Journal Post Day 365

 

The last day of the year!  And what a year it has been!!  We have seen the best of the best; the worst of the worst.  Some of our freedoms have been taken away with the pandemic.  We have had to invent a new way of negotiating our daily lives.  I have not been disappointed as I enjoy being alone, being creative, reading, painting, writing, and playing my piano.  Do you know why the end of the year is so important?  Why it is important to define what comes next?

The end of the year is the perfect time to reflect not only on what happened during this year but also to find out what comes next.  It is the best time to align objectives, to align what needs to be done, and meet the new year with enthusiasm and earnest.

As I ponder my last day of the year, I look back and remember that even though difficult with the challenges of my husband's health issues, I have progressed in a way I thought that I never could.  I have a home that is warm, comfortable, and inviting.  It is a fort against the elements of snow and wind.  

Steven Spielberg wrote, Every single year, we're a different person.  I don't think we're the same person all of our lives.   I have found that it is beneficial to have a year-end reflection. Here are the reasons it is so important and the benefits you derive from an annual reflection:

• Allow you to see how far you have come in the past year
• Recognize your improvements
• Enable you to celebrate your successes
• Understand what you can do better
• Let you learn from your challenges
• Stop you from making the same mistake twice
• Help you to make better decisions going forward
• Discover areas to focus on for personal growth
• Help you to feel more fulfilled
• Increase your productivity
• Allow you to make better use of your time and energy
• Increases self-awareness
• Help you to feel more motivated as it is easy to focus on the negatives rather than the positives

This will help thought processes and to set up goals for the new year!  Integrating reflection into my end of year rituals will positively impact my personal growth.  I have found that writing an end of week and end of month reflection allows to critique my process and flow.

Happy New Year!

Tranforming Our World; Me at a Time!

 

What are affirmations? An affirmation is the action or process of affirming something or beng affirmed, a formal declaration by a person who declines to take an oath for reasons of conscience, or emotional support or encouragement.  What are the affirmations that will allow me to end my year graciously?

If I have learned one thing this year, it is necessary to be gentle with myself and others.  It has been a year of hard work, financial inflation, pandemic uncertainities, an emotional roller coaster.  We all have been a bit weary and stressed.  It is time to become recklessly gracious! A gracious person is a graceful person, someone who at least attempts to not hurt others’ feelings with clumsy words or thoughtless deeds.  I know that I cannot control what happens in life, but I can control how I respond to it.  I do remember that my response is my greatest power.

This year, I have learned that no single struggle defines everything we are.  I took lesson when an experience with a family member dashed and slaughtered everything I believed to be good and righteous in this person.  What she did changed the course of my career and in how I care for my husband and myself.  It has taken me a long time to resolve the situation within myself and I have moved on.  Time will tell whether or not this person will be allowed back in my life but I will not be the one to approach her.  She will not define me by my response because in my lack of response, I hold my greatest power.  Little does she know that her behavior (or lack of good behavior), changed the course of my life into a course of more success and blessings I could have never imagined.  My greatest power.

One of my affirmations is that remembering that no single struggle defines everything that I am.  I am surprised how persons tell me that they have been good and kind and yet defined by that one mistake.  And remembered only for that mistake.  How I can relate to that!  I have dealt with the consequences of my mistake for years.  No single chapter tells my whole story regardless of the malicious person(s) that attempt to do so.  I have learned to just keep turning the pages that need to be turned and writing the new chapters that are carrying me to the happy ending.

I have found that my life steadies itself with simple rituals.  I make my bed as soon as I rise from it.  I love it neat, pressed, and decorated with my favorite pillows.  This drives my husband crazy but it stabilizes the start of my day.  I cannot jump out of bed, get ready for work right away, and leave the home.  I have to have an hour before to drink something hot, plan my day, get ready unhurried, start the car to let it warm up, check my animals, lock our home, and leave.  Each simple act attracts calmness and wisdom.

The end to my story is, despite all of our world challenges, the biggest, strongest, and most complex obstacle that I will ever face is my own mind.  I am not responsible for everything that happens, but I am responsible for undoing the self-defeating thinking and behavioral patterns that the unwelcome experiences create.

