Happy long weekend everyone. I sincerely hope that all of you are sharing some peaceful, joy filled moments over this holiday in spite of the chaos going on in the world.
I woke up this morning, as always, with brain engaged and clicking ideas at me. The idea of words is weighing heavily on my mind today, how they direct our thoughts, our creativity, our hopes and fears, and how changing just a few words can possibly change many things.
I was thinking of illness and adversity. It is quite common to hear phrases like,
“She is fighting cancer. He is battling depression.”
”They struggle with financial woes.”
Words are the most powerful magic we possess. With words one can wound or heal, lift up or tear down, encourage or depress and change the course of any given moment. Suppose then, in the statements above, although they may be true as they are, the key words were changed. What if…
”She is on a quest to heal herself.”
“His mission is to overcome depression.”
”They are challenged by the cost of living.”
This may sound trite or overly simple, but it isn’t. When we choose words that move toward positive feelings, stir and encourage empowerment over struggle and defeat, it arms us with what we need most to be successful in any situation-hope.
There is a wonderful series of books and audio programs written about the law of attraction-drawing to us that which we desire. The first one I read was The Vortex by Esther and Jerry Hicks. While there is so much to glean from this series, the primary idea that stuck with me refers to our tendency, as humans, to focus on the negative things in our lives rather than what we envision that life to be.
Many of us do this without even realizing it. Often, we pray to God, “I always find bad partners. I never meet nice men/women. People don’t like me. I don’t want to be ugly.“
What if, instead, we banish he words “bad”, “can’t” and “never” from our thoughts, prayers, wishes and ideas. Then our hope might become, “God, send me the person who will share a life of joy and happiness with me. Let others see my true beauty. Help me to be the kind of friend I need in another person.” Keep the thought of perfection clearly in your mind and, difficult as it may be, send the memory of the ‘bad’ experiences into the abyss of the past. It also helps to be thankful for what you desire before it manifests.
“I am thankful that my interview will go perfectly. This job is mine if that is where I will be most productive, happy and prosperous.”
Instead of…
“I hope they don’t hate me. I can’t lose another job or my family will starve!”.
The thoughts that you hold in your mind and heart become your reality. In a universe where God, Providence-whatever power you believe in-wants your deepest desires to be manifested for you, what you focus on will come to you.
Consider those moments when you think to yourself, “I have to stop eating junk food even though it is easy and lets me be with my friends.” In the next moment a coworker suggests you go out to your favorite burger joint to celebrate her birthday.
Instead, what if the thought becomes, “My health is important to me so I am thankful there are so many choices for me to improve my diet.” Pop. Someone shares their new gluten free recipes with you. This has happened to me. Scouts honor.
Hey, I read the books, I’ve applied these principles to my life and it does work. Do I slip into my Pity Party clothes and sink into old negative mode at times? Of course I do, those times do not linger as long as they used to.
I wish society as a whole could embrace this idea. It isn’t about being ‘politically correct’ but about spreading positive energy into a world that is becoming fraught with more negativity each day.
You can read the books or try it without ever reading a word. I love the books because they made me feel less alone in the world, less like my own little freak show.
Look, in spite of the fact that much of what is in the book some of you might want to pass off as ‘hokey’, the message is a wonderful one. I’m sure in Christ’s time what he was trying to convey, what he did by way of miracles and magic, seemed very hokey to many people. But his message has survived because it was a good one.
Unconditional love, forgiveness, no judgment, non violence, acceptance, wisdom, kindness, peace in the world of chaos.
I see many religions with these basic themes, including Christianity, but see the ideals and fundamental foundation of their faith being crushed beneath the weight of righteousness, bigotry, anger, retribution and judgment. At the heart of it all lies fear. There is no greater enemy than fear. It serves no good purpose. I truly do not believe in ‘good’ or ‘evil’ as conditions we either succumb or aspire to. They exist within every one of us and must be balanced in order for peace to ever find its way into this dream we call life. Existence knows two emotions at its core…Love and Fear. One brings peace and comfort…the other seeks to destroy that which it does not understand or accept.
I plan to carry my hope into this holiday season, to seek those who live with their inner Light shining in spite of the Fear rising in humanity. After all, it only takes one candle to light the darkness..
