Swimming Past Garbage Thoughts

Why is it, do you think, that being around or in running water, clarity of thought is easier to have? You know the feeling, being in the shower going about your business, the thought pops in your head, that is the answer you seek. Something about the flow of liquid life brings activation of our receptive brain nodes.

This morning I researched answers to a question I did not satisfactorily find before I had to eat breakfast. I decided about where I could take action from but didn't feel hearty enthusiasm for.

But in getting last night's plates and cups ready for the dishwasher, I realized an alternate path from my earlier quest. Yes, the water ran cold, but the thought inside spread out warmly. It was simple, subtle, and an easy fit. If I was too busy wallowing in garbage thoughts while I scrubbed, I would have missed it entirely.

I almost dried off my hands and sought a paper and pen to jot everything I connected with down. But I didn't. I kept at the dish chore, but in my head, I kept with the thought. In that way, I'd like to think I was giving it fertilizer and helping it to curl out many roots. I didn't need paper to make it more real.

So now, the dishes are ready to be cleaned by the machine and my fingers are primed for more satisfying action.

Oh, and before I forget, Happy Halloween to you. 

Bruce Lee, no - Confucius, yes!

Woot-woot and yes! The sun is out today and I feel enlivened. Like the world is my oyster and I can conquer the great wall of China -errrr. Well, that type of energy is flowing through me right now. Invincibility. This is the closest word. A good word that gets a bad rap sometimes.

If I were facing a firing squad of Nerf guns, I can withstand the foam barrage. I couldn't face down Bruce Lee or even David Lee in a battle of physical skill. But I can match my energy of wits and contemplation with Confucius himself. This is me this fine morning.

You may have a passing question tickle your eyebrows. "What juice did SHE drink this morning?"

None, thank you very much. I didn't even have coffee until just now, well after breakfast.

I am on the realization end with no doubt that I am the maker of my own reality. I asked for many sunny days in a row at the beginning of this week. After four days of rain, the forecast now shows the next 7 + days as sunshine city. Another desire I had previously floated out to the Universe came true this morning, thank you very much. I'd like a repeat experience with more substance, please.

So today's blog is acknowledging I get what I ask for, whether I meant to or not. This time, I meant to. Hmmmm, what more good feeling things can I climb into this morning?

My best to you, always.

Bubble No-Toil Trouble

Mucky weather around me and my tummy decided to turn sour this morning. Both are distracting enough that I feel like there is nothing to take the bounce towards except wellbeing.

Knowing that nobody will read this post today doesn't make me want to dig deep for words that shine. I know, a coward way out. 

But, I didn't want to leave a gap in time here on takethebounce.me. Not that it matters much except to my own brain. 

I just know when I can leverage helpful words and when it is just me trying to plug all the holes in a leaking dam with my fingers. 

I'll see you all tomorrow. I intend to be better. Hugs.

Head Turning Shiny

Today feels like I am chasing a firecracker in trying to figure out what to write. Normally I listen to my favorite vibration raising song with my eyes closed before I start. By then, I feel something flowing inside and I am off to the races. But this morning feels different. Not trying to judge. Just noticing.

Maybe if I keep going on this tangent, I'll attract what needs to be said today.

The fire inside me feels spent. There is no magical light pulsing in the room's corner, giving me the rhythm.

Or maybe it is some resistance I am feeling this morning. Or, crap, I know what it is. Doh!

Earlier, an idea floated inside my head that really turned it. More like revisiting an old desire in the now moment. I interpreted it as the time was finally right to take action on the idea. Now instead of writing today's post.

Side by side, the two actions feel very different. The excitement of putting together something tangible from an idea versus writing a moving forward with my life post that someone would want to spend time with today. I can see where the shiny new idea is so much like that firecracker. It is interesting beyond attention getting. The possibilities of where it will go entices the mind.

Now I know why projects get abandoned mid progress. Or to say a nicer way, stopped in their progression because they've done the job they were meant to. Not to worry, dear reader, I am back tomorrow as promised. Hugs.

