Seven Paths - Lesson 4

This lesson from Seven Paths to Freedom by Curtis Rivers is called Gratitude. Not just gratitude for the life you have imagined but gratitude everyday under all circumstances.

If you have been following my blog, you would know that I read Rhonda Byrne's book The Magic which is all about gratitude and I completed the assignments from each chapter. 

If you haven't read any of those posts you can start at the beginning, The Road to Inner Peace and Happiness.

If you are familiar with the concepts of gratitude then you are ahead of the crowd and know how to implement it into your meditation/visualization.

Many people do take their lives for granted. They don't stop to feel grateful for what they have here and now. They seem to hold back their happiness for some day in the future. 

Have you ever heard someone complaining about their weight then say, I will be happy when I lose ten pounds? Or things will be better when I get that raise? I'll be happy once I get the house renovated.

Wanting more is good but at the same time you need to be grateful for what you have right now. Be grateful for your health, for having a job, for your home.

Feel grateful. Feel happy. You have so much to be happy about. Look around you. You are alive. People love you and like spending time with you. Are you grateful for the opportunity to use the internet and computer right now? 

My Family in 2012

I look around and can list so many things I am grateful for. My granddaughters playing on the other side of the room. My daughter who is doing dishes. The sparkling Christmas tree. My comfy couch. The heat in our home cause it is really cold outside. The food in the fridge. The phone ringing. The clean fresh water we have access to all the time. 

Everything, every occasion, everyone gives you an opportunity to feel gratitude - happiness. Thank you, thank you, thank you. 

Don't misunderstand me. My life is not perfect. I could grump and complain, and sometimes I do, but over all, I choose not to.

I could freak out because my granddaughters are making a big mess with their toys over there. But why would I? Messes can be cleaned up. They aren't hurting anyone. They are enjoying themselves. And am I grateful for that. Their happiness is contagious.

So what is all this discussion about gratitude and feelings? I will let Curtis Rivers explain. "Introduce gratitude into all of your daily visualisations, and watch the magic happen. It WILL happen, that's what is so exciting about this course, and about my book - this is REAL. It doesn't' just work 'some of the time' it works all of the time, 24/7 - by natural laws of the Universe. It was designed that way."


I FEEL HAPPY. I AM GRATEFUL. 

It is a wonderful life.


What are you grateful for?

Seven Paths - Lesson 3

Today's lesson from Curtis Rivers' free course, Seven Paths to Freedom, is called Focusing the Image. I definitely need help with this one. 

I can create vague images in my mind and enhance them by adding emotions. I FEEL happy. 

But the images are  still vague to me. I wonder what I have been doing wrong or is there something I am missing?

Lesson two answers this question. 

More practice.  Practice makes perfect. Use or lose it. Well, in this case, you may not have used that part of your brain; that part that creates vivid images in your mind so you need to work at it and with time the images will become clear.

Using all your senses. This will sharpen the image in your mind.

• What do you hear? Are they kids laughing? Birds singing?
• What do you smell? Cookies baking? Flowers? 

Unfortunately or should I say fortunately my sniffer is broken. Intense scents, I can smell, otherwise it is a blank. A couple of weeks ago, for some reason, I could actually smell just about everything. It was so weird. I did not like it. How can people go through life smelling all these odors and fragrances? They were leaping out at me from everywhere. Invading my senses. Much of it was not pleasant. Made my stomach turn. Not good at all. Thank goodness it didn't last more than a day. What a relief it was to be back at my odor/fragrance free life.

• What do you touch/feel? The warm sunlight on your skin? Cold metal in your hand?
• What do you taste? The fresh, hot out of the oven cookies? 
• Lastly use your sense of awareness.

I will try again.

I am getting out of my red shiny Impala. I love that car. I hear the sound of my feet hit the driveway.
I take a deep breath of the fresh air and look up at my house. I hear the car door close and I walk up the sidewalk to the front door. The sound of my heels click click click follow me.

I reach out and grasp the cool metal door handle and give it a twist to the right. The colour on the front door matches my car. I don't know why that colour brightens my spirits but it does so I have it sprinkled throughout my house.

The foyer is brightly lit and I have a smile on my face as I anticipate my granddaughters rushing to see me. I call out, "Hello."