Use your words with the power they were intended.
There is no fear in perfect love~The Bible
Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists. Herein lies the peace of God.~A Course in Miracles.
The weather forecast for San Isidro el General de Perez Zeledon….
Sunny. With a chance of hot. In the “Winter” of Costa Rica. Our cold months here are their most pleasant. Of course, in San Isidro most nights in the mountains are very cool to chilly. But the days are hot, so it was best to be prepared when visiting…the ticas know how to stay cool.
Find a nice spot (La Reyna), order some beers ( yes, that IS ice) and maybe some food….
Simole and delish. Then watch the world roll by from the balcony. Oh! And you musn’t forget the entertainment.
I hope you all have a wonderful holiday. We spent at least one Thanksgiving in the land of Pura Vida. No, it is not easy to find a turkey there. But, frankly, it was the last thing on our minds…
Visit Linda Hill’s page for more great #1Liner Weds posts.
Imagine a land of bio diversity, a relatively small country that has an enormous variety of wildlife due to its neotropical climate and varying habitats. This peaceful, ecologically responsible land is home to more than 500,000 species, respresenting nearly 4% of the total species estimated worldwide. It is one of the 20 countries with the highest biodiversity in the world. Of these species, a little more than 300,000 are insects.
The fact that, along with Panama Costa Rica formed a bridge between North and South America around three to five million years ago allowed the very different flora and fauna of the two continents to mix.
From the magic of washed up trees on a beach in Domincal, Nature’s gallery of artistic perfection-random and beautiful-to the most minute eco system warriors that might go unnoticed if not for my viewing life through the zoom lens of a Nikon camera-my constant companion when we lived there.
Flag Footed bug loves feeding on passion flower vinesLeaf cutter ants, one of 47 species of leaf-chewing ants and can carry 20 times their body weight.
We discovered hundreds of leaf cutter ants right next to the beach, which extends from the jungle that borders the volcanic mountains of Costa Rica. Just look at the bio diversity in that last sentence!
From the rich colors of dozens of birds we saw every day..
To my friends, the iguanas and lizards that graced our doorstep with their presence daily, waiting for a few bread crumbs and a chance to be immortalized on digital memory!
Every day was filled with such diversity, often without leaving my front porch. I loved hanging out with the fun, freaky, fantastic family of nature in the land of Pura Vida.
Nature is constant. So must we nurture it, accept its presence and necessity in our lives and embrace all that the world has to offer. We were blessed to have known even a brief adventure in this paradise.
It’s sad to think it has been nearly four years now since we made the move back from Costa Rica. Since that time we have planned and been unable to revisit our second home on two separate occasions, both due to natural disasters.
In the past few days I have been going through photo files and reminiscing about our very special experiences there. I loved the photography opportunities almost as much as the people and all the unique places we were able to visit.
As I explore more files I will share more of our time there since many of my new friends here didn’t know me back in 2012 when I first began this blog as a way to share our lives in the beautiful country of Pura Vida!
Once upon a time in Costa Rica, we visited a spice farm named Villa Vanilla Spice Farm. As it happens, this tour was one of the first we took on our original journey to Costa Rica, long before we made the move. Once we lived there I had the opportunity to revisit the farm with my best friend when she came to visit us.
The farm grows orchids, which include the vanilla plant, which is actually an orchid. They also grow various bromiliads, cacao trees, carambola (star fruit), peppercorn plants and ceylon cinnamon trees. Ceylon Cinnamon is known as true cinnamon and is the variety you need for real cinnamon health benefits for blood pressure and blood sugar control. The best part of the tour is learning how the owners and workers grow, harvest and prepare these natural plants for consumption. Tasting was fun too. Near the end of the tour, there is a treehouse with a magnificent view where the tour ends with chocoalate and cinnamon specialty coffees, vanilla cookies and a very special mandarin lime cheesecake. Heaven!
Take a walk with me and I’ll share a few photos with you.
Sally and me
Brand new cacao blooms and pods
These are growing but not ready yet
When ready the cacao is yellow outside and has a pure white yummy flesh
Vanilla beans
There were so many gorgeous bromiliads
See the water collected on every petal?
And at the end, with the heat finally taking hold, we climb to the patio of the “treehouse” for a cool breeze, tasty treats and a breathtaking view. If you make it to the Manuel Antonio/Quepos area, this tour is one of the traditional ones but well worth the time and sweating.
I could sit there all day……and you can when you live there. 😉💕
I must apologize for leaving you all hanging about our September travel event to Nebraska for our whirlwind weekend. My oldest got married while Number Two had a new baby arrive. I am going to hopefully wrap up our tale over the next week.
Everyone knows all great holiday and celebration events call for at least one ‘emergency run’ to the local grocery, conveninece or liquor store. There is a joke between my husband and myself, stemming from his bizarre sense of humor. Any time I am preparing for a holiday meal or party, he will offer to make a run to the store-any store that might be open- asking if I need him to go out for ‘Jujubes and tampons’. Okay, no, I don’t even like Jujubes and the other item has long been off my list. Simply put, it means any last minute necessities? Usually there is something. It is amazing what corner conveninece stores carry these days…
So, when the call came for last minute ice, additional libations and sodas as the guests were arriving, of course my man volunteered, my youngest going along to give a hand.
What follows are images of their near death experience as a football fanatic, in town for the Husker game, ran a red light and hit a car so hard he rolled his own truck, sliding to within merely a few feet where my loved ones sat in our rental. We wondered what was taking them so long but no text message came, so we assumed they were stuck in after game traffic. It was a Husker weekend. Tap and hold images to see the caption or just double tap for a larger view.
Rollover
He never even slowed down
So much garbage came flying out
Her car wasn’t so lucky
Yeah, that’s my guy directing traffic. People wanted to drive straight through the accident!
Georgia just passed the zero tolerance for cell phone use while driving law. It might seem inconvenient but it’s a good thing. Too much of this is going on. Just weeks earlier my oldest son witnessed a fatality when someone ran a stop sign. I don’t know that the driver was texting but he was someplace other than in his right mind. It was devastating for my son to see.
The guy in this truck was on his phone as he attempted to climb out of his passenger window and down to the ground. My son made him hand it over so he could get out safely. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured, but those vehicles are history. My guys were pretty shaken up.
You can see how close he came to my husband and son.Yeah, that’s my guy directing traffic. People wanted to drive straight through the accident!
Oh, and check out the license tag on our rental. We might have guessed there would be some devilish goings-on for the weekend. 😏
You all drive safely, save the texting for when you are out of your car, and try not to be a rabid football fan. Some of us fellow humans are trying to live a life too.
Be a role model, not a roll over.
Next installment…the main event! I promise. Oh, want a sneak peek? 🙊
Yes, I see them every day. I appreciate, admire and even photograph them. I just don’t get around to organizing them properly for a worthy blog representation for Norm Frampton’s #Thursday Doors weekly event. You should visit his place for lots of great ‘doorscursion’ posts.
We can always count on Dan for a great selection of doors with a history lesson as well. If you’re a Pittsburgh fan, head on over to his place!
Meanwhile, in my little world…
For yummy tummy delight.
We found a new ‘old’ little sushi place near home.
And since we left Texas, there seems to be no finding great, authentic barbecue. There’s just no competing with true smoked brisket like they serve at County Line. But, we finally found a place that comes close AND they know how to make hush puppies! 👏🏻
Just go in these doors to Williamson Bros.
Yeah, that IS fried okra. 😋
There are more churches than restaurants in Georgia, I swear. Many are so beautiful! I need to do an entire post for themTaken in Little Five Points. Sorry about the photobombers and in a moving vehicle. I want to go back!Loved this architectureVisited a new antique store.Where you can find little treasures like this. Furniture a bit pricey.
And saving the best for last!
Our friends at Tiny Doors Atlanta have a brand new door at an iconic venue in Atlanta. I tell you, this gal is on fire with her projects. The crew at Tiny Doors does an amazing job and we love them. I can’t wait to stop by and see it in person. Ironically, we actually drove by the Fox just a week ago! Congrats TD!
Happy Thursday folks! Wishing you a smooth slide into home plate and the #Free48! Hugs!
"I have enough time to rest, but I don't have a minute to waste". Come and catch me with your wise words and we will have some fun with our words of wisdom.
Dreaming Reality 
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