Friday, March 09, 2007

Following Your Bliss!!!


First though I have to say that I've been so busy this week that I honestly didn't get a chance to get my Greatest Places Post together and right now I am out of time to do it again, so it will have to be for next week.

I want you to watch this video, Joseph Campbell talks about following your bliss. Staying true to what you want to do and be in your life and not deviating from it.



How many of us go through life wanting to know what our calling is??? Trying to figure just what it is we are supposed to be doing and achieving.
A lot of us seem to think that our calling is supposed to be this earth shattering and really really grand thing, when in all actuality it could be something as simple as being a
homemaker.
Yes a homemaker, Stay at Home Mom, I'm ORDINARY and I love it, for me it means that the minute I realized that is what I wanted and truly wished for, it became the moment that I found complete calm and peace in my life.


I remember so many of you asking me "where do you get the time to do it all?", and the answer is simple, I'm following my bliss, THIS is what I want to do and this is what makes me happy so it's not a chore and it's not something I push and trod through everyday, it's something that I can't wait to get up for in the morning, tackle another day of mommyhood and wifehood and deal with the obstacles and problems that come my way. The difference is, before I realized that this is what I really loved doing, I was unhappy and I was annoyed and frustrated and every little thing got on my nerves. Taking care of my family felt like a chore, a hard and dirty, messy and complicated chore.

JOSEPH CAMPBELL: All the time. It is miraculous. I even have a superstition that has grown on me as a result of invisible hands coming all the time - namely, that if you do follow your bliss you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living. When you can see that, you begin to meet people who are in your field of bliss, and they open doors to you. I say, follow your bliss and don't be afraid, and doors will open where you didn't know they were going to be.

The thing is you can be completely blissful doing ordinary things, things that don't mean blowing your finances over or elaborate planning involved....do you know when I'm most blissful and happy, here's some examples:

- When I'm sitting at the dinner table with my family talking and laughing over the day we had


- When we take the kids to park and I watch them laughing and running with daddy


- When we sit down to read a book we just picked up from the library


- When little hands help me bake cookies and there's flour everywhere even on little noses


- When I hear the sound of my family on the phone


- When we go for a walk or a drive or sit down to watch a movie together

- When I look around and see my house clean and a homemade meal on the table

Sound real simple???? It is, but it's ME following my bliss. Are you following yours???


Every single woman that I have met through this blog and who I call my friends, whose blogs I have in my bloglines and read everyday, are ordinary women, but you know what???? If you follow them daily and their stories and what they share, you will realize that they are amazing and truly EXTRAORDINARY human beings, women who I'm proud to call a fellow homemaker and stay at home mom......true friends following their own bliss and being happy in their lives.

I think that in order for your to realize what your own bliss is, is to know yourself and what you like and don't like doing but also open yourself to what is around you. Bliss arrive in so many different ways for us, it could be in that hot cup of coffee, a walk through the park with your children, the first flower you see before Spring arrives.....

I truly believe that we're always on the right path, no matter what stage of our lives we're in, which means we already ARE following our bliss, just that sometimes it's not easy to see when it's clouded by so many other things around us.

I truly hope that you all find your bliss and follow it, if any of you have indeed already found yours, I would love to hear about it.
Was it a coincidence that I stumbled across Joseph Campbell and this video??? I think not, because now I can truly say that this is really what I want to do and I'm FOLLOWING MY BLISS.

Have a wonderful day,

13 comments:

Barb said...

What a true statement this is, Sandra. I'm following my bliss, too, and it's amazingly like yours. All the things that give you comfort are the same things that make me happy.

Wonderful post!

And I'm sure everyone is fine about your Friday tour of some wonderful place. Good grief, I can't even seem to get one little recipe cooked, photographed and posted. I sure hope everyone who's waiting on it froze their tilapia! LOL

Anonymous said...

I loved your thoughts Sandra. It is so good to feel at total peace with what we are doing, your post is inspiring. But, I'm not sure about Joseph Campbell himself, he's a bit 'out there' with his mythical/spiritual thinking for my liking. But I do believe that we should feel so blessed to be SAHMs, we have little treasures and husbands and homes given to us by God. I love it!! I'm certainly following my blessing/calling/joy :) I think that if we do whatever God has set aside for us to do we feel such peace and joy doing it, even through the tough times...that is if we surrender to His will. So I guess in a Christian context this is following our bliss.

p.s. glad you enjoyed my dentist story. It makes me blush and giggle to think of it, if you'd seen me you would have laughed so much.

Loves ya chuck. Hugs. ('chuck' North-West English term of endearment :))

Sandra said...

Barb - LOL your frozen tilapia had me in stitches LOL

Sarah - I agree with your thoughts on Joseph Campbell and I DON'T agree with everything he does, but I wanted to use his example about Following Our Bliss, that is pretty much the only thing from him that I take, the rest is too weird for me to even go into LOL
I believe that if we include God and do for Him in everything in our lives, then we're fine. :)

Kelli said...

What a wonderful post, Sandra!! I am also happy to be an ordinary SAHM!! I enjoyed reading your list of the things that make you happy! Have a great weekend!
Kelli

Christina said...

So well put. I love being a stay at home mom and I am truly following my bliss. I know it is not necissarily how eveyone feels about this choice so I am so glad that you posted it all so beautifully.

Unknown said...

Terrific post. I really enjoyed it.

Looney Mom™ said...

That is GREAT advice. I think we need to embrace who we are and realize our bliss - our life's calling. This is it. SAHM-dom!

Susanne said...

Your passion for your family and home life and calling as a mom came through beautifully, Sandra!

Annie said...

Great post, I love getting to know women from all over the place who share their lives so generously (and recipes :) )

I have posted a contest that deals with Izzy's near drowning. Stop by and sign up!

blessings~
Annie

Eden said...

Wonderful post, Sandra. I love being a SAHM and I'd have to say I'm following my bliss. I love the list you included in your post.
Thank you for stopping by earlier this week.
Things around here are kinda hectic and I'm feeling overwhelmed, but I'll make it through with God's help.

Hugs,
Eden

Oh, I absolutely love your new template! It's perfect!!!

Michelle said...

what a great message! thanks for the reminder to follow your bliss!

Laura said...

Hello Sandra! I love the word bliss. I love just saying it. I had someone suggest to me that I should simplify my life even more so I could waste less energy organizing...what they don't realize (apparently) is organizing is what brings me bliss. I admit I can get carried away sometimes but it truly does make me happy and I think in the long run my family appreciates it too!

Beautifully written message my friend :)
Laura

Anonymous said...

Oh I loved this post...so positive, so uplifting and so full of peace. Thank you.

(Thank you too for your loving words of Scripture and encouragement on my blog) xx