Stuck? Celebrate!

https://pixabay.com/photos/crawl-mud-obstacle-soldier-919224/

 

You’re stuck.

 

You’re feeling discouraged that your efforts didn’t pan out.

You’re disappointed because you thought for sure you would move a head, just a little bit, this time.

Now you’re depressed because it seems there is nothing you can do to help yourself.

You’re feeling hopeless and helpless

 

Instead, how about this:

 

You’re stuck.   Yippee!!

That means you didn’t go backward!

You haven’t lost ground!

You aren’t at square one–you don’t have to start over from scratch!

You lived to tell about it, which means it wasn’t fatal!

 

WooHoo!!!

 

Need help getting into the spirit of celebrating? Go to YouTube and listen to these songs:

 

Celebrate, celebrate!   Dance to the music! ~3 Dog Night (at about 1:24 the second half of the song will really get you going!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rO_R5puXs6E

 

And, whether the words resonate with you or not, this song will get you going, too:

 

Oh Happy Day ~Edwin Hawkins & Northern California Youth Choir https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tSyzTIJ82g

 

Oh Happy Day ~ Sister Act 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLY7yI1xV-M

 

How about a little Ray Charles doing Oh Happy Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wv5n_eCGkvM

 

CELEBRATE, my Pep Pal Friend!   Keep telling yourself, “Yes I Can” because it’sTRUE!

Your Friend and Pep Pal,

Lauren

 

Better Than Before

Courtesy of Google Images

 

Today begins the first phase of re-opening in the state in which I live.

Recently, I listened to an interview with Matt Kahn who is a lightworker, empath, and spiritual teacher.   He was recently interviewed by Janneke Øinæs, the host of Wisdom From North .  I found what he said to be very interesting and a healthy way to look at our current world and the changes that may be in store.

I’ve paraphrased here, but these are the points Matt made in the interview that I found thought-provoking and, in a way, comforting.  I believe you’ll find them helpful, too:

◊The Universe has your back;

◊The Universe has a plan for you; you don’t have to worry and you don’t have to struggle to qualify for it.  It’s yours right now;

◊This time in which you find yourself is not a punishment.  This is just the next step in your—and humanity’s—ascension;

◊With sheltering at home, your life has simplified.  This is an opportunity for you to evolve into a higher consciousness;

◊Some thing(s) must be taken away so that so much more can be given to you;

◊This is not bad karma or Mother Nature’s revenge but rather it’s the Universe telling you that you have done such a good job in your healing journey that you’ve qualified for the next level.

 

These thoughts are an intriguing way to think of the pandemic and lock-down we’re experiencing—and the gradual re-opening that’s starting.  These ideas re-frame the negative and fearful thoughts that are rampant right now and give us a road map to help us become spiritually deeper and richer and well-able to walk a new path in the world.

Here is the link to the interview.

Let me know what you think!

We got this!

Your Friend and Pep Pal,

Lauren

May Day Promises

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Even though our world has turned upside down with quarantines, social distancing, and making fashion statements with our personal protective clothing choices, there are still old fashioned promises we can rely on:

~There are always helpers. Mr. Rogers and his mother were right to counsel us to look for them in any crisis.  There’s always someone who is reaching out a helping hand.

~Crisis and opportunity, obstacles and innovation, disaster and inventiveness cannot be separated; they are actually  different perceptions of the exact same circumstance.

~Life goes on.  Life always manages to find a way to  survive and to thrive.  Even the harshest environments are jam-packed full of vibrant life.

Keep telling yourself “Yes I Can!” because it’s true.

I believe in you!

Your Friend and Pep Pal,

Lauren

 

 

 

Blessed by You

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I wish that today and all days, everyone you meet is blessed by you. Just by your twinkling eyes, your bright smile, your gentle touch, and by your sparkling presence. Thank you for letting these gifts overflow to bless those all around you!  ~paraphrased from Brother David Steindl-Rast’s writings

 

You ARE a blessing! Never EVER forget that!!

Your Friend and Pep Pal,

Lauren

Trust Life

https://pixabay.com/en/nature-plant-flower-summer-live-3316769/

 

 

When we find ourselves in the midst of difficulties, oftentimes we think it’s always going to be this way and nothing we do is going to change it.

We lose hope.

When we’re in this place of little to no hope, we don’t know how to help ourselves. We don’t know where to turn, what to do, who to reach out to.

This can be very painful. And scary.

But we can always turn to Mother Nature, who is always brimming with Life. Even in the most inhospitable of her environments, life is thriving. Not just one teeny organism hanging on by the skin of its teeth, but rather whole rich, diverse ecosystems thriving and flourishing in conditions that scientists thought nothing could survive.

Life wants to live. Life is built for success. Life is made for abundance.

Look around. We don’t see only one scrawny tree or one tiny bush. No. There are millions of trees and bushes and plants and flowers. All colors, shapes, sizes. Growing in cracks of rocks, on cliff edges, on wind-blown prairies. Animals, insects, raindrops, clouds, rivers…. You get the idea. Nature is all around us brimming with Life.

The next time you’re feeling stuck, unsure, and alone, turn to Mother Nature and Trust Life.

Your Friend and Pep Pal,

Lauren

You’re Fine Just the Way You Are

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I’m a week late in honoring Mr. Roger’s birthday—he would have been 91 on the 20^th of March. He is best known for his gentle ways and his homespun wisdom. Sometimes now, and especially when he was alive, he is/was ridiculed for this. My thought is that some people make fun of his loving goodwill not because they think it’s stupid but rather because they’re desperate for that gracious acceptance and are terrified that it’s a sham, like so much else in this world.

I assure you that loving kindness is alive and well in this world. There are many people who are welcoming, friendly, and reaching out a hand to others. They are right in your community. In fact, you may be sitting next to them in school or at work. Like Mr. Rogers, they, too, like you just the way you are. You can be yourself, and that’s enough!

I like you just the way you are!

Your Friend and Pep Pal,

Lauren (and Mr. Rogers!)

Just for Today….

 

Just for today, what if there is nothing wrong with you?

I challenge you this week, as I’m challenging myself, to live each day into the possibility that there is nothing wrong with you.

You are just right, exactly as you are.

What will you do that you haven’t allowed yourself to do because you thought there was something wrong with you? Now that you are just right exactly as you are, you can pursue that thing!

Good luck!

Have FUN!

Your Friend and Pep Pal,

Lauren

An Irish Blessing to Honor St. Patrick’s Day

http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/view-image.php?image=1961&picture=pot-of-gold and Artisans Workshop Designs

 

To honor St. Patrick’s Day, here is a blessing for luck, peace, and happiness (this blessing was originally posted on March 17, 2016):

May love and laughter light your days,

and warm your heart and home.

May good and faithful friends be yours,

wherever you may roam.

May peace and plenty bless your world

with joy that long endures.

May all life’s passing seasons

bring the best to you and yours!

 

May the luck and the blessings of the Irish be with you this whole week through.

Your Friend and Pep Pal,

Lauren

12 True Statements About You

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For this week’s mid-week boost, let’s remind ourselves of some of the many Truths about ourselves. Repeat these often to yourself:

I unconditionally, unshakably, totally, and completely love myself

I accept myself

I honor myself

I approve of myself

I respect myself

I protect myself

I take care of myself

I forgive myself

I appreciate myself

I am pleased with myself

I am a good person

I am happy to be me

 

You ROCK!

Your Friend and Pep Pal,

Lauren

9 Quotes to Celebrate Earl Nightingale’s Birthday

 

Earl Nightingale was one of the first motivational speakers that I listened to regularly. I took a number of his recordings out of the library and listened to him repeatedly. I found his messages—and his gravely voice—to be very comforting. He instilled in me a sense of hope, which was something I really needed at that time. Because of this, he has a special place in my life.

To honor him, here are 9 quotes to enjoy:

~Don’t let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of your doing it. The time will pass anyway; we might just as well put that passing time to the best possible use.

~You’ll find boredom where there is the absence of a good idea.

~ A great attitude does much more than turn on the lights in our worlds; it seems to magically connect us to all sorts of serendipitous opportunities that were somehow absent before the change.

 ~Work never killed anyone. It’s worry that does the damage. And the worry would disappear if we’d just settle down and do the work.

~The more intensely we feel about an idea or a goal, the more assuredly the idea, buried deep in our subconscious, will direct us along the path to its fulfillment.

~We can let circumstances rule us, or we can take charge and rule our lives from within.

~We all walk in the dark and each of us must learn to turn on his or her own light.

~Don’t concern yourself with the money. Be of service … build … work … dream … create! Do this and you’ll find there is no limit to the prosperity and abundance that will come to you.

~You are, at this moment, standing right in the middle of your own acres of diamonds.

I hope these quotes can help you as they have helped me over the years.

Your Friend and Pep Pal,

Lauren