allow your dreams to overwhelm your fears

I’m fully aware that sometimes I am my own worst enemy. I daydream scenarios in my head, envisioning future events that aren’t actually based in reality – well, because they haven’t happened yet!  I run through internal conversations with people (usually naysayers) that don’t end well.  I imagine putting myself out there and having it end badly.  My mind seems to be running on autopilot when this is going on and I have to “wake-up” and realize that I’m sabotaging myself.  Yes, I’m creating big challenges and building impossible walls - all in my mind.  I’m learning to catch myself when I’m in this trap. Worrying about some future event isn’t going to help and it’s really, really not going to get me where I want to go.  It’s all about fear. When I realize what’s going on, I tell myself “Stop!”

To get where we want to go in life, to achieve the outcome or results we’re looking for, we have to jump in, to push ourselves. We need to imagine great results and success. We have to be brave, face the hurdles that our fears have created and push forward towards our dreams and good outcomes. We have to do what we’re afraid to do. We need to pay attention to our internal conversations, visualize positive outcomes and decide that what we want is indeed possible. Dream it and then do it. If people around you are not supportive then surround yourself with people that are rooting for you.

 

Did you jump in, give it a try, push yourself and it didn’t quite work? That’s ok. You’re moving in the right direction and at the very least, you've learned something. Take a breath, give it a rest and then start again.  Pay attention to the messages you’re telling yourself and allow your dreams to overwhelm your fears.    

corner view: one song

Corner View is a weekly appointment - each Wednesday - created by Jane (Spain) and curated by Francesca (Italy), where bloggers from all corners of the world share their view on a pre-arranged theme.  The theme this week is "one book" and comes from Ibabe (Basque Country).

Posting on last week's theme "one book" was tough, but coming up with "one song" was even harder! I have so many favorites and so many memories embedded in them. My leanings change depending on the season, my mood, the occasion, etc. So what "one song" could I share on Corner View? Then I happened upon the tune appropriately named One Song, written by Frank Churchill. If you've ever seen the 1937 Disney movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, then you've heard this song. Prince Charming sings this song to Snow White during their first meeting at the wishing well, she later quietly hums the tune to herself and then in the big dramatic kiss scene, Prince Charming sings it to her again. Interesting trivia: to this day, this is the only song sung solo by a Disney Prince in a Disney Princess movie. 

One Song
I have but one song
One song
Only for you

One heart
Tenderly beating
Ever entreating
Constant and true

One love
That has possessed me
One love
Thrilling me through

One song
My heart keeps singing
Of one love
Only for you

photo credit: Disney Studios

 

a walk in white cross woods

Yesterday was chilly but the air was fresh and still so we took a walk in White Cross woods. There's some history in these woods, old trails and interesting artifacts left behind by people who were there a long time ago. An abandoned blind high up in a tree, old bottles and fire pits, and most curious of all - the cast iron guts of a baby grand piano, rusty strings and all. Did someone haul a baby grand deep into the woods to create music under the trees?

I considered leaving the camera behind since it was so overcast, but despite the lack of light and shadow, the sky was a pretty great backdrop to these towering trees.

Really interesting rocks jut high up from the ground in what is otherwise a rolling yet boulder free area. At the creek, water-worn rock formations fill the creek bed, allowing hikers to hop around. A great line of immense rock defines the far wall.

 

If only these woods could tell us the stories of all they've seen. Sissipahaw Indians, users of the old horse trail, hikers, partiers and apparently a pianist have all enjoyed this place.
Now we do too.

it's not too late!

This is my birthday weekend (yes I intend to play, have fun, and celebrate for the whole weekend – not just the day!) At this stage of life, some friends are slowing down but others are just getting going. The go-getters have realized something important: It’s Not Too Late! They’re starting new businesses, recording their first cd's, actively imagining their dream homes, seeking out new friends, learning a new skill, writing, singing, creating, traveling, adventuring, connecting. We don’t need to wait until New Year’s Day to reset our focus and make resolutions. A birthday is the perfect time to reaffirm that it’s not too late to become a better version of yourself, to build something more in your life, to remember that person that you’ve always wanted to be, and to adjust your course.  Your past circumstances, the negative noises and criticisms from others, hard times, debt, aches and pains, disappointments and rejections,…you can choose to overcome, to drown those things out, to become a better version of who you are,  to continue to create a better version of your life.  It’s not too late to begin again!

corner view: alone at home

Corner View is a weekly appointment - each Wednesday - created by Jane (Spain) and curated by Francesca (Italy), where bloggers from all corners of the world share their view on a pre-arranged theme.  The theme this week is "one book" and comes from Ibabe (Basque Country).

