I'm thankful for . . .

quote of the day:

Some people are always grumbling because roses have thorns;

I am thankful that thorns have roses.

~Alphonse Karr  

image courtesy of www.etsy.com

This time of year comes with a set of expectations for many.  You're expected to list all the things you're thankful for, share a little extra kindness with others, spend quality time with your loved ones, and plan out your Black Friday strategies.  However, you're truly blessed if you're one of those who know that these expectations aren't expectations at all.  They're things that should be done on a daily basis (minus the Black Friday strategizing).  True gratitude is appreciating all that God has bestowed upon you; both the good, and the not-so-good.  I'm reminded every day of all the things I'm overwhelmingly grateful for--my loving family, my amazing friends, my incredible guy, the beauty of nature, all the luxuries of technology, as well as the trials I've gone through, and the challenges I face at the moment (like having to write about 30,000 more words in the next 9 days to finish my novel for NaNoWriMo in time--yes, I also bow down to you in gratitude).  Trust me, I know that it's much more difficult to appreciate the not-so-good, because our initial instinct is to complain and dwell.  But if you take the time to truly find the good in every situation, and live each day with a grateful heart, I guarantee that you'll find an inner peace that will allow you to live like it's Thanksgiving every day.

I wish you a very safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday!

P.S. Thank you so much to all of you who have donated to the Office of Letters and Light in support of NaNoWriMo.  We deeply appreciate your kindness and generosity!  If you didn't get a chance to make a donation, and would still like to contribute, here's a link to my fundraising page.  Thank you!

My NaNoWriMo Fundraising Page

Take the leap

quote of the day:

"Sometimes you just have to take the leap, and build your wings on the way down."

Kobi Yamada

image courtesy of http://christainnewyork.com

I'm following Kobi's advice, and taking the leap.  Don't worry, it's not off a literal cliff, although I wouldn't be surprised to find out that the emotions I'm feeling may be quite similar to what a cliff-leaper might feel.  Yesterday, I made it official.  I signed my life away--at least for the next month, and became a 2012 participant in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo).  This is something that I wanted to take on for several years now, but was never able to take the plunge. In past years, I had the whole, "should I?  I think I could pull it off . . . uhhh no, I'll just do it next year" conversation with myself.  The me who voted for the latter always won, but not this year!  Since I'm now at the age where I'm a little too old to be young, and a little too young to be old, I figured it's the best time to thrust myself into a world of complete chaos and literary abandon.  It's just 50,ooo words in 1 month, no biggie.  I plan to chronicle this journey on my newest Squidoo lens.  (link below)  

A lot of you may think that I'm losing it--crazy for attempting such a feat.  However, I want to assure you that I'm not losing ALL of it (whatever "it" is), just some.  Participating in NaNaWriMo will hopefully help me to achieve the goal of writing my debut novel.  I know that it will be far from a masterpiece, but a first draft, even if it is mediocre, is definitely a big first step. Also, it's fabulous to know that I'm writing to raise money for a great cause.  (If you want to learn more about the well deserving nonprofit organization behind NaNoWriMo, I'll leave a link to my fundraising page below.)  

Although my tummy is writhing from the mutant butterflies fluttering around in there, I'm super excited to take on this new adventure.  I challenge you to find something that you're terrifyingly passionate about, and just take the leap!  You can worry about the injuries later :o)

Newest lens on Squidoo

NaNoWriMo Fundraising Page

Disclaimer: I, Wendy Omuro, am in no way responsible for any injuries that may ensue due to the application of the meant-to-be-inspiring advice issued in this blog post.  Choose your "leap" wisely, and proceed with extreme caution.

    

Color me green

quote of the day:

Kermit the Frog

photo courtesy of http://www.iecforum.org

Kermit is a wise, wise frog.  I definitely agree that it's not easy being green, but I'm trying my best to be a little greener every day.  To further my efforts, I started writing a "Color me Green" series of lenses on Squidoo.  I'll showcase some creative ways that will help you darken your shade of green, and hope you have fun along the way.  I chose to do my first lens in the series on being plastic bag free, which I'm very proud to be!  Here's a bit of the intro:

I consider myself to be a light shade of green, sage perhaps, but am diligently working my way up to forest green.  I truly care about the status of our often under-appreciated environment, and have my Dad to thank for instilling some "green" in me from a young age.  He's the closest person to forest green I know, and I admire him for respecting Mother Earth the way he does.  My Dad is in his seventies, and his choice of transportation is still his bicycle.  He washes and reuses not only plastic and Styrofoam containers, but even those Dixie brand paper plates that already have oil stains on them--no joke!  On occasion, I've witnessed him rinsing and hanging paper towels on the dishrack . . . he's even the type to reuse a trash bag until it starts to deteriorate from grody liquid spillage, and/or emits an odor that rivals rotten eggs, stinky feet, and morning breath combined--God bless him!  He's the shade of green I'm working towards, and I look forward to getting there someday.  

Click on the link below if you'd like to read more of this lens.

http://www.squidoo.com/proud-to-be-plastic-bag-free

Thanks for making me a part of your day!  Happy Monday :o)

Happy Hero/She-roe Celebration Day!

quote of the day:

"How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!"

Maya Angelou

photo courtesy of www.funnycutestuff.com

Heroes come in all shapes and sizes, from all walks of life, and apparently, don't even need to be human.  As we get older (and hopefully wiser), our childhood visions of grandeur fade away.  We begin to realize that being a hero or she-roe doesn't require a cape, mask, and having your own catchy theme song.  Rather, it's defined as being the kind of person (or animal) that sparks greatness in others.  I have many personal heroes and she-roes, but none quite like my parents.  They deservingly earned the top spots on my list, and continue to amaze me with their extraordinary actions of selflessness, every single day.  They truly inspire me to be the best person I can be, and to live life with a forgiving and grateful heart.  I can't thank them enough for all they've given me, and continue to give.  Being around such eminence my entire life has been an incredible blessing.  I'm beginning to feel that "spark", and am working on discovering the she-roe inside of me.  I believe that we all have a hero and she-roe inside of us just waiting to emerge (if it hasn't already).  So, let's take the time to celebrate not only the heroes and she-roes we look up to, but the heroes and she-roes inside ourselves!  Thanks so much for stopping by, and have a happy hero/she-roe celebration day  :o)  hero hi-five!  Sorry she-roes, she-roe shi-five just sounds weird 

Here's a link to my newest lens about some superheroes within our community:  http://www.squidoo.com/hawaiian-fire-heroes-on-surfboards 

Hope you enjoy learning more about the exceptional men and women of Hawaiian Fire.





         





Give yourself a hug

quote of the day:

"You cannot be lonely if you like the person you're alone with."

Wayne Dyer

http://compassionatecoach.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/yummahug.jpg

A hug is a simple gesture of love, yet it has the ability to leave a profound effect on the person receiving it.  For most of us, it's easy to give someone else a hug; the challenge however, is to make it easy to give ourselves a hug.  We may not realize it, but we often put ourselves down on a regular basis.  Thoughts like, "how could I be so stupid"  or "I look so fat", may not seem like a big deal to some, but little daily jabs like that can take a serious toll on your psyche.  I know I'm guilty of this at times, but I'm getting much better at catching myself and apologizing . . . yes, I apologize to myself.  After all, I'm a person with feelings too!  So with that in mind, take a moment to think of a few things that make you love being who you are, then give yourself a great BIG bear hug!

If you would like to get to know me a little better, please visit my Squidoo webpage.  I've written a few articles that you'll hopefully enjoy.  I would love to get to know you too, so feel free to leave comments.  Thanks for making me a part of your day  :o)  Hugs, Wendy  

http://www.squidoo.com/lensmasters/Gr8fulGirl



  







Something to look forward to

quote of the day:

"No matter how old you are, there's always something good to look forward to."

