What Hasn't Changed

  Hello, Friends.  I have been thinking lately about all the things that have changed in our world this year.  It has been crazy and chaotic.  I don't know about you, but I've never lived in a pandemic before, and so everything seems new and different and frustrating.  Plans have been cancelled, social norms have been shifted, our confidence has been shaken.  It can be easy to become blindsided by the upheaval and feel as if there is no solid ground anywhere.  But in truth, there are some things that haven't changed, and if we choose to focus on these, we can find our footing to deal with the rest.  

1.  Vegetables are good for you.  

  Seems simplistic right?  But that's what we need right now.  Simple, solid foundations.  Vegetables are healthy.  They contain vitamins and nutrients our bodies need.  If you're looking for a good place to start to regain some stability, why not eat more veggies at every meal?  Your body will thank you for it.  

2.  Being kind to everyone you meet is still good advice.

  There is a lot of hurt in our world right now.  There is fear and anger and hatred running rampant, and in the midst of it all, voices are crying out to be heard.  People want justice and equality and life.  And while you may not be able to solve a world crisis or end all the turmoil, you can be nice to each person you meet, and that will go farther than you think.  The ripple effects of kindness can make a difference.  But it's up to you to keep dropping those pebbles in the water.  

3.  Our bodies still need rest.

  No, I do not mean laying on the couch and binging Netflix.  We have all had entirely too much of that this year.  What I do mean is allowing your body, mind, and spirit to completely shut off and truly rest.  We don't function well when we are depleted, and one of the best ways to refill is to give ourselves true rest.

4.  Exercise boosts endorphins.

  If the craziness of life has gotten you down lately, take some time to go for a walk, try some yoga, or hit the gym.  (Disclaimer:  I have no medical or nutritional degrees or qualifications, please consult a real doctor before doing something new.)  Science has proven that our bodies generate more endorphins through exercise, so if you need a happiness boost, get your sweat on.  

5.  God is still in control.

  Most of all, when this world seems out of control, it's nice to look outside ourselves and know that God is still in control.  This does not excuse us from doing our part, but it should give us the confidence to continue living our lives, knowing that we can trust there is a grander plan in motion.  

  Friends, a lot has changed, for better or for worse, but there are still some things that hold true.  Embrace new, adjust, pivot, grow, but also look for stability in the unchanging. Eat your veggies, go for a walk, take a nap, be kind, and trust God with the rest.  I can't wait to see you succeed!

~K.W. 

What You Look For

  Hello, Friends.  At my house we have  peculiar kind of spider.  This spider has strange little attachments on his thorax that make him look a lot like a little piece of a leaf.  I first noticed one a month or so ago, suspended between the bushes in front of my house.  I thought it was a dead leaf that had got caught in a web, but as I sat in front of the window, presently, I noticed it beginning to move.  I was amazed, as, even with growing up in the country, I had never seen a spider like this before.  I watched it for many mornings after that, following its elaborate pattern back and forth between the bushes.  I pointed it out to my husband as well, and he was also impressed by this sneaky little creature.
  Not long after choosing to pay attention to this critter, I noticed another on the front porch, and another on a window.  It seemed that now that I had focused my vision on them, I could see them everywhere hiding in plain sight when I had spent the previous thirty years never seeing one.
  Life is like this in a lot of ways.  We have to choose what we focus on.  It's called the Law of Attraction.  If you are constantly focusing on, looking for, pointing out, and complaining about all the negative or bad circumstances in your life, guess what you will find more of?  Bad circumstances. Conversely, if you are determined to find the good, focus on the positive, and live with gratitude, you will find more and more things to be grateful for.  It's all in what you choose to look for.  The Bible says it this way, "For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance.  Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him."  (Matthew 25:29)
  Do you need to change what you're looking for today?  The choice is yours.  It's all in what you pay attention to.  Focus on the positive today.  I can't wait to see you succeed!

~K.W.

