The Gift of Shopping Cart Lessons

 

Photo Credit: My husband

Positive Pensées

Kathy King

The Gift of Shopping Cart Lessons

“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.”

Lao Tzu

Courtesy, kindness, looking around.

Mindfulness, gentleness, see what’s around.

Stop for a moment.

Ease the hurry.

We are all in this together. 

Ease your worry.

Why must we rush and run until we can’t go anymore?

Why is life at such a rapid pace as we rush forward?

Take time to smell the roses and gaze at the trees.

Have a conversation with someone who is in need. 

Stop to say a prayer and meditate.

Slow your mind and set a more moderate pace.

Life already moves by quickly as you can see.

Make the most of these moments, by stopping for just a bit. 

I promise you dear readers you will have very little regret.

How many of us go to the store with a list.. Written down, noted, etc.. We get to the store and well, we still forget things that we wrote on our list? Is that only me? Some of this I attribute to the fact that I am always in a rush. Yesterday, I forgot some pretty fundamental things to go in a Pot luck dinner dish. I got home and sigh… I forgot the onions and cheese. I went back to the store to get the two items that make or break the dish. The store was actually bedlam USA. I think that everyone in my little town decided to go to the store at that time on that day. As I was navigating the aisles, I was struck at just how much no one was looking out for the other. The shopping carts were running into each other, in front of each other, behind each other, etc.. I was expecting there to be a WWE of shopping carts at any moment. To add to that, those that were not looking gave each other not quite nice looks. I got to thinking as I continued to shop about slowing down. I wondered if the hurried pace caused this confusion and lack of manners in the store. We all go to the store from time to time. This is a place you can kind of gauge the spiritual zeitgeist at the moment. Yesterday it was HURRY! It was almost like that old game show where the contestants ran through the store getting as much stuff before the buzzer went off. I thought, “Why the rush?” Sure, some folks may have had a time crunch and shopping to me is a tedious yet necessary exercise but really? Why must we always hurry? Did you know that there is an actual term called, “Hurry Sickness?” Well, it is not an actual sickness but the term was coined in the 80s. Basically folks that always hurry can develop heart issues because it is considered “Type A” behavior. Also, you focus on productivity and very little else. It makes you irritable, tired and worried. No wonder in our society of instant fast gratification we are a bit harried much of the time. When you stay in that state it is very hard to look outside of yourself. One behavior that I struggle with is hurry. Bar none. My husband constantly reminds me to slow down. Do you know why? Because I miss things. Sometimes those things are of little consequence while other times they are meaningful. What to do? Well, practice mindfulness. Slow yourself down from time to time. Breathe. Close your eyes for a few minutes and listen to your favorite piece of music. In the words of one of my elderly clients named Patrick: “Slow down sugar, you youngins’ if ya don’t slow down your gonna blink and be my age looking at the twilight of life.” Today my husband and I did something that I don’t believe we have done in years, we slowed down and took a Sunday drive. We had no destination, nothing in mind. We just drove and took in the waning color of fall. It was a nice change from hurrying much of the time. I have shared this quote before but it still rings true. “Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, even you.” Anne Lamott. Slow down the shopping cart in your mind that is racing down the aisles like a supermarket sweep. Take a mental and physical Sunday drive to calm and cool days that are refreshing.  Happy Thanksgiving week friends!

Source: Masterclass.com

My books are on Amazon!

The Quacktastic Adventures of Ellie and Lord Barks a Lot

The Case of the Missing Moo-Cow Bell

The Case of the Missing Bumbly Wumbly Bee

The Case of the Missing Wellies

The Case of the Missing Honk Honk

The Case of the Missing Ornaments

Clean it Up! Wash it Up!

Coming Soon!

Appalachian Allegory : A Southern Novel

The Gift of the Rear View Mirror

I took this on a near a little church on Long Island, NY. The future is wide through that front window.

Positive Pensées

Kathy King

The Gift of the Rear View Mirror

When you drive, you know there is a mirror. 

To see things behind, as they grow near.

The mirror says, “Objects in the rear view mirror are closer than they appear.”

You must be watchful so that the car does not draw too near.

Can you drive exclusively with a rear view mirror?

No, you can’t. 

Why can’t you drive solely with that mirror?

Because that mirror represents what is behind.

To really drive, to go far, to get to a particular place. 

You must look forward and strive for safety and drive at a safe pace. 

You learn as you drive to watch those both in front and behind. 

While the rear view mirror is important to keep yourself safe. 

Exclusively looking behind, not forward can be quite unsafe. 

