Waves on Costa Rica Beach

I’m thrilled to present a guest post today by Carolyn at Livelifelike.com. Her blog is a wonderful collection of affirmations inspired by nature. What we tell ourselves is very important and can make a huge difference in how wealthy we perceive ourselves to be and how we show up for the world each day. Enjoy and be sure to check out her site as well. It’s very inspiring and lots of fun!

Live Life Like the Waves. . .Thoughtfully

Use the power of your subconscious mind and daily positive affirmations to create your own version of a happy and fulfilling life. Your LiveLifeLike word for today is: Thoughtful: Characterized by careful reasoned thinking; made with heedful anticipation of the needs or wants of others. Build your own positive internal dialog by repeating, silently or aloud, the following affirmation:

• My Positive Affirmation: I Live my Life Thoughtfully, carefully considering the outcomes created by my words and actions. Ponder the meaning of today’s LiveLifeLike word.

• My Personal Guidance: I accept responsibility for my words and actions. I am not rash in my decisions, but make the time to be thoughtful of others. Use the power of today’s positive affirmation to create your own Best Reality Today!

• My Personal Call to Action: How will I Live my Life Thoughtfully today? Release all negativity and access the endless resources of positive energy that are within you!

A Comment from Carolyn. . . I chose waves to represent the concept of thoughtfulness because of the sound they make lapping onto shore. Have you experienced that sound? It’s almost mesmerizing. Waves help us clear our minds and meditate on thoughtfulness. Even if you’re nowhere near a beach, you can still imagine the rhythmic sound of waves coming in. . .going out. . .coming in. . .going out.

The regular cadence helps us focus our thoughts and calm our minds. It’s almost as if the waves are the breath of the world. The earth breathes in and breathes out, while our breathing pattern follows along at the same lilting beat. As you meditate today on how you can anticipate the needs of others, use the power of Mother Nature’s breath. . .her waves. . .to focus your mind and live your life thoughtfully.

Thanks for sharing this journey with me. . . Many Thanks and Smiles. . .Carolyn ~~~~~ ~ The “LiveLifeLike 365Project” ~ A full year of unique daily affirmations!! ~~~~~

Visit www.livelifelike.com for more inspiration!

(If you’d like to read more about changing the way you think about wealth please consider reading my book REDEFINING THE MEANING OF WEALTH: DISCOVERING PROSPERITY AND FORTUNE IN THE UNEMPLOYMENT LINE.)

David on the hiking trail in Topanga Canyon

“For you wake one day, look around and say, somebody wonderful married me”.

~ Fred Ebb

David and I celebrated our wedding anniversary this past weekend. I am lucky enough to be married to one of the world’s best guys and each year with him just gets better and better. So when David asked me what I wanted to do for this year’s anniversary, he willingly agreed to my vision of celebrating our special day without breaking the bank. Finding creative ways to live a rich life without spending tons of money has become a sort of game for me. I don’t agree that money buys happiness and I’m always looking for ways to enjoy life that don’t depend on my financial situation.

Associating frugal with a wedding anniversary may sound sacrilege to some. After all we have been conditioned by the media to believe that such landmark occasions must include money and lots of it. Dictionary.com defines frugal: as economical in use or expenditure; prudently saving or sparing; not wasteful. As I work to become less wasteful in all areas of my life, the wedding anniversary celebration is no exception.

Last year we were in Costa Rica on our anniversary and celebrated at an amazing restaurant. (The Chilean Sea Bass was to die for and I still salivate when I think about it.) Fast forward to this year. I’m still unemployed so we decided it best to forfeit our previously hoped for trip abroad this summer. Instead I started to look into all the great things our local area has to offer. After all, we do live in a vacation destination and too often we take the sights around us for granted.

So what did we end up doing you might ask? We spent a day hiking in Topanga Canyon, CA. For those unfamiliar with Topanga Canyon, it is a mountain community in Western Los Angeles known for its bohemian culture. It’s the perfect place for hiking, biking, and horseback riding. It’s one of our favorite places. If it wasn’t for the long drive down the canyon to get to work we would love to live up there. Oh well! Maybe one day!

The drive up the canyon to Topanga State Park was beautiful. We could have parked on the back streets and walked to the trails but David insisted we pay the $10 parking fee because he wanted to support the parks. I agree it’s important to give back to our parks so I agree the $10 was well spent. We hiked down the Santa Ynez Trail which was supposed to take us to a waterfall. Going down was very pleasant and beautiful. Of course the waterfall was dry but the last time I hiked this trail it was dry as well. We got a good laugh out of that. Going back up was not so pleasant because you guessed it – it was all uphill! Even though we were hot and out of breath we had lots of laughs and David jokingly warned me I had better not pass out because he would not be carrying me back up the trail.

We finally collapsed in the car and turned the air conditioner on full blast. We had tentatively planned to eat at one of my favorite Mexican restaurants in Topanga, but we were a hot and sweaty mess. Topanga is one of the world’s most tolerant places but I didn’t want to push the envelope by patronizing a restaurant drenched in sweat. We went home instead and did something we rarely ever do. We had pizza delivered! The rest of the evening we viewed free shows from Hulu.com.

Earlier in the week David asked me what I wanted for a gift. I told him I wanted a jewelry box. He immediately said we would go out and shop for one. No, no, no I said! Not being much of a jewelry girl, I don’t have that much jewelry anyway. All I wanted was some kind of box to organize what I did have because I was tired of it all being a loose mess in my bathroom drawer. I told him there was no need to go out and spend money when I was sure he had some sort of box he wasn’t using that would be perfect for organizing my jewelry. He ended up finding a gray looking cash box that he once used to store his check receipts. Since he no longer needed it, he offered it to me.

