Words on Wednesday … An Unexpected Boost

This is when they all come out … The Top 10 Best Things to do on New Year’s Eve, The Top 10 Movies, The Top 10 TV Shows, The Top 10 Songs, The Top 10 Stories, Top 10 Exercises for Six-Pack Abs, The Top 10 Restaurants Top 10 Remedies to Get You Out of Your Rut … Top 10 Reasons Not to Care About Someone Else’s Top 10 Lists.

I imagine there were a lot of those lists piling up on people’s table tops or crowding people’s browsers this year. But these lists are not my jam. I tried one once but when it said that mayonnaise was an ingredient for chocolate cake I damn near lost it. In fact I did. Who. Does. That?!

Mayonnaise and chocolate.

Disgusting.

Made me re-examine the whole concept behind lists.

I mean they’re good for making you aware of events that you might have missed, but unless it’s written by someone you know, I wouldn’t put much weight on it, stick to your own opinion and balance it out with your own likes and intentions.

Like getting rid of bad moods or vibes. Don’t need a Top 10 for that one. Just tune into your being and see what works for you. Sometimes that same go-to solutions may not work and you just have to try something else. Feeling the funkiness fatigue of the grind hit mid-morning and it just ignited a burned-out-foul mood. I mean I was hot!

Even went out to a park, the one with the huge field and lots of space where we could be away from anybody if anybody were there, but that didn’t work. Walking among the trees and nature, feeling the sun, that wasn’t working it’s magic today. Perhaps the people taking a million selfies on the giant rock annoyed me too much. Couldn’t shake it loose.

Needed a boost from somewhere else…

I found it in an unexpected place.

I was supposed to help a friend of mine make some phone calls before the New Year. Big deadline tomorrow. I agreed to it last week and seeing how I still had that stank of a mood on me, I wanted to say I couldn’t make it today. But I was just giving my kids a lecture in the morning about keeping your word, and if you say you’re gonna do something, then show up and do it. Actions matter. Words matter. So I couldn’t really be a chump, a hypocrite.

So I fired up the computer, logged onto my email, and turned on my phone.

Got into the groove of the phone calls.

Some people were nice, others hung up, some didn’t answer. But nevertheless I was doing something for someone else. I was helping because I believed in them and what they were doing. By the end of the calls the funky foul mood feeling disappeared. And it wasn’t like I was building houses for people, or working in a soup kitchen, it was phone calls. Helping to make phone calls. Simplest of gestures, but it mattered.

Helping someone else get closer to their goals, their dreams … that made me feeeeeeeeeeeeeeel better. And that’s something I wasn’t looking for when I began. I wasn’t in it for me. My thoughts focused solely on helping out before the deadline. Adding my voice to ease the workload. But in addition to helping them, I also helped myself

The boost to get me through my funk sometimes doesn’t show up in a podcast, a book, a story, a show, movie, song, or workout routine. Sometimes the boosts comes from helping someone who needs a hand. I was glad to have turned the corner. And then when I walked out for some scooter time with the kids in the driveway the sky smiled down on me and the day ended with another a boost. I like closing it down on a good note.

🙂 even when there are storm clouds, the sky manages to bring its Crayolas and make you smile

Glad to have gotten two boosts in one day … both before the New Year.

Buen Camino my friends!

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Feel Good 5 Friday … On a Saturday …

I high-fived myself. The opportunity doesn’t come often but I took a moment to celebrate the little accomplishment. The little victory.

Yes. There was chocolate involved.

It wasn’t the final draft, final cut, final piece. But it was a big step in getting there. The blueprint, the infrastructure. Once that’s set all it takes is courage to lay down the first brick.

And I did.

So I took a beat a beat. I don’t do it often. Some people don’t do it often, just take a moment to recognize you jumped over a hurdle and didn’t fall, or if you did crap out, you got up and tackled the next one. Didn’t even hesitate, just jumped right into your stride.

High-fiving small victories becomes important on your road to creative recovery. The doubts are constant so the courage to stay on the yellow-brick road warrants a smile. And during this congratulatory fist bump I was pumping, I thought about the untitled piece on my computer screen. I mean I found a working title after a couple days of tweaking it, but titles are what stops people in mid sentence. Hit that pause button for a double take. You pick up the book. Choose the song. Watch the preview. Click the link. Stop for a minute to stare at the sign down the street. There have been plenty of awesome pieces here on the WordPress world that inspired a comment based on the title alone.

