Embracing Spring’s Renewal 

Hello, beautiful Saturday souls! As we bask in the energy of the first day of Spring and this absolutely fabulous day, I am filled with an overwhelming sense of celebration. It’s not just about the blooming flowers or the warming sun; it’s about embracing the essence of new beginnings and the boundless potential that lies ahead.

Spring arrives, bringing with it a cascade of festivities like Nowruz, Easter and Passover, offering us opportunities to rejoice in the beauty of life, the comfort of hope, and the anticipation of prosperity. These occasions teach us profound lessons in forgiveness and rebirth, reminding us to cherish the love that weaves through and connects our lives.

Today, I find myself immersed in contemplation, welcoming a fresh awareness of my being and a renewed dedication to my craft. What will I do next? Where will my creativity take me this year? How can I give more, love more? I too am embracing forgiveness, faith, hope and love – as these things create the foundation of our humanity and connects us, infusing our lives with beauty.

My wish for each of you is a profound inner awareness, illuminating the magnificent human being that you are. May you find hope that transcends your circumstances, and may you recognize the depth of real love.

While we hustle and go about our busy daily life, I urge you to pause, to breathe, and to revel in the essence of Spring blooming IN and AROUND you. Let go of the past, and allow this present moment to guide you. Open your heart so that your light can shine, and allow your authentic self to ignite the world you live in with joy.

And speaking of sunshine, I couldn’t resist sharing this uplifting song with you all. Let’s groove to the rhythm of “Aquarius – Let the Sunshine In” (1969 style!) as we embrace love and peace in our hearts.

Aquarius _ Let the Sunshine In

Warmest regards ,

When you eventually see through the veils to how things really are, you will keep saying again and again, “This is certainly not like we thought it was”. ~Rumi

Can we change this world? Yes, I believe we can, one heart at a time. But until then, let those of us who will lead the way. Don’t be silent! Stand for what is good, and what promotes love and unity… be a light. Every man woman boy and girl in this world is deserving of respect and love and the same freedom that you and I so vehemently pursue. As #garyvee said today “your hurt isn’t less if you acknowledge others, but not being empathetic to theirs is why no ones listening to yours” Continuously check your own heart and motives…. choose to be love and make a difference.

#sandyhibbard #makeadifference

Photo by Sandy Hibbard

shrouded in clouds

flanked by roof-top forests

overgrown with fatina and the like.

Silver slips of harbor

beckon you to come

for dreamers there lies hope

for lovers despair…

oh, beware there.

In every forgotten footstep

together we swell with possibility

a chance for life

a sweet reality.

Pay attention.

Mere mortality makes no difference

to what lies beyond our sight.

Destiny calls in each toe-to-heel-step

that your spirit decides

to make…

to penetrate

to overtake

the fears that reside

the earth

the clouds

the forests

that can hide

your hopes

your love

your dreams.

Each movement solidifies

the direction of the tide….

Pay attention.

 
© Sandy Hibbard

The more I have thought about it, the more that I realized that what is holding us back most in life is not what I thought. So, what is it really?

What stops us from being healthy, stops us from being successful at our job, stops us from having great relationships, stops us from being happy, stops us from being fulfilled, causes us to be victims?

What is stopping us from getting what we want in life?

It is the thing that holds us back from making the necessary changes in our life, and it is not fear of change.

Change is the key to getting what we want most, but it is the one thing most of us are not willing to do, no matter what. People are literally willing to die instead of change. That is why I keep pounding on it. That is why I keep trying to find the key to opening up the lock of change.

Fear of change is one of our major road blocks to success, but the more I see and the more I experience, it is pretty clear that in most cases it is really not “fear of change” that is holding us back. We say it is because in some way that is almost acceptable. If someone is fearful of something it is understandable and almost acceptable that they will not change as it is really tough to overcome our fears. However, saying we are not successful at something in life because we are fearful is a copout. For the most part, the real reason people don’t change and improve their circumstances, is we are plain old too LAZY to change!

Think about what it is you are struggling with in life. What it is that you want? Why is it that you are not getting it? Is it fear of change or is it because you are too lazy to change? Honestly?

I wish I knew the formula to eliminating laziness and I could put it in a bottle. If I had it I would be worth a Trillion dollars. Think about it — laziness causes obesity, many cancers, poverty, divorce, addiction, war, unhappiness…it causes death. Yet people are still just too lazy to change.

So, if laziness is my problem, where do I start? The first step to overcoming almost anything in life is to admit it. It does not matter what it is. The first step to success and breaking through is admitting the truth. I am just too lazy too. We have to quit hiding behind fear, circumstances, others, etc. and admit we are just too lazy to change. Then we will be on our way.

Make it a powerful month and don’t be too lazy to do what you need to do to.     ; )
Love and Peace!

