Archive for January, 2007
-image-The Oddest Thing Happened Last Night
January 31, 2007 | Just Me
I suppose I haven’t been keeping you up to date on the whole house selling thing. We’ve had no bites, not one, and in December we asked our agents to take the house off the market. It was just too hard keeping up with the showings and perfect tidiness with the holidays and everything happening. Well, he isn’t taking any showing requests, but he also hasn’t brought the paperwork for us to sign, so it’s technically still listed. No signs or anything up though.
Last night, while Wakizashi was at Karate and the Kung Fu Master was pouting over an early bedtime (in his bed of course) I noticed there was a car sitting in front of our house. For quite a while. Then, they backed up, waited, backed up, and waited some more. I stood in the doorway watching trying to figure out what was going on. Then they decided to pull in. A lady got out of the car and asked if the house was for sale, she said she had the listing printed out but was confused because we had no sign.
Ahhh…. It all becomes clear. We talked for a bit about pulling the listing and relisting and… I don’t know what came over me, I asked her if she’d like to see the house. I explained it was a mess (everything we’d packed up from the house and put in storage is now in my living room, kitchen, and laundry room - you’d be surprised how much a 5×5 storage unit can hold) but if she didn’t mind that I didn’t mind letting her walk through.
What was I thinking? I haven’t vaccuumed or mopped (at least the dishes were done)! I was sure Wakizashi would freak when he knew I let someone in with the house like this. But the whole time she was standing there I kept thinking I should ask if she’d like to see the house and finally, I could stand that little voice no longer and knew I couldn’t let her go without asking. I’ve always known that voice to be trustworthy so I went with it. (I think some people call it your intuition, but I personally believe that it’s God in me.)
You know, she seemed interested. I told her that before we relisted we intended to lay carpet and do more painting (I’ve been dreading having to do all this to be able to sell the house. But that’s another story.) She told me that they were hoping to get a house with all that undone so they could do it. I told her if she’d like to come back in a week or so I’d be happy to clean the house up for her to go through again, and she said she didn’t need that, she could see past all that - but that her partner might like to come through with her. She asked if I wanted her number and I said it might be better to give her my contact information - she’d be the interested one after all.
That night Wakizashi and I talked the hard talk about what we’d take on an offer and found that we probably wouldn’t mind lowering it enough to pique their interest (maybe I should have taken her number too!). In fact, I’m downright giddy at the idea of these girls coming back and buying our house as is - not having to invest thousands more dollars (never mind the hours). The thought of all those showings and hassles and the right person could just come along, look at our torn apart house and see all the potential in it.
All along I’ve wanted my home to go to someone who would love it, and totally revamp it to make it their own. The possibilities in this house are endless and I wanted someone who would see that and be inspired by it. Frankly, I wanted my home to be a blessing to someone else, rather than a burden (and maybe it’s that hope that’s kept all the other offers from coming in). I saw that in this girl - she saw something in my home, I’m sure of it.
Ever since she left I’ve been seeing us hearing from them. What I would say, how it would go, how it would feel to have an offer and to accept it. I’ve been praying and believing that this odd encounter wasn’t just one of those wierd things that comes and goes. I’m believing this: These are the people and it’s going to be a great experience for both of us. (I just hope I can keep that positive faith up while I wait to hear from them. I really should have taken their phone number.)
Earlier, I blogged about Magical Wishing - how praying, supporting, and believing for each others’ dreams and wishes helps them to come true - and I shared two of my wishes. But I left one off, left one unspoken.
I didn’t say it because the house wasn’t listed, because I couldn’t bear to be disappointed, because it was easier to dismiss it. Then this oddest thing happened last night and I know that one of my primary, most immediate NOW wishes is for this house to sell and for it to sell soon, with minimum hassle. I realize now that the indefinite of this has really been weighing me down and I can, for the first time in a long time, feel the release that knowing it’s finally sold would bring.
