The Edge....Are You Willing To Enter At Your Own Risk?

Did you ever think you were on the edge of something?  Did you step out on it?  Or maybe you were always fearful of falling, so you never went out to the edge.

Blaring T.V.'s, ringing phones, screaming kids who shine flashlights in your eyes and noisy crank horns in your ear....it's enough to drive you crazy.  Who can think with all the noise?  Turn down the noise.  Talk a walk down my Sunset Drive.....were the street is straight and narrow and seems to go on forever.

One night, as I was out walking down Sunset Drive, I felt as if I actually found THE straight and narrow path that I had been looking for.  The night was dry and hot.  The air felt heavy.  The road was long, but felt like a porthole to a new reality.  I walked as though I was headed into a new dimension.  Here I am.  The new me.  The one I had been working on so hard to try and crack THE code....the one that leads me into my calling.  I don't know if I ever will really KNOW what my true calling is or if there even is ONE true calling, but this week....I found the real me.  The funny, witty, happy person I always wished I could be.  How did I get here?  Where was I going?

As I made my way to Vineyard Beach, I notice a sign decorated the arbor gate entrance, but I didn't read it, I just noticed it was there.  I was interested in the sunset.  I wondered if I was too late.  As I approached the edge of the park, I could barely see the bright glow of the sun peeking out through the trees.  Oh how amazing.  I made it.  It was a brilliant orange ball of light heading for a new tomorrow.  I couldn't take my eyes off of it.  I continued closer to the edge where the old wooden fence kept park patrons safe from falling down the crumbling, wave beaten cliffed shoreline.  As I got to the edge....I literally thought....oh how amazing, I am on the edge of glory.  I just sat there in complete and utter awe.

As I leaned against the fence, I looked a little closer.  I saw something far off in the distance.  I couldn't really make it out. It looked like a black dot.  As my eyes focused, the boat had a passenger of one.  A kayak.  One lonely passenger in a big "ocean" of water.  Maybe it wasn't so lonely.  There was another black dot far behind the first.  There were two.  One further ahead of the other.  No worries I thought.  It isn't a race.  It's all about the journey.  I am confident the guy in back knew that too.  One moves ahead, the other catches up, then moves ahead again.  Ebb and flow.  The cycle of life.  Calm.  Cool.  Collected.  Some days are sour grapes and others are a fine aroma of a dry Chianti.  That's just how life is.  No race (well, o.k. it is a race....but it's not a 5k or a 13.1, but a 26.2---I finally figured out those damn stickers on the cars) 

Things take time to shake out.  Sometimes..... people drop out of the race only to retrain again for something even bigger than before.  Smelling roses is great, but only lasts a few seconds (before you start sneezing, that is).  I was sad to see the sun go, but I realized it was opening up a new tomorrow else where in the world.  I made my way back to the entrance of the park.  As I crossed under the arbor gate,  I looked back and read the sign that had always been there.  It said....enter at your own risk.  If I didn't enter at my own risk, mine eyes wouldn't have seen the glory.  I saw something amazing.  Something not many in a lifetime get to see.   I was on the edge and it felt amazing.

Are you willing to take risks?  Are you willing to step out and look for the edge?  Take a look around.  Then take another look around.  And still another.  What do you see?  If you ever find where the sidewalk ends, take a look again.  It might be worth the risk to question if that statement is really true.

Sometimes You Just Gotta Listen To Your Gut

One of my first memories working for a retail giant was an encounter I had with my MM.  I considered him the head honcho at the time, since I was just a newbie starting out and the President and CEO where still a mystery to me.  There I stood at the center of our buying world, smack dab in front of the vending machine.  What was I in the mood for?  I needed to grab something to sustain me...today there wasn't much time for a choked down grilled salmon and vegetables.  As I stood there blank in front of so many choices, I felt a de ja vu. 

I was 9. It was summer.  Us neighbor kids were finally allowed to ride our bikes to what we considered the Willy Wonka capital of the world.  How simple life was back then.  It didn't seem so simple at the time.  So many choices. I  had carte blanche choice of what my little world consisted of... candy, gum, ice cream, a Slurpie or even dare I, a Big Gulp.  What did I want?  It seemed to me an infinite amount of choices...hundreds, thousands maybe...(I know I said infinite, but that was what my infinite consisted of at the time).  I kinda felt like the kid on U Tube who was so afraid to say Happy Birthday Roseanne on camera.  What if I picked the wrong one?  Which one would be the best buy for my money?  I mean come on....even a kid wants to get the most bang for his buck. 

And then....there it was...that voice. A presence which only felt like the wind....One minute there, the next gone.

"Come on Laurie. Make a decision; you're in retail."   I never pushed a button so fast or made a decision so quick in my short little career.  That was a defining moment in my life.

