Living Outside the Box

This is our kitten's favorite place—an empty water container box. Several times now I've tried to throw it away, and she "cries" until I bring it back (three times now!). She loves this space—comfortable inside—looking out at the world. Sometimes she even pounces on it and it squishes to a flat piece of paper and then she "cries" some more until I build it back up to the way it was before. I'm not sure if she will "outgrow" it or if it's part of our new decor, "Bianca" style.

But isn't that they way we are? Take us out of our familiar surroundings and we feel unsettled. Some of us flourish in an environment that's new, but others of us flounder—"take me back to my box!" But think for a moment what your life would be like if you were forced to stay inside your “box”? There would be no growth, no stretch of the imagination, and worst of all, how would your passions survive?

Several years ago, I ventured outside my box. Comfortable in the medical field for years, I was like Bianca—it was safe. It was a sure thing: retirement with benefits, great pay, steady hours, and guaranteed work!

After living 10 years with a cancer diagnosis, I realize there's no guarantee of tomorrow—I just have "today." And I consciously choose to "live outside the box." Was it risky? Absolutely yes! Would I change anything? Are you kidding?! I have the best of both worlds: I can still use my medical knowledge to write articles for medical magazines and journals and best of all, I am “living” my passion daily—speaking and writing!

Ask God what it would take for you to live outside "your" box?

God's Coffee!

A dear friend of mine, Judy Dippel, from the CelebrateMoms team sent this great analogy about coffee. Pour a cup of coffee and "ponder" this thought:

A group of alumni, highly established in their
careers, got together to visit their old university
professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints
about stress in work and life.

Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the
kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an
assortment of cups - porcelain, plastic,glass,crystal,
some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite -
telling them to help themselves to the coffee.
When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the
professor said: "If you noticed, all the nice looking
expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain
and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want
only the best for yourselves, that is the source of
your problems and stress.

Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the
coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in
some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you
really wanted was coffe e, not the cup, but you
consciously went for the best cups... And then you
began eyeing each other's cups.

Now consider this: Life is the coffee; the jobs, money
and position in society are the cups. They are just
tools to hold and contain Life, and the type of cup we
have does not define, nor change the quality of Life
we live.

Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail
to enjoy the coffee God has provided us." God brews
the coffee, not the cups.......... Enjoy your coffee!

The happiest people don't have the best of everything.
They just make the best of everything.

Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak
kindly. Leave the rest to God.

Living Life Passionately,


Connie Pombo

Visit my post today at Boomer Babes Rock with Allison Bottke!

A Portrait in the Sky!

The other night I was coming home and saw this beautiful sight: layers of sky, moon, and a landscape from the "Tuscan Sun." I'm passionate about taking pictures, which is why I "always" keep a disposable camera in the glove compartment of the car. I swerved off the side of the road, ran into a newly manured field to take this shot. (I later had to throw those shoes away, but it was worth it!) I am a sunset watcher only because I don't see the sun "rise" that often, but now I'm a moon watcher!

Living Life Passionately,

Connie