This is my official blog. My other site by this same name was pirated by a woman named #AnnetteKayeBedwell, #AnnetteKayeCasady, #AnnetteKayeReynolds, #AnnetteKayeKruse, #MistyDawn, #RedBedwell (she is known many alias' and is in possession and uses all personal information owned by me).

To date, she has refused to return my site and blog back to me.

Copyright @2022 by www.CandidCandaSpeaksOut.com

https://www.candaleeparkerbeingcandid.com/

All rights reserved. This blog or any portion thereof may not be printed, copied, reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review or similar cited with author's name and copyright.

Catch the Falling SnowFlake

 

A snowflake is a single ice crystal that has achieved a sufficient size, and may have amalgamated with others, then falls through the Earth's atmosphere as snow. Each flake nucleates around a dust particle in supersaturated air masses by attracting supercooled cloud water droplets, which freeze and accrete in crystal form. Snow appears white in color despite being made of clear ice. This is due to diffuse reflection of the whole spectrum of light by the small crystal facets of the snowflakes.

Where I live, it is snowing, and snowing, and snowing! Fluffy snowflakes cascading downward to find a place and give nutrient to our farmlands. I love the snow and it does not bother me to be out in it. I know that it bothers some people. Did you know that there is such a things as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and it is estimated to affect more than a half of million people every winter. The symptoms of such disorder include depression, anxiety, lethargy, social withdrawal, overeating, oversleeping, weight gain and difficulty concentrating. It is said that all of us may experience one or more of these symptoms during our winter season.

As in all things and with what I have experienced, it is important to practice self care and mental health awareness all year round. Perhaps it would be a good idea to keep track of our moods and behavior in winter to help combat any of the symptoms that may be related to SAD. There is something to be said about finding a great purpose to our lives. Connecting ouselves to a greater power that we believe in is a great way to gain perspective and empathy for others. Become present in the moment and rather than focusing on selfish attitudes. I will begin college classes again on Monday and this will keep me busy while the snowflakes fall. My internet business has expanded. New adventures are in the making. Winter’s reputation for hibernation is also punctuated with bursts of energy. The energy that burns bright in this sleepy season gives it that joy. Winter is as much about lounging in PJs and sipping tea as it is about racing down a mountain on skis or a sled. Winter is lovely but for those who have the opportunity, it can also be loads of fun.

“Always maintain a kind of summer, even in the middle of winter,” advised Henry David Thoreau.

This is my official blog. My other site by this same name was pirated by a woman named #AnnetteKaye Bedwell, #AnnetteKayeCasady, #AnnetteKayeReynolds, #AnnetteKayeKruse, #MistyDawn, #RedBedwell (she is known many alias' and is in possession and uses all personal information owned by me).

To date, she has refused to return my site and blog back to me.

Copyright @2022 by www.CandidCandaSpeaks Out.com

https://www.candaleeparkerbeingcandid.com/

All rights reserved. This blog or any portion thereof may not be printed, copied, reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review or similar cited with author's name and copyright.

Importance of SisterHood

 To be sisters implies that there is an unbreakable bond between two or more individuals. Sisters take care of each other, watch out for each other, comfort each other, and are there for each other through thick and thin defending even wrong should it need be. Sisters do not have to share genetics or biology to be sisters. The Lord has said, “I say unto you, be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine.” The adversary would have us be critical or judgmental of one another. He wants us to concentrate on our differences and not compare ourselves to one another. We have been God-given talents, each to their own, to develop and use for good. The fact of the matter is, we really and truly need each other. Women naturally seek friendship, support, and companionship. We have so much to learn from one another, and we often let self-imposed barriers, perceived notions of negative, mistakes of others to keep us from enjoying associations which could be among the greatest blessings in our lives. I love the example we have in the first chapter of Luke which describes the sweet relationship between Mary, the mother of Jesus, and her cousin Elizabeth. Mary was a young woman when she was informed of her remarkable mission to be the mother of the Son of God. Initially it must have seemed to be a heavy responsibility to bear alone. It was the Lord Himself who provided Mary with someone to share her load. Through the message of the angel Gabriel, Mary was given the name of a trusted and sympathetic woman to whom she could turn for support; her cousin Elizabeth.

