Monday, August 31, 2015

LeT tHeM bE tHeM(selves)...

Hey funfreeMe LoVe(ly) PpS!

So yesterday I blogged about the free thing...like, leaving everyone free to be (the best version of) themselves, and not necessarily what WE want them to be. Which means, a couple of different things:
  • we can't expect others to change for us
  • we can (maybe) accept others for who they are (even if we don't care for them or them personally)
So we can trust that everyone and everything is exactly as it should be...(including ourselves, which is kind of hard to believe, especially when things get tough!).

Yesterday I was saying that sunflowers and roses are meant to be sunflowers and roses---they aren't supposed to be anything else.

...which leads me to the question: Why do we sometimes think people should be anything different than who they are?

...which takes me back to TrUsT in something biGGer and GREATER than what we know... (and trust is hard,...cuz alot of times, we only believe in what we can see, touch, smell, taste, etc...).

Here's a cool video that shows how limited out senses can be! 
If we only believe what we see,  we miss a Lot! cHeCk it oUt!

Pretty awesome, huh? 
MOre about TruST
TOmORRoW!

Peace, love, and trust, y'all!
:) dana

Sunday, August 30, 2015

LeT TheM Be...SeT tHeM fReE!

'S up yO! 
So, yesterday we came back to the funfreeMe name, and I want to eEelaboOrate more about the free.
sO, letting others be free means leaving them alone to be their oWn fReE bad selves...(not really, but themselves . . .). which is not really our business, like where they are, or what they do... cuz if we don't like what they do, say, believe or N+E=ThiNG, we have a choice to just walk away without hating on them, cuz that's maybe not our business (however, it is possibly our business to tell them how we feel...more about that later...)
NE way, like I was telling you the other day, I have spent a lot of NRG in my days wishing people in my life would change (or want to change --FOR ME...you know, so I could feel better by being in control and get my needs met from the OUT(side): IN(side)! embarrassingly dramatic...). What I know now, is that people don't change (much) unless they want to (and not cuz I want them to . . . CRaP! and unCrAp . . .). whew...that takes the pressure off to control everyone else's destiny...thanks!

SUPER QUESTION OF THE DAY:
Would you ever look at like, a sunflower and expect it to grow into a rose (cuz you like roses better and that's what you want on your table?)...
and there's more (sorry . . .)
Would you ever expect a sunflower to grow faster just because you gave it more water and super duper fertilizer...and...expect it to grow into a rose, still?
How about appreciating a sunflower for its sunflowery-self and a rose for its rosy-ness?
And, if you don't like the sunflower, just walk away and choose something else (without haTinG on it)? and same with the RoSe?

Hmnnn...kinda freaky? (i personally like clover, myself!)

just sayin'-----

fLuFFy puPpies and raInBoWs and pink ponies, too!

;) dana




Saturday, August 29, 2015

LeT thEm be!(LoVeD)

HeY ALL!

Back to the whole funfreeMe name thing (thanks, k!)--I started to say some stuff last week about the idea of fun, so today I want to say some stuff about being free (p.s. do you think free is light blue?). Yesterday I blogged about the fact that we are all the same, meaning that we are equally valuable/lovable, and we are all where we need to be(loved).

IDK about you, but I have spent a lot of precious time and NRG waiting for other people to change, (or, trying to change them, DUH! NONE OF MY BUSINESS!). And that's really amazing and convenient for us, cuz when we focus on what others need to do (made up in our minds)--GUESS WHAT?! We don't have to focus on us and what we need to change about ourselves!

HOW CONVENIENT! (and RIGHT, and BETTER *and superior of us...)

WHAT IF (incoming scary and thought-provoking idea )...

IT'S NONE 
OF OUR 
BUSINESS WHat 
OTHERS NEED TO 
CHANGE OR DO! 

kNoCk iT OfF! and focus on yourSelF! (me, tOoO!)

LeT thEm be! (LoVeD)...
and they'll let you be! (LoVeD), too!

Do you feel me?

Love you lotssa and lottsa (mozzerella)!

;) dana


Thursday, August 27, 2015

Ur LiFe iS a MiRaCle? PaY aTTenTIOn!

“There are only two ways to live your life. 
One is as though nothing is a miracle. 
The other is as though everything is a miracle.” 

