Challenge-Days 2,3 and 4 (Because life is busy)

No one kill me! It’s finals week and I’ve been insanely busy with life so I’m sorry I’m just now catching up! But I promise to answer questions and post. I’m slacking, I know!!!

Where you’d like to be in 10 years

I honestly have no idea and perhaps that isn’t such a bad thing. They always say live in the present, but we also want to plan for our future. I’m not sure WHERE exactly I will be in 10 years but I certainly know where I’d like to be. I would love to be in North Carolina, as I’ve heard it’s beautiful, dog friendly, has agility galore and nice areas to hike and swim. I’ll have to visit first though. I would also be happy to have my dog training business begun and established with some steady and regular clients as well as a comfortable cushion of funds to be able to work by doing what I love and also taking time off to enjoy life with my own dogs. I would also like to see both Shimmer and Vengeance still alive, and although I don’t wish to sound pessimistic, I will be realistic and mention that this would peg Shimmer at 18 years of age for a dog. I have faith, but I’m not sure how long her body will decide to stay on this earth. So for now, I won’t worry about that part of the future; I’ll just simply enjoy her beautiful company! Vengeance will be 12 years old and I’m actually certain he’ll still be bouncing off the walls like a nut job. #bordercollielife

Regardless, I would just like to be somewhere I feel comfortable. In 10 years, I hope to feel good, happy and healthy and I hope to be able to smile about my life. I hope to still have my beautiful mother on my journey with and be surrounded by some of the wonderful friends I share my life with today. One can hope…

Your views on drugs and alcohol

So, drugs are definitely not defined but for all intents and purposes we will consider the “drugs” mentioned above, anything that is considered life threatening that a doctor cannot prescribe or you can’t buy at a store if you’re sick. Drugs are a huge no for me. Ask me about the legalization of marijuana some other time because honestly, at this point, I’m not sure how I feel about that hot topic. Alcohol is a touchy subject because my father always drank and wasn’t a very pleasant person to be around. However, I am 22 years old and I occasionally have a drink. I’m a fan of having a drink when going out to dinner, celebrating something or just being at home and enjoying something and being able to relax. I am not a fan of “piss-ass drunk” however, and really don’t understand why someone would want to get themselves so wasted that they can’t remember what they did or who they were with. So, overall drugs are a big no and alcohol is determined by the situation. But, I certainly don’t frown on others. What you do with your life is up to you and determined by your choices. I cannot stop you nor will I try because it is not my life. My only pet peeve is, if you’re going to get wasted or high, don’t endanger other lives by driving or doing something stupid that could kill someone. You are in control of YOUR life only. Don’t take someone else’s because you made a stupid choice.

Your views on religion

Oh my! Hot topic alert number 3! Good grief it’s a slew of good ones today. I’ve talked about this with close friends of mine, but never out loud like this. My parents never gave me a religion when I was younger because they wanted me to decide what I believed in as I grew up. To this day, I still am not sure what I believe in. I wouldn’t consider myself part of a religious group but I do not see myself as an atheist either. I’m not sure if I believe in a God or any number of Gods. But, I also don’t buy the idea that there is nothing there and nothing to believe in. I consider myself agnostic at this point and perhaps I’ll stay that way my entire life. We shall see. I have always said I am a firm believer that we all deserve happiness. However, our definition of happiness is so varied and everyone wants something a little different out of life. I’ve toyed with the idea that perhaps, whatever it is we believe is what happens so that everyone has something different going on. Perhaps those that believe in reincarnation go on to live life in another form or fashion again. Others who believe in Heaven spend eternity there with their spirit happy and peaceful. Some believe in nothing, and maybe that’s exactly what it is. Simply nothing. It’s a strange thought to wrap my mind around personally, but we all think of it a little differently. If I had to think of what I would wish or hope happened after my soul has exhausted it’s time on earth and my body no longer needed, I would hope to be in a place that includes the happy memories, thoughts, feelings and emotions of my life and what made it worthwhile. I don’t ever want to even think about forgetting what life was about and how wonderful it was. My thought for certain is, why do we form all of these important relationships and friendships in life if we don’t ever see those spirits again and reunite with them in a happy way? What is the point and the reason for it? So, I certainly do believe that in one form or fashion, when we are done with our time here on earth, we do reunite with those who gave us joy and helped us feel complete. At least I would hope so. I think of my past pets and family members who are gone as well as those people and animals in my life today. I certainly hope this isn’t the only time I will have the pleasure of knowing them. If you’ve ever read the rainbow bridge poem about animals, dogs specifically, I certainly can picture the day I leave earth and reunite with Shimmer and Vengeance and all the past and future spirits that made my life what it is today. It’s that happiness that I hope will stay with me forever, even long after I am gone from this earth. Death is an interesting thing. It’s scary and at the same time fascinating to even think about. I’ve always been terrified of dying, but as I type this out and consider what may happen and hopefully what will, I can’t help but think that perhaps, I am taken care of somehow…so maybe there is a God or Gods and maybe something that is completely different than what we even consider is out there beyond our comprehension, but something…something is watching out for us.

