A Walk With .... MyHoney

In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.  ~ John Muir

Walking hand-in-hand through the crunching leaves, with the warm sun on our backs and brilliant blue sky above us, MyHoney and I set out on our new weekly routine, a walk in the woods with our puppy dogs.  Last week, we didn't make it all the way to the ponds... His steps were slow, careful, tedious.  He swayed, but didn't lose balance, but the extra effort of staying upright took a toll on his endurance, we turned around at the one mile marker.  But it didn't matter, he accomplished what he set out to do - to get outside, enjoy the autumn air, and take a few small steps.  A mile later, I marveled at how his small steps added up.  I am blown away at where his small steps have gotten him today.

Slow, steady, amazing progress MyHoney has made in the last few weeks.  From depending on a walker two days after his surgery - shuffling slowly, bumping into furniture, wobbly on his feet, unsure of himself, blurred vision and confusion ... to advancing to walking sticks - cautiously taking one small step after another, getting stronger each day, depending on the poles less and less.... to yesterday, navigating down a leafy trail, enjoying the autumn sunshine, laughing at the crazy antics of our dogs, seeing more clearly than he has in weeks.  He has taken his recovery in stride - at first small strides, but strides none the less.  I never knew or understood baby steps until watching him bravely take them each step of the way in his recovery.  Sometimes baby steps are so small, to the person taking them, they feel like they are standing still.  To the people around you, watching you make them, you are making leaps and bounds.... Sometimes, you need someone walking by your side to remind you of that.

Sometimes our advancement towards our goals seems so tedious and so slow, we feel like we aren't making any progress at all.... until one day you stop, wipe your brow and look back to see where you've been.  When three short weeks ago you were laying in a hospital bed, recovering from your second brain surgery in two weeks .. unable to stand on your own power, weak from being hospitalized for weeks ... to standing at the edge of a pond that you couldn't hike to the week before?  That's progress.  Pat yourself on the back - you've come a long way baby.





Do the difficult things while they are easy and do the great things while they are small. A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.~ Lao Tzu

Which makes me look at my own (seemingly insignificant in comparison, yet still important) journey.  When I put down my backpack, and take a look down the trail I just hiked, I am in awe.  I've gone from unemployed to business owner.  I've gone from financially wrecked to doing OK.  I've gone from feeling anxious, worried, sad, scared ... to being just FINE.  I've gone from an unfulfilling, loveless marriage to being engaged to the love of my life who showers me with love, affection and respect.  What a journey... some of the steps were so small, I didn't even realize I made the step at all.


My future sister-in-law calls this process "Kaizen Vision" ... check out her blog - she gives some excellent advice on taking small steps.

When you put your pack down and look at your trail, what do you see?  How far have you come by taking small steps?  Where would you like to go, and what small step can you take to get there?




Paradise is Here, Paradise is Now.... Paradise is taking small steps.

Welcome to Paradise ...

Last night, MyHoney and I went to a wedding.  Not as guests - he is a DJ and was hired to provide the music, and make sure everyone had a great time.  Mission accomplished - he is extremely talented at reading a crowd, and choosing just the right songs to keep everyone on the dance floor.

The wedding was held at Pemaquid Point, a BEAUTIFUL spot on the coast of Maine.  If anyone has ever spent any time in coastal Maine, you know the roads are windy, curvy - and most likely not on GPS.  On the way to the venue, we started to get the idea we were lost.  At one point, I needed to turn the van around and investigate another direction, and the road I pulled into to turn around in was:

How can we be lost if we found Paradise?

