Weeds and Procrastination

I WAS WORKING IN MY RAISED

FLOWER BED TODAY

CUTTING OUT THE WEEDS THAT 

WERE OVERTAKING MY IRIS PLANTS!

I HAD ALLOWED THE WEEDS TO GET OUT OF CONTROL

I KNEW THEY WERE GETTING BAD

I JUST IGNORED THEM

I MADE MORE WORK FOR MYSELF 

WITH MY PROCRASTINATION!

I HAVE ALSO BEEN WORKING ON MY YARD IN GENERAL

I ALLOWED ALL THE WEED AREAS

TO GET COMPLETELY OUT OF CONTROL

MAKING IT HARD TO GET THEM DONE AT ONCE

I FINALLY DECIDED THEY NEEDED TAKEN CARE OF

I MADE SO MUCH MORE WORK FOR MYSELF!

I HAD TO TAKE EACH AREA A LITTLE AT A TIME

A FEW MINUTES AT A TIME

SEVERAL DAYS HAD TO BE DEVOTED TO THE WORK!

IF I HAD CHOSEN TO KEEP UP ON THE WEEDS

I WOULD HAVE HAD LESS WORK TO TO

LESS TIME WOULD HAVE BEEN GIVEN TO THE TASK

IT DEFINITELY WOULD HAVE KEPT THINGS LOOKING NICER!

PROCRASTINATION IN LIFE IS LIKE WEEDS

YOU PUT OFF WHAT YOU SEE BEFORE YOU

KNOWING IT WILL NOT TAKE MUCH TIME TO FIX 

YET, YOU STILL MAKE A 

CHOICE 

NOT TO TAKE CARE OF IT

 IN THE END 

THIS CHOICE, 

MAKES IT MORE TIME CONSUMING

HARDER TO RESOLVE

DEFINITELY MORE WORK!

 IF YOU HAD JUST TAKEN CARE OF IT

AS SOON AS YOU KNEW YOU HAD AN ISSUE

YOU WOULD HAVE MOVED ON 

TO MORE PLEASANT ACTIVITIES SOONER!

LIFE CHOICES ARE LIKE THE WEEDS

 IN MANY WAYS

SITUATIONS CAN GET OUT OF CONTROL

WHEN YOU DON'T ADDRESS THE ISSUES 

IMMEDIATELY...

RESENTMENT CAN GROW

ROOTS OF DISSENSION CAN DIG DEEPER

EVEN SMALL, SURFACE ISSUES

 CAN BECOME A MUCH LARGER PROBLEM 

WHEN YOU CHOOSE TO IGNORE

WHEN YOU CHOOSE TO AVOID

WHEN YOU CHOOSE TO PUT IT ASIDE.

PROCRASTINATION WILL ALLOW 

RESENTMENT TO GROW

THE ROOTS GETTING DEEPER AND DEEEPER 

SO WHEN YOU FINALLY ADDRESS THINGS...

IT TAKES LONGER TO WORK THROUGH

IT LEAVES BEHIND SEEDS OF DOUBT

THAT CAN RETURN LATER

TO START GROWING DEEP ROOTS ALL OVER AGAIN.

THINKING OF HOW THE ONCE OVERGROWN AREAS

LOOK SO MUCH BETTER ONCE I HAVE PUT IN THE WORK

I WAS THINKING THE SAME FOR 

OUR PROCRASTINATION IN LIFE SITUATIONS

RELATIONSHIPS CAN BE REBUILT

RESENTMENTS CAN BE AVOIDED

FRUSTRATIONS CAN BE KEPT LOW

COMMUNICATION CAN MAINTAIN A HEALTHY BALANCE

YOU FEEL BETTER

THE OTHER PERSON FEELS BETTER

LIFE CAN BE MUCH SMOOTHER

WHEN YOU DON'T AVOID

WHEN YOU DON'T PROCRASTINATE

WHEN YOU PUT IN THE WORK REGULARLY

WHEN YOU KEEP THE WEEDS OUT!

HOW CAN  YOU ENSURE THAT WEEDS DON'T GROW

IN YOUR FRIENDSHIPS

IN YOUR PERSONAL REALTIONSHIPS

AT YOUR WORK PLACE, 

WITH YOUR COWORKERS AND MANAGERS?

ACTIVELY ADDRESS ISSUES AS THEY ARISE

DON'T MAKE A CHOICE OF PROCRASTINATION

DON'T ALLOW 'WEEDS' TO GROW 

KEEP THE LINES OF COMMUNICATION OPEN 

WHEN SOMETHING IS WRONG

ALWAYS TREAT ONE ANOTHER WITH 

RESPECT AND HONESTY

WORK TO BE OPEN TO SUGGESTIONS 

THAT WORK FOR BOTH PARTIES.