Visible Progress

  Hi Friends!  I have been thinking lately about making progress in our lives, and how it is difficult to measure our progress on a short term basis in most things.  We may work out for two days and then grow discouraged at our lack of chiseled arms and six pack abs.  We might put in our best effort for a whole week at work and not get a $1,000 raise.  In our heads we know that success is a long term game, that we have to stick with our good habits for days, weeks, maybe even years to achieve the results we want.  The Rock wasn't built in a day, know what I mean?
  Despite knowing that results take time, we live in a microwave, I want it now, purchased on credit kind of society.  We've never been accustomed to waiting for anything, and so waiting for success seems extra difficult. So, what's a tangible way to measure our success?  Is there a way to see day by day our progress in small increments?  I think that there is.  And that measuring stick is reading.
  Now hear me out.  Charlie Tremendous Jones stated, "You will be the same person in five years as you are today except for the people you meet and books you read."  I like the person I am today.  But I sure don't want to still be the same in five years.  So for me, reading is a daily habit.  It's a way to move myself towards my goals on a daily, tangible basis. And the beauty of reading is that you can find a book on almost any subject you would ever want to get better at:  health, fitness, finance, spirituality, relationships, success, investing, business, organizing, the list goes on.  And the other great thing about reading is, books aren't that expensive.  You can get a $20 book on investing and read it daily.  If applied, the knowledge you gain should net you far more than $20.  And here's the best part.  When you read, you can do it a few minutes or pages at a time, and you are still making progress.  Try it.  Get yourself a 300 page book on a subject you want to learn about.  Check it out from the library if you aren't committed to investing the money to own it yet.  Then splurge and buy yourself the coolest $2.99 bookmark you can find.  And here's the hardest part.  Decide to read for just ten minutes a day. (It's not actually that hard... it's easier than sit-ups.)  Just set your timer, and do it.  Stick with it, and I promise you, day after day, you will have the satisfaction of moving that book mark.  You can literally see your progress through the book on a daily basis.  That, my friends, is exciting.  But what is even more exciting are the subtle changes you won't even realize are happening.  As you read, you will see an idea, and maybe you will decide to try it, and you might find another idea a few pages later, and pretty soon, you've started to implement new habits, and before long you've changed for the better.  Book by book, you will start to become the person you've always dreamed of being, and if you keep up that ten minutes a day, five years from now, you might just be impressed with who you've become.  But it's all based on that daily measurable action.  Are you ready for noticeable progress?  Move the bookmark today.  I can't wait to see you succeed!
~K.W.

Jumping In

Hi Friends!  A while back I shared with you my 104 Things, and I wanted to continue that story a bit.  If you remember, I shared with you a few things I had checked off my list (riding a camel, riding the Banana boat).  And I'm excited to tell you that I have checked off more things since then.  (Successfully growing a plant, and trying Sound Bathing) to name a few.  If you go back and read the thoughts I wrote about my list, you will see that there was a regret I had tied to one of my goals, and that was that I let fear stop me from diving in.  When given the opportunity to dive into the open ocean and go for a swim, I said "No," because it was out of my comfort zone.  But my regret of this moment caused me to make a commitment.  To not allow myself to miss out on life experiences because of fear.  And last week, I got an opportunity to make good on that promise. 
We were doing some trail walking with my family over the holiday weekend and happened upon an amazing swimming hole.  One of those that is a rare find of deep, cold, fresh water, secluded and inviting on a 90 degree day.  Typically I would have just sat and put my feet in at the edge, because swimming in water where I cannot see the bottom is not my thing (ie... outside my comfort zone).  But I decided, this time I would go all the way in.  I crept out a bit at a time until my feet could no longer touch the bottom, and I enjoyed the cool, refreshing pool and the joy of knowing I had overcome my fear.  But then a greater challenge arose.  On the other side of the pool was a ledge of cement jutting out a few feet above the water.  Various individuals had been climbing up and jumping off into the water during our time at the pool.  They had warned us that if you jumped, you had to jump far enough out to clear the rocks and to reach the deep water safely.  This was enough for me to remain safely planted just on the edge of my comfort zone in the water slightly deeper than what I could touch.  To make the jump meant to swim all the way across the pool, which meant there was no land within inches to turn back to.  And then there was the jump itself, another way outside the comfort zone thing which I might have avoided, had it not been for the voice of my ten year old speaking up. 
"I want to jump."  He said excitedly.
"No."  Came my knee-jerk reaction, followed by a series of whining and pleading from him.  Slowly my thoughts of the ocean invitation started to come over me, and I realized to say "No" to this opportunity was to miss out and cause my child to miss out all because of fear.  And I had committed to not doing that.  I knew that if he was going to jump, I had to do it to, and so, with my heart pounding I acquiesced, adding the admonishment that he understood if he jumped he had to swim the entire way across the pool as it was too deep to touch and also that he was not allowed to go head first (the goal was to push the comfort zone, not to be all out foolish). 
I began my swim across the pool reminding myself that this was just a little challenge, and I could do it.  Now, I know that to many of you this probably seems quite mundane, but to someone with a fear of open water and a general avoidance of any new activity, this was monumental.  Reaching the other side I climbed up on to the rock and asked for advice as to the exact spot we needed to jump in order to avoid hitting the rocks.  I gave my son several last minute warnings and then sent him off to jump.  Seeing him safely come back up and start swimming toward my husband I knew it was my turn.  I set my sights on the spot I needed to land, took a small running start and jumped.  And you know what?  It was fun!  I survived.  I had taken a leap outside my comfort zone and felt the joy of overcoming. 
For me it was simple.  Jump into the water.  For other things in life it may not be so simple:  take that new job, make the call, invest in the opportunity.  Sometimes the things that stretch our comfort zone are mild, like swimming across open water; and sometimes they are big, like moving across the country.  The more we choose to open up to life and push those boundaries, the easier it will be to say "Yes" when the right opportunities come along.  What do you need to say "Yes" to today?  Stop allowing fear to keep you from your destiny.  It's time to jump in!  I can't wait to see you succeed!