Off The Path

Where does you mind go when it wanders?

Somehow my questions jumped ahead a day because this is the question for March 30th. I can’t recall which one I skipped if I skipped one, but apparently all this school work has just caused me to mix something up. Regardless, April only has thirty days and March had 31 questions so it worked out one way or another.

My mind wanders a lot and I’m not sure if it’s just because I like to gaze off and think or because my unconscious is trying to tell me something. While I do try very much to live in the present and my mind does wander. I don’t always say much but I enjoy people watching. I enjoy listening to the world and seeing what it has to offer. I watch my dogs and how they interact. I observe how they take in their world and how their nose works so diligently across the surface they are sniffing. I watch the joy of Shimmer as she wiggles on the ground, scratching her back and rolling with pure bliss. I notice how Vengeance stalks the ball and observes Shimmer. He creeps up slowly and I think about how his breed has developed. I consider the intricate movements of the border collie body as it flows across the ground just as he would swiftly slide down the hill as he gathered the sheep if he lived in the country side and were a working dog. I watch as Shimmer’s sides expand and compress with each panting breath she takes and how it quickens if she spots a squirrel. If she were a true hunting dog, she would be doing the same but with an intensity that matches her spirit. My mind wanders to my mother and the support she gives me and that no matter how far away she is, I can always feel her embrace and the warmth of a smile. Her bright and happy eyes give me hope when I sit and worry about things and I wish I had the answers sitting in front of me. And my mind could continue to wander. It does a lot of wandering but I always get it back somehow. It’s part of what makes me. And I’m glad I allow my mind to go off and consider the different things at times. Getting in touch with your thoughts and feelings can help clarify things. It can help give you peace and allow you to get away from the present. And once you make peace you can return to the present, refreshed and rejuvenated.

Spread it like PB & J

How do you share the fun of life with others?

I know, what a lame title, but I couldn’t help but think about sharing or spreading the joy. Spread it like PB & J and allow yourself to make others smile today! What have you done to make someone’s day better? Have you comforted a friend when she was down? Did you help someone achieve their goal? Were you able to be an open ear to a friend who had a rough day? Have you helped a friend when he didn’t know what to do in school? There are so many ways I think of simply impacting someone in a positive light. If you’re having a good day and someone else isn’t, why not try to turn that day around for them? After all, spreading the joy and happiness is so important. I know it makes me feel great when someone picks me up when I am down. If I’ve had a bad day and someone tries their best to make it better for me and help me see the bright side, I go to sleep feeling better and I wake up refreshed and ready to take on a new day. The little things have a big impact; positive and negative. Think about how you’re treating others and if you’re spreading the love or spreading the hate. Are you sharing the joy or sharing misery? Are you being fun or dragging everyone down? Sometimes, just giving someone your friendship or attention for a short while is enough to make things better. Think about how you can have an impact on the world. It isn’t just about sharing the fun. It’s about sharing all of the good emotions, feelings, thoughts and actions in the world. Fun, joy, exhilaration, pride, success, smiles, leaps, embraces, kisses, laughter, hope and more. Spread it like PB & J. Or Honey. Or Strawberry Jam or anything sweet and delicious you can think of. Spread it like a contagious disease, but instead of making people sick, it’s something absolutely WONDERFUL and it makes people SMILE! 🙂

Aliens?

