Wildflower Writes

Photo by  Benjamin Suter  on  Unsplash   I’ve heard it said, “Never meet your heroes. You’re sure to be disappointed.” I’m sure that’s a fair warning if your heroes are celebrities- actors, sports stars, or musicians. Given the percentage of people who are jerks in the world, a celebrity has as good a chance as any to be kind… or not. My favorite heroes are unsung. Single parents who are making it work. Underappreciated service workers. Pastors and chaplains. People who get up every day with a smile on their face and brighten their world. I’ve met some of these heroes. I’ve never been disappointed. The more I’ve learned about them, the more I’ve been humbled, amazed, blessed, and inspired. If you’re worried about meeting your heroes, maybe it’s time to find someone else to look up to. As we know, not all heroes wear capes.

Photo by  Diego PH  on  Unsplash I used to live in a place where light bulbs had a ridiculously short life. I don’t know enough about electricity to know if it was the way the house was wired, or the dollar store bulbs, or if there was another reason some light bulbs had to be changed after just weeks of use. It’s difficult to tell if a bulb is “good” until you actually screw it into a fixture that is turned on and is connected to electricity. By itself, a light bulb can’t brighten a room. It has to be connected to the power of electricity for it to work. I think too many times we try to shine out of our own power. We rely on willpower to keep going on, long after we’ve lost the joy, purpose, and vision that sparked interest in the first place. The truth is, we’re not meant to live life alone. We’re meant to be connected to one another, as part of a larger fixture. We’re also meant to be connected to a Higher Power. Like the variety of light bulbs available for diff...

You've heard "finding your bliss." Is it just a fancy way to talk about being happy? And why do you have to find it? Did you lose it? Where do you look for it? If you are blissfully unaware of your bliss, do you still have it? The closest I've come to finding bliss was somewhere in the middle of something created from a cacao bean. I can't tell you the exact time or place, but I can tell you what it tasted like. Seriously, I don't think your bliss is one thing, or necessarily tied to your work or family. Your bliss can be anything, it can change, and it can be fleeting. I guess you could lose it, but it's likely to show up in the least likely places. I found a little bliss this evening. I've jumped on the bandwagon and gone low carb. But I've found any deprivation is outweighed by the joy of creating low carb versions of my favorite foods. I've always been more of a mad scientist than a chef in the kitchen. I made a chocolate mousse...

Have you read the book, “How Full is Your Bucket?” by Tom Rath and Donald Clifton? It was required reading by my company a few years ago, and I was surprised to discover my son learning the same concepts in kindergarten. The premise is this: Everyone has a bucket. When it’s full, you feel good. When it’s empty, you feel bad. You fill others’ buckets by doing things that make them feel good. You take away from their buckets when you do things that cause negative feelings. Your own bucket is filled when you fill others’ or when they add to yours. Although this much my 6-year old could grasp, it gets more complicated. The same things that fills some people’s buckets may not fill others. For example, words of affirmation may fill one person’s bucket more, and gifts may fill someone else’s more. Also, based on this concept, you have to make choices about spending time with people, depending on whether or not they tend to give to or take away from your bucket. You also have the c...