Mirror Mirror On The Wall.......................

Hi!



Three-year-olds are magical little people. They live in a world where absolutely everything is not just possible, but indeed, extremely likely.

They have yet to be weighed down by the sad fact that even if we wish as hard as we can and cover ourselves in pixie dust we, in fact, can not fly. They are blissfully untainted by things like facts and reality. These silly annoyances simply don't apply.

These are photos of our little granddaughter, Laney. She was having a sleepover at one of her Auntie's houses, that Auntie, unable to resist capturing these moments of make-believe. I'm sure as Laney soaked in her reflection, applying makeup with insistent self-sufficiency, she gave absolutely no thought to any perceived flaws, she saw nothing that wasn't completely beautiful.

It begs the question. When do we first become aware we have imperfections?

The answer has to be different for everyone.


For some, it's a backhanded comment from some family friend or relative. For others, a sibling or peer from school says something hurtful that sticks. For yet others, it's a coach, a teacher or a parent. For all, it's something or someone outside of ourselves.

As we grow up, we seem to find things that amplify and reinforce those thoughts. We take personally, at least in part, ads in magazines, commercials on tv, images in movies. Like they, in their very existence, are magnifying what we now see as our flaws. It's like every air-brushed model=one more thing wrong with me. Every chiseled form in an action movie = a spotlight on stretch marks, wrinkles and the not-so-six-pack.

Can we protect the self-proclaimed flawless three-year-olds? Realistically? Not likely, at least not completely. Can we give them the tools to deal? I think so.

Armed with a healthy self-worth wherein others perception and opinion of how you look matters less than how many times a sloth blinks in a year, I thnk so.

Armed with the knowledge that it doesn't matter one iota if you can't fill out, or you spill out of Victoria's finest secrets, I think so.

Armed with just enough bad-ass, smart-ass, and humour to stand up, hold their ground and find the funny, I think so.

Armed with the solid knowledge that every single person on this planet has their very own unique set of flaws, and it's exactly that that makes us awesome, I think so.

Mirror mirror on the wall whose the fairest of them all?  Ummmm..... Nobody gives a crap!


******************************************************



Another week has flown by filled with grandbaby giggles, work, and writing.

In the days to come...........work, writing, errands and other fabulousness



That's about it for now, until next time..........



May you look in the mirror through the eyes of the three-year-old you.
May you see the beautiful, the perfection, for you are, after all, perfectly you.

May you go back to the moment your innocent reflection was distorted, rescuing your earlier self, here's how.
May you stand up for the you of then, forever changing the ugly deep down darkened voice of the you of now.

May you see that you are an incredible reflection of your journey, not some two dimensional photo of  a false ideal.
May you see that what you are is so much more, with more depth, more meaning, more true beauty, for you are phenomenally real.




Ta ta for now.............


www.margyreidbooks.com

Down The Rabbit Hole.......Not Always A Bad Thing

Hi,



When you hear the expression "down the rabbit hole", someone is usually referring to some surreal situation, and way more often than not, not in a good way.

Sometimes life throws us into unfamiliar places where things, at least at first, don't make a lot of sense.  It can feel like you've stepped through the looking glass while following a yellow brick road.

When this happens, it can be hard not to feel overwhelmed by the anxious rabbits, cheshire cats, wicked witches, and let's not forget the tweedledees and tweedledums. It can be tough to know who to trust, who to believe, who, actually, is who they seem to be.

New towns, new people, new jobs, new bosses, new schools, new countries....it's endless, really.

When you get your footing, your balance, let your eyes adjust to the new landscape, the time of adjustment sets in. If the new situation is temporary it can be fairly easy and pretty painless. If the situation is permanent, the adjustment period is generally tougher, longer, and can leave a mark or two.

But rabbit holes aren't always a bad thing.

My mind can't help but go to the refugees that have made their way on foot from the United States to Canada over the last few weeks. They are traveling through the dead of night in the bitter cold, carrying their few belongings on their backs, some with kids.

They are cold, terrified and unsure. This abysmal march.... we.... we are their rabbit hole. Once assured that they are safe, they are warmed, fed, given medical care, the processing of their refugee status begins and the first baby steps of their journey of adjustment are taken.

When we hear the expression "down the rabbit hole", it rarely is means anything good. Unless of course, you're a rabbit, then it simply means you're home.


*********************************************************




This has been an interesting week! Had one grandson turn five and another turn nine! It's crazy!

We went to the movie "La La Land" and loved it. It took me back to Sunday afternoons as a kid, when one of our two tv channels would sometimes show old movies. Abbott and Costello, Casablanca, and sometimes they would show my favourite genre of movie. The musical. Fred and Ginger, Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, Donald O'Connor, all of them. I loved getting lost in the stories, the music, the dancing, the beauty of all of it. They were fantastic!

Oh I also did some work, laundry, blah blah blah..........

Squeezed every grandkid at least once!

As for the upcoming days.......

Some visiting, some working, some writing, maybe a few more grandbaby squeezes!



**************************************************


Well, that about does it for another week...................to those for whom we are the rabbit hole



May you know you are safe now, the hard part is over, you are here.
May the terrors that haunt your sleep subside, may peace replace your fear.

May the tears of grief shed for those you had to leave behind be replaced with those of delight.
May the ache of dread be freed from your soul, in its stead a belly sore from laughing through the night.

