An interesting thing happened to me while trying to serve dinner to the Vets of North County Friday night. My step-mom called, and because of the time difference (she lives in Ft. Myers, FL) I took the call. We talked briefly and she was giving me an update on my Dad. Then she said, “I gotta tel youl what happened to me today coming out of the wine store (we both share our love of wine). A woman approached me and said “today is my 60th birthday (my step-mom is 78) and I want to give today instead of receive” and she handed my step-mom a bill.” My step-mom said “No it’s YOUR birthday you should go do something special for yourself (she hadn’t looked at the bill). The woman insisted and said ” I only ask that you ‘pay it forward'” and my step-mom agreed. The woman walked away and my step-mom looked at the bill and it was a HUNDRED dollar bill.
This leads me to today’s blog. I thought what a wonderful idea, we should all do more things like that. Then I did some research on “pay it forward” which by the way the movie Pay It Forward came out in 2000 and to this day is still on my top ten list of movies of all time. If you’ve never seen the movie I highly suggest it. OK, I wandered, back to the story. I made a goal this week to pay it forward; all week long every opportunity I can find. For the record, in doing my research I found that there is an actual International Pay It Forward Day, which falls on the last Thursday of April, which this past April would’ve been April 24th.
Now, to my Three P’s of Life:
- Perspective:
Take the picture to the left. What do you see? Do you see a young beautiful woman with a feather in her cap or do you see an old hag? I’ve always seen the young woman, it took me quite some time to see the old hag. No matter how many people tried to explain to me the “old hag” and where she is in the picture, I could never find her. I still can’t as I sit here and write this, but I know she’s there. Back to perspective, life is not about “what happens to you, it’s about how you respond to what happens to you.” Metaphysics 101 I learned from my good friend and mentor many many moons ago. So you see, how you flow through the river of life is dependent on your perspective. Sure it may help if you’re flowing downstream and you have a couple of oars, but if you’re not turn your boat around. - Patience: It just might take me all of this life-time to get this one mastered. With Aries Rising I have a tendency to want it “yesterday“, patience is not my strongest virtue. Which is why I’ve included it in my list of the Three P’s of Life. Patience takes practice, and more practice. It’s more about living in the moment and accepting what is, (does Byron Katie ring a bell?). This one I hope to master in this life-time because I choose not to do that one over again. Enough said, I think all of you have your own bouts with patience. The earth signs may have already mastered it, that being Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn.
- Pay It Forward: I feel that this one should be on everybody’s list, but I am only one seed in the billions of seeds on this planet, I’ll let you decide. Paying it forward simply means doing a random act of kindness without expecting anything in return. The satisfaction lies in the endorphins that you feel deep inside your soul when being kind to another, offering a kind word or deed. To just know that you chose to take the high road. I feel pretty confident that my readers in general fall under that category. I know most of you, and know that you have kind, loving and generous spirits. I’m throwing it out there, that we all practice paying it forward this week. I’d love to hear some of your ideas, and results, please keep me posted at [email protected].
I’m also including in this blog, my latest article from The Journey Magazine, Meditation Basics, (for those of you who have asked me about how 
to meditate) Meditation Basics
One last thing, I am very proud to say I have been published in the Anniversary Issue of San Diego Woman Magazine, please take time out to enjoy my article The Road to Cali
With Love & Gratitude, Blessing to You
