Great Books for Relaxation and Creativity

Lately, I've been using two types books to help me relax and use a little creativity.
You don't have to be a professional artist or writer to enjoy them. (If you are, you could still give them a try.)
If you're a homeschooler or a parent looking for screen time alternatives for your older kids, this is for you!
If you're feeling stressed out, burned out, or just searching for a simple way to relax or get your creative juices flowing, then read on!

Book Type 1: Adult Coloring Books!
How many of you enjoyed breaking out your pack of crayons and filling in page after page as kids? I know I did! I often didn't have any screen-time growing up. I could spend hours coloring in those jumbo books or ones with my favorite characters in them. As I got older, my interest in them faded out as it got less challenging and the images became "too young" for me. Now, some amazing coloring books made just for adults (or I would say for middle school age skill level and up) are gaining a lot of popularity lately! The details are more intricate, the designs more "grown up".
Art actually has therapeutic benefits and is good for your brain. It can be a sort of meditation, a positive outlet for self-expression. With these books, advanced art skills and expensive supplies are not required. Grab a pack of crayons or color pencils* and one of these books and have some fun!

(*Note: Prismacolor color pencils are my favorites. They are expensive and not necessary to enjoy these books, but as far as quality goes, they surpass all other brands I've tried. An excellent addition your birthday or holiday gift wish list!)

This book, The Creative Therapy Colouring Book, is the one I'm working on right now, but there are so many lovely options to choose from.

Book Type 2: Writing Prompts Books!
As you may have guessed, I love to write. Fun facts: I've kept a diary since I was in first grade. Before that, I was being homeschooled for Kindergarten, and I quickly learned how to write in print and begged my mom to teach me cursive because I admired her beautiful handwriting. Lucky for me, my mom taught me that too.
Even though I've always enjoyed writing, sometimes I run out of things to write about or just need a little prompting. Hey, even the best writers need inspiration!
Then I stumbled upon some wonderful books in a British bookstore that were just perfect! (Don't worry. These are easily found on Amazon too!) I recommend ordering this one- 642 Things to Write About. It contains a great range of topics-from silly to serious, very simple to complex. You can spend just a few minutes penning a couple of sentences on a simple topic or go with a more challenging one and perhaps even develop a whole story out of it.

Reader Response
Have you tried these yet? Do you have a favorite?
Is there something like these books that helps you relax or get creative?

~LadyH


** I am not getting paid to nor was I asked to promote anything mentioned in this blog post. This is my personal experience and recommendations based upon those experiences.**

Funny Kid Quotes! June 2015 Edition

Having a rough day? Bored?

 

These quotes from Little Man might cheer you up!

To his hamster: "God lives in your heart Hamtaro. So you need to say some hamster prayers because I say prayers for children since I'm a child."

 

 We were creating a bedtime story together:

Me: "But the dragon could not be slayed w/ an ordinary sword because he was magic. So the knight needed what?" Little Man: "The knight needed a MAGIC sword!" Me: "Yes, the knight needed a magic sword, but where could he find this magical sword?" Little Man: "The knight found the magic sword at [a shop]! Then he killed the dragon!" Hahaha

 (For another dragon in our story, Little Man came up w/ the villagers, the Knight, and the heroic queen working together to make a magic potion to tame it. He also decided that the heroic knight and the heroic queen-who saved a village-rode back to their all green kingdom and castle on a flock of chickens!)

 

According to Little Man, there is a whole line of electronics made for hamsters, and they're also compatible with electronics for humans...

Little Man: "Daddy, Hamtaro wants to play your Xbox." Daddy: (pretending to hand his controller to the hamster) "Okay, here you go Hamtaro." LM: "No Daddy! He needs a hamster controller! It will work with your Xbox, but he can't have your controller bc his hands are too little...Silly Daddy!" A little while later... LM in a very serious voice: "They also have hamster iPads. We should get him one of those too."

