Facebook group – Appreciation Magic

I Appreciate These Past 41 Days – Day 41

Today is the last day of my 41-day challenge and I appreciate that! As part of my Facebook group on “41 Days of Appreciating Rampages,” I committed to blogging here for 41 days with photos. I am feeling quite good, now that the 41st day is here.

I started the Facebook group ten months ago and have done several rounds of “41 days.” After a break when I let myself get a bit too busy, I decided 41 days ago to be more deliberate through this blog on the next round of 41 days. I’m so glad I did! While this is not the end of my daily appreciation habit, there’s something about reaching the completion of something that feels really good. So today, I’m appreciating these past 41 days, the new blogs I’ve discovered from people commenting or liking my posts and most of all, the joy that comes from this daily practice of appreciating.

All are invited to join my Facebook group and post your joys as your inspiration leads you. There are some wonderful people in the group! I love them all and find reading their posts very uplifting.

Appreciating Banana Bread – Day 10

It may seem as if my posts are “random” but any energy of appreciation is a very good thing. We can appreciate little things, big things, major events, people, circumstances, and just ANYTHING. The important part is to remember to appreciate!

As part of my renewed commitment to post in my 41 days of Appreciating Rampages Facebook group, I’m now on Day 10 and today I’m appreciating banana bread! It’s something I grew up with and something I love to bake. My mom taught me to throw those ripe bananas in the freezer for a “rainy day of baking” later and then defrost them when you want to do some batches. This is how I bake banana bread.

It’s a great feeling knowing that I’m not wasting the bananas that ripen, and that I’m creating something really yummy that I can then share with my world of family and friends. As I usually bake several batches at once, I always end up giving some to others and that feels really good.

Some people look for evidence in their bank account to “see” abundance showing up in their lives. The beauty of a daily practice of appreciation is that one can see and feel many signs of abundance. I appreciate that banana bread is one of the signs of great abundance in my life. So thank you, banana bread! It feels good to make you, to share you with others and you taste delicious, too!

Appreciating Origami – Day 9

I’ve always loved origami, although I’m not such a master of it. I love how a simple piece of paper can be folded and folded and folded to make all kinds of shapes. I love the variety of origami papers to choose from, too!

Last year I had the opportunity to try my hand again at origami during a work event with a visiting Japanese delegation.

The photos represent my creation: easy (as long as I have someone to show me how to do it!), and beautiful.

I Appreciate Gardening – Day 8

Growing up in Iowa, I never had trouble growing anything. The soil is so rich and everywhere it’s like top soil. But here in New York, the soil around me has red tones and I’ve found a whole lot of extra work is required to make things grow. So I’ve experimented with some container gardening and I have to say that I really like it. Whether it’s planted directly in the ground or in a planter, I love the excitement of seeing seed grow into plants, and plants into vegetables, fruits or herbs. This year I’m trying some container strawberries. I can’t wait to taste them! I love checking in frequently and talking to my plants to encourage them to keep growing and I especially love the end result! Yes, I talk to my plants! I love and appreciate gardening for I know how I take care of the plants, and know exactly that everything is truly “organic.” I love gardening!

Appreciating Firefighters – Day 7

I appreciate firefighters! They put their lives in danger for the safety of all of us. We could easily take them for granted but when we’re in need, they are there! Whether they are the first responders to a health emergency, a cat stuck in a tree, or a raging house fire or forest fire, all of their service to the community is greatly appreciated! In my lifetime, I’ve had a house fire and a health emergency where the firefighters were the first to respond to the scene. I truly appreciate that we can dial 911 and they’ll show up – FAST. And they are trained and equipped to know exactly what to do. I appreciate that!

Not everyone wants to be a firefighter and I’m glad for those that do! So I’m saying a big THANK YOU to all firefighters out there- and a special hug to the volunteer firefighters! Without you all, our lives might just go up in smoke. 🙂 Thank you so much for your service.

I Appreciate Trees – Day 6

I love trees. I have always loved trees. There is something majestic about them. I love all kinds of trees, and especially deciduous trees: I love the changes each season. I love a tree full of leaves in the middle of the summer, with its leaves that make a rustling music with the wind. They sing their own song while they provide a quiet shade from the hot sun of sizzling summer days. The autumn leaves of all colors that so gently fall to the ground create works of art in the sky as well as on the ground when the pile of leaves lay below. There’s something so fun about playing in a pile of leaves! Winter branches remind me of the cycle of life: the transitions from life on this planet to moving on to a higher place, and taking time to rest, reflect and renew for the upcoming springtime. Spring buds give such promise and excitement of a new birth, new lives and new journeys that blossom once again into summer fullness. The cycle repeats. Change is indeed inevitable and the tree grows stronger.

Oh, if trees could only talk! Imagine what stories they could tell! I appreciate trees!

I Appreciate Singing! – Day 5

Bird on Cow from PDPhoto dot org — Photo Courtesy of PHPhoto.org

What do cows have to do with singing? For me, they were probably my first real “audience” as a singer (aside from my parents). When I was a little girl, I used to sit on a fence at the end of my dead-end street in my small town in Iowa and sing to the cows that were in the field there. They were a very captive audience! They would gather round and listen to me very intently. I can still see their faces but most of all, I can still remember that feeling of singing to them and how it lit up my soul inside.

I love to sing and appreciate that I have vocal chords that still work to do an “ok” job of it now. There were times in my life when I was singing daily. Singing fills my heart with joy and makes me feel alive. I would say that singing is one of my passions: something that I would be happy doing as a career. But I didn’t follow that path and I appreciate that it’s really never too late to pursue it now, if I decided just that. I also appreciate that I don’t have to be in a singing career in order to sing. Singing doesn’t require any instrument, except our own voice. While I play several instruments, I love singing most of all.

