Rise and Shine Girl Blog

Well hello!  I have no idea how long it has been as I type in Word and then transfer over to my blog.  I guess I will find out upon transferring.  What I do know is that my life has taken a dramatic shift on many levels!

As I type this I am sitting in Atlanta, Georgia, not on a business trip or vacation, but typing from a place that I now call home. This has been home for the last 10 days and I hope it will be for many more.  For those who know me well, I never like to jinx anything so when asked about how something is going, I say, “the weather is good” with a twinkle in my eye.  So if you ask how it is going here please refer to the previous sentence.

It is interesting how life unfolds with experiences that come one’s way building upon each other to prepare for the next ones.  There are an abundance of dots I can connect that have led to this very moment as I sit here typing while looking out from my perch into my beautiful new neighborhood.

Ah, my new neighborhood.  How do I put what I feel and see into words?  Kaleidoscope!  From the people, architecture, trees (and I LOVE trees), roads, food, beliefs, birds (love not so much), chipmunks and the beautiful people I have met so far, it makes one beautiful, unpredictable view piece!  My heart and mind have found a home.  Now, this does not diminish my love for Texas one bit.  The lone star state and all of the wonderful peeps who have become dear friends and family are irreplaceable.  For me at this stage in my life the urban vibe feeds and motivates my soul.  Yes motivates!   

In 2000 Buddha and I packed up our belongings from Chicago along with our 105 lbs. labrador, Ely, and headed to Texas. It will be 14 years ago come July 24^th.  I was a mere 27 years old, newly married, desperately trying to get pregnant or maintain a pregnancy, with the world in front of me moving to an area where I didn’t know a soul.  In those 14 years we had two children, 3 dogs, 1 guinea pig, 3 fish, one bearded dragon and all the pet lizards that lived outside of our house and sometimes in!  During those 14 years I have lost dear loved ones, sat and slept at hospital bedsides, opened up and allowed my friends to become my family, learned that I can’t be the Rock of Gibraltar all of the time, I worked hard at a marriage that sometimes drove me crazy, learned that Texas has a uniqueness that is difficult to put into words and most importantly at the end of the day it is the people in your life who truly make a difference.  With all of that said, my dear and deep Texas friendships will stay and continue to be cultivated until the day I die as they are one of my prized possessions.  Okay I’m not trying to be controlling and realize people aren’t possessions, but think of something that is uber important to you…got it now?  This is how I feel about my friends!

I kind of forgot where my mind was going with all of this…Motivates, yes!  In recent years I think I became so comfortable with my life, the surroundings, routine, the people and my extra 10 pounds (thank you 40s) that it is was easy to go with the status quo.  Wake up, new day, same routine, but maybe a few new wrinkles!  All of the newness here in Atlanta to my eyes and other senses is a huge motivator for change on every level.

Interestingly, just about a year ago to the day I had one of my life’s big game changers, the depression monster! No need to go into all those details as I think there is a previous blog about it.  The winding road of life is so amazing.  Last summer we took a trip to Norway and Sweden to see our exchange son and daughter.  This trip took place in the midst of my darkness.  One of the things I took away from that trip was that the way we are living, we meaning my family, but also the American way, became so far away from what I wanted for my life, my husband and my kiddos that something needed to change.  I don’t know that I was thinking this on the front of my mind, but it was brewing.

Everywhere we stayed during the trip had all that we needed, was beautiful, and had a purpose.  I started to take stock of the abundance of things, square footage, and duplicates in my life and family’s life.  What we lacked was an abundance of time to spend the time on what really is important to us.  When we arrived back home my depression plummeted further as I missed the Scandinavian way.  I remember thinking if I could rework the house choice we made, extra clutter, the multitude of duplicates, and shift how my time is spent along with my family time I would be healthier and in a better place.

Here I am now sitting in that place I imagined would be better for us, my family.  For some, change is exciting, for others it is a four-letter word, sometimes it is necessary and it isn’t always easy.  What I can say about change is that it is an all senses aboard road trip.  I realize a life move is not something that happens every day, thank God as I look over a stack of boxes that need to be unpacked, but change is change.  From driving a different route, to changing a standard response, trying a new food, making a new friend, switching the side of the bed you sleep on, to not shaving your legs for a week (some change shouldn’t be tried) and trying a new activity.  Change can be simple and change is good, even if it doesn’t feel like it at the time.  We are meant to evolve, grow and yes age.  Aging is a topic for another time, but I must say I have landed in the neighborhood of deflated boobs and feel right at home. Looks like this area is a plastic free zone!

As you start your day think about a change you can make, big or small.  Don’t stop there…go do it!

RISE AND SHINE!