The Quest for Betterment

(At right, my grandson's hands as he is sleeping)

In my quest to "better" myself, I have decided to read other blogs, books and articles to help lift me up. I do read a lot.... but more for the entertaining value than the enrichment value. I'm very blessed to have grown up in a family of readers who have instilled in me not only the desire to read but to write as well.

In my reading today, I came across a passage in The Best of C.S. Lewis, Macmillan, 1969 that really struck home with me:

Most people, if they have really learned to look into their own hearts, would know that they do want, and want very acutely, something that cannot be had in this world. Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists. A baby feels hunger: well, there is such a thing as food. A duckling wants to swim: well, there is such a thing as water. Men feel sexual desire: well, there is such a thing as sex. If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. If none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not prove that the universe is a fraud. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing.

It seems that no matter how great things seem in my life, I always want MORE. I know that there will always be amazing moments in my life, sad moments and hurtful moments as well.... but I was not made for this world. When I get to where I'm going.... I'll be thrilled with exactly who I am.

In the meantime, here in this earthly world I live in, I will do my best to have great moments and participate in giving others great moments as well. Here's to being the best I can be with the time I have left here. Thanks for reading ~ dawnee

The Artist in Me

Look Ma..... I can digitally paint! This is my first attempt at using Photoshop for something other than digital scrapbooking. I'm pretty pleased with the outcome. Not sure I'll ever do anything like this again even though I feel like I had more control working digitally than I do painting on paper or canvas.

The Beginning

I probably should have titled this blog "The End" rather than The Beginning. However.... it is the beginning of the end of the old me. We can't fight aging and I'd never want to go back 20 or thirty years ago just to battle the side effects of age. Our bodies are miraculously resilient, I'll just trust in that fact and start from here.

The last couple of years have been harsh on me, physically especially. I'm taking 4 to 8 pills a day for a variety of aging side effects.... high blood pressure.... depression.... heart rate too fast.... can't sleep on my own. So, as I look at 192 lbs of me in the mirror (possibly 10 of that due to the bags under my eyes) I've decided to take the matter into my own hands and start to eat right, exercise, sleep more, find authentic health tips and put them to practice. I'm ready to dig down to the real me. The one I haven't seen for a while. I'll be journaling this adventure for my benefit more than anyone else. I may or may not post these. No pressure on myself to post. Just, push forward!

As I sit here and type, my hair is piled on top of my head with a new foaming dye. I'm gonna wash that gray right out of my hair first! Once the timer goes off, I'll be climbing into the shower to lather, rinse and repeat. I've decided to pamper myself by giving myself a pedicure as well. This could be a challenge, considering I broke my left foot more than a month ago... but I'm darned well gonna try!

Tonight, the facial. I will be sleeping with it on and waking up to a flaky face in the morning that I'll need to clean up. But my skin should be a bit tighter. My next step is to drink 10 glasses of water throughout the day tomorrow.

Along with upgrading my body, I am also working on my creative side. A few months ago I started to teach myself to draw. My sister and I have also started taking a watercolor course as well. My true love is photography and digital art. To watch my creative growth, I'll be sharing pictures of my creations.

My first thought in working on this blog was "who cares, aside from myself?" Maybe no one at all.... or maybe someone else will be encouraged to try as well.

Well, the timer is calling me to the shower. Wish me luck!

Thanks for doing this Dawnee (hugging myself)... and thanks for reading. ~ dawnee