Seeking Peace In Troubled Times

Myrtle Beach    May 2016

Hello Everyone!

I have missed talking to you so much. A lot has happened over the past couple of days and I wanted to say a few words of encouragement and peace to help us all get through this stressful time in the USA.

In recent days, I think I have experienced every single emotion dealing with the results of the election. Now I am at a point where my mind has cleared and I want to take positive action to move forward in life.

I did not like how the shock, horror and stress affected my mind, body and spirit. I acknowledged and faced every single emotion and started myself on the path to healing. Having gone through dark times in my life in the past, I know better than to let the darkness become a way of thinking and living.

Some days I had to push myself to put one foot in front of the other. But I was determined to keep moving. I took a lot of comfort in reaching out to family and friends. Communication was key to starting on the path towards feeling positive about life and my country. Realizing I was not the only person feeling stressed and sad was comforting and enlightening.

The world did not come to an end. The sun still came up,  people got up to go to work and time moved on never stopping. The normal day to day routines became so precious to me as a guide back to feeling unafraid.

I had to decide with all my being, I was not going to be angry and afraid everyday for the next four years and beyond. I know I will survive and thrive. My ancestors endured so much more than what is going on now and they powered forward with persistence and dignity.

To seek peace, I take the time to be extremely aware of the negative outside forces that are in a constant battle to steal my peace of mind. I do not follow or trust the news organizations as much as I did before the election. Self care is extremely important now. Eating healthy, exercise, meditation, and moving forward with my goals and dreams with positive actions.

If you are not coping well with these stressful, please ask for help. Don't suffer alone.

I have hope for America. This is a blessed and beautiful country full of amazing good people. I choose to believe in a positive path forward in life. There will be ups and downs but America is strong because this great nation is made up of strong resilient people.

Thank you for reading.

Thomasina

Find Your Peace

Myrtle Beach SC    Nikon Coolpix L120

Lately I have been appreciating the peaceful moments in my life. We can all get caught up in the stressful and hectic moments but every single day we need to take time for peace and calm.

In my peaceful moments, I find my inspiration which leads to my creativity. When I do not connect with my creativity, I instantly feel like life is more stressful and my mood darkens.

Finding your peace is also very important to your health. Take the time to stop during your day to breathe and focus your thoughts. Are your thoughts productive? Are you seeking peace in your thoughts and actions?

Life will definitely have it's stressful moments but how you react throughout the day will decide whether or not you find a way back to peace. Search for constructive, productive solutions to overcome the stress in your life. Can you prevent the stressful situation before it happens? I try to be as proactive as I can in life. Anticipate what you will need and bring those items with you will alleviate random problems that pop up during the day.

If I allow clutter to creep up and takeover in my surroundings, I feel my stress level rising until I do a "organize, clear out and put back in it's place session".

As you may know from reading my blog and my twitter the beach is a very important part of my life. I try to escape to the beach as much as I possibly can. Pictures of the beach on every wall (LOL!), road trips, creating art and writing are all ways I actively pursue my peace.

Create your peaceful environment everywhere you go. You can do this with pictures, music, creating art whatever make you happy. Be aware of stressful situations and unhappy people. Avoid them whenever you can but if you can't do not allow them to draw you into the drama. Happiness is a choice. Peace is a choice.

Be powerful and knowledgeable in a stressful situation. Do not make the situation worse. Actively seek positive solutions. After I go through a negative experience, I take the time to realize what life lessons I just learned. This is very helpful to stop the cycle of going through the same stress situations over and over.

Finding your peace and being very aware when you are not peaceful will help you have better health and quality of life.

Thank you for reading!

Thomasina

Peace

 

 

Waves from the Atlantic Ocean at Myrtle Beach

 

 

 

The beach has always been a place of peace, relaxation, happiness and mental cleansing in my life. As I drive down to South Carolina, all of my problems fade away to nothing. The constant chatter in my mind is silenced.

 

 

There were many years when I was unable for many reasons to go to the beach and my life suffered because of that. Being near the water (a lake will do in a pinch LOL!)  instantly makes me focus my calm energy and smile. I will never ever take for granted any trip to ocean after so many years of wanting to visit and being unable to.

 

 

It's my "inner mermaid" longing for her ocean home beneath the crashing waves that pulls me towards the coast every chance I get.