 

Hero: "Hey [Little Man], if you don't pee pee in your bed tonight, I'll bring you a surprise home from work tomorrow!" Little Man: "A surprise?! Like what?" Hero: "I can't tell you. It's a surprise!" Little Man: "Is it candy?!!" Hero: (Knowing that he's thinking about getting LM candy but doesn't want to tell him) "I'm not going to tell you. You'll just have to wait and see." Little Man: "I know! You're going to bring me home a giraffe! A real giraffe!!....Or a zebra...That would be okay."

 

Me: "Oh no! The birds ate those ripe strawberries before we could pick them..." Little Man: "Uhhhh!! Those birds are so mean! Those were my strawberries! They need to get their own."

Hero: "Birds just take people's strawberries bc they can't grow their own." LM: "Well, I don't want them stealing my strawberries! That's mean!" Hero: "I think we need to get some netting to put around our plants...or something to scare them away, like a scarecrow." LM: "We could get a scarecrow or...We could get a lion!! It will roar ever time they get too close like this...RAWWRR!!"

 

Part of a Father's Day project I was doing with Little Man for his daddy:

Me: "What makes Daddy laugh?" Little Man: "When I make silly faces!"

Me: "What makes Daddy sad?" LM: "When I poke him in the eye!!"

When jumping into the pool:
Little Man: "Water cannon!" Me: "Uh, did you mean 'cannon ball'?" LM: "No Mama, water cannons shoot water."

 

Sometimes we like to lightheartedly mess w/ each other...

Little Man: "Mama, that book you're reading is thick!" Me: "You're thick!" LM with a smug look on his face: "I'm not thick. I'm comfy." (I have no idea where he picked that one up, but it's hilarious!)

 

After I dyed my hair, and he loves the results...

Little Man: "You colored your hair just like they showed in the video! Good job Mama! I like your hairs like that...Right now, I'm a boy. But when I grow up I want to grow into a woman, not a man." Me: "Why would you want to be a woman?" LM: "Because then I can put colors in my hair like you!" Me: "You don't have to be a woman to do that. Some men dye their hair too. Daddy doesn't. He just cuts most of it off, but some men do." LM: "Oh, okay. Then I think it will be fine if I grow into a man."

 

Just in case you're needing a translator....

Little Man: "Mama, I speak three languages-American, British, and Spanish!"

 

While walking around in the hospital...

Little Man shaking his head and frowning: "¡Qué lástima!...What a shame!"...and later: "¡Qué lata!" (meaning "What a pain!") Apparently, it doesn't live up to his standards. haha

 

While walking past Starbucks, we see some people there in the same uniform as his daddy after dropping his daddy off at work...

Little Man: "(gasp) Mama! What are those workers doing?! They are not supposed to be at Starbucks. They are supposed to be at work! My daddy is working. That means they need to be working too."...He would be a tough boss. He doesn't approve of grabbing coffee before work or breaks if someone else is already at work.

 

Looking at everyone with coffee in their hands as I'm looking through a clearance rack in the store...

Little Man: "Mama, little boys can drink tea, but 'womans' drink coffee. Do men drink coffee?" Me: "Yeah, some men drink coffee. Daddy just doesn't like it." LM: "I can't wait to grow up to be a man because then I can drink coffee!!"

 

We were up and running errands much earlier than usual, and the sun was already brightly shining.

Little Man: "Ah!!! Shoo sun! Get out of my eyes!" Me joking: "What? Do you need your morning coffee for this?" LM: "Nope. I need some peppermint tea." At least he has healthy preferences.

 

After leaving my doctor's appointment...

Little Man: "Mama, wait! You didn't get your sticker!" Me: "Adults don't get stickers when we go to the doctor. Only kids do." LM: "Uggh...What?! That's not fair. You need a sticker." Indeed. It is an injustice.

