Unleashing My Inner Wonder Woman

~Finding my Sparkle~

Some of my earliest memories involved Wonder Woman.  My brother and I watched the TV show in awe of her.  My brother loved Wonder Woman, I wanted to BE Wonder Woman!  She was/is amazing to me.  She wasn't afraid of anything and used her brains to figure out how to solve the problem.  But the best part...I mean the BEST PART was that she had those awesome deflecting cuffs. 

Bam! BAM! Evil banished! BAM! BAM!

Weapons deflected back at the evil doer. 

Those cuffs have helped me a lot over the years...more on that later.

A journey to finding my sparkle, starts at the beginning...
For the five of you who read this, some of this story you know, some, you may not...but here it goes.

2 1/2 years ago, my world came apart.  People say that things bad happen in threes...well in my world, it felt like 300!  The short version is the following;  I left a very unhealthy, turbulent marriage, my grandfather died, and the icing on this horrible cake was putting my dog of 16 years down.  At that time, my dog was really the only thing that keep me going...he hung on a while for me, but I knew that I had to let him go.  He deserved to be a peace...All of this was tough on a girl like me.

Then, one day, a friend who was subbing in my school walked into my classroom.  He had retired, so I hadn't seen him since my world tumbled.  He gave me a huge hug and told me that it will get better, that I deserved only the best.  He also said that he knew something was wrong the last time he saw me because my sparkle was gone.  That stopped me.  It really hit me...my sparkle?!  That was it!  My sparkle was gone.  I'd had it my whole life and..poof! It was gone!

That was it...I wanted it back!  Sparkling was a part of ME!  Somehow I had to find it again. No matter how long it would take, I would get it back.  I was determined. 

I WILL SPARKLE AGAIN!

Along my journey to finding my sparkle, I learned a few things....Here's the long and short of it!

My Top 10 Ways to Finding Your Sparkle

10. Be Courageous
Stand up for yourself and do what you know is right.  No matter what others may say.  Trust yourself, and have only those with your best intentions around you.

9. Ask for help
This one was really difficult for me, since it would require me to admit, shocker, that I had made a mistake.  A mistake that everyone would see.  Not surprisingly, my dear friends and family were right there to help me in anyway they could. 


8. Sadness is temporary, joy is eternal. 
The abyss of sadness seems deep, but there's always a ladder. Don't be afraid to reach for that first rung on the ladder. It's the toughest one to reach, but the next is easier. Plus, the view at the top is spectacular!

7. Plan one thing a day
Say, "NO." It's okay to say no...nope...Nada...shake your head if you have to. But set limits.  It's easy to keep yourself busy when life is difficult, but it's hard to take time and listen to yourself.  During my journey, I had a rule.  Only one thing planned a day.  You may think that it limiting, but it's actually freeing.  One thing a day does not mean that you don't do anything, but instead, you only make one commitment to someone else each day. You can make as many commitments to yourself every day, but to others, one.  If I make a date for coffee...that's it.  My one commitment to someone else.  This way, I'm never rushed.  I can stay as long as I want with the other person, without worrying that I'll be late to something else.  The other person also knows that they are your only focus for the day.  It has helped me, make my relationships stronger.

6. Forgiveness is not forgetting
In order to heal, you must forgive, but that does not mean that you forget the reason that you found yourself in the pit.  In fact, never forget the little steps that got you there.  And hopefully, those memories, while painful, can help you avoid that drop again. 

5. Laugh
...or at least find something that will make you laugh.  For me...laughter came in the form of a little fluffy pup.  He saved my heart.  Literally...there was a point where I felt my heart closing up, but then this little bundle of love would wiggle and jump on me.  Murphy's exuberant joy was and is contagious.  He kept me laughing daily.

4. Breathe
It seems simple, but it's vital.  Take the time to sit alone and breathe.  Give yourself time to reflect, pray, and clear your thoughts of all of the jumble.
My favorite place to breathe...Oregon Coast...with my Murphy.





3. Lean on others...literally.
It takes a village to take care of me.  No...really...I'm very fortunate because I have an unbelievable family, dear friends and work family.  Not everyone is as lucky as I am, with the village of people that surround me.  I know that I'm lucky and try to thank them often.  They were there everyday for hugs, kind words, encouragement, cards, breakfast sandwiches, egg salad sandwiches and cookies! (Love you Carol and Vanessa!!!)  I'm not sure that I would have found my sparkle without these folks.  I'm a truly lucky girl.

2. Find your Superhero

Mine, is Wonder Woman...on rough days, when people are mean, I put on my imaginary cuffs and cape to blast away at the negativity.  BAM! BAM! I shatter the bad moods and deflect it away from me and my circle of people. BLAM! POW! Away you go bad thoughts! POP! BOOM! Cast away doubt and fear!  Tada!  My world is clear.  Some days, I wasn't sure that the cuffs and cape would be enough to get rid of the fear...but I kept on going.  Who's your superhero?

1. Believe in your STRENGTH
My true strength comes from God.  I couldn't have made it this far without Him.  Whatever your strength is, rest your head and know that you are strong enough. That NOTHING...nothing will take you down without your permission.  I was determined to not go down.  I might have lost my sparkle for awhile, but it wasn't truly lost.  It was just buried under the muck.

So...did I find my sparkle?  YES!

It didn't happen quickly, and I'm not sure it's totally back at 100% but I definitely sparkle again.

I am thankful.

I am happy.
I sparkle.