I don’t necessarily pick winners every time with my projects or posts, but can appreciate it when others do. Stuff like … Faith The Two Legged Dog, When I Was In Cuba I Was A German Shepherd, When You Start to Miss Tony From Accounting, Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs, Dragons Love Tacos, El Burrito Sabanero, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, Smells Like Teen Spirit, The Devil Wears Prada, It’s 5 O’clock Somewhere, Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door, Well Well Well If It Isn’t The Consequences of My Own Actions … and the list continues. I bet there are probably five or six off the top of your head that you just know. Some you might have even seen this week.

So it took me a while to fine tune the title for my project. I mean I think I have it, but who knows. Maybe down the line with more work and more writing, it will come steam rolling in and be like BAM! Here it is girl!

But nevertheless I celebrated my step forward. My boost in the right direction. I turned up the dial for music and the Christmas spirit was rocking the airwaves, sending that holiday happy vibe out. So it was a two-for-one. A high-five with Christmas tunes, accompanied with chocolate. Then I came home and raised up the volume to some of my favorite festive beats. My kids were thrilled with our little dance session, with it being the last week of school, and the festive music on full blast. They enjoy Christmas songs all December long.

And I got to say everybody has their favorite holiday songs where it starts to feeeeeeeeeeeel like that red sweater was made just for you, jingles and all. But these tunes bust out the candy canes, hot chocolate, and ho, ho ho feels all while getting into my dancing groove. Enjoying the vibe in the direction I’m headed … forward.

Buen Camino, my friends!

Bruce Springsteen AKA The Boss — Santa Claus is Comin’ To Town –

Pedrito Fernandez — Mi Burrito Sabanero

Band Aid — Do They Know It’s Christmas Time

Stevie Wonder — What Christmas Means to Me

Mariah Carey & Michael Buble — All I Want For Christmas Is You

BONUS CLIP!!! 🙂 Because you can’t have Christmas without Whitney 🙂

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Feel Good 5 Friday …

Sometimes you say the truth and it’s too strong for people. You make a mental note and then remember the next time around. Some people enjoy telling you like it is, but don’t enjoy it when you return the favor. The opinion they’ve asked for is no longer welcome.

You know anyone like that?

It can be emotionally and mentally exhausting dealing with that in your life. No matter how many times you let the words slide off your back some of them scrape your skin on the way down and leave a mark. Building strength to deal with that when you’re trying to avoid it is tough. Deep breaths don’t always come to mind but getting away, taking a walk, and turning your phone off, that’s something. That’s a moment that can build.

During a recent escape I found myself trying to think of a happier place. After the run, I remembered multiple flashbacks when the kids were younger. I shifted my attention and emptied the space this frustration was taking up and filled it with these memories of toy cars, bubbles, Crayola squiggly art, squishy hugs and tiny hands.

I sighed because the peoples were right.

I blinked and now they’re much bigger.

But it didn’t feel like a blink though. I felt some of those days. They were long and I was grateful when the moon came out. I got the gray hairs to prove it. But they’re bigger and it feels fast now. Although the pandemic is definitely making the days last longer than anyone would have thought.

I watched old videos of Monster Trucks and book festival outings, of inflatable pool splashing, little league baseball games, Play-Doh creations and first days of school. I filled my heart with these memories and a strong urge to preserve it radiated. And then it came to me … instead of dealing with people who aggravate me with their one-sided courtesies and spite, I should fill my space with more talks, movie nights, and board game sessions so in a couple of years I don’t feel like the blink was too fast.

It’s not that easy, of course. We’re you’re in the middle of it, you feel like there’s nothing else that you can see. So another mental note, give more space and more compartments in my mind so that what matters and what’s positive can sneak in instead of the anxiety inducing conversations I replay in my head.

I mean I know I can’t turn it off instantly, but as soon as I feel it coming on, definitely activate the force field so that I can give even more time to people and moments that fill you up instead of making you create invisible barriers to help protect yourself from anxiety and bad vibes. As my girl Tabitha says … That’s just not in my spirit. So I’m hoping to continue to focus on the switch and this week the tunes from my past help jumpstart that pathway. I don’t know what it is, but the tunes from the past keep making me feel good. Don’t get me wrong the music is good today. I mean there’s The Zac Brown Band, right? But something about the growing up tunes that always produce the good vibes that create the smile and boost I need.

Buen Camino my friends!

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The Greatest American Hero Theme Song — Believe it or Not

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Tiffany — I Think We’re Alone Now

DeBarge — Rhythm of The Night

Claridad — Menudo

Tears for Fears — Everybody Wants to Rule The World

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