 

 

I am sending out this peaceful foamy sunlit wave to you. I want to give to you the same peaceful calm strengthening positive energy I receive every time I stand on the sandy shore.

 

Today is your positive hopeful productive day. Believe in your inner strength. Run towards your goals.

 

 

Peace be with you my friend.

 

Thank you for reading!

 

Thomasina



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peace At The Ocean

Last year about this time I was in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

I have such a peaceful spirit when I am at a beach. The first time I ever went to Myrtle Beach was during a vacation bible school trip with my church many years ago. Nothing can describe the feeling I felt when I first saw that huge expanse of blue water for the first time.

Myrtle Beach has changed so much over the years. I remember the small but busy beach town of my youth. Today Myrtle Beach is a city with many high rise hotels and lots of things to do and places to eat. After years of being away from MB and going back after it had been built up, shock is the only word to describe looking at how densely packed the buildings are.

But the ocean is my solitude, my peace, my calm, and my creative inspiration. No matter how touristy or frustrating the traffic is, my mind will always slow down and zen out when I walk out onto that beautiful sand.

Off season is my favorite time to visit the beach. I really don't like crowds and I don't like crowded beaches at all. I've never understood how people can go to the beach and not actually ever go on the beach.

I wish I could figure out a way to duplicate the peace I feel at the beach at home. The closest I ever get is when I visit the rivers and lakes near my home. I guess it is the mermaid side of my spirit that craves being near water.

Very soon I will be visiting Myrtle Beach and Wrightsville Beach, NC. I will be taking lots of photos to share with you on this blog.

Thanks for reading!

Fountain Of Summer Light

 

Light

Water

Peace

I still remember how relaxed I felt standing in front of this beautiful splashing fountain. As I was walking around downtown and I just happened to stumble across the park where this fountain is located as the sun was going down. One of life's cool moments that just happen. It is so important to just stop and enjoy a moment of peace and savor it.

This picture does not do it any justice. The sun was hitting the water at just the perfect angle. I wish I had this fountain in my backyard. 

When you explore, you never know what treasures you will find. Get out in your city and find new things to inspire your life every single day.

Thanks for reading!

 

Don't Let Anyone or Anything Steal Your Peace

Blue Skies

Your peace of mind, body and spirit is so precious and fragile.

Blue Sky and blooming Dogwood tree

Life has a way of throwing negative situations and obstacles that block or steal our peace. It is up to you to decide if you will let that person, situation, road block rob you of your peace. Life is not easy and it has never been easy. Everybody gets their share of negative people and problems. There is no way to avoid stress or hardship. 

But we can decide if we are going to let that challenge or annoyance stop us from reaching our goals or inspire us to fight harder to make our dreams come true.

Blue Skies at the lake

Now that I make an effort everyday to get outside everyday to exercise, explore my city, go to the lake and find inspiration for my art, life is a lot more peaceful. If you sit inside your house and wish for things, this can cause stress, depression and poor physical fitness. Get moving. Find things you can do for free. Find solutions to problems. Don't just let a problem beat you down. When you give up, your problems grow bigger and stronger. When you don't give up and you keep looking for a way to move forward you cut those nasty negatives down to nothing. 

Blue skies at a park

Looking a blue skies make me happy. Watching the clouds float by is so soothing. I seek peace. I do not seek drama and negativity. Be careful who you surround yourself with. I want to be around people that are trying do amazing positive productive inspiring things with their lives. 

Being stressful is actually very easy if you think about it. Sometimes being peaceful means having a very serious strong conversation with yourself about how you are feeling, why you are feeling that way and what are you determined to do to find peace again. 

Choose to be peaceful and focused achieving your dreams and your life goals. Never ever give up. Ever! Your peace is worth it.

Thanks for reading!

Sand and Shells

This is my "Whisper from the Sea" - Sand and Shells. For a number of years, I was unable to get a chance visit the beach. This had a huge negative impact on my life. I have a wanderlust. Travel and seeing new places inspires me and refreshes my outlook on life. The beach is my bliss. All my problem fade away when I visit my second home.

Last time I was at the beach, I thought I should take a bit of the beach with me. So thankful I did. The beach is my peace.

Thanks for reading.