How Ya Doin'?

So, how are you doing?
I mean you. How are you doing? Do you even know?

I have been lost in blog-land. Too many blogs, not enough time. Plus, there is a tasty bit of gossip playing out in the blogs right now...if you like gossip...I read blogs (well, most of them) because I find that they energize me. The colors, the pictures, the ideas, the money saving tips. All are fabulous and I have found that they help keep the fire under me lit. I totally scored in a purchase today--it was an idea that I saw and liked on a blog. I made my own chicken stock last week--another idea I got from a blog. I am totally recovering my dinning chairs with a vinyl table cloth--at least until I no longer have toddlers! This idea came to me because my creative brain has been sparked by blogs. I love blogs! I love reading blogs! But even though I get more creative "fire" from blogs, I realized lately that there are other things that keep my fire burning that are just as important that I have been neglecting--journaling, praying, reading Scripture, walking, laughing with my family, talking with loved ones--all these things are vital to my life. My passion for my home has been awakened by the blogs, but I have a tendancy to put all my eggs in one basket, and as strong as my fire is right now, I have to say that my little voice has become very hard to hear.

So, how are you doing?

Because reading other people's words, seeing other people's homes, agreeing with other people's ideas is one thing, but your little voice is more important and I have been shutting mine out. I blame her. She is saying things I don't want to hear--that project looks fun, but save your money instead; wait, it's not time yet; go slow, focus on what you already have; your time will come but its not here yet...
Tomorrow is my birthday. It's a big one. And my little voice is using this special event to wake my brain up and remind me that she is still there and she is smarter then all the rest.
(Oh, and thanks for asking...I'm going to be 28...for a while, I think!)

Maybe you are like me. Maybe your little voice has grown distant. What can you do to reconnect? Because blog friends are great and inspiring, but your little voice is the friend that will always be there waiting for you.

Tomorrow I am going to celebrate. I am going to celebrate one more year of life. I am going to celebrate another opportunity to be alive, to make an impact, and give love away. I am going to celebrate my little voice--the person that I am--by taking some time out of the day to focus on her. After all, we capitalize the word "I" because it is important. And the next time I sit down at my computer to go into blog-land, I think I will start with my own blog first!

ps--I find gossip tastes sour after a while anyway...

The Little Voice

Where does your heart want to take you?

This morning I had coffee with a great gal, she is wise, funny, and energetic. She is put together, organized, and ambitious. This gal is me! Well, my inner self anyway.

We all have that little voice inside our heads giving us direction, encouraging us to try something new, trying to clue us in to living a life based on our heart priorities and not the wants of the world. Often, this little voice gets ignored as bills have to be paid, dogs have to be fed, and life moves forward. Yet, if this little voice continues to be ignored, the life we move forward into becomes something else. Listening to all the voices of the world pulls us instead toward someone else’s life, not our own. Instead of making our choices and decisions based on what we want and value we let others make them for us. If we want a lingering life, we must base this life on what we want, what we value, and in order to know this, we must have a chat with the little voice. We must stop and listen to the little voice.

My little voice reminds me that family is the only important thing, that developing those relationships is all that matters in this lifetime. My little voice directs me to: plant roses, learn knitting, can pears, make jam, keep your house clean and neat so you have time for other more important (and fun!) things, be active, make a to do list and cross things off, read more of that good book, stop watching television (okay, except Dancing with the Stars!), get outside a bit everyday, and always tell your family you love them—as much as possible.
When you listen to the little voice, you find so much more pleasure to your life than you thought possible. It may not be an easy life, it may not be a low stress life, or a pain-free life, but the enjoyment gleaned from it increases immeasureably when listening to the little voice.

What is your little voice telling you?