Hey All--
Just thinking about how miraculous liFe iS! Do you know U are a MiRacLe? Your life is ON PURPOSE! I know that's kind of scary, but also super exciting, 'cuz U r HeRe 4 a rEaSoN!
When I was walking through the woods one day, I looked up at the trees and I heard in my inner voice, "Your life is a prayer."
What if all of our lives are prayers?(I know the prayer word kind of gets in the way sometimes, but please know that I'm not talking about God or Jesus, necessarily, if they don't work for you...use whatever word works 4 U!)
What if every encounter in your life is a holy encounter, every action you take has a higher purpose, and every relationship in your life is holy and ON PURPOSE (even the crappy stuff?) What if you gave that much respect to and attention to yoUr own divine existence!
I dare you to act today like everything is a mIrAcUlous, delicious, mirACle!
Love u so much@!
;) dana

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Be love(d)!

Hey all funfree-Seekers!

Want to know my secret to free-DoM?
Love your bad self! (the human part . . .) 
Love your Go(o)d self! Cuz guess what?

You are Go(o)d! You are all Go(o)d! As I write that, it reminds me that it might be scary for some of you to read that, especially if you are in the habit of not liking yours(elf) or listening to your mean inner s(elf). SorRy! (not . . . that's why I'm here. . .)

Yesterday, I wrote about trying to GET others to like us (bad idea ;( . . . doesn't work). We can't control how others feel! It's totally ridiculous! 
We can only control how we feel about ourselves. I am trying to become my own best friend, which is really hard, because I have been hating on myself (and allowing others to hate on me) for a long, long time. 
I'm SO DONE WITH THAT CRAP-OLA. As I have said before (and as one of my very best friends on the planet has told me (yo-K-dog! I love you!), I just want to enjoy myself. SO let's have more random fun!

Here are some random acts
 of crazy-ness from, 
of course,
(SoulPancake)
cuz, seriously, 
who the heck cares what 
other people think!@@#$
follow your heart, y'all! You are LoVe!
Love you soSsososSOSsosSo much (and more!)

;) dana

Tuesday, August 25, 2015

bE Ur oWn (s)HeRo!

Are you settling in life? Is there something greater calling you? 
Heed it's call. There is a great adventure waiting for you if you just say YES with your thoughts, actions and desires. You WILL be supported. You WILL be challenged and you WILL face the death of your own ego. BUT - on the other side of this adventure is self-respect, a Light and a Love about which ALL the epic stories are written. This kind of life is possible for you!
Are you going to answer the call of YOUR Personal Legend?

~Mastin Kipp, The Daily Love


cALLing ALL hEroEs & (s)hero(ines)!

Hark, y'aLL! What are you waiting 4? If you are waiting until you R pErfEcKt (don't worry, life allows you to screw up as much as you need to!!!), or reAdy (never gonna happen!), or oLdEr (the Time is noW!), or _______(blah...blah...blah...) fill in the blank, I chaLLenge you to "Get out there! Sing the song in your heart and NEVER let anyone shut you up!!” (remember the quote from yesterday!!!)

That's why U R here, yo.

Oh yeah . . . one more thing about perFecKtion. I used to pretend I was perfect, and that was uber-stressful. I was chillin' and shopping with my friend one morning (what up Celia--grrrrl!) and she was saying that not trying to be pErfeCkt has allowed her to get closer to people and has made her friendships stronger 'cuz there's nothing to hide. PreTTy smart (. . . for a gRoWnUp! hahahahah)!

Anyway, here's proof that every existence has a higher purpose!--even in the life of a dOg (note to sElF--dOg is gOd spelled backwards!) This amazing creature is named, of course, faItH! Check this out!


Can you imagine the literal LEAP of FAITH when she decided she was going to walk on two legs? Kind of like an acorn becoming a tree, 
or a caterpillar transforming into a bUttErfLy?

What are the poSSiBiLiTiEs fOr sUper yOU!? 
aBsoluTely nO LiMiTs aLLoWEd!!@#%@!#$%@#$$%#
wInK on You!
;) dana

p.s. QUESTion: Would you rather be the (s)hero(ine) of your own journey (U R in large & in charge)? or, the victim (everybody does stuff TO you? ...so sad...)? Personally, I want to be the super sparkly goDdess with the ice cream cape, the high-top pink bOOts, and the cOOl diAmOnd-stuDDed crown!

All bow down! nOw! (jK!)

Monday, August 24, 2015

PerFewCkT? . . . not!



I think we all struggle with trying to be "perfect" from time to time; 
but isn't it true that some of us actually make it a full time job?

(...I feel sTreSs coming on just writing that!).

Do you feel like you have to be

perfect?

Do you expect others to be

perfect?

What does that mean, anyway?
My heart goes out to all of us who need to be perfeckt. I GeT iT, because I did that stuff when I was in school, too 
What's the deal, anyway?#!