The Pointy Stick is Friendly

Ever take a step forward towards something without being 100% sure that you even wanted it? Like an invisible gnome has a pointy stick behind your knees, prodding you forward. Well, maybe not that dramatic, but close enough to make you take that step.

I am, and maybe you too, are more comfortable with a map in one hand, a printed set of directions in the other hand, and our shoulders bearing the weight of a well-filled bag. We have to be prepared for what's ahead and every contingency we might encounter.

But what would happen if on our first day out we lost the map, our instruction guide burned up in a rogue sunbeam, and our bag had a slow leak? Would we paralyze and make excuses? Where is that gnome, anyway? He started this all.

No, you look within. You realize you're only out on the leading edge because you chose it.

Mom and dad, your friends, coworkers, teachers are where you left them. The only way forward is under your own propulsion. There is no guarantee that you will avoid the lava pits, marshy pools, and bee colonies ahead of you.

Maybe I've played too much Minecraft that it's bled through into my metaphoric writing. But it helps me make my point. You can rely on you. All the other stuff are just things to help you realize it.

Love,

the invisible gnome

A Hubbin Relationship

Do you ever just gaze at your mate and say in your head, "What would I do without you?" I do and I say out loud at the right time, "Who's the best wife for you?" It's not egotistical to have these thoughts. It is acknowledging that the love of your life is the perfect match to who are before, now and beyond.

Without my husband, who knows if I would even be here now writing to you. My health scare was his first to experience. He had to see me barely attached to my body, mentally. He had the worry if I was going to recover. He took on the burden of my care and of our daughter's wellbeing. And he still has the bad dreams that it might happen again.

In our thirteen years of marriage, we both have seen big difficulties - cancer, unemployment, cross-country moving, and family drama. And thank goodness for all the roller coasters. How would our relationship ever strengthen without them? I think most people would look at bad things happening in their relationships as proof of incompatibility. I think they offer value in opportunities to grow and expand.

Here is proof from my marriage. Several years ago my husband had his cancerous thyroid removed. The doctor gave him a heinous amount of radiation to kill all the free radical cancer cells. It also meant that we were quarantined from each other for three weeks. We couldn't risk exposing our young daughter. Even though we could talk on the phone, not being in the same space as my spouse transformed into torture.

When almost our time apart was spent, late one night my husband came home for an undercover visit. Those ninety minutes felt like days. We talked about topics beyond our daily life concerns, as if we plugged directly into the Universe itself. We raised the floor of our reality with a new platform to expand our relationship from. And it has no end in sight. 

A Day Away

Sending virtual hugs to you today. Gotta focus my energy on the old house today. A potential buyer is viewing it tomorrow early am. 

Fingers and toes crossed!

Handing Out a Gift

Mentors and guides. Raise your hand if you realize how these wondrous beings bless your life. If you are of a spiritual sort, you can take the meaning of a guide as a non-physical being who assists in the unfolding of your life. If you are a practical sort, a mentor may mean someone who shows you the ropes, pitfalls, and skill-sets on achieving desires.

You'd be right both ways. Do we ever spend any time floating some gratitude their way? A mentor, guide, helpful being only shows up because you called for one. Well, maybe not literally like on the phone or via email. I mean, vibrationally. As much as we like to do things on our own so we can point it out to others and say, "I did that. Isn't it awesome?" We never do things on our own.

This is no soapbox today from me. I just want to help shift a perspective - helping myself first as an example.

What if you are stuck in moving forward on something that matters to you? You think you are on the right path and there is no obvious evidence to you that you are not. But yet, you never arrive at your destination. How many of us would point to our lack of results and attribute it to a bogus reason?

I've done that before. How about you?

Here is where the guide/mentor helps to pull you out of the bushes parallel to your path. They don't have the same desire/want as you. Their life experiences have taught them different things than yours. But there is something within them that holds the nugget of data that shifts your world. They wouldn't be in front of you if there wasn't.

Which Side of the Fence Are You

This week I have been witness to interpersonal dynamics on several levels. Husband to wife. Delivery driver to buyer. Helpful stranger to someone in need. Well, much more than a witness, I was part of. I can be both. What they all had in common was the desire to please the other. Egos and agendas were somewhere else.

