Planning

Oh how I LOVE to plan trips!

Not only does it mean I get to make lists (and subsequently cross things off of them when I complete the tasks) it also means that I get to plan and execute travel - which I LOVE to do!

The trip I am planning is for Paris and Jersey, and will take place in November if all of the things I am trying to organize come to fruition... Really, right now what I'm waiting for, is to hear back from work (telling me that yes, I can have the time off) then to hear back from my friends in Paris (France, not Texas) telling me that yes, indeed the dates will work for them, and finally to hear back from one more friend over in Jersey (Channel Islands, not New) telling me that schedules actually *will* work.

Once I have those cards in my hand I'll start booking things (flights, train tickets, hotels and so on) and getting excited.

In anticipation, today, I bought my Euros and ordered my Sterling cash.

Is it too early to start packing my suitcase now...?

Dream Big

"Always aim for the moon, even if you miss, you'll land among the stars"

I have no idea who said this in the first place – I suppose some serious Google time would provide me some answers - but Googling this isn’t on my list today (grin) and so I’m not going to do it.

I do, however, love the concept – and what I love so much about it is the understanding that, in dreaming big & going after those big dreams, even though I may never accomplish the exact thing that I have been dreaming of, I still get to accomplish things that (to me, at least) are huge and glorious and (most of the time) unexpected blessings.

Humans yearn – that’s what we do. We need to *need* in order to grow. We have to have things to strive for or we become stagnant and stale in our hearts.

I think that part of our collective challenge is that, with a few disappointments and hurts, we begin to think that the yearning for *whatever* is the problem. We determine that yearning for that home, that car, that friendship, that job or that relationship is what has caused all of the pain and those problems and we start to think that it would be better NOT to yearn for that special thing, and then we try very hard to close that door in our hearts, tie it up with ropes and melt the ends of it so that it can never come unraveled again.

I have certainly tried to close those doors, tie them up and melt the ends of those internal ropes. As many times as I have tried, though, the ropes become unraveled, the doors crack open and hope shines through like early morning sunshine. Sticky, buttery gold that sparkles into my heart and mind – making me a little crazy with hope and anticipation every single damn time.

Albert Einstein (yes, I know this one) said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

So what am I dreaming big about right now? The perfect job. Weight loss without having to diet or exercise. Owning my own home again. Love. Going out for a walk with my gorgeous dog and coming home to a magically clean house. Breakfast in bed. A couple of weeks of vacation in Paris and on Jersey. Romance. A new mattress (mine makes my back sore.) A big back yard. Fulfillment.

I guess that what I really need to do next is to look at how I have been working toward all of those things and change something in order to have a new and different outcome.

Time to get dressed and take the dog for a walk.

xx

Lists

OK, I admit it.

I *love* lists – or rather, I love to make my own lists and then complete items on them and cross them off. The feeling of documented accomplishment that a list gives me is pretty cool.

I’m thinking of what lists I can make today – and yes, I am making a list of lists.

• Grocery List
• House Cleaning Chore List
• Travel / Trip Planning List
• “To Do” List

That’s the list of lists so far today. Next item on the list is to complete the lists and then start completing the items on them and crossing lines through them.

An excellent plan for a quiet and slightly overcast Sunday!