Welcome to Living in Atlanta: SIGNS…important messages we somehow ignore

From the Desk of Phaedra G. Saunders - New Blog Post - Living in Atlanta - Signs... important messages we some how ignore

So
I woke up this morning with a lot of things on my mind.  That’s unusual
for me as I tend to stay in a calming state of mind.  It is important
not to suppress your thoughts.  Let them come and go as quickly as they
appeared.  But this morning for some reason...continue reading

 

SIGNS…important messages we somehow ignore

So I woke up this morning with a lot of things on my mind.  That’s unusual for me as I tend to stay in a calming state of mind.  It is important not to suppress your thoughts.  Let them come and go as quickly as they appeared.  But this morning for some reason thoughts were swirling fast, one after another, and staying with me. Thoughts like “can I get these deadlines met at work today”, “what bills needed to be paid this week”, “why did my ex who I haven’t heard from in in six years call me at all places, at my office…what does he want”, “I need to call my mother”, “what’s my next move in my career”, “did I unplug the coffee pot”?  I mean everything that I could possibly think of was coming at me this morning and it was hard to shut it off.

I went downstairs to warm up my car and put in my earplugs.  I searched for songs from two of my favorite female artists Jill Scott and Erykah Badu.  I love Jill for her truthful, righteous words and Erykah for her soulful vibration that flows from her soul to mine.  It calmed me but I was still thinking.  As I pulled up to a red light, I was directly behind a black car, all I could see was the back, the trunk.  Then all of a sudden, out of nowhere the word FOCUS appeared as big as day.  The car, traffic, red light and music all disappeared and all I saw was that word.  I sat there for what seemed like a long time just staring at this larger than life word in front of my eyes, and then it clicked.  FOCUS Phaedra, yeah that’s what I needed to do.  FOCUS on one thing at a time…inch by inch, minute by minute.  The car behind me blew its horn because by now the light had turned green.  As we went through the light that’s when I noticed that the black car was a Ford Focus.   I giggled to myself because it’s not unusual to see this car on the highway.  Only today did I notice it in a special, different way.

In the parking deck at my job, I turned off the car engine, closed my eyes, took three deep meditation breaths, said a prayer and got out.  All day, focus flowed through me and  I met the work deadlines, I knew exactly what bills were to be paid and who cares why my ex called, I’ve moved past that and him.  I called my mother, figured that I was blessed to have a job with such flexibility and yes, I even remembered that I did unplug the coffee pot.  All is well and I know that whatever needs to be taken care of has already been taken care of.  Such is the state of a calm mind.

It is amazing the signs spirit gives you on a daily basis to help you when you are thrown off track.  The question is can you recognize them?  As for me, a little Jill, Erykah and a black Ford Focus were the signs I needed to help me through my day.

Until next time my lovelies…Peace and light.

Phaedra

 

Welcome to Living in Atlanta: It’s not about the year, it’s about YOU.

Welcome to Living in Atlanta: It’s not about the year, it’s about YOU.: I’ve been on hiatus for the last 3 months, moving, spending time with family and ringing in the New Year!   But now I can say…I’m bac...



 

It’s not about the year, it’s about YOU.

I’ve been on hiatus for the last 3 months, moving, spending time with family and ringing in the New Year!  But now I can say…I’m back!

We are mid way into the first month in the New Year, how’s it going for you so far?  I have given great thought to what this New Year means to me and I have to tell you…I’ve got nothing.  I don’t mean that in a bad way, it’s just that I have decided this year not to put any type pressure on the year 2016. Sure, I have goals to meet, but in the words of Ray Charles “I’m gonna let it do what it do baby”! 

I’ve read countless posts and memes on social media on how 2016 will be a “YEAR of SUCCESS”, the “YEAR of YES”, “THE BEST YEAR EVER”.  I have to tell you that each year, month day or second that I get to see is ALL of the above.  When I first said this to a friend she said, “I understand what you are saying, but many people feel that the start of a new year is a time to reset, a clean slate”. But isn’t that what we do every day our eyes open in the morning?  We reset, we give thanks to god for granting us the opportunity to get something right today.  So why would we abandon our daily appreciation for just one specific year?   

Let’s be honest with ourselves, 2016 will present some pretty significant challenges, its inevitable.  But the good news is that with each challenge, we have yet another day to conquer it, and with every success we have we also have the opportunity give thanks for it and to do just a little bit better.   Hopefully, in 2015, we learned a lot about ourselves and made changes in our lives physically, mentally and spiritually.  We had the fortitude to keep moving forward, so carry that momentum into this New Year and keep going!  Remember, it’s not about the year…it’s about YOU!

Until next time my lovelies…always peace and blessings.

Phaedra