Insclusion

Growing up in a diverse family where I have 5 brothers, 1 sister and a constant flow of foster kids in and out for over 10 years, I learnt the definition of altruism, empathy and inclusion, only by living.  

Moving forward..

During the past weekend, I volunteered in our City's Pride Parade walking beside a float.  It was my first opportunity to be exposed to this amazing event.  

I had to giggle internally as I discovered that at the best of times, I am truly an introvert, only exposing my quirks to those I feel most comfortable with.  Which seemed to come out quite comfortably.  

As I was walking along the float, I became present.  Paying attention, outwardly to those who were cheering us on.  Getting into a groove of being surrounded by so many variables, possibilities of exposure to my fears, I cheered on those who where there to celebrate freedom, love and inclusion.  

One of the girls in the crowd that I "high-fived" caught my attention.  I took notice to marks on her arms.  I can only assume (which I dislike doing) was due to her cutting herself or being cut.  I can't say this for sure but it struck a chord in me.  I wanted so desperately to run back, give her a hug and tell her how beautiful she was and how perfect she is at that very moment.  That no human could possibly put value on her other than herself, that she was exactly where she should be at this very moment.  

Returning to the beginning, I learnt at an early age through life experience that, we must accept another for who they are, give them, what we can of ourselves.

Learning about altruism, empathy and inclusion, is only done when you experience life, being present in the moment.  

I wondered why I was placed here, what my purpose is.  I may not know 100% sure but what I do know is that I'll keep on learning to become a better person.  I challenge you to do the same.  

To live simply..

As time goes by in life, I learn a lot about myself, others and.. adaptation.  

(Ad.ap.ta.tion -The action or process of adapting or being adapted.)

I'd like to say that it's been easy but that wouldn't be the truth.  

The truth is, somedays are more difficult than others.  There are days that I internally fall to my knees and sob uncontrollability, with more questions than I have answers.  I want to withdraw, become one and try to reconcile what tosses within my head and heart.   

I cannot tell you that life isn't worth living if we don't have these moments.  It is from those, we can choose to learn, grow and become stronger 

or.. stay where we are.

I've chosen to live.  Not just simply though.  I've chosen to be happy with who I've become, with the choices I've made and I can look back at the almost 50 years and know, I am not perfect but I am perfectly me.  I don't know everything, which is why I choose to live.  I want to know more, learn more and become more.  

Life will suck some days.  Today however, I will make the best of what has been thrown at me and be grateful for the good, positive loving moments I am blessed with.

There are two guarantees you will learn.. 

Life happens, death happens.  What you do between those moments are in your control.  

Credit

Firstly, when I see this quote I often think of those who are strong enough to stand up and make a change, in the darkness, when they feel most alone. 

It was then, I realized that the credit wasn't given to where or who it was due. 

Personally, I should have stepped back ages ago, to see that at times, I could have given myself credit for the parts of my journey I felt were a struggle but worked through them.  I started to reevaluate life to see how overcoming the tough parts, in the moment, I should have given myself credit.  

As many do, I have doubted, feared and sabotaged many opportunities due to not accepting credit from myself, to myself.

I am no different than you.

Take a step back and from things, breathe in and reflect.  From your life's challenges, have you given yourself credit for what you've over come?  The fears you've faced in the darkest of places, when you feel the most alone?  You are the one in the arena, you know both victory and defeat.  You will be okay.  

Being present

I've actually written many times in the past few weeks but stopped myself from posting.  I wasn't quite present enough to send out some positivity and gratitude.  

I will be the first to admit that my life isn't perfect.

however..

What I do is try my very best to be present in the moments, even in a tough moment. 

Seeing the birds fly free, watching a tree take life after the harsh winter, listening to the chatter at a local farmers market and breathing in air, which after all, provides life.

I am grateful for the small moments, for they help overcome my challenges.  Those sights, smells and sounds make my heart a bit softer, a bit bigger and a bit more open to gratitude.  

Take a moment today, be present and let go of what you cannot control.  Do what you know is best, putting your foot forward and smile.

Love always,

Nicky

Your life resume - being a Mum

If you are unsure of what this is, let me clarify.

A resume is a document that holds your life's history on what you've accomplished with your education, where you've worked and all of your successes.  Near the bottom, you'll typically put in your "personal interests" 

This is where I want you make a change.

