Category: Tools for Life

Moving On Can Feel Unsettling

Moving on can feel unsettling. I was feeling I’m going to miss this view of the lake… Ahhhh. Emotion, holding onto the past.

A lot of my life was spent on lakes and lakeshores. Time with family, time when I felt connected, also a lot of unhealthy connections. In contrast, the mountains of North Carolina will give me the stability I need and desire to grow and prosper. I can let go of the emotional tie to water, to home, to my father. Especially to father because he grew up near here from birth to the age of ten, exploring the swamp and palmetto stands, barefoot with his protector, a dog named Dolly.

After the family grove froze, they found higher ground on the shore of Lake Crystal where he lived 50 years. It is also where I grew up, exploring the yard, grove and swamp on the edge of that lake. There are memories of him in North Carolina too. Mountains of Saguache County And certainly with mountains. The mountains of Saquache County, Colorado. Those memories are about broadening horizons, fire in creating tools, moving forward, hiking, and accomplishment.

Although moving on can feel unsettling, we can choose to find new, inspiring ways to bring the memories of the past into our present. Kayaking on the New RiverExploring the New River on a sit-on-top kayak is one way I’ll enjoy the water in a healthy, moving forward fashion. Exploring this oldest river brings me a tangible connection between my own past and the new life I now enjoy.

Finally, balance in my life, with the three elements of Fire, Water, and now Earth.

Mountains have always filled my heart with wonder – the view of Mt. Evans in Colorado and now the view of Mt. Jefferson in North Carolina.

Although moving on can feel unsettling, it is necessary for true growth.

May your life’s unsettling moments show you the life path you are meant to follow with infinite love, trust, and gratitude.

Truly, a new world dawning begins in your heart today.

Where IS that Newsletter?

Where is that newsletter? I know I signed up with my Gmail account!

Where is that Newsletter?

Gmail – Most Popular Choice

Gmail is often on the top of the list of free email recommendations. After all the Google Suite includes the ability to store contacts, chat, video-conference and share files. But is Gmail the best choice to receive newsletters?

My answer is an emphatic NO.

How many times do you look beyond the Inbox tab on your Gmail? It is a rare occurrence for me, unless I’m hunting for a ‘lost’ email, especially a newsletter. The photo above illustrates that my test emails from my newsletter app, MailerLite, end up in Promotions. That astounds me. Albeit, it’s a different email, but it’s from a name that is my name.

Also, you can see that I haven’t opened all those other emails that DO have a promotional ‘feel’. You know, companies letting you know about their latest deals, things you simply must buy. Indeed, sometimes I could have used the information. What is the solution for always finding my newsletters?

Another Free Email?

I really try to keep up with my inbox. But I have too many different email accounts. I’ve tried to reduce them and have made some progress. At this point I have five active emails compared to eight a year ago. Nevertheless, there is one additional email I value highly. It’s my newsletter email, Yahoo!

Why do I love Yahoo? There is ONE Inbox. Yahoo doesn’t decide where my incoming emails belong. Rather, they are all right there on the left column, waiting for me.

A Specific Email for Newsletters

Yahoo and one inboxI can’t take credit for my decision to create an email just for newsletters. Dan Blank suggested this in one of his social media marketing classes. And as usual, he was right.

Advantages for multiple emails:

  • Compartmentalize my time
  • Avoid wasting time on trivial emails
  • Focus my attention
  • Easily unsubscribe when needed

Other Email Suggestions

Perhaps you wonder why I have kept five different emails. In agreement, I’d like to rid myself of an older one, but it’s like old phone numbers. They are tied to important areas of my life that aren’t easy to extract. Still, I work toward organizing my electronic world thus:

  • Email associated with my website for business
  • Mail.com for my Mom’s needs
  • Gmail for personal (2 for now)
  • Yahoo strictly for newsletters

If only I had hard and fast rules for Gmail and Mail.com… someday.

Have a stressless day!
Dawn

Finding the Right Mother’s Day Card

Finding the Right Mother’s Day Card

Finding the right Mother’s Day card has given me a headache in past years, especially if I waited too long and the selection was getting sparse. This year is different.

A Chance Meeting

Earlier this week, I was in the Hallmark aisle at Publix, selecting a Mother’s Day card for Mom. As I approached the section, I noticed a 30-ish young woman who seemed mildly exasperated.

“Sometimes it’s hard to find the right one,” I said.

”Yeah. My mom is a Strong Mother. All these gushing messages don’t ring true for me.”

”Don’t I know it!”

”The Strong Mother cards are near the bottom,” she added.

We said goodbye behind our colorful, handmade masks and I started my quest.

A Strong Mother

Her phrase, a strong mother, had made an impression. Rather than feeding a judgement about her mother, she had given our shared reality a positive spin.

Now I was in a different mood, focused on the best thing about my relationship with my mother. Laughter. We share a lot of wholesome, good-natured, joyful, loving, laughter. It was easy to find a funny card to make us both smile.

How Did My Mood Change?

Finding the right Mother’s Day card is a shared experience, especially among women. That was evident when the lady on the card aisle had two cards in her hand; one for her mother and one for her mother-in-law. In this shared energy, we were both open to share our feelings.

Be open to accept positive energy

Additionally, I have taken many small steps toward forgiveness in regards to Mom. She did the best she could do. I did the best I could do as a human being and a mother. And you are doing the best you can do.

Forgiveness of others opens up forgiveness of yourself

Finally, realize that forgiveness is incremental in nature. The relationship between a mother and her children is complex, taking many small steps to unravel until the last trace of hurt and anger are gone. Along the way, find ways to bring joy into the relationship right now.

Live in this moment with joy

Enjoy Yourself!

Whether or not you are a mother, you deserve happiness everyday, including Mother’s Day. Start the day with some deep, cleansing breaths and welcome joy into your life. Regardless of who raised you, thank your birth mother for bringing you into the world. Then continue to thank her or whomever cared for you… They helped you arrive where you are today.

If this is just too hard, take one step toward forgiveness by writing out your feelings on paper. Keep writing until you feel better, until the tears come less, until your body says, “That’s enough for today.” Repeat this tomorrow.. or next week.. whatever feels right to you.

Love and blessings,
Dawn