My List Of Happy Soul Moments

One of my intuitive coaches Danielle Dove inspired me today when I chanced upon one of her Facebook posts.  In that post, she asked, "What's on your list of happy soul moments?"  She then posted a hand-written note which had a listing of 5 things she gave and 5 things she had received that day which she had considered as her blessings.

Writing Down My List Of Blessings

So that prompted me to write down my own list of 5 things that I had given this week, and 5 things I had received and felt were my blessings.  I spent a good 2 hours thinking through these things in my list, not because I could not find any content for that list, but more so because I had so many and did not know how to prioritise them.  So I just listed down what came into my mind first. Logically, that should be a reflection of what I was most grateful for, because they appeared first in my mind, right? A snapshot of that list is attached below.

The Harmony Between Giving And Receiving

This evening, I had the chance to re-evaluate this list and felt a-washed with a lot of gratitude because for one, the list titled "What I gave" had 5 items listed on it but the list titled "What I had received" had 6 items on it.  I made a mistake.  The rule was to only jot down 5 items on each list but I did not realise I had added in a 6th item. But was it really a mistake?  Subconsciously, I believed that my heart and mind were in consensus that I had more opportunities to receive than I had given.  I promptly made a mental note to correct that in future.

Being Present

Then something struck me as I started thinking about that list I wrote.  Much of what I had given of myself was my time and energy.   I felt the best way to ensure that I had more opportunities to give, was to draw boundaries and have the courage to say NO.  By saying NO, then I could give more of my time to being PRESENT with the people who mattered.  So this is the list of what I gave today:

1) This evening, even when I was invited to a business cocktail,  which lasted till 8pm, I drew my boundaries upfront and informed the gracious host that I had to take my leave earlier at 7.30pm as it was my "date night" with the hubby.

2) One of my friends had been going through some personal issues at home and while she needed my help and advice, I had been "very difficult to track down".  We missed calls with each other, and we could not find a time suitable to visit each other.  She even had to resort to making an appointment with me.  So this afternoon, I made time to give her a call so that I could  listen to her as she discussed her issues with me.  

3)  12 May, the hubby and I would be celebrating our 13th or 14th wedding anniversary and his 50th birthday.  I would have then just gotten back from our week long vacation in Sri Lanka, so I knew he would understand if I told him that I wanted to take the day off on his birthday so that I could spend the day with Mom instead. I wanted to be present for Mom, spoil her and pamper her, and more importantly, give her a break from taking care of Dad.

Now within these 3 scenarios, they were opportunities presented for me to give my time and energy.  Equally so, I felt that they were blessings presented to me too:

1)  I was blessed with great conversation and laughter with the hubby at our date night.

2) I was blessed with my friend's full trust in me as she poured her heart out to me about her issues.  I was privileged to be able to help her as best as I could.  Where I could not, I was glad I provided her with a listening ear.

3) I was blessed with a very understanding hubby, who knew when to give me space to bond with my Mom.  He was never possessive of my time, and ever generous with ideas about where I could take her out to lunch.  I am so excited about my day with Mom when I can bond with her over a scrumptious lunch as we laugh about my childhood days or about Dad's antics. 

So you see?  I have now got a well-balanced list of what I had given, and what I had been blessed with.  Result!

About the writer:

The writer of this blog post is a 44 year old mother of one, who spreads her time between her day job as a marketing professional at a financial institution, her hobby as a certified professional tarot reader and numerologist, and her family which includes a 20 year old son and 3 dogs with personality disorders.  She's married to a Scot who has been affectionately called "The Crazy AngMo" and prays that he does not find out that the term when translated, has labeled him as a "Ginger Head".   Together, we create a home made up with more nuts than a fruitcake but filled with plenty of love.  Her other blog can be found at http://sungoddesstarot.blogspot.com

My List Of Happy Soul Moments

Danielle's List Of Happy Soul Moments

Things Worth Celebrating

Things Worth Celebrating

I came across The Petite Cadeau’s blog post calling for participation in their linky blog party themed “Things Worth Celebrating”.  I got really excited about it and started putting the word out to fellow blogging friends egging them on to participate in it too.

My enthusiasm stemmed from the numerous magical things that had happened to me in the last few months.  These were things worth celebrating:

• Dad recovered very quickly from his stroke, enough to get discharged on Christmas Eve.  I could never enjoy a Christmas party without him.  Having him there at my Christmas party was the best present I have ever had.

• My business, Sun Goddess Tarot saw a remarkable growth in reputation and clientele.  The breadth of work I have been doing with my business expanded to teaching Tarot and Numerology, and conducting corporate workshops on these subjects.  I had even delivered my first presentation to an international Tarot audience at a conference, sharing my experience on marketing strategies for Tarot businesses.