Where do we get the idea that we need to do everything perfectly? Like, have perfect bodies, look perfect, actperfect, feel perfect (in other words, not ever have negative feelings)? I don't get it.
(insert deep belly breath, here . . .)
Trying to be perfect is pointless because we can never get there! It doesn't exist because we are human and we screw up! (surprise!...Note: Your parents are human, too, so don't expect them to be perfect. either. Thanks!)

Anyway, I know now that to be human is to be imPERFECT... and THAT is PERFECT! (and it takes the pressure off, too.!). That means accepting things just the way they are, even if they're not perfect.

I've noticed that when I resist what IS, I create HUGE StReSs for myself. Honestly, I create this stress by how I think about it--which means, I do it to myself (kind of like the inner mean voice, remember?). Yikes, that means I'm responsible and I'm the one who has the power to change . . . change how I think about this stuff! (oh, that's kind of a relief, actually). . .

I'm so glad I'm finally getting that perfection doesn't exist...that helps me breathe better. And it allows me to be more accepting of others (for not being perfect) and myself (for not being perfect), too.

When I focus on growing from situation (instead of doing everything perfectly), I can live a happier life! Being PERFECTly imPERFECT!
Yay!

Lots of LoVe!


Dana

Sunday, August 23, 2015

bE pErfEcKtLy yoU!

go(o)D dAy, fReE pEEpS!

One morning a few years back (after an amazing cRazILIsciOUs slumber party), 5 of my daughters BfFs came into my room and wanted to wake up Chloe so she could go downstairs to plaY! They were all snuggled up in their blankies & jammies like little ducklings at the foot of my bed. My daughter, Chloe, had crawled in with me in the middle of the night, after I tested her blood sugar (she is diabetic--type 1). While my daughter was slowly waking up, one of her friends, asked me, "Do wish Chloe didn't have diabetes? I mean, is it kind of hard to, like, take care of her?"
I thought for a split second, and I shared this with them:

"You know, it's might sound kinda weird, but I love Chloe exactly the way she is, and she knows that! I wouldn't want her to be any different than her amazing and beautiful self--and that includes her diabetes."

The girls looked a bit surprised, but they were listening really hard. I continued,

"And yeah, sometimes it's challenging, like if she doesn't feel well, or her blood sugar's high or low, but Chloe's really learned a lot about how to take care of herself, about her body, about nutrition, and about math . . . and a lot of other stuff, too. I think one of the most important things I can do as a mom is to love both of my kids just the way they are . . . everyday."

One night before bed we were naming things we are thankful for, & Chloe said this in her prayer: 
"God, this might be weird, but I'm grateful for diabetes . . . I mean, 'cuz that's who I'm supposed to be."

Can you imagine? She was eight! It made me cry! Here's something else amazing she wrote last month when she was helping me with my blog;)

God loves you awesomley and perfectley!! @##^%#$%^#$%# did I spell it wrong???? 
 yeah, i did. o well! 
I'm still a great gal even tho' i have d'b's (diabetes). 
DID U KNOW JOE JONAS HAS D'B'S? 
So yeah! bye bye!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 
I'm still  perfect just the way i am even though I have diabetes.  So yeah.
Rock on if you have dbs! or not!

What if we are all perfect just the way we are (no matter what our challenges are) and just right where we are in life--and grateful for ALL of it! That would be way cool! 

hAve a beAutIfUL dAy, aLL!
;0) dana

Saturday, August 22, 2015

cOnFessIOns of im(perfeckTion)

Hey Peeps!-- Guest Speakr today about being you!
This poEm is from an AmAziNg friend I know and love: KyLe!

My FESS UP Poem

I admit, I am not perfect,
I am not my older sister,
Who does everything right,
Who can play five sports at once,
and still maintain a 4.0 GPA.

I admit, I am not perfect,
I am not my brother,
Who does everything with 100% effort,
Who lacks in scheduling time,
and never gets his homework done.

I admit, I am not perfect,
I am not my younger sister,
Who cries about everything,
Who can deal with bullying 24/7,
and still be happy.

I admit, I am not perfect,
I am not my younger brother,
Who everyone adores,
Who gets himself into trouble,
and then right back out, just as fast.

I admit, I am not perfect,
I am me,
Who can play 3 sports,
and maintain a 4.0 GPA.
Who schedules every minutes of his day,
without error.
Who can stop bullying,
and make others happy.
Who some people adore,
but others love.

I am me.

I wrote this poem with the inspiration I got from Ms. Curry. Every day she shows me a new way to see the world, and a new way to make it better. Every day with Ms. Curry is positive, exciting, and funny. I now can see my family, and myself in a different way.

