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NaBloPoMo Day 9 Endings

Just as there are beginnings to things there are endings. For our family this weekend will be the beginning of the end. Another year of Six-Man Football draws to a close with the Iron Man Football Tournament. The team ended the regular season play undefeated 9-0.

Why do I say it’s the beginning of the end? Once the Tournament is over so is the season. The team will meet once more to turn in their uniforms and the weeks and months of practice and play will draw to a close.

During the sports season we are a close knit group of families. Watching the growth of our young men and families with each new season. Football is a big commitment for the players but an even bigger commitment for the families. We interact with one another often during the months of August – November. I know during this time of the year I see my football family more than I see my real family. As a matter a fact my mom called recently to check up on me.

Football season will be ending this weekend and except for the end of year banquet, I don’t expect to see any of the folks on the team until the boys gear up for Spring Training in May. Yet, when we do get back together after a six month absence it will be as though no time passed at all. We’ll step right back into each others lives and become a close knit group once again.

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NaBloPoMo Day 8 -Passion

Now don’t get too excited. This isn’t a blog post about things of the rated “R” nature. On the contrary it’s about the passion you have for the things that matter to you.

Do you enjoy cooking? Are you someone who could take 3 ingredients and make a gourmet meal? Or does the smell of wood in a lumber yard bring a smile to your face? Can you take some 2×4’s along with a few nails and turn them into something solid and beautiful? Or perhaps you have a green thumb that makes your neighbors green with envy.

We all have a passion. It may be called the Culinary Arts or Carpentry or Gardening. It’s what makes your soul sing. It’s your bliss. When you do that one thing it’s like the universe aligns and a Chorus of Angels sing. Well okay, maybe I’m getting carried away. But you understand where I’m coming from, right? If you could do that one blissful thing you would be…….well…… happy.

So what is it?

Do you know?

If so, are you doing it?

If not, why?

If you know your passion, when did you get to that point in your life where nothing was more important than following your bliss? Being passionate about something can make all the difference in how you do things and how you live your life.

Experiment.

For one day ONLY do things for which you have a passion. Block everything else out. Don’t worry. Those other things will be there waiting for you after your Day of Bliss.

What will you do?

Do you love reading? Spend the whole day in a good book or two or three.

Do you love knitting? Get your needles and yarn out. Go to town. Knit to your hearts content.

Have the fish been calling your name but your rod and reel are coated in a layer of dust? Put on that fishing hat and get your tackle box ready.

Will life try and interrupt you? Yep! As a matter of fact I can almost guarantee that strange and urgent things will come up to try and distract you.

Don’t let anything stop you!

What if you only get 1 hour of bliss or 1/2 a day of bliss? Congratulations! Regardless of how much time you actually spend in bliss you still win. Before your Bliss Experiment you were going to be do the same old stuff you do everyday. Not today. Today you spent time following your passion and that made all the difference.

Give it a try and let me know how it goes. I’m going to spend my day of bliss on Sunday. I’ll let you know how it goes.

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NaPodPoMo 8 – Feedback Show: National or International?

I received feedback on the topic of change from Day 6.

First we hear from Jen of Inside My Head and her take on change varies depending on the driving force behind it.

Next we hear from Will Brown of The Workshop who also brings up an interesting twist to the whole National Podcast Post Month. Is it only for the US? Can folks who live elsewhere participate?

Thanks so much for the feedback and for participating in the wild and crazy fun that is NaPodPoMo

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NaBloPoMo Day 7 – Movement

Movement is all around us.

The minutes, hours, days, weeks months, weather, temperature, seasons, people, life. It’s all moving. Sometimes we move and sometimes we’re moved. There are times we don’t want to move at all. We wish time would stand still. Even if just for a moment. We seek stillness. We want to stop and take a deep breath. Rest. Quiet. Peace.

There are times we seek the stillness to capture a moment other times to escape one. Yet no matter how much we wish time would stand still, there is always movement.

The earth spins, the sun rises and sets, the tides roll in and out, birthdays come and go, the to-do list gets done, and tomorrow it begins again.

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NaBloPoMo #6 Storing up for the Winter

The Pecan trees are doing it and the Chile Pequins are doing it.

Winding down production and getting ready for the dormant phase that winter will bring along.

I find myself doing it, too.

Gathering the nuts that have fallen to the ground. Picking the last of the chile from the bush.

Storing up for the Winter.

It’s a natural progression to prepare ourselves with the changing of the seasons. The A/C has been off for the last few weeks. Open windows had become a bit of the norm. Then with the first cool weather, darkness appears earlier, blankets on the sofas and we look forward to warm comforting food.

Yes, it’s definitely that time.

Time for change.

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NaBloPoMo #5 Time Shifting our Entertainment

Over the summer our family decided to bite the bullet and sign up for premium TV content . We have been a no cable family for about 8 years. Paying for high speed internet was a no-brainer, but to pay for a bunch of nothing on TV? Forget it!

That was until we discovered the wonder of having premium content and a DVR or Digital Video ecorder for the uninitiated. It has changed television watching for us. For the most part TV watching is a one way conversation akin to how a conference or seminar works. The TV or speaker does the talking and we as the audience sit in a stupor listening.

If watching TV is like being in a seminar or conference. Then watching TV with a DVR is like an UnConference. Conversations abound! With the DVR we are free to pause the action to discuss what just happened, rewind the action to see it again and again and again (very handy with sports programming). Or even better you are able to fast forward through those pesky commercials.

We’re also able to pursue our interests outside of the house without ever worrying about missing anything. I have a friend who drives his wife batty on Sunday evenings because he rushes her family visits because he doesn’t want to miss a moment of his favorite program. Imagine if they had a DVR? He could stay at the in-laws all night long secure in the knowledge that his favorite program will be waiting for him.

Our television watching has never been so conversational as it is now. We stop and discuss everything! Now I’m not encouraging you to spend the day watching TV, but if you’re going to do it then I highly recommend using a DVR.