Happy Sunday, Journeyer!

Life is as life does; a perpetual ebb and flow of darkness and sunshine.

And so it continues…the work saga that incites fear and insecurity and a continuous feeling of unsettledness…

And so it continues…my dedication to Step 5 of The Five Steps of Healing…Choose Vitality.

I attempt to choose vitality each and every day, Journeyer, to remember the healing tools I’ve assembled and to know that I am not being held hostage in this job, for I do have a choice to leave or stay…

I have a choice to reach out to professionals who can help me understand the many possibilities at my disposal…

I have a choice to notate the daily little moments that make me frown, but more importantly to document those that make me smile.

Having a choice in everything I do makes me happy.

The intro to this post is as much a way of reminding myself of the value of positivity as it is to share with you the many merits that come with choosing happiness whenever it alights on our path.

Last week I encouraged an audience of nearly two hundred people to create their own lists of personalized power mantras, quotes and expressions that fit their individual frame of reference and make sense to them.

As I typed today’s title I thought about how One Day at a Time is very similar to one of my regularly used power mantras: Slow and steady wins the race.

That expression is my cue to quit being so hard on myself when I start stressing about how long a project is taking me or when I’m feeling like I’m running out of time.

I’ve used this when I’ve been trying to lose weight, when I’ve been laboring over a writing deadline, and repeatedly with this blog and my work with The Five Facets of Healing.

On Friday I received a box of items I’d left behind the last time I saw Fave.

Inside that box was a note and a little package of healing crystals that he and Whirrel bought for me. Among those items was a seashell that someone had inscribed the words one day at a time.

It’s so relevant to our happiness, Journeyer, for a happy state of mind isn’t a destination, but a collection of every moment we embrace in a positive manner.

I hope some of my moments will help you recall some of yours from this past week.

Speaking of family, an  I read comic books bumper sticker on the back of a bright yellow PT Cruiser made me smile as I thought about my brother and SIL who own a comic book business.

My sibling is a man who left tedious government work and returned to his childhood passion. He tells the story of remembering how much pleasure he felt each time he received one of these paper, superhero stories. Some twelve years after becoming an entrepreneur, he’s still providing a living for himself and his family by doing what he loves.

That inspires me.

Yesterday Warren and I made the trek to see Big Guy. A hug (okay, okay…I couldn’t just have one), hanging out at his team’s track meet, a trip to Walmart to restock some supplies, dinner, getting my butt kicked at a game of eight-ball, and being able to lay eyes on my boy always made me feel good.

Family makes me happy.

According to my camera roll, the greatest source of my inspiration came in the form of repeating numbers, otherwise known as angel numbers.

These numbers sequences have appeared on license plates, receipts, social media counters, and on my car’s fuel economy display.

If you want to find out the meaning behind the number sequences you see, I love SacredScribesAngelNumbers site because it gives a comprehensive, user-friendly index to choose from.

I see number combinations at warp speed these days and one of my favorites from the week was 5353. The more times you see the number or pair of numbers, the stronger the vibration of the meaning. According to Joanne at the Sacred Scribes site, number fifty-three means this:

“Angel Number 53 is a powerful indication of important life changes occurring in your life (or about to occur).  These changes have come about due to your positive attitude intentions to better your life on all levels.  Your prayers and positive affirmations have manifested your desired changes, and ‘better’ is now on its way.”

Given all of the work stress and my ongoing desire to be able to do more with this work on healing, I am stoked by the idea that my hard work is manifesting something better for me.

Hope makes me happy.

I also found inspiration in a number of different sources.

Hubby, who was watching Thor for the umpteenth time, kept pointing out his favorite quotes from the film.

“It’s not a bad thing finding out that you don’t have all the answers; you start asking all the right questions,” especially resonated with me.

On the way to visit Big Guy yesterday, Hubby and I stopped to view this waterfall in all its winter glory.

Further along the way, Warren stopped at a fishing hole he visits every year. While he waded through the streams with his gear, Patches and I went for a brisk walk where I found these two masterpieces that warmed my heart.

The first was this room with a view. Doesn’t that bench look inviting?

The second was this natural, ice sculpture wonder. Spray from the water lapping at the lake’s edge built bridges between the lake and nearby tree limbs.

Life is like that, isn’t it Journeyer? We build bridges wherever we go; bridges that help us traverse from sadness to happiness, from despair to hope, from empty to full.

The last little bits of happiness came from a jar of jelly and a woman who can create art from anything you can think of.

If you’re on Instagram, you have to check out @jessiebearden. This woman was born with a vision that has to be unparalleled for not only is she a brilliant photographer, she paints portraits with everything imaginable, from A-Z! Seriously…from Adele in strawberry jam, Caitlyn Jenner out of Wheaties flakes, the Statue of Liberty in sprinkles, to Bieber in alphabet soup and so much more.

Her talent inspires me to keep looking at life through a different lens and to keep thinking outside of the proverbial box.

Oh, and speaking of people who inspire me, I’ve been following Tiny Buddha and her simple wisdom for complex lives for some time now. If you’re not already a member of this inspiring community, head on over to Tiny Buddha now!  I am honored (and more than a little excited) to say that I’ll soon be joining that web village as one of their authors! Watch for one of my articles coming soon!

Inspiration makes me happy.

[Tweet theme=”basic-white”]Life, healing, and happiness are like @jessiebearden works of art for they take whatever shape we want with whatever tools we have in front of us.[/Tweet]

Happiness is created one moment, one day at a time…

What about you, Journeyer? What moment(s) lifted you out of a funk, warmed your heart, or make you smile? You are always a ray of sunshine in my day! I want to hear what inspired you this week so please comment away!

Until next time, yours in hope, healing, and happiness,