Good morning! What a wonderful way to wake up and feel good! I so appreciate musicals and want to share this classic piece with you this morning. Music and dance are wonderful ways to feel good. Enjoy and have a great day everyone!
Tag: spiritedstrider
I Love My Iowa Hawkeyes!
I have a passion for college football, and particularly for my Iowa Hawkeyes team. They are my team and have been since I can remember. I’m originally from Iowa and particularly from the Iowa City area, so it follows that I’m a true Iowa Hawkeye fan. So if you add on a couple of degrees from the University to that, you have a recipe for a true fanatic. Then again, if you’re from anywhere in Iowa, you’re likely to either be a Hawkeye, Cyclone or Panther fan. (Cyclones are the ones at Iowa State and the Panthers are from the University of Northern Iowa). And if you dare to get confused on which school is which, watch out! The fans will set you straight right away.
Why do I love my Iowa Hawkeyes and college football in general so much? Let me give you a taste of what it means to me and how much I really appreciate it all.
I love the anticipation of the weekly Saturday game, the camaraderie of talking about the upcoming game with other fans, the planning on where to watch it (or) where to tailgate and what to wear, if I have tickets and can travel back for the game, the suspense and controversy over the weekly football rankings, the unity of the fans brought together toward a common goal, the excitement inside the stadium, full of rituals like the marching band, the tunnel and the players who join hands together entering the stadium like a herd of hungry cattle rushing into a pasture of green grass to eat, the coordinated effort of which color to wear for a particular game, the celebration of every first down, and particularly those key plays like interceptions, forced fumbles and 70 yard + touchdown runs, the energy of a stadium full of fans cheering on their team, the excitement of the players as they encourage fans to yell loudly by waving their hands up and down, the noise from the crowd of the opposing team’s 3rd down attempt, cheering our defense on, the appreciation of the fans by the players when after a win on the road when the team gathers to sing the “Iowa Fight Song” together with their fans…..
….I could go on and on but it’s time to take a deep breath! 🙂 What is evident about being a Hawkeye fan is that we are extremely passionate and loyal to our team. I “survived” the years of Iowa Hawkeye football where we used to hold the national record for the most losing seasons, and was a loyal Hawkeye and would go to games, even when we got beat by scores like 64-0. The difference between then and now is that the fans would get excited if we scored ANY points at all back then, while now we’ve seen a much more favorable winning streak over the years.
Hawkeye fans are special fans. They stick with their team over decades, pass down family traditions generation after generation, have all types of Hawkeye gear to show off their Hawkeye pride, and can tell you where they were watching the Iowa vs. Michigan game in 1985–and if they’re not old enough to remember that game, they have a family member who does so they’ve heard the story of how exciting that game was between the #1 Iowa vs. #2 Michigan. (By the way, I was in the stands, cheering on my Hawkeyes to the victory.)
Iowa football brings people together in ways that people wouldn’t normally get together otherwise, united by the ONE thing that matters: their black and gold. I love how being a Hawkeye fan connects me with others. I can travel the world with an Iowa Hawkeye shirt on and always find someone who yells out, “Let’s go Hawks!” or makes a comment about how good the game was.
Yes, I love my Iowa Hawkeyes and I’m glad I was born a Hawkeye fan. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Didn’t you know that it’s in our genes? 🙂 And no matter how far away I live from Iowa City, I will always be a Hawkeye fan. Let’s go Hawks!
Vote
Today is Election Day in the United States. Having visited countries where its citizens do not have that privilege, as well as having relatives in another country who were denied life opportunities because they chose to voice their opinion about their government, and remembering my visits there where we often had to lower our voices when we discussed politics in the privacy of a home, out of fear that “someone” was listening, I totally know and appreciate my right to vote.
Just some “food for thought” for those who think that voting isn’t worth it anymore. Enough said! I’m off to exercise this privilege and so grateful that I have it! Thank you!
Appreciating the Big Picture
I haven’t given this blog the attention it deserves since I started it. Yet I know the power of gratitude in life: what you appreciate, radiates in your life! So I decided to make a commitment to blog everyday this month both here and at my other blog, Journey of A Spirited Strider, as part of NaBloPoMo month.