Your resume reflects more than all of that.  It should reflect who you are and what you've become.  It should reflect your values, and personal beliefs.  Why?  Because I do NOT want you to compromise who you are and hide your beauty.  

Who you are and your strengths are NOT determined by education or employment.  Those two items are defined by your choices and life's path you've walked.

Irrespective of my education or accomplishments, I am first and foremost, Nicole.  My values are as such: (learnt from my personal journey)

Treat others the way THEY want to be treated.  This reflects on their culture, faith and the amount of love their heart is capable of holding or giving.Anger is an unworthy emotion.  I'll walk away from anything that causes me to think about anger, feel anger or see anger.  It can suck the life from you when you give into that emotion. Secondly in life, I am a mum and a VERY proud one.  My two boys are these amazing human beings that have become, or are becoming more than what they know.  If I knew then what I know now about being a parent...  well, I actually wouldn't change a thing.  Whatever I did, the contribution I made in their lives, has worked out pretty good.  

This has been my greatest resume entry to date.

Thirdly, I am a strong compassionate woman who will proudly wear these rose colored glasses.  I will always have faith in people and situations.  I've seen people become better after making some horrendous choices and, I've seen some amazing things come from difficult situations.  Where kindness has exposed itself when anger and resentment feel stronger.  

Taking off all the education and work experience and say this;

Nicole
aka: Nick, Nicky, Mum.

Relevant experience:

Raised:

Children - 27+ years

Dogs & cats - 40+ years

Grown:

Flower beds (Assorted) - in ground and raised

Vegetables / Fruit - Such as: Corn, potatoes, peas, beans, hops, strawberries.

Ability to:

Deflect, divert and change an opinion by being honest and positive.

Strengths:

Love, Compassion, Empathy, willing to help anyone, anywhere.  Can make a complete stranger laugh in a moment, Open arms for hugging and plenty of space in my heart and head to listen.  Give me a room full of people and I'll have you cheering when I'm in my grove.

Weakness:

My kids, our family, good, honest and kind friends. Warm days with sunshine, walks alone, softness, tenderness & genuine laughter.

We cannot take a home, car or ring to the grave.  What we leave behind is our biggest legacy and I couldn't be more proud to put all of this in my resume.

Love over hate

Often, I'll speak about reflecting on you but today, I want you to take a moment for someone else.  

Those that are closest to you, sometimes need your love and reassurance.  Sometimes, the simple act of your kindness goes a long way.  

Today, before you lay your head down and close your eyes, I want you to take a moment to be grateful for others in your life.  Take a moment to let them know and be patient with them.  If they are hurt, listen.  If they are angry, stop.  

I've seen these emotions come forward and hurt many others just by reaction.  Let things be and breathe.  If not for you, then for someone else who needs you more.  

Love goes much further than you know.

Finding your greatness

Often, conversations I have with others lead to purpose and meaning.  

We all need to find value in ourselves, feel the connection with another, so that they too, see our value.  Most of us, want to see our lives come to fruition, doing something that is beyond our sights, succeeding and mostly, finding peace within our selves.

It has to start with what’s in side.  You may have demons in which you battle, ones that carve your faith down, your self belief.  These may have been planted like a seed within your heart and mind and they will more than likely play a role in how you react, deal with and come out of situations you have no control over.  

There are also angels inside.  The ones in which your soul and heart feed from.  They will try their best to sweep other thoughts away, they will help encourage you, build you up and lighten the way out of whatever you are battling.  

It’s up to you, to build your greatness.  In order to do so, to be great in life, you have to start with being grateful.  

You don’t have to believe in anything other than yourself.  Now go, step in front of a mirror and tell the person you see, they are worth the value to invest in.  Tell that person they are good enough to take a step forward, and finally, tell that person to be grateful for this moment.

The less you have the more you can give

I've tried to write a few times this past week and found that the direction it was taking wasn't the way I wanted to see what I put out.  

So I just dove into life, living it, watching and listening.  Over the past few weeks, I've seen some amazing things happen, yesterday though taught me a lesson.

At the end of the day, I had a large coffee carafe to carry from work to my car.  Although it wasn't too heavy, it was large enough to be a wee bit difficult.  Being the capable woman I am, I choose to carry it on my own for that block.  

