MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

In my last blog post I wrote about NOT wanting to leave my "comfort zone". Today I want to write about leaving it voluntarily, which can actually be loads of fun! 

Yesterday, me and my daughter created a little Merry Christmas video. (Sorry for being two days late, I had to wait for the gym to re-open!!) I had a rather silly idea and I wanted to see if I could actually put it into practice and quite unexpectedly...I ended up having loads of fun!

So, here is my funny, belated and somewhat silly way of wishing you a very MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY and HEALTHY New Year!

 

This video was ample proof for me that sometimes you just gotta do something out of your comfort zone, whether you are below 50 or above! There really is no age restriction on fun!

But I did also make a rather sober observation during the process of making this video. You see, this little video only took me about 15 minutes to record at the gym (perhaps not a very professional effort, but remember, it was only meant to be fun) and another 60 minutes to create and edit afterwards. However, it took me almost a whole day to share it on social media! So it appears to me that the time effort of making it stood in stark contrast to the time effort of sharing it and I just wondered...is technology saving us time or is it actually stealing it? Are we gaining time with all these new "smart phones" and "smart technology" or are we loosing it rapidly without noticing? I certainly don't want to make any judgments or point fingers at any particular social media platform, but I can't help wondering...

Wasn't all this new technology supposed to make our lives easier and perhaps even save some time? But from my observation yesterday, it appears to me that it's doing quite the opposite! Just putting this little video on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram clearly took longer than actually making it. You could certainly say that perhaps I am just not practiced enough and that I didn't need to post it on all three platforms, but I must admit that doing so was quite tempting and I can't help feeling that somewhere along the way, at the cost of my own spare time, I might have been over-communicating? What do YOU think? What are your thoughts on social media? Are you giving it as much time as you want to over this Festive Season or is it somehow "taking" more?

Perhaps my thoughts are best summarized by a greeting card that I once held in my hands. I remember it so clearly. There was a curious looking little man with blue pants and a green jersey on the front page of the card, staring up into the night sky filled with twinkling stars. But the text below the little man read as follows: "I do not believe in contacting beings in outer space..." and on the inside of the card it finished with: "...I have enough troubles staying in touch with my friends here on Earth." Don't you love it?! I think that is what I experienced yesterday. I loved making the video and communicating with the "world at large", but it left very little actual time for my own family. 

I suppose we all get to choose what we spend our time on and creating this video definitely was great fun, but it also reminded me of the value of time. So if you have better things to do - don't comment! Rather spend time with your family. But if you have a minute or two to spare, please leave me a comment below. Either way, I hope you enjoyed my video and I once again wish you...

MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HEALTHY and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

(Feel free to share my video!)

Out of my comfort zone! HELP!!!

Hi, this is me...I'm Hammy!

Ahhh, I've got to introduce you to my new best friend. Him and I have so much in common, except of course, that he is a lot cuter than me! This is "Hammy", our hamster, and though he is such a small and seemingly insignificant creature, he has taught me a lesson or two!

This is my home when it's being cleaned...

Recently, when my daughter was cleaning his cage, he was being his usual restless self again. He doesn’t seem to like this cage-cleaning-procedure at all. I suppose it is understandable from his point of view since out in nature, he wouldn’t exactly do a spring clean every Saturday afternoon. But the problem is that by the end of a week he tends to start smelling a little bit more than we can bear and so he has no choice but to succumb to the unwanted procedure at least every second week.

...and this is where they put me while I wait.

For the duration of the clean-out he usually gets transferred to a temporary housing facility (a bucket) and is given a blanket for comfort and some food. This is a decent solution in our opinion, but it’s an opinion he doesn't seem to share. He actually gets quite frantic after a while and doesn’t seem to understand why he has been relocated. In that moment, he is not able to recognize that his predicament is only temporary.

Ahhh, I am getting some much needed TLC!

