Day 18: Books

I love books. I love new and old books. I recently went through my small library of books I've collected since we have been in our house. I took a couple stacks into our local used bookstore that will take books in trade or pay cash for books. Unfortunately, my timing must have been off for the type of books I brought in. They only took four or five of my two huge piles of books; however, they did give me a decent store credit. Which I happily used to get a few books I've been wanting. I may hang onto the books they didn't take this time around and try again another day or I may just donate to a charity. All of their books are collected through trade and they have an AMAZING selection of every genre you can think of. They also take DVDs, CDs, Vinyls, sheet music, musical instruments, video games, audio books, board games, etc, etc. I could easily spend an entire day there exploring all the treasures through out the store. That's what I love about slightly used items, someone's junk can be someone else's treasures.

I do love the feel and smell of a real book and flipping through the pages. However, I also love the convenience of books through my Kind1e and through my smart phone. Technology allows me to listen to books during my long commute with my smart phone through the Bluetooth in  my car. The other great piece I recently starting taking advantage of is checking out books from the library through my smart phone. I either can read the book on my phone or I can check out an audio book to listen too. I love that our local libraries are keeping up with technology.

As I was about to leave I walked past The Straw Bale House book and had to take a photo. Have you ever heard of that type of house? They are really amazing! My parents were exploring building a straw bale home many, many years ago. They are very efficient and green. I know they are fairly popular in the Southwest because of the drier climate.

Day 1: Morning Sky

I love our sunrises and sunsets! 
This was a summer morning last year.

They are simply amazing and the beautiful work of a Higher Power.

Valleys & Hills

It's been a long week. Earlier this week I was not in a good place. I really struggled with old "stinking" thinking from the past. I will be honest that I am proud of myself though as I realized the presence of the "stinking" thinking immediately when I woke up and worked very hard to take precautions through out the day to not react or take action on anything until I sat with it for a while. I knew I was not in the right place in my mind to make any major decisions. I seriously needed an attitude adjustment! I'm not completely sure why I was having a rough day. But I am sure it's a combo of things going on currently and possibly things that have stirred up from the past that are trying to surface for my attention. I was overall gentle with myself yesterday as I was going through this valley, but I worked through each moment and challenges that arouse throughout the day. One of the best parts is I survived.

Today I woke up refreshed and ready for the new day. We had some rain last night and early this morning that dropped the temperature significantly! It was an AMAZINGLY beautiful day. I'm so grateful I could work through the moments and remove the foggy glasses and inner bad attitude that wanted to cling to me. Craziness still surrounds me, but my vision has cleared today and my inner peace has settled back into my soul. I'm very grateful for the tools of my program that help me survive the days I have to walk in the valley. 

Today the news has been focusing on Steve Jobs' death. I honestly didn't know much about him or the fact that he owned Apple, before today. I learned a lot about this influential man today. It really took me back to my childhood. Pancreatic cancer claimed my Grandpa's life many years ago. On a much smaller scale, he was also an entrepreneur and inspiration to those in his life. He always gave a lot of himself to others, sometimes in trade for something else but a lot of the time for the common good. As a kid, my family would drive into town to drop my Dad off at work and then we would spend the day at my grandparents. I have many fond memories of hanging out with my Grandpa. He was always on an adventure and I was more than willing to tag along. We worked in his garden, hung out in his office, tinkered with tools in the garage, or worked on the rose bushes in the front yard. I remember that meals were always quite "proper". Now I think it was more to teach us manners at the table, but it felt over the top at Grandma & Grandpa's. My Grandpa would tell us to chew every bite 30 times before swallowing. I would just giggle and try it for the first couple of bites, then chow down the rest of my food. Now I realize it probably was really good advice. I also remember there were a LOT of items in the house that were Grandma's that we, the kids, were NOT to touch. Oh I can remember the temptation to touch those "pretty forbidden" things! I'm sure my sister and I occasionally got in trouble for doing what we were not suppose to do!

Although I didn't personally know Steve Jobs, he seems to have been quite a positive influence in our world and culture. I feel really lucky to have known my Grandpa for the time he was in my life. I feel he was a positive influence to me during my younger years that was all part of my path to become who I am today.

Christmas of 1993, our family spent that beautiful morning together sitting with Grandpa. Later that day he passed away peacefully at home. I shed a lot of tears for our lose, but feel as a family we knew he would want us to celebrate his life and live our lives to the fullest in his memory!

All of this really has me thinking that no matter how tough a situation or day is for me, I have to live in the moment today. Cherish and learn from every situation, every hill and valley that I travel through. Remembering that I am an important part of the bigger picture around me. As Steve Jobs said, “I want to put a ding in the universe.” No matter how small or large, I hope to leave my positive ding in this universe. Another quote that is blasted anywhere you read about Steve Jobs, “We’re born, we live for a brief instant, and we die. It’s been happening for a long time. Technology is not changing it much — if at all.” So true, life goes by in such a blink of an eye! I don't want to waste another day or moment being jaded or stuck forever in a valley blinded by my character defects. I feel the valleys are necessary, but to pull the strength and knowledge of going through those rough times to make the view from the hills better each time. Here is to living the best today that I can!

Sewing

As I've shared before, I'm putting things that I'm passionate about back into my life. Sewing is one of those passions. My favorite items to create are blankets of all types of designs, colors, and shapes. The actual process of making the blanket is a HUGE challenge for me. There is a LOT of math involved when finding the right fabric and purchasing the correct amount for the pattern. Then measuring the fabric to cut the pieces of the blanket out correctly. I'm very grateful for my Mom's help in the math department, when I get in a jam she bails me out. She has done an amazing job guiding me through my sewing journey my entire life. I'm very grateful for her help and support. Although the entire process of making each blanket is a struggle and takes me several weeks, sometime longer to finish a project, it is very rewarding when I complete the blanket. The true reward for me is when I have the opportunity to give the blanket to a friend or family member. It means the world to me to be able to give a little piece of my heart and energy to those I cherish in my life.

Despite recent challenging events, I feel at peace right now. I attribute the peacefulness at this moment to my higher power who worked miracles today through the wonderful people in my life. I had an amazing lunch date with some wonderful girl-friends, who always cheer me up. Plus I was able to share one of the completed blankets with a friend.

The events of today go along nicely with the daily reading from Courage to Change for September 13th.
"Each moment of this day is precious, and I will make it count. I will use this time to enrich my life and to improve my relationship with my Higher Power, other people, and myself. In this moment, I can make a positive change.
Perhaps I will think of time as a special kind of checking account. I have twenty-four hours to spend. By putting Al-Anon's principles to work in my life today, I am choosing to use these hours to grow, enjoy, and improve. I even have an opportunity to learn from my mistakes, since a brand new twenty-four hours can begin at any moment."