How does the rear view mirror represent life?

Well, dear reader, it serves as a reminder to never lose sight of what is behind. 

But also, you can’t exclusively focus on what was. 

You must look ahead to get to your new and higher cause.

To become a better person, to forgive, to love, to grow.

Never forget to look behind so that you will not run into the past.

But also, look forward and let the rear view mirror teach you about your past.

How to be better, how to forgive, how to pray.

How to improve, How to move, how to be better and better each day. 

That rear view mirror is small because you do need to see what is behind you to navigate with ease. 

The windshield is broad and gives you an unencumbered view of what is ahead, what is safe and what is best for you. 

Today I spoke with a dear friend who I have served within various churches over many years. I was telling him about how life has been quite interesting this year for our clan of folks. He talked about one day we will look at this time in our lives through the lens of the rear view mirror. What did he mean? Well, the past is like a rear view mirror, if you focus on it too much… Well, you never really move on and learn from it. Not only that, you hang on to it and sometimes you develop a sense of unforgiveness. We all do things that we regret. We all are the recipients of things that we would love to forget. If we live there, if we navigate our car from there we will not only not be safe but we will not be able to travel to new and better places. When researching the little mirror that is important in driving, I gleaned that this little mirror helps you see what is behind without having to turn your head. What happens when you turn your head completely when driving? Well, it’s dangerous. It could lead to a wreck. The rear view mirror helps you to look for any potential dangers that are behind. Those little mirrors give you a better vision. To keep the idea going, this little contraption provides fewer blind spots, and safety! When that mac truck of all of your past mistakes comes barreling at you, this little mirror can save your life. You can be better, live better, drive your life better. When the light is low and you can’t see very well, that little mirror helps you see better in the darkness. In the words of Benjamin Dover, “It is okay to look back at the past, just don’t stare.” Let your past teach you, let your past help you to forgive. Let your past help you to drive to a better, more beautiful destination. 

Thank you Jack for the talk.

You can find his books on Amazon

Parables for a Purposeful Walk

Jack Worrill

My books are on Amazon!

The Quacktastic Adventures of Ellie and Lord Barks a Lot

The Case of the Missing Moo-Cow Bell

The Case of the Missing Bumbly Wumbly Bee

The Case of the Missing Wellies

The Case of the Missing Honk Honk

The Case of the Missing Ornaments

Clean it Up! Wash it Up!

Coming soon!

Appalachian Allegory : A Southern Novel

The Gift of a Squeal of Joy!

Big churches with tall ceilings make me want to squeal with Joy! 

Positive Pensées

Kathy King

The Gift of a Squeal of Joy!

“Joy does not simply happen to us.  We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day.”

Henry JM Nouwen

If something gives you joy, take a moment and proclaim it.

In a world where real jubilation is absent. 

Take that moment of joy and grab it!

A little squeal, a little smile of delight.

This small action might just make you feel just right.

Focus on the ebullience, the exhilaration, the glee. 

Be a source of joy so that others can see.

Find joy even when life seems bleak.  

If you try you will be able to glean that small sliver of happiness that will give you an inner twinkle and gleam. 

Make that shout, that scream, the one simple sound.

In a world where folks are shouting madness, make your joy resound!

Joy. What does it mean? It means a feeling of great pleasure or happiness.  Let’s face it, there are so little sources of joy in a time when money is tight, the geopolitical situation is tenuous at best. Top that off with social media and the general division that is fed to us by social media it is no wonder that folks are just not feeling joyful at all.  Recently my husband and I had the pleasure to visit our sweet little one-year-old granddaughter.  Her little squeals of joy were absolutely medicine for the soul and spirit.  She has a little dog named Yoda and they are thick as thieves.  Each time Yoda leaves his crate she starts screaming at the top of her lungs, “Yoda!” Little Yoda comes to her and greets her with just as much excitement as our little grandchild.  This scenario gave way to an interesting thought.  Perhaps we should try a little squeal of delight when a small good thing comes our way?  Another little simply adorable activity that our little grandchild engages in is ducks. She loves them so very much.  So much so that she has them all over her little play area. We played with ducks, she kept saying, “Quack Quack!” in her screaming happy voice.  After putting her to sleep for the night my husband decided to put ducks all over the room in varying places on the top of picture frames.  The next morning our little gal came down and started to notice the ducks that were scattered here and there.  Once again she squealed with joy and started pointing at the ducks that were dispersed all over the room.  So simple an act but so impactful. What can we learn from this?  Find those little sources of joy each day.  Is it coffee?  Give a little soul and tastebud squeal.  Is it just reading a book?  Talking to your significant other?  Your children?  The possibilities are endless.  Stop waiting for that joy to find you.  How many times have you heard the phrase, “One day I will find joy.”  If we operate in the “one day” mindset we will most certainly never get there.  Laugh more, breathe more, surround yourself with positive people.  If you can’t find anything that makes you squeal, start focusing on the little things.  Those little deposits will fill up your well and one day you will find that joy like our little granddaughter.  Children can really teach us a lot if we let them.  I leave you all with this little antidote.  Life is sometimes a bed of thorns, a puddle of mudd, a pothole on the highway and it might deny you joy but life is going to respond to your attitude and happiness is a choice.  Squeal for joy!

