This page is where I will share products and services that I have come across that I think you, my dear readers, will appreciate.
My intention is not to make hard sells, you won’t find that here, only to propagate positivity.
The page has just begun and will continue to expand so please check back often.
For you writers out there, it is worth your while to check it out TODAY. There is an opportunity listed (the first and only one at the time of publishing this post – I wanted to get the word out fast) that I am positive you will be happy to have come across.
I remember the smells…the fresh mown grass, the seasonal fruit – watermelon, strawberries and raspberries.
I remember the sounds…the bumble bees flitting from flower to flower, the birds chirping merrily on high, my friends’ laughter as we enjoyed playing games in the yard.
I remember the feelings…the warmth of the sun, the cold of the sprinkler’s drops on my hot skin, the freedom to explore the world on foot or by bicycle.
Summer brings memories of childhood days without schedules and routine.
Longer days meant later bedtimes – more time to enjoy the relaxed lifestyle that summer entices.
It is during the cold winter months that we dream of summer, determined to wait out the season until we again have the chance to re-encounter our youth.
We crave summer’s simplicity in the dead of winter when going outside requires layers of clothing, and footwear to protect from slips and falls, scraping off cars before venturing out on the treacherous roads.
Summer invites us to strip off the layers and walk barefoot whenever possible.
We are thankful for the ease when embarking on the day and we don’t mind pulling on a sweater to curl up outside as we watch the stars blink open their sparkling eyes.
Summer is Mother Nature’s kiss. It is warm and sweet and special and earned.
Summer is upon us.
When was the last time you…
…ran through a sprinkler
…jumped in a puddle
…swung on a swing
…squished your bare toes in the mud
…rode a bicycle
…caught a frog, had a good look and let it go
…lied on your back in the grass and watched the clouds
…picked buttercups
…skipped down the street
…ate a popsicle?
Embrace your youthful spirit. The fleeting season is upon us.
Women: Consider this… Would you leave the house without donning even the tiniest bit of make-up if…
…you were just going to the corner convenience store to pick-up a late-night carton of milk for the morning cereal?
…you were driving your kids to school and would be dropping them at the curb and heading straight back home?
…you were doing your weekly grocery shopping?
…you were going to the dentist or doctor?
…you were going to work?
…you were going out for a romantic dinner with your mate?
…you were going to the theatre (live theatre, not the movies)?
How brave are you?
And is it bravery or is it confidence?
…or is it self-worth?
Men: What would your reaction be to seeing your partner without make-up, out in the real world in the given situations above?
And how would you feel if she dressed ‘comfortably’, not sloppy, but in fitted (yet not snug) clothing which did not bare her shoulders or legs and she wore comfortable shoes in which she could walk long distances?
Now, how would you feel if a female co-worker was make-up free and comfortably dressed?
Would you take her more seriously or less so when she spoke to you?
Gender Gap
I have often wondered why women spend so much money on products to conceal, even-out, enhance, disguise and brighten various areas of their faces not to mention the time it takes to sculpt and paint the daily facade while men enjoy the wash-and-go life.
Women do not think men are less handsome because their cheeks aren’t rosy, their skin colour isn’t even and their lips aren’t a particular shade of red.
In fact, quite often we find you men extremely handsome and we feel the need to adorn ourselves more in the hope of getting your attention.
And why in the rest of the natural world are the males the flamboyant ones with vibrant colours and showy displays to attract the female?
I wonder what would happen if women stopped wearing make-up.
I recently read an article by Lauren Shields describing her “modesty experiment” where she challenged the westernized ideal of beauty. For nine months, she lived entirely without make-up, revealing clothes and uncomfortable shoes. (Sounds rather freeing, doesn’t it?)
She examined the philosophy of various religion’s reasons for modest dressing and was surprised by what she found in both her research and her experience.
Does a year of living modestly appeal to you? How far would/could you take it? And what would you expect to learn or gain from the experience?
Posted onJune 17, 2013|Comments Off on In Praise of Fathers
Here’s to all of the men out there who have spent most of their adult days
providing for their children, financially, emotionally and as role models, so that they can grow up
feeling loved and important.
Posted onApril 29, 2013|Comments Off on 9 Life Lessons I Learned From My Dad
I remember my Dad teaching me how to dive.
He would stand in the pool while I stood on the side, toes wrapped over the edge.
He would hold out his arm at the height of my thighs and say, “Just lean over my arm and fall in.”