It makes me wonder if I am only seeing these occurrences because of my mindset or what I am attracting? Probably it is both.

Is the way the world is supposed to be - helpful, cooperative, giving, and loving? Yes, I want to shout out my window. These are sources of good feelings and progression. Where are we headed using the current climate of negativity we see all around us?

What is the old phrase, 'to hell in a hand-basket'?

No, let's not go there. I prefer being on my side of the fence of love and light. Off my boombox now.

Hey you, dear reader. Thank you. May you be on the receiving end of goodness and love.

Deep End Crazy

Do you know that things always work out? We get so far ahead of ourselves in wanting to know the details of things. Why did that happen? When is it going to come? What will happen if it doesn't? How will I cope when things go wrong?

What crazy thought patterns we've trained ourselves into. I have two words for that. STOP IT.

We get in our own way. We throw obstacles on our path ahead of us and think others are doing it to us. No. It is us.

How will your life change if you started practicing the exact opposite thoughts and behavior? What if you teach yourself what opportunity looks like instead of a barrier?

Yeah, Michele, easier said than done, you think. It can be done and there is one guiding star always there to keep you pointed in the direction you want. How you want to feel.

That's it. Feel good, you see and experience reality differently than when you feel doubtful. The beauty of this dynamic is that you can't truly know the difference between the two until you have lived those feelings. The trick is to spend more time in the end of the pool that feels the best to you. And quickly swim away from the deep end when you think you're sinking.

It's not easy. It takes practice. And it is the same thing you went through in learning anything that mattered to you.

A Voyeur of Pleasure

Is it just me or does everyone get a kick out of being witness to another person's joy? If it is just me, then let me explain why I want to talk about it. Seeing my mother-in-law's face light up when she projects herself into a future circumstance that will make her happy, makes me happy now. Hearing my husband's laughter as he chats with his friends after a downer of a week, lightens my heart.

It's not like I am siphoning off their joy for my purpose. It is seeing through the eyes of love. My witness enhances their moment.

I have even experienced this with people I am not acquainted with. This past spring, when we were all in lockdown mode because of the pandemic, I watched a virtual reunion of the cast of one of my favorite movie trilogies. Hosted by Josh Gad on his YouTube channel, the Lord of the Rings cast came together in celebration of their friendship and the parts they played. They included the director and even the soundtrack composer.

Even remembering this now, my heart feels freer and my eyes want to well up. Every single participant had ecstatic, infectious grins on their lovely faces. So happy to be reunited, the distances between their physical locations melted into nothing. Their joy palpable and spread out to envelope all who witnessed. Time created a bubble around the gathering. No one wanted to leave, as if the act itself would wrench open an irreparable hole.

I think we need more of this voyeur of joy experiences. They are tangible proof that we are not alone. They remind us how much better life is when we co-create together.

Satisfying in Commonality

Brethren. What a juicy word with old world connotations. This is the word that popped into my noggin as I put my fingers on the keyboard. Not sure where it's going to go, but I am up for it. Since I will not interrupt this intriguing flow to look up the definition, I am going to say brethren means people you share a commonality with.

You think you have to be in the same club, same family, or share a similar travail with other folks to claim they are your brethren. Not true. You, because you are here reading these words, are my brethren. I seek feeling better and you seek..... This is our commonality. Seeking. Get it?

Today, my brethren are my husband, Realtor, and yet-to-be-known home buyers. We are coming together at one o'clock to put plans into play for satisfaction. At least that is how I am looking at it. Hubbin and I get to move forward with doing what it takes to re-home our home to another. Our Realtor gets to expertly perform her job. Satisfaction makes our bond, for as long as it is natural to last.

Just like you and me. Thank you.

Crashing Cymbals and Tilt-a-Whirl Message

Why do we always expect crashing cymbals and drum rolls to accompany a big idea arriving in our head? How come our parents didn't teach the skill-set of noticing interesting ideas when they float in? Not every thought has to be acted upon in that red-hot moment.

