Self-Catraz 1

The Poem: “Self-Catraz” – Your Personal Prison

I am reduced to a number
My home is made of stone and steel
I stand alone in my misery
Alone
My heart aches
Alone
No choices to make

Afraid
Of what might be
Afraid
What will happen to me?
Dreams vanquished

Plans undone
My hearts song
Left unsung
Prison
What it’s done to me

Diane Broos

The Article: Self-catraz - Escaping Your Personal Prison
By Diane Broos

Do you feel as though you are dying on the vine of life? Let me encourage you; it’s never too late! Don’t spend another day in Self-catraz being constrained from living the life of your dreams. Act today; think different, do different and be different.

Has the key to my cell been thrown away? Is it too late for me?

Not many of us have been incarcerated in a formal prison. Yet many are self-imprisoned in Self-catraz, living non-authentic lives. This past summer I became a grandmother at the age of fifty-two. As I held Liam in my arms, I realized that his whole life lies before him as a clean slate. We have all tasted that freedom at one point or another and yet today many may feel incarcerated by past choices and current circumstances, living lives we neither imagined nor wanted. I’m here to say that that very same freedom is still ours for the taking.

Your journey may well take you down one of the roughest roads you’ll ever walk, but the result will be worth any price paid. There is a price for freedom and the price is the courage and determination to change. As a child I remember playing many games of Monopoly. I always felt fortunate when I picked up the “Get out of Jail Free” card. Life promises us no such card. Living free, authentic lives will always cost you something.

“There is no failure except in no longer trying. There is no defeat except from within, no insurmountable barrier except our own inherent weakness of purpose.”
Elbert Hubbard

To fear or not to fear that is the question:

Yielding to fear will hold us back from the life we have imagined. Thank God for the many courageous men and women who have stepped out from behind the veil of fear and moved forward. Where would we be, had Christopher Columbus not had the courage to act on his belief that the world was round?

It’s a given fact that everyday, thoughts of doubt and unbelief will assault our senses and attempt to immobilize us. Winning the battle will require us to incarcerate the negative thoughts rather than being incarcerated by them. Brace yourself; this is one battle that we will continue to fight all our lives.

Don’t let fear keep you from acting on new choices; it’s the only way to your new life. What I have discovered is that as you begin to move forward fear dissipates and is replaced by a new sense of confidence and self-esteem.

“I always like to look on the optimistic side of life, but I am realistic enough to know that life is a complex matter.”
Walt Disney

To be continued - this is just the beginning of the series, stayed tuned...

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Life Lessons Learned From Liam

Yes, it’s true! It’s possible to learn what’s really important in life as seen and shared by a 2-½ year old boy named Liam. Of course I’m rather partial, he is after all my grandson and “Grandma’s Little Man”.

Come along with me on one of our little adventures…

Liam and I like to go for a walks. It seems I always have a purpose in mind and Liam just simply enjoys the journey. While I’m focused on getting there, he has other ideas in mind. It becomes very clear Liam has yet to hear the phrase, “Walk with a purpose!” Not yet anyway, and you can be sure he will never hear it from me!

First of all we stop longer than we ever walk. We sit on the sidewalk (yes, it’s cold and yes I remember what our mothers told us about sitting on cold sidewalks) nevertheless I am the Grandma after all. Part of my job description is doing what ever my grandchildren enjoy. (Of course when he gets much older and wants to sky dive I will have to break my own rule and decline.)

After we have sat on the sidewalk for a while picking up stones, twigs, grass and yes, some unknown objects, then and only then we move on. A few short steps later and we’re picking up maple keys and throwing them up in the air. At first I just want to watch him as he squeals with joy. Liam on the other hand will have none of that! He insists we both throw them up into the breeze together. As I toss mine I am reminded of my childhood and how much fun this really is. Liam laughs spontaneously with a belly laugh so deep it would cause even the most solemn person to crack a smile.

A few more steps and Liam feels it’s necessary to bend down and touch all of the driveways as we cross over them. My job as I see it, is to point out whether they are made of asphalt or concrete. This becomes too much fun for him and we must repeat these actions over and over and over again. I have to say I don’t think I’ve ever had this much fun touching driveways, have you? It’s at this point that I am reminded that I had indeed promised myself to begin an exercise routine. Something that seems to skip my mind when I am not with him put pops up over and over again as Liam and I go on our adventures!

