The First Step

I have chosen three goals to start off with. They are pretty simple so I am excited to start and see how long it takes me and what I learn. The first one was "Blog about this experience", so I am already doing that.

The next one is to create a calm, peaceful, plant filled environment in my cottage in San Diego. I work in San Diego during the week and come home on weekends. I have rented a guest house from a couple. Their house is an historic one, built in 1901. The "cottage" that I live in was the groundskeepers house. One bedroom, teeny kitchen, living room, bathroom and my favorite room, a sunroom. There is no insulation in this place, just plywood, but because of San Diego's near perfect weather, there have only been a few days where it was either too hot or too cold for comfort. I have only put the necessary furniture in the place. I haven't attempted to really settle in, since it is not really my home but a place to stay during the week. I realize now that part of the reason I am feeling so unsettled there is because of that reason. I have not claimed it as my home, even if it is just part time and rented. Soooo.....

When I return there on Monday, I will create the atmosphere that I want. I love plants and have many in my home. I am going to get many at the cottage as well. I love fall colors and will either paint (one of my other goals) or purchase paintings to reflect those colors. I will surround myself in candles and anything else I can think of to make this a truly peaceful place that I look forward to going to. I have never lived in a place "just for me", so the more I think about this, the more excited I become. I am grateful for my family and love love love them all, so this is not that I am distancing myself from them. Since my career path has taken me to a place that is away from my family for the time being, I might as well take advantage of the opportunity to create a space that is comfortable and calm and reflects me. Ideas of what to put in my cottage to further this feeling are welcome. I will have to do some studying a bit.

My other goal to begin is to meditate twice a day. I have attempted to do this in the past, and sometimes I am successful, most times I am not. Today I start my meditation twice a day. My intent is to make this a life long habit, I feel so "well" after doing this. May my spirit feel the benefit.

Lesson of the day

I am still working on my list of goals, but wanted to share some things that I have recently learned. There was nothing specific that happened that made me come to this realization, just a part of my learning experience that furthers my spiritual growth.

My husband is a huge football fan; to the point of obsession. I feel that I literally lose my husband for 6 months of every year. Case in point: Today is a Saturday, my husband went to Orange County, to a sports bar to watch a football game with a friend. The game was at 1 pm. He left at 11:30 am, got home about 5 pm and worked on a trailer that we will be taking to a football game in Tucson next week. I grilled burgers and we sat down to watch a movie, but then his friend came over to watch another game that started at 7:30 pm. So we turned the movie off and I went into my room.

The game I mentioned in Tucson next week is a big deal to him. Actually EVERY game is a big deal to him. I agreed to go with him only if he would meditate with me. I think it would do him good and maybe teach him to get quiet and be a little more peaceful. Of course, he has yet to actually meditate with me, so they dilemma is...do I refuse to go to the game, or blow it off, after all a deal is a deal.

I realized today that he won't meditate with me, nor will I ask him to again. If he brings it up, then I will be happy to sit in my lotus position and say "Ohm", but I know it won't happen. If he is forced to do it, it will not have any meaning to him, and it is not fair for me to put a condition on what he enjoys so much. Either I need to be on board or not, but that is about me, not coercing something out of him. So this time I will go and have fun and see family and try not to hate the long drive too much.

My lesson of the day: Putting conditions on things, which we all do, does not benefit anyone, so I will try not to do that again. If I agree to do something or go somewhere, it must be because I am willing to do it without anything in return.

Setting Goals

I started my list of goals and as it turns out it is not that easy. Especially the material, intellectual and professional ones. I don't want to say I dont have any goals for these areas, I am just really having to think about it. Some goals that I am setting fall into more than one category, so I am adding it to all. Since it is my own thing I guess I can make up the rules as I go, right?

I will try to post the goals if possible. Some are pretty generic, like "Show love to someone everyday". Is that a goal? I think so, because I am not sure I do that now, so it must be. For the record...I am not going to force myself to take on all goals and complete them all at once. I will pick one or a few and see where they take me and what I have learned from it. Now back to my list...................

I have spent my entire adult life as a wife, mom and employee or business owner. Somewhere along the way I have forgotten how to care and nourish myself. I don't even know what I like to do anymore, with the exception of a few things. My world has been filled with doing for others, or doing what others like to do, to please them. This is not a complaint or a regret. My motto in life is, "It is what it is", and this runs true for what my life has held for me until now. My children are adults, I have done with my career what would be considered successful and my marriage is pretty solid. So this is about rediscovery and new direction for the next chapters of my life.

I read in a book once that you should set goals in 8 categories. I will summarize the concept, so as not to take any one's work. The goals are as follows, in no particular order: Spiritual, Physical, Material, Fun, Professional, Emotional, Financial amd Intellectual. Once you have created your list, you should surround yourself with people that have accomplished what your goal is, you should research, come up with a game plan, acknowledge and accept that there is a power greater than yourself that can help you accomplish your goals, and then execute plan. My version sounds a bit rigid, but that is it in a nutshell. My first goal...which would fall under "fun", is to blog about my experiences as I set my goals and obtain them. This method would not be for everyone, but it seems like a good place for me to start. It is my intention to have fun and laugh along the way as I learn just who resides in my body and soul. I wonder where I'll end up.