Pollyanna Takes Centre Stage

Hello Dear Ones!

Who of you have seen the 1960 classic movie: ‘Pollyanna‘, starring Hayley Mills? It’s the tale of a young orphan who played the ‘Glad Game‘: engaging positively with her world as a method of coping with the challenges and sorrows of everyday life. Always a bright side to be seen, this youngster could find joy in the simple, the unique, the seemingly unimportant; always finding a positive twist to each and every encounter. The truly charming story-line worked well on the big screen. I am, however, of an age that allowed me the privilege of reading the original 1913 book ~ and the continuing series (by American author Eleanor H. Porter) ~ long before the movie was made. (Yes, I’m aging myself… but when one gets to a certain age, any stigma of age no longer holds significance!)

So, back to my attempt at a topic today. I proudly consider myself a Pollyanna… someone who lives by the Pollyanna Principle of being excessively cheerful. I learned back in my youth to play the ‘Glad Game’. This positive approach to life generates a way of seeing blessings everywhere when we take notice to appreciate the simple, the beautiful, the wondrous, the magical, and often times, the innocence in every situation.

Today, I still see the best possible outcome in most every experience or situation. There is always something for which to be grateful. Gratitude is the 21st century version of the Glad Game. Here’s a “for instance”:

Today, I misplaced my debit card. I retraced my steps to no avail. Checked pockets, hallway shoes, every location I had been. No success. I could have panicked. But no. I called the bank. No one had used the card since my last transaction, so they simply cancelled my card. I do have to go in to the bank in person to be assigned a new one. Do I consider this an annoyance? An inconvenience? Am I angry? No. I’ll get to meet my new bank manager tomorrow. The outing will add an additional few thousand steps to my exercise regimen. And, even masked, I’ll get to smile at other socially-distanced folks who, like me, miss the human connection in these most interesting of times.

Finding something positive in each challenge has its blessings. I have found mine and am looking forward to tomorrow’s outing.

If you play the Glad Game today, what joys and magic might you find in these challenging times?

In Light and Laughter,

Marcia

The Land of ‘Up’

Hello, Dear Readers!

Marcia here.  I’ve been having a delicious conversation – in poems – with a friend and I wanted to share one segment of that with you!  Enjoy!

wiggles & jiggles & giggles galore
laughed ever so hard & still wanted more
so in order to keep the momentum flowing
i thought to record what i thought to be knowing
as i reached for a pen something soft i did touch
it startled me ever so, ever so, ever so much
that i started to giggle all over again
realizing where i was now & where i had been
my feet had been planted quite firm on the earth
yet with all of our banter, camaraderie, mirth
bubbles of giggles expanded inside
and with highest vibrations taken me for a ride
with my head in the clouds and my toes in the sea
what touched me was water, yes water! you see
and i know that you know what i know to be true
’cause we live magic lives, we decidedly do
the water of life fills our glorious cup
for you see we are blessed in the world of UP
In Light and such glorious Laughter!
Sending Rainbow Hugs your way!
Marcia 🙂

Marcia’s Meanderings – Finding Balance

Hello Dear Ones!

For those of you who follow me regularly, you will likely have noticed my recent absence. I am in my second week back at working in a full-time job. My decision to take on this responsibility was based on perceived financial need. Its joyful benefits (such as the people I am privileged to work with and the customers) have proved to be a delightful blessing.

Blessing that it is in so very many ways, life with out-of-home work is proving to be a challenge for me. Counting in the eight hours on the job five days a week, plus the prep time (I am using an alarm-clock for the first time in almost a year), plus the transportation time (I travel one hour each way by bus) … adds up to a great deal of time. All of that is time away from my husband, from my writing, from my computer, and my Twitter family.

What I have been attempting to do the past two weeks is to regain balance within myself. Continue Reading →

Marcia’s Meanderings – Gratitude & Appreciation

Hello Dear Ones!

The day, water, sun, moon, night…I do not have to purchase these things with money.
~Plautus

The above quote is such an inspiring one for me. It helps me to recognize the abundance of all good and wonderful things that there are in my life – ones I do not require money to purchase, yet that enrich my life immeasurably.