• Over and on top of running Sun Goddess Tarot, I have a full-time job doing what I  loved  to do  – Marketing and Public Relations.  The best thing about that job was my ability to guide the team at work to create a marketing and public relations machinery within the company that had been regarded by the management as a highly efficient team.  I loved mentoring.  My marketing and public relations experience has happily allowed both my day job and my business to co-exist synergistically.  What is even more amazing is that this evening, because of the sheer hard work of my team, the company won a Bronze award for the best product launch PR campaign at the inaugural Singapore PR Awards 2014.  It was the first time, the company garnered an award for PR in more than 80 years of history.  I was mighty chuffed.

• My son Joel finally accepted that going to nursing school might potentially have limitless possibilities for his future.  He need not have been worried that he would be labeled as Gaylord Focker.  Hence, he had been putting his whole heart and soul into his nursing course, and surprising me every now and then with excellent grades in some of his test papers or projects.

• My husband David turned his passion for photography into a little business as well, much like what I did with Tarot and Numerology.  Through sheer hard work, he had managed to establish a reputation for himself as an events photographer specializing in sports and rock concerts.

The list of things worth celebrating was by no means exhaustive.  These were just some of the key highlights of the last few months.  If I had a lot of time to table all things worth celebrating in detail, a single blog post would not have done it justice.

So, I reviewed once again the mental list of things worth celebrating in my head and realized that what was truly worth celebrating was really, my family.

Here’s What ‘s Truly Worth Celebrating

You see, for all the work and business achievements that were well within my control  because I steered the daily outcomes through team work and effort,  the quirky differences of each of my family members were another matter altogether.  

I found the annoying differences, and the idiosyncrasies  of each and every close family member quite endearing, and they did add even more color to my life.    I often looked to the bosses and colleagues at work, and even clients  for whom I did my Tarot and Numerology readings, for inspiration.  However, right before my eyes, my family members were my greatest inspiration.

• How many times have I called Mum crazy although all she wanted to do was, in her loopy ways, nurture and provide us with as much love as she could?  When she cooked our favorite food, often she modified them with no salt, no oil, no taste, just to help me manage my hypertension. When I was about to reach out for a pinch of salt, she growled at me like a cornered bear. – I celebrate Mum’s Love.

• How many times  I had thought Dad looked defeated by his stroke and dementia?  When I talked to him about his old friends, he could remember all their names.  When I reminded him about his old jokes, he would laugh heartily. He may be weaker from stroke and dementia, but certainly not defeated.  – I celebrate Dad’s indomitable spirit.

• How many times I had thought Joel lacked ambition and determination?  When Joel found joy in talking to his patients at the hospital,  or when he recounted how he helped processed the “last office” of an AIDs patient and felt gratified that the patient did not die alone as Joel was with him, I was pleasantly surprised. – I celebrate Joel’s determination.

• How many times I had thought David was an unromantic Scotsman who would rather club me on the head and haul me into the cave rather than take me out to a nice expensive candlelight dinner?  I was rampaging through my handbag today and found a crumpled little square corner of a serviette.  On it was a drawing of a cute teddy bear which he drew and it said “I love you”.  When I was clearing my camera roll in my Iphone, I came across a photograph of a cup of coffee taken one morning a long time ago.  On it was a heart shape drawn by him across the foam.  As I had been invited to do Tarot readings at the ELLE Singapore event last week, I wore a bracelet accessorized by charms that had Tarot images on it.   I remembered that David got that for me as a present, even when he was vocal with his skepticism about my metaphysical practice and often asked me where I had parked my broom. - I celebrate David's quiet romanticism.

Gratitude

Have you seen that animated movie "Brave" which detailed the adventures of a Scottish princess, Marida,  who  unintentionally  hired a witch to cast a spell on her mother to transform her into a bear just because her one wish was that her "mother would change"?  

I may have more nuts in my family than a fruitcake but I would not want them to change in any way.  Just a handful of people with their little idiosyncrasies could have a major impact on my life and me.

Wouldn’t you agree, they are truly worth celebrating?  To read about the things worth celebrating from the perspective of my fellow bloggers, please visit:  http://www.thepetitcadeau.com/p/things-worth-celebrating.html



About the writer:

The writer of this blog post is a 44 year old mother of one, who spreads her time between her day job as a marketing professional at a financial institution, her hobby as a certified professional tarot reader and numerologist, and her family which includes a 20 year old son and 3 dogs with personality disorders.  She's married to a Scot who has been affectionately called "The Crazy AngMo" and prays that he does not find out that the term when translated, has labeled him as a "Ginger Head".   Together, we create a home made up with more nuts than a fruitcake but filled with plenty of love.

Things Worth Celebrating

The loony Ash Family