I tried to think of something interesting I could share about how I spend my time alone at home, but it occurs to me that I'm never really home alone, ever!

old salem on a quiet autumn sunday

After developing the towns of Bethlehem and Nazareth in Pennsylvania, the Moravian missionaries who had journeyed to this country from Europe purchased 100,000 acres of backcountry in North Carolina, in an area then called Wachovia. They began building 5 different congregations (or communities) within that acreage. The first was Bethabara, which was settled in 1753, and then they moved on to develop the settlement they named Salem. Founded in 1766, Salem became the center of Moravian life for the sect and for the surrounding towns. The area is backcountry no longer. Old Salem sits quietly amid the noise, bustle and hurried city of Winston-Salem, but to enter the protected limits of Salem you truly are stepping back into a quieter, simpler time.

   

 You can attempt to cross the busy streets that surround Old Salem, but crossing over the traffic on the covered bridge is to really be welcomed. Moravian Stars hover overhead and during this season, greenery is added to mark the beginning of the holiday season.

The village is the home for some very lucky families who lovingly care for their old dwellings...

                                       ...but also holds restored community buildings.

Guides dressed in the garb of the period tell stories of life so long ago. 

two gents take a break to chat with the young lady in the long lavender dress

Still a living and breathing community, Salem College, Salem Academy

and a very large and active Moravian church thrive. 

We stood outside the old church and listened to a saxophone ensemble practicing for upcoming holiday services. Hymns, carols, church bells...the atmosphere was extra special on this visit. 

Old trees fill "God's Acre", an old cemetery filled with simple stones set upon rolling hills. The deceased are buried—not in family groups—but in well organized and beautifully maintained rows according to the date of their passing. On most of the older markers, the country/county of origin is listed along with the deceased's name.

The oldest stone there is dated 1771.  

Gardens are seen throughout the village...

...as are traditional Moravian Stars.

Carriage mounting/dismounting stones and horse hitches are among the signs

of times gone by, hiding in plain sight.

If you look carefully at these peg and beam constructions, you can see Roman numerals etched into the wood, giving direction to the builders/restorers.

 On this day, as the "golden hour" began, family groups, small children, and brides could be seen posing in especially quaint spots, with photographers snapping keepsake portraits.

We'll be visiting again...next autumn.

corner view: one book

Corner View is a weekly appointment - each Wednesday - created by Jane (Spain) and curated by Francesca (Italy), where bloggers from all corners of the world share their view on a pre-arranged theme.  The theme this week is "one book" and comes from Ibabe (Basque Country).

My first thought when I saw this week's theme was... "only one?" You see, I have stacks of books everywhere and multiple bookcases that are groaning under the weight of their contents. So picking just one was going to be a challenge. 

It suddenly struck me though, that there are a small handful of books that I've carried with me since I was a young girl and one of my very favorites among them is the Golden Book called Bird Nests. It's not that the writing is particularly wonderful but I've always really loved the illustrations. As an adult, whenever I pluck it off the shelf I get a wave of nostalgia, remembering how excited I was to receive this gift as a 6 year old with the beginnings of a love for the beautiful creatures.

a sunday walk in the woods

For me, it's not officially autumn until we've taken the time to go walking, surrounded by colorful trees, kicking up crunchy leaves, bundled in a wooly sweater. The temperature dropped suddenly this week so off we went, into the woods for a long walk.

I'm horribly allergic to poison ivy and poison oak. If I  merely glance in it's general direction I'm going to end up dealing with an itchy nightmare. These leaves were so brilliantly red, however, that I had to stop and take a photo. So pretty yet so cruel.

Along the path we passed this lovely old home, a well loved, centuries old relic. Some lucky family has these beautiful woods as their front yard.

With the trail eventually leading us underneath the roadway, I couldn't help but notice that local artists have taken advantage of the seclusion of this place to make their mark. I'm not often a big fan of graffiti, but this place was kind of interesting. No junky stuff here.

Smile Awesome Brains! I have no idea what it means, but it feels like a message of encouragement and yes, it made me smile.

A faux tunnel, complete with blazing wall sconces, has some pretty good perspective, enough to trick the eye for just a moment.  

Then deeper into the woods again, following along the river, to make our way back home.