What did I learn?  Some times you have to go with your gut.  Have you ever heard the saying.... you either have it or you don't?  (Talent that is).  If you feel you have the talent and get that gut feeling....then sometimes you have to go with your gut.  Most times....everything needs to be a complete thought process.  But....when you don't know which way to go or are forced to make a decision....you gotta just go with your gut.  You never know what you might learn.

Energy Can Not Be Created Nor Destroyed

 Boom. Boom. Pow.

A Painted Picture For Anyone With Glasses

Tonight....I went for a walk.  A walk for me.  A walk designed for no other reason but to follow Newtons law....a body in motion stays in motion.

 As I reached the end of Sunset Drive, I crossed the street to an old beach terrace taken care of by an old home owners association.  The only mantainance done is mowing.  The fence stands rusted and neglected. The old beach access stairs have fallen pry to the erie of the lake. No one really visits this place anymore.  My old friend Shel Silverstien might say....it's where The Sidewalk Ends.

There must be a few who can see past where the sidewalk ends.  There's a path made by those who can see.  Many they are not, because I have never seen anyone there before, but I can see where their feet have stepped.  I edged down the side of the cliff where the rocks were decorated with overgrown grasses, weeds and bent trees.  I had to watch my step because a storm had just passed and we all know the saying "slippery when wet".  Needless to say I was scared to death that I was going to anger or scare some animal who made this space their home.  But tonight, there were no creatures around.  Just me.

As I got closer, I could hear the thunderous crashing waves.  Soon enough, emerged the old jettie that made the beach.  I could feel the power that was harnessed in the lake, which I must say relics the ocean without a beat.  Right before my eyes lay a painting made just for me.  I sat.  I saw.  I felt.  There before me layed the colors I told my 3rd grade teacher don't exist.  She wanted me to paint a water color of the sky in yellow, orange, red, purple and barely blue.  That isn't possible I told her.  I have never seen a sky look like that before.  Today, there it lay before me.  The sun, the sky, the "ocean" and me.  All in a state of being.

There was only one problem....my ego whispered in my ear how golden brown my skin looked in the late evening light.  You're right, I said.  Then I continued to sit. Still. Full of potential.  I harnessed the air with my arms and said, I am finally ready.  Ready to face the world.  Ready to fly like the wind.  Ready to stand tall.  Ready to be me. So....do you have your glasses on today?  Are you able to see the colors that may not exist?  I am.

We've done faith & hope...How about a little LOVE?

Today's blog about a little love....

A little love? Really,.... a little love?  Shouldn't it be "A Whole Lot Of Lovin' Goin' On"?

Well...I guess we have to start somewhere.  Let's start with a little love.

Have you given a little love to someone today? Maybe you have given some to the kids, the spouse, the pet, and the friends.  BUT how about the NEIGHBOR, the co-worker, the check out guy/gal, the bank teller, the drive through attendant, the mail lady/man, the drivers on the road, the sales lady/man, the parents, the secretary at your child's school, the caller on the other end of the phone trying to sell you something or the stranger walking by? (Did you read that entire list?  If not, slow down and reread.)

If you noticed, I didn't put YOUR kids, your spouse, your mailman on the list above.  I could have put YOUR in front on all the names I listed, but that would imply that we OWN them.  Sometimes we might think they OWE us because we feed them, clothes them, or even pay them.  I could probably say they might not be giving us any love, so hey, why should we bother?  Boy...do we think we should give them an earful.  But, we do owe it to one another to give love, in general.  I mean come on, the second greatest commandment is to love one another.

Maybe you say...They don't deserve it?  They had a bad attitude.  They gave me the wrong order.  They didn't smile at me.  They are always in a bad mood.   Think about it....Who really deserves anything?  Are any of us owed anything from another?  You might say...yeah, they owe me $100.  You gave it to them.  You helped them out.  Should we really EXPECT anything back?  Should we?  That person you helped out, was probably in need.  When we give to the poor, do we expect them to do something for us in return?  No, we do it for the greater good (o.k. it might give us a boost to feel good too).  Are you deserving when you are forgiven by someone?  Have you ever said or at least thought, "Oooops.  I know I was wrong.  I did have a bad attitude, but thank God they forgave me or the day would have been really bad."  "THEY" made your day better because "THEY" gave you a little love, a hall pass, or a mulligan. 

 So if we can't give BIG love, how about a little love?  A smile, Bonjour..Comment t'allez-vous? (for those of you the french translation...Hello, how are you going (doing-same thing)), a patient wave to cross the street, a shoveled walk for an older neighbor, a thank you to a clerk or a teacher, conversation with the school secretary to lighten her day or a sympathetic heart to someone having a rotten day.  "I don't know what was wrong with that girl, but man she had a chip on her shoulder" turns into "How is your day going?"  You pause to listen and then end with, "I'm sure your day will get better." SMILE.

