Web Wisdom: 36 Things You Can Do to Enjoy Life [repost]

August 21, 2012 (aka my Birth/Born/Continuation Day!)

Today’s Aspire – Motivate – Succeed Daily was RIGHT ON TIME for me. It is titled “36 Things You Can Do to Enjoy Life” and because today is my birthday I am decidedly focused on fun.

And I’m getting a heap of encouragement to enjoy life and focus on fun from students (who gave me hilariously obnoxious singing balloons and talking cards), to family and friends who encouraged me to “do something fun” today. Something just for me. That also involved wine.

And one friend in particular, my VP of Fun, blessed me with a delightfully whimsical memento that makes me smile and giggle every time I look at it … and trust me, I’m NOT exactly a giggler. Spiritual, yes. Giggler. Not so much. But I’m in process!!!!!

Anyway, the AMS Daily post began with the following quote, which really touched me:

An Angel says, ‘Never borrow from the future.  If you worry about what may happen tomorrow and it doesn’t happen, you have worried in vain.  Even if it does happen, you have to worry twice.’

It captures the essence of the spiritual principle of staying “in the moment”. It echoes the idea that yesterday is gone and tomorrow hasn’t happened yet. So all we have is today. We can choose to “be here now” or get lost in regret or worry. Neither of those sounds very fun. And neither supports or promotes an enjoyable life. This I know firsthand and for sure.

So I was delighted to receive the perfect message intended to encourage me to enjoy life. Not just today, the anniversary of my birth, but also everyday. In each day, in each moment in fact, I can choose the expansive energy channeled by joy and wonderment over more negative emotions that stifle my energy and keep me heavy and small and limited.

Join me in finding ways grand and small to enjoy life every day in the 36 suggestions below. I see at least 7 things I can do before midnight … or earlier if I actually go to bed on TIME! (see #2). And if something doesn’t work in your life, remix the list to suit what you desire and require. In fact, consider this the “36 things + 1” list. And the plus one is to enjoy the list (and pay it forward!)

Love & Light,

T Marie

AMS Daily list of “36 Things You Can Do to Enjoy Life”

1. Pray
2. Go to bed on time.
3. Get up on time so you can start the day unrushed.
4. Say No to projects that won’t fit into your time schedule or that will compromise your mental health.
5. Delegate tasks to capable others.
6. Simplify and de-clutter your life.
7. Less is more. (Although one is often not enough, two are often too many.)
8. Allow extra time to do things and to get to places.
9.  Pace yourself.  Spread out big changes and difficult projects over time; don’t lump the hard things all together.
10. Take one day at a time.
11. Separate worries from concerns.  If a situation is a concern, find out what God would have you do and let go of the anxiety.  If you can’t do anything about a situation, forget it.
12. Live within your budget.
13. Have backups; an extra car key in your wallet, an extra house key buried in the garden, extra stamps, etc.
14. K.M.S. (Keep Mouth Shut).  This single piece of advice can prevent an enormous amount of trouble.
15. Do something for the Kid in You everyday.
16. Carry an enlightening book with you to read while waiting in line.
17. Get enough rest.
18. Eat right.
19. Get organized so everything has its place.
20. Listen to a tape while driving that can help improve your quality of life.
21. Write down thoughts and inspirations.
22. Every day, find time to be alone.
23. Having problems?  Talk to God on the spot.  Try to nip small problems in the bud.   Don’t wait until it’s time to go to bed to try and pray.
24. Make friends with nice people.
25. Keep a folder of favorite scriptures on hand.
26. Remember that the shortest bridge between despair and hope is often a good “Thank you!”
27. Laugh.
28. Laugh some more!
29. Take your work seriously, but not yourself at all.
30. Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best they can).
31. Be kind to unkind people (they probably need it the most).
32. Sit on your ego.
33. Talk less; listen more.
34. Slow down.
35. Remind yourself that you are not the general manager of the universe.
36. Every night before bed, think of one thing you’re grateful for that you’ve never been grateful for before.

Share this post, if you would like other people in your life to also enjoy their lives fully!

About the Author: Alpha Miguel-Sanford, is the founder and editor of Aspire.Motivate.Succeed. She is also the author of the book “The Best Inspirational Stories I Ever Read: Guide to a Purposeful Life”.You can contact her at amsdaily@yahoo.com, follow and like her on Facebook Page AMSDaily and be friends with her on Twitter @identitysolved.

Finding joy in the process of grief

“Grief is not a disorder, a disease or a sign of weakness. It is an emotional, physical and spiritual necessity, the price you pay for love. The only cure for grief is to grieve.” – Dr. Earl A. Grollman

I’ve been more quiet than usual this month because I’ve been dealing with the final transition of my grandmother, Celeste Lee Jones Borden (a/k/a Nana), on March 30, 2012.

We celebrated her Homegoing Service on Saturday, April 7, 2012 and although her passing was not unexpected, I am still adjusting to the reality that her physical presence as I knew it is gone forever.

[I wrote about her fearless spirit in a February 15, 2012 post “Resolve. Commit. Just do it!]

I celebrate her life well lived and the amazing times we’ve shared not only throughout my life but especially at the end of her life. Thankfully, we had the opportunity to ensure that nothing was left unsaid or undone (a true gift!). I also celebrate her spiritual freedom from a body that was in rapid decline. Yet still, I miss her physical presence immensely.

I have and continue to experience the full range of emotions that surface in the midst of the grieving process; the bitter, the sweet, the heaviness, the light. I’ve experienced joyful visitations by her loving presence that created pure miracles, especially when I felt alone and in need of encouragement. And I intend to share those personal and reflective moments in the weeks and months to come as I unpack their significance and influence. But for now, I choose to lean into and surrender to the process.

After her transition I committed to maintaining space to breathe and room to grieve. I have been intentional about creating opportunities for silent reflection, tears, remembering, forgetting, communing with nature, family and friends and for accepting what is.

I’ve been protective of my time and energy, my emotions and my process, choosing to spend time in solitude or with those who have the divine ability to honor the emotional space I am in. Those light workers and “soul” mates in my life gifted with the ability to honor where I am without trying to fix me. They “hold the space” by holding me, they listen while I repeat myself and lose my train of thought, allow me to come undone, and energize and support me in my process.

I am not focused on a result. There is no destination, plan or agenda for my grief. I’m open to the journey because I know that the only way to is through. On this journey, I celebrate and acknowledge my Nana’s life, legacy and transition into a different plane of existence. And I accept that grief is a necessary process of transition; as necessary and inevitable as death itself. Grief is the beginning and the end.

And most importantly, “grief is a sign that you loved well.” [Unknown]

[Originally posted at ByTheSpirit.net]

Wisdom in the Whisper™ lessons and WisdomintheWhisper.com by Tonya Marie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at www.wisdominthewhisper.com.