Nonetheless, we have to do what needs to be done and in order to help him over this stressful time, I occasionally hold him in the palm of my hand. He snuggles in and I give him a gentle back massage while I whisper to him that it's all going to be ok. He seems to LOVE that and it always helps a great deal to calm him down and he often just dozes off in my hand. When his cage is finally finished and ready, I set him down in the middle of it and watch him as he eagerly runs around the cage and sniffs on everything, as if to reassure himself that it is all back where it ought to be.

Not Hammy's but MY comfort zone...

I so feel for the little chap, because I can definitely relate to this kind of behavior. This is so me! I stress too when my home gets disrupted, perhaps to a lesser degree now then I used to, but I display the same sort of behavior when, for example, an unscheduled “handyman” rocks up at my door in order to fix some or the other thing in my home and inadvertently almost always upsets my whole daily routine and leaves me with a grand mess to clean! Or when my car, which I sorely depend on, goes for a service and unexpectedly takes much longer than it was supposed to. Such unwelcome surprises always leave me feeling very displaced and they can create anxious emotions in me. This is when I need a little reassurance, just like Hammy, in order to get me through these stressful times.When I struggle to see the "bigger picture" and I have a rather desperate need for "order" around me, I retreat into my quiet time chair. Just for a little while until the emotions settle. A couple of minutes of solitude can already do wonders for a restless soul! My quiet time chair is my place of comfort and I do hope that you have such a place too! This is where I get a little TLC from God and I hear that everything is going to be ok. Sometimes it helps to read some Scripture and sometimes I just listen to my own thoughts, but I always feel better afterwards!

Hammy is undergoing food therapy... ;)

Hammy and I both stress and both of us need someone to help us through these stressful times, but most importantly, I have realized when I was holding him, that sometimes it is perfectly ok to take a break and get a little TLC - wherever and whenever you can! When everything is over and Hammy is once again settled in his cage, he likes to indulge in a blueberry, which by the way is my favorite fruit too! So, now you know my new "quiet time buddy" and I would love to know how YOU cope with stressful times. If you have a moment, please leave me a comment below! As always, wishing you...

A HAPPY AND PEACEFUL WEEK!

(All photos are my own.) 

Frozen Free Fall Devotional - NOW on my Facebook Page!

I have launched a weekly devotional based on the gaming app "Frozen Free Fall". I hope you are enjoying it! 😄 Believe it or not, I really did learn some valuable lessons from this gaming app. 😉 Here are some sneak previews and if you would like to read the devotional, just click on any of these pictures:

Enjoy...and HAVE A GREAT WEEK! 💕

Frozen Free Fall Devotional - soon on my Facebook Page!

Starting this Sunday 19th June 2016, I will be launching a weekly devotional based on the gaming app "Frozen Free Fall". You didn't think you could learn something from a gaming app? Oh, I believe you can!! 😉 Curious? Be sure to pop over this Sunday and every Sunday to check it out! Here's the link:

Enjoy...and HAVE A SUPER WEEK!

Life lessons from a Rubik's Cube - SERIOUSLY?

My Rubik's Cube devotional message from this blog is NOW on YouTube, but whether it is any good will be up to my viewers. 😉 

You can view it right here and let me know what you think:

              

I would love a thumbs up 👍 if you like it!

HAVE A GREAT WEEK!

Solar vs. Nuclear - mom BEWARE!

This month, for whatever reason, a song from "way back when" has been popping into my head quite frequently. It is titled "Hiroshima" and if by any chance you remember the Beatles then you might remember this one too. It was recorded by a band called "Wishful Thinking" in 1969 in rememberance of the nuclear bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima at the end of the Second World War. It's not the bomb though that I have been pondering about, it is "nuclear" things in general. Especially nuclear plants.

Nuclear plants are only one type of many different kind of power plants in the world and I would like to take a closer look at nuclear and solar plants with you. Why? Because I have been both! I used to be a "nuclear plant" and recently migrated my energy source to "solar" and perhaps you might be able to relate to what I have been pondering about.

