A Day Without Shoes.

 

 

“Life is a challenge by choice”….

 

Remember that from my prior blogs?

 

 Well, how about “Life is a challenge when barefoot!”

 

 

 

 

Yesterday, April 8th, 2010 in celebration of Tom’s Shoes “One Day Without Shoes“, I subscribed to their quest of asking to go barefoot for one day. In doing so, Tom’s Shoes continues their homage to the underprivileged by donating a pair of shoes for every pair purchased. It is their way of bringing attention to the issue that many people do not have shoes to wear. As many countries strive to feed their people, even more struggle with the fact that they do not even have something to wear on their feet, to protect and comfort them. “One Day Without Shoes” is to bring a true sense of awareness to this issue that is global. Thank you, Blake Mycoskie.

  

I started my support for the cause by purchasing their T-shirts that had the slogan “Barefoot so they don’t have to be“, thinking that if I decided I could not go barefoot, I could at least wear the clothing. But after researching the site of Tom’s Shoes, I knew that I needed to follow my heart. Today was a totally barefoot day!

 

 Let me share with you what my day without shoes felt like. I noticed as I got dressed and ready to leave the house for my appointments that I “felt” like something was wrong. It was brisk here today and setting out into the cold garage floor was a big shock. Feeling the cold on my feet I instantly turned on the heat when I started my car, blowing all the hot air to the floor. It felt weird to feel the carpet of the car and the rubber of the gas pedal as I drove. My first stop was Starbucks for a Life Coaching session. My thought, “Surely Starbucks will not throw me out, they are way too hip.” Most people just observed me, no one ask me why I didn’t have shoes on. Successful! 

 

Next stop Broadripple!  My thoughts again, “Surely I won’t get thrown out of Broadripple as it is way too hip.” I wondered how many I would find even wearing shoes! Interesting enough, of all the various places that I went in Broadripple, I was the only one WITHOUT shoes! Most people just observed my bare feet and looked to receive a smile from me. It was almost as if walking around barefooted was the normal. But it is not. I still see the signs “No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service”. 

I’m blessed every day to walk into my closet and decide among many pairs of shoes which ones I want to wear. Sometimes I even wear two or three different pairs in the same day, never even giving it a thought. 

But yesterday,I scraped my toes on the sidewalk, burnt my heel on an ember of cigarette ash, found myself more than just a bit uncomfortable being in a public restroom, and a bit frightened with what I really saw when I looked down. I didn’t have any idea what a day without shoes would feel like. I had to watch every step I took. Do you know there is broken glass everywhere? There is trash at each corner. There are dog and bird droppings to step around when walking. There was the sharpness of the gravel that my tender feet were not used to. 

One person had stopped to ask me why I was barefoot and shared that they just thought I was just “doing my own thing.”  I ask them to join me in the cause for the rest of the day and they declined. 

At the end of my day, after having dinner with a friend and boasting of my dirty but proud feet, I was stopped by a young man with his 2 children outside the restaurant. He read my T-shirt and saw my bare feet and inquired. When I told him about the cause, he snapped off his tennis shoes and socks stood outside with me in a quiet rejoice. His children giggled and he then looked at me and said, “I have been to those places. I have seen what you are talking about. I understand.” And then after I thanked him, he walked his girls to the car and left. I stood there in quiet, but proud amazement. Out of the entire day and hundreds of people and a dozen places visited, it took just one person to understand. 

A willing participant. Thank you again! 

My feet are covered in dirt and cold. I feel the pain of the day in my “soles” and in my soul as I write this. So much we take for granted, whether it be shoes or eachother, having a job, a home to live in and a bathtub to wash my feet. 

What cause to do you stand for? Have you even thought about it before? 

I encourage you to “step outside the box” and give it some special time in your mind and heart today. 

If you need or want some ideas on giving of yourself in service of a cause, let me know. I have a list. 

Peace and blessings, 

Derinda 

                                           

Hap, Hap, Happiest Time of the Year!

I’m not just seeing it, are you?  I’m seeing very stressed, impatient, confused and joyless people.  Shopping for something?  Running in circles for what?  Are they looking for the perfect gift?  Are they trying to complete a wish list? Maybe they are just doing what everyone around them is doing, just doing.  Does that make sense to you?  Are you that person?

Why do we market December as the happiest time of the year?  Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.  Ok, so I understand that, but what about the other 364 hap, hap, happiest days? Jesus is in all those days too.  Doesn’t everyday need to be the happiest day of your life?  Shouldn’t every day be Christmas?

