Journey to Acceptance©

Hello my friends...
It's been a little while.
I've been on a journey ~
To accepting my RA.
How about you?

Hmmmm
A journey to acceptance
from where to where?
from here to there
Acceptance ...

Acceptance of
what and who
and when to do
who knows what ...
I've never done it before.
acceptance of RA...
Have you?

Are you willing
to go on this journey
together - to who knows where
with who knows who,
for who knows what
Are you?

I am ...
Knowing you will be with me
tells me it will be ok, fun,
supportive, crazy,
virtually traveling all over the globe!
Why not?   We have nothing to lose!

Let's just take one step
one baby step
at a time
I'll hold your hand...
will you hold mine?
Let's get on this
Journey to Acceptance of our RA
and...getting to the other side!

Healing hugs,
Alicia

Moving Forward...No matter what.

"If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward." 
— Martin Luther King Jr.

My friends ~
I had a blog up
and it spoke to so many of us...
and it was deep,
painful and true.

However, my blog is a place
where I want to bring
a light
a glimmer
a speck....of hope.

Yesterday, although every word
was honest, raw and real...
I can't stay there, and I don't
want you to either.

So I took it down.

You see, my friends,
I do believe, as the quote above says
we must do what we can
to move forward...
baby steps.

Not that we can't express our frustrations.
No way.
But I need to have my blog be a consistent
place of hope for you ~
for me ~ for our supporters.

Just wanted you to know why
I took down a blog that seemed
to speak to so many of you...

Just know that
you aren't alone...
we are here ~ together in this battle.

Healing hugs.
~alicia

Oh, and let me tell you, I appreciate your feedback and support ~ I hear you.   Never give up, my friends...

Smile ~ it makes you feel good, and it is contagious :)

Hello my friends!
Phew, the top ten list was a lot of fun~
and a great committment to you.

Now, this week, I am going to share
a little something my mom read to me
when she was my "blog consultant"
(it is an official title, you know ;) )

When I was reading one of my blogs
to my mom...
I had said to smile, it would make you feel good,
and that it is contagious.
She said...wait...wait...I have a poem for you.
Here it is...from my mom ~
Enjoy!  It is fantastic!

SMILING IS INFECTIOUS

Smiling is infectious,
you catch it like the flu.
When someone smiled at me today,
I started smiling, too.
I passed around the corner,
and someone saw my grin,
when he smiled I realized
I'd passed it on to him.
I thought about that smile,
then realized its worth.
A single smile just like mine
could travel 'round the earth.
So, if you feel a smile begin,
don't leave it undetected.
Let's start an epidemic quick,
and get the world infected.
~Author Unknown

Healing Hugs,

Alicia

Life Happened...now what? Choices: 10. Embrace every single day ~ or ~ wish you had someone else's life.©

"Envy is the art of counting the other fellow's blessings instead of your own." ~ Harold Coffin

My friends, what a joy it is
to write for you ~ for me ~
for all of our families.
I write for understanding ~ clarity
empathy ~ smiles ~ laughs ~
but mostly I share tools I use for
our "Toolbox for Life"© and because
writing and coaching are my passions.

"Life happens" to all of us ~
News that brings unexpected changes.
Whether it be, finding out we have Rheumatoid Arthritis
or we lose our careers, perhaps a relationship ends~
we sadly watch a loved one pass away.
If we are living ~ "Life Happens".

Now, my friends, we have all been guilty
of wishing and hoping for other's great luck ~
good health ~ nice jobs ~ grateful children ~ nice homes ~
great marriages, great health...
wait I said that before...good health...
OK, you get my point.

Where does that leave us?
What good does that do for our soul...
our health and wellness...and for those moments ~
moments of envy ~ they are wasted time, aren't they?
Yes.

We can't get that time back...but we need that time.
Time is our gift.   It is priceless and precious ~
Even if we are in pain and struggling, sometimes it seems like
other people aren't and we just wish for something else.
Nope.   It won't help you to wish your life away.

Action will help you.   Positive action.   Every.single.day.
How are you going switch your thinking next time
you wish you had someone else's life?
Do something YOU LOVE!  That is the cure.
Surround yourself with people and things you love.

I am listening to Three Dog Night - Joy To The World...
Now I have readers from all over the world...but everyone
should look up that song and play it.
"Jeremiah was a Bullfrog...was a good friend of mine..."
Oh Yeah.   Don't you always have a nice memory or story
to go with songs?

I am going to give a little list of simple joys to finish up our Top 10 Choices!
Feel free to comment and add some of yours!   Who needs someone else's life?!
Ours is full, joyful, complex, and yet brilliantly simple, full of potential, love and
support!   Thank you for following my blog!

Ways to Embrace Every Single Day With RA ( or for anyone!)
Listen to your favorite music
go for a walk on a new trail
listen to the birds singing to each other
go to the Audubon and see the animals
call a friend
make a nice cup of tea
always have a book, a beach chair, sunscreen and be ready to go and sit anywhere your body takes you!
On that note - a nice road trip
pack a picnic with your partner, or a friend, or your child
start a hobby
sent a note or two to people you love to let them know you care
plant flowers
make a great desert
re-decorate on a small scale ~ at your speed
start a journal
buy a new CD that a friend recommended
get into a book club!  It gets you out too!
give and get 12 hugs a day!
smile wherever you go!  It is contagious!
do a random act of kindness everyday!
eat ice cream!
Always, always be kind...especially to yourself.   You are worth it!

Now, my friends ~ this finishes up the Top 10 Choices!   I hope you have enjoyed this journey with me!

Healing hugs,

Alicia