It's even harder when the idea feels exciting and inviting. Give yourself time to roll around inside that silky smooth thought. It is the gift that keeps on giving.

Why? You always need time to adjust to the new thought/idea because it was born from your desire. Aware of it or not, nothing ever shows up uninvited.

Okay, feels like I segued into somewhere different. But I link the topics together in this way. Thoughts that show up most often are ignored, pushed away, or dismissed. They will return in a new manner with more impact.

The desire is still there. You are calling it but don't know it. A big off-balance is spawning. The tilt-a-whirl slowly ratches up to the turbocharged setting. The Universe will always get its message through. How hard you roll with it when it hits is up to you.

That's why this blog exists now, late in 2020, because I got knocked on my rear. This time it only took ten days for me to get back up on solid legs. How long will it take you?

Zig Zag Squirrel

So today I am looking instead of doing. Seeing how I am still efforting in getting all my stuff out of my old house, I figure today is a good day to look. Not that I couldn't heave-ho more boxes, I'd rather rest and see.

That might sound a little confusing, so let me clarify. In our busy lives, we tend not to take in truly the essence of where we are. Our brains have already cataloged our surroundings, labeled them, and assigned them appropriate slots in our awareness. It is an efficient system and probably life-assisting.

But in terms of our human existence, how does being on auto-pilot with what we see give us value?

The Universe always cooperates with us. Just as I typed the word value, a squirrel round the oak tree ten feet in front of my window. That little thing is casually eating the tasty bits out of every acorn. Search, stop, eat, drop. Back and forth. Zig and zag. Retrace steps.

The squirrel doesn't care that it has an audience. And now, off it goes, out of view.

What value did I get from being a squirrel voyeur? It made me feel good. Even though I am inside and the squirrel is outside, we shared the same space. Each doing our own thing.

The Love Flow

Do you remember what it felt like the first time you realized feeling unconditional love from another? The insides of your belly gently roiled and churned. That frisson of energy flowed against the current up your spine. It was almost too much to absorb inside yourself.

This morning, as I sit down to write, I feel enveloped. My throat compacts and my eyes leak. Someone is loving on me. I am the only one in the room.

Or am I?

So many eyes of energy keep me in a tender gaze. It's as if I am being showered in caresses of tenderness. I want to stop tapping the keyboard for a moment.

I'm back with foggy glasses. Drat that there are no tissues on my desk.

I am loved. I received. All is well. Be at peace. Flowing love your way.

Ornery Went the Other Way

 Isn't it nice to have someone get who you are? Well, mostly they don't. But when someone finds a single commonality with another, you think they are your soul twin. I find it interesting that so much time is spent looking for validation from others on our worthiness. Why does it matter what other people think about Who We Are?

People we interact with are mirrors for ourselves. When we are grumpy and have to go food shopping at Wally World, guess who we bump our carts into? Other grumpy people. What about when you have to talk to your boss after having a magnificent tasty lunch? It doesn't matter the topic, your conversation will begin in a positive momentum because of your happy tummy.

Before my not so nice health downward spiral, I stayed on the Always Going Right for Me side of life. I felt good. Maybe I became complacent and turned on the auto-pilot. Then, pop a lot of stress on top of my noggin and what happens? BAM!

And here we are. I am blogging my way back to me. Or am I still me, but on my way to an enhanced version? Hmmmmmmm.

All I know is that for today, I am NOT bumping into any of the following: cranky, worried, fearful, ornery, salacious, or misaligned.

Now where did I put that mirror I had packed?

A Giggle Boost

There is a complete 180 going on inside my body right now, compared to yesterday morning. My head doesn't hurt, my body hums with energy and I have leftover laugh tears in the corners of my eyes. I like this morning. All that is different about it is what I experienced between then and now.

Psychologists would call it negative and positive stimuli. I call it opposite ends of an emotional vibration stick. Feeling Bad -- Feeling Good.

Remember me mentioning that YouTube show I watch every weekday morning after breakfast? Well, today they had on a guest who took on the role of the audience's personal assistant to the the Universal highway of Tee-Hee.

