Hello blog and a happy 4th to you. I'll make this short, because my honey and I have planned a fab fourth celebration. A Hamburger Hoagie day with blackberry pie and ice cream. Yum!
No balloons. No fireworks. No confetti. But I will be sipping a Honey Mosso with a toothpick flag. Other than the preparation for our freedom meal, this morning I accompanied my honey and our dogs to the front porch. It was an auspicious day to raise the flag of democracy. I stood silently by as my honey slid the American flag (that normally stands in the corner of the guest closet) into the pole holder next to our front door lamp. The American flag should always have a light shinning on it, and today of all days, there also is a light in my patriotic heart.
Some days, there is a breeze and the flag flitter and flutters as if it was perched on top a tall building. An eye smile for sure. But today, it is a hot and calm day with only a teeny tiny movement in the air. So the red, white and blue furls slightly has it hangs from its silver pole angled out from the wall. There's barely a ripple, only a minuscule sway.
As I gaze upon this flag so proudly hanging on our home, I think about independence day. A day to celebrate freedom. To me, this means freedom to think, feel and do what makes me happy. A good day.
It's like on this day in 1776, a tiny seed sprang forth from our forefathers genius and grew into an enormous beanstalk. Through the years, this resourceful plant branched out and gave birth to a gazillion more ways to enjoy life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. How lucky am I to be part of this splendid country, and how grateful am I to my fellow Americans who fight for the freedom that I enjoy.
In my discovery journey, I realize that the personal freedom I enjoy is only what I allow myself to enjoy. If I don't feel my best, I have to ask, "Is it because I let myself be influenced by something other than my own good thoughts and intentions?" Good question. It does sometimes happen, followed by anger, crying or a sad heart. That's just life. But it doesn't have to stay that way.
When it comes to freedom, I'm 90%. Mostly, I am good. I focus on what is good for me, but not in a selfish way. My focus is on my life, my family, my doggies, my friends, my business, my clients and other people I know and work with.
Then, there's the 10% where I allow other people and outside happenings to get into my psyche and play with my heart, my brain and my body. I really never thought about this until today, but… is even 10% smart? I must work on reducing that number. I'll add that to my list.
Sometimes, I say to myself, "Self… it's out of my control. I feel the way I feel and that's it." Oh [gad] do I really believe that bilge. Okay, I need to get on the better path, self. Yeah, it's true that possibly some things are simply out of my control. Things happen. But I do not have to let them get me down, and generally I don't.
My motto is, "Focus on the solution, not the problem!!!"
I have lived by this motto for years. Anytime something happens that may not be to my liking, I repeat my motto several times until I get myself back to that happy place.
Independence is about making myself happy. There's no room in my happy place for negative feelings that crush the joy out of even one of my moments. I send a prayer to those who behave in a thoughtless manner, are unforgiving and make no effort to spread joy. People who put down, rather than lift up; people who take the best of intentions and mutate them into something self-serving; what a shriveled soul they must have.
Yes, I am free to desecrate myself with bad manners and shameful behavior. I am free to covet and steal and lie. But I am also free to be a good person and make myself happy, and if I am not happy, it is my fault. No one can make me happy. Just me.
That's independence. I have the freedom to control how I feel. I have the freedom to treat others with respect and courtesy. I have the freedom to forgive those who have hurt me. I have the freedom to deal with life in a way that spreads the taste of happiness to everyone I know. What an amazing gift.
Speaking of gifts. Bailey is a gift to my life. He the epitome of happy. Boy! Is he happy. Every morning he bounces for joy just to go outside for morning potty. If Bailey was a person, he'd be written up in books, pictured in magazines and recorded in time as the perfect example of independent thinking that is always totally and completely happy. If I could just mirror Bailey's qualities, I'd be loyal, considerate and forgiving, just to name a few.
What a lesson for me on this wonderful independence day.
Well, blog, I had quite an awakening… more than even I thought when I started writing this post.
I wonder what will pop into my head tomorrow.