Standing on the corner, waiting for the light to change two young, healthy men stood beside me.  Minding their own business.  The light changed and I proceeded to walk with this large item, stumbling but not dropping it, another man to my far right started to yell at me.  I turned my head while walking to see what was going on.  

"LADY, LET ME HELP YOU"

I giggled.. he was a bit shorter than me and was kind enough to offer.  I declined and thanked him politely.  The other two healthy young men, walked on their way not looking back.  I didn't think anything further.  

This coffee carafe had to be delivered back to the shop that provided it.  After loading it in my car, I proceeded to the store.  Parking a bit closer to the door than I would usually, I went to the back where I stored it and grabbed it out from my car with a hefty thrust.  No problem I thought.. almost done.  

As I approached the door, a man who was asking people for change to buy food, stepped in front of me.  He reached over .. and offered a hand.  As my hands were full, my heart was fuller with gratitude.  I thanked him and he followed me inside.  We chatted while in line.  He told me a bit about his life and he looked at me, smiled and said, "Thank you for saying thanks and .. thanks for listening to me".  I was taken back.  Here, this man had not a thing to offer but a hand.  

This just clarifies to me that those who have nothing are willing to give what they can and those who have everything cannot see past the clutter in their own lives to reach out to do the same.  

I go daily with gratitude.  With love.  

Some say I live with rose colored glasses, too naive to be safe, so daft that anyone could take advantage and it will be my downfall.  

I say, if it is then I've lived a good life.  I'm a pretty smart woman.  I see things for what they are good or bad and I accept it.  I hope you can too.  

Having faith

In a world that was filled with darkness and fear, I found myself in the brightest of lights, conquering my biggest doubts without being aware, being alone. 

Pulling from the quote by Martin Luther King, "Faith is when you take the first step even when you don't see the staircase." 

I gained faith after taking that first step.

A reference for myself back a few years ago when I left a life I could not longer be part of.  My thoughts, dreams, values and priorities were not in line and it was slowly killing me.  I had tried, on several occasions to resolve the issues and came face to face with deeper ones I had no control over.

While in the midst of doing this, I discovered who I was, more so, who I was becoming.  

Before I left, I acknowledged feeling lonely while surrounded by others.  This not only hurt my soul, it in fact, almost devastated it.  However, after leaving and being separated from everyone, I learnt about the power to believe in myself and no longer felt alone even if I was. 

I gained strength by facing it head on.

Know that your journey at this moment may seem insurmountable and an unwise path, however, when you look back, the lessons you learnt will be invaluable.  Keep your tool chest open to the opportunities that will help you build so that the next challenge you face, you will be better prepared, your tool box fuller and the confidence from the past that you've done it with the faith in yourself you are strong enough to do it again.

Remember, being alone and feeling lonely are two different things. 

"The path we walk is unknown until we look back to see how far we've come."

The KISS principle

KISS - Keep it simple silly

After 46 years of life, I've found the KISS principle something that life should be centered around.  It's most recently been referred to as minimalism however, this reference is more towards items in our lives than just relationships.  What I want to talk about today is just that.  

Relationships. 

Take a moment to step back and start fresh, like a blank sheet you are given a fresh set of markers to remap what is good for you.  When you do this, I want you to apply the KISS principle.  

Draw yourself.  Describe what you hold important, NOT what you think others should see you as but what is important to you and relationships.  Here is an example;

Honestly, Integrity, Courage

Positive reinforcement, Healthy choices

Now take a look at what's going on in your life.  What causes you stress?  Is it financial, is it relationships, is it work?  Then ask, is it worth it?  Do you feel valued, were the decisions you made the thoughts that keep you up at night?  

Cut out all of what gives your heart ache.  Make a choice to KISS it away.  Don't put the pressure on something, someone or even yourself right now to have more, do more, make more.  Life is so extremely short and we are NOT given the chance to choose when it is done for us.  Do NOT give into the feelings that aren't about you, the feelings that do not make you happy and that rob you of the most valuable commodity, time.   

I sit here, lucky to have been surrounded by some amazing people, breathtaking opportunities and second chances.  I refuse to allow negative energy in our lives.  I will do my best not to give that most valued commodity away when I'd rather be living a happy life.  

Stop giving what you have to everyone else and start loving yourself first.  Trust me when I tell you that everything will fall into place when it's time.  Just keep it simple silly.

All my love to you..