So, please, please, please, pray, believe, hope, wish, and generally think good thoughts, that the oddest thing that happened last night will turn into a great story about how we finally sold this house. (We sure could use the support.)
Posted by Megan @
9:55 am |
-image-Magical Wishing
I’m really enjoying the Create a Connection blog; I kept wanting to go back so as not to miss anything, but despite my best intentions I ended up almost never there. So, this week, I enacted a plan of great genius: I set it as my homepage! Now, each morning I open my browser and am sure to discover that day’s creative input. I must say, I truly am a genius.
“Good idea, Megan.”
“Why, thank you Megan.”
In scrolling through the back posts I discovered a great challange - how could I have missed this?
Just post on your blog something you really, truly, deeply (and maybe even secretly) wish for and leave a comment here to let us all know that you’ve done so.
Then everyone who is participating in Create a Connection, and anyone who sees this post, please go to each and every one of our wishes and in the comments write, “As _______ wishes for herself, so I wish for her also.” Encourage people to go over and do the same.
What an excellent idea, kudos to Jamie for suggesting it.
I love that it’s coming while I’m thinking and posting about dreams and passions. I love what Jamie says on the subject,
There is great power in knowing our dreams, in saying them out loud, in having them witnessed and in the shared enthusiasm of believing in and hoping for each other.
What else is praying for someone if it’s not taking hold of someone else’s wish, dream, or hope, saying it outloud and adding our belief and hope to it? We probably aren’t used to supporting others with a preset phrase, but I’m sure we’ve all experienced the power of like-minded support and unlimited belief in what we can do and accomplish.
Besides, I’m a firm believer that people who pray (wish, hope, dream, support) for and with each other are the ones who become a community. Which is why I’ve decided to participate.
I’ll tell you my wishes, and hopefully you’ll tell me yours, and we can share our prayers and hope with each other (and all the other participating ladies).
My all-time, most powerful wish is that I would be able to live out my life’s purpose, that I would have the opportunity to pour out everything I have to offer and die knowing I held nothing that was given me back. I want to live a life that serves, enriches, blesses, and empowers other women. That’s my greatest wish.
Right now that’s firmly tied to my business - Everyday Renaissance is the venue I see as being my means of reaching the women I’m meant to serve (at least for now) and so I’m pouring myself into that. So, my second wish would be that 2007 would be the year of Everyday Renaissance - the year where it grows and succeeds.
And now, a slightly abrupt change of topic: Along those lines, I’ve been working on the background side of my business for the last week or so (you just never know how much work it’s going to take until you are knee deep in it and it’s too late to turn around!), and I think I’ve decided to blend my blogs into one. I kept them seperate so that I could maintian a divide that I no longer feel I need to keep. So, over the next week or so I’ll be shifting the best of Living Abundantly over to this blog and only posting on this one. The good news is, there’ll be more posts here!
I’ve got a couple other projects on the go that aren’t ready to go public yet either, but right now I’m itching to get back to the subject at hand and post about our passions. So, I’ll be back.
In the meantime, visit The Making Magic Together Post, post your support and hope to the other wishers and dreamers, and hey, go ahead and post your wishes so other people can offer their prayers and support to your dreams too.
Posted by Megan @
12:45 pm |
-image-The Hidden Power of Paper & Pen
I’m having a very minor issue - my day is too full. I have two appointments that I have to keep this afternoon, and even though I have the morning to do other work I’m feeling slightly panicky and distracted. The reason is, of course, a buried concern that I’ll get absorbed in my work and miss an appointment - that I won’t be able to fit everything into my day. So, instead I went downstairs to have breakfast.
For the last few days my mind has been telling me that it would probably be a good idea to add a Weekly Goals list to my daily schedule system. The idea being that I can jot down any projects, appointments, or tasks I need to (or would like to) accomplish within the week. That way when I plan my days I can use that list to help me craft my daily To Dos.