Sidney comes running and collides into me as she yells, "Grandma!" Her little arms wrap around my legs and I lean forward to try to squeeze her.

Just as Sidney loosens her grip on me, Faith, comes running up to me and gives me a great big hug. "Grandma, I missed you." "I missed you too."

www.branthaven.com

I kick off my sling back shoes and step onto the cold ceramic tiles. I love the way my bare feet feel on the smooth clean floor.

Actually my little piggies wish they could always be naked in the fresh air. Socks are so confining.

My little angels have already run back to the kitchen. 

With each step towards the kitchen, the sound of my daughters talking and laughing gets a little louder. I can smell the banana bread baking in the oven. As I enter the kitchen we exchange hellos. I look around and FEEL so blessed.

www.livingdesignhome.com

I notice some white fluffy towels on the floor because the girls were swimming again. One of our favorite past times. We have an indoor heated pool - a dream come true. I can't tell you how many wonderful hours we've had in the gorgeous pool. 

I promise to go for a dip after supper.

I walk upstairs to my bedroom and change into some casual clothes. My room is so relaxing - a true retreat for unwinding. I love, love, love my room. That colour again that brightens up my day.

After taking a few minutes for myself, I work my way downstairs to my art studio/home office/rec room/exercise area.

 I check emails and stop myself there because I know time flies once I get on the computer. It is the weekend and I promised my girls to spend time with them.

I look around and feel so grateful. I have large canvases holding paint that I put there. Someone has already bought that picture. 

www.minimalisti.com

Over in the corner is a work station that my girls and I sit at and create all kinds of fun items. 

In the opposite corner is a area dedicated to exercising. Everyone in the family takes advantage of that space.

My heart leaps as I scan the walls which are covered with pictures of my family and the trips we have been on. 



There are awards and letters of gratitude for my volunteer work and donations to various charities. My daughters insisted on framing and hanging them. 

I go back to the kitchen and they are cleaning up. I look out the window at the four nearby houses that belong to Beth, Nicole, Christina and my Mom. 

Its fantastic that my granddaughters can run over to see me whenever they want.

Some of my fondest memories are of my maternal grandfather spending time with me. He made me feel important, loved and accepted. I wish I could have seen him more.

I walk past the great room. It is a warm welcoming space which I enjoy everyday with my girls. Another wave of happiness flows through me.

I go through the patio doors that leads to the deck and garden. I give a quick wave of my hand to Gary. He is sitting there with my son-inilaws doing whatever guys do.

From picasaweb.google.com

I have a huge garden filled with large blossom flowers. The colours are so vibrant and the fragrance mild and beautiful. I stir up the scent of mint as my fingers gently run over the plants.

I look up and admire the cyan blue sky and fluffy white clouds. I savour the moment because I feel so grateful and happy. A rush of inner peace overwhelms me.

I glance back around the garden. 

My granddaughters get so excited when they see a fruit or vegetable ripe for the picking. 

The cucumbers are doing great this year.


This time was a little easier. I included the six senses. Nope. I lied. I missed taste. Tomorrow I will taste the banana bread. Yum. Can I have mine loaded with chopped up walnuts? 

If I am going to be completely truthful, I have to admit that once I stepped into the house, I felt a pang of anxiety and I wondered how am I going to maintain all of this? I let the thought roll by as suggested in the lesson and continued with my vision. The self doubt was there haunting me. I don't know why.

Maybe someone could enlighten me. What could that barrier be?

How have you been doing with the lessons?




To read the today's lesson, you can sign up for Curtis Rivers' Seven Paths to Freedom Course at http://www.curtisrivers.com/products.html.

Or Does It?

Well, I hope you were thinking about your answers to the gratitude questions. I am ready to explain my answers.

Lets begin.

