The Good and The Bad

Inspired by the words of a friend this morning … “Its the choices we make in the toughest of times…that show us and others who we really are….” by Bear Medicine Walker

I thought I’d take some time to elaborate on this topic for a moment.

It’s easy to be great when things are going well… but when things go bad that’s when our true colors and our true nature sings out loud.

We may not make the best choices or decisions during hard times but if we are of good intentions and a good heart, we will do the best with what we have and what we know.

Mistakes happen .. we all fall down from time to time. It’s easy to be pulled down into a slump of depression and negativity… but it’s how we pull ourselves out of it that matters most. The will and intent to want to pull yourself out of the darkness and into the light says more than words could ever do.

I want to offer just a small bit of advice at this time: Please do not judge others by their immediate actions.. instead take a longer look at the whole picture and give them time to regroup. Treat each as you would hope you would be treated in times of hardship and struggle.

If I alone were to be judged by some of my decisions and actions from the past … Ooooooo boy would I be in a world of trouble.

We each walk our own path … although it may seem similar to another .. each walk is different.. with different circumstances, experiences, knowledge or lack of and different actions and reactions. None should be compared to another.

Our life here is about learning and growing … so mistakes will be made without doubt. EVERYONE makes them .. big , small…. we all are similar in this way.

Be kind to others as you walk through your day .. you just never know what they may be going through … behind that smile maybe a broken heart, a stressed mind and a confused weary soul… so be kind and considerate with your actions always.

Many blessings for a great day!
Raventalker

Reflection

It is good for the mind, body and soul to take some time out of our busy and hectic days to reflect. Reflect on the good, the bad and the in between…

Lessons come from more than bad experiences… All shades of life bring to us opportunites to learn… to learn about ourselves and others.

It is good to take a moment from time to time for reflection.. just be careful not to dwell too long.

Lessons of kindness, friendship, opportunity, achievement, and much more can come out of positive experiences .. so you see lessons can come along even in the best of times.

Many Blessings for a great and prosperous day,
Raventalker

The Upside

I won’t pretend life is all roses and smiles… life gets crazy, hectic, hard, painful and down right insane at times… BUT … my message for you today is … The Sun is ALWAYS Shining.

Beyond the clouds… the sun is ever shining. Though we may sleep .. the sun never does.. it’s rays of light are continuous.. and when the moon takes it’s rest and the clouds part way… we are given the gift of light to brighten our way.

Take each day as it comes…. hardships are expected …. none of us are immune to that fact… but how we make it through.. how we handle ourselves through those times.. how we endure.. is completely up to us. We can give in or we can fight it out.

When times get hard and you are finding it difficult to keep going .. think about the bright days you’ve already had.. think of the blessings that have come your way .. remember the days when smiles and laughter filled your heart and know that those days will come again.

Hard times are temporary just like the weather… hang in there and keep walking forward. Brighter days are just around the corner. Focus on the positive. Let the negative slip away.

Many Blessings and great big hugs to all,
Raventalker

STOP! You're Going the Wrong Way!

How many times have you started down a path that you just knew was not the right path for you?

This happens to us all.. it’s all a part of life and being human.. making mistakes … learning and growing. I can tell you from far more experience than I’d like to admit …. that path is a torturous one.

So there we are walking down a path laid before us… something inside us tells us something is wrong. The universe starts throwing signs in front of us to let us know that this path we have started on is not the one for us… and yet we continue to walk forward. Silly.. silly we are. We don’t intend on taking the wrong path. We don’t intend on making our lives harder… but somehow .. there we are… doing just that! Ignoring our own knowing and ignoring the signs in front of us.

Why? Why do we do this?

So many factors come in to play as to why we go down that wrong path…

Every path, every situation our motives and reasons are different.. here are just a few of examples as to why oh why we go down that road:

Sometimes it is ego… dare we admit we have made a mistake..LOL…dang that ego!

Sometimes it is worry and fear.. worried that we are afraid of the path unknown to us .. afraid of hurting others… afraid of what if I’m just making excuses and this is the right path … hahaha don’t ya just love it when you argue with your own inner knowing.

Sometimes it is a case of walking past that point where you feel you have more than half way and you think to yourself.. well I might as well keep going to the end. You tell yourself that turning around and going back is further than just going on and making it to the end. Ummm, hello! Is it not further to keep going in the wrong direction and then having to turn around .. than it is to just stop what you are doing .. no matter the point… and get your butt back to the beginning to travel down the road better suited for you?

When in the thick of it all, we have a hard time seeing clearly .. we question every move .. we ignore the obvious and we make excuses not only for ourselves but for others and for our actions and motives. Hoping for the best and intending on doing the right thing for all involved.

I mean really! Who wants to admit they are wrong??? hahahahaha I can laugh now .. but during those times when I was on that wrong road… whew, was it hard and troubling!

I believe this is something we will all do at some point in our lives and often more than once in our lifetime…. The key is recognizing your mistake and in the best way that you can … correcting it. People will get hurt, times will be hard… but we all have the ability to heal and in the end everyone will benefit from better choices.

