Tune out the Static

Tune out the Static

I went looking for a picture of static.

I found instead a picture from my past.

How many times did you watch TV until the end

of broadcast hours

and this signal came up and the sound of static

was on the station so you turned off the TV

and finally just went to bed?

Now days - we are 'on' ALL the time

During our constant 'on time' we still experience 'static'

we don't seem to have end of broadcast hours.

Static can come into your life in the form of

what others think about you

Static can come into your life in the form of

what others say about you

Static can come into your life in the form of

what YOU think about yourself

Static can come into your life in the form of

what YOU say to yourself.

Thinking about static also reminds me of dryer sheets

Those little sheets of wonder will make sure that your clothes

don't stick together in the dryer.

When heat is applied without the dryer sheet

you find a clump of clothing that crackles and pops as you try to get the items separated.

I remember as a kid,

I would rub my feet really fast on the carpet and then I would 'shock' anyone I touched.

Life is the same way. 

Static in our lives can either cling to us or it can just be noise going on in our heads or around us

Even worse -

we start to tune in to the 'static'.

I want to live a life that always has softeners

I don't want to allow static to cling
I want to tune out the static

around me.

I don't want the mucky waters that hides the strife and sorrows to cling to me forever.

How can we ensure that we always

tune out the static?

I think of our old dial radio on the headboard.

The other night, we heard voices

 but we couldn't figure out for a moment

where they came from until we realized that it was the radio.

This radio has a bad tuner dial so that

every time you touch it - static and popping happens

until you move it carefully to tune in the radio
past the static.

Think about your life

What do you need to 'tune out'?

What static do you need to release or purge?

What needs replaced deep within your mind?

What needs replaced deep within your soul?

What static is clinging to you that you want to release?

What can you do to soften your world?

One thing I have been doing is
'unplugging' more and more

I even uninstalled Facebook off my phone.
I haven't bought into Snap Chat.
I don't have Instagram.
I only occasionally use Twitter or Pinterest.
There seems to be an abundance of
'static' creators in the world today.

I have learned a balance once again
I write more
I read more
I love to cross stitch creations I give to others.

I also take drives with my husband to the mountains.

This is a picture we took at the top of a cliff overlook

Funny thing about most areas in the mountains

No cell service!

It allows me to decompress

To tune out the static

To just enjoy time away from life

 From things that are clinging to me.

I strongly urge you to do this once in awhile.

It is soothing to the soul.

When you can't hear anything but the birds

and sometimes nothing at all

it's amazing how easy it is to

Tune out the Static!

Finding Your Blessings

FINDING YOUR BLESSINGS

HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT ABOUT ACTIVELY SEEKING YOUR BLESSINGS?

AS A CHILD IN SUNDAY SCHOOL, YOU MIGHT HAVE SANG THIS SONG:

"COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS, NAME THEM ONE BY ONE..."

I HAVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT BLESSINGS LATELY.

THANKSGIVING IS USUALLY WHEN WE DO THIS 

BUT I AM TALKING ABOUT DAILY REMEMBERING 

WHAT YOU ARE BLESSED WITH.....

BEING GRATEFUL FOR EVERY MOMENT.

THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS HAVEN'T BEEN EXACTLY THE EASIEST.

SITUATIONS THAT I NEVER EXPECTED CAME AT ME HARD.

LOSING THOSE WHO I NEVER KNEW WERE GOING TO BE GONE 

BEFORE I WAS READY TO SAY GOODBYE.

LIFE CHANGING WHEN I REALLY JUST WANTED TIME TO STAND STILL.

ALSO KNOWING THAT GOING BACKWARDS WAS NOT AN OPTION!

SADLY, OUR HOME OF 15 YEARS HAS HAD IT'S OWN SHARE OF TRIALS AS WELL.

HAVING DISCUSSIONS AND HAVING TO MAKE DECISIONS TO REPAIR OR MOVE ON.

I REALIZED THAT IT WAS WHEN I HAD STARTED TO FEEL THE DISCONTENT CREEP IN.

ALLOWING THAT DISCONTENTMENT TO GROW WAS NOT A GOOD THING!

DISCONTENTMENT WILL DEFINITELY MOVE OUT ALL THOUGHTS OF THE BLESSINGS!

WHEN WE MOVED BACK TO COLORADO IN 2002,

WE SEARCHED AND SEARCHED FOR THE 'PERFECT' HOUSE.

EVENTUALLY THOUGH, YOU HAVE TO BE CONTENT WITH 'ALMOST PERFECT'

ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU HAVE TO MAKE A QUICK DECISION.

EVERYTHING ON YOUR 'WANT' LIST WILL NOT ALWAYS BE MET.

IN THE THE LAST 15 YEARS THOUGH, OUR HOME HAS CHANGED - 

EITHER FROM OUR WORK APPLIED OR FROM JUST AGE IN GENERAL.

THE MANY TREES WE LOVED CAME TO THE END OF THEIR CYCLES AND HAD TO BE REMOVED.  IT CHANGED THE DYNAMICS OF WHY OUR YARD WAS LIKE A BEAUTIFUL PARK.  WE HAVE MANY MEMORIES OF TIMES WHEN OTHERS ENJOYED OUR HOME AS WELL.

I THINK THAT IS WHEN IT ALL STARTED TO CHANGE FOR ME.

FINDING YOUR BLESSINGS ISN'T ALWAYS EASY AND SOMETIMES THAT DISCONTENT SNEAKS UP ON YOU.

SOMETIMES YOU NO LONGER SEE THE BEAUTY IN THE CLOUDS

SOMETIMES THE TRIALS SEEM TO OUTWEIGH THE JEWELS.

THE OTHER NIGHT I REALIZED THAT NOW I CAN SEE THE STARS - THERE ARE SO MANY! ITS QUIET, CALM AND SO VERY BEAUTIFUL

BUT I HAD TO LOOK UP TO FIND THEM!

I HAD TO STOP LOOKING AT WHAT ALL WAS WRONG AND START SEEKING MY BLESSINGS! 

THINKING ABOUT BLESSINGS - SOMETIMES THOSE COME AFTER HARD WORK

WHAT ABOUT THE DIAMOND? WITHOUT HEAT AND PRESSURE -A DIAMOND 

WOULDN'T FORM. 

IN LIFE - WITHOUT HEAT AND A WHOLE LOT OF PRESSURE - 

WOULD WE REALLY GROW? WOULD WE REALLY REMEMBER ALL OUR BLESSINGS?

TODAY I WAS REMINDED THAT THE BLESSINGS MIGHT BE DIFFERENT BUT BLESSINGS THEY ARE ALL THE SAME!

SO, AS BID YOU ADIEU 

I HOPE YOU WILL ACTIVELY SEEK YOUR OWN BLESSINGS

THEY REALLY WILL CHANGE YOUR HEART! THEY MIGHT EVEN CHANGE A DARK CLOUD INTO A BRILLIANTLY FILLED STARLIT NIGHT!!