Change...

Ahh, change...it happens everyday, doesn't it? The picture in this post shows a piece of our "backyard" - which really means our tiny patio. We have enjoyed a bit of privacy over the past 7 1/2 years since we moved here courtesy of a rustic wooden fence, which I've thoroughly enjoyed - as have the squirrels and woodpeckers. Over the past few months, it has started to lean precariously and the top has apparently been dinner for any number of said squirrels and woodpeckers, as the boards are about 2" shorter than they were a year ago! It's time for a change - before Mother Nature changes it for us by blowing it down!

So I've been on a quest to replace the fence - which is easier said than done since we live in a community that has numerous restrictions about what you can and can't do to the outside of your home. And believe it or not, I'm fine with that policy. Our community is one of the best-kept in the entire area, due in no small part to the "rules" that are in place. But....it makes it a challenge to take care of this pesky fence issue. Long story short, it looks like we'll have to replace the fence with a "buffer" of plants that will grow fast enough and tall enough to provide some privacy. It will be wonderful - at some point in the future - but it will require finding a landscaper who wants this "small" job and me paying attention to whatever is planted so it doesn't die!

That's just one small change in our lives right now - we have several major ones coming in short order. Guy is closing his music store next week after 5 successful years. Things have changed in the retail environment in that time. There isn't much loyalty to the "local small business" anymore, which is terribly sad. People want to come and play his nice, high-quality guitars so they can go buy one online - ARGH. Or...they bring in the guitar they did buy online so he can put strings on it (hard to pay the retail rent with profit from a set of strings!). Anyway, it's time - he's anxious to get back out on the road, buying and selling, so he's a happy camper in that sense. But still...it will be a significant change having him around more - especially since I work from home and am used to having just Murphy and Grover (the kitties) to aggravate me :-) on a daily basis!

And of course, as some of you know, I'll be graduating from UF with my MBA in just 7 weeks and 2 days - hoooooooooooray!!! That, too, will be a drastic change - no more late night conferences with the team, trying to spur them on to getting our assignments done well - and on time. No more going to campus one weekend a month to sit in classes for 11+ hours on Saturday and another 9+ on Sunday. No more trying to carve out a few hours during the week to read the hundreds of pages of case studies and articles necessary to complete assignments. Wow! What will I do with all that extra time?? HA!

And then there's the new doggie, which we hope we'll find by the first part of May. And we're also hoping she'll have the temperament to become a therapy dog. It's something I've been pondering for awhile and I think it would be very worthwhile - but it will be another change in our "routine" for sure.

Changes will be coming in my work as well, I hope. I love, love, love the training I do, but that, too, is always up in the air with this economy. My clients have been very faithful to me, but they are constantly struggling with funding. My MBA is meant to help me find some classes I can teach online as a complement to my training. That will be fun - but a whole different way of "teaching" people than I'm used to. Change.

And we all experience the small changes in our lives without even realizing it sometimes. Maybe that's the whole point of this post...sometimes we need to take a step back and be grateful for the changes that have made things better - and be grateful, too, for the changes we would rather not have gone through but that are at least OVER :-)

Don't forget, too, to step back and appreciate all the good in your life that hasn't changed for you - whatever that might be...friends, family, hobbies, pets, home....

As the saying goes, "It is what it is, but it will BECOME what you make of it."

Make it GOOD!!!

Blessings,
Linda
www.LindasWorkshops.com

Excited!

Well, well, well - I've done it again! How could so many months have gone by between posts?? I guess it's called life...between school, work, and just taking care of the house, spouse, and fur-kids, life has been pretty full. Add to that a bout with kidney stones, an emergency appendectomy in October, and a couple of family members and close friends who have been seriously ill, and the blog got left behind!

However...!  I'm b-a-a-a-a-a-a-c-k :-) ~ it feels good. And why am I excited? I'm looking forward to a great 2013 with lots of fun training jobs already scheduled here in Florida, up in Alabama, and hopefully, WAY up in Chicago this summer! AND school will be over in 93 days - count 'em...93 days! WOW. I'm not sure I'll know what to do with myself...HA!

I graduate April 14, and on April 15 (or close to it!), we'll be making a trip to the Humane Society to find the newest member of our happy family...a doggie. We lost Abby almost 3 years ago - I've missed her every single day and we are ready for another furry friend. So just getting out of school and adding a new member to the family are 2 things to be excited about...

BUT...I'm also starting to put out a few feelers for writing again. Oh my, how I've missed that! Keep me in your thoughts - I've applied for a residency at Wildacres in NC to complete my devotional. I've gotten calls from all over the country from people who have read Grover's story (our crippled cat) and my bio in Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul. I mentioned in my bio in that book (and a few others that had my stories in them and were published around that time) that I am working on a devotional and several people have taken the time to call me and ask where they can buy it - one fairly recently even though the book has been around for awhile - so I really want to finish it and try to get it published.

And of course, I'm always excited about my training workshops and webinars. Much of my work is with libraries and they are such a great group to work with - always wanting to learn and grow...my kind of people! I'm developing a new program on Servant Leadership that may just be one of my very favorites by the time I'm finished with it. But then, I say that about a lot of my programs. Obviously, I'm excited about what I do "for a living" and I know how lucky I am to feel that way!