Lynn Johnston

I have lots of things I'm looking forward to . . . dressing up on Halloween (and the excuse to eat more candy than I should in one day), my friends and nephew coming home for the holidays, publishing my first book;  I could go on and on.  The point is, when I think of these things, it brings me great joy and a sense of excitement (which we could all use more of in our lives).  If you're feeling the Monday blues, try to take a moment to think of at least one thing you're looking forward to.  Hey, it could be as simple as looking forward to lunch.  Whatever you think of, I hope it brightens your mood, and reminds you that you can find joy and excitement in any situation.  Have a happy Monday  :o)

p.s. I just thought of one more thing I'm looking forward to.  If you want to know what it is, you can click the link below. It will take you to my newest squidoo article.  Thanks for making me a part of your day! 

http://www.squidoo.com/oh-sweet-twilight-dont-leave-me-this-way 







Your daily dose of "medicine"

quote of the day:

"Seven days without laughter makes one weak"

Mort Walker

Laughter truly is the best medicine; it awakens something in the soul that helps to heal any ailment.  Five days ago, my good friend Tarrah sent me an email about the newest craze--Gangnam style.  If you've already heard of it, and hear that I'm only hearing about it now, you probably think I've been living under a rock.  If you haven't heard of this yet, then I will do you the favor of introducing it to you so others don't think that you've been living under a rock.  (you're welcome)  I have to admit that when I first saw the YouTube video, I was more confused than amused.  But after some education on the subject (thanks to my other good friend, Kimi), I now think the concept is pretty hilarious.  It's definitely silly, cheesy, quirky, and strangely endearing at times (hey, just like me).  Since we have those things in common, I decided to write a Squidoo article about it.  I'd like to dedicate it to Kimi, Tarrah, and all you other fun-loving Gangnam style fans.  Have fun laughing  :o) 

http://www.squidoo.com/do-you-have-gangnam-style

         

Follow your dreams

quote of the day:

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams.  Live the life you have imagined."

Henry David Thoreau

I know it's easier said than done; following your dreams takes a lot of strength, courage, determination, and sacrifice.  We're all wrapped up in the hustle and bustle of our daily lives, and it's so easy to lose sight of what's most important; our dreams, what kind of world we want to create for our children, showing those we love how much we really do love them.  The best piece of advice I can share with you is this:  live everyday with gratitude.  Not just plain ol' "thank goodness it's Friday" gratitude, but true, genuine gratitude for all the blessings you have in your life.  Gratitude always inspires, and inspiration leads to, well, the possibilities are endless!

Here's a link to an article I wrote that will hopefully inspire you to follow your dreams.  Thanks for making me a part of your day!  Much love and blessings  :o)

http://www.squidoo.com/ifyoucandreamityoucanachieveit



Oh, what a sweet day

quote of the day:

Stressed spelled backwards is desserts.  Coincidence?  I think not!

Author Unknown

I feel like I need a little pick me up today, and had visions of dancing ice cream cones (waffle to be specific) in my dreams last night.  I'm not sure if I'm getting the right interpretation of today's quote, but this is the way I see it;  when you're feeling a little bit stressed out, indulging in some desserts may be a great temporary solution (emphasis on 'temporary').  As long as you remember the whole "everything in moderation" thing, you'll be golden.  I still haven't had the chance to satisfy my cravings, but vow to do so by the end of the day.  In fact, the cravings were so strong that I even wrote a nonsensical lens about it.  However, sometimes the nonsense ones are the most fun!  If you're feeling the same sweet tooth feelings I'm feeling (sheesh, so much feelings in my blog today), then check out my lens (link below) and cast your vote for your favorite frozen dessert.  Thanks for stopping by!  Enjoy what's left of your sweet day  :o)     

http://www.squidoo.com/i-scream-you-scream-we-all-scream-for-gelato

Looking for a more permanent solution to the stress?  Try doing something sweet for someone else......I guarantee you that your stress load will feel a lot lighter!

Here goes nothing

quote of the day:

"Every day, do something that will inch you closer to a better tomorrow"

                                       

                                               Doug Firebaugh

I'd like to think that I live by this quote every day.  Some days it feels like I'm inching closer to my "better tomorrow", and then there are days like today, where I feel like I made at least a foot and a half gain!  I've been an aspiring writer for a while now, but only recently had the courage to step out into the writing scene.  Being a newbie is pretty daunting, but it's also exhilarating at the same time.  I have no doubt that this journey is going to be full of bumps, but I believe I'm ready for the challenge.  I'm currently enrolled in the Institute of Children's Literature, just posted my first lens on squidoo.com (http://www.squidoo.com/wait-im-the-black-sheep), created this nifty little blog 47 minutes ago, and am looking forward to my better tomorrow (and an even better day after tomorrow).  I really appreciate you taking the time to get to know me a little better.  Much love and blessings!  Have a happy day  :o)