Letter Décor Craft in 5 Easy Steps

Today, I'm going to teach you how to make the letter décor craft I just completed in 5 easy steps.
It's not complicated or difficult.
Because of some of the materials though, I would not recommend it for children.

You can use this project to spell out a word or simply display one letter.

Materials:
Cheap canvases (Determine the length of the word you want. Then get a canvas for each letter.)
Fabric (enough to cover canvases)
Fabric scissors
Wooden letters (must be small enough to fit one on each canvas)
Acrylic Paint (color of your choosing...I ended up choosing metallic silver after a mistake.)
Paintbrush
Textile Glue
Iron (to smooth your fabric)
Cover for your surface (I used a broken down soda box to keep the mess off of my table.)
Double-sided tape (optional)
Gloves (Optional...This is only if you don't want your hands to get paint or glue on them. I didn't care & didn't use gloves.)
*If you're wanting to mount this on the wall, you'll have to figure out how you want to do that. You could add a picture frame hook and use that and a nail in the wall to display yours.

***A well ventilated area, especially for the gluing part!***

Step 1:

Cover your surface and paint the wooden letters. Coat every nook and cranny with paint. Be careful to keep it neat as excess paint will try to spill over the edges and create an uneven appearance. Allow to dry.



At first I thought about painting my letters "Metallic Red"....

But to me, it turned out to looking more pink than red even after allowing it to dry, and I'm not a fan of pink. So, it had to be changed ASAP...



Step 2:

Cut out your fabric to the correct size to cover and wrap around to the back of your canvas's frame.



My fabric all folded up...ready for cutting...I love the print on the fabric. They were leftover swatches bundled into a pack and on sale! I sold some things at a consignment shop and bought this beautiful fabric. I really like modern leaf designs.

I cut one piece of fabric out to match the size of the canvas and then used it as a pattern to cut the other three pieces out.

 

 

Step 3:

Iron your fabric! You don't want any wrinkles or creases.



I don't have much room for storage in my current home. Instead of a big ironing board, I use this thing which is made to be a safe surface for ironing, but that you can put anywhere and fold up like a small blanket when not in use. Love it!



 

 

 

Step 4:

***Make sure your work area is well ventilated for this step.***

Glue your fabric to the wooden frame on the back of your canvas. Make sure you make all of your edges and corners flat and neat-no loose fabric. Think of it like wrapping a present. Allow it to dry! If you want, you can some double-sided tape to the underside of the edges of the fabric afterwards to give it a little more hold and a neater look (even though it will be facing the wall). (What can I say...I'm a part time perfectionist.)

 

 



Two sides folded over...I folded the corners down around the wooden frame of the canvas as if I were wrapping a present. Then, I lifted the flap of folded fabric up. Put glue between the frame of the canvas and the fabric and smoothed and pressed it together.


The ends of the fabric were too loose and unruly for my liking but refused to glue down to the inner edge of the frame. I used double-sided table on them for a little extra hold. Again, the tape is optional.



 



I think the lines of the fabric are creating an optical illusion here because the tape did help secure the ends without the fabric becoming too loose.
 



 

Step 5:

When it is completely dry on the back, turn the covered canvas over and glue your painted wooden letter to the canvas. Repeat this step to glue each individual letter onto its individual canvas.  (Note: This is textile glue...Make sure you don't accidently glue your craft to your work surface!)



The covered canvases without their letters...



And the letter glued onto its canvas!!

 

 

 

Have fun creating your own!

I would love to see a picture of your finished product in the comments!

If you write a blog post about yours, please provide a link to my blog and copy a link of your own blog post into the comments as well.

Please share this post on social media too.

 

~LadyH

 

 

 

*Please refrain from taking photos from this blog or altering them in any way without written permission from the author of this blog. Thank you for staying honest and respectful readers!



 

 

 

 

Who Will You Be in 5 Years?

 

Have you heard of the app "Timehop" or seen people recycling posts from years ago on social media?

