Just do it Yourself

"I am thankful to all those who said NO to me. It's because of them I did it myself."
- Albert Einstein

I learned this lesson really early! I remember when I was about 5 or 6 I wanted a bike for Christmas. It's one of the Christmas presents that I actually got! I learned from an early age doing a Christmas list was pointless since I never got what I put on it. But the bike was the one exception and my mother made a lot of sacrifices to get it for me.

The only thing was, I didn't know how to ride a bike! So Christmas day we bundled up and went out to ride it. I got on and my mother's boyfriend held it while I rode around in a circle. That was OK but I quickly became bored of going no where. So I turned to go down the street. Mother's BF kept a hold of the seat as I went, but I was almost doing it alone. Well he ended up pushing me into a sticker bush because I didn't know how to turn it myself.

From then on, I vowed that if I was going to fall, it wouldn't be because an adult pushed me into one. lol So I cleaned myself up and went for my second attempt myself. Within minutes I was going up and down the street with a happy sense of glee and accomplishment. I lived on that bike till I was 12 when we moved to KY. I found that riding my bike in KY was more difficult with all the hills. Plus there just wasn't enough space for me to ride.

But I loved it while it last, and I kept stick thin too! I think I rode all over the county (or two) back then. I had other friends who rode with me and back then no one thought about letting a kid go off on a bike. As long as we stayed in a group there really wasn't anywhere I couldn't go.

Though mom doesn't know about leaving the county. Shhh. Don't tell her! lol
I just wanted to see the Standerdbred Horse farm. And I saw plenty too. Unfortunately what I saw was a dead foal in their big trash bin. :( 
But that day I had packed two sac lunches and myself and "boyfriend" rode all over town.

Objections

"Nothing will ever be attempted if all possible objections must first be overcome."
- Samuel Johnson

This is something my husband does all the time and it drives me batty! He's someone who has to plan every possible outcome and if he sees something that goes wrong he'd rather not take the chance. Life is about chance! I'm not saying take chances that are likely to harm yourself or others, but a well calculated risk is worth the possibilities.

The Magic School Bus

As Mrs. Frizzle from The Magic school Bus says, "Take Chances, Make Mistakes, and Get messy."

 

Eclectic Belief Diversity

Star Foster over on Pantheon asks:

"So think about this for a moment: is your religious practice reflective of what you truly believe? Must you practice the way you do because it is what you believe? Based on what you truly believe, can you change your practice?

In some way, the idea that practice is formed in accordance with belief makes sense. Druids do X because they believe Y. But then there are the eclectics, and this is where I get confused. Do eclectics practice in such diverse and idiosyncratic ways because it fits their beliefs? Or, and yes I know this is a touchy idea, does a lack of consistency in practice perhaps denote a lack of belief?"

As an Eclectic Wiccan, I'll say that it's because I believe in diversity. When I first began my journey toward Wicca I found a lot of different opinions of course. But what I found to be true is that I don't need to fit in anyone elses box but my own.  If I believe that my technique works, it will. "As I will it, so mode it be!".

When trying to follow someone elses "instructions" I was constantly worrying that I was doing it wrong and completely missing the point. I couldn't connect to the divine when I wasn't comfortable with the practice. The rite wasn't mine, so therefore it never worked for me. Once I made it mine by customizing what I did in ritual then everything clicked and I felt the wonderful presence of the Divine.

There is no right way for everyone. There is a right way for each one. Diversity is a great thing, and I encourage everyone to embrace it. If a traditional approach works for you, great. But not everyone can feel comfortable in that setting which is why so many people try Paganism and end up leaving it.

Impossible Tasks

"It always seems impossible until it's done."
- Nelson Mandela

As a writer I can attest to this fact! My novel, Humanly Goddess, has been in the works for over a year now. I have close to 20K for a word count, yet it's not nearly finished. I had originally wanted to keep it around 30K but I don't see that happening. Right now it seems like it's a very daunting task and one I'll never complete. I can't wait for the day when I can say, "It's done!"

 

Perception of Reality

Picture source

“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”
- Dr Wayne Dyer


This quote represents a big portion of my beliefs. Perception changes our reality.Example: If a woman believes she is ugly and unworthy of love, then to others she soon becomes undesirable. The way to find love is to first love yourself for who you are.

Only by giving...

"Only by giving are you able to receive more than you already have."
- Jim Rohn


Today's quote is pretty simple. Don't worry about what you are going to receive. Worry about what you can give others. In doing this, you get what you need in life - not what you think you need. Presents are just tangible representations of another persons love. The real present, is that the person loves you enough to think about you.

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Welcome to November

 I'd like to thank everyone who commented and participated in my 31 Days of Samhain. It was a fun 31 days but now I'm moving on. This month I'm doing Inspirational and Motivational quotes. As we move into November and December there are some people who become despondent. Especially if you do not have family to share it with. Well on the net your never truly alone. That's what I like so much about Networking!

So here is our first quote to start us off.

"I had no shoes and complained, until I met a man who had no feet."
- Indian Proverb

First off, I love this quote. It reminds me of my childhood when we had very little and yet my mother made it feel like we had the world. Around the time I was 3 or 4 my grandfather kicked us out of the house my mother was renting from him. First lesson, never do business with family! Second lesson, how to survive Autumn in a tent! We camped in the back yard. 4 people in a small tent keeps pretty toasty. I never knew it at the time but we stole corn from a local farmer to survive those few months. Eventually my mother was able to save up some money so we could move. But all I remember of those days was being in the back yard with my family and having fun. To me, I didn't know that we were homeless. I didn't know to complain. I had what I needed. Food in my belly and a warm place to sleep. I didn't know my mother went without dinner, or her boyfriend gave his boots to my brother for warmth. Those are the sacrifices parents make to keep our children in a happy healthy home.

So a big thank you for those who make sacrifices for our children. A a huge hug to those going without this holiday season! This year has been hard for us. I don't know if we'll have a lavish Thanksgiving feast or exchange gifts for Yule. But we will have our family.

 

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