GR(attitude) is GR*8!

“There is a calmness to a life lived in gratitude, a quiet joy.”

― Ralph H. Blum

Hey funfreeme followers!
 

Hope this blog finds you in a hApPy space! I have been doing a lot of reading lately about living with a sense of awesome gratitude. 

Gratitude isn't really something we are taught to cultivate from an early age; as a matter of fact, with the media and pressure at school & work, we often compare ourselves to the made up information we create about what other people have (and it's usually more than what we've got, ain't it?).

I can remember when was a kid believing that a lot of times, ALL THE OTHER kids had all the GooD StufF--like cool clothes (which in my day was red-tag Levi's--we didn't dare wear the orange-tag Levi's!), parents who gave them everything, expensive shoes, awesome vacations, and the list goes on. On other words, I used to compare what I had to what others had, and feel like I never got my StuFF!

I know you are thinking OMG she must be SoOoooooOO oLD! But really now, times haven't changed that much . . . (although the shape and cost of the stuff has changed a lot . . .). 

  SUPER AWESOME IDEA:

instead of wondering 

where your stuff is? 

or 

instead of

expecting someone else to give it to you?

[ painful :( ],

do you ever

. . . pause. . . 

to be 

gRaTeFuL

for what you DO have, 

[ AWESOME! ;)]!

Hmmnnn . . . maybe we can switch our attention away from what is painful to what is awesome! 

With much love and gratitude,

Dana

gOt pRoSpeRitY?

Abundantia

Goddess of Prosperity

Dear FunFreeProsperitySeekers--

Yesterday, I wrote about receiving, and how often many of us may need practice with ASKING for the HELP!$#%^@! we need. This morning when I pulled a goddess card out of my deck . . .

VOILA!

I was tickled and blessed to receive Abundantia, the Roman Goddess of Abundance, Good Fortune, and Success. Her name means "plenty" or "overflowing riches," and she has also been called "the beautiful maiden of success." Notice that she carries a cornucopia, which is also called the horn of plenty (you may have seen these around Thanksgiving time as centerpieces).

A cornucopia is like of a funnel that continually outpours from the Universal, the infinite and all encompassing supply of abundance, good fortune, opportunities, success . . . all good things! Cool!

In my goddess guide book, Doreen Virtue writes this message from Abundantia:

Asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness. You are very powerful, and I'm here to support your growing power. It's right for you to receive this help, as we function as a team. I've heard your prayers, worries, and affirmations. I'm pouring my cornucopia of prosperity on you now, so expect unforseen windfalls and gifts. Notice the new ideas, feelings, and visions within you. This guidance gives you clear direction about actions to take in conjunction with my assistance. Together, we're unstoppable! 

(Guidebook for the GODDESS GUIDANCE ORACLE CARDS, p. 21. 2002).

Pretty cool Goddess card, and just at the right time for me!

"The world is full of abundance and opportunity,

but far too many people come to the fountain of life with a sieve instead of a tank car... 

a teaspoon instead of a steam shovel.

They expect little and as a result they get little."

- Ben Sweetland

 *************************************

As a show of your faith in Heaven's readiness to help you, hold one or more coins in the hand you don't write with (this is your receptive hand), and say:

"Beautiful Abundantia, I desire to be like you—carefree and filled with faith that my supply is already met in all ways. Help me replace any money worries with joy and gratitude. Help me open my arms so that Heaven may easily help me. Thank you for all of your guidance, gifts, and protection. I'm truly grateful, and I'm abundantly, joyful and fulfilled. I let go, and relax in the sure knowledge that I'm completely taken care of, immediately and in the future.

Try this prayer to ABUNDANTIA before you sleep, when you awake something will happen to remind you of your inner hope.

Soon money and  success will follow.

Check it out!
Dana

tHe (en) JOY of GIVING!

Give yourself entirely to those around you. 

Be generous with your blessings. 

A kind gesture can reach a wound that only

compassion can heal.

 ~Steve Maraboli

DeaAr FuN & FrEe PeePsiEs!

This post is inspired by the Purpose Fairy--another blog I receive every week! Today, she wrote the following:

There are so many things we can all offer to those around us and believe it or not many of these things are free. If you have material things you would like to give away to those who have less than you do, give it, and if you feel like you don’t have any material possession to offer, give them your time, your knowledge, your love and support and many of the things you have that cost you nothing but they value a lot.

JOY OF GIVING

A woman who was traveling alone in the mountains found a precious stone in a stream.

The next day she met another traveler who was hungry, the woman opened her bag to share her food.
The hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked the woman to give it to him. She did so without hesitation.
The traveler left, rejoicing in his great fortune. He knew the stone was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime.
But a few days later he came back to return the stone to the woman.
“I’ve been thinking,” he said, “I know how valuable the stone is, but I give it back in the hope that you can give me something even more precious. Give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me the stone.”

The woman smiled, “The joy of giving!”

What do you have to give? I personally want to make a commitment to give to every person I encounter . . . that can be as simple as a smile . . . or even eye contact.

What can you give today? Leave a comment and share your ideas!

Huggies!
Dana

hOw cAn yOu SeRve & cReAtE AWESOME?

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. 

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. 

It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. 

We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? 

Actually, who are you not to be? 

You are a child of God. You’re playing small does not serve the world. 

There is nothing enlightened about shrinking

so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. . . . 

And as we let our own light shine,

we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. 

As we are liberated from our own fear,

our presence automatically liberates others.” 

-- Marianne Williamson, author, spiritual teacher

HaPPy Wednesday!