Do you think there are other life forms, that exist, that we don’t know about? Why or why not?

I definitely believe there is other life that we don’t know about. If we think about just how much, we ourselves, know nothing about, and how much we have yet to discover, the possibilities are certainly not so strange. It is scary to think about other life forms because we know nothing about them, and yet, what if they know nothing about us? Would it be strange meeting them? Do they have similar problems to ours? Do they own pets like we do? How long have they been here? What do they require for life? Are they as curious about us as we are about them? There are numerous questions I would be itching to ask them and I would love to share answers with them. I would be thrilled to explain how life works here and what we do as people. I’m almost certain that there is other life out there. We, as humans, still know so little about this universe we inhabit. We wonder about higher powers that we worship. We don’t know what exactly happens after death. Unfortunately, there are diseases and illnesses we do not understand and don’t have a cure for. We are just now learning, understanding and applying how dogs think, see color and feel emotions. We know a lot about our bodily functions and the chemistry of biology but there are still certain things we cannot explain. Think about all the answers out there that are waiting to be found. Which really goes hand in hand with my plea for everyone to strive to educate yourself. Thirst for the knowledge because there is so much unknown that if we all thought about it and put our minds together, we could probably figure out even more. And, that brings me to our brain. Our mind. An incredible and somewhat unexplainable thing. A connection or network of neurons, electrical stimuli, things that fire and work together, and this one piece of our body, controls so much of the rest of us. Our eyes, ears, nose, hands and mouth. It allows for our senses. Our heart beating each and every day of our life from the moment it is formed in the womb until the moment we take our last breath. Do other life forms experience this? How are they made up? Do they wonder about these same things? Or do they know the answers to questions we have? Hopefully, one of these days, these questions can be answered. And, while I may not be around when that day comes, perhaps someone will stumble across this blog and go… “Hmm..this girl was on to something.” 🙂

Getting in Touch

Tonight I’m feeling a bit sad. I’m not sure why but there’s definitely a few thoughts lingering in my mind. I’m just not feeling the day today. I’m quite tired and just feel out of touch with the world. So, instead of staying out of touch, I’m writing this to hope to get in touch with my inner self. Maybe it won’t happen until this week, and maybe it will happen during this blog post, but either way, writing is healing and therapeutic.

And yet, I’m sitting here unsure of what to write. My mind keeps wandering towards tomorrow, my counseling appointment, errands I need to run this week, my test on Thursday and all other kinds of things. I feel like I have mountains of things to do and no energy, time or motivation to do them at the moment. Part of me just wants to lay down and take in the world. But, if I do that, my mind wanders and I think too much sometimes. That’s when the bad feelings creep in and you start over analyzing things and worrying about the world.

To be completely honest, I’m not really sure what this blog post is about today or where I’m going with this. But, that’s part of the journey, right?

Where does you mind go when it wanders?

Positive Thinking

I used to be a very negative person and truly, with depression, it’s difficult to be upbeat, optimistic and see things in a happy light. But, it has been a process and I’ve worked very hard to see the good in things as my days go by. I do have my moments when I still look down on things and when I get frustrated about life, but I certainly am no where near where I was a few years ago. It really irritates me when things are negative all the time. It’s about finding a silver lining and trying to think of something good to off set the bad. I know we can’t always control it but some people just seem to douse themselves in negativity. And I always wonder why. I wonder if people can’t see what an impact it is having on them, those around them and that people don’t want to be around negative energy. I know I used to see the impact, but it was hard to do anything about it because I seemed stuck. I’m not saying that if one doesn’t have depression that they can’t be negative or have days when they are down. What I am wishing for people, though, is that they choose to try and see the positive. If someone mentions the good to you and tries to lift you up, don’t knock their help down with more negative emotions. If someone tries to help you out of the hole, don’t cut the rope. Choose to grab it and be pulled up instead. Therein is today’s question….

How will you choose to be more positive in your life?

Enjoy the Journey

I’ve been debating about what to blog about today. One, because it’s been a long day and I’m exhausted and I can’t seem to think of a specific topic. Secondly, the quote I’ll share at the end connects with just taking it easy today. I’m not sure I really feel like blogging super long today or going in depth about anything. Why push and try so hard for something if it doesn’t feel right? Sometimes we just have to sit back and enjoy the journey. Too much thought and worry deprives us of all the emotions and feelings that accompany our journey through this life. So, today, I think I’m just going to #feelallthefeels. They feel good.