I am sure all of you have done these things at one time or another, but how about a LITTLE love everyday, many times during the day?  Who are you waiting for to change the world?  We all can change the world with a little love.

So, yeah, it is about a little love which will turn into "a whole lot of lovin' going' on" when many give a little love away.   How about it?  Til next time....L

Today's 10 minute Blog on HOPE....

As I stumbled out of bed, down the hallway this morning, to begin my day, I saw an animal run across the living room floor.  For 1/2 a second I forgot that we live with an animal roaming throughout our home, our cat.  Isn't that strange?, I thought.  An animal lives in our home.  My husband would tell you definitely yes, but millions of people live with animals, that we all affectionately like to call "pets".  

So why do we live with these animals?  We give them names, like people. We love them better than people, sometimes and sometimes not.   Why do we live with them?

I went for a walk, after my daughter got on the bus for school this afternoon.  When I returned and thawed out, I sat on the couch with a hot, hazelnut coffee (I know, I can't believe I finally drink coffee) to relax.  Just as soon as I sat, it was my cat's invitation to curl up on my lap and adore me.  I thought about the question that pondered me earlier this morning.  And then it hit me, we live with those animals because they provide unconditional love.  My daughter might tell you it's because she can play dress up and the cat won't sass her when she picks the pink dress to wear and makes the cat wear the blue one.  No matter how good or bad life gets for us, they will ALWAYS be there.  They give us HOPE.  They give us hope for a better future, a better "us".  They make us feel like everything really will be o.k..  Today, mine just helped me meditate.  Ummmmm....And there it was....one of the gifts they so lovingly give....peace. (well, for some of you maybe your pet gives you a different gift than peace...peace is one of our gifts, at least most days)

We named our second cat Bella Grace (KiKi, God rest her soul, was our fist) because she came to us in a time that our family needed GRACE (and she was gray so ironically it worked).  Bella means Beautiful in Italian, my grandma reminds us, but my daughter just liked that name.  Bella Grace, Beautiful Grace.  She is there every time someone is down and out and needs some HOPE.  She taught my children how to be gentle and have love for another life.  Today, I salute all the amazing pets of the world.  They give so much and ask for so little in return.  Let us take a lesson from our glorious pets and remember how to give much, but ask for little; to just "BE" present for someone else, so they can find strength and HOPE from our giving.

I am thankful for our Bella Grace.  She was God's way of answering our prayers for a blessing of GRACE and helping us all learn how to love unconditionally.  Why are you thankful for your pet?  I bet you might find that your pet brings hope to your family too!  Ciao for now!

Welcome to My Borland Country....

Out from the stacks of dust and fiction came a glorious reality book with my name on it (except I didn't write it) called Borland Country, by Hal Borland.  An old friend found it on one of her voyages.  It was published in 1971 not to long before he died, as the life Hal Borland saw; the life you see or might want to see.  It even has a picture that resembles Opie fishing in a pond, possibly in Mayberry, or maybe that's my son fishing or maybe even you.  Hal was like that.  He was a simple man.  He loved the country.

 My friend gave the book to me as a gift, a token of the future.  See, she knew I wanted to be a writer someday.  So her find was a true treasure for me.  I held on to that book for years before I became a writer.  My real name is L.Borland and today you are reading My Borland Country.

 Everyday, My Borland Country is blanketed with tranquil, white, falling snow.  The snow might be cold, but white is the absence of color.  Every time I see falling snow, I think of how Christ died for us and blanketed us with forgiveness, so that our sins would be absent from our hearts, at least when we try to get past St. Peter at those pearly gates of Heaven. Thank God for snow.  So, in the morning, I wake up thanking God for all my blessings and asking myself what color am I going to paint my day?  Do you ever ask yourself that question or do you let the grelin in your body answer for you?  If you have ever watched Dr. Oz, you might know that grelin is a thief that robs you of your energy when you don't feed your body properly.  (or was that Gremlin? No...)  3pm rolls around and grelin is on the rampage.  Fighting and kicking, riping and roaring.  Not in my country.  Today, I went from white to GREEN.  Green for life.  Green for veggies.  Mmmmm....I love veggies and I am happy to say so do my kids.  GREEN. FIBEROUS GREENs. Not to mention that color doesn't look too bad on me.  Don't forget your protein.  Grelin doesn't like it.  This way, you can wear your color all day, feel great and even make someone else feel good when you pass your color on to them.  Believe me, your color shines through everyday.  Show the world your true colors...go on, I DARE YOU!  Well, maybe we should practise first.  True colors start out ugly, but eventually find the yellow brick road to somewhere over the rainbow.

So, what color is your country today?  Have you blanketed any one's day with your white snow of forgiveness?  We all need it, we all want it, but sometimes it seems hard to give away.  Make today your WHITE day and blanket someone with your forgiveness. Tell us, what color did you chose today?