Do not lift your head...focus!

If you have ever been snorkeling you know what it means when they say, "Don't lift your head out of the water." I found out the hard way -- as many I'm sure do -- exactly why they tell you that and why you should heed that advice.
For those of you who have not been there yet, I will explain.
When you snorkel, you swim away from the boat, usually on a path (so, they say, but i saw no path) with a guide and a bunch of other people. When your head is down, all you see are pretty fish, coral, and all you hear is the quiet of the water swishing around. It's peaceful ... as long as you don't see any sharks or barracuda.
So as I was having my zen experience, I thought, "Why did they say not to lift my head out? And why didn't I ask that before I agreed to get into the ocean with all these people?" It's worth noting, too, that one of the women in our group could not swim and was hanging on to a life preserver for dear life. I knew that if that chick panics, she is grabbing on to the first thing she sees, hhich is me! Life Saving 101 taught me that.
So now I'm waiting for non-swimmer chick to freak and drown while I decide if I should tempt fate and lift my head. I could feel my heart beating in my throat. Pandora's Box was waiting to be opened. I thought, "This is silly, just lift your head! How bad could it be , right?" So, I did it ...

All of a sudden there I was, alone ... in the ocean, no people, no boat, no land. I had seen this scene in a movie once or twice and was waiting as I treaded water to hear that eerie soundtrack of the "Jaws" theme.
As the salt water I swallowed burned my throat I thought this is hands-down a perfect example of one of those "I really should have listened" moments. How far away was the boat? Why did I just do that? Clearly it was a mistake. What if i see a shark? How would I know where to go? No boat, no land.
I quickly cleared my gear and stuck my face back in. Pulse started to return to normal, people were still there, spastic non-swimmer chick was still afloat. Life was good. No sharks, no barracuda, the zen moment had returned. Deep sigh of gurgling water and we were back at the boat. I had survived. But what did I learn that day?

Collage by celeste m. designs

Perspective. Today it makes me remember that we all have a choice. We all get to focus on what we choose. We decide what we look at, what we invite into our lives and how we decide to protect the things most precious to us. That sometimes in life it is about keeping your head down. It's about our focus on what is most important, good, peaceful, happy. Crap happens to everyone. People make bad choices and we all can pile things on so that things seem worse than they are. It's always going to make the difference in how we choose to handle it.
When we focus on our goals, as well, and make our family our priorities, we are happier. The memories we make with the people we love are really all we will have left.
If you think about it, we don't remember much of what someone buys for us on a birthday or holiday but we remember moments spent and words said. We spend so much time driving ourselves crazy picking out presents and all we really want is the presence of people we care about. We want to know how people feel about us. What value do we bring to you?
So maybe as the holidays quickly approach we can think of a few ways to make some memories and share some kind words with those we love. Whenever my boys ask what I want, my reply is always, "Write to me, tell me something. Make me something with your heart and your hands:)"

collage by celeste m. designs

This is the only life you get. Nurture the ones you love and make them your priority. You won't ever regret keeping your head down:) There will always be sharks and barracuda in the water even when your head is down...they will be there. Do your best not to provoke them (we are still not sure what does). There will always be awful things and people in the world, try not to provoke them (we are not sure what motivates them either). We are still trying to figure this all out too, what we do know is staying focused on your path, making the best choices for the highest good of you and your family and finding the positive things that motivate you are what makes life so good! Smile!
Enjoy this glorious day!
Celeste

Music cafe: We love these songs and video from One Eskimo!

http://youtu.be/UEqTPlD-8QI
www.oneeskimo.com


*we would really like to know what you think! Please leave us a note or your story...