1. The cure for broken or difficult relationships? I agree. It is impossible to be angry with someone once you have listed off all the reasons you can think of to be grateful to that person. Day three was Magical Relationships. If you haven't completed this practice, I suggest you put it on your agenda for tomorrow. You will be happy that you did.
2. The cure for lack of health? I don't know about this one. I'll have to reevaluate it a later time not because I don't think it works but because there was no real opportunity to test it out.
3. The cure for lack of money? Again, I don't know if gratitude is the cure for this one but I do have to admit that gratitude has opened my eyes to see the abundance of money in my life.
•  I will give you a couple of examples from yesterday. I was out looking for a new table and chair set. I went back to Martins Furniture. The salesman gave me a five percent discount for being a repeat customer. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Money comes easily and frequently. 
• We also have a one in three chance of winning our purchase for free. Isn't that incredible. We will find out tomorrow. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Money comes easily and frequently.  
• And lastly, we were driving home when we spotted something in the middle of the road. Michael slowed down, opened his door and picked it up. I know this is silly but, it was a new roll of duct tape. I don't know what its value is but again, thank you, thank you, thank you. Money comes easily and frequently.
4. Gratitude eliminates fear? Off the top of my head I have to say that I can't think of an example to prove this theory. Perhaps I just haven't had      the right circumstances.
5. Gratitude eliminates worry? I will have to dig deeper for the answer to this one.
6. Gratitude eliminates grief? The answer isn't jumping out at me. Get back to me later. Oh silly me! This question is pretty much the same as number seven.
7. Gratitude eliminates depression? I definitely agree. It is absolutely impossible to be depressed when you are grateful for all the people, events and things in your life.
8. Gratitude brings solutions to problems? I have to think more on this one. I guess Rhonda is referring to Day 7, The Magical Way Out of Negativity. It is on this day that we were to choose a problem or negative situation which we would like resolved and to list ten things we are grateful about it. Rhonda's reasoning is this; ''The answer to any negative situation you want to resolve is to focus concentrated gratitude on it until you feel better inside; then you will see the magic work its wonder in the outside world."
9. Gratitude brings the opportunities and wherewithal to realize your dreams? I don't have an opinion on this one yet.
10. Gratitude brings happiness? I agree one hundred percent. This is pretty much the same question as number seven and so is my answer.
11. Gratitude brings clarity? I have to think more about this one.
12. Gratitude brings patience? Yes it does. 
13. Gratitude brings kindness? Yes to this one too. Day 10, Magic  Dust Everyone teaches us to be grateful to everyone we encounter. As Philo of Alexandria is quoted to say, "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle."
14. Gratitude brings compassion? Three times a charm. That is a yes. I'll bet you thought I skipped question number 12. Well I guess I did but I am addressing it here and now. I think patience, kindness, compassion and understanding all go together and are learned through Day 10's practice.
15. Gratitude brings understanding? Yes!
16. Gratitude brings peace of mind? And YES again! You will fee an overwhelming sense of peace of mind when you practice gratitude. When you truly feel gratitude deeply peace of mind will settle down upon you like a warm blanket on a cold night. I didn't know how else to explain it. I don't ever recall feeling peace of mind like I have since I started practicing gratitude.

On that note, I want more. And I sincerely hope that you do too.

How would you describe peace of mind? Please share in the comments section provided. Thanks

The Magic Never Ends

Day 30?

If we are counting, this would be day thirty. This blog was originally suppose to be only 28 days but it appears there is more to share than previously anticipated. Good or bad, you can decide. I choose good.

So let's continue.

I would like to share a quote that Rhonda has included in this chapter.

"I started out giving thanks for small things, and the moe thankful I became, the more my bounty increased. That's because what you focus on expands, and when you foccus on the goodness in your life, you create more of it. Opportunities, relationships, even money flowed my way when I learned to be grateful no matter what happened in my life."

Oprah Winfrey (B.  1954)

Media Personality and Business Woman

And this is what Rhonda Byrne has to say about gratitude;

"Gratitude is the cure for broken or difficult relationships, for lack of health or money, and for unhappiness. Gratitude eliminates fear, worry, grief, and depression, and brings happiness, clarity, patience, kindness, compassion , understanding and peace of mind. Gratitude brings solutions to problems and the opportunities and wherewithal to realize your dreams." Page 252 of The Magic.

Wow, she has a lot to say in that paragraph and for the most part, I agree. 

Let me explain.