May the scars of what you've seen and what you've been through, heal with gentle time.
May you find your balance, take in your new landscape, there is no end to how high you can climb.

May you find happiness, breathe deep, breathe free, for there is endless space in which to roam.
May you, though you were forced to leave the place of your birth, know that you are now home.


Until next time www.margyreidbooks.com

The Age Of Discovery.........................

Hi!

Soooooooo, you have to admit, I've been showing some pretty impressive restraint regarding this face. This face belonging to our freshest grandbaby, Bizzy Izzy.

This lovable little ginger will soon be but one month shy of an entire year old, the age of discovery. Discovering lots of things, like real mobility,  like if you climb Grandma just right you can become the nosy neighbour, and the fact that Grandma keeps movies at toddler level. 

Although the first few years of our lives are indisputably the ones in which we learn and discover more than in any other snapshot of our years, I'm not sure if I would label it "the" age of discovery. As we all know, discovering never ends.

After all, every chapter from munchkin to menopause provides its own merit and merriment. 

As a baby, tasting everything is everything. A toddler, unicorns fly spaceships and play the piano. This is followed closely by the discovery of knock knock jokes, learning to make friends with those to whom you aren't related and playground etiquette. Then comes the drama of the preteen, puberty and the tough transition that takes place during those teenage years. 

Now you're an adult, right? You are finally in charge of your own life, you can make all of your own decisions, you got this!

Except, the first thing you discover is that you don't know nearly as much as you thought. The next thing? Adulting is hard. You make mistakes, some bigger than others. Some harder to recover from than others. You make friends that turn out to be anything but. You make decisions, but not all of them have a great outcome. You make questionable choices in jobs, romances, fashion, and nutrition. You make friends who are actual friends. You begin to make real and solid footprints on the path that will become your life.

You go along, building a life, building memories, waiting for that magic epiphany. That incredible moment when you look in the mirror and see a grown up. That point in time when you are secure in the knowledge that you actually do, in fact, got this. 

I, for one, am still waiting. 

Discovery? Well, that still happens daily. I discover new reasons to adore the man I've been lucky enough to call my husband for almost 30 years. I've discovered that I've held myself responsible for a lot of things in life for which I had absolutely no right to lay claim. I'm discovering, every day, that cutting myself some slack for being human isn't the worst thing.

***************************************************************

The past days have been busy with working, (yup, still from home) doing physio "exercises,"

and a double night sleepover with our three youngest grandbabies.

In the next few days....

Attend a grandbaby birthday party, work, and WRITE!

That about does it for now.....

Until next time....

May all of your discoveries be helpful, one way or another.

May they make clear the things worth your time, and the things for which you needn't bother.

May they show you what's real, true colours, what lies behind, beneath and between words spoken.

May they give you insight into what your journey truly needs, light the path that leaves you least broken.

May you discover within yourself new talents, new desires, new ideas, new ways to bring you joy.

May you discover all things that make your walk through this life something spectacular to enjoy.

Until next time............

www.margyreidbooks.com 

Look Forward But Be Here......A Work In Progress....................

Hi!

I know we have only just passed the ever-conflicting predictions of the magic gophers of Groundhog Day, but as I look at the birthday suit version of the trees in my yard, instead of dreading what could be, or not, depending on which magic gopher you pin your hopes on, several weeks of winter, I find myself embracing this time.


Maybe it's the forced slow-down of the literal pain in the butt I am currently dealing with, maybe it's having hit the fifty mark, maybe it's my menopausal inner furnace that is making something in my subconscious dread the heat of the upcoming summer, or maybe, just maybe, I'm finally learning, at some level, to live more in the now.

I think perhaps because my entire adult life has been about planning, preparing, organizing, and figuring out how to handle whatever is coming next, somewhere along the way I developed a hardcore habit of constantly looking down the road.

Although looking where you're going is important, after all, it is how you avoid crashing, it's equally important not to develop tunnel vision.  It's imperative not to rely only on your peripheral vision to take in your surroundings. It's important to take the time to really look and to, often, even pull over, step out, and soak in the complete panorama of where we are.

I thought I was getting pretty good at it, the whole looking around thing, and compared to 15, 10, or even 5 years ago, I think have made progress, for sure. Within the last couple of months, though, I have come to realize that I have barely scratched the surface. Progress, yeah, some, but still, a long way to go.

So whether it's my sore butt/hip, my age, or my inner furnace, I'm grateful for the heads-up. Look forward, but be here. Something I will continue to work on.

*****************************


This week has been spent performing bookkeeping duties (still being done at my dining room table)

It also involved a bit of cooking, some laundry, some housework and developing my skills as a netflix virtuoso.



In the upcoming days............


working, writing, more domestic goddess type things, and maybe a date night!


That about does it for another week.................




Until next time................




May your panoramic view be breathtaking in it's beauty, a mosaic encompassing the entirety of the life you call your own.
May you, when looking forward, not only plan and prepare but excitedly anticipate the upcoming unknown.

May the scars inflicted by a life not perfect be forgiven, for they are what makes each of us unique.
May we recognize that they represent battles, if not won, survived, they are the manifestation of our strength, not proof that we are weak.

May the past be an inspiration, not an anchor, let go of all things that weigh you down.
May choices made today reflect the future you want to live, preventing tomorrow's scars now.



Until next time............


www.margyreidbooks.com