Kyle---LoVe YoU sosososos much snake boy! hiss...hiss!
We r perFeCkT!
hearts!
;) dana

Friday, August 21, 2015

bEiNG (im)PerfeCkt is the nEw PerfeCkT!!

Well hELLo there!

I was thinking more today about what it means to be perfect and why I used to try to be perfect, and what I landed on is that I thought that if I did everything perfectly, people would approve of me, or like me (have you every been around someone who acts like they are perfect?  . . . I actually find people who act perfect quite annoying and humorous . . . and I used to be THAT girl . . . ;0( yikes, kinda funny! . . . ).

So being perfect was a way for me to feel in control (even though it was all made up in my head . . . cuz some people still didn't like me no matter if I was perfect or not . . . and guess what? we can't control other people and the way they feel about us!)

Perfection comes in many disguises, like, for example:

  • being the perfect student (you know, like as in, straight A's)
  • being the perfect son/daughter (like you can't mess up)
  • being the perfect athlete/singer/actress/_______fill in blank (no fouls, strikes, warnings,wrong notes or lines etc.)
  • having a perfect body (eating disorder warning . . . been there, done that!)
  • looking perfect
  • kissing butt to people so they like you (even though the things you say aren't true...)
  • making others dependent on you . . .
  • and it goes on and on . . .
Being perfect is SOSOSOSOSOS stressful . . . and WE DO IT TO OURSELVES. Nobody else does it TO us (and if you feel someone expects perfection from you, you might want to have a conversation about that with them and ask them if it's true . . .).

Anyway, so that leaves us with being (im)PerFeCKT! Hmnnnn...

It's actually kind of a relief . . . takes the pressure off, and then we can just breathe, be hu(wo)man, and love ourselves even MORE. More on loving ourselves later . . .
Here's an awesome song by PiNk! to remind you that (im)PerfeCkT is the new PerfeCKt!


Have an amazingly PerFecKT day!

Smiles! and 0000 hugs and ))))) mustaches! 
;) dana

Thursday, August 20, 2015

yOu R (im)PeRfEckT!

Hey you!
So, I've been thinking about the whole perfect thing today. . . A LOT! (believe me, it's true . . .) and it got me to thinking, "Where did I get the idea that I need to be perfect?" or, not ever screw up (as in, HU(wo)MAN)?
And I got a flasHbAck as I was driving in my car: I think I was probably in about 3rd or 4th grade, and I was staying with my Uncle Tuck and my Aunt Joyce for a week in the summer. My uncle is a dentist, and therefore, never had any "bad" (sugar) snacks in their house. [BTW: his kids sneaked money from their parents and walked to the candy store downtown regularly to devour more sugar treats than most kids can dream of. . . don't tell my uncle if you see him . . .]
So, I was going to my twin cousins' swimming practice, and hanging out in the stands bored out of my mind, and then it hit me: VENDING MACHINE TREAT! (you know the feeling . . .) I went to the machine and bought some Mike & Ike's. . . and then . . .  BAM . . . my uncle jumped out from behind the machine and said,
"Caught you! . . . I knew you would be buying sugar from the machine! . . ." 
I was so scared, and embarrassed, and worried. . . I didn't understand why my uncle would want to catch me doing something he thought was terrible?

I think I carried the same feeling into my grown up life--that I was somehow BAD, and awful, and that somebody is always going to catch me and find out the TRUTH about me. I still wait for someone to scare me with knowing the truth  that I am naughty, broken and bad (which is a LIE).

BTW: I know it's really not true, but as kids we really don't know better, do we. Broken grown up behavior does a lot of damage to us kids
The grown up me knows my uncle's behavior was not nice (and cruel), but as a kid, it was real..., and scary..., and shaming. And it made me feel like a bad kid, and a broken toy (and person). NOT OKAY.

I suppose I need to forgive my uncle (and I have, or I wouldn't be writing this....). He didn't mean it; after all, I know it was about him and his fantasy about being a master of oral hygiene, and that his family was better than mine (or maybe I'm making that story up, too?) 

Oh well, I love my uncle, and I love, me! 
I think I'll go and brush my teeth (or tooth, if you're from the outback!@)

That's all, yo!
Love you soSoSOoOSSo!

:0) d-dog

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

wE R pHilOspPherS!

There's So mUcH LovE
everywHERE!

dEaR UniVersAL lOvE-yOuS!