So I was thinking about the quote from Marianne Williamson, and it made me wonder why we are afraid of showing our talents and gifts to the world . . . I used to hide the things I am good at cuz' I thought pople would think I was full of myself or braggy--but my sense of that has shifter over time, and I've had to review some old beliefs and intentionally replace them with more amazing updated versions of my current truths, what I now call my Personal Codes of Truth. Here are some of my old beliefs--followed by my new Codes of Truth:

• OLD: People think we are full of ourselves, bragging, or others try to squash our gifts by making fun of us or putting us down (no wonder we just want to stay small sometimes).
• NEW: We each have different gifts from the Universe, and our mission is to find those gifts, celebrate them, and share them with others in service so that others may benefit! NObOdy else can be me, or you, and nobody has the same purpose or mission as me!

• OLD: We somehow have been taught that there's not enough ______ to go around (talent, money, good stuff, cookies, Jolly Ranchers, brains, whatever!).
• NEW: Is there enough sun for everyone? Of course there is! The Universe is an abundant place. Others' abundance serves as a reminder that there is plenty for all! Remember: gratitude for what we have brings in more good stuff!

• OLD: We have been taught that if someone else has something, it means there's less of it to go around (see above . . .), AND if, for example, we give someone a compliment or are happy for them, it automatically takes away from us and makes us less than them.
• NEW: When I notice the abundance around me, or notice beauty in someone else, or appreciate those around me, positive energy grows and multiplies, and I draw more of the juicy yummy stuff to myself!

What I have learned is that I must first find my purpose, be myself, take care of me--and then (here's the most important part . . . ready?)

I live life in service to others

from a juicy place of

OVERFLOW!

(rather than exhaustion and resentment . . .)

What are your OLD beliefs? How can you replace them with new and improved-emPOWERed--Personal Codes of Truth? (let me know in the comments!) 

Hope you are letting your light shine and you are living LARGE and in CHARGE! Keeping yourself small doesn't serve you or others!

So much love--

;0) Dana

fAce yOuR fEArs . . . iN tHe fACe!

"The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.

Fear of the unknown is our greatest fear.

Many of us would enter a tiger's lair before we would enter a dark cave.

While caution is a useful instinct,

we lose many opportunities and much of the adventure of life

if we fail to support the curious explorer within us."

- Joseph Campbell

Dear Peeps;

I have begun a very interesting journey today . . . facing my blocks and fear about GUESS WHAT? 

M$n$Y!

I'm not going into a lot of detail about it, but I finally looked at my finances int he eye in an honest way for the first time in a very long time.

I have been avoiding the subject for a long time, like seriously keeping my head in the sand, but this past week my best friend gave me a kick in the butt (very nicely, by the way), and I finally sat down and did a pseudo budget and guess what I learned:

I have enough money! I also have a great job I love, a beautiful house, and I can provide for my amazing children and for all we need.

I am okay.

What was so very horrifying about my fear of money was not actually learning about it, doing a budget, and beginning to navigate the idea of investing . . .

What was horrifying and the worst was . . .

MY FEAR ABOUT IT

not the actual thing . . .

Anyway, within about two hours of spending time talking through my financial situation, I felt like I was on the road to financial empowerment. I mean, I have a lot to learn--I totally know that--but I know I'm stepping in the right direction, with no shame and no apologies.

Today I faced my fear, and I came out the other side, and it gives me so much

COURAGE

and

STRENGTH

to face more of my fears.

Fear . . . NOT!

Love You,

Dana

Be Like a Tree!

"Praise and blame, gain and loss,

pleasure and sorrow come and go like the wind.

To be happy,

rest like a giant tree, in the midst of them all."

- Buddha

Dear Readers;

Above you can see an amazingly majestic tree that sits outside our lake place. I have sat many times out on the patio in the mornings with a hot cup of coffee admiring this tree and meditating on its greatness.

I have been adopting trees for much of my life.

Here's what I know about trees:

• they bend with the wind; they do not resist.
• they rejoice in the rain, and feel nourished by the elements.
• there is enough sun for all trees; they do not need to compete for the sun . . . abundance is everywhere.
• they continually reach and grow.
• their tops waver with the crazy wind, and as they are flexible, they are alive; when they are no longer flexible, they break, wither, and die.
• this cycle is all natural; it's the plan for trees.
• there are many different species of trees, and they do not argue about the superiority of one tree to another; they coexist.
• trees are super amazingly strong.

 I grew up with trees. Trees framed my existence. I saw their waving, shiny leaves like hands clapping for me as a young women . . . and later in life, as well.

As a child, I looked to trees in the night, to their shadows to bring me both comfort and terror. 

Many trees, we know, have deep and lasting roots. And those that do not, are at the whim of the wind and the elements. They are uprooted and then they die. And it's okay. It's a letting go. And, that's as it should be.

But we do not need to attach sadness or loss here; it is as it should be. It is all perfect.

I want to have deep, lasting roots--roots that keep me present and strong with myself, and with the people I love.

I want to embrace the being of tree . . . large, majestic, and strong---but also beautiful, fancy, and fluttering.

Trees

I think that I shall never see 

A poem lovely as a tree. 

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest 

Against the earth's sweet flowing breast; 

A tree that looks at God all day, 

And lifts her leafy arms to pray; 

A tree that may in summer wear 

A nest of robins in her hair; 

Upon whose bosom snow has lain; 

Who intimately lives with rain. 

Poems are made by fools like me, 

But only God can make a tree.

Joyce Kilmer

All is well . . .

Dana