Monday, January 22, 2018

Day Nine - Meaningful Experience

Checking out our new office space, taking notes, deciding where, what, how and knowing this is a huge move forward for us.
xxoo

Sunday, January 21, 2018

Day Eight - Meaningful Experience

I'm writing about yesterday, but right now I'm sitting here waiting for Davie to come back to the door. This little puppers loves to be outside and will run around out there for the longest time! I'm fretting right now because she hasn't come back for what seems the longest time and it's dark out there. Gah this little puppy. And she doesn't listen to me a whit when she's outdoors. In all honesty, she doesn't listen to me much. 😒
Taken yesterday
Damn Davie! 😆

Okay . . . I went out in the 30 degrees (heatwave!!), walked to the top of the driveway, looked back at the door and there she was. Little monster! Ha

So, meaningful experience. Am I missing the intent behind this exercise? Wouldn't be the first time.

Before

After

Clean space - clean mind.

xxoo


Saturday, January 20, 2018

Day Seven - Meaningful Experience

I'm at the lake for the weekend for my 3-4 week check on the place.

That is meaningful all by itself.

I was listening to a podcast (latest obsession) last week and part of the talk was about order and simplicity and how when your physical world is in order you feel in order. I've known this my entire life!

When I had my corporate job my boss was constantly baffled by my needing a vacation day from time to time to organize and clean house. I would always tell her, "when my floors are clean, my mind is clean."

That's what I'm doing today. Cleaning my happiest of happy places and finding a new clean space in my mind.


Friday, January 19, 2018

Day Six - Meaningful Experience

This isn't getting easier! I am apparently meaningless! 😄

But I'm not.

Let's say here on this blank post-page that Thursdays are always a meaningful experience for me. I spend hours with my Bella while she's getting chemo and we are never at a loss for things to talk about. The mother/daughter thing. It's powerful and baffling and splendid.

xxoo
Taken on the day she cut her hair. Look how those two have the same eyes!

Thursday, January 18, 2018

Day Five - Meaningful Experience

I got nothing.

. . . thinking . . .

gah . . .

I want to default to my grandsons, but I must have some meaningful experiences on my own.

Okay - my Pup is beginning to work late as season is nearly upon us. Our puppers, Davie, sleeps in bed with me, along with two cats, and when Pup comes to bed Davie automatically jumps down and gets into her kennel. Then in the morning when I get up, I let her out, feed her breakfast, and then she runs back upstairs and gets into bed with Pup.

She's cute and sweet and annoying. Exactly how this is meaningful I'll deal with later. I don't have a current photo!

blah blah blah

Not into this today . . .

Wednesday, January 17, 2018

Day Four - Meaningful Experience

I consider myself a reader, yet for several years I hadn't been doing much of it. I'm not counting my internet readings of the news or the random nutrition book I'd pick up, but true and real reading.

I started back up last April while Pup and I were in Mexico after season. I read Alec Baldwin's autobiography (and fell further in love with his flawed and awesome self). I devoured it. Then I went into my iBook app on my iPad and read book after book. And around the pool during the day I had two printed novels I had picked up for vacation and I was devouring them as well.

It hasn't stopped - this newfound love of books.

I sleep pretty good these days. Partly because if I do wake too early I pull out my iPad and pick up where I left off and read for a half hour or so and eventually drift back to sleep.
Drifting while dreaming about what I was reading. I am finding how to be still.

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

Day Three - Meaningful Experience

The idea behind this exercise is when we use our thoughts in different ways, the new ways - and hopefully fresh and splendid ways - will become rote, automatic, and gently bend our brain pathways in that improved way.

I think that's what it all means.

For me, allowing my mind to go to the dark places it loves isn't serving me any longer. I want joy - not necessarily happiness, but joy to infuse me.

I recently read that joy is happiness for no reason. NO DAMN reason. I loved reading that! Being happy all the time seemed unattainable and idiotic. That's a strong word - idiotic - but I'm leaving it in for now. I probably shouldn't write these right when I'm sipping my morning coffee! Or is this the true thinking and not the governed thinking I'll have later in the day when I apply my reason to it?

Oh dear!

Regardless.

Day three is tough to pin down. I worked from home. A sidebar on that - we recently bought our third business, hired some staff (they start next week), and acquired some staff. I've never had staff before and I'm struggling a bit.

It will all work out. I'm applying joy to the workplace as well. Although yesterday I did sink into my usual way. In my mind compliance is the right way (for staff) and patience is not my strong suit. I'm applying grace to this situation and seeing what today will bring.

So . . . I'm handling a very long list of biz to-dos and clearing out the final vestiges of Christmas. Yes - I'm that girl this year. It's been a long time coming! Now The Big Room looks bare and sad without the tree in the corner.

I'm also juggling loads and loads of laundry. Bags and bags of trash. Dishes. Dirty wood floors. Bunches of things laying about that had become homeless. Interior windows that had become filmy. Vacuuming that needed doing. Now the house is shining - at least the places I gave love to are.

So I'm looking for my moment. The thing I keep thinking about is our newish puppy. We adopted her from a rescue when she was six weeks old back in September. What the hell were we thinking! We have no idea what she is and now she is around six months. And a live wire. And goofy looking. And adorable.

So while I'm flitting here and there, cleaning and organizing and laundering and checking off my list, she's following me from room to room. Chewing, trash-diving, frolicking, Being my little PITA. I love her and am exasperated by her.
She's longer now and this shot is from the Lake House. Look at that face!
She would settle in on the couch, her office bed, the ottoman in The Big Room only to have to move because I left that space and had gone to another space. She only wants to be where I am.

That might keep her safe and alive through this puppy period! Joking.

She's a perfect distraction for me and comforting with her little warm body and deep brown eyes.

xxoo

Monday, January 15, 2018

Day Two - Meaningful Experience


A scattered day. A good day. In the winter, during the busy season, we like to go to breakfast on Sunday mornings with parts of our family. Usually it's Pup's momma, Bella and the boys, occasionally Lorenzo and her Randalian, and any other random family members that want to come.

Yesterday was the first.

This right here was the moment.


The little jelly-smeared face. The Old Navy sweatshirt. The face. How our baby is more a toddler and looking like a grown boy.

xxoo

Sunday, January 14, 2018

So . . . With All That Said . . . Let's Work on Happiness - Day One

I am smart AF
Yeah, I'm MacGyver
One meaningful experience every day written down for 21 days.

Mindfulness - this is my goal. The thing I am wanting to stretch towards. I have not a clue how to attain this, but I'm in.

Yesterday's Experience.

I'm in an old-school cafe. The likes of I haven't been in for decades! At least this particular type of cafe/pub. I'm not really certain what to call it. The establishment's name: The Best Steak House. Of which it isn't. But what it is is a great place for my memories.

When I was a very young adult; I'm speaking to my 17-19 year-old self, my friends and I were so young, and so broke, and so always needing a place to hang out as we weren't old enough to hit a bar. We would frequently go to this place, The Best Steak House, and have lunch or dinner.

The draw for this place was mostly economics. It was a cafeteria-style restaurant. You'd grab a tray, order, pick up your utensils, and find a booth. We girls enjoyed mild flirtations with the handsome Greek sons that worked at this family business and I have memories of these boys/men (they seemed so old to us! They were probably 25+) one of the boys always giving me a hard time for continuously ordering "meeeelk."

For $1.04 (back in the early 70s) you could get a hamburger steak, a baked potato with butter and sour cream, a salad, and a beverage. For me "meeelk" I'm guessing. Ha! Now get this - I can remember my typical winter outfit! What a mind I'm dealing with here. I would be wearing jeans with boots, a white t-shirt or sweater of some kind, and a long gray wool coat. I'd wear this outfit today! I'm classic. Age-wise and fashion-wise yes? Forgive me on my lack of wit - it's hella early here in Chez Emerson-land.

So . . . back to the meaningful experience.

Yesterday I went with my daughter Bella and my grandson Spud to get her hair cut. As Spud and I were sitting in the little lobby area and looking out the window on the brilliantly sunny and bitterly cold day I saw "The Best Steak House" directly across the street from the salon.

So there we are - the three of us. Bella and I enjoying a small sirloin steak medium rare and having a wandering chat about wandering stuff. We were in the moment. Talking about being in the moment with each other! Watching Spud turn A1 and Heinz 57 bottles into barriers and roads for his semi-truck to maneuver through. Knowing in my heart this moment is a keeper.

xxoo