Pay closer attention when life throws you a road block… there must be a reason for it. Don’t make things out to be more complicated than they need be and don’t let fear guide you. I know… easier said than done.. but the first step is realization.

Many blessing for a path well traveled,
Raventalker

Toast of Music City Awards 2011

So here we are again this year … just 1 month ago Toast of Music City kicked off the voting for “The Best of” for the Nashville area .. the public got to vote for everything in the area from Best Restaurant to Best Child Care and Local Celeb..

You or someone you know can submit any business or local person for any category and then for 4 weeks votes are cast daily.

So there I am listed in Best Blog and Best Artist (Visual) .. every day for 4 weeks I posted links hoping for votes .. fingers crossed .. hoping for the best.

Any artist will be able to relate.. we do what we do because it’s who we are .. it’s in our blood to create … we don’t do it for money or fame but in the back of our minds it sure would be great to be recognized for all that we put into our creations.

Late yesterday the winners were posted online.. I am truly humbled and honored to say that I MADE IT!!!

I certainly don’t believe I am the best artist or blogger by any means … but what I am certain of is that I have the very best friends and fans anyone could ever ask for. Taking time out of their day for 4 weeks straight to cast a vote my way and for that I am truly .. truly blessed.

As an artist and blogger I give it my all each day .. with every blog .. and every piece of art I create. Always working to improve and do the best that I can do. My hopes are to bring a bit of peace and healing to the world in any way that I can through my blogs and writing and with my art .. I just hope to make others smile, relate and connect.

Heavy sigh … and GREAT BIG SMILES!!!!

Thank you to everyone who voted this year. You guys are the best inspiration anyone could ever ask for. I could not have done it without you.

Many Blessings and Thank yous all around!!!
Raventalker

Passion!

Heavy sigh .. and not in the way that you might think a heavy sigh would go with the topic today… This heavy sigh is in frustration.

How do you get people passionate about what they do?

How do you get people to care about their own way of business… ?

HOW HOW HOW??????

No matter what you do .. do it well .. do it with care and do it with pride.

It doesn’t matter your part in the world… waitress, business man, company owner, delivery person, receptionist or store clerk…. what matters is how you do your job.

It may not be your dream job … but it’s your job …. do it with passion, pride and care… you may not be in the happiest place doing the best of jobs but your attitude toward what you do makes all the difference in the world.. not only to you but to those around you as well.

It feels to me that for the most part .. getting others passionate about what they do is like trying to light wet firewood … soaking wet firewood!

I suppose it’s probably not my job to get others passionate about what they do … but it frustrates me to see people not taking care and pride in their own jobs.

If you don’t like what you do .. change it… I know .. its not always that easy … but if you don’t even try to change it .. its not going to change on its own.. and in the mean time .. find something in what you are doing that you DO like and focus on that .. and if nothing else just take pride in doing a job well done..

Even if you are a file clerk .. you can be the best damn file clerk that office has ever seen! or best receptionist, storage clerk, maintenance person, delivery tech, computer tech, support staff, cook, cleaner, sales person, etc. You are limited but none other than yourself.

Ok .. that’s my gripe of the day … sorry for going off on a tangent…. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH .. whew.. ok I feel better now!

Many Blessings for a beautiful day,
Raventalker

P.S.
I have to add a personal experience here:

years ago I worked at a place that at first I liked and then because I wouldn’t follow the manager around like trained dog I was put on the blacklist and made to feel bad every day … made to have lunch alone instead of in the group with everyone else.. made to be the one to go fetch things from the storage building from hell .. and just made to feel inferior every day.

What did I do about it?
I made sure I was best damn employee that company had ever seen .. making myself so valuable that once I was gone I would without doubt be missed! I managed a system for the storgage building from hell that only I knew.. so again when I was able to leave .. they would be lost. I took it upon myself to do the best of my ability and I challenged myself daily to out do myself .. and this took the focus off how others were trying to make me feel and I felt pride in myself for a job well done and for knowing that what I was doing was to the very best of my ability. I took the power out of their hands and put it in my own .. I was determined to do well despite the things they were trying to do to make me feel bad.

To this day .. I still smile.. Months after I left I went back to visit a few friends and it was nice seeing a huge mountain of stuff that needed to be done and wasn’t because I was gone.. hahahahahahahaha THAT WAS THE BEST!

Do your best no matter what others are doing …. just do your own personal best and take joy from knowing that you have done exactly that.

Unforgettable

I wrote this a while back … but thought I might refresh it and share again.

Unforgettable moments, people, places, scenes and events

I want to be one of those unforgettable people.. and be part of many unforgettable moments, view unforgettable scenes and witness and participate in unforgettable events…

I want happy memories that will last many lifetimes. I want happy memories of me to linger long after I am gone. I’d like others to want me around even when I’m not …

I want to be a creator of those unforgettable times for everyone I can.