People often ask me "Why do you call your blog Paradise Found?"..... well, at first it was because when Destiny passed away - that phrase came to me over and over again, letting me know that she was ok, and it was her way to tell me I was going to be ok too.  It signified reassurance.  I needed reassurance in my life more than anything - I lost my soul-mate, my white wonder, my shadow.  Being reassured she wasn't "lost" but she had found, and had been found by Paradise was the most reassuring thing I could have in my life.  I clung to that with all my might.  A few days after Destiny passed, I lost my job.  Once again  - I needed reassurance.  I needed to know I was going to make it.  Paradise Found kept popping into my head.  How can I find Paradise while my world is falling apart?  I made it a mission to find it. Little did I know, it would find me.  Paradise is a cup of coffee on a cool autumn morning.  Paradise is a fleece blanket.  Paradise is dark chocolate.  Paradise is love songs drifting from MyHoney's office to my ears .. Paradise is my puppy snuggling up with me on the couch.  Paradise is a cool breeze, a babbling brook, a rainstorm.  Paradise is being awake, aware, and alive.   

Where do you Find Paradise? 

Paradise is Here, Paradise is Now, Paradise is the Way Life Should Be .... 

Dream Catcher....

Photo Credit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Dreamcatcher.jpg

I woke up this morning with a swirl of wishes, wants and desires floating in my mind.  My first instinct was to grab a cup of coffee, and a pad of paper -I need to catch these ideas before they scamper off to the "ones that got away" club for dreams.

I have a dedicated journal just for this thing - I call it my Dream Book.   As I flip through the pages, and find a blank page to record my latest brainstorm, I realize that this book has acted as a dream catcher.  Once I had my morning coffee and the ideas were safely stowed away, I flipped through the book and noticed that yes, I have caught my dreams and wrote them down, but some have managed to play Houdini and slip away unnoticed.  I need to do more than catch my dreams ... once caught, I need to feed and nourish them so they can grow.  Many dreams caught in the book lay there, waiting to be noticed - wishing I would take them out to play.  They are wonderful dreams - but stored in a notebook, they remain just that... dreams.

A few dreams I have captured over the years managed to come to fruition on their own.  Perhaps I fulfilled a self-proclaimed prophecy by simply writing it down.  More likely, it was just shit luck, coincidence, or happenstance.  I contemplated the ease and speed I might have had achieving those goals if they hadn't been stuck on pieces of notepaper that hardly saw the light of day. 
 




 I am at heart a note taker.... but I am realizing the beauty of putting my dreams on display.  I am not a fan of "vision boards"... no, this will take on a different meaning than looking at images and wishing for them. I am picturing this tool as more of a spiderweb.  Intricately designed, and placed with purpose.  Once an idea has stuck, it is worked into something useful.  Once the dream has been fully worked, consumed, and digested, it is moved off the web to make room for more.  Like the wise spider, I will know when to rebuild the web to catch more dreams.   More importantly, I need to put my dreams on display for the world to see....


What do you do with your dreams?  Do you capture them?  Once captured - do you ever let them see the light of day?

Paradise is Here, Paradise is Now ... Paradise is putting your dreams on display ...

Self-Discovery

Today is Columbus Day here in the States. While I didn't set sail on the ocean blue in the year twenty twelve, I did make some pretty important discoveries about myself.. and it's been one hell of a journey.  I started this blog one year ago today, and while I knew I needed to embark on an adventure, I didn't really know at the time where it would lead me.  Truthfully, I still don't.  All I know is, I'm on the right path.  I thought it would be apropos to list out my discoveries today.



Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves.  ~Henry David Thoreau

Paradise Found has taught me how to get lost.  Lose my ego, lose my fear, lose my insecurity....  Cecilia (my Ego) and I have come to a deeper understanding.  Cecilia now takes a back seat to my decision making.  I have been able to make decisions based on facts rather than fear.  When paralyzed in indecision and inaction, I start writing about where I can find Paradise today.  Paradise is found by getting lost.  Lost in myself, lost in my thoughts, lost in the woods ... Lost in his eyes, lost in her charms.  Lost in laughter.  As a result, I lost 20 pounds, I lost illness, depression and a bad credit score.  I lost a lot by being Found. 