Now I know most women might find this kind of gift downright insulting but it was perfect for me. First of all, he honored my request. Second, he “shopped” in his own home and found something perfectly good that was no longer getting any use. Third, we spent no unnecessary money, and fourth and most important, it was environmentally friendly. We didn’t contribute to more demand in the world for useless objects that use up the world’s precious resources. Most of us have so much junk anyway and if we get creative there’s often no need to always be buying something new.

I doubt any of the mainstream women’s magazines would glamorize our anniversary celebration but for me it was just perfect! We spent time with each other and laughed and played. After all, it’s all about the experience and enjoying each other. You don’t need money to enjoy each other’s company. You either do or you don’t. Thinking that spending money is the only way celebrate special occasions is the ultimate in status quo thinking. David and I have never been very status-quo so why should any of our celebrations be so?

I like the Native American Philosophy. They view the earth as a living entity and as a provider, not a playground to pillage for monetary profit.   Harmony with the earth is  part of their culture and they are extremely aware of how certain actions can impact the environment. They believe the earth is part of us and we should respect it. It’s not something to use up nor is it here  to serve us. The earth is a great resource but we have to treat her with respect. We are part of her and there is no separation. All of us Non-Native Americans should take a lesson from their playbook.  That said, let me segue into the horrendous topic of the British Petroleum (BP) oil spill.

The recent BP tragedy in the Gulf is almost more than I can bear to contemplate. I purposely waited several weeks before I posted this piece. I figured at some point the story would gradually start to fade off the front pages and only be mentioned from time to time.  This story needs to be kept alive and all that continue to suffer need not be forgotten. I grew up in Alabama and my husband in Louisiana. The Gulf was a familiar fixture to us and even though we may not have lived within walking distance, she was still one of our greatest local treasures.

Many Americans have never had the chance to visit the national treasure we call the Gulf of  Mexico or “The Redneck Riviera” as it is often jokingly referred to by some.  There was a reason why many southerners chose to stay close to home when we wanted to visit the beach. Why travel to other exotic locations when Paradise was just a few hours away?

I remember going to visit her almost yearly. The sand was as white as snow and the water was a pristine blue or emerald green depending on the mood of the sun that day.  Many sandcastles have been built on her precious sand and many wonderful days have been spent by adults and children alike playing in her waves.

She has withstood hurricanes and various other acts of God because that is what she is equipped to do. Then some multinational corporation comes in and gets horrendously greedy and sloppy.  Now she is vulnerable to possibly being on the verge of ruin.

I hope she will one day return to her natural beauty and her plants, fish, and various other wildlife will once again reign supreme in that area of the planet. For the time being I can only pray for her safe return and for a change in consciousness amongst us all. The beauty of the earth and the natural resources we have been blessed with are a  huge part of our wealth.

We need to rethink the way we are living and have a serious discussion about our addiction to fossil fuels. Change is necessary or our quality of life is further at stake.  Yes, change is difficult and many will resist. But change is the only constant in this world. We will always have to adapt and change.  The sooner we get it through our thick skulls that real change is needed, the easier it will be to start the process.  Oh and Tony Hayward, if by some small minuscule chance you read this, I would like my life back too.  I  am no longer able to visit the beautiful beaches where I spent so much of my childhood. They are most likely ruined and will not recover in my lifetime if they ever recover at all.  I would like that part of my life back.

My wonderful front porch

The weather has been almost perfect in Los Angeles recently. As a matter of fact, it has been perfect. Not too hot, not too cold, temperatures in the 70′s, sunny skies-it doesn’t get much better than this when it comes to winter. When I talk to family and friends back in Alabama, I almost feel bad telling them how beautiful it is here because I know they are battling extremely cold weather.  Well, not too bad!

I’m so fortunate to be living in such a beautiful place.  No wonder millions of people are crammed onto the southern California coast, because this area of the world is truly beautiful.

Being unemployed, I try to keep myself on a schedule, so I have some semblance of structure in my life. One of the things I try to do everyday is go for a walk in my neighborhood. Sometimes, I go alone or sometimes with my friend, Maddy. I love my neighborhood. It’s so diverse and interesting. It’s just the right mixture of all different kinds of people. I also love where I live. It’s my little corner of paradise. Sometimes I take my laptop onto my front porch and work, take in the fresh air, and watch the people walking by.

My time outdoors each day is one of my greatest little luxuries. It doesn’t cost a thing and it makes me feel engergized and inspired. It’s easy to fall prey to worrying about the future and what’s in store for me. Being outdoors and taking in the great beauty around me keeps me centered and in the “now”.

Each season has its own beauty and I love each one for different reasons, but fall will always have a special place in my heart. Maybe it’s because it brings back memories of going back to school, new clothes, new books, and new beginnings of every kind imaginable. Or maybe it’s because fall is a prelude to Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas, which are my favorite holidays of the year.

Fall has definitely arrived in Southern California and the weather has been especially perfect this past week. Many people may not picture Los Angeles as a place with distinctive seasons, but we do have our own unique version of each season and fall is no exception. I have been taking advantage of the outdoors quite a bit this past week and I feel all the richer for it.

David and I spent a spectacular day at the beach on Sunday. We had brunch at The Rose Café and then walked on the beach. The wind was blowing wildly and the waves were going crazy. As we stared out into the beautiful blue water, I felt lucky to live in such a beautiful place. I went to the beach again today with my friend Maddy. It was another gorgeous day. We walked for hours and took in all the beauty around us. We laughed when the force of the waves came crashing in around our feet and tried to knock us down. Afterwards, we had pizza and coffee.

Nature never disappoints, no matter what the season. She always has something to offer and she doesn’t charge a dime. No one can buy her off. No one can claim her all to themselves. She belongs to all of us.