 

For a lot of my friends, it's like looking at their baby books or wedding photo albums. Well, it's usually the same for me too, but oftentimes, I see suggested posts on mine from 5 years ago and don't post them. Why? Because that person doesn't really seem like me any more or I'm just happy that I made it to a new chapter.

 

In the high schools  that I went to (totaling 4 in 4 years), they were always handing out these worksheets to try to help students plan out their futures. One of my least favorite questions was: "Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years?" For some people these questions seem rather simple to answer. They would follow in the footsteps of their parents- graduate from the same high school and university, earn roughly the same income, live in the same town, attend the same church, and have a couple of kids with someone they met in school. Even if that's not what they really dreamed about, the blueprint was clearly sketched out for them already. I always knew I wanted something different, and that my path was and would be different than many of those around me at that time.

There certainly were a lot of expectations for me, but many of them conflicted between the various parts of my community and with my own ideas. I was often erasing my own blueprint and drawing a whole new one with each step I took in creating my identity. Looking back, I do have regrets, but they're not the ones I thought I would have 5 years ago. My life was headed in a direction that I didn't want it to, but I didn't see any way out. I couldn't imagine 5 years into the future because I was so busy trying to survive most days.

Five years ago, my life was about to change in very major yet positive ways, but the uprooting was painful and chaotic. It certainly didn't look like anything positive was happening or going to happen in my life. I was in a very deep low. I was coming out of an unhealthy relationship in which I had invested a lot of myself. I was struggling as one of the "working poor" with no end to that in sight, and I had grown up living -as the government termed it- "beneath the poverty line". I was in a lot of pain in different ways and unsure about most things. I didn't see a way to have a really strong and supportive social network at that time, and hardly anyone knew what was going on in my "behind the scenes". I had to be very careful about maintaining that "highlight reel" (whether or not that was the right choice is debatable). I felt that I had no true safe haven. Nowhere I really belonged. I didn't know who I was. I say all of that not for the sake of drama or pity but so that maybe others will gain hope and encouragement from my story. So, just hang on, my story isn't going to be a tragedy.

Fast forward to the present...I'm married to "Hero"- the man who was my best friend and one of the few who saw the truth and supported me. Hero did not keep me through force or fear. He attracted me and helped me build myself up with a love that was empowering. He taught me how to drive and helped me get my driver's license (in 2 countries!). He taught me how to swim (still need to improve but at least I wouldn't drown if I fell into a pool now!)... As with any relationship, we are not perfect people, but we're a good match.
We have a handsome son together. Little Man's beginning was really rocky health wise, and we've have some bumps along the way. But I knew a whole new depth of love when they first lifted him over that curtain and have felt it ever since.
Hero sacrificed a lot and got a job that takes care of us financially. We have lived in several different states in America and now another country in the past five years. I have healed a lot and now intentionally working on that. I've acquired so many more new skills and received so much more training. I'm working on my higher education. I love my community! Our family has some wonderful connections with family and friends now. I finally declared myself a Baha'i and have had some great times already with other Baha'is in my community! (That alone deserves an amazing separate post.) I like the direction my life is going. I have a safe haven, somewhere I belong. I feel loved and am capable of loving others more.

All of that being said, I don't think self discovery is a destination. Our identities are constantly evolving through our life experiences and stages of life. If you don't like who you are today or if you're just at a really low point, it does not have to last forever! That hard time just might be rerouting you to a better future if you let it. (You could think of it as a plot twist in your life story. Characters develop through challenges.) My hope is that, in the next five years, my family and I will continue on the path towards bettering not only ourselves but those around us in the way we choose to live our lives.

