Accepting Defeat

We can't always win and we can't always have things the way we want them to be, however we can accept our defeats with the grace of a woman and not the grief of a child. We can learn and move forward knowing we are that much better for the experiences we have had ... even when we don't win.

And Then It Came To Me ....

So about a month ago I was watching the movie As Good As It Gets and I had a huge epiphany. In the movie Jack Nickelson says to Helen Hunt "You make me want to be a better man". I thought about this for awhile and then it came to me .....

In life you should always surround yourself with people who make you want to be a better person. People who lift you up and are always encouraging you to be your best .... those are the people we need on our lives. I have come to realize that I have only a few people like this in my life ... they are my close friends ..... everyone else is just an acquaintance.

Things

I had a strange and unusual evening last night and then I came home to an empty house .... my dog had gone to my parents house for the evening due to poor weather conditions and I didn't want him to be at home alone. It was last night that I realized how much of me he is and I also discovered that sometimes the best things in life are not things .......

Happiness is .....

... a compass and a willing accomplice.

6am

There is something very peaceful about 6am ............................

Action Vs. Reaction

I have always lived by the cardinal rule that for every action there is a reaction. For example :

ACTION: Me using the term "ass crack of dawn" any and every chance I can get.

REACTION: While on the trails yesterday my mountain bike jumped up and hit me square on the ass crack to the point where I can barely walk today.

So needless to say, Action Vs Reaction, Karma, what goes around comes around and anything else that may apply here is alive and well in the Penley household. One should always watch what they say, be careful what they wish for and keep their ass cracks out of it !!!

Go For It .........

Everything you need is already inside.

Northbound

Today I was Northbound and realized a few things.



-Sometimes the road to inner peace can be found in your own backyard.



-Sometimes you can find peace, faith and hope in the unlikeliest of places ...

A Road Less Travelled

What would you do if you knew you only had one day, or one week, or one month to live ?? That is the opening line in the movie One Week that I just watched last night. It is a fantastic movie and it really makes you sit back and evaluate your own life. I thought this movie was going to be about death and dying, however it was instead a journey of self discovery and living each day to it's fullest. One of the biggest messages was to never settle and always strive for something more.

To strive, to seek, to find and not to yield.

NEVER FEAR THE ROAD LESS TRAVELLED ......

Friends Are Flowers In The Garden Of Life

I love my friends ....... they are amazing people and there is nothing I wouldn't do for them. I have come to realize that its not the quantity of friends you have but the quality of friends you have that helps your garden grow. I don't have a lot of friends .... but the ones I do have I hold near and dear to my heart and I consider myself to be a very lucky person.

In the garden of life we also know that every rose has its thorns. Life happens and sometimes friends may drift apart for no apparent reason. The important thing to remember is the road to a friends house is never long and if you were meant to be friends then you will find your way. Recently I have been fortunate enough to run into some old friends. Nothing fills my heart with more warmth and joy then to see and hear about my friends successes and triumphs in life after all these years. When we talk it's like no time has gone by at all ......... What wonderful flowers I have in my garden :)

You Raise me up ......

Inspiration :

- To affect, guide or arouse by divine influence

- To stimulate into action, motivate

- To breath life into

- To be the cause or source of

- To stimulate energies or ideas


I have been inspired !! For the longest time I have felt like I have been stuck in a rut and now I feel as though someone has breathed new life into me and it feels fantastic!! I am about to embark on a journey, a journey that I should have taken many years ago. It will bring me a clear mind, body and spirit. It will be me putting me first, something I have not done in a very long time. This is my journey, this is my moment .....and I plan on owning it!!!

To my friend across the miles. Thank you for being my own personal cheerleader. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, your wisdom and your truths. Thanks you for inspiring me to be a better person most of all thanks for raising me up ........

The Power of One

"To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world" - Anonymous

One of the greatest things I have ever done for myself is to do things by myself. There has always been so many things I have wanted to do, but I always found that I was waiting around for other people to do it with to avoid doing it alone. Then it came to me ..... I could be waiting around forever. So I decided to start taking control of my life and do the things that made me happy for a change.


For the most part ... it's not about the destination, it's about the journey. I know so many of you have heard that all before, but it's true. Taking the giant leap of being an independent person and going to some far off place alone is a huge part of the journey. Last year I took a big leap and went camping for the first time ...ALONE. It was fantastic. Not only did I have the time and peace and quite to hear my inner self ..but I was also able to overcome some fears I had.

#1 Fear of being alone

#2 Fear of being alone in the deep dark woods

#3 Fear of being alone in the deep dark woods during a thunder storm (basically all the elements of a horror flick )

I found this excursion to be both profound and liberating. I basically came home feeling like there was nothing I couldn't do. I was ready for my next adventure ..... I was ready to take on the world !!

So to the world ...I may be one person and maybe I haven't found that one person I mean the world to, but that's OK because for now it's all about the journey .... the journey that is telling me there is no strength in numbers ...the power is in one !!