“Our thinking minds deprive us of the happiness that comes when we are living fully in the moment.” -Baba Ram Dass

Keep Your Head Up

Today has been a trying day to say the least. I’m not sure how today’s post will go as I’ve been having trouble expressing myself all day. There’s been a sad feeling and the thought of helplessness. The thought that, why am I even trying so hard if I’m not seeing results? What do I have to do in order to get to where I’d like to go. It’s upsetting when you work hard and things don’t go as planned or you keep getting beaten down by the world around you. What do you do in a situation like that? Do you give up or keep going? If you keep going, how do you muster up the strength?

My health isn’t what it should be and I’ve been battling being overweight for quite some time now. I know we should all be happy with our bodies and who we are, but it’s also a health concern and I don’t want to risk my life. You only get one and it’s special. I found out that my health isn’t ideal and that some steps need to be taking to get myself where I need to be. The thing is, these things don’t happen over night. Life doesn’t just magically get better. Everything takes work and patience is a huge part of it.

Aside from that, the weather has been just nasty today. It’s been raining, dark and dreary. I would love to take the dogs out to play but with the weather the way it is, that just isn’t possible right now. I’m worrying about the new semester coming up but I’m excited too. There are a million thoughts going on in my head right now and all I want is for things to feel right again. I guess all I can do is take it one step at a time and breathe. Panicking won’t get me anywhere. Being anxious certainly won’t help. And maybe, by staying positive, things will turn themselves around.

I wish I had something more thrilling to share today or be a bit more inspiring rather than depressing, but that’s part of the journey. Today is just one of those days. Sometimes it’s just like that and you have to take it for what it is. Even if you get no answers or solutions at this very moment. Tomorrow will be different. Hopefully, hope will be part of it.

“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” -Martin Luther King, Jr.

Compassion

Sometimes life knocks you down and it isn’t always so easy to get back up. Sometimes it’s your own life that is thrown into turmoil and other times you see someone else struggling with each day. So, what do we do in those moments? Well, even if you may not know the person very well, sometimes a simple act of compassion or kindness can help improve someone’s day. A hug, words of comfort, or simply the reassurance that you are there and thinking of them can make them feel much better. Think back to a moment when life had you down and you weren’t sure how to get through the day. How wonderful did it feel as someone approached you and just let you know that they were there for you or thinking about you? How did it make your heart feel to know that you weren’t alone? What went through your mind as you felt that compassion surround you?

It amazes me how one small act can make such a difference. Words are powerful and so are actions. Imagine what power you have with the words you speak and things you do. The good you can do in this world is virtually endless. And yet, we must also remember that we can do a lot of harm with our actions and words. So, while we may spread compassion, we must also recall the impact we may have on people negatively. It is said that people may not always remember what you say to them but that they will certainly remember how you made them feel. Actions to speak louder than words so be careful in what you do to others.

No one is perfect in this world and I do realize this. I, myself, have done horribly mean things to people. I have spread lies about others because of spite and hate. I have singled people out and insulted them. I have ganged up on others with people. I have sided with people that hurt others simply because I didn’t believe the truth. And I have learned. I have improved and changed and try my very hardest to think of how my behavior affects others. I am not perfect and I will continue to make mistakes throughout my entire life. For as long as I live, breathe and think, I will do things that are wrong but I will promise to learn from them. I will consider my thoughts, actions and words and will adjust as accordingly as I can. And I will try to forgive others for their mistakes. Because, I know what it feels like to hurt. I have been lied to, been beaten down with words and had rumors spread about me. I have been singled out and made feel worthless. I have had people say mean and nasty things to me and I have had people that betrayed me. But, we all make mistakes, and while those people are not perfect, I will do my best to remember that they are merely human and that they too have things to learn and understand.

Compassion: a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering. (as defined by dictionary.com) How will you show compassion today? Will you consider your thoughts, actions and words? Will you adjust accordingly? Surprise yourself. You are a powerful part of this world.

“Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can’t help them, at least don’t hurt them.” -Dalai Lama