simple life

My Joyful Pause Moments: Weekly Recap

Posted by Barbara Techel

One of the reasons I came up with my daily “joyful pause moment” is so that I will hopefully encourage you to look for your own joyful moment in each day. We can get so caught up in our busy lives and tend to have blinders on to all the beauty around us. Often times it only takes a moment to notice something that makes us smile and brings us joy. Mine are easily triggered by my dogs, animals and nature.

With that said, I must say I got caught up in my busy life this week and forgot to look for some of those moments. And you know what? I feel a difference in myself. Though for the most part I’m a pretty happy person, I realize how much happier I am when I take that moment to take in something that makes me smile. So I shall work on doing better this week!

But here is my recap for this week:

windchime 1200These windchimes have hung on a hook off my deck railing for a few years now. But all of a sudden I had a whim that I should hang them from the tree next to my writing cottage. So I followed the impulse and took great joy in placing them hanging from a branch, standing back, and admiring them.

myspaceMySpace.calm sign has hung above my writing cottage window ever since my husband built this 10 x 12 room for me about seven years ago. While doing yoga and in pigeon pose the other morning, it really called out to me. I sat in my pose for a few moments longer and felt this overwhelming gratefulness for this space of my own and the love and support of my husband who understands me (he dubbed my cottage, MySpace.calm).

10325732_10203068284321241_2715664139533545665_nI love this quote. It was the perfect quote to read on the day our “True Self” class started up again and will run for the next seven weeks.

10344361_10203080415824521_1038293599471040872_oOne of my favorite places for lunch in our small town – Off the Rail. Also a perfect place to meet for a cup of tea, which I did with a friend this week. I admit I didn’t take this photo, though I love it. The steam engine came through as a special event a few years ago. While this is a rare sight, we now have working trains coming through again when for years we didn’t. I LOVE to hear the whistle of the train when it does. Such nostalgia!

g and me having a cup of tea 12Me and G having a cup of tea. Well, okay, G does not drink tea, but I do! Also this was my attempt to sit in stillness for five minutes each day as is our “assignment” for the week from our True Self class. You know what I realized? One cannot sit still with a wiggly dachshund in their lap!

 

 

Resident Bird Watcher.

Posted by Barbara Techel

IMG_2012Kylie has taken to her spring title of “Resident Bird Watcher.” No bird gets past her view that hops or flies through the front yard.  Well, that is, as long as she doesn’t nod off, which she has a tendency to do.

Funny how I saw my first robin two days ago and now I’ve been seeing them everywhere. It’s almost as if that first robin on Monday gave a bird shout out to all the other robin’s that all is okay to come join the party.

I’m enjoying the sunshine today, though we still need to wear a heavier coat as it is still about 15 degrees below normal for temperatures… and a winter storm advisory is up for our neck of the woods later tonight.  Can someone please tell Mother Nature it is spring?  Maybe I’ll have to talk to the Resident Bird Watcher and find out if she has a direct line. It certainly can’t hurt to ask.

I just finished working on my bi-weekly newsletter that will come out on Friday. I got an adorable photo of Ms. Gidget that I included. A sneak peek to what is inside this issue: I can see clearly now that my connection with animals is what leads me to my highest self and helps me trust that little voice inside me called intuition.

Keeping the Home Fires Burning. Gidget on the Job Front and Center.

Posted by Barbara Techel

2014-01-03 11.50.12We are in for some nasty, frigid weather starting Sunday. Coldest its been in quite a few years around here. Windchills to reach 40 below. 

I always feel so sorry for Kylie having to run outside and do her thing morning and night. Gidget, on the other hand, having IVDD, has an advantage with me expressing her little bladder right over the toilet.  See?  IVDD does have its advantages.

The woodstove John installed on November 21st is going to get a full blown workout these next few days.  Miss G is right on top of things as you can see.

Each time John has left the house today and returns, he brings in a few more logs we have stacked in half our garage so that we can keep a good stock pile inside to combat the cold.

So, I’m sure some wonder, why we wouldn’t just turn on the furnace? Well there is a wonderful ritual that John and I are enjoying with our woodstove.

As I set my 2014 heart intentions for the year (I don’t like the word goals– too formal and stiff), one of my heart intentions is to keep living as simply as we can. We see the woodstove as part of that equation.

We hope it will help lower our heat bill by not running our furnace. A way in which we can live more self-sufficiently is how we have approached this.

There is also something of the experience of picking up and loading 4 cords of wood, which our friend, Cassy, helped John with earlier this fall. Both hard workers, it was also a fun outing of bonding and talking time for them both.

Also, not to mention the ambiance of the winds howling outside, nestled in front of the warm woodstove, reading a good book, Lil’ G nestled in my lap, and Kylie snoring on the sofa….and great conversation with the love of my life.

It’s in the experience of all of this that evokes feelings of a simple, happy life.  Sure, we could get up and move the lever over a few notches on the thermostat.  But what fun would that be?

So, ok, maybe not for everyone. But our woodstove has become an important part of our family and we love her dearly.

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