Quick Tips
Regularly evaluate your priorities, values, and beliefs. Setting specific goals-both short term and long term-is great, but the choices that add up, the way we go about accomplishing those goals, our daily actions come from a core that you need to check on a regular basis. We all have room for improvement. We are all a work in progress.
Try to keep from getting stuck or from going backwards through introspection. How you go about this is up to you. For some, writing in a journal is helpful. Hold family meetings. Study your Holy Writings and their application to your life with your faith group. Seek out wise counsel (or a professional counsellor). Look for positive role models both in your life and those you only read about in books or magazines. See how you can model the qualities in them that you admire. If you mess up, try to forgive yourself and keep moving forward. There really are so many ways to make positive change! (I speak to myself as well as others in this! I certainly am not perfect.)


Q &A*
Do you have a difficult life experience that brought about a positive change?
Who were you 5 years ago compared to today? How has your life changed? What have you experienced in those 5 years?
Who do you hope to become in 5 years?

*You can answer these in the comments or in your own blog post. (Drop a link in the comments if you do please!) For some, these might be better as a personal journal entry. Please share this with your friends and family!

~LadyH

Inspirational Baha'i Quotes for this Week:
"Regard man as a mine rich in gems of inestimable value. Education can, alone, cause it to reveal its treasures and enable mankind to benefit therefrom."
~Baha'u'llah

"Whoso ariseth among you to teach the Cause of his Lord, let him, before all else, teach his own self, that his speech may attract the hearts of them that hear him."
~Baha'u'llah

A Baha'i Prayer:
"O God!  Refresh and gladden my spirit.  Purify my heart.  Illumine my powers.  I lay all my affairs in Thy hand.  Thou art my Guide and my Refuge.  I will no longer be sorrowful and grieved; I will be a happy and joyful being.  O God!  I will no longer be full of anxiety, nor will I let trouble harass me.  I will not dwell on the unpleasant things of life.
O God!  Thou art more friend to me than I am to myself.  I dedicate myself to Thee, O Lord." 
~ Abdu'l- Baha

7 Tips from a Really Amateur Gardener

Want expert advice?

This is the wrong post for you!

But...if you'd like to come along for a ride with my sister and I on the start of our gardening journeys in two different countries, then...Buckle up baby! This might be a bumpy ride, but you might

enjoy it.

My sister just wrote a great post "7 Lessons You'll Learn as a Beginning Gardener" that you can read here!

Her questions that I am responding to in this post: 

 

"What about you?

Are you a new gardener, too? What lessons have you learned so far?

Or are you an experienced gardener with many lessons learned that you are willing to share?

Please leave your comments below or respond with your own blog post response (just make sure you provide a link in my comments, so I can read it)."

 

A Summary of My Experiences

Oh, I most definitely fit into that first category! Not an expert whatsoever. In fact, if you had told me a few years ago that I would be writing a blog post on gardening, I would think you were crazy.

But here I am...

Quite honestly, for years I thought that some people were gifted with a "green thumb" while I was cursed with the hands of death! I even tried those "impossible to kill" plants...Nope...The serial plant killer strikes again!! Unless it's fake, it can in fact die. Sorry! It was an accident. I promise.

I've always loved gardens and being outdoors. As a kid-during the times we lived in the country or had any green space- I was often running around barefoot foraging for blackberries, honeysuckles, and "sour flowers" and searching through the woods or brush for a clearing to declare a "clubhouse" or "fort". (Usually, I was in the company of a pack of dogs and siblings.) Sometimes we had a few plants or a garden, and I had helped on the farms of my friends' families. My childhood wasn't all roses, but I did have some fun.

The older I got, the more I had to stay indoors. There was more homework to complete, chores to be done, work to go to, etc., etc.

That childhood connection to nature was probably what sparked my interest in gardening after I had "Little Man". Having my son also meant a huge transition for me, from working full time-often multiple jobs- to staying home to care for him.

 Our gardening journey started off with little experiments while my son was still a baby. A bean sprout and an avocado growing in the window that we checked on each day. A pot of mint. A little aloe vera...We were living next door to my husband's grandmother on their beautiful family farm. Now, "Nana" and "Papaw" are truly the experts you would want to talk to! (Note to self: The next time we visit, I should make some recordings of our gardening conversations.) They were a great source of inspiration and knowledge in this.