1. The cure for broken or difficult relationships? I agree. 
2. The cure for lack of health? I don't know about this one. I'll have to reevaluate it a later time not because I don't think it works but because there was no real opportunity to test it out.
3. The cure for lack of money? Again, I don't know if gratitude is the cure for this one. 
4. Gratitude eliminates fear? Off the top of my head I have to say that I can't think of an example to prove this theory. Perhaps I just haven't had the right circumstances.
5. Gratitude eliminates worry? I will have to dig deeper for the answer to this one.
6. Gratitude eliminates grief? The answer isn't jumping out at me. Get back to me later.
7. Gratitude eliminates depression? I definitely agree.
8. Gratitude brings solutions to problems? I have to think more on this one.
9. Gratitude brings the opportunities and wherewithal to realize your dreams? I don't have an opinion on this one yet.
10. Gratitude brings happiness? I agree one hundred percent.
11. Gratitude brings clarity? I have to think more about this one.
12. Gratitude brings patience? Yes it does.
13. Gratitude brings kindness? Yes to this one too.
14. Gratitude brings compassion? Three times a charm. That is a yes.
15. Gratitude brings understanding? Yes!
16. Gratitude brings peace of mind? And YES again!

I will give you the reasons behind each of my answers on my next post.

What do think about Rhonda's comments on gratitude? Wrong!. Just kidding. There are no wrong answers. Just different opinions.

And I would very much like you to share your opinions. 

Day 27 - The Magic Mirror

"The appearance of things changes according to the emotions, and thus we see magic and beauty in them, while the magic and beauty are really in ourselves."

Kahlil Bibran (1883-1931),

Poet and Artist

Rhonda says, "Negative feelings about yourself cause the greatest damage to your life, because they are more powerful than any feelings you have about anything or anyone else. Wherever you go and what ever you do you take those negative feelings with you in every moment, and those feelings taint everything you touch, and they act as a magnet, attracting more dissatisfaction, discontentment and disappointment with everything you do." Page 230, The Magic.

The Assignment

Today's assignment is to say thank you every time I look in the mirror and mean it more than ever before.

Gratitude Stone

I was most grateful for having the day all to myself to do what I feel like doing, when I feel like doing it. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Sometimes it feels like I am being pulled in ten million directions all at once. Everyone needs my attention or my help. And although I love my family more than life itself, it can be overwhelming at times. For the most part I thrive on being surrounded by my loved ones but sometimes, Mom, Grandma needs time to herself too.

I Am Grateful: (Day 27)

1. For the  gourds  growing in the garden. At first we thought the plants were pumpkins. Then we thought they may be watermelons. Turns out they are  ornamental  gourds. It makes me laugh. I often throw  food pieces in the gardens to decompose and we get surprises pop up in the summer. Once we all recognized the plants, I remembered throwing some guards into the garden last fall after Halloween. Faith and Sidney were so excited to cut some very unique looking gourds from the garden. 
2. That Faith slept in today and that meant I could sleep in too. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
3. For Nicole making pancakes and bacon for everyone. Bacon is a real treat around here. We had to cut the little ones off so someone else could have some. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
4. For the dishes being done by Nicole. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
5. For the cool refreshing day. I opened all the doors and aired out the house. It was wonderful. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
6.  For the candle Nicole had in her washroom because it came in handy when the power went out this evening. It was kinda freaky. We are used to power outages when there is an electrical storm but there was no storm tonight. It was pitch dark in the house and outside the house. Freaking scary. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
7. For my laptop's light because it lit the area I was sitting in when the power went out this evening. Otherwise I may have had a heart attack. Silly me, a grown woman afraid of the dark. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
8. That Nicole is afraid of the dark too so I had to be courageous and lead the way. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
9. For our indoor plumbing. I drank a lot of pop today and had to use the washroom many times. When my Aunt was alive, we use to visit her on the Six Nations Indian Reserve. She had an outhouse. It was stinky and suffocating in the summer and freezing cold in the winter. Come to think of it, I use to sleep over at my cousins house before they got indoor plumbing and we had to use the slop bucket in the middle of the night. It was so gross. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
10. We did not have a zombie apocalypse or alien invasion when the power was out. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Okay, seriously, I am grateful the time while the lights were out was uneventful.  Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Hand picked by my sweet granddaughters and mounted on the sill.

The Challenge

This is probably the most difficult assignment for me. I am one of those people who hates looking in the mirror or having my picture taken.

What can I say, I have low self esteem - always have. My earliest memory of self loathing is kindergarten.