~K.W. 
*Photo credit to Chris Hoefler

Stupid Questions

When I was 16 I moved from my secluded small private school world to a public high school.  Upon moving I very quickly realized just how little I knew about the ways of the world.  My friends at school were having conversations about things I had never heard of, and while I’d always been good at “fake it til you make it,”  they knew I was ignorant.  I couldn’t ask my parents about the terms I heard at school.  I was already in enough trouble without them assuming that I was thinking about sex.  The truth is though, I just wanted to be in the know.  I wanted to have enough knowledge to decide whether I was in or out of the conversation.  With no knowledge, I could only nod and smile and pretend.  

There was a girl down the street though, and she knew.  She invited me over one day not long after I started at the new school, and I promptly began to ask her to define every term I had heard and not understood from the last few weeks at school.  Fourteen years later I still cringe every time I think about my asking of those questions. I had a gym teacher at my old school who used to say, “There’s no stupid questions, only stupid people.”  I think that is one of the worst things you can ever say to an inquiring mind.  But the thing is, I have always been willing to ask “dumb” questions.  I like to learn, and if I don’t ask, how will I know?  I’m willing to risk looking stupid for the sake of knowing more.  So I asked, and she answered, and never once did she judge me (at least not out loud.)  I can only imagine what she was thinking internally.  But by sharing her knowledge with me that day, she gave me an in.  I no longer sat at the lunch table feeling left out and unsure of what was being discussed.  I had knowledge now, albeit little, and knowledge is power.  

Giving someone an in is powerful.  It’s allowing them to sit at the table.  It’s using your power to lift someone up when you could push them down. Is it time that you gave someone an in?  Maybe there’s someone at your work who is struggling and needs to know what you know to succeed.  Maybe you can give someone the info they are looking for so they can become part of the conversation.  Not everyone is brave enough to ask, and this often can leave people stuck on the outside.  Keep your eyes and arms open to the people who may need you to extend a hand and welcome them into your circle.  That small act of kindness may open a doorway for them, and as Maya Angelou said, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”  Make people feel invited, even if that means letting down your guard a little to let them in.  We all need someone to save us a seat and give us an invite.  Be that person for someone.  I can’t wait to see you succeed!

~K.W.  