It's a helluva start, being able to recognize what makes you happy. ~Lucille Ball

I turned 39 this year.  I had my Meg Ryan breakdown of "I'm gonna be forty!!!" and then embraced the milestone.  I also realized for the first time in 39 years I am doing what makes ME happy.  I'm no longer concerned about what other people think.  It makes me happy to inspire other people ... it makes me happy to be inspired.  Good thing for Karma, because I can reap the rewards both ways.  Paradise is recognizing (and doing) what makes you happy.


"He who knows others is learned;  He who knows himself is wise."  ~Lao-Tzu~

I have discovered that no one knows me better than I know myself.  I know my own body better, I know my own mind better, I know my own intuition better.  Why try to follow someone elses plan?  I discovered when I follow my own rules, I am far more happier, content, and in love with what I do.  Paradise is living according to my own rules.





 
"You don't have to be a Buddhist to be a Buddha"... 

I had some spiritual growing pains this year...  and the most important thing I discovered is I do not need to fit the mold of anyone's religious definition.  What's important is I walk the talk, radiate the light, and express gratitude for all my blessings.  Practice may make perfect ... but it's not necessary to be perfect to practice. 


What discoveries have you made finding your Paradise?  

Paradise is Here, Paradise is Now... Paradise is making self-discoveries.....

 

 

Construction Ahead - Be Prepared to Stop

Photo Credit: http://www.ricesigns.com

No one ever tells you this as a small business owner.... or if they did, the words traveling at the speed of sound couldn't reach me  - the overly enthusiastic entrepreneur traveling at light speed towards fortune, fame and glory.  I thought once you were off and running, you ran full speed to the finish line.

So here is my Public Service Announcement - Rebuilding, Revamping, Reconstructing, Renewing  and Reworking the plan is inevitable.  Be prepared to detour, roundabout, U-Turn, go around, deviate, divert ... but most importantly - Be Prepared to STOP.

If you are like me, those words are bothersome, loathsome and can be brutally irritating.  They mean we have to slow down. Put on the brakes. They mean we aren't going to arrive at our destination "on time."  They conjure the thoughts of delays, shortfalls, and roadblocks.  Our productivity comes to a screeching halt.  It means we aren't seeing new vista's and mile markers.

There may be several things that stop you in your tracks - plans that didn't come to fruition, marketing plans that fell short, missed deadlines, or worse - financial constraints, illness or family emergencies that cause you to put down the baton for a while and sit out a leg or two of the relay race. Many entrepreneurs (err... rather, entrepreneur-wannabes) take this as a sign to quit.  Sorry... but you missed the exit.  But, if you are a quitter, it's good to get out now while you have a good excuse.  No one will blame you.  Well, not to your face anyway...

photo credit: http://ribike.org/2011/05/27/what-detour

For those of you who see the construction signs as warnings to slow down, detour, find a new path, or simply "recalculate" ... congratulations - you are going to make it.  It doesn't matter why you were detoured - it doesn't matter why your road was closed - the fact of the matter is it's time for a new road.  You need to get out the map - your map being your business and marketing plan, your vision statement, and your mission statement.  Don't have any of these? Don't despair - it's not too late, just understand your pit-stop may take a little longer.  Even if you've been in business several years, resources like SCORE, Small Business Associations and Entrepreneurial classes at trade and business schools are invaluable for getting back on track.

So if you find yourself sitting in traffic on the highway to success, be relieved to know that it's normal to have starts and stops in the course of your business - in fact, plan on it.  The important part is what you do once you are in the flow again.  It can seem overwhelming if you are in the mindset of needing to make up time.  Instead, rechart your course by writing down new objectives and goals.  Stay accountable by hiring a coach or joining a mastermind group.  Finally, keep checking your navigation systems by reviewing your plan often to make sure you are gaining speed and momentum once again.  And always, always... be prepared to stop.

Paradise is Here, Paradise is Now.... Paradise is enjoying the ride....