A nuclear plant, as you might know, works from "within". I don't want to go into too many technical details, so for the purpose of my blog it will hopefully suffice to say that a nuclear plant is fueled by its uranium core. The uranium atoms are split and since the process is very delicate it needs a very reliable cooling system and constant monitoring and balancing. Nuclear power plants, if not controlled stringently, are prone to get out of control. 

Chernobyl sarcophagus (right, cracked) and new dome (left)

In 1986, in a nuclear plant in Chernobyl, a systems test got out of control and the result was a massive and widely spread "fallout" with long lasting effects in the Soviet Union and Europe. Experts later found that there were deficiencies in the operating instructions and the design of the plant. After the fires had been put out, their only solution to contain the smouldering radiating core was to enclose it in a sarcophagus made out of concrete. They covered it up. But the sarcophagus subsequently started to rust and is now showing a massive crack. Almost all people must have been evacuated from the area by now, but the plant is still radiating today and there is a new project underway to completely enclose the plant with a protective dome. Chernobyl, sadly, is not the only disaster we have had in the world. Fukushima, a nuclear plant in Japan was severely affected by a massive tsunami which caused various equipment failures and a disastrous loss of coolant in 2011 and their fallout might have lasting consequences for many years too. Now, I know that nuclear power stations are meant to be rather safe and are producing a massive amount of energy around the world, but they scare me, despite their benefits.

Solar plants, on the other hand, don't scare me at all. They seem so peaceful and I have never heard of a fallout created by a solar plant. That's because they don't have an unstable core. In simple terms and very much as a summary, they soak up the sun, store up the energy received and then give it back in the form of electricity. Much safer! There is no risk of toxic radiation and no delicate cooling system required either. On cloudy days, they still work, just on a slightly smaller energy output and in places where there is not enough other energy to go around, solar paneling is the new up and coming thing!

You might rightfully ask by now...what is she talking about?? Nuclear? Solar? On a mother's blog? Here is my point: I don't know what drives you in life and where you are getting your energy from, but I used to be somewhat of a nuclear plant. I too was driven by my own inner core, which I perceived to be rather safe at the time. But using my own energy to make everything happen as a mom often felt as if I had to split myself into too many pieces and my cooling system was just not adequate to cope with this. It might work, if you have granny and a series of friends nearby to take over once in a while and let you rest. That's what I would call a good cooling system! But in my case there was no granny at hand and I did not want to trouble my friends. Perhaps that was my mistake. I drove myself to a point of "fallout", I lost my cool more than once or twice and sometimes I wonder about long lasting effects on the family vibe. You could say that my family management plan at the time was flawed. I needed help. Fortunately, like in Fukushima, my personal "fallout" was fairly soon contained, but I have learnt a thing or two about power moms.

If driven by our own inner core, which more often than not is aggravated by insecurities, we can become dangerously unstable quite easily unless...we decide to swap the power source! It took a major incident in my life for me to allow God to turn me from Nuclear to Solar and I am so glad that he did! I used to be a perfectionist, always trying to run at 120% power and occasionally, I still try to be a "nuclear plant" (working from within my own strength, desperately trying to balance things) and that's when, fortunately now in a much smaller way, I usually still blow. But on most days, either in the morning or throughout the day, I sit for a moment and soak in God's love. Like the solar plant in the picture above, I just sit there and do nothing at all other than soaking up the sun. I soak up the peace and quietness of the moment into my heart and then and only then do I have enough "safe" energy to give off all day. You could say that much like the solar paneling on our roof, I first fill up my batteries and then use the "overflow" to energize the appliances respectively the people in the house. No more struggling and no more instability! All it takes is...a good quiet time!

So, now you know why I have been thinking about nuclear plants and the question from me to you is - what kind of a power plant are you? You are most welcome to leave me a comment below and share your own thoughts on what might be "safe energy". I would love to hear your ideas! For now...

 I wish you a GREAT and energized week!

(Photo is my own.)