I now think I’ve forgotten what our destination was to begin with. I’m so wrapped up in watching the planes fly overhead and laughing with Liam at what tricks the birds seem to be up to. Everything is simply fascinating! After walking for about 35 minutes to a destination that could have easily taken 8, we finally arrive. Yes, that’s right, we are at Liam’s neighbourhood park.

While he is busy climbing up the jungle gym and then sliding down the slide I’m busy catching him and making a huge fuss over how great I think he is. Of course, I never need an excuse to sing his praises, that’s for sure. After countless repetitions we now embark on a much bigger project. In case you’ve tried to guess what our next task is, forget about it. You could never guess in a million years. Liam has decided that we need to cover a huge rock with as many dried leaves as we can find in the park. I have to admit it was actually fun. This is what they must do in the army known as camouflage. Liam is wise beyond his years! Why should the other kids that come to the park and find this rock so easily? He must believe he’s making it more fun for the other kids or why would he do this?

When it’s time to leave the park I illogically assume the trip home with be quick without any stops. How wrong could one Grandma be? After all, on the way to the park all the things we did were so much fun how could we not do them all over again and again. Of course this time with a detour into a muddy forest. Oh well, so much for my shoes. Liam was smart enough to wear his boots ☺

Lesson Learned:
Now I don’t focus on the destination or I will miss the fun along the way! When I’m out with Liam I do what he taught me to do, I enjoy new things. I make sure I look up and all around. I never realized how much I was missing until now.

P.S. Always check out what your grandchildren are wearing on their feet. This perhaps may give you a hint as to what you’re about to step into.

Check more from Diane Broos at her website www.dynamicliving4u.com

Just Keep Shaking It Off!

Sometimes in life you find yourself in a pit so deep that it seems as if there is no way out. Remember, “It’s your life and you call the shots, it’s not over until you say it’s over, no matter what!

This is the story of the mule that fell into a deep dark pit one day. He was in there wondering what to do. Some time later the farmer heard a sound that he was unfamiliar with. As any good farmer would do he walked his land in the direction of this unbearable noise. When the farmer looked down into the pit, (which by the way, he almost fell into himself) he saw that it was his prize mule. Not only was the farmer shocked and concerned for his animal but also for his own ability to get the mule out.

The cry of the mule became unbearable and the farmer ran for help. Soon the word was out and many of the farmers in his neck of the woods offered their help. Try as they might to get the mule out they came up short each time. Finally they came to the consensus that the best way to put the mule out of his misery was to bury him alive. Each got a shovel and in sequence they began to throw dirt on him.

After several hours and hundreds of shovels full of dirt being dumped on the mule he simply walked out of the pit. How could this have happened?

Each time the farmers threw dirt on the mule he simply shook it off, packed it down under his feet and stepped up higher. One characteristic of a mule is that they are known to be self-preservationists and self-thinkers. These traits also contribute to the "stubborn as a mule" cliché. A mule thinks for himself and decides that a particular situation may hurt him. In this instance, the mule’s stubbornness and persistence paid off and saved his life!

Life and people have the power to either bless you or bury you. When you find yourself in a pit some will heap on shovels and shovels of condemnation, rejection, and criticism. A wise person would help those who fall; a person full of pride on the other hand would have a tendency to think they are exempt from such a thing. Personally I have found that people who are risk adverse are the nastiest of all. They console themselves with the fact that they would certainly never find themselves in the same situation.

What I have come to find out by experience is that the reason they don’t is simply because they never take chances. How could you ever fail if you never live outside of your comfort zone?

Take all that gets thrown at you in life and just keep shaking it off, packing it down and stepping up higher. I have four words for you, “ Just shake it off!” Take what was meant to bury you and use it for your escape. Use it to make you stronger and more resilient to the adversities of life.

When we stand before God some will be surprised to find they were solely responsible for their own life and actions. They will finally understand they were not put on this earth to critique the lives of others. Don’t we all have enough to contend with in our own lives?

Remember, in the end, only one opinion will count. God’s opinion of you is the beginning and the end!

In the meantime,

“Do all the good you can, By all the means you can, In all the ways you can, In all the places you can, At all the times you can, To all the people you can, As long as ever you can.”
John Wesley
English religious leader (1703 - 1791)

BTW, in researching mules, I came across a most interesting story entitled: MULE KILLS MOUNTAIN LION - Photos "Stubborn as a mule" has some benefits :)