A few months ago, I was looking at some photographs from my childhood. My Mom wasn't in very many pictures because she was the one operating the camera. I wished there were more pictures of my Mom.

It dawned on me, there aren't many pictures of me in our photo albums and it wasn't just because I was operating the camera. I often ducked out of sight when the cameras came out or hid behind someone. So many, many years from now, after I have left this world, when my children and their children are looking through our family albums, they will be disappointed that there are so few pictures of me. They won't care if my hair is a mess, what I am wearing, how much I weigh or about the wrinkles and grey hair- not that I have grey hair yet. They will just want to see me.

Having my picture taken? Not so much a problem - I just won't look at the pictures. As for my reflection, I avoid looking at it as much as possible.

To do this assignment I couldn't avoid looking at my reflection. I was brave. I looked into my eyes and tried to imagine what my family and friends think when they look at me.

Thank you.

Conclusion

I am diffidently going to keep practicing this assignment. I think is important for me - everyone to be grateful for being just who they are. We accept our loved ones for who they are so why are we so critical of ourselves?

I do admit as I have grown older, it has become easier to accept myself as I am and to be less critical. I wonder does it work like that for most people? What do you think?

Feel free to share. I'd like to know what is on your mind.

Day 25 - Cue the Magic

"Life is playfulness . . . We need to play so that we can rediscover the magic all around us."

Flora Colao (B. 1954),

Writer and Therapist

Rhonda says, "If you hear an ambulance siren, the magic cue from the Universe is to be grateful for perfect health. If you see a police car, your magic cue is to grateful for safety and security. If you see someone reading a newspaper, it's your magic cue to be thankful for great news." Page 216, The Magic.

The Assignment

Today's assignment is to be aware of our surroundings and take advantage of at least seven gratitude cues to remind ourselves to be grateful.

Gratitude Stone

I was most grateful for the mortgage being paid on time, two months in a row because it is a huge relief knowing we don't have to worry about foreclosure. Thank you, thank you, thank you.. 

I Am Grateful: (Day 25)

1. For the peace and quite today because it has been a long time since I have been able to enjoy it. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
2. For the money I received. The coffee table we ordered at Martins has been discontinued so the sales representative asked if we would like the floor model for one hundred dollars less. I said yes please and thank you (for the money we received. Money comes easily and frequently).Thank you, thank you, thank you.
3. For the twelve dollars I won on my Bingo ticket. (Money comes easily and frequently. Thank you for the money I received.) I thought you should know I am not a gambling freakazoid. I buy the occasional Bingo ticket on a Friday because I am going to win big on a Friday night. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
4. For my cork boards that I found for a good price. I can't wait til I hang them tomorrow my my computer desk. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
5. For the liquid shock I found at Canadian Tire. Usually by this time of year, stores like Canadian Tire and Walmart stop carrying pool supplies.  Now I can clean the pool water. I was going to take down the pool because we ran out of pucks, filters and shock but now we can keep it up a little longer and enjoy the nice weather and the pool. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
6. For my little Honey Bunny, Faith. I got so many hugs and kisses from her today. She must have told me about a dozen times today that she loves me "this much" and she stretched out her arms. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
7. For our car because it was a safe and convenient means of transportation for Faith and I today.Thank you, thank you, thank you.
8. For the medication Gary takes for his Post Traumatic Stress Disorder because it has made a huge difference in his demeanor.Thank you, thank you, thank you.
9. For getting skinnier everyday because I will soon be at my ideal weight. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
10. For feeling healthy with enough energy to keep moving today to keep up with Faith. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

The Challenge

Pretty easy challenge today. I guess I should share my cues:

1. Faith gave me a great big tight hug. That was my cue to be grateful for my little Honey Bunny.
2. I saw a fairly large women at Canadian Tire today. Sorry, I feel bad. It was my cue to be grateful for "getting skinnier every day." (I am not sure if that is the kind of cue Rhonda was talking about but it worked and I didn't even have to think about it. The gratitude just jumped out at me. 
3. When I looked into my purse this morning, I saw the telephone bill and felt grateful that it was paid. Thank you for the money I have received, that I am receiving, and the money that I will receive.
4. Faith and I saw a little boy at the store today crying because his parents wouldn't buy something that he wanted. That was my cue to be grateful that Faith is, for the most part , a very agreeable little girl. For a four year old she is just so smart.
5. When I was paying for my items at Canadian Tire, my heart started to race. A few weeks ago when money was a scarce thing around here, I would have an anxiety  attack at the check out because I was afraid the debit machine would say declined. that was my cue to be grateful for  the money I have received, that I am receiving, and the money that I will receive.
6. When Faith and I were out today, an elderly lady stopped to admire Faith's hair. The woman said "don't you wish we had hair like that?" I agreed. Faith has thick blonde, naturally wavy hair with gorgeous streaks from the sun. I have never cut her hair so it comes down to about the middle of her back. That was my cue to be grateful for my hair. (I know a woman who has lost all her hair from Alopecia and another whose hair has become extremely thin on the top of her head.) Thank you, I am grateful for my full head of hair. (I do have a thinning spots in the front sides.)
7. Sorry, I am getting too tired to think any more tonight. It is three a.m. so I will finish up for the day.

Conclusion

I think being grateful is getting easier. Or is it because our financial problems are gone? No, I think it is getting easier. And it will get even better once I write down my lists in my book. And put op my cork bulletin boards tomorrow. I also think I will put my gratitude stone in my purse so I can see it more often. Did I already decide to do that? maybe I did. Oh well. I have decided again and this time I will put it in my purse.

I would like to hear about the cues the Universe gave you today.

Or maybe you would like to be a guest and submit a post?

Day 24 - The Magical Wand

Magic Wand

"People who wait for a magic wand fail to see that they ARE the magic wand."

Thomas Leonard (155-2003),

Personal Development Coach

Rhonda says, "Using gratitude to help someone else with his or her health, wealth, and happiness is the single greatest act of gratitude you can perform. And one of the magical things about it is that the health, wealth and happiness you fervently wish for others, you also bring to yourself." Page 210, The Magic.

The Assignment

Today's assignment is to choose three people that I care about and want to help with more health, wealth, happiness or all three. 

Holding a photograph of one of my loved ones I must visualize that person giving me the news that they have received health, wealth and/or happiness. I follow this with a sincere "Thank you, thank you, thank you for ________'s health, wealth or happiness."

Repeat this for the other two loved ones.

Gratitude Stone

I was most grateful for the abundance of food in my refrigerator and cupboards because I can look in there any time I want and find something good for my granddaughters.The peace of mind this gives me is sublime. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I Am Grateful: (Day 18)

1. That Christina came out for ice cream and the park with Destiny and Emily because the more the merrier. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
2. For money because it comes easily and frequently. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
3. For another beautiful day because I enjoy being outside on days like this. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
4. For my house because it provides shelter for all of us. (Nicole, Nick, Sidney, Gary, Faith, Christina and I. Plus our two cats and two rats. Hay, that rhymes.) Thank you, thank you, thank you.
5. For the mortgage being paid on time, two months in a row because it is a huge relief knowing we don't have to worry about foreclosure. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
6. For another day at home with the ones I love because each day is a precious gift. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
7. For the shampoo I used today because it cleans my hair  without residual conditioning that makes my hair greasy the next day.Thank you, thank you, thank you.
8. For my washer and dryer because it is a convenient and efficient way to get our stacks and stacks of laundry completed. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
9. For my sweet granddaughters who make each day full of sunshine and happiness. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
10. For my new bras because they are so comfortable and pretty. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

The Challenge

I have to say that I have not printed a picture in about three and a half years. I have digital copies saved in about five different places. Yes, five. I am so paranoid about losing my pictures that I need five different locations and media to save them.

So, finding a picture means digging through books that have been left to gather dust. Ah-choo! I am allergic to dust.

Okay, I looked through my photo albums. It apparently has been longer since I last printed a picture. It has to be more like ten years. 

My daughters are so young and absolutely beautiful. I forgot how adorable they were (and still are). And my Mom? Holy cow she has lost a lot of weight. I wish I had more recent shots of them but this had to do.

Oh, sorry I forgot to tell you who I chose but I guess you have already figured it out. 

I chose my Mom because she has had a hard life struggling with money and happiness. She is in good health overall but it could be better.