WILL THIS PROCESS ALWAYS BE 

A PRETTY ROSE GARDEN?

ABSOLUTELY NOT!

IN LIFE - THERE WILL BE THORNS!

THERE WILL NEED TO BE WORK PUT IN

YOU WILL NEED TO BE ALERT!

THAT GOES FOR THE OTHER PARTY AS WELL

THEY ALSO HAVE TO BE WILLING TO WORK WITH YOU

THEY HAVE TO VALUE THE RELATIONSHIP

AS MUCH AS YOU DO FOR THE FLOW TO WORK!

I ENCOURAGE YOU TO CLEAR OUT THE WEEDS 

IN YOUR FRIENDSHIPS

IN YOU RELATIONSHIPS

IN YOUR WORK RELATIONSHIPS

IN YOUR FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS

EVEN A SMALL PLANT NEEDS SUPPORT

AND CARE SO IT CAN CONTINUE TO GROW!

YOU WILL FEEL THE BEAUTY IN THE WORK

LIKE HOW IT IS WITH 

A WELL-TENDED FLOWER GARDEN!

 

DON'T FORGET THE WATER

WATER 

IS THE LIFE-BLOOD OF GROWTH

THAT MEANS :

ATTENTION

CARE

INVESTED TIME

LOVE AND COMPASSION

EMPATHY

WHERE ARE THE WEEDS YOU NEED TO REMOVE?

WHERE DO YOU NEED TO ADD WATER TO?

IT IS SO WORTH THE EFFORT!

YOUR SOUL WILL SING

YOU WILL SMILE MORE

AND THE SUN WILL SHINE MORE OFTEN!

I HOPE THIS ENCOURAGES YOU 

NOT TO PROCRASTINATE

TO CHOOSE TO DO THE WORK

WATERING ALONG THE WAY

SO YOU CAN REAP ALL THE WONDERFUL BENEFITS!!

BLESSINGS!

DARLENEBL ©2024

 

 

Finding Your Blessings

FINDING YOUR BLESSINGS

HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT ABOUT ACTIVELY SEEKING YOUR BLESSINGS?

AS A CHILD IN SUNDAY SCHOOL, YOU MIGHT HAVE SUNG 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 EXACTLY BEEN THE EASIEST.

SITUATIONS THAT I NEVER EXPECTED CAME AT ME HARD.

LOSING PEOPLE THAT I NEVER KNEW WERE GOING TO BE GONE 

BEFORE I WAS READY TO SAY GOODBYE. FRIENDSHIPS THAT CHANGED AND DISSOLVED. LOVED ONES THAT WERE IMPORTANT. 

LOSING THESE ARE ALWAYS HARD ON THE HEART, AND TAKE TIME TO HEAL FROM. TIME TO REGROUP. TIME TO MOVE FORWARD AGAIN.

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!!

A Comfortable Life

A Comfortable Life

I am learning that I like to be comfortable.

Relationships - my spaces - my life in general -

most especially where I live.

Have you ever entered into another's 'space' and realized

that either

their level of 'comfort' is

above or

below your own?

What is  a definition of your 'perfect' life?

What factors are considered?

What will make you feel 'comfortable'?

This is a picture of the back yard of the home we purchased in 2002.

We closed on our new home on Halloween day of all days!

It looks 'spooky' in this picture, does it not?

When we first purchased our home -

it had been severely neglected in regards to the yard.

I actually went searching for these pictures to remind myself

that our home was not perfect

when we first bought it -

at least in regards to the back spaces and yard.

The front however is really not that bad at all!

This is what we did to the yard in 15 years:

Recently, my husband and I have been looking for our 'mountain home'

it's time to find a different level of 'comfort'.

In that process,

I realize that what I consider 'comfortable' -

isn't what another person would think.

Homes that others are selling - are comfortable to them

and yet I am not ready to go 'down' in comfort.

This is 'comfort' to me

At least where I spend most of my time!

Creature comforts to me are

running water

flushing toilets

 a shower (not in my living space)

space for some of my stuff

and in general 'comfort'!

I have camped -

I have spent time in a tent -

I've cooked over a camp stove

however, that was all temporary!

Our latest venture - every one of these items were missing.

Don't get me wrong, it would be great for some people

but I was thankful my hubby said

'This just won't work for us'!

Whew!!

*And yes, I am not joking -

they had a shower stall

in the 'living area'!!

Laughter aside - we're still looking!

