« Older Archive for November, 2009

Echo Challenge Surprise

Saturday, November 28th, 2009 by Alyice

“Surprise is the greatest gift which life can grant us.”
– Boris Pasternak

It’s echo time! This time the prompt is “surprise”. When I first thought about the word “surprise”, I thought about all the fun, exciting, and unexpected events that occur in life, but reading Christi’s post reminded me that surprises can also come in heartbreaking ways, too.

In my life, I’ve experienced several heartbreaking events that have come as complete and utter surprises—some so debilitating that they left me comatose for months on end, others changing the direction of my life forever.

But it’s the good surprises that make life worth living. They turn ordinary days into extraordinary days, they turn tears of sorrow into tears of joy, they make the mundane livable, and they create memorable memories.

Take this frog, for instance. It’s a simple surprise that has been etched in our minds forever. You see, we drove several hours to watch my son play in a baseball tournament. During a break, my daughter, her grandmother, and I decided to explore the area. That’s when we found a nature preserve without a single bird. That’s right…the birds had flown south for the winter and had yet to return. Bummed, we decided to make the most of our time by taking a little hike and that’s when we discovered the area was ripe with singing frogs. For the next few minutes, my life was filled with laughter as I watched my daughter chase after this little guy in an effort to “hold him just once”. But the pure joy came not in the capture, but in the music that came with each stroke of its back—yes, for a brief moment he seemed to enjoy her touch…and then he was off.

Sometimes surprises are like that. They are simple, fun, exciting, and new. And sometimes they are life altering, like the day I chose to support my friend by chaperoning her date and ended up finding my soul mate in the process or the days I conceived and gave birth to each of my children.

Other times surprises remind us how special we are, like opening the door to find an unexpected visitor, or waking up to breakfast in bed, or coming home after a long day of work to find all the chores done, or opening the mail to discover a handwritten note from a long distance friend, or being told you’re going out to run errands only to be surprised with tickets to your favorite musical.

And then there are times surprises are like in-the-moment blessings that grow into fond memories, like the time I was walking to school and was startled by a young girl who jumped out of the bushes to ask if she could walk to school with me—she soon became one of my dearest and most cherished childhood friends.

Indeed, life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, the amount of money in our bank account, or the surplus of material possessions we own. Life is measured by the many surprises that provide true moments of happiness; moments that become memorable memories.

Until next time…

P.S.

Please stop by my Echo partner’s post on surprises. She totally gets that there is so much more than what is on the surface. Surprisingly Resilient.

Posted in Echo Challenge | 8 Comments »

Thanks For The Gratitude Posts

Wednesday, November 25th, 2009 by Alyice

As I take the time to look back over the past year, to see what I am truly thankful for, I realize that I am most thankful for my gratitude posts. They cause me to stop concentrating on the negatives life throws my way—like the car literally breaking down for the 20th time or the effect the down economy has had on our family—and start concentrating on the positives.

Gratitude posts give me time to pause the vicious circle of life long enough to really experience life—to see the good that often gets overlooked, to marvel at how something so tiny and insignificant can bring pure joy, to truly use all five senses, to reflect upon what was and have the foresight to learn from it, to be receptive and open and willing…to truly experience life.

Gratitude posts cause me to seek out the good in my own life; to stop the “woe is me” pity party, the “comparison cycle”, the “self-imposed put downs” and to start appreciating what is.

Gratitude posts provide validation for my life, reminding me that I matter, that I am just as important as others, and that even though there are dreams left unfulfilled, I have a rather good life.

Gratitude posts remind me that I have a choice in this life. No matter what life throws my way, no matter how burnt out I get or how difficult the times are, I have a choice: to be happy or to be sad, to be grateful or to be bitter, to be present in the moment or to watch my life pass by.

My gratitude posts are far more powerful than I ever imagined they would be. For once I got into the habit of writing a weekly post, I discovered that I no longer needed to write a weekly post because I was writing them in my head on a near daily basis—and in that moment my life felt more alive, more wonderful, more important.

And in the end, I hope that by sharing these posts with you, that you, too, will find them uplifting, motivating, and encouraging. And that they’ll be the catalyst for beginning a gratitude journal of your own.

Give thanks…

Posted in It's Gratitude, Dude! | Comments Off

Echo Challenge Abundance

Thursday, November 19th, 2009 by Alyice

“Abundance is not something we acquire.
It is something we tune into.”
– Wayne Dyer

It is Echo time again. This time the prompt is “abundance”. Like many, my first thought was to capture an image that shows the literal representation of the word, but I’ve never been one to think in terms of things as abundance so I opted to go with this image…

The feet in this image represent all the people who’ve left an impression on my heart—all the people who’ve traveled this life with me, and left me a better, stronger person.