I want to be a part of the great magic that flows through the air and into everyone.. bringing them up.. making them laugh .. and making them feel good all over .. inside and out.

I’ll do my part each and every day to make this possible..

I just hope that others see and feel the magic … hold on to the magic and appreciate the magic that has come their way .. from me and from others.

A magic that fills your being with a joy that makes you feel as though there is nothing you can’t do.. no mountain to high too climb.. no river too wide to cross.. no boundaries to hold you back.. a magic that feels like new love .. fresh and exciting .. that sends tingles up your spine every time you think of me.

That’s me and that’s my wish for tonight for everyone … tomorrow and eternity.

Many Blessings,
Raventalker

Magic Wish

I wrote this a few years back and thought it was a time to reshare :-)
Don’t Make Me

Don’t make me call on the rain to hide the tears

Don’t make me call on the wind to carry away the fears

Don’t make me!

I tell you I have been there … so many times.. I have visited this place … you know.. that sad place deep inside you where you go to when you’ve been hurt.. when you’re sad and lonely .. when you feel like no one else in the world feels the way you do.

That place you escape to … that place where you think no one will notice how sad and lonely you are or how deeply hurt you may be..

I just wanted to send out a great big {{{hug}}} to all those finding themselves in that place.

So I’m posting this little message to let you know you’re not alone.. there are people who care.. you just have to let them help you .. let them love and care for you ..

Pull yourself out of that lonely place and try to have a bit of fun.. laugh … and live .. don’t let anyone make you feel like you don’t deserve to be loved ..

Here’s a bit of magic coming your way .. hoping you’ll be able to laugh and have some fun … and most importantly feel the love this magic wish brings

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now close your eyes and count to three…
Nod your head and accept this magic wish I send to out thee…..

Jump up and stomp the ground .. bang on the floor and make a lot of sound!

Turn on some musical tunes … now scream and shout at the moon

Spin and turn around really really fast … keep on going as I finish out this wish I cast

Now stop and throw your arms up into the air ….
Cast away all your worries and all your cares

Pull your arms in really close and give yourself a great big hug …
Hold on tight…. make it really really snug

Feel the magic from above .. feel the warmth and all my love

I’m sending you now, a magic feather
Now see.. don’t you feel better?

Many Blessings,
Raventalker

From The Front Porch Swing

From the Front Porch Swing

Sipping my cup a tea, a luminous sunrise greets me
Song birds flock overhead with ease singing their lovely melodies
A squirrel, a chipmunk and a lizard or two, stop by for a quick hello and how do you do

From the Front Porch Swing

Life can be so grand… sitting next to my love, holding his hand
A cuddle, a kiss, a wink… all go hand in hand with a nice cold drink
Conversations about the day … listening closely to everything he has to say

From the Front Porch Swing

The view is absolutely amazing … the sun above with brilliant rays of light blazing
Listening to the rustle of the leaves as the wind blows through the Summer trees
With a heavy sigh and a soft smile .. I could sit here for a very long while

From the Front Porch Swing

The days light slowly turns to night
The June bugs slow their hummm and lightening bugs come out for a bit of fun
The moon’s light and twinkle from the stars above fill me with a warm, gentle kind of love

From the Front Porch Swing

Problems and stress all fade away, now this is the way to spend your day!
Swinging to and fro… letting it all go.
Come have a seat next to me… You’ll soon see how great life can be.

From the Front Porch Swing

Many Blessings,
Raventalker

Your Song

Each of us has a song inside … it resonates who we truly are. It comes from our heart and soul… bellowing out from the core of who we are inside and out.

Each song is unique to the person in which it resides.. none more important than the other.

The question of the night is: Do you know your own song?

Here are a few other questions one might ask about your song:
Can you sing it out loud?
Do you sing it proudly?
Does it ring of pride?
Does it carry a tune of sadness or joy.. maybe a mixture of the two?
Does the sound of it make others want to join in and sing it too?
Is it a pleasant melody or something quite the opposite?
Does it beat fast or slow?
Does this song bring tears or smiles… or maybe both?
Is it a healing song?

The answers only you will know… important to none other than you.

Step inside yourself for a moment and listen to your own song … allow yourself to be filled with its melody … get to know it .. get to know yourself..

Within this song are the answers you seek… the person you maybe thought was lost is still there … listen to the sounds and find yourself …. sway with the beat and dance to the tune of you and be proud of the person that is there.

Many Blessings,
Raventalker

Watch Your Words

The simplest of statements can change who you are and how you feel and how you live.

Think about these statements for a moment and think of how many times you may have said them …

I am broke
I am sick
I am hurt
I am sad
I am afraid
I can’t do it
I don’t know how…

Think for a moment how these statements effect you …

Now change your statement to define you in a better way

I’m not broke.. I just don’t have the money right now … but its coming

I’m not sick .. I’m just not feeling my best at the moment .. but better days are ahead

Here’s to using better words…

Many Blessings for a great and prosperous day,
Raventalker