Tag: blogging

“Eeew spider veins?!? You’ve got spider veins?!? Yuck!!!” Woah! It took my ears a few minutes to recover after hearing that “observation” or insult hurled at me.  I have to admit, it took my heart a week. Okay, staying real, two weeks. Haha!

Sounds quite juvenile on my part to need a long recovery period, huh?  Well, it took much longer for my heart to get over it when I remembered who actually blurted out that “spider vein feedback”. Or, should I say unsolicited advice?

It all happened one light, breezy, sunshiny day. The weather was as gorgeous as it could get. So, I wore a lovely summer dress to celebrate the sunshine. I was definitely “dressed for the occasion”, so to speak.  Light. Breezy. Sunshiny. That’s how I felt deep within. No cares in the world. Just bliss. Ahhh. Pure bliss.

Then, out to nowhere, “you know who”….. (Oh sorry, you DON’T know who …. Well, I’d rather keep it a mystery, if that’s okay with you. It’s a delicate matter of sensitivities. I’d prefer to zero in on some life insights born that day.)….. anyway, to continue, “you know who” jumped at me, both literally and figuratively, and took me by storm. At that point, the weather drastically changed. From a sunshiny happy day to an overcast gloomy day. Or at least, that was the intention of “you know who”. Well, sorry to disappoint her, but her plan was thwarted. No one was going to rain on my sunshiny day, haha!

Initially, I was dumbfounded. However, when I mulled over it, I burst into indignant laughter in my head. I mean, seriously?!? It’s unbelievably hilarious how some people make it a life mission to obliterate the happy hearts around them. The crazily awesome thing about happiness, though, is that when it comes from deep within, no amount of heavy rains, thunderstorms, insults, naysayers, doomsayers, or whatever negatively charged forces there are, can ever cause it to dissipate.

We all pretty much have our own “Cheer Team”. And we celebrate them with love. As for the detractors and green-eyed monsters, sure they may attempt to block our path to the yellow brick sunshiny road, but they ain’t stoppin’ us, no way!

On a personal note, I thought to myself. Hmmmmm. A few spider veins on my thighs (what with all the heels I’ve worn in my earlier teaching/ training days)? Well, I really don’t mind. In fact, I’ve “made friends” with them, haha! They never bothered me anyway. BUUUUT having to deal with spider-veined souls? (Just saying! ….) Now, THAT is totally unacceptable to me. My happiness is non-negotiable!

In my life, amidst the erratic climate ….. the  sudden weather shifts from droughts to torrential rainfall, I choose to embrace the sunshine within me.

So, what did I do that day? I simply smiled and walked away. Yup, that’s me, I don’t stoop to the lowest levels unnecessarily. I wore my phone headset and checked my playlist. Then I happily sang along …. “I can see clearly now, the rain is gone, I can see all obstacles in my way, gone are the dark clouds that had me blind, it’s gonna be a bright, bright sunshiny day …. it’s gonna be a bright, bright sunshiny day!” ❤️

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It’s gonna be a bright, bright sunshiny day! ☀️☀️☀️

It’s a brand new day! (Audience response:  APPLAUSE).  With brand new smiles and handshakes. Brand new dreams and aspirations. Brand new hopes and ambitions. Brand new creations and designs. Brand new meetings and workshops. Brand news deals and contracts. Brand new options and solutions.

Weather forecast? Generally sunny skies aaaaall oooover!  (Audience response:  MAJORLY THUNDEROUS APPLAUSE).

Now, in contrast, jump to the next scene.

It’s a brand new day! (Audience response:  SIGH).  With brand new irritations and apprehensions. Brand new nitpicking and criticizing. Brand new anxieties and fears. Brand new foreboding and negativity. Brand new threats and attacks. Brand new problems and complaints.

Weather forecast? Generally heavy rains and thunderstorms aaaaall oooover! (Audience response: LOUDEST SIGH …… MOAN, GROAN, or however you’d articulate insufferable displeasure).

Funny really. Actually, odd. The day presents itself as a neutral point in time. It’s just exactly that. A DAY.

However, our attitudes and mindsets spell all the difference. Do we choose to focus on the positive things in life? That choice propels us to go on. Or do we choose to focus on the negative things in life? That choice weakens us and halts us altogether.

Of course, I’m fully aware that life isn’t a bed or roses. There are expectedly a number of thorns along the way. And yet …. A big YET ….. there are also a plethora of blessings that await us …. a rainbow of renewed hopes that we can hold on to ….  a multitude of miracles that are raring to unfold before our very eyes.

So at the end of the day ….. or should I say, at the beginning of the day (haha!) …. It’s really a matter of focus, of perspective, of angle, of vision.

I may not know what my day holds, but I definitely choose happiness. Yup, aaaaall oooover!

So popping my happy pill, I say, “Hey world, I’m ready for my brand new “BRAND YOU” day! Yeah, bring it on!” ❤️

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It’s a beautiful relaxing Sunday. Ahhh my type of day.

Been publishing posts as my imagination inspired me these past few days. And I loved all that happy, vibrant, creative, and pulsating energy.

Thanks so much, dear friends, for having dropped by this week. I was so thrilled with your awesome comments and lovely, diverse rainbow insights. I found our conversations so cool, so intelligent, so fun, so inspiring, so stimulating, so engaging.

Decided to treat myself with special “Me Time” today. A sweet visit to the spa is my kind of pampering.

