Our OA Opportunities

Life presents us opportunities every day…what we do with those opportunities is our choice, but to say we are not given opportunities is insanity. I caught wind of a conversation where a man was explaining how he just didn’t have any opportunities to make a difference in work. After listening for 30 minutes or so it became apparent this man had every opportunity to make a difference he simply wanted a bigger job title. He had chosen not to make a difference at work to “punish” his bosses for not giving him the promotions in the past. He chose not to initiate projects at work because that would simply increase his workload and why would he do such a thing when “they” had not given him a promotion. I found his perspective so odd. It was I deserve a promotion and then I will do something for you (the company). I say do what is right to help move the company forward and then maybe when a promotional opportunity comes along, you will be picked…or maybe not, but you go to bed at night knowing you did the right thing. You did your best whatever your best was on any given day. Be Aware of the power you have in any position to make a company better. Be Accountable to yourself to always put your best out there. Be  Authentic-know you haven’t yet done what you should of done to deserve the promotion-so stop telling yourself you deserve something you don’t.

Every single day we all have opportunities to make a difference in one life or many lives. Take the opportunity. Do the right thing- every day! Your world will suddenly become allot brighter.

Soul Surfer- OA Young Girls

This past Saturday night, I took 12 Ordinarily Amazing young women to the movie, Soul Surfer. The movie is about the 13 year old Bethany Hamilton who lost her arm in a shark attack while doing what she loved more than anything in the world…surfing.
The movie was beautifully done and I recommend every father, mother, brother, sister and young girl to go see the movie. It is not so much about the shark attack but more about her decision to not let the an accident change who she was born to be. It is about being aware and in touch with nature and with God. Feeling what you are meant to be and what is out there for you to experience…and most importantly using your sixth sense that is so much stronger and more powerful than all your five senses combined.
The movie is about faith, family, friendship and so much more. The Hamilton marriage is a great example for all of us in our marriages. They adore each other and raise their children in a low key small town in Hawaii. The way they chose to parent is inspirational. Designing their lives around what gives them joy instead of the norm in our society which is to design your life around work and/or school. An OA Twist to think about it!

What I hoped for this small group of girls is they just see their potential and their uniqueness and find what makes them sing in their soul. Each of them has so much to give this world and I just pray they got that message through this movie.

Thank you to the producers, actors and to Bethany Hamilton for making a movie that is such a positive impact on my little girl! Everyone go see the movie and bring the tissue box!

Today’s Youth- The Worst or Best Yet?

I hear allot about kids today being spoiled, ungrateful and tech junkies. I read an article the other day that depicted this current generation of youth as the most inconsiderate youth in history.
Where is this opinion coming from? I just don’t see it. I have the privilege as mother, neighbor and aunt to be around a number of kids. I can honestly say I have never known greater kids. They are smart, loving and completely aware of those around them. They are so much more accepting than generations past. I see them welcome diversity in fact confused when an older adult brings up a discussion on prejudice. There normal world is a classroom blended of almost every culture in the world…a melting pot. They are technology savvy not tech junkies. They enjoy playing Xbox or Wii but they also enjoy climbing trees, playing music and making up games in the front yard.
An OA Twist: In my opinion, the youth of today are our finest youth in history. I believe they have the intelligence, talent and curiosity to make a difference in this world. They don’t see the boundaries that past generations built. They think more globally and because of the mind boggling technology advancements gifted to them, they don’t see the limits other generations may have put on themselves.
This generation was born for greatness and I am so thankful I am here to witness their impact!