An old photo of an aloe vera plant and flowers Nana had given to me when we lived next door. So sad I couldn't take it with us!

 

Well, then my husband's job moved us to a desert plateau in the middle-of-nowhere and far from that family farm with it's lush green hills. You could look out for miles at nothing but sand, sagebrush, and the sky. The winds were strong. The climate had extremes. Still, my son and I were determined to plant something. We didn't grow much in the short time that we were there. Little Man did grow some strawberries and happily gobbled them up as soon I decided one was red enough.

In this photo you can see the mountains which were pretty far away simply because there wasn't much in between.

 

Then, we moved again. This time it was overseas to a country known for its rain and gardens. I have really fallen in love with it here! We live in a city neighborhood, but most people around us are growing little gardens-some even full vegetable gardens. There are green spaces everywhere. There's a farmer's market within walking distance twice a week. Everywhere I go there is inspiration to grow my own garden and expert gardeners to offer great advice. Our home's garden has a small lawn edged with various plants that were started before we arrived. Among those plants, there is: a lot of mint, a large bush of rosemary, chives, bamboo, flowers, and shrubs. My son and I are growing: lemon balm, sage, 3 types of lavender, strawberries, tomatoes, courgettes/zucchini, bell peppers, spaghetti squash, lettuce, a succulent, and some flowers. So far, it's going really well! The biggest challenges we've had so far: keeping up with the weeds, pests, and attempts to fix the lawn.

Little Man's Favorite Plant: Strawberries!

Lettuce and spaghetti squash. Something went wrong w/ the squash plant as you can see by the leaf, but it's better now.

Sage: Add a bundle to your campfire. Helps keep mosquitoes away!

 

The lavender plant the bees seem to love the most. Little Man and I love watching them work.

I don't know what's going wrong with this one in the past week or so. It's suddenly looking sick and has this white foam stuff on it. I've also noticed some sort of beetles all over it...Yeah, I know...Great description. Maybe I should ask my neighbor. She's an amazing gardener! (And now you see some of my lawn issues as well. We're trying lots of different things.)

A beautiful flowering bush is in my garden too! The purple pops of color really liven up that corner.

 

 

My 7 Gardening Tips:

Tip # 1: Seek out experienced gardeners, especially those from older generations. If you have a relative or neighbor who is a good gardener, learn as much as you possibly can from them! Ask if you can work alongside them. Record some of their tips. Or ask if they can help save some of your dying plants. 

 Tip # 2: Visit a beautiful garden or plant nursery or take a class to find inspiration! It helps you visualize what you're working towards.

Tip #3: If you have a child, involve him/her! Get them excited about it, and they likely will not let you forget to tend to your gardening. If he/she is still a baby, bring them outside with you at least some of the time to be next to you while you work. If they're a toddler, I recommend getting them a plant-like a strawberry plant at first that is already growing well that they can help take care of and eat the fruit when it's ready. As they get older, gradually let them do more, and buy them their own supplies that really work. Little Man has his own gardening gloves and tools and loves to water or help with whatever I'm doing. Time in nature-away from screens!-is an actual need for humans, especially children!
 (Book recommendation: Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv)

(Found this image on Google Images to show you what it looks like. Not my photo!)

Tip #4: Read up, but don't get overwhelmed! (Kids' books with lots of pictures might work well for newbies.) Gardening requires getting a little dirt on yourself and to learn by doing. Like my sister said, just jump in and do it!

Tip #5: Try to really be "in the moment" and "harvest virtues" from your garden. (Stick with me a second!) It can be a way to relieve your stress and give you a dose of "happy chemicals" and vitamins. Breathe in the cleaner air your plants are producing. Soak in the sunshine and vitamin D it provides. Focus. Pray. Sing. Hack at the earth instead of that person that is driving you crazy...Wait, what?...Really though, it can be a great daily practice in patience, perseverance, forgiveness, self-discipline,...the list goes on...for you and your family.