What would every day look like to you if you woke up as if it were Christmas morning, rushed out of bed, yelling for everyone in the family to wake up and gather around a tree, or a table, or just to each other’s arms?  Everyone sharing the joy of the day, every day, fully alive in life, imagining the possibilities of the day, okay, jumping for a stretch and imagining the possibilities of the world!

I vote for every day, every month, not just December, anyone care to join me?

Hap, hap, happiest day to you today!

Normal Again?

Normal: according with, constituting, or not deviating from a norm, rule, or principle: REGULAR

Looking at it that way yes, I’m normal again. The Thanksgiving bliss it over, everyone is happy and today starts a “normal” week.

Looking at it from a different perspective and the answer is no, and a thank god it’s no! I tend to not want to live my life in the arena of “normal.” Normal to me feels like just going along, playing it safe, and keeping it quite.

My normal looks something like this: Asking who are you, instead of what do you do? It is a hug instead of a handshake. It is a smile and great attention to you instead of looking the other way. It is meeting the bell ringer outside the stores with warmth and a thank you even if I don’t have a dime to give. It’s living, loving and learning everyday in a way that others can see and hear. It’s making mistakes out loud. It’s having success out loud. Normal to me is letting my light shine.

 It seems to me a better description of what “normal” should mean.

What do you think?

What is Holding You Back?

September 25-27th is just around the corner which means living  life more fully, with greater confidence, a renew sense of Self  and experiencing what it means to live, laugh and love again!

Like the kitty says, ” sometimes it is easier to just let it all out”.  It’s a fresh day, sign up, credit card payment and registration could not be easier. www.forgetting2remember.com  The Seminar page has everything you need available at your fingertips!  If you have any unanswered question call 317-833-4952 there is an operator standing by just waiting to hear from you!

The First 100

It is hard for me to imagine that just a few short months ago Forgetting 2 Remember was born. 

The labor has been intensive and the rewards have been beyond my wildest dreams. 

 The pregnancy, however, was many years in creation.  It’s birth at the perfect timing. 

I love the way God, Source, Higher Power, The Universe, (what ever you choose to call it) is divine in allowing for our highest intentions to become all that we want.  Conceiving the idea, allowing for it’s growth and development, nourishing the seed with constant love and commitment, laboring for the many hours of pushing through the process to get to the final results.  A masterpiece.

Thanks to all of you that have labored with me, encouraged the process and supported the journey. 

You have changed my life!  Cheers, to the next one hundred!

Much love and blessings,
Derinda

One bold thing a day, part two!

How far would you be willing

to go if you knew you could

not fail?

 

 

One bold thing a day! 

 

This past Monday, June 6th, was the end of my  21 day challenge to do one bold thing a day.  It was so successful for me that I have decided to make it a part of my daily living.

I want to share with you just a few things that happened from taking that bold step each day;  new companies interested in networking with Forgetting 2 Remember.   A newspaper interested in writing a story about us.  Contact with lost family that this bold move has opened a line of communication.  A very successful launch weekend May 22-24.  New logo.  A great July 24-26Th weekend seminar well underway.  New staff for the weekend…….  (I could go on for 21 days but I think you can see the results)

This is never too late to make one bold move a day part of your life.  Once you step out of the box there is NO going back!  I’m hooked! 

Living life out loud!

How far?

How far would you be willing

to go if you knew you could

not fail?

 

 

One bold thing a day! 

 

Walking through fear

Everyone has fear. We’re all afraid.

It doesn’t matter how successful, smart or talented we are. Fear comes with the territory of being human and the better we become of walking through it, the more comfortable we can feel.

I recently read a articile on fear and it talked about doing “one bold thing a day.”

I have decided to take this challege for myself.  The Experts say it takes 21 days to change a habit. I don’t know if three weeks will be long enough to change the habitual thinking that fear induces. But no matter how many days, months or years it requires, I think the journey is worth the effort.  So starting today, Monday, May 18th, 2009,  I’m going to do one bold thing a day and see what happens.

As  psychologist David Viscott says, “If you have no anxiety, the risk you face is probably not worthy of you.” So my bold moves are going to be heart racing, stomach churning, hands shaking, walking through fear activities.  I will keep you updated!

As our first launch weekend seminar nears ( May 22-24) I don’t have to walk  far to take the challege. 

Won’t you consider joining me in the 21 day walk through fear?

I have to go now, I’m going to call the editor of the local paper to see if they are interested in covering a story about Forgetting 2 Remember.  Wish me luck!