I think I probably have a lot of philosopher in me, and I have to admit that the kids in my 8th grade English classes have heard my thoughts about life for years (poor dears, . . . I'll send you all Jolly Ranchers! . . . just leave your contact information in the comments below ;) . . .). Here are some of my favorite philosophies: 
You are born in this world to . . .
  • enjoy yourself, love yourself, and laugh loud and hard (especially at yourself--and your dear old English teacher, Ms. Curry Bradach . . . remember the fake teeth & poo?!)
  • give yourself permission to use your voice and express your feelings--both good and bad--
  • be kind and generous--there is plenty of everything to go around and around and around and around
  • make mistakes and learn from them, and continue to love yourself and others, despite your flaws
  • live a life of gratitude--for the good stuff and the challenging stuff
  • you are in charge of yourself--this includes your happiness!
  • be fully and greatly themselves (and not cheap imitations of other people)
  • find your passions and use your gifts to serve others
If you were in my class and you can think of any others, leave a comment below!!!! Or, if you have any personal philosophies, please share them!

mILes of hUgS and sMiLes!
;) me 

Here's a cool, short meditation from the Chopra Center. It's only 3:33 long (my magic number), so give it a try!


 p.s. I'm doing the Chopra 21-day meditation challenge! It's free and amazingly transfomative! If you're interested, click here! Chopra 21-day Meditation Challenge. Remember, you don't have to be perfect about it--even meditating once has amazing and lasting benefits!

Monday, August 17, 2015

gOt hApPy?

“Love yourself—
accept yourself—
forgive yourself—
and be good to yourself, 
because without you the rest of us 
are without a source of 
many wonderful things.”

 ~Leo F. Buscaglia 

Hey ffps:

Where's the love
Here's a link to the  Peas' "Where is the Love" to listen to as you are reading this blog! I want to marry the Black Eyed Peas!

GuEsS wHaT? The LoVe is in you! I used to think that the love I needed was going to come from someone outside myself (and it very often does, and that's a huge bOnUs!), but when I want to feel love, I have to remember that I have to love me first!

A really super smart person and amazing mentor once told me that if something's missing in my life, it's missing 'cuz I am NOT GIVING IT TO MYSELF (. . . and, at first, that totally sucked because it meant that I had to STOP complaining about everybody else not giving me what I need, and figure out how to give it to myself . . . which is actually un-sucky, and powerful in a cool way...)

FYI: just want you to know that at first, these ideas really bugged me, cuz they meant that I was in charge (and I had to stop blaming others for me!), but, at the same time, the good news is that I AM IN CHARGE . . . of ME! And, why would we want to give our sUpErPoWerS away, anyway? (so we can stay "victimized" and not take responsibility? hmmnnnn . . . sounds miserable!)  

. . . which leads me back to the fact that we are in charge of our own stories and our own hApPiNeSs. Here's a cool grownup blogger who has some ideaS:


Anyway, another thing (later blog) is to quit trying to be pErfeCkT (did I spell that imperfecktly? Dang! and I'm an Englush teechur!) CUz' that's another way we are kind of uN-LoViNG and mean to ourselves!

Big deep belly breath!
You are right where you need to be. 
ALL is WELL!

Loveys!
;) dana



Sunday, August 16, 2015

SurPriZe!

hey funfreefluffyfolk!
yeah . . . i called you "fluffy"!

So, i was going to write a top ten list of FUN today (with my daughter...), but something else grabbed my attention tonight.

You know what is super FUN to me? Doing random nice things for people when they don't expect it . . . (and not taking credit for it, either!...) like, as in, doing it anonymously!

My friend Mary D. (hey Mary!) has been known to go to McDonald's and pay for the person behind her . . . just cuz' she can! Isn't that awesome! She's an example of an angel in disguise! (her name is Mary, after all . . .) 

Have you ever been the receiver of a R.A.K. (random act of kindness)? It's kind of weird, cuz' we're not used to people doing nice stuff without asking for credit or for anything in return. BUT, i think it's human nature to be super kind and loving to others . . .

Yesterday, I was going to DQ to get my son, Max, a burger. There was a whole crew of workers digging in the street (90 degrees and humid) and they looked sweaty and SUPER gROsS

Guess what? I bought them all 20 oz. Mello Yellos and dropped them off at the curb (they had no idea who i was, but they were psyched!)

It felt sososososososo good! Giving feels amazing!
Here's a cool video about random acts of kindness.


It's beautiful to be kind;
 it fills up your hEaRt SpaCe and puts out super amazing pOsItIvE eNeRgY!

ffPS: I dare you to do a random act of kindness! 
Leave me a comment and let me know how it goes...

Love X 3,
;) dana