This guest, unabashedly herself, reached out and dared us not to laugh with her. Well, not really, but it seemed that way. She helped me and the audience hang around on the feeling good end of the stick. She was magnetizing. Just by being Who She Was.

What a gift. And a boost! But the thing is, how could I have truly appreciated this experience unless I had yesterday's downer to pit it against? How can a preference be born within me unless I went through something I didn't want? That is the secret to being here on this plant of good, bad, and everything in between.

I choose to keep feeling good today. I choose to keep watch for other things that will fuel my intention. Can't wait to see what else shows up.

Thank you CB, KG, and AS. Big kiss!!

In Search of Feel Good Place

There is too much stuff buzzing around inside my head this morning. I should have never looked at the news or Twitter before I had breakfast. My brain feels a bit fatigued, and it's not even mid morning yet. Which leads me to ask, why do we do something that we know won't lead us to a feel good place?

What a question to ask any horror fan, of which I never have been. What we consume mentally feeds our emotions for a period. The repetitiveness of doing so has bigger, long-term consequences. Guess that most of us have no clue about that. If so, there would be more feel good movies than scary ones.

I can't speak for anyone else but myself. I know I want to feel good most of the time. I even know which kinds of things I can take part in that will help me get there. One of them I am experiencing right now. As I type, my black bobcat Paru is stretched out across the top of my desk looking cute. Just staring at him, seeing his nose twitch and front paws curled inward helps me feel some relief.

If I am smart, I will turn my head right and look at the random falling leaves off the oak tree near my window for longer than five seconds. Then go have a mid-morning snack.

Sailing Out on an Idea

An idea is calling. Do I even hear it? No voice in my ear, but a whisper of an interesting thought tickles my mind. Do I trust what I think I am sensing?

Well, of course! Why would it show up if I had not asked for it in some way, shape, or form? Can't point my finger at someone else and say they are the source. I am the Source. Just as I am the receiver.

This idea is not a giant wave crashing over slick rocks at my feet. It is the breezy finers of a palm front against a setting sun. Do I let myself look over and see it? Or do I say, "Not now, I have to do XYZ because I said I would."

My attention to it in this moment is the most powerful. It is when I am the least resistant. It doesn't mean that if I ignore it now, my ship has sailed away from shore forever. It will come back if I care about where the idea wants to lead me.

There is always another ship. It always comes. It never gets angry or judgmental if I am too scared, doubtful, or ignorantly blind.

Today I board a magnificent sailing vessel with three masts and crewed by master sailors. My course has long since been laid. Today is my launch day. This blog is officially on the open waters of the Internet. This vessel, my mind and thoughts are ready to go to new ports of call. Distant lands not yet seen by my eyes are beckoning.

Ahoy.

Is It Really About What You Think?

Temperature change and hunger - do they go together accidentally or on purpose? Yesterday, blazing heat by 3pm. This morning, fall kicked away summer by dropping a good deal of our tree's leaves on our land. Almost like the hand of the Universe turning a switch. Already two hours after breakfast, I am ready for a second one.

My nose knew it was going to happen last night. Thinking about it now, it explains why more normal lungs caused such a ruckus as I tried to fall asleep. For a brief second, a fearful thought bubbled up that I have the beginnings of this year's global disease. Silly notion, since I haven't really been anywhere other than our old house/new house.

I can see how easy it is to fall into the trap of fear based thinking. It doesn't take much practice focusing on any subject, and off you go down the rails with it. Whether you meant to or not. Momentum is a neutral-minded friend. Too many times we believe that momentum causes bad things. As I have learned, it is just the delivery service.

Kind of like the weather.

Body Powered by OOMPH

 Resonance. Do you know what that is? It means you are connected on a vibrational level to something. It can be what you are observing, doing, reading, or receiving.

Yes, active verbs, not being passive like sitting on a sofa watching Netflix for eight hours. It is when you just might realize you are not alone in the Universe. Perhaps you share an idea with someone and they say, "Yes, that is true!" Or it can be as simple as you wanting to move forward in getting something accomplished and everything cooperates. Your body, other people, the weather, and circumstances.