Today, as I munched my peanut butter toast, I realized that the problem was I had scheduled in an impractical task for a day with so many timed commitments (i.e. I needed to be somewhere at a particular time). The task itself needs to be done, but it’s a time eater. It easily absorbs an hour more than you meant to spend on it. It really should have been scheduled on a light day or when I have no where to be in the afternoon.
Why then did I put it on my list for today, I wondered of myself. The short answer - I didn’t want to forget it. Right, says my mind again, a weekly list would have been helpful here. I wouldn’t have to worry about forgetting and I could pick and choose what day the task would suit. When I just try and plan my life, or work out a problem, within my head I end up without much more than stress and a stomach ache.
See, that’s the Hidden Power of Paper and a Pen - it takes the issue outside of my head. When it comes to issues like worries and forgetting writing things down is kind of like dumping your purse out on the table. You can see all the crap you’ve acquired (somehow), pick out the things you want to keep with you and leave the rest of the junk on the table (to be cleaned up by someone else I suppose). Writing down my To Do lists and goals and tasks is immensely powerful in my life. Nothing actually gets done, no change gets completed successfully, until I finally put pen to paper.
But, the Hidden Power is more than that. There’s something else. Something bigger and deeper than saying words out loud or thinking them over and over (both equally powerful activities). Yesterday, I journaled about something that’s been on my mind. It’s been weighing me down inside. Not a conscious worry or doubt, but something subtle that serves to nag and prick at me. Like a rock in your shoe, sometimes it’s off to the side, but swing your leg the wrong way and it slips under your heel or arch. I touch on it here and there in my morning pages (journaling), but yesterday it was really heavy inside of me and I was feeling desperate for an answer. Ready to take drastic measures (like start doing some research and reading - you know, actually act to find my solution).
I didn’t write it down and eventually work my way to an answer. No. Because the problem was that I had no internal answer. I needed help. (The prime issue revolved around a doubt of my own accuracy in my conclusions. I’m outside the norm in my thinking (depending on which peer group you are using as your basis for norm) and my mean little inner critic keep prodding me and telling me I’m wrong and trying to pile on the guilt. I needed something to say - it’s ok, you haven’t gotten lost. That kind of thing needs an outside prompt.) I just left all my worry and doubt on the page. I couldn’t afford to pick it back up, I needed to get on with my day, so I left it all dumped out for someone to clean up later.
Then, coincidentally (wink, wink), I realized during my reading time that I had forgotten I was reading a particular book (The Secret Message of Jesus - Mclaren) and decided to pick it back up (sometimes I read so many books at once I forget what I’m currently reading!). I started reading and Lo and Behold (I love that expression) I was suddenly reading comfort. Right there on the page an answer to the words I had left on yet another page, “It’s ok. You aren’t lost. You aren’t alone. You are on a good and solid track. You are getting it. Persevere.”
I pick up paper and pen, and put my mind, my heart down in ink, suddenly comfort, an answer, responds. It never fails. Not once. My life is easier, happier, the days seem to glide along peacefully, when I write things down. So, I’ve become convinced that there must be some hidden power in a piece of paper and a pen (haven’t you felt the magic in the stationary section as you touch the soft paper and admire the elaborate pens?). In and of themselves they just seem like normal everyday objects, but once I let ink run out and stain the paper… that’s when things begin to change.
Posted by Megan @
10:38 am |
-image-The Parable of Peer Pressure
I read this story in Book Yourself Solid (Port) this morning and loved it. I just had to pass it along.
An old man, a boy, and a donkey were going to town. The boy rode on the donkey and the old man walked beside him. As they went along the passed some people who remarked it was a shame the old man was walking and the boy was riding. The man and boy thought maybe the critics were right, so they changed positions.
Later, they passed some people who remarked, “What a shame! He makes that little boy walk.” They then decided they both would walk.
Soon they passed some more people who thought they were stupid to walk when they had a decent donkey to ride. So they both rode the donkey.
Now they passed some people who shamed them by saying how awful to put such a load on a poor donkey. The boy and man said they were probably right, so they decided to carry the donkey. As they crossed the bridge, they lost their grip on the animal, and he fell into the river and drowned.