“Each man should frame life so that at some future hour fact and his dreaming meet.” ~ Victor Hugo

Monday comes and it always feels like a new beginning (but not like Sunday mornings). I wake and immediately begin to mentally compile a list of all the things I plan to do, need to do, for the week. It all begins to rush through my mind like the water running through the sink when I wash my face to wake up. Running through fast and quiet. The list grows organically, like silent branches, roots, sending out its tentacles to wrap-twist-tie around and through my brain. I pull the phone up to my face (still cozily tucked into my bed) to check the temp outside, wondering what kind of clothes I need to wear and how to regulate a comfortable climate here in my teeny-tiny work space apartment. Notifications…anything from anyone? I quickly read through my horoscope looking for a magical prediction of success, love, or perhaps a warning with instructions on how to avoid a sinister calamity. Facebook, Instagram, NYT latest news stories, and finally, my emails. Just a quick look, I will need coffee before I answer these. All business of course, and that’s good, but how nice would it be to hear from an old friend, maybe they’re writing just to say hello and they missed me, or give me an update on their life. Maybe they were thinking of me and want to send me an encouraging word, be my cheerleader, because we all need one. We all need someone to “see” us, I mean really witness our life. I believe that so deeply. We don’t always get that, but I think we are much better off when we have those kind of relationships and friendships in our lives. They act as a balancing weight on our unicycle ride of existence, sort of. But anyway, it’s all good. And then there is this pressure of making something happen. Why do I always feel that way? I don’t mean the normal thoughts of a single woman who runs her own business; thoughts of prospecting and following up on leads, marketing, serving my clients and making sure they are happy with my work, balancing my expenses and profits, and so important, coming up with progressive and creative new ideas. Those things are on my mind 24/7. “The pressure of making something happen” – I’m talking about that Monday (any) morning time of reflection on want and desire, what needs to be and what is lacking – in life, in love in spirit. You know those thoughts? Sometimes a little self deprecating and resulting in making you feel invisible…but I digress.

So I jump up, do the hustle. Time for brooding or indulging my fantasy mind will come later, this is a new week and I need to kick ass, make something fabulous happen, be creative, prepare for what’s ahead.  See? There I go…. Hustle the coffee, check on my clients, call my loved ones, text a friend, do something great…go go work work.

Today, I just want to settle into my start position and absorb every nuance that presents itself to me…as it comes. I posted a note on my desk that says “turn loose and move forward”. That’s the kind of hustle I plan to do – let go of the things that are not fruitful in my life – business or otherwise – and move forward. My big sister said to me a long time ago to “cut the fat”, and I get it. Damn I hate that kind of grossly fatty-gristly meat, makes me nauseous to even think about eating it. Now, imagine that kind of rancid fat at work in your daily life; creating a network of mighty powerful tentacles slithering their way into your head, squeezing the life and joy right out of your day, your work, and eventually your relationships. What damage is it doing? The fat of old memories, disappointments and hurts, failures and loss. Cut it loose, move beyond them.

This is way too much to think about before my first cup of Monday coffee, but it is how I think. We are not just made for cubicles you see, we are not formed and fashioned, evolved and fitted for a life of [just] business; we are here to BE. And we are constantly looking, albeit subconsciously for most, for a way to do that. BE happy, BE loved, BE at peace, BE successful. Living on Monday is the same as living on Wednesday, or Saturday, or any day! It’s about being present to what is in our life at every moment, yet being gentle and curious about our past. Paying attention. Loving and giving, working, eating, creating, caring for each other. Being human.

Back to my phone. I check my bank account, read the news and briefly log in to my Whirly Word game to see if somehow, magically in the night, my mind had come up with the winning word that has been dogging me since yesterday afternoon. Nope… nothing. I jump out of bed. Coffee! Water! With a invigorated bounce in my step (just the thought of my home brewed coffee puts a smile on my face), I am happy to be alive and grateful that my brain and my body is working… and oddly, I’m looking forward to those tentacles of thoughts and ideas and turning creative on them, making them into moments instead of worries. Successes – one by one. That is up to me.

Ciao….xoxoxo
 
 
 
 
 

© Sandy Hibbard

Must it end so it can begin?

The heart grows heavy in routine
unimagined predictability
must I lay aside my dream?
Pick up a leaf and examine with a careful eye
underneath
the veins are sharp
pulsing life
like a network of bones held together
by the fabric of its hide
but the struggle is easily seen
on the other side
fading green
mottled browns
tones of decay as it’s tossed to the ground
chosen by a flick of the wind
separated from its flower
tender foliage on a slender stem
must it end so it can begin?
The uncertain outcome of a constant cycle of rebirth
giving way to the purpose of nature
to go back to the earth
to become what it was meant to be
creative predictability
Toil not
want not
see how the flower’s clothed?
why in this world of human experience
we choose the path of letting go
to put away our wonder in exchange for knowing
to lie secure in rote
no longer taking chances
in thought
in dreams
or dances
Exhausted disillusionment
painful disappointment
we lose the grip
the flower fades
and off we drop
selected by the gales of loss
heartache
and endless scorching days
yet we are more
we are spirit with infinite possibilities
we spin the clock in creativity
to live and learn
to love and grow
again and over again
Turn over the leaf and you’ll see me
amidst the magic of the galaxy
engulfed in life
pulsing
blood flowing
I refuse to let go
for what I’ve come to know
is love
and love is all
Turn over the leaf and you’ll see me
on this journey of routine
I set the sails with certainly
I guide my ship into my dreams
© Sandy Hibbard October 7, 2015