Tip #6: It doesn't have to be expensive! You can propagate plants from cuttings (search Google or Pinterest). Get gardening supplies from charity shops, yard sales, newspaper ads, or used goods websites (like Facebook yard sale pages or Craigslist) for little to no money.

Tip #7: Don't give up! Sadly, I'll probably (accidently!) kill more plants along my journey, but I'm also learning a lot more even through that and getting better too. Keep digging. Keep watering. Keep on weeding. Watch your plants grow and bloom!

 

Q & A Time

 

Answer the questions my sister posted.

Share your own tips or response blog post. (Make sure to drop a link in the comments if you do!)

Leave a comment. Share with your friends and family.

 

~LadyH

 

A Baha'i Prayer for Children:

"O God!  Educate these children.  These children are the plants of Thine orchard, the flowers of Thy meadow, the roses of Thy garden.  Let Thy rain fall upon them; let the Sun of Reality shine upon them with Thy love.  Let Thy breeze refresh them in order that they may be trained, grow and develop, and appear in the utmost beauty.  Thou art the Giver.  Thou art the Compassionate." -‘Abdu’l-Bahá

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

Never Washing Dishes Again!

Oh you laugh, but really...
I'm not going to do another dish!!!
I will do anything else instead of dishes...
Mow the lawn with our push mower? Sure! Reorganize an entire storage room in one day? Done!
Vaccuum? Check! Take care of a sick young child? Done.
Laundry? Exercise? Fill out more paperwork? Check, check, and check!
I don't know what it is about doing dishes, but I seriously hate that chore. I love seeing a nice clean kitchen and a shiny sink with all of our dishes neatly tucked away in the cabinets. The results I love. On most other things, I'm very self motivated. Heck, I probably wouldn't be alive today if I weren't that way... But even just getting started on washing is like pulling my own tooth out. I have to quickly get on with it before my brain can think up reasons (ahem...excuses) to let them all just hang there.
I have even jokingly told my husband that if I could, I would hire someone to come to my house just to clean my dishes and leave. Nothing else. Just do that for me. (Much to my surprise a friend of mine recently confessed to me that she has said the same exact thing! I'm not alone!)
So, what do I do?
I can't just let them sit there and gather mold.
What usually helps me is:

1.) Music. I turn it up and just force myself to get it done! (Really, Shakira should be receiving royalties for how many mountains of dishes she's helped me conquer!)

2.) Nature. It also helps if I keep the window open so I can look at the flowers on the window sill or the antics of the birds in the garden.

3.) Perspective. I've tried to change my perspective about it too. I'm trying to view doing all of my chores -including the dishes- as an act of kindness, an act of service for my family regardless of my feelings about the task itself. Which leads to my next point...

4.) Worship.

•  All the world religions talk about serving others, being a productive member of your community, and the importance of cleanliness.
• As a Baha'i, my work, even if it is just washing my family's dishes, can be a form of worshiping God.  Read more here: "To accomplish its purpose, work cannot be reduced to a mere means of satisfying wants and needs. It must find constant expression in service to humanity. When performed in a spirit of service, work may be seen as an act of worship. '[A]ll effort and exertion put forth by man from the fullness of his heart is worship, if it is prompted by the highest motives and the will to do service to humanity.' 3 are ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s words.  'This is worship,' He continues, 'to serve mankind and to minister to the needs of the people.'4"
• You could look for scriptures in your own faith to find encouraging words about being of service to others.
• Even if you're agnostic or atheist, common sense will tell you that a community needs cooperation, a bit of unselfishness, and a clean environment in order to run smoothly and keep everyone healthy. Maybe you can look for a famous philosopher's or scientist's words on community and cleanliness to give you further inspiration. 
• It might be a good idea to post one of those quotes next to where you have to complete the undesirable task as a regular reminder.