The moral of the story? If you try to please everyone, you might as well kiss your ass goodbye
You don’t realize just how stupid you are being trying to keep everyone happy until you get to the part where they pick up the donkey… I’m thinking, there are probably a few places in my life where I could put the donkey down and start making my own transportation decisions. (Besides, a donkey’s freaking heavy to carry around anyway!)
Posted by Megan @
10:32 pm |
-image-Friday Felicitations (on Sunday)
I apologize for running behind this weekend, my compensation is that I will be back to my normal posting schedule starting tomorrow (Monday).
My Felicitations for this week:
This week my regular weekly commitment to CoffeeBreak started back up. We couldn’t find a study we liked for the new year so this time around I’m writing it. Despite being so sick I did manage to honour my commitment and got the first half of the study (five lessons) written, typed, and printed in time to be handed out.
Laura (one of the two overall leaders of the group) told me this week she loved the lessons I had written, which is both a compliment and huge relief (I’d hate to have to rewrite them). I’ve never done anything like this and frankly I’m surprised that they entrusted me with the task. It feels great to get a compliment - and especially from someone I respect.
Anne (one of the ladies at my Coffeebreak) told me on Thursday she felt I was gifted as a teacher. It’s nice to have other people come alongside you and confirm the gifts you’ve been working on don’t you think?
I had one other commitment I had to do this month (despite being sick), I was invited to be a guest host on Create a Connection by contributing to three Interview Tuesdays. It was a great experience (even though only one interview has gone live so far I’m pretty much done on my end) and I’m so proud of myself both for the results and especially because I got everything done early and avoided the dreaded “deadline crunch”. Woo Hoo!
And the best felicitation of all: My cold is finally on it’s way OUT. I know, you are all cheering along with me. Phew. Friday I did absolutely nothing at all and it seems that’s what the doctor order because I woke up Saturday so much better than I’d been the day before. I still have a cold (taking it easy a bit), but the major infection seems to have fled and it’s all up hill from here. Thanks for being so understanding with me everyone!
Felicitations to Go Around:
I love giving felicitations and compliments, it’s tough to do sometimes, but I really enjoy spending my week looking for things I can point out as worth remembering about those people I encounter throughout my days. (It seems simple, but the whole idea is much harder than it looks!)
First, wlecome to all the new F.F. Movement Members! Ladies, I’m so happy to have you. I’ve been by to read your first FF posts (and skim through your blogs in general) and let me say, I know just how hard the task is and I think you all made excellent posts (I know some of you were worried once about “doing it right”). I’m glad to have you on the movement. If you want to visit their blogs just scroll down you’ll find them linked on the sidebar (even the non-English ones). (If you want to know more about the Friday Felicitations Movement or would like to take part you can visit the F.F. Page for all the basics.)
I’d really like to thank the ladies who generously allowed me to interview them for the Create a Connection blog. I’m so appreciative that they took the time out of their schedules to share with me (and all of the readers). Plus, I just love all they had to say; I’m a big supporter of learning from what others have to say and these ladies have a lot to say. So thanks to Rice, Shelley, and Christine!
Which reminds me, huge kudoos to Melba for initiating the Create a Connection blog in the first place. It’s looking awesome and I’m truly impressed with what you’ve got going. I think the creative community can only benefit from it and from you. (Plus, lots of kudoos to the other hosts who’ve been doing such a good job, really, I hope you’ll stop by and see their work.)
Finally, lots of thanks and acknowledgments to my Inks Writing Group girls for being so patient and generous with me while I’ve been away so long. I’m so impressed with how you stepped up for each other. I’ve been reading your posts and I just want to say I’m proud of all of you!
Funny, I’m not sure I’ve noticed it before, but writing this post always pumps me up… What do you have to celebrate this week? Write it down, tell someone, shout about it! Come on, you’re worth it!
Free the Spirit!
Posted by Megan @
4:00 pm |