From the Heart

My Dear Friends,
I hope that you are all well.  I have been thinking a lot lately, as I am sure most of you have.  I have been discouraged, and fearful, and saddened by what I have seen in our world lately.  The voices of hate, discord, and destruction have raised themselves to a deafening roar, and it is hard to listen for the still small voice of peace, truth, and love in the midst of it. 
I have hesitated to speak, because it seems impossible to say something without offending one side or another, so divided are we as a people and nation.  But perhaps, I can appeal to our common humanity. 
Let me first say, my heart breaks for my African American brothers and sisters who have suffered injustice for so long and in so many ways.  Events like the death of George Floyd demonstrate to us just how far we still have to go to reach equality and liberty for all races.  My heart breaks for his family and friends who are still reeling from the shock of losing a loved one in so cruel an act of hate. 
My heart also breaks for those world wide who are still fighting sickness and wondering how they are going to pay their bills after the time of crisis we have all endured. I am saddened for all those who have lost family and friends to this devastating disease.
My heart breaks for all our military and police members who joined the ranks to make a difference and to do good in our world and are now coming under attack for the actions of a few horribly misguided individuals.  My heart breaks for their family members who lay awake at night wondering if their father, brother, sister, mother, or spouse will make it home safely from work that day. 
My heart breaks for all the shop owners, businesses, and families who were impacted not only by Covid-19, but also by destruction and looting, and who now have to pick up the pieces and rebuild.  While I do believe we must speak out and speak strongly as well as take action for change to happen, I do not believe attacking innocent by standers through looting, raiding, and mass destruction is the answer.  Hate only begets more hate.  If we are to turn the tide, it must be done with love and with courage.
And so, while my heart is breaking with the pain and suffering of so many individuals in this world, I remain confident that the God I know has not abandoned us in this time.  He sees each tear and hurt.  He knows our deepest wounds better than we do, and He wishes to bring healing to them all.  No matter what, we cannot allow hate to win.  We must act with love, and we must do so day in and day out until love wins the battle.  We must, as John Maxwell says, "Make a difference with others wherever you are, with whatever you have, day by day."  (Intentional Living, pg. 4)
It is my hope that you know, no matter who you are, where you are, how you feel, or what you have done or are doing, you are deeply loved by a God who wants to redeem you and wants to redeem this world. 
I choose love today.  Hate will not win.  I love you all, and I can't wait to see us all succeed!

~K.W. 

Seeds

  "Every adversity, every failure, and every heartache carries with it the seed of equivalent or greater benefit."  Napoleon Hill said that.  Do you believe it?  And if so, are you applying it?  Those are the questions I've been asking myself this week, friends. 
  As a world, we are facing great adversity right now, both as a global community, and as individuals.  And with all these changes, and interruptions, and frustrations, it can be easy to get bitter and angry, to shut down, lay down, or tune it out.  I know that personally I've wrestled with a lot of those things in the last few months, and I'm willing to bet I'm not alone in this. 
  If you're a planner like me, it can be incredibly difficult to deal with your plans being interrupted.  And while I've worked hard to get better at not getting upset with the little distractions and detours that happen on a daily basis, having my entire world, and plans, and goals upended was another thing entirely.  I'd be lying if I said I haven't been angry most days and cried and just flat out given up some days.  But, while I certainly have not reached a point of acceptance yet, Napoleon Hill's words did help me to start to change my perspective and with it, my attitude. 
  This season has been hard for me, and not for the reasons you might think.  My husband and I have been incredibly blessed to still be working.  But to be honest, working and trying to homeschool my son felt more like a curse.  It is the last thing I wanted to be doing these past two months.  My mind, my schedule, and my emotions have been on overload.  But, this constant overload and stress forced me to find new and better ways to manage my time.  It helped me to prioritize and realize what I care about, what actually has to be done, and what things I want to get rid of in my life asap.  I know a lot of you have been facing your own unique set of struggles during this time as well. 
  The truth is, we are not out of the woods yet, friends, but this season and this journey can be a set up for greater opportunities.  Or we can let it be a roadblock which derails our progress and keeps us from moving forward long after this is all over.  I don't know about you, but I want to find those seeds of opportunity growing among the thorns of life.  Hang in there!  I care about you.  We will get through this, and I can't wait to see you succeed!

~K.W. 

