MaMaLiRZ

Mini-Hiatus

First of all I want to acknowledge those of you, especially Bo my near Friend!, for calling me out for not writing (my interpretation). Coyly he asked, “Hey MamaLiRZ! How are you doing, my friend? I was just thinking about you earlier today and wondered when you and your young men were going on your next adventure? Have I missed your blogs?”

To which I responded, luckily, that we were currently undertaking parks 6-9: Bryce Canyon, Capital Reef, Zion, and Death Valley National Parks. But I knew that didn’t account for the lost time since my last blog, nor explain why I allowed “Life” to take priority over focus and dedication to my plight! Right? I mean I wrote about not letting life stop you from steadfast focus. So in an answer to myself, I say, it was just a pause. I needed to catch my breath. But I am back. I’ve resurfaced. My lungs are full of oxygen and my mind is full of new ideas.

In reality, since I’ve last written, I took perhaps my last work trip to Europe, shortly after, the government shut down (now for over two weeks and counting), and I was furloughed. This after a short-lived fear that I was going to be RIF’d (which could still happen) instead of early retired.

But, I have a dream and I shall achieve success.

Shifting Focus

God/The Universe gives us all obstacles. How we look at them and treat them is up to us. In those obstacles we have naysayers and we have believers (and a whole bunch of people in between). We need to organize our lives, and look at those people we allow to be in it, without a filter or lens prejudging or adjusting for life’s experiences. Only by doing that can we see things and people for who they are.

But, my dear readers, the trick is believing our own intuition. Now I ask you, do not mistake my intentions here to be judgement. Rather, my intent is to allow people to be who they are and accept them in spite of it. Now back to the trick, use that to understand where they are coming from in their own criticisms or beliefs and how they best fit into your life: trust your intuition, and filter out the noise.

I was once told that my blogs should give hope and promise or at a minimum end on a positive note. But in reality, I feel that if everything was happy and go-lucky, it wouldn’t really be real. My readers, though perhaps less than if I was always upbeat, are smarter than that. I appeal to those of you who have the ability to see the whole person. And in being the whole person, sometimes I fall short and sometimes when my luck and perseverance win, I EXCEL.

Let’s face it, sometimes life sucks, BUT, sometimes life is magical. How can we really truly appreciate all the good in our lives if there is never bad for comparison? The Yin with the Yang, balanced duality.

While all of that was going on in the background, I finalized the planning for National Parks 6-9. We had so much fun none of us wanted to come home. We flew into Las Vegas, rented a car and drove the four hours to Bryce Canyon, where we horseback/mule rode into Bryce Canyon, hiked to Cassidy’s Arch in Capital Reef, dredged up the Narrows at Zion and challenged death in Death Valley. We even found time to ride the roller coaster at New York, New York, and watch the water show at the Bellagio. We culminated by returning to Tampa on the Red Eye flight, then back to school and reality.

Blog Out of Control

If you think this blog is all over the place, welcome to my mind and my thinking. This is my reality. One million activities and decisions to make every day, just like every one of you. And we do it.

Every

DAY!

Embrace the clutter and find your own way. Bring back YOUR joy. Dont be afraid to PAUSE when you need to, and don’t feel guilty. But always remember to thank those friends that reign you back in and remind you that there is belief in what you are undertaking. Then get back on the horse and carry on.

See I can end on a positive note, at least for today.

Thanks Bo :* Thanks for being one of the good ones!

PS: tomorrow I’ll tell you all about the farting horses;). Until then, the White House shutdown clock ticks on…