Focusing. Really, It's a Gift You Give Yourself.

"Don't dwell on what went wrong. Instead, focus on what to do next. Spend your energies on moving forward toward finding the answer."     -----Denis Waitley

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Still here!

It's just that these end-of-winter-weeks are always rough on me. It's the jumping ahead in my mind, the leaping outside my current season, I think. It's the anticipation of stepping outside the back door and gardening rather than freezing. The estate-saling and countryside-driving instead of sitting around the house, waiting for normalcy.

You know, the looking forward to getting out of the house.

The returning to Springtime's glorious-weather-months-awaiting is enough to pull anyone in snow country outside of contentment, I think. 

So anyway, I've done some battling. I've had to focus, focus, focus on fixing annoying home, Life and bad habit stuff, etc.. I'm completing things(!) and keeping my mind busy, rather than allowing it to wander to the dark, impatient side of winter's last days.

Though yes, some days still turn out like this --

But hey! Real, determined focus pulls you back up from your ditches and God encourages you to keep walking forward in forgiveness of your foibles --and in joy of whatever season He's got you in.

He's great that way.



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Well.

Part of my Focus Adventure has involved learning how to dress this old fat lady body some evil person draped around me.

:)

So I'm reading these books as a refresher course and so to learn new ways, as well--

(I highly recommend the one on the left. It's like all the What Not To Wear shows, though with more common sense, even. So helpful, with easy to grasp concepts.)



-- and have underlined and taken feverish notes at our usually-sunny dining room table.

Also, I emptied a hatbox of old letters I no longer reread and placed knitted gloves and caps inside, then placed it on that roll-around closet thing I showed you. Why use something to store what you no longer need when it can be useful, instead?

I've washed a few windows, gathered a hundred fallen twigs, especially after yesterday's never-seen-winds-this-strong (scary day!). Oh, and I've restocked some non-perishable food shelves whose items had dwindled.

And, well, I'd waited nine years for additional seasons of Perfect Strangers to be released on dvd, but finally I searched online and found some 'new' episodes(!) Some cost $1.99 at Amazon, but others are free. Here are those for you --


Pipe Dreams (if you have only five minutes, forward it to the 'shower scene'. Unforgettable and classic, truly.).

Tooth Or Consequences (you can forward to the dentist's office if you wish.)

Christmas  (this one's on my dvd's, but here it is for you. This is how Christmas used to always look on tv. Happy sigh.)

Better Shop Around

To see what's available at Amazon, go here (some of those episodes are available on the dvd's here).



How wonderful when we stop complaining and, instead, go searching for what we want. Just moaning about what's missing is a tragic way to use our few precious days.

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And oh my. I found another awesome kids' lit. novel which sweeps you away to another time, 1960 to be exact--

Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys vintage teen romances/mysteries/big old houses/ballet/horses. Perfect book for wintry afternoons.

And here's a Kirkus review for that book. That Kirkus site is a wonderful one for me because they review many of the old, quirky books no one else has ever heard of. Only, their search box isn't much good. It's simpler to find a review if you do a Google search with the book title, then type Kirkus.



So there you go. Where I've been, what I've been doing. Such as it is. And how've you been?

"The key to success is to focus our conscious mind on things we desire not things we fear". ---Brian Tracy


If we learn to love all our Life's seasons, we'll always feel blessed.




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