I know that we pretty much multi-task in this day and age. Yup, even when we desire to be more mindful. It’s simply the name of the game. And we learn the rules to stay in the game, so to speak. We choose to adapt to our fast-evolving environments. We contend with the increasingly pressing demands on us at work, at home, at church, at our communities, at our organizations, and what have you.

So, we all need that sweet spot in our lives. That go-to place when we want to unwind. That sacred space when we want to clear our minds. That Shangri-La when we want to rejuvenate. That personal boardroom when we want to recalibrate. That mountain top when we want to gain a fresh perspective.

Wishing you all a “Sweet Soul Spa” Sunday! With much love and gratitude! ❤️

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I’m in love with a married man. Silence. There. I admitted it to my husband. There was no denying it. He had to know. For our 20 years together, he deserved to know.

It all started when I saw how similar this mystery man was to my husband. And yet even more strikingly, how different he was altogether.

I met my husband one precious day. It was comfortably warm with a burst of sunshine. The funny thing is, little did I know then that an awesome blessing was rushing my way. I wasn’t ready for the sunshine that was going to explode and overtake me. Oh my heart. Oh my head.

I was conducting a corporate team building workshop and ….. yup, just like that famous scene in a romance film, time stood still when I saw him flash his most infectious, heart-melting smile. The one that made the sun shy away. And his eyes, they beamed along, as they looked my way. Woot woot! Sparks were all over the place! Could you tell that by then I was already gravitating towards him? I found him so handsome, so cute, so endearing, so irresistible.

As we went through the workshop, in his charming quiet confidence, he shared some rich insights. He wasn’t soft-spoken, but he didn’t sound his views blaringly either. He was just so cool. He was just so natural. There was an effortless manner about him. That’s it! That was the clincher. I was drawn to his intelligence and his humility at the same time. As he was feeling his way through the workshop, I sensed that he wasn’t even aware of how amazed I was with his sharp wit and humor.

As love stories would have it, he was likewise magnetized to me and my sunny, effervescent personality. Or is that my biased version of the story? Haha!

So what’s all the fuss about the sun? Well, we loved the warmth and friendly conversations we carried. It’s as if we knew each other forever. Ease. Lots of happy ease. Free from trying to be people we weren’t. There was simply a natural flow in our dynamic and yet, it was charged with exciting electricity. Engaging energy. It felt like a majestic interplay of yin and yang.

These joyous, vibrant, and down-to-earth colors resonate so deeply with my soul to this very day. And that’s the similar road that led me to this mystery man. He makes me feel so happy, so comfortable, so special, so at home. He reminds me so much of the love who stole my heart decades ago.

And yet, as I spend more time with him, he also opens my eyes to a totally new amazing world. He shows me various facets of life that I’ve never ever seen in my earlier years of marriage. He’s just so different from the man that I married. And that’s what makes him so attractive too.

This mystery man has the boldness of a lion. Nothing fazes him. He reminds me that there is always a solution to every problem. He has the vision of an eagle. He is so situationally aware. He knows what’s happening in the world…. even more impressively, in my world. He keeps himself well-informed so that he can make sound judgments. He is passionate about the future. He has the wisdom of an owl. He is quite insightful and abundant with ideas. He challenges my mind. He sees what systems or processes can be improved and is never shy to air his suggestions. He has the tenderness of a puppy. When he is with me, and we are in our own world, he embraces me and snuggles up to me. And that, I love with much fervor. He has the speed of a cheetah. There’s never a dull moment with him. He maps out our adventures and is an architect at compartmentalizing his time. I’m blown away with his many achievements and accomplishments. He works hard. He plays hard. He lives life. He loves life. He has the commanding presence of a tiger. He loves me fiercely and intensely. He circles me and readily defends me at the onslaught of any attack. He always protects me with all his might.

Ahhh! The more I think about his qualities, the more I fall deeply, madly, indescribably in love with this mystery man.

It’s been so overwhelming lately, though. My thoughts. My feelings. My sanity. My core. Until guilt totally consumed me one night. I had to finally confess my budding romance with this mystery man. I had to finally break the silence …. and the noise within me. I had to finally tell my husband.

So what’s the point of it all? There is, in fact, a powerful point. For this may speak volumes to some people out there who may feel “trapped” in their marriages.

You see, I am no longer the same woman that my husband married years back. And neither is he the same man with whom I exchanged marriage vows. We both have changed. Vastly. We both have evolved. Vastly.

And so, that fateful night, I finally introduced my husband to this mystery man.

At the dinner table, as we were about to have our cheese platter, I started fidgeting. Awkwardness filled the room. I was waiting for him to ask me about the “important announcement” that I had been dying to make. But he simply sat there. Silent.

It wasn’t going well. To think that it had panned out earlier in my mind. So, I finally mustered the courage to speak. I dove into his eyes and tried to make a meaningful connection. Then slowly, I reached out for his hand and gave him a mirror. With a quizzical look, he asked if it was all a joke. I was uncharacteristically expressionless. Then, after a few seconds, I cajoled him into looking at the mirror.

A smile peeked from his face. And a smile peeked from mine. I raised my glass to him and finally blurted out my “confession”.

“Yes, I’m in love with a married man …….. And that married man ……. is YOU ……. CHEERS HONEY!!! I love you always and forever!”

Wow the sweetest, most delicious relief filled the air. Our wine glasses clinked playfully and we both burst into happy laughter. Oh, and we had the grandest night of all! ❤️