Survive your fear!

 
Are you facing FEAR? The kind of gut wrenching fear that comes with a very bad medical diagnosis or maybe with impending financial ruin? Perhaps you are about to loose your house and you really don't know how to make it till the end of the month? I suddenly faced fear when I was given a cancer diagnosis six years ago. At first it was paralyzing me and it literally felt as if it wanted to "eat me up", just like this tiger would if he really was alive and standing in front of you! But I survived, not only the cancer, but also the fear! I have now created a very short video of my story and posted it on YouTube in order to encourage anyone else who struggles with fear.

Click here to watch

This video is my personal testimony and explains, with the help of the movie Life of Pi, how I survived the fear I was facing after I received my "bad news". It really doesn't matter what the cause if for your fear, Life of Pi will hopefully inspire you, just like it inspired me, to face and overcome your fears. I made it and I am sure so can you! Please share this video with anyone who you think might need it. I believe that facing your fears is one of the biggest steps you can take towards healing and restoration and I can honestly say that I am healed today in every way!

There is a longer version of the same video on YouTube and I will put both links below, but it is the shorter one that I have posted recently. Here they are:

Survive your fear!  (3 minutes version)

Survive your fear!  (9 minutes version)

I hope you will watch either one and find it inspiring!

HAVE A GREAT WEEK!

(Photos are mine.)

Getting through my day with the help of a "Rubik's Cube"...

Who will join me on a quest for "right living"? I need it and if you could use some help to get through your day, then allow me to use a Rubik's Cube to show you how!

Do you remember or even know this ever popular colorful toy? It has a way of getting all muddled up and it can take quite a while to get it resolved and sorted again. Some people can resolve this cube in a matter of minutes, but for others it takes a whole lot longer. There is a system to this seeming madness and I had been exploring it for a while, when it occurred to me, that life - my life - seems to resemble a Rubik's Cube! Curious? Then accompany me on a few moments of "pondering" here...

At the beginning of my life, I probably resembled the little cube on the right. Perfectly sorted and ready for school. Eager to learn new things in life. At that time, I did not know yet that we have an enemy. But if you take this cube and show it to any group of children, you will find them screaming - "Can I mess it up, pleeeze?" Everyone seems to just want to mess these cubes up and occasionally I wonder if the devil might stand at the sight of a newborn child, asking the very same question. Yes, perhaps this seems a little negative, but bear with me for just a little longer! As much as I believe that the devil would love to mess us up, I also believe that God is the Master solver of Human Rubik's Cubes! He can and will straighten out ANY mess...if you let him. All you have to do, is put your life into His hands.

There are three parts to a day - morning, midday and evening - just like there are three layers to a cube. Now, when you start solving a Rubik's Cube you will have to start with the first layer and the first thing you have to set right is the inner cross. I chose the green side as my "morning", so you will see on the picture to the left that my cross is green. Then, only after you have a cross, can you start sorting out the corners. So perhaps quite obviously, the first thing I learnt from this cube is that we should PRAY FIRST before we start our day! I find that once I have gone to the cross, the "corners" of my morning become a whole lot easier to resolve. This first layer of the cube is still fairly easy to resolve and my mornings usually seem quite easy to manage too. But when I leave the house, that's when I sometimes begin to struggle...

After you have completed the bottom layer, it does become a little more complicated and if your intention is to complete the cube (or in my case to get through my day), then you would do best to learn some of the algorithms that are shown in the little manual that comes with the cube. Me personally, I would not be able to complete the middle layer without them, so I did make an effort and learnt them by heart. It paid off. I became much faster at resolving the cube and I realized that the same applies to my life. I believe we are not born into this world randomly, we do have purpose and we do have a manual that gives us the "algorithms" for an easier passage through the journey of our life - the BIBLE. The bible is the manual to all of life's questions and one of my favorite Scriptures is found in Jeremiah 6:16 - "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is and walk in it and you will find rest for your souls." (NIV) So, if you were wondering how to get through the middle of your day, there you go! Stop, pray and do what the bible tells you to do. Read it, if and when you can, so that you will find your answers and eventually learn them by heart. The bible has thousands of perfect algorithms for life and if you follow these ancient paths and keep following Jesus, then you are well on your way to becoming whole. I did and my days have become a whole lot easier!

