a road trip recently where we listened to the radio for almost 3 hours straight.  And as song after song came on I knew each one.  Maybe not every word, but I knew the song, and most of the words.  It was so much fun!  Knowing the songs on the radio makes me happy.

93. Kicking it old school.  You know what I mean.  It could be an artist you suddenly are in the mood to listen to or a playlist of your old favs.  A movie from when you were younger that you sit down and watch again.  Hearing about or seeing old toys like the original Polly Pockets or Pogs and reminiscing with friends.  Kicking it old school makes me happy.

94. Color.  Whether it’s highlighting in my Bible, the color coding of my calendar, the bright colors of fall leaves, the pastels of a favorite quilt, the greens and blues in a favorite picture, the purple ink in a favorite pen.  Looking around and seeing color makes me happy.

95. Small treats.  A couple pieces of candy corn, an oreo cookie, a piece of Hershey’s Bliss chocolate, a fruit strip, a handful of chocolate almonds.  Sometimes all I need is a small treat to make me happy.

96. Finding neat, old photographs.  Whether it’s an album of pictures from my childhood, or a box of photographs of my grandparents throughout their lives I love seeing moments in time captured on film.  Finding these precious old photographs, make me happy.

97. Buying new books.  Buying new books from a store or bookstore, receiving one in the mail that I am to review, getting a new book from Paperback Swap is always a highlight for me.  I get to read a new story, go someplace new, see a new movie in my head.  Buying new books makes me happy.

98. A favorite book.  Favorite songs, bands, ice cream, movies and tv shows have all received their own spot on the list.  So, seeing as though I LOVE to read, I think that favorite books should also get a spot on the list, right?  The first time you read it, you love it.  You know its going to be a favorite.  Weeks, months, years later you pull that book off the shelf again.  You get lost in the story.  You know what’s coming but you love re-reading it anyway.  Favorite books make me happy.

99. November 3^rd.  If you live in America and watch tv, drive, or listen to the radio I have a feeling that November 3^rd also makes you happy.  It’s the day after elections.  And in an especially important election year that day is even better.  We know who has won, the voting is closed, decisions made.  It’s the day that the continual bombardment of political ads, which are EVERYWHERE, end.  Imagine what would happen if instead of spending money on ads the candidates put it towards budget deficits, the declining housing market, EDUCATION?!  But alas that won’t happen.  So, November 3^rd makes me happy.

100. Being happy.  Have you ever caught yourself in a good mood, thought “man I am having a good day,” or “I am so happy right now”?  When I catch myself in those moods I get happier.  If that’s possible.  Being happy makes me happy.

101. Finishing what you start.