I would stand there, arms straight up over my head, hands clasped tightly, knees knocked together and slightly bent, toes gripping tightly to the side and I would lean over and take deep breath after deep breath, almost hyperventilating, staring into the depths below.
I’d lean over a bit further, gasp some more then straighten up and say, “I can’t.”
He’d reassure me and I’d go through the whole process again, and again, and again, until one day I tipped so far forward that I fell in.
Not only did I survive, I discovered it was fun! So I scrambled back out, anxious to do it over and over.
I’ve come to see that this was not a one-time occurrence. This is my pattern.
Whenever I want to try something new, I read about it, observe others, watch videos, dream about it, discuss it, take deep breaths, take classes, read some more, dip my toe in, quickly pull it back, take more deep breaths, repeat all of the above (more than once) then finally gain the courage to dive in head first.
And I have never been sorry.
9 Life Lessons I Learned From My Dad
No matter how many deep breaths you take before you jump, it’s the last breath that keeps you from drowning. So stop hyperventilating, take one really big breath and dive in.
If you lack the courage, prepare as best you can then lean far enough forward so that your momentum will take you the final step.
Avoid shallow water, that’s for waders, not serious divers.
You will survive (provided you’ve applied step #3).
It will get easier each time you do it.
This is a mental sport and you are your only opponent.
Soon you will want to try from a new height, until that becomes easy.
You will be glad you did it.
You will wonder why you were ever afraid.
Thanks Dad!
Share below when you struggled with the courage to try something and how it turned out.
If you are like me, you go through winter with your head down trudging through the bitter short days wishing for the snow to melt, longing to catch your first glimpse of spring growth – snowdrops and crocus pushing through the frozen ground – finally to be awoken one morning by a sound, both familiar and not.
Is it the Cardinal that resides in the cedar hedges year round?
It could be, or is it?
Emerging from your slumber, you hear it again. You know the call but when did you hear it last? You pause for one more reminder.
It calls again.
Your memory clears. Could it be?
You rush to the window to search for the source.
He sings, it seems just for you and you spot him – your first Robin of the season!
Excitement and relief are one as you exhale and welcome the coming of Spring; not by the date on the calendar but by nature’s on-going rhythm.
Spring has arrived once again with its promise of warmer days, longer afternoons, light rains, and spring blossoms.
Announcing its arrival are the migratory birds’ sweet songs. Each distinctive by species but all with the same message:
“It’s Spring! It’s Spring! I’ve arrived to spend the summer with you!”
But there is nothing like the sound of a Robin: The Heralder of Spring.
As spring turns to summer, the Robin’s cheery song weaves its way into your day and uplifts your spirit almost un-noticed. From first morning light when they gently draw you from your dreams to dusk when they are settling in for the night, they provide a soothing melody accompanied by the crescendo of rustling leaves on a breeze.
Some birds have squawks that immediately draw your attention, and being awakened by one can set your day off with annoyance. Others, in a panicked scream for aid, call attention to an unwanted visitor to the yard.
But there is something about the Robin that I have always found soothing and special.
Perhaps it is because they are a seasonal inhabitant to my neck-of-the-woods. As one of the first migratory visitors, they signify an end to long cold dark days with the promise of Spring’s inevitable arrival.
Soon the buds will appear on branches, the first shoots will push through the barren soil and life will replace the slumbering landscape.
They are a welcome friend whose absence I don’t realize I have missed until once more I hear its song.
I am both envious and sorrowful for those who experience the Robin as a year-round resident: envious of the daily pleasure of its sweet aria yet sorrowful that without its absence perhaps it is under-appreciated.
The excitement I feel each Spring is innate and childlike. I am anxious to watch for all the ‘firsts’ – the first lady bug, the first bumble bee, the worms that emerge with the rains.
My family each marks a day on the calendar when we guess the first hummingbird will come to our feeder. We anxiously await his arrival and record it boldly when he does.
But it is the spotting of the first Robin, whether by the sight of its destinctive red breast or the recollection of its cheery chirp, that truly signals Spring’s arrival.
Open the window to your world and listen for the sounds that you perhaps take for granted – the wind, the rain, the laughter of young children…
Appreciate the feelings of joy as their songs add to the soundtrack of your life.
Share below the sounds that enhance your life’s soundtrack.
In the spirit of all things Pollyanna, I am expanding my site with Brighter-Side-of-Life resources.
Embracing Pollyanna 