But we are not finished yet. Having completed the first and the middle layer of the cube (you can see in the picture to the left that I now have two perfect layers of red), you will need to tackle the top layer now. This is "the evening". I suppose it will come as no surprise when I tell you that you have to start with a cross again in order to finish the cube. There is no point in trying to solve the corners if you don't have a cross. It just won't work. I cannot tell you how many times I have desperately tried to finish some incomplete tasks in my day but to no avail. A total overload throughout the day and I just couldn't seem to get finished! But how easily it was then resolved once I spoke to God! He really does want to help us finish our daily tasks! It might seem too easy, but I can assure you it works - take time to talk to God in the morning and at night and throughout the day keep working biblical "algorithms" and the cube (your day and your life) will start looking better and better, but BEWARE...

Just before you solve the Rubik's Cube, when you are busy aligning the last few corner pieces, the cube goes through a phase when it seems to be "totally muddled up" again! The instruction booklet actually warns you not to get distracted by this, as it will resolve itself soon after if you keep going. Wow, I find that so relevant and encouraging! Because how often do we feel completely discouraged just before a major breakthrough?! 1 Peter 5:10 says: "In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation." (NLT) [emphasis added] And that's exactly what is going to happen next! My cube (in the picture above) is only four moves away from being completely restored and perhaps so are you and me. Are you shouting "amen" yet, at least in your mind?! I don't know about you, but it makes my heart jump for joy to know that I can be made whole again and so, at least for today, it will be a bit easier to look at those "muddled up corners" of my life. My record time to restore a Rubik's Cube is 75 seconds and it certainly seems to take a little longer to restore some problem areas in my life. But I believe Jesus has a special heart for muddled up Rubik's Cube people. He wants to help us sort out every piece of our day and our life and I am so grateful that the bible says that God will finish the work that He has started (Phil 1:6).

So, having pondered over the Rubik's Cube for a while now, I have come to the following conclusion: Don't spend time worrying today about all the messy parts in your life...instead give your everyday life to Jesus and know that you too might only be a few moves away from being restored! Jesus is in the business of saving people and you could be His next Rubik's Cube!

Have an AMAZING week!

I am working on a YouTube version of this blog post, so if you would like to see it on video one day, just subscribe to my channel suePONDERS and you will be notified and easily find it when it's there.

(Photos are my own.)

(Just in case you noticed, yes, I did have this post up in August 2012, but I believe it was worthy of re-posting. So this is the new and revised version of it. I hope you liked it!)

The Secret to Steve Jobs' success?

Have you noticed that every person has a story to tell? There seem to be millions of stories in the world, but only few actually have "listeners". The story I told you about in my last seven posts was written by David L. Cook, based on a multitude of real people and I could easily have been one of them. It's the story of a once destructive path, redeemed by a loving God. There are many types of stories in this world and once in a while, there is an extraordinary story that the entire world seems to take notice of. A story like the one of Steve Jobs. Ever since I printed one of his quotes in my blog something grabbed me and I decided to dig around in the internet and read up on his story a little. I was curious. What might have been the secret to his phenomenal success? Was he happy? It didn't take long and I found a common thread running through his life. Walk with me, for a little while, as I explore just a tiny part of his story...