One of Those Days

  Hi friends!  Today, was one of those days... you know the kind I'm talking about, the my son forgot how to write the number 9, tracked dog poop into my car carpets, and cried every time I spoke to him kind of days.  The kind of days where it seems like the whole world is mad at you, and you can't seem to accomplish the things that need done in the space of time you have.  The kind of days where your technology doesn't work, and you dump a cup of water into your purse.  (Not that any of these things happen to me... ahem... all of them happened to me... today.) 
  So many times, we picture our lives like a Hallmark movie, where everything winds up beautiful, we fall in love, win the lottery, and the whole family comes together at the end.  But life, often times can be more like a thriller, where there's a surprise twist, nothing goes as planned, and everything bad happens to the main character.  The good news is that no matter whether your life feels like a sitcom right now, or a tear jerker, or a just plain terrible film, you still get to choose how you as a character show up in your story.  Do you scream and swear and cry and throw things?  (Read...I did all of these today too.)  Or do you show gratitude, take a walk, and respond with grace and humor?  (I did manage to do some of these things some of the time today. ) 
  Part of the beauty of life is in the imperfection, in the journey, the growth, and the struggle.  The victory at the end wouldn't be half as sweet without the hurdles we had to overcome to achieve it.  We don't go to see movies about sports teams who did nothing and didn't have to train and faced and easy team and won.  No, we watch sports movies about teams who overcame adversity to create unity, who practiced harder than they thought they could, who faced their biggest rival and won.  And our life is no different.  The struggles may be hard, frustrating, and exhausting, but they are preparing us to win.  We can choose to lay down, or we can step up. 
  Today, no matter how your day went, I hope that you find ways to push yourself to become better and to step up to the plate and take that swing, even if you missed the first two pitches.  Don't grow weary of doing good.  Your harvest is coming. (Galatians 6:9) Show up, and be the character your story needs.  I can't wait to see you succeed!

~K.W. 

A Cross Country Walk

Hello Friends!
  Imagine that you have just signed up for a cross country march.  You know that it is over 2,500 miles and that it will take you anywhere from four months to a year or more to complete.  Now, let's also say that the reason you have signed up for this walk is to benefit a cause you really believe in, and by completing the cross-country walk you will be raising over $100,000 for this charity.  Although many of us would not sign up for such a walk, at least we can see that it has a definite beginning, middle, and end, and as long as you keep moving forward each day, you will reach the desired end and earn the money for your charity. 
  Now, imagine that you have just signed up for a walk.  You know the prize is something incredible, but you don't know how long the walk will be.  You only know your starting point and the direction you should head.  You've been told that this is a challenging walk and that it will take a long time, but you don't mind because you want the incredible prize at the end.  What do you think would happen if, after a few days of walking, you sit down on the ground and begin to whine and cry that you haven't gotten the prize yet?  What if you walk for a few months and then sit down and hope the prize will find its way to you?  Do you think this behavior would get you to the prize?   Remember, you don't know how long the race is.  You only know that if you walk in the right direction long enough you will win the prize. 
 Most of us, if given the choice, would probably take the race with the known distance and timeframe.  But life isn't like the first race.  It is the second.  We have dreams and goals, and accomplishing them is the magnificent prize at the end of the race, but we have no idea how long it will take to get there.  We only know where we are now, and which direction we have to walk in.  In the example of the physical race, we know that to sit on the ground and cry about not reaching the destination would be extremely silly and unproductive.  But have we done that in our own lives?  So many times we get tired of moving in the direction of our goals and not achieving them yet, but rather than pushing forward, knowing that if we keep moving in the right direction we will reach the prize, we sit down and give up.  We quit walking and hope the destination will come to us. 
  If you are struggling or frustrated right now that your dreams and goals haven't happened yet or that you haven't made it to that next level, don't sit down and quit.  Don't hope the destination will come to you.  Instead, set your sights on the horizon, get a good pair of hiking boots, and find some traveling buddies who know the way, and whatever you do, keep moving.  Keep putting one foot in front of the other.  You may not know how far the journey is, but you know where you are and which direction to walk, and that is all the knowledge you need to move toward your goals.  Keep walking friends.  Your prize is ahead. 

~K. W. 