Source: Success.com

My books are on Amazon!

The Quacktastic Adventures of Ellie and Lord Barks a Lot

The Case of the Missing Honk Honk is live!

Coming soon:

The Case of the Missing Ornaments

Appalachian Allegory

The Gift of Don't Give Up!

Sunrises remind me of not giving up...  a new day, a new start.
Photo Credit: My husband

Positive Pensées

Kathy King

The Gift Don’t Give Up

“Don’t be afraid to start over. This time you’re not starting from scratch.  You’re starting from experience.”

Unknown

It’s okay to start over, to make a fresh path.

When you have tried, toiled, and labored and gone through the drudgery.

Wipe the slate clean as best you can, glean the good bits and start the process again.

How many times have great inventors had to erase all of their work?  

Their process was not bearing fruit, they had to restart the process of labor again.

Only this time when they started, they had the gift of understanding within their command.

These great minds took the useful fragments and crafted a masterpiece by never giving up and starting over.  

This is a great lesson for both you and me. 

It’s okay to start over.  

To begin again.

Even if the starting over takes multiple times.  

Each time you are becoming more full of wisdom, and true tenacity, so that you can craft your great life masterpiece.  

Becoming an empty nester has certainly felt like starting over, not giving up, etc.. I never in a million years thought I would write a blog, write 13 children’s books and a novel. I just jotted down some other ideas for stories in the future. There is a thought in our society that once you do certain things such as: raise kids, reach a certain age, finish a certain job, etc.. that there is nothing left to do. What did C.S. Lewis say? “You are never too old to set a new goal or to dream a new dream.” Wise words. Each New Year we hear the term “New Year Resolution.”  The time when we evaluate ourselves and try to determine what needs to change for the better.  Usually those resolutions don’t last but the intent is to try.  What if we never tried to forge a new path or a better path?  Life would certainly be mediocre. Some folks may prefer mediocre, that is completely fine if that is where they want to live. But what is life without starting something new?  Challenging yourself?  Starting something over again with different methods and more experience?  Recently I read about Harland Sanders, the creator of Kentucky Fried Chicken.  This guy had so many jobs throughout his life.  He was a farmhand, a railroad worker, a lawyer, a hotel owner, and dustpan worker for a railroad. That is a few of the jobs listed in his biography.  There were more.  Sanders did not even begin to think about KFC until about age 50.  For a while he enjoyed success with his chicken business.  Fun fact, he sold his KFC franchise when Interstate 75 started to congest traffic a good deal.  After selling, he was left with only his savings and his $105 a month Social Security check, he was 65 years old.  Even then, this tenacious spirit did not give up.  He opted to start over yet again.  He often slept in his car going from restaurant to restaurant marketing his very special spices and his unique way of frying chicken.  All of this hard work paid off.  He finally had many places to dine both domestically in the US and Internationally.  In 1970 at the age of 73 he sold his business for 2 million dollars (roughly 18 million by today’s standards) and lived the rest of his life very comfortably.  When I read about his life I was in awe of his willingness to not give up.  Did he reach low points?  Absolutely.  Did he struggle?  I am quite sure.  But he never threw in the towel.  To give you all dear reader’s a few more examples.  Henry Ford was 45 when he started to design Ford Motor Vehicles.  Vera Wang was 40 when she designed her first dress.  Sam Walton founded Wal-Mart when he was 45.  The late great Julia Child started her path to success at the age of 50.  What is the moral of the story?  You have a gift inside of you.  Find that gift, share that gift even if that blessing is to a select few.  You can and will make the world, or just one person’s life a better dwelling place.  

Source: businessinsider.com

My books are on Amazon!

The Quacktastic Adventures of Ellie and Lord Barks a Lot

Clean it Up! Wash it Up!

Coming soon:

The Case of the Missing Honk Honk

The Case of the Missing Ornaments

Appalachian Allegory