But sharing this interpretation with you hasn’t come without serious personal growth these past few weeks. You see, there is one area of my life where I have always felt a lack of abundance: friendships.

Over the years, people have come and gone in my life like the North Wind. Some staying only for a season and never to be heard from again; some appearing then disappearing when life calls, only to return for a short spell; some remaining but only as a distant memory with the age old, “I’m thinking of you but life is too hectic” speeches. And others, a tiny handful, remaining a constant—though at times sporadic—part of my life. And for years I was content with that arrangement.

Then my mother died and those types of relationships were no longer enough. She died alone and I didn’t want to die alone. She got sick, had to quit working, and eventually pushed people away. In the end, only three of “her true friends” showed up to the funeral. Those I’ve known my whole life—people I thought were her closest and dearest friends—couldn’t even take the time to say good-bye. Her isolation and loneliness was never more evident than at her funeral. And it scared the living hell out of me. I didn’t want to die alone. I didn’t want to be forgotten. I didn’t want to remain a passing thought in the minds of others—only to be remembered when it was convenient for them.

I wanted more. I needed more.

It no longer mattered that I was an introvert or that as an introvert it’s not always easy making or keeping friends. It no longer mattered that others don’t get why I’d rather hang out at home or why I enjoy bonding over creativity and outdoor events instead of going clubbing or shopping or being in large crowds for insane hours. It no longer mattered that it can be exhausting for them to deal with my need to withdrawal from life every once in awhile in order to recharge my batteries. It no longer mattered that they don’t understand why—after a childhood of family deceit and manipulation—I always feel the need to be forthright and honest; unwilling to play head games for the sake of niceties. If I could put up with their idiosyncrasies, then they should be able to put up with mine.

And so I found myself wondering where all those “Hallmark” miracles were, where the “Lucy and Ethel” or “Ross, Chandler, Joey, Monica, Phoebe, and Rachel” relationships of the world were. And why I couldn’t have just one of those relationships in my own life—right here and now, in South Dakota.

That is when I realized that the constant rejection I’ve felt since moving to this small town, along with all those feelings that surfaced after my mom’s death, just fueled my depression and contributed to more feelings of loss and abandonment and isolation—until I reached a point in my life where I had to make a decision: choose happiness or choose sadness. Choose to count my blessings or choose to recount the pain.

I, of course, chose to regain my “whatever” attitude and find my joy again—my contentment for what is. And that’s when I discovered that the real abundance in friendships isn’t in how many people show up at your funeral, or how many people remember you on your birthday, or how many people are there to help you pick up the pieces after a major catastrophe, or even how many people stick around long enough to get to know the real you and like you anyway.

The real abundance is in the quality of the friendships that do exist—whether it is one or one hundred. It is in the relationships that help you feel whole and complete and fulfilled. It is in the relationships that fill you up with joy each and every time you are together.

And with that realization in mind, the anxiety over my mother’s funeral has passed; the desperate need to try to connect with someone—outside my husband and children—in order to prove that I have some value on this earth has subsided; and the determination to live the best life I can live has returned. And with it the ability to, once again, truly experience the relationships that are right here in front of me.

For you see, I am—and always have been—blessed with abundance.

I have not always seen it, but it has always been there waiting for me. My number of friends may have always been small, but some of those friendships were the best any girl could ask for. And though only a few remain, and are several hundred miles away, they still hold a very special place in my heart.

But my greatest abundance, by far, comes in the form of three very unique and wonderful people: my husband, my son, and my daughter. And thanks to finally being able to let go of that grief, and the fear that followed, I can get back to experiencing the relationships that have surpassed all of my wildest dreams. For they are the best—and most treasured—friendships I could ever ask for.

“Life in abundance comes only through great love.”
– Elbert Hubbard

Until next time…

Posted in Echo Challenge | 6 Comments »

Pages: 1 2 3 4 Next

AlyiceEdrich.com
I'm a mixed media artist and freelance writer. Need web content? Want to commission or license art? Let's Talk.

All images and content are copyright protected.

Shop My e-Stores

Coming Home

My Blogroll

Return To Home Page

Follow Me

Become A Facebook Fan

Need A Guest Blogger?

an email

Need A Guest Designer?