We're still trying to meet all of our

'creature comfort' needs -

and afford to be in the mountains!

We would love to have this view:

Doesn't hurt to dream, right?

Along the line of 'comforts'

our new home will have to have land.

Not a gully washout road,

hair raising drive to the house

Not in the middle of another property!

Dreaming?

Probably - but hey -

if you don't keep after your dreams

you've already lost the battle!

There are also times that being 'too comfortable' won't

challenge you to make changes.

Thus the mountain picture.

It is something we're striving for-

dreaming for

our own personal take on

A Comfortable Life!

Invest In Others

Invest in Others

Have you ever been in a crowd 

but felt surrounded by loneliness?

I think we've all been there 

 at least one time in our lives.

When I was a young girl, 

I had a 'crew' that I always hung out with.

My mother wasn't always supportive

so when we moved for High School,

I lost touch with my friends.

I always thought they had forgotten me,

that I wasn't important enough to remember,

that I wasn't important enough to write to 

(yes, letters were still the norm back then)

that I wasn't important enough to call. 

It wasn't the case, but I didn't know it then.

A young girl's mind can totally

warp the truth.

Who am I kidding? 

Anyone's mind, no matter the age

can warp the truth.

Adults battle being alone.

Adults battle being lonely.

Is there truly a difference?

I agree with this poster - but it took time.

I was thinking about the differences today- 

I have been growing away from

loneliness and finding 

that when I am alone - 

I am still okay.

I am also learning to turn loneliness around:

I am learning how to 

Invest in Others.

Last week I went to an event and 

I found myself withdrawing.

Standing off to the side observing, 

but not interacting.

I knew everyone there - 

and they knew me

but old habits die hard as they say.

Sitting back - quietly observing 

when in reality 

I was choosing 

to be lonely.

I was choosing

to be alone in the crowd.

My friend caught me in the act and called me out.

She and I together interacted with the group.

I learn each time how to do better

I learn about myself - I also learn about others.

It's okay to sit back and LISTEN and observe.

However, 

don't stay there forever.Get out of your comfort zone!!

We all have at least 1 thing in common.

Begin there!

I also learned from my friend something 

I've heard before: 'Be Interested'

With the holidays coming 

how are you investing in others?

Don't invest in others for your own gain

to feel important - to be SEEN.

When you invest in others 

you could gain strong friendships

you could gain confidence in crowds

you could gain a sense of purpose.

It can literally change your life!

It can also change theirs!

*DarleneBl* 

Open the Garage Door!

Open the Garage Door!!

I know, you're seeing a picture of a garage door, 

and I am telling you to open it!

I imagine you are pretty confused at the moment.

Let me explain!

Last weekend, I attended a women's conference. 

It was the first year for this particular one - 

the usual ladies had retired from a 20 year run 

and they passed the gauntlet 

to the next generation 

to move forward.

It was both a lonely and fulfilling time. 

One story really stood out to me and 

I've been working through it ever since.

One speaker told a story that puts the garage door analogy 

more fully into the light.

Her friend's husband had lost his mother - and although they'd cleared out the house fairly easily, 

he avoided the garage at all costs 

and made excuses not to tackle that project.

Let me pause a moment and see if you saw what I did.  

How many people have a neat, everything in it's place garage?  

When you open the door, do you just groan 

and want to close it and walk away 

until you really have to deal with it?  

That's kind of what was described about this situation.

So, his wife thought of a great idea.  

She told her husband that why don't they go over to the house, 

open the garage door 

and close it right back up 

- you know, baby steps.

He agreed and they did that.  

Well, when the garage door was opened, 

and the light shined in on the boxes inside - 

it really wasn't as big a deal 

as he'd made it to be in his head. 

The boxes of his mother's things 

and probably some of his own 

weren't quite so bad to deal with.

So, after that, they got everything cleaned out 

in less than a day and the project was finished.  

Since then, anytime they as a couple or family 

had to face anything 

they said 'Open the Garage' - 

let's get it over with and deal with it!

Since last weekend - 

I've realized that many times 

I've avoided something because in my head - 

I'd made it much bigger than it needed to be.  

When I instead approached it head on - 

shed some light into the situation - 

it really wasn't all that bad after all.

I saw this diagram meme 

and it pretty much explains 

how we should should solve problems:

I noticed that 'avoidance' 

is not in there! 

Imagine that!

So, the next time you have to face a difficult situation, 

decision or person - 

Open the Garage Door!

Shed light into the situation 

and you'll get it taken care of 

in no time at all!!

 Follow Me on Facebook:

Healthy Living Online Shop

Photography Prints