Yesterday, I could have been Hercules reincarnated. I wanted with great OOMPH to get our stuff moved from old house to new house. The more things I got loaded into the bed of the truck, the better I felt.

And my body cooperated. It pushed a 1960s metal chair on casters up the stairs from the basement. No big deal there for my muscles. I hauled boxes and bins up past my waist to the back of the truck as if I still had young, tough muscles.

Resonance. My body had to be a cooperative aspect of my intent to move, no matter how heavy anything was. And I did not suffer through it all. I appreciated. I thanked my hips, thighs, and fingers for their support with my desire.

This morning as I write this, the only evidence I can feel in my body of any hardship I might have inflicted is that my right hip is a bit sore. Other than that, I am ready to do it all again. Now, before it gets hot.

Focusing Forward and Not Behind

 There is a brand new empty space for me and my family as of yesterday. Sounds silly of me saying it that way. What it really is is a shed. A place to keep safe all of our tools and implements we use to care for the outside. After moving onto our own land, getting a shed to hold our outside stuff was super important.

My husband and I plan to be deliberate and purposeful in filling this shed. Only things that we need will find a home inside of it. Anything else will have to be re-homed or discarded.

This shed is kind of symbolic of my physical recovery. From the outside, I look complete. That all my parts are where they are supposed to be and in good working order. But on the inside, it is another matter. More so in my heart and mind than anything else. I want to reconnect with the spark that is uniquely me.

Unpacking and putting things away gives me something to focus on, but that isn't enough. I want to reclaim all the tools, processes and components of my creativity. I have an inner shed that seems empty, waiting on me to fill it.

Each day I look and feel. I rest and ask the Universe to help. I do my best to focus towards what I want and not blame how I arrived in this circumstance. I am lucky to remember that this is something I've practiced before. Because I might have a rougher road instead of a smooth one.

Time to go move the lawn mower and the tiki torches into their new home.

Permission to Ignore Failure and Success

 Permission and readiness. Who says these things go hand in hand? Aren't those words the rationalizations of a procrastinator? Or maybe someone who has to see something will work first before they feel confident about it. 

We humans are silly creatures. I watched my cat this morning try to conquer the noisy washing machine. The only thing that got in his way was the slick surface of it for his paws to make any headway. At least he tried. Which is more than I can say for a lot of us.

Why do we have the belief that anything worthwhile going after has to end in our success or victory? Why can't the experience of seeing what works be enough? How many times have I talked myself out of doing something before I ever lifted a finger?

Like I said, we are silly creatures.

So how do we give ourselves permission to learn or do or experience anything outside of our wheelhouse? Just follow that impulse. Steal inspiration from someone else's failure or success. Copy steps and processes as if trying on someone else's clothes.

Even bigger to note, no one is watching you do it while holding a clipboard. No score is being assigned. No metal awaits for you to claim it.

The picture with today's post is one I created because I wanted to play with color and a tree. I left my art critic hat somewhere else and dabbled. Then I moved on to the next interesting thing, glad for the experience I just had.

Showing Up for Experience

Paths that lead home. Can I even see them all? Would I even recognize them if I saw them? Probably not. I am blind to so many things that don't fit my worldview.

This week I tune in at 9am CST on YouTube. Not to watch some random video to pass my post-breakfast time. No, I deliberately get ready to put myself into conversations that are different, day to day, and that vary from person to person.

I set aside, less than an hour a day, my recovery plan to make space in my heart for new experiences. I get to see through other people's eyes and live a bit of their story from their worldview. Every conversation looks to me as simple as each day's guests reveals Who They Are to an audience they might not have met otherwise.

The hosts of this YouTube show only broadcast on weekday mornings. This week I have counted on their presence more than I thought I needed. They've seen me because I have taken part in their show by commenting on the conversation. I am a bit surprised at this development in how it makes me feel.

So, this morning, I decided I can do what they do - make the commitment to showing up. Every day. Here on this new blog.

Not everything I have to say will connect with your worldview or interests. I don't expect it to be. But perhaps there is enough here that will serve you on your own path. I know it will for me.