There are days when I wish I had family I could turn to but that is not to be in this life. Self-destruction can seem to be the normal among those we meet along the way. I have a woman who claims Christ but acts otherwise; the gossip, the negative, acts, the unpaid judgment, the falsehoods. And yet, I believe that she is part of the sisterhood that teaches me how to love her in a way that she can be loved; from a distance. Her lessons have made me strong, confident, and strengthed the relationships that matter most to me. She has encouraged me to succeed far past what I thought I could and I look forward to the more that I can be. That is a beautiful reflection of sisterhood!

If there are barriers, it is because we ourselves have created them. We must stop concentrating on our differences and look for what we have in common; then we can begin to realize our greatest potential and achieve the greatest good in this world. We have been blessed with tender and charitable natures which enable us to render Christlike love and service to those around us. This Christmas has given me a new perspective on what I want my new year to be; joyful, compassionate, endearing, seeking truth, and loving all women, despite how I am treated.

As we look beyond our differences in age, culture, and circumstance to nurture and serve one another, we will be filled with the pure love of Christ and the inspiration which leads us to know when and whom to serve.

Catch the Wave

 

Many people are afraid of having a snap point and hitting rock bottom. My husband and I hit "rock bottom" about 6 years ago. Everything we had worked hard for and thought we were becoming was gone! Medical bills, medical tests, doctors, doctors, doctors, me working two employments (making less than I ever have made in one employment), and Thom without work and struggling to receive the benefits that he had dutifully paid for years, was the anchor. Today, I am still the sole survivor as Thom has had medical setbacks once again. I had a stalker and family members who intentionally made my emotional life chaotic and filled with hurt. It has taken me longer than wanted in my educational goals. In some ways, I feel that we are still at rock bottom but not as deep as we once were.

That’s understandable. As human beings, our natural instinct is to protect ourselves from harm and keep ourselves safe. But staying in my comfort zone and avoiding difficult things only leads to long-term pain. Hitting rock bottom is hard. It’s confronting and it can be deeply unsettling.

But most people who hit rock bottom end up being grateful for the experience (as unpleasant as it was), because it was the catalyst, they needed for them to turn their life around and create something better than what they had before. I have learned that hitting my rock bottom and having my snap point gave me:

A strong reason to change, which will lead to long-term results that gave me clarity on what has led me to the situation I am currently in; a reality check, which helps me see where I really am and what I need to change, clarity on what I want, clarity on why I want these things, an opportunity to create the kind of life and body I really want; a reason to keep going when motivation is low or non-existent, patience to keep putting in the work required, even if I don't feel I am making progress, a commitment to the process, whatever it may involve a resilience that I previously didn’t have, a willingness to take a risk that I previously wouldn’t take, more peace about losing weight because you’re no longer driven by a deadline hope (even though my birthday next year is my final goal), because the only way from here is up.

We understand the power of a snap point and how hitting rock bottom can be what I need to make long-lasting change to my personal goals and body shape (a martial arts 20-minute workout on its way). Those who are most successful in their transformation journeys are those who have experienced the lowest of the lows. While hitting a snap point can be confronting, we know that a real, true transformation is just around the corner.

For me, I have built a battleship that dutifully and diligently plows through the waves of storm and reaches calm waters.

Cookie SisterHood

 

#LightTheWorldWithLoveAndWisdom

Each evening I have been choosing a different type of Christmas cookie! It is good practice and I love teaching myself how to use artistic techniques with the frosting, glitter, and other decorating ideas. The meaning of practice makes perfect is used to say that people become better at something if they do it often. While practice might not necessarily make your skills perfect, it certainly is still an important piece of the learning puzzle. I believe in learning how to treat others takes practice! Everyday is not the same.

I have learned in my employment that we are individual in our skill sets, our genetics, learning environments, and attitudes. Ask anyone in your workplace what treatment they most want at work. They will likely top their list with the desire to be treated with dignity and respect. You can demonstrate respect with simple, yet powerful actions. Demonstrating respect is the most important interaction that you can have dealing with the everyday people who populate your work life. AND it can even work when dealing with family members and close friends!

How grateful I am for the life lessons and education that allows me to become a better leader, an incredible person, and even good at cookie decoration!

Copyright © 2022 By CandaLee Parker 

IRideTheDarkHorse.com

candalee@candalee.com 

All rights reserved. This blog or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review or similar cited with author's name and copyright and only with written permission of the author.