So what are you excited about for 2013?

Here's wishing you good health, all of your needs met - and then some - and friends and family around to enjoy it with!

Until next time (which I really hope will be before 2014!!)...

Blessings,
Linda
www.LindasWorkshops.com

(P. S. Google has changed how the blog works and I'm not sure I'll be able to upload any new pictures :-(, but I'll keep trying! The one here may be a repeat - but it's still gorgeous!)

Fatigue!

Hi all,
I'll have to say, the title seems appropriate at this point in my hectic life!

Actually, what nudged me to finally start posting again is that I was going through a practice session for a webinar I'll be presenting on "Compassion Fatigue" and the host asked if I wanted my blog address published. I was sad to say that I hadn't posted in quite some time, then told her to go ahead and publish it - that gave me a reason to start posting! (That, and I found myself looking at a writing contest this morning, which tells me it's time to tune in to that part of "me" again).

The webinar I'm presenting is targeted to library workers, some of whom are weary after many months (or years!) of trying to help the unemployed, the financially challenged, those with health problems, and a myriad of other people who just need...help.

But as I thought about the title, it occurred to me that many of us are fatigued. I am personally dealing with a bit of compassion fatigue in trying to help my husband maintain his health. As some of you know, he had tongue cancer in 2007 and is now cured - we are SO blessed! There are residual issues, though, that we could have never prepared for...the constant pain and/or numbness in his jaw/chin due to the broken jaw from pulling a wisdom tooth about 3 years ago...the continual tooth issues due to non-functioning saliva glands as a result of 62 (life-saving!) radiation treatments...the ongoing struggle to keep his weight up because of the difficulty of swallowing for every single one of the meals he eats - and if he loses weight, I find it!

I am not complaining about the compassion/caregiving aspect of what I just described. I am honored to be able to be the one who can help him through any issue that comes up.

Combined with full-time work and full-time in a master's degree program, though, and the word fatigue might just have my picture on it - along with so many of your pictures, too, I'm sure.

Some of us are fatigued by "caregiving" of some sort, some are fatigued by the stress of an insecure job situation, a financial burden, nagging health issues, or relationships...or all of the above - yikes!

Whatever the source of your fatigue, I urge you to find that few minutes where you can relax and breathe - whether that is watching your favorite TV program (As Time Goes By!), playing "Words with Friends," reading a great book, or watching the birds outside on your patio...or maybe writing a blog, like I just did!

Don't just fritter away those precious few moments doing something mindless - be mindful of the small pleasures and make sure you include some of those, too - I just did!
(and yes, that picture really is how I work many afternoons - obviously, Murphy has found the secret of enjoying his time!)
Blessings,
Linda
www.LindasWorkshops.com
http://LindasWorkshops.blogspot.com
Linda@LindasWorkshops.com

Rest...ahhhhhhh!

'Tis the season - right? But the season for what??? I just had lunch with 3 good friends and we were discussing how this time of year has come to mean "hustle-bustle" and not much else. I've decided that we probably all need to step back and see if we need some rest.

In my case, that's physical rest. I just completed a major, major project and have been furiously working on next year's programs so that I can begin my MBA program in early January. I thought I would have some time to "rest" during these last few weeks of the year, but alas, that has not been the case. I will need to be very careful in the upcoming months to make sure I get proper rest so that I can not only do my best in class, but especially for my clients.

But there are other kinds of rest, aren't there? There is "rest" from the pressures we put on ourselves to do more, be more, give more, have more...whatever!! We need to take a rest, don't we?

There is also the "rest" we need to take from the demands of others...not so we can be selfish, but to make sure we still have something to give when they really need us.

And then...there is the "rest" from the thoughts we allow to enter our minds...thoughts of "what if?" Thoughts of "why me?" Thoughts of "if only..." There is so much bad news surrounding us these days, that it's easy to get caught up in it and believe every little bit of it. We not only lose our "rest," but we also lose our peace. And as Dr. Phil would say, "How's that workin' for ya????"

So...let's just "take a rest," shall we? In whichever area we need it!!

If you get a chance, let me know how YOU rested during this holiday season - or beyond. But don't feel obligated to do that or you won't get any rest! :-)

Blessings and Merry Christmas to all,
Linda
www.LindasWorkshops.com

Words!

Hi everyone,
Long time, no "write" :-)

I have no excuses - I barely have "reasons!" Life is just flying by and it's hard to imagine that more than 5 months have passed since I've posted.

But you know what? I've decided I'm not going to beat myself up for that. I was so excited about writing frequently when I started my blog. But life not only flies, it sometimes gets in the way of our best intentions. It won't help for me to "yell" at myself for not doing something I really wanted to do. Instead, I've decided my words to myself should be encouraging, just like my words to others.

Several weeks ago, our pastor talked about words being "containers." I love that concept. They can "contain" a positive, upbeat attitude or they can bring on negative thoughts and emotions. I make a real effort to make sure my containers hold something encouraging, uplifting, enthusiastic, positive, helpful, hopeful, etc! - and I succeed a good amount of the time.