Steve Jobs was adopted at an early age and during his childhood, he often stuck to himself. According to an internet biography, he preferred competitive swimming over team sports, so he didn't seem to mind competition, but he did prefer to compete alone. In his teens, he spent a lot of time in his neighbor's garage playing with all sorts of gadgets and electronics, so you could say, that in his childhood, Steve Jobs was a bit of a loner. Later, he dropped out of college, but kept attending his favorite courses and if necessary, he collected bottles and returned them for money so he could buy food. Considering this humble beginning, his story is even more incredible, especially his rise to fame. So what might be the secret of his success? How did he do it? How did he get there at such a young age? I am sure there are millions of people more qualified than me to answer this question, but here's what I have been pondering over:

Difficult childhood  =  (usually) lots of quiet time

A loner as a teen  =  (probably) more quiet time

Spending his early adulthood in a garage  =  (very likely) tons of quiet time

It appears to me that Steve Jobs definitely has had a lot of opportunity for "quiet times"! So I dare ask - could "quiet times" somehow have been the base of Steve Jobs' success? What does real success start with?

Let's first define "quiet time" as a restful time that we (usually) spend alone. Some people spend their quiet time sitting in a chair simply pondering, reading or in conversation with God. Other people spend quiet time on the fairway of a golf course. But whatever you do, quiet time is defined by a certain amount of solitude. Judging from what I read about Steve Jobs early life, he seems to have had a lot of quiet time. I don't know if he ever had any conversations with God, but he did seem to prefer solitude over a raving party. Now, in my personal experience, during a good "quiet time" God will not only show us much needed corrections, He will also show us our true passion and calling in life and no doubt, quiet times are there to renew our energy levels and gather strength. Any long distance runner will tell you that without well timed stops along the wayside of a very long race, there is no race being won! These stops are crucial and serve to replenish much needed energy. But in a frantically busy world, that seems to be on a permanent "fast forward", most people don't seem to replenish anymore! Many of us face a life depleted of energy and inspiration. But this doesn't have to be! Well timed stops - "quiet times" - will allow us to replenish abundantly!

Steve Jobs was one of the wealthiest men in the world and certainly one of the most gifted businessmen in the history of the USA. I suppose it is possible that he simply launched a product at the right point in time and in the right market, but there are so many failures in this world, so many products that never took off at all, that I wonder - how did he know? How did he get the timing just right? I believe that the answer could be quite simple. That the foundation to his success, to making it all work together at the right time, might just be nothing more than quiet time! Steve Jobs, at a young age was wise enough to allow himself a lot of quiet time, during which he was likely to see the "bigger picture" of what was happening in his life as well as in the lives of others. Many others that one day would become his customers. He even said so himself. He spent a lot of time "calming his mind" during which his intuition blossomed and somewhere along the way "Apple" must have taken shape in his mind. Of course he did have an advantage. He was young and he still had the energy to turn his visions into actions and his actions into success. A truly rare occurrence nowadays on such a large scale. So rare, that we write books about it, make movies and stare at them in awe, wondering...how could it be done? Life has become very complicated, when it could and should be so simple. Quiet time. Spend time with God. Often. Even when you are young and restless and not "in the mood" for it! Perhaps, especially when you are young for the promise of benefit is right here:

"He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. 

They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven." 

Psalms 107:29-30 NIV

I admit. I will probably never know what really guided Steve Jobs to his desired haven. But my guess would be quiet times. It makes sense to me. It was during quiet times that my path was straightened and I set course for my own desired haven! No, I can't claim any sort of rise to fame, but it definitely worked for me and I am certain that it would work for you too. So, if you secretly hope to be the next Steve Jobs or you just wish you could have a small but very own piece of success, may it be monetary or otherwise, I suggest - stop thinking about ingenious products, market gaps and other people's stories of success and start at the source of it all - have a quiet time! Learn to calm your mind. You might just discover your true passion and calling and a new road to greatness could open for you! We live in a world that seems to be growing colder and colder and perhaps we need great stories like Steve Jobs' to look up to, but one of the greatest stories in God's kingdom is still a fruit bearing tree. Someone who is willing to show kindness to others. So even or especially if your life seems to have frosted over like this tree, I would like to encourage you today and wish you...

...an inspired and wonder-filled day!!

(Photos are my own or courtesy of morguefile.com)