Happy Shorts - Susan Spira (guided reading books .txt) 📗

  Happy Shorts 120 Essays on Life, Love, Happiness, and Inspiration By Susan Spira                                       1. My Love, My Life Force, My Catalyst He looks at me like I can do everything. I remember where things are. I know how to follow directions and fix things. I have a brain wired for details. He looks at me and knows that I can survive without him. He doesn’t know that he is my life force, my catalyst. I’m not truly me without him. He doesn’t realize the support he provides and that much of what I do is for love:  the love that he brings out in me. He told me this morning, “I try to be supportive without you knowing I am supportive, just so you know that you can do it on your own.” He wants me to feel my achievement and he supports me. He doesn’t try to dissuade my crazy ideas; he just listens and helps me where he can. He is my sounding board and my life editor. His presence gives me strength I was unaware existed. I feel powerful and beautiful and cherished because we are part of each other’s lives. I have blossomed with his love. Yes, I know I am capable, can achieve and create alone, but there is something inside me that wants him to see all that’s in me. To be able to share all of me with him is what motivates me to create. I have a fan, a supporter, a lover. It makes everything possible forever. Even in the years I may live on without him, his presence in my heart is secure. Knowing I can share my truth with him, frees me. I love him and who I have become because of us.                                            2.  Hardest Choice Made   We each have 24 hours a day and spend our time so differently. Most of us have many rote tasks we wander through, in almost Rosie the Robot fashion:  we go to work, we care for our families, we grocery shop, we pay bills, we watch movies, we… Sometimes we wish we had more time:  Just five more minutes; be there in a second; I’ll have to finish this tomorrow; wish I could find the time for that; it’ll have to wait; in a  time crunch; just don’t have the time; I’m racing the clock to finish; do it now; time’s up. Meanwhile time moves on… Sometimes we wish our time away:   I wish it was Friday; can’t wait to get through today; only 2 more hours until I go home; I wish it was five o’clock, three o’clock, seven o’clock; 5 months until vacation; until next year. Meanwhile time moves on, as we try to stay busy to pass our precious time. Sometimes we postpone our “living” until something else happens: When I meet someone; when I get married; when I have children; when I lose 20 pounds; when I gain 20 pounds; when I retire; when I win the lottery; when it’s 40% off; when I get my boob job; when ____ happens I will be happy. Meanwhile time moves on, regardless if the events occur or not. Regardless of how our time is spent, it is our time, it is the only precious thing we all have, our only finite true resource. We evolve daily regardless of choice; it’s the nature of our existence. Just think about your day today, and what timely thoughts you are engaging:  wishing for more, wishing the present away, or waiting for the magic to allow you to begin your life. We all have events in our lives like: children growing up before our eyes, illnesses and deaths of loved ones, changes in situations, and even our yearly birthdays that make us more conscious of our time. Time is one of those things that almost can never be appreciated, until it has passed. We try and fill our lives with as much as possible. We even start fulfilling bucket lists. But the clock still ticks and we still hope for some time off for our good behavior.  For me, deciding how I spend my time is the hardest choice of my life. 3.  Do You Have a Stephanie in Your Life? Men bond with sports and women bond with shopping. I happen to be a very lucky lady. I have a shopping pal. A gal that can share the thrill of the quest, give me an honest “That’s unique”, laugh and giggle, look forward to our lunch out, chatter with me for hours on end about everything, and become one with the merchandise.  Shopping is not merely buying something—men do that. Shopping for me and my gal pal is more looking at merchandise and thinking of life’s opportunities and possibilities... we touch a plate and wonder about the dinner party we could use it during, we try on an article of clothing and imagine running the track, and we look at craft items and are creatively transformed. Earlier in my life I remember playing with my Barbie.  For hours upon hours, I would actually do the same thing, make-believe and creatively imagine.  It was wonderful and fun and called “childhood”. Maybe shopping has become that long-forgotten creative experience—maybe this kind of shopping should be referred to as “shop-hood”.  We simply enjoy “shop-hood”: a time to return to our imagination, a time for the “girls”, a time to honor each other, and a time to connect.   Love to my Stephanie. Till we shop again...     4.  Finding Your Inner Girly Girl Assuming you've lost her, never had her, or just want to refresh her, a few “simple” (“simple” is to female like oil is to water) suggestions stand between you and the sweet beast-ette, you wish to unleash. First, clear your mind. Forget about what the latest fashion magazines say. This isn't about shaving your legs, a new shade of lipstick, or 7 inch heels. This is about a raw female package, awareness, and a natural presence of playful warmth and openness. This is about connecting with you and with others. Suggestion #1:  Accept and enjoy your body. Shape or size doesn’t matter. You have what you have. Chances are it’s not going to change and why should it? Enjoy you. Look in the mirror and see the best, not the worst. Suggestion #2:  Your head is part of your body. Don’t count them as separates—they go together. Work them as a unit. Let your senses guide you. Listen to your urges. Suggestion #3:  Tune in to the soundtrack of your life. Hum the melodies that define you and your experiences. Let the rhythms soothe and renew. Suggestion #4:  Slow down. Make every movement and every thought more deliberate. Suggestion #5:  Rely on your instincts and senses. Stop intellectualizing everything and everybody. Just be. Suggestion #6:  Become more visual. Look longingly, take it in deeply, and appreciate every detail in your existence. Don’t judge or censor. Live the “awe” you will see. Suggestion #7:  Embrace proximity. Stand closer. Lean forward. Feel someone’s breath as they talk. Suggestion #8:  Reach out. Use your sense of touch to feel your world and show your compassion and interest. A simple touch on the arm is not really so simple—it’s a powerful commitment of caring and concern. Touch more and connect--you are opening up to the world. Suggestion #9:  Make eye contact and hold it. Don’t be afraid to see into someone or something. Eye contact shows interest and that you are open. Surprise someone with a friendly wink. Suggestion #10:  Forget about you and become interested in someone or something else. Listen to the sounds, the stories, and the words of others. Ask questions that show you are listening, and then, do just that, listen. Give someone else the stage and applaud them. Suggestion #11:  Smile frequently, with a friendly simple smile that acknowledges and reassures, so naturally. Suggestion #12:  Understand that time is precious and that connecting with yourself and others is the most important aspect of life. Honor your time by dwelling on the goodness you see and experience. Show vulnerability and forge happy relationships.  

5.  Another Kind of Love

You hug me so tightly and

Carry my burdens

You give me a place to

Tuck in loose ends

You fit in well and

Are perfect every wear

You stretch

You bend

Aren’t finicky nor

High maintenance

You exude coolness

Can be taken anywhere

The world is your stage

And I am your adoring fan

Don’t want to live without you

Can’t live without you

I worship your weave

I adorn you

And

Allow you to define me

My Sweet Jeans

Publication Date: 06-21-2013

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