I chose my three daughters because they battle depression and anxiety. Money is an issue for them. And I worry about their health. Beth's hands cause her so much pain. Nicole's jaw condition gives her excruciating headaches and Christina seems to be having some sort of seizures which she refuses to see the Doctor about.

Conclusion

I liked today's practice. I have wished for more for my loved ones but not where I actually take the time to feel the happiness it would bring to them. I imagined their big smiles. My daughters jumping up and down with joy. My Mom waving hundred dollar bills in the air. A smile just naturally spread across my face and left me feeling elevated.

I hope your practice went well. Please feel free to leave a comment. I would love to hear from you.

Day 23 - The Magical Air That You Breathe

I am glad you have joined me for day twenty-three of my Magical Journey. I hope your journey is running smoothly.

 I have not been following the schedule diligently. I am not sure why. Lazy maybe. Too tired. I have been falling behind. A 28 day journey has become a thirty something journey. I know I shouldn't chastise myself. After all, I have not given up, just slowed down.

On with today. 

"It is quit possible to leave your home for a walk in the early morning air and return a different person - beguiled, enchanted."

Mary Ellen Chase (1887-1971),

Educator and Writer

Rhonda says, "When the realization hits you that all of these things might not be an accident, and that the balance of every microscopic element surrounding Earth and on Earth is in perfect harmony to support us, you will feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude for life, because all of it has been done to sustain you!" Page 149, The Magic.

The Assignment

"Today, stop and think about the glorious air that you breathe. Take five deliberate breaths and feel the feeling of the air moving inside your body and feel the joy of breathing it out. Take five full breaths in and out five different times today and after you have taken each set of five breaths say the magic words, "Thank you for the magical air that I breathe," and be as genuinely grateful as you can for the precious, life-giving air that you breathe!"

I have thought about breathing many times before. Once I think about it, it becomes a chore and laboured. Then it feels like I am not getting enough oxygen and I start to feel anxious. I take deeper breaths and exhale completely. 

I can't help wondering if you have the same reaction to paying attention to your breathing. I also wonder if that is part of my anxiety issues.

Gratitude Stone

I was most grateful for being given the insight to cancel an order before it was too late. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Just as a side note. I was not aware that all sales are final at Leon's. And that once an order is placed, you only have forty-eight hours to cancel it and get your money back. Once it is delivered, that's it. Your are stuck with it even if you decide the purchase does not look good in your home.

Just before my forty-eight hours were up, I decide to check Leon's return policy. I was having second thoughts about the electric fireplace. Sure it would help keep the area warm in the winter but I wasn't too sure about how it would look with the rest of the decor. Good thing I followed my instincts for a change. I called Leon's right away and canceled the order. Now we just have to get back to the store to get our money back. Tomorrow. Defiantly. Tomorrow.

I Am Grateful: (Day 23)

1. To Nick for picking up  Lexi so she could come and play with her cousins. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
2. To Nick for taking  Lexi home because it allowed me to stay home with Sidney and get her into bed. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
3. For the glorious weather because it so wonderful to be outside. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
4. For the chance to sit out on the front porch with my Mom relaxing and talking because every moment I spend with her is precious. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
5. For Gary taking the garbage can from the kitchen and hosing it down because it was beginning to get quite nasty from people throwing garbage into the can when there was not bag inside it. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
6. For the abundance of food in my refrigerator and cupboards because I can look in there any time I want and find something good for my granddaughters. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
7. For the cool breeze coming in through the windows this evening because it is cooling off the house nicely without me having to put on the air conditioning to get a comfortable sleep. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
8. That we were able to get the internet and telephone service back on so quickly after disconnection. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
9. For the inspiration to continue with the magic journey. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
10. To Nicol e for preparing my favorite meal for supper tonight. (spaghetti and meatballs) Thank you, thank you, thank you.

The Challenge

I am grateful for the air we breathe and it is quite miraculous how everything is kept in balance to enable to me to continue breathing.

I still have trouble getting oxygen when I concentrate on my breathing. I have to chuckle. I feel silly admitting such a thing to you.

Conclusion

Over all today was a good day. No anxiety. No depression or sadness. No frustration. Content. What a good feeling!

I hope your day went as smoothly as mine. I look forward to reading your comments. Share with me!