Here’s another quote with the same focus:

We don’t want things, people, or events. We want the feeling we mistake them for.”
Cindy Teevens from Twitter

When I look around me at the people, things and experiences that bless my life, I can’t help but to be grateful. I am so appreciative of all the bounty and the beauty around me; so fortunate to have such incredible people sharing their lives and walking with me on this journey called life. Many of you I will never meet in person. You bless my days remotely via the internet – through Twitter and Facebook.

There are days when I’m feeling grumpy or frightened or angry or less than abundant or … and on those days it is so easy to see the dark side of life rather than the bounty and the blessings; to see the glass as half empty rather than full – one 1/2 with the fluid of your choice, the other 1/2 with air! It takes less time these days to get to a place of feeling better – that in itself is a true blessing! It used to take days, weeks; there was even a time when I went months in a state of despair. That was a world and a lifetime ago. I am grateful every day that those days are long behind me. (BTW: I used to spell grateful – greatful! After all I was filled with the greatness of wonder and appreciation!) Continue Reading →

Marcia’s Meanderings – Trusting the Divine

Hello Dear Ones!

What a whirlwind Easter weekend! Fun, occasionally emotional and deeply enlightening. AHA moments all over the place. Check out one of them in my She Says – The Sandbox post.

The other major AHA moment is the one I’ve chosen for this post. Yes, the subject line – Trusting the Divine – tells you the potential intensity of the topic. Intense, yet powerfully uplifting!

It was my Day 3 of the 40 day and 40 night guided inner journey with Iyanla Vanzant’s book: One Day My Soul Just Opened Up that set all of this expansion into action. It is my writings from that particular exercise that I wish to share with you. That and the unique happenings that arose the next morning. Continue Reading →

Marcia’s Meanderings – Quandaries and Solutions

Hello Dear Ones!

Why is it when situations outside of our apparent control are out of control – having gone wacky and wonky in our esteemed estimation – we take them in and focus on the negativity of them as though the fuss and worry could help find the solution?

Why is it when we are so selective about so many facets of our life – our cars, clothes, home, the people with whom we interact – we are not at all selective in the thoughts we allow to run rampant in our heads?

What then is a person to do?

Why, keep our minds very, very busy – occupied on other things. Here are a few suggestions that work for me:

1.) Tell yourselves a different story. Begin with “Once upon a time…” and end with “…happily ever after.” And in the middle put all the wonderful, fun, joyous, adventurous, playful, creative, positive, inspirational ideas you can think of into what you want to see as outcomes for those what-seem-like-not-so-nice scenarios. Make them delicious and tantalizing! Lush them up! Lavish them with love!

Then let them go. Send all negativity away – even what you ‘believe’ to be happening around you.

2.) Go for a walk. Look at things as a child would see them. Watch the clouds. Find their forms. What do they look like? Dragons? Bunnies? Elephants? Stick your nose near a snow bank (if it’s still winter out your way … snow smells incredible and oh, so fresh!) Or place that smeller of yours into a flower decorating the section of sidewalk you are skipping upon in the moment. If it’s raining, jump in a puddle! Done once, do it again! The precipitation in your area is still snow? Then make a snow angel!

3.) Write. Journal. Not the negative, though. I spent years grumbling my dissatisfaction into journals when I first started the process. All it did was add fuel to the fire of my perceived discontent. Now I write about the blessings in my life! The lady who let me go ahead of her in the grocery line because I had only one item to her cart-load. The little girl with the crazy red hair and braids who had the most amazing giggle! The street woman who smiled right from her toes for me when I gave her a nod and a smile of greeting. Watching two servers give each other a hug simply because they enjoyed working together! And there’s always the gazillion blessings within my own life – my marvelous husband (he’s worth way more than half of those gazillion blessings!); my wonderful, visionary sons; my talented daughter-in-law and the precious grandsons she has gifted both us and this world; this computer expanding my ability to connect with others; the pink Converse runners adorning my feet …

What are the blessings in your life?

Whatever they are, find them. Focus on them. Savour them. Let them nourish your mind and your soul. Focus on the positive and ask your mind to find you more and more reasons to be grateful, to uncover the joyous in your life. Your mind will be glad of something to do. It needs directive. Provide it the directive that will make you feel good. Focusing on the positive will have you feeling better.  And the better you feel, the better you’ll feel!

In Light and Laughter,

Marcia