Define Your Own Perception, Part III

I think my new favorite day of the week is Wednesday.
I can't even put in to words how proud I am of my sponsors, as they open their hearts and share such amazing lessons and stories.  When I thought this idea up, I had grand hopes for how it would go, and I can't believe that my hopes have been SURPASSED.



First up, is Zara, who happens to now be an IRL friend!
She inspires me with her talents, her outlook on life, and her budget skills...oh wait, we are still working on those. Hehe.



Eckhart Tolle once wrote:

Some changes look negative on the surface but you will soon realize that space is being created in your life for something new to emerge.

Life is full of changes. If there was no change life would be consistent and boring, and what’s the fun in that? Without change we wouldn’t be able to appreciate the good things. We wouldn’t know the difference between hate and love, sorrow and joy.

About this time last year, my husband and I were told that we’d have to move from my beloved Colorado to Tucson Arizona. This was unexpected, as Hubs had applied to positions in Texas and Florida, not Arizona. Neither one of us had ever imagined living in the desert. We would much prefer to be next to an ocean, or in my case stay in my beautiful Rocky Mountains.

The first sunset picture I took when we came to visit Tucson for the first time.

Initially, I was excited about this change. I was excited to be moving on to the next step of our lives, buying a house, putting down some roots. HOWEVER, I never thought I’d be so far away from family and friends. As the move got closer and closer, all I could think about is how much I wanted the job to fall through, for me to be able to stay in the familiar with my family and friends. You can read about my freak-out here.

As the move drew closer, I kept finding more and more negative things about Tucson. My list was miles long, and included things like; it’s hot, it’s dry, there’s snakes and scorpions, it’s in the middle of nowhere, the closest Chipotle is 45 minutes away, we don’t have friends there, we don’t have family there, and so on.

I’ve come to add to that list, with things such as: ITS REALLY FREAKING HOT! And not only are there snakes and scorpions that get into your house, there are also poisonous Colorado River Toads which could stop my precious dobies heart in a matter of 15 minutes. Not only that, but the fancy restaurant in town is a pizza place, and the Mexican food is TERRIBLE!!!

About a month ago, I had a major breakdown, tears and all. I got mad at the Hubs for bringing me to the middle of nowhere, where I don’t have any friends. Where we have dirt for a backyard, where the walls of the house are insane-asylum white, where the temperature at 8 AM is over 90 degrees! I even went as far as contemplating moving back to Colorado to live with my parents while Hubs finished out the two year contract he has out here. You can read all about it here. 

In the middle of this whole fiasco something unexpected came up. A beautiful friend of mine (Miss Janna herself) reminded me that it’s all about perception. We've got to perceive things on a positive note, for every single positive has 10 negatives attached to it, and if we choose to view life with the negatives we’ll never be happy. AND I mean never ever ever!

Lao Tzu wrote: Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.

So about a month ago, I decided to take Janna’s advice and listen to the wise words of Tzu. We can’t resist change. It is a natural course of life. Without change we’d be stall and boring. I’ve physically and mentally chosen to embrace the change in my life, and part of what helps is that it’s not permanent. We’ll move to a different place eventually, and I bet when that move comes I’ll resist it just as much, but maybe, just maybe I’ll be able to dive in with a positive perspective over a negative one.

Today, I’m happy and thankful to be married to the love of my life, to be able to travel with him, and support him in all of our adventures and undertakings. I’ve come to realize that without this move, I would not have been able to adopt my beautiful Doberman, Lilly.

Or have the opportunity to meet some wonderful neighbors and good friends.
 I wouldn’t have had the opportunity or the courage to really start up my photography.

Nor would I be able to appreciate the cool mornings brought on by evening monsoons and so many other things.

I’ll leave you with a quote from a man I believe to be a complete ass, especially to women, but a brilliant mind nonetheless.

“The snake which cannot cast its skin has to die. As well the minds which are prevented from changing their opinions; they cease to be mind.” ―Friedrich Nietzsche

These two keep me on my toes, because they are sweet AND sassy. They are both outgoing, lovely women, but they are also two of the most honest and real people that I know. What you see is what you get with them, and that is just what I look for in a person's character.

BLOG || FACEBOOK || TWITTER

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Nicole's story inspired me because she does not PASS JUDGEMENT, and I think that is a great quality. I love that she can see things for what they really are, and not let them negatively affect her.
In this situation, most people would shun the person for her life choices. She doesn't.
Most people would walk away if another judged them. She doesn't.
She knows that this woman has a long way to go on her journey, and she is willing to be patient instead of walking away. That is true character.

In college I became friends with a girl that lived on my dorm room floor. As our friendship progressed I learned that she grew up Catholic but didn't really believe those teachings.
 She met another girl on our floor who was Wicken, and eventually the friend started claiming she was an Atheist. I grew up in a Christian home but I never judged. I know that people go through things in college and see many different experiences. I just kept praying that eventually she'd find her way back.

 After a few unfortunate events we grew apart and were no longer friends, in fact we couldn't even be in the same room with each other. It was a bad ordeal, but this girl and I had mutual friends so they still kept me in the loop from time to time.
This girl hit rock bottom eventually and tried to harm herself indefinitely.

 After that she started attending church again on a regular basis and in the more recent years she and I have become friends again. Although, the real kicker of the deal is since all of this, she has told me that I'm not Christian enough. What can I say?
I had to blow that comment off, and I'm just glad that she's found her way again.

BLOG || TWITTER
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I must say, it is hard for me to picture cute little Pamela getting mad, but when she does share those stories, she cracks me up. She looks all sweet and innocent, has a big heart, but also tells you what for.
{That's Southern for trouble}

I used to think... that since I went to school for Interior Design, I would be working as an Interior Designer at a huge furniture store.

Now I know... that life doesn't always pan out the way that we want it, but I am perfectly okay with that.  I love my life & where I am now!

People see me... as an outspoken & honest person.

But I hope that... they know it's apart of who I am, & I don't claim to be anyone else but me.  

I blog because... it is my outlet from everything else & our scrapbook, since I have been slacking on our scrapbooks!

BLOG || FACEBOOK || ETSY

These are three of the most honest and real ladies I know. When you read their blogs, you feel like you are getting the real them and they don't sugarcoat anything. They are the perfect mix of good hearts and open minds. That is a rare find these days. Don't you think?

PS. There is a fun giveaway that I am participating in over on Pink On The Cheek!
Do you want a free button designed just for you by yours truly?
You will find that and more!