Health from the Beginning

  Hi Friends!  I hope you all are doing well and staying healthy.  I know there has been a focus in our world lately concerning health and illness, and a lot of people are reevaluating how they are doing life.  I was doing some reading yesterday, and I started looking at the first chapter of the Bible. If you are familiar with the book of Genesis, you know the first chapter is the one that talks about God's creation of the world.  As I was reading this, some words began to stick out to me, and I realized  there was a prescription for health written right into the world from the very beginning.  Given that we are all looking for ways to be healthier these days, I thought I would share this list with you.    (Disclaimer:  I am not a doctor, nor do I have a medical degree, so please consult your physician if you have questions/concerns.  These are just my personal thoughts on general healthful practices.)
  Now that I've got the legal jargon out of the way, here are the healthy things I've been contemplating.  In the beginning, God created light. And this was one of the first things I noticed when rereading the creation account.  Now, I don't know about you, but a good dose of sunlight and vitamin D does me a world of good, and I think there's a reason it was one of the first things God made.  Sunlight can lift our spirits and our moods and help us to create vital nutrients by absorbing it through our skin. 
  The second crucial element that stuck out to me in creation was water.  Not only are our bodies made up of a lot of water, but water is good for everything from cleaning ourselves to restoring our body's natural state internally, to the therapeutic sound of ocean waves or bubbling rivers which can set our minds at ease.  It's no surprise then, that this was one of the first things mentioned in the creation of the world. 
   Next on the list of healthful creations were plants.  Plants were created for nutrition, and I believe most of us know that eating your fruits and vegetables is crucial to your overall health.  Popeye wasn't kidding; spinach really will make you strong. 
  The next slightly unorthodox thing I noticed in creation was signs and seasons.  Now, at first this may seem like a strange thing to include in a list of healthful items, but order is so important to us functioning at optimal health.  Have you ever heard that your inner state reflects your outer state?  Most likely, if the world around you is in chaos, your internal state may be chaos as well. God created order right from the beginning, and I think this points to its importance to our health.  God also created seasons right along side signs, and when I think of seasons, I am drawn to the idea of holidays, special occasions, and yearly traditions.   Celebration is a great way to keep our spirits high.  After all, "a cheerful heart is good medicine."   (Psalm 17:22)
  One of the final items was not something God created, but something He did.  He rested.  Now, if you are a busy individual out there, I don't have to explain to you the value of rest, but usually, just knowing its value doesn't mean we are getting enough of it.  Taking time to deliberately rest can be restorative to our health and well-being. 
  If you are feeling under the weather or a bit discouraged right now, or maybe you just want to take some positive steps to get healthier, I encourage you to give some or all of these a try.  Get some sunlight on a daily basis, drink water and enjoy water, create some order in your life, get your surroundings straightened up, celebrate something today, make a plan to enjoy a new season of life, eat your veggies and fruits, and lastly, get some rest.  I'm thinking of all of you, and I can't wait to see your succeed!  Stay healthy!

~K. W.

Making Ourselves Busy

  Hello friends!  It has been a really long time... like, five months to be exact.  And believe me, it's not that I haven't been thinking about anything for the last five months or that I haven't had anything to say, but you know... life has a way of pulling you, this way and that, and sometimes the things we want to do get flung by the wayside.  If you're anything like me, you may have a tendency to put your creative pursuits on the back burner sometimes in the name of all the other "important" things that need done. 
  And while I am the queen of preaching that we all need to put our dreams and goals first, even I get tripped up by the rat race sometimes and lose sight of what is really important.  Sometimes though, it's not even so much that we're actually busy.  It's that we make ourselves busy to avoid what we know we should be doing.  Maybe we're afraid or discouraged; maybe we think no one cares to read or hear or see what we make or write or do.  Sometimes being busy or tired is just a coverup to get us out of doing the really hard stuff. 
  The problem is, once we start to think this way, we get stuck.  We stall out on the hill, and anyone who's ever driven a standard knows, when you stall out on a hill, you don't just sit there.  You start to roll backward.  And to make matters worse, in order to get started again, you are probably going to lose a little more ground before you gain traction. 
  We're living in very unique circumstances right now, and maybe you have had to put some things on hold; vacations, financial moves, events, etc.  But maybe, just maybe, this can be a time when you look around and realize you've been making yourself really busy, and you don't have an excuse anymore.  Maybe it's time to his the gas and start moving on your projects, your dreams, and your goals.  Maybe, at a time when the rest of the world has come to a screeching halt, you can find your vision and head out onto the open road.  I'm not saying it will be easy, (getting started on a hill is challenging), but I do think it's time for us to drop the act and stop pretending that anything except ourselves is holding us back from accomplishing and doing what we care about.
   Put a stop to the busy today.  Real or imagined, the constant pursuit of doing everything except what really matters has no place in our lives. Get out there and get after your goals today.  No more excuses.  I can't wait to see you succeed!

~K. L. White-Hartman