An OA Twist on Politics–Accountability

In our wonderful country, we the people are in charge…right? So, if all of us are sick and tired of the negative political ads, then can’t we change it. It seems to me we can simplify the process. Candidates are all screened prior to be presented to the public. Any one with tax issues, legal problems is eliminated. Just some simple basic rules..must be legal citizen, must not have a criminal record, etc.
Then, each candidate must fill out an identical form which asks where they stand on all appropriate issues. It is put in writing, no media interviews, where any human’s nerves can get the best of them and the media can turn it around. Just simple statements on issues. So we as the voters can understand what the candidate stands for and how the candidate would vote if elected. Here is the last requirement…the candidate is NOT ALLOWED to comment about the other candidate. PERIOD!
Each candidate can only talk about what they stand for and not tearing a part another candidate. Then WE choose who we believe is aligned with our own stand on certain issues.
I also personally think a candidate shouldn’t have to “fit” into a certain party but be able to just stand on the issues without the label of republican or democrat. Seems simple to me. Then the millions of dollars wasted on negative advertising can go toward paying off the government debt.

The Traveler’s Gift – An OA Book!

I just finished reading The Traveler’s Gift by Andy Andrews. It was a simple book that had such a profound message. Put it on your must read list! Now, I have to read everything he has ever written.
Thank God for great books and for those brave enough to write them. Evidently, Andy Andrews was rejected by 51 publishers before he found a publisher willing to publish The Traveler’s Gift. It has been a NY Best Seller…funny how that happens.
Take a minute to read and dream big with Andy Andrews!

Giada and Garlic

So I caught 10 minutes of the cooking show, Giada at Home, the other day. She was cooking potato cakes with olive oil and garlic. For those of you who know my cooking style…olive oil (EVOO to be exact) and garlic seem to find their way into everything I cook…so this particular little segment caught my eye or rather my taste buds. I paused in my insane crazy day to watch and to my amazement, Giada was recommending “flavoring” the olive oil with garlic. Which means she puts a few chunks of garlic in the olive oil for a minute or two and then..now here this my fellow garlic lovers..she takes the garlic OUT and throws it away. Well I nearly had a heart attack. This was criminal. How could someone take the garlic out of the olive oil on purpose and actually throw it away. I had to rewind to make sure I saw it correctly. Turns out she was right and the potato cakes are amazing. Although, I could not actually throw my garlic away…I gave it to my dog to enjoy!
The OA Twist: Even with things we absolutely love and stand by as staples in our lives, there is always a new way to look at things and we should always try new things…you just never know what you will discover!
Here is the recipe for anyone interested…note the “remove garlic and discard” Ay Dios Mio!

Obedience, Fear, Guilt…just don’t feel right to me

It seems to me that it should never be about obedience, fear or guilt. It should be about love, trust and respect.
When I think about relationships of all kinds- marriage, parenting, friendships- if a person expects obedience or uses fear or guilt to get me to do something…it just doesn’t ring true to my spirit. It just can’t be right.
If you love someone and respect someone and trust someone which is what marriage, parenting, friendship should be built upon..then the needs of the relationship should be met. I should want to do things for you. I should want to make you happy. So therefore you do not need to use obedience, fear or guilt to get me to do something for you.
My mother, a single working mother of four, somehow did this miraculously with us. I don’t know if she did it consciously or subconsciously, but I never remembering “fearing” my mother or her using words such as “you must obey.” I just simply had this love, trust and respect for her that was so strong that I cringed at the thought of disappointing her or hurting her in any way. She was (is) such a good person, so why would I ever do anything that would hurt her. She spent more time showing us how to be compassionate, happy, joyful then obedience. Yet, and here is the OA Twist, we were all four extremely good kids through our youth. Of course, we each made a few bad calls as all youth seem to do, but as my Mom will tell you, we were really good kids. Love, Trust and Respect work my friends.

A Note on Compassion…from an unknown author

There is only one place to practice compassion: the one you’re in. You can never leave this place, but you can turn it inside out. Do you want to live in friendship or fear? Paradise or paranoia? We are each citizens of the place we make, so make it a better place. Here are 15 ways to practice compassion today on your way home for dinner.

1. At the grocery store, give your place in line to the person behind you.

2. Ask the checker how her day is going, and mean it.

3. On the way out, give your pocket money to the solicitor at the card table no matter what the cause.

4. Buy a cup of lemonade from the kids on the sidewalk stand. Buy two cups. Tell them to keep the change.

5. Roll down your car window when you see the homeless man on the corner with the sign. Give him money. Have no concern over what he will do with it.