5.) Results. Then, there is the reward of having an empty sink and everything ready to go for the next day. It's nice not to have something hanging over your head.


Of course, some of these things could help me in other areas of my life as well. Not just dishes. Dishes in themselves aren't this big of a deal to some, but it is the underlying attitude toward service and cleanliness that could either negatively or positively leak into completing other items on my to-do list or even effect my social interactions.


Q&A Time Readers!

What is your least favorite chore?
What do you do to push through and get the job done?
Do you have a favorite chore?
Another friend of mine told me that he enjoys washing dishes because he found it to be calming- a sort of meditation for him. Maybe I'll get there one day.
If you're like me and listen to music to help you, what's on your playlist?
Could you share some scriptures or inspirational quotes that might help you w/ serving others and/or keeping things physically clean?

Highlight Reel Vs. Reality

 

 

 

We all see it on social media and even in everyday life...

If you're like me, many days your newsfeed on Facebook will look something like this (well if you've used that little "unfollow" or that "unfriend" button *gasp* to get rid of some of the crazies):

"Going on a cruise! Swimsuit ready too!"....."I just got a promotion and a new car!!!! #blessed"...."I'm graduating today! My whole family came to celebrate w/ me!"...."Oh. My. Goodness. This dinner my husband just made is so perfect and delicious! I'm so thankful we have such nutritious food to nourish our family. God is so good."...."I just finished decorating my kiddo's room. I handcrafted everything myself."....And then there's the selfies and vacation pictures and the perfect shots on the holidays... 

You're not seeing reality. Only tiny glimpses into their lives. A few sentences of a thick novel. You don't see all of the pictures that didn't turn out right. Only the ones the user chose. The ones with the best angles or editing-zoomed in on a single moment.

Like I said though, it's not just social media or even what you see in movies. When you go to a doctor's office, what do you see on the walls? All of their degrees, credentials, and awards, right? You don't see that time they failed an exam or made a bad choice in a patient's care or cried on their break. When a clerk asks some in front of you at the store, "How are you today?", the answer is usually, "Fine, thanks." They don't tell the clerk about all of their troubles. If you look at military members in their formal uniforms, you'll see ribbons and medals and ranks they've earned. You can't see the scars that might be underneath the clothes or the family's personal battles. A speaker at a conference you're attending is so well dressed and seems so eloquent and knowledgeable. You don't see her trying on 12 dresses at the store or fussing over her hair and studying and preparing for weeks before stepping onto that stage.

The point is: "Don't compare your behind the scenes to someone else's highlight reel" (to quote the random inspiration I found on Pinterest). It's a good one to memorize and repeat to yourself. No one is perfect. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. Focus of being the best version of yourself, not on competing w/ an impossible ideal. Try to find ways to serve others too. It can help give you a healthy perspective. 

Now, am I promoting that we post every single deep dark secret on the Internet? No. Should we start answering store clerks like we would a therapist? No! Do you want your doctors to start hanging all of their failures on the walls or for people to stop putting an effort into their appearance? No thanks!

"That means you're being fake. There's nothing real about you." 

That's not true either.

 If someone asks me a question about a difficult experience, I answer them honestly. Sometimes I share my struggles with others- even online. When I see someone else going through a challenging time that is similar to one from my past, I will gladly step up to offer my story and encouragement.

You see, reality is more complex than newsfeeds or diplomas or uniforms or even that broken phone or the time you failed or lost someone you love. It's a great big mesh of positives and negatives and grey areas. If you start concentrating too hard on all of the bad, you won't have any energy left to see any good in the world - even if it's right in front of you. When you're down on your luck and keep scrolling through that newsfeed of highlights, try to remember it's not the whole story. Optimism is much healthier than pessimism. Still, everything in life needs a balance. Find the balance when you're looking at the world, and do what you can to make it better.
~LadyH