I was listening to a recent Abraham-Hicks recording about the importance of our focus. Abe says that we often focus on what’s not going right and really take for granted what is right with our world. Abe goes on to say that there is so much wellness in the world, but we rarely take the time to appreciate the BIG picture.
So in that spirit, my first post for November is all about the big picture.
I am so grateful that the Sun came up today. I love its warmth and how its rays of light brighten up the world around me. I am so grateful for this planet Earth, that rotates and the orbit that it makes around the Sun. I love how we have both a day and a night. I love the seasons, too. It all works together so perfectly, even though we hardly take the time to notice it.
Oh, how I love the canvas that is our sky! I love the blue skies and the clouds that allow my imagination to work overtime in identifying what they’re drawing for me, while they may draw a different picture for the person who is next to me. I love the sky at night and the beautiful moon that seems to change shapes throughout the month, and how it glows. I love the moon next to those twinkling stars that speckle the space and create tons of wishes for people looking at them.
I love the Universe. I love that its infinite. I love how we don’t know much about it, too. I love the opportunity to dream about other worlds, to ponder, to inspire, to theorize, to grow, and to believe. I love how the Universe conjures up infinite ways for us to have an opinion about it. Yet no one really knows. And while we don’t really know, it all works so perfectly. I love that!
Thank you. You are perfect, even though we rarely take the time to notice it. So today I’m making this space to give credit to you! Here’s to the big picture!
Love For My Two Daughters
On this Mother’s Day of 2010, I am so grateful for my two daughters, Amanda and Andrea! As many mothers know, it is difficult to express exactly how deep love flows between a mother and her children. Words cannot express how connected that bond is. But my words can express how appreciative that these two beautiful young women are my children. I love you both and it was a love that began even before you were born.
I remember vividly that first moment when our eyes met each other after your birth. That bonding when our souls said, “Hi there! I know you and I love you! We are connected now for all of eternity.” While the umbilical cord connecting us got cut after birth, the mother/daughter love connection never ends. It is eternal, forever, beyond infinity… and I am grateful for that. I’m grateful that we are in this thing called life together. I’m grateful for all of the laughter, the love, the silliness and yes, the fights. While that may feel strange to you to read that, it is what a mother knows is a necessary part of seeing her children grow and develop. It is a reminder of how we mothers often fought with our own mothers, yet still the bond between us runs deep.
I am also so grateful that you have each other as “sisters.” What a beautiful connection that is and, as an only child, one that I never got to experience. But I see it and feel it from you. A little piece of me gets to “live” it through you.
I love the differences in your personalities and am grateful that you are each your own person: each with her own role to play in life. While most people think of parents as being the “teachers” for their children, I know that you are my teachers. You have taught me a lot about life and particularly about myself by being you. I am now a better person because of it!
I couldn’t have asked for better daughters than you both! So, on this Mother’s Day of 2010, I give you my appreciation, respect, gratitude and love. Thank you! Thank you for being my daughters! I love you both very much.
Songs That Make You Feel Good
I don’t know about you, but I absolutely love music and most forms of it. Music can influence us in so many ways: by drowning in our sorrows to uplifting our souls and everything in between. For me, any song that either makes me laugh or makes me feel like dancing is a wonderful way to raise my spirit and feel good.
Now there are MANY songs that I can put here but today I am grateful for one in particular. It’s a song from the disco era of the 70’s and it’s Boogie Wonderland, from the fabulous group Earth, Wind and Fire. When I watch this version, I can’t help but laugh and smile at all the fun they were having singing, dancing, twirling trumpets, tossing tamborines and dancing tangos with their guitars! It makes me feel really good and gets me dancing everytime.
So, thank you for this song, Earth, Wind and Fire! Some thirty years later, I still feel really good hearing it. Shall we dance?
What Are You Grateful For Today?
I can’t believe it’s been so long since I posted on this new blog of mine. I’ve posted so infrequently, that I can hardly call this a blog! But I’m grateful that I started it with intentions of sharing the gab of gratitude with others. So in that spirit, I intend to post a bit more regularly this year, and perhaps with just shorter posts. Some days, I might just do a gratitude list.
Today I’m grateful for being here, for returning back to remembering the importance of gratitude in my life and to taking the time to actually write about it here. What are you grateful for today?
Appreciation Magic 