6. Smile at him. It will be the first smile he has seen in a very long time.

7. Do not curse your neighbor’s tall grass, weeds, foul temperament or house color. Given time, things change by themselves. Even your annoyance.

8. Thank the garbageman. Be patient with the postal worker.

9. Leave the empty parking space for someone else to take. They will feel lucky.

10. Buy cookies from the Girl Scout and a sack of oranges from the poor woman standing in the broiling heat at the intersection.

11. Talk to strangers about the weather.

12. Allow others to be themselves, with their own point of view. If you judge them, you are in error.

13. Do not let difference make a difference.

14. Do not despair over the futility of your impact or question the outcome.

15. Love the world you walk, ride and drive around in, and make it your home. It’s the only world you’ll ever live in, and you have all the love in it.

Leave aside the extraordinary lengths and heroic measures. There’s an eyeful of suffering right in front of your face. Often, people look frightened and lonely. They seem bothered, hurt and terrifically sad. Kindness doesn’t cure everything, but it cures unkindness. What a magnificent place to start.

Be compassionate on your way home today. You don’t have to go as far as you think you should. You just have to go farther than you think you can’t. There is no greater compassion than your own.

OA Mudball Fight

I love spontaneous creative fun and my kids seem to always find it! My husband was digging up a broken drain by our house on Sunday which indirectly created a pile of mud. Within a few minutes, the wonderful creative minds of the neighborhood kids decided a Mudball Fight was in order. The girls chose protection mode…garbage bags to cover their clothes, helmets and goggles. The boys chose to bare chest and hope for speed.
An OA moment of just every day ordinary fun (no technology required and it didn’t cost a thing) Got to love it.

OA Girls Self Esteem Workshop II

It was another great night with 14 fabulous preteen girls. They came in pajamas, funky socks and with open minds. There was no problem getting this group to open up..boy can they talk and I loved it!
We spent the first few minutes reviewing what we went over in the first workshop. We had a few girls that missed the first one so it was great to let the “veterans” explain what being Ordinarily Amazing really means. We talked about the top ten common traits for girls with high self esteem. We went through what it meant to be more aware, accountable and authentic. We discussed gratitude for what you already have and compared their homes and closets full of clothes to the kids we met in Africa. Photos are worth a thousand words and these girls got it! They couldn’t believe the Hope Club kids in Africa had only one outfit compared to the fifty outfits each of them had in their closets. Moms-they shouldn’t be asking for any new clothes too soon
For this second workshop, The subject was all about body image and setting authentic goals for yourself. We watched videos that demonstrated the severity of edited photos in the media, discussing how we compare ourselves to women that are not even real. We watched the onslaught of ads that come at our girls everyday and even looked at celebrities in their ‘akward’ preteen stages.
The funniest moments were when each of the girls presented at least 3 things they love about their body…we had cute tiny toes, wonderful big feet, nice butt and adorable dimples.
The goal setting was challenging for some as they had to include goals across many aspects of their lives not just one area. They had to have at least 2 for health/physical, 2 for academic, 2 for crazy fun/joy, 2 for giving back to others and then 2 for whatever they wanted. We had a few overachievers that didn’t know how to set goals for fun and a few who didn’t know what “giving back” really meant…so it made them think.
Most importantly they laughed and had a great time together. These girls understand it and many walked in the door with high self esteem. What was most interesting to me is how many had already formed opinions of the body images they had seen and of their own body images…so as a parent it is a good reminder that it is never to early to open up the dialogue.
Each OA girl signed their “Body Peace Treaty” and took it home to hang on their wall…remembering it is not about loving every aspect of your body it is about accepting your body, having peace with your body and taking care of your body!
A big thank you to my OA partner in crime, Mrs. Chris Dunn!!! To all my OA Girls…you are already perfect just the way you are..love ya!