I appreciate really good singers like Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Cristina Aguillera and Kelly Clarkson. I love singers that give me chills when I listen to them and I love to experience that feeling when I sing, too. I appreciate singers of all musical genres. I also really, really love singing shows on TV! My fave show is The Voice! I appreciate how there are no age limits on that show, and that the initial “judging” is done entirely by listening to the contestants’ voices.

I love to sing anywhere – but lately have been singing more privately in my home, my car and yes, in the shower! I feel inspired by singing. What inspires you?

I Appreciate Unexpected Money in the Mail! – Day 4

Woo hoo! I really appreciate abundance in my life, and how it shows up in unexpected ways. Abundance isn’t just about money but this rampage of appreciation is all about that!

I love how I receive unexpected money when I align myself to a better feeling vibe. I’ve been shifting my vibe lately, making time for myself and deliberately slowing down to experience the “now.” I came home yesterday to find two unexpected checks in the mail!

One was part of a class action lawsuit against a bank I used to frequent. It felt really good since I had no idea I was part of the group and I didn’t have to do any fighting to get it. Easy! The other was another rebate of an insurance premium because they had “a very good year.” This is the 3rd time that this has happened to me with this insurance company (which just happens to be located in my home state of Iowa) and I have to say each time it’s a joyful surprise.

The amount of money isn’t the issue for my excitement – it’s the excitement and fun of getting the surprise abundance in ways that I was not focusing on! l absolutely LOVE when that happens! So since I’m appreciating joyful surprises of abundance, that means there’s a lot more on the way. YAY! I can’t wait to see what’s next!

I’m convinced that refocusing myself on writing down my rampages of appreciation daily is a key reason why I’m creating fun and easy joyful surprises. If you’re just reading my blog now, I invite you to join in on my Facebook group called 41 Days of Appreciating Rampages and appreciate away!

I Love My Cat – Day 3

After Hurricane Sandy, I rescued a cat from a shelter. You might also say that she rescued me! Of course, we chose each other. Her previous owners had named her Lindsay, but after two days of thinking I’d call her Daisy, my youngest daughter came up with the name Zelda, and the name stuck. This photo is the one from the shelter website, before we met in person, but I knew when I saw her online that she’d be mine. I love my cat, Zelda!

A 3 year old and tiny, she is obsessed with this little cardboard box that was within a much larger package. It has become one of her favorite places to hang out!

She makes me laugh because she would only go into the comfy cat bed I got for her when the cardboard was there! lol

Animals bring such joy to one’s life and Zelda is no exception. I love how she is so gentle, loving and talkative! She talks a lot, albeit quietly, and I love all the sounds she makes. She comes when called upon, never scratches (even when she wants to be let go from a human’s arms), and loves to play.

While she’s a little one, she has a big heart. She’d make an excellent therapy cat, as she immediately senses when humans are sad or distressed and talks while jumping on a lap. She soothes the soul. Her gentle, loving spirit has been such a blessing to me these past 7 months.

She is beautiful, inside and out! Patient- extremely patient- she often tests the human who is playing with her, in a game of who can have the most patience! You’ll often find the human waiting and waiting to see when she’ll jump and catch one of her toys. (The only exceptions are her Da Bird toy, which she is really crazy about and a cute purple fuzzy thing that I got her on the first day home.)

She won the praise at the vet clinic for being the best behaved animal of the day! She really is patient and calm, even in circumstances that aren’t that much fun (like a shot at the vet’s office, and having people poke around her body and in her ears).

She sometimes watches TV. This photo is one I took when she was on my lap (one of her favorite places) and was looking toward the TV. The reflection in her eyes made them appear blue.

I love how she loves to look at herself in the mirror, too! After all, she is a beauty!

Zelda has brightened up my life since she came into my family. Even family members who are not known to be cat lovers remark about how great of a cat she is. I love my Zelda and am so appreciative that she’s now a part of my family.

She likes one of my silk pillows from China as a bed these days – so fitting for Princess Zelda!

P.S. Oh, and in case you didn’t notice: Zelda is a Hawkeye, too! 🙂

I Appreciate This Present Moment – Day 2

In The Power of Now, Eckhart Tolle writes, “It is not uncommon for people to spend their whole life waiting to start living.” I truly appreciate that I understand this power of now: the empowerment that comes with knowing that I can choose to spend my life rehashing the past or concerning myself about what could be – either way, I am doing so in a moment of NOW. Whether we are thinking about the past, present or future, we are doing it NOW. That truly is all there is. And as I write this, I realize that with each letter I type, it’s no longer “now.” 🙂

I appreciate now. Just NOW. This present moment. That is all there is.

I appreciate that I know the power of this present moment. I appreciate knowing that I can make each moment meaningful. I can make each moment count. I appreciate knowing that when life feels like it’s rolling too fast, I can center myself back to the NOW. I appreciate the present moment to slow down, take a breath and feel the NOW. I appreciate the meditative vibration of NOW, the prayers of NOW, the smiles of NOW, the observation of NOW, the joys of NOW, and the unwanted contrast of NOW. I appreciate that by focusing on now, I can move myself into a state of acceptance and observation and find appreciation- no matter what is happening. I appreciate the blessings for myself and others when I am fully present in this moment of now.

Right here, right NOW. I appreciate this moment of serenity as I write this rampage of appreciation for each moment of now that I’m experiencing. I appreciate this moment of now- as you read this appreciation rampage. I appreciate you for being here. I appreciate this present moment. NOW is all there is.