Keep moving forward

This YouTube video caused me to reflect a little on life, my life.  Am I sometimes like that dog...afraid to take the next step?  Afraid of what MIGHT happen?  Am I sometimes like that monkey...pulling my friends or family along, helping them get to the next phase, adventure, challenge in life?






We should ALWAYS be moving forward because if we're not, then we're just sitting there (or even going backwards), like the dog.  Imagine if he didn't have his monkey friend there to pull him, encourage him to keep moving forward.  What if the dog just sat down, afraid to keep going forward? I suppose he could have gone back the way he came....which would have meant he was going backward.  There are few things in life we can go back and change so it would seem to me that going backward or standing still would prevent us from progressing.

Aren't we all wanting to progress?  Whether it's doing laundry and seeing those dirty clothes become clean, folded and put away (now THAT'S progress!) or attending college and graduating and pursuing a career.  In both of these analogies (as contrasting as they are) you see progress.  You feel good about what you've done.  I'm not one to usually sit back and do nothing.  I always try to keep moving forward.  Sure, I get scared at times but it's usually that fear that motivates me to just "go for it".

I love life.  If I'm not running a race, doing a craft, knitting a blanket or hosting a gathering then I feel like I'm not doing all I can to keep moving forward.  Sure, the races (5k's, 10k's, half marathons, triathlons) OBVIOUSLY keep me moving forward by virtue of wanting to finish....and the finish line is always in front of me, BUT, that means that in between races I need to be exercising to keep myself in some kind of shape to run/race. So, again, I feel I am progressing.  Crafts? Knitting? Both of those consist of me researching which craft I want to do or item I want to knit.  I am searching the Internet for the right craft and then I do a couple of samples to see how they turn out.  Same with my knitting. I just keep moving forward, until I complete each project and then begin the next one.  As for hosting gatherings....I enjoy being with people so I host Pinterest nights (where we do the crafts I've experimented with) monthly (or at least try to do four a year), ice cream socials and even a ladies Christmas social every year.  I'm moving forward or progressing with each "event" as we strengthen friendships by visiting and even uplifting one another.

I firmly believe we weren't meant to go through this earthly life ALONE.  We each need a "monkey" to help us through life.  We may even need to BE that monkey once in a while....helping our friends along the way (and yes....sometimes PULLING them forward).  Whatever you do, don't think you need to do it ALONE.  Just keep moving forward. Keep progressing.  Run a race, complete a craft, knit a blanket attend or host a gathering....just DO SOMETHING TO KEEP YOURSELF MOVING FORWARD.  If you aren't moving forward, it's likely you are standing still or even, sadly, going backward.

As we move forward together we will NEVER be ALONE.  I'm right there beside you, hopping from stepping stone to stepping stone.  I'll even wait for you so we can jump that last BIG step together!

Much love,

Debbie

Repel or Attract??

I will admit that I enjoy playing a video game every now and again.  Ok...I play one at least once a day.  I actually enjoy this particular video game.  Why?  Well, if you have the sound up, you hear the "guy in the game" tell you "AWESOME" or "SWEET" or something that makes you feel like you did something good.  No wonder people enjoy that game.  We're always being told what a great job we're doing....even if we lose at that level.  We just keep clicking "retry" until we conquer that level.  (Side note - I have NEVER paid anything to keep playing. I simply wait until time has gone by and more lives are given to me).  There are a few games I don't like because either I'm not good at them or they don't "make me feel good" so I just avoid them.

That's kind of like people in our lives.  There are some that just make you feel like a better person after you've talked to them or spent time with them.  Then there are those that, well, that leave you feeling empty or spent.  Some people can just suck the life out of you.  It's almost a chore to be around them....you do it because it's what needs to be done but you're so glad when you're "done" being with them because now you can relax.

So, here's for some self reflection time - which one are you? 

Imagine you are a magnet.  Are you the side that attracts others to you or the side that repels them away from you?

Notice the first picture.....it's a magnet that others are attracted to.  The second one is of magnets that are repelling each other, thus the distance between them.


I have a friend that went through a bad break up a few years ago.  I was there for her when her heart was broken.  After a while I thought she would get "better" and become a happier person as time went on.  Well, it was months later and she had become very bitter.  All she ever talked about was how unhappy she was and how miserable life was for her.  It got to where I couldn't handle being around her.  She was so negative.  She was like the second magnet above...repelling me away from her.  I have another friend.  We are Facebook friends as well as "real life" friends.  I had to finally "un-follow" her on Facebook because her posts were so negative.  I just didn't like reading her posts because there was NOTHING good in them.  I always felt worse after reading ANYTHING on her page.  We are still friends but I just choose to stay away from her page.

Then there's this other friend.  I see her once or twice a year.  She is ALWAYS pleasant to be around.  I ALWAYS feel happy when I see her and spend time with her.  She seems to always have people in her life that enjoy being with her. Whenever we chat she tells me what she's been up to and it seems to usually involve being with other people.  She just seems to attract people to her.  She is like the first magnet.


I am married to a very smart and kind man.  He comes home from work frequently and tells me stories about things that happened to him at work that day.  Well, I give him MY advice on what I would do and what I think HE should have done, only to find out he's done just the opposite.  After hearing his "side" of the story I realize he handled it in such a way that the other person or people involved don't hate him or aren't mad at him.  If he were a magnet, they would still be "attracted" to him.  He doesn't repel people (usually).  Disclaimer:  I am married to a wonderful man but he is NOT perfect. Haha - don't walk away from this post thinking I'm married to a perfect man. :)  He has made it a point, when he's speaking with someone, to try to do a lot of asking of questions about the person he's talking with.  He wants to let that person know that they mean something....that they are important. He has told me on many occasions, "Deb, I ask myself -- did that person walk away from me feeling like a better person?"

With that said, this post is mainly for each of us to reflect upon the type of person we are or the type of person we want to become.  Are we the attracting magnet or the one that repels?  Do people walk away from us thinking, "I really enjoy being around her" OR "Gee, I hope I don't bump into her again"?

Take a moment and decide today how you can be a little better tomorrow.  It may not be instantly, but step by step, no matter how big or how small those steps may be, we can do better.  We can BE better tomorrow than we were today.

And remember, you are NEVER ALONE.....especially if you are "attracting" people to you!!

Much love,

Debbie