That was actually my original intent for the blog. We certainly don't lack for negative words in our environments these days - just turn on any TV show, news channel, radio show, or whatever. Negativity abounds.

But it does NOT have to be that way for US! Will you accept my challenge to try to be aware of what fills your containers? That's my goal for me...when what is in my container becomes polluted with negativity, harsh words, anxiety, or any number of emotions and feelings that don't serve me well, I hope I am aware of it and am able to "change the channel."

So how about it? Will you change the channel the next time your container holds something that isn't good for you?

Here's hoping you do!
Blessings,
Linda
www.LindasWorkshops.com

(P. S. No, the cat on the guitar isn't mine, but isn't he adorable??)

Time

Ha, that's a funny word to talk about, isn't it? Especially considering the LENGTH of it that I have allowed to pass since my last posting :-)

I bring it up today because our perspective on time can change so rapidly. I once heard if you want time to pass slowly, put yourself into a miserable situation (job, marriage, whatever). Hmmm, that does NOT sound appealing to me, although I would like time to slow just a teensy bit over the next few months.

It seems my calendar is more full than it has ever been in my years of conducting training - and I am not complaining!! I love what I do ~ but you know how it goes...when we're TOO busy, we complain about not having enough time - for anything. When we are BORED, we complain because we are waiting for time to pass so we can get to an event or activity in our lives that will be more enjoyable. As always, we seem to never quite be at that perfect place ~ unless of course, we choose to be!

I have little "time pockets" in my calendar over the next couple of weeks and I am trying to be very protective of them - to "choose" being at a perfect place when they come along. I schedule little "mini-vacations" for myself - things like taking 10 minutes for a nice cold frappaccino :-), or just time to read something just for pleasure, because I know over the next 3 months, those little pockets will be few and far between.

In my workshops on "Returning Balance," we often talk about what we are doing with our time. So many of my participants feel that their time is out of their control, but much of it really isn't. Yes, most of us "have" to work - and that takes time. Many of us travel to our workplaces - more time. We do household chores (ugh!), taking more time.

But sometimes we also "fritter away" our time playing on the computer, watching TV, reading something just because it's there, scheduling something we know we won't enjoy...and the list goes on.

My challenge? Pay attention to your time! How can you make it more pleasant, no matter what's going on in your life right now? Can you take a few minutes and enjoy a nice cup of coffee or 60 seconds to really look at that flower blooming in your yard? If we do that - just once - every single day, our time will bring us more pleasure - I promise!

Blessings,
Linda
www.LindasWorkshops.com

Comparison

Greetings, everyone!
Well, I think spring is about to spring in most areas of the country. Here in Florida, a friend remarked today that getting into my warm car reminded her of how hot it will soon be here. When I think of those of you who have experienced a very harsh winter, I find no reason to complain about the heat coming our way - I was fortunate to not have to shovel the chilly nights we got and that makes up for it in my book.

Speaking of which, have you ever found yourself comparing something in your life to someone else's life? I'll bet you have - I think all of us have done that at one time or another.

I recently read a note I had made several years ago while listening to my pastor in Ohio. He commented, "Comparison breeds discontent."

OUCH!!

But he's really right in so many cases, isn't he? How often do we think about how lucky we are compared to someone else? I think it's usually the other way around, isn't it? And I believe we are all lucky in some sense. For instance, I don't think I have any readers from Japan, but those of us who do not live there can certainly compare our week to theirs and consider ourselves lucky.

You'll notice an unusual picture with this posting. This is the interior of the hyperbaric chamber that my husband, Guy, experienced for 2 hours every week day for 6 weeks a couple of years ago to promote healing after the oral surgeon broke his jaw pulling an impacted wisdom tooth and they had to wire his jaws shut for 10 weeks (the bones in that area are very fragile due to the 62 radiation treatments he had for tongue cancer in 2007).

Considering Guy has a bit of claustrophobia, it was no mean feat that he managed to complete the entire course of treatment, especially the day he had to share the chamber with a very large man who was reacting violently to being in the chamber - kicking out with his foot very near Guy's face! Anyway... we were so, so fortunate ~ not that he had the broken jaw, of course, but that we found this hyperbaric chamber about an hour away. In this chamber, Guy could sit up; in others you have to lie down with a "lid" closed over you as if you are in a coffin ~ doesn't sound too appealing, eh? So, comparison was good for us that time around!

When I was thinking about that word ~ comparison ~ so many areas of life popped into my head: weight, finances, house, health, car, clothes, family, appearance, hair, relationships, job, retirement, weather, pay scale, abilities, skills, experiences, talents, education ~ YIKES! It's scary to think that "comparison" can bring up that many thoughts so quickly!

So here's my challenge for you [don't you hate it when I do that?? :-)]... for the next 30 days ~ yes, I said 30 days! ~ I want you to find things in your life that you can "compare" to someone else's and realize how lucky you are.

Can you do it? I think you can! Use my list of "comparison areas" above to get you started.

And let me know how you do!
Blessings,
Linda
www.LindasWorkshops.com