Blank Slates

Marilyn Orr

As I write this I’m looking out my window at a blank slate, in my garden that is. One of the most exciting things about this piece of property when we bought it was the fenced garden. It’s 50’ by 75’ with a fence high enough to keep deer out. (As we learned this year, not high enough to keep raccoons, etc. out, lol.) 

 

It was beautiful to me after not having my own place for some time. Granted, the garden had not been looked after for quite some time and it had LOTS of weeds. The stone walls were not the stone walls I would have build - they were sturdy but crooked, made of cinder blocks and not even BUT, it was a big garden. 

Having that blank space is really impactful. It is so much easier to picture what we want in there. With the old garden there we were so tempted to just make tweaks instead of really making the garden in to what we really want it to be.  

If you have been following our Cedars Ranch blog you know that this garden served us well. We have harvested: peas, snow peas, cucumbers, a dozen different herbs, asparagus, watermelon, cantaloupe, peppers, squash, tomatoes, corn, and on and on the list goes. 

So, why then, would we tear it down if it was so productive? 

We have a dream for something better in there. Something more beautiful, more inviting. 

It feels like life. We can be so satisfied with good enough that it’s hard to want to take a chance on letting go of what we have already to reach for something better. We know that what we have works at some level but we also know that we are craving and have a vision for that “something more”, whatever that may be. 

I’m not going to tell you to go for it. Only you can know if and when you should go for that dream in your life. What I can tell you is that something amazing happens inside when you follow a dream that has been niggling away at you, trying to get you to listen. 

What dream have you put on the back burner?  

Where have you been settling for “good enough”? 

If you could have a blank slate somewhere in your life to start over, where would it be? 

Until next week,

Marilyn.

(note: If you are having problems viewing some of our images, click "view this email in your browser", at the top right of this email)

By Marilyn Orr 12 Mar, 2020
Really, a Pill for Loneliness?There truly is research going on for this right now. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jan/26/pill-for-loneliness-psychology-science-medicineIt is not that this isn’t a major problem. It is a huge issue now and trends show it having grown.22% of adults in the USA “always or often” feel lonely.
By Marilyn Orr 30 Jan, 2020
A dear friend of mine said to me once, “you know what I need before I do”.Being sensitive to emotions and subtle language cues is not something I was born doing. In my mid-twenties I was oblivious to my own anger. I mean, really oblivious.
By Marilyn Orr 26 Dec, 2019
Speak to your audience Take a few moments to plan your post Don’t forget to add images Edit carefully before posting You know your audience better than anyone else, so keep them in mind as you write your blog posts. Write about things they care about. If you have a company Facebook page, look here to find topics to write about Once you have a great idea for a post, write the first draft. Some people like to start with the title and then work on the paragraphs. Other people like to start with subtitles and go from there. Choose the method that works for you. Be sure to include a few high-quality images in your blog. Images break up the text and make it more readable. They can also convey emotions or ideas that are hard to put into words. Once you’re happy with the text, put it aside for a day or two, and then re-read it. You’ll probably find a few things you want to add, and a couple more that you want to remove. Have a friend or colleague look it over to make sure there are no mistakes. When your post is error-free, set it up in your blog and publish.
By Marilyn Orr 19 Dec, 2019
Although the potential for a happy holiday is present for many of us there are any number of ways that it can go sideways and be highly stressful.This blog post is for you. The few of you that have an easy holiday ahead, I applaud you and remind you to really appreciate how amazing that is, and likely, how rare.The potential de-railers come in a number of forms: relatives that we find difficult to be around, a lack of control over our own schedule, too much time socializing (if you are more intr...
By Marilyn Orr 21 Nov, 2019
Are you Smarter Than All Your Friends?This is meant to be sassy. Here’s the point. Are you surrounded by people that just appreciate who you are without challenging you or pushing you towards a better you?It is amazing to have people around us that affirm us.
By Marilyn Orr 24 Oct, 2019
In a couple weeks I have the honor of speaking with up to 200 people about advocating for oneself. Finding our voice - not just to speak up for ourself but to create opportunities for advancement, acknowledgement and compensation.This is such an important topic. So many messages get in the way of us promoting ourselves.Self-promotion equals arrogance, is the opposite to humilityI’m not perfect, not the best person for the promotions, etc.I should focus on what I need to work on, focusing on stre...
By Marilyn Orr 12 Mar, 2020
Really, a Pill for Loneliness?There truly is research going on for this right now. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jan/26/pill-for-loneliness-psychology-science-medicineIt is not that this isn’t a major problem. It is a huge issue now and trends show it having grown.22% of adults in the USA “always or often” feel lonely.
By Marilyn Orr 30 Jan, 2020
A dear friend of mine said to me once, “you know what I need before I do”.Being sensitive to emotions and subtle language cues is not something I was born doing. In my mid-twenties I was oblivious to my own anger. I mean, really oblivious.
Share by: