House Hunting, Peace Hunting, Dreaming and Trusting God...

So this year has been the journey of finding a place for me :)

It's been quite an interesting process, and at times quite stressful time. And for a dreamer like me, the balance between dreaming bigger when you can see the potential in a place, yet being practical and then looking at your budget, then stepping out and believing for more than your budget, has been challenging yet grew me.

Some things I have learnt in this process:

1) I now understand why people don't want to deal with Estate Agents. I couldn't understand because my mom is the ultimate loyal, willing to take less commission, listening to your needs and helping you agent. In this journey I have found some the exact opposite of that, but also amazing agents who have given me advice even though they have nothing to gain. But just enjoyed seeing what is the reality.

2) It's all about negotiation... wow this has been a hectic one to learn. And I think it's influencing other areas of my life too. I managed to negotioate one flat from the advertised price of R445 000 down to R380 000,  now makes me wonder what it really was going for. We didn't take it simply because it didn't seem safe and it doesn't help you are living in a security complex but not safe insider the complex.

3) From others, when you are in the place you are meant to be in you will know...

July Journey Thoughts – Midway – And I just showed up for my own life… #ramblings

So I was posting on Google Plus about where I’m at in terms of Success and Living up to my full potential and the last post was lyrics of a song that really inspires me and that I tend to sing to people on their birthdays, and then realised in being about to post about this and feedback on the years dreams that It is my birthday month… So I am just showing up for my own life… Maybe this is the season of things changing in this regard…

So this post will be a rambling of success, dreams, challenges, in terms of 2015 and my life…

So 2015 begins with me saying the goal/extra thing this year is Dance/The Body… (having done Portuguese Lessons in 2014, and art classes in 2013). I find out about this 6 week lose your weight and get your money back program and I decide maybe I should do that first before doing dance lessons at the heavy weight that I am at. Get fit, and feel better and more energised to dance! The course was amazing, I did struggle with cheating in the weekends, and enjoyed my trainer, the variety, the fact that 3 weeks in I was doing things faster, etc… Some memorable moments was losing 1 kilo in the first week (normally I lose more in a go but this time I felt excited because I worked hard to get there), I totally enjoyed being up early and making smoothies, even making a cottage cheese and banana one :) High Knees! And the day I sent the gym a mail saying, ” I’m eating my 5 meals a day” and I’m still hungry! What am I doing wrong!” And he says “No you’re doing something right, your metabolism has increased!!!” Wow when last did that happen!  But then the “arthritis” kicked in on days, and then one night I couldn’t sleep all night because of stomach pain and realised the exercise just brought to surface a problem I had not really noticed in my stomach before, but has been around for a while…  This could be why the nurse suggested I have my esophagus checked out when I was complaining about not being able to take my tablets. In the last week while on acid reflux tablets to rule that out as an option, I sleep wrong and my neck spasms and that took a while to be back to normal… At this stage I still have not gotten back to the gym with an update since…. It took me a while to get over the disappointment of why when you take a step in the right direction, it backfires on me, but when I opened up to God in those moments of pain…boy was He there! I was learning how to hang on him…

Let me say though it is 1 YEAR since I am off Pain Meds for Arthritis!!!YAY!!! Thank you Jesus!!!! Had a knee pain the other night and I just attempted to sleep, knowing sleep has been healing me too! I am trying not to let my body look to a pain tablet for healing so didnt take arthrexin or coxflam though it would have eased the pain…

More recently/ or shall I be more specific and say Last Thursday I went to a Salsa class, and woh did I learn alot not just about dancing, but as I always wanted to about life through the dance… We say all the time that Jazzing makes Salsa easy, but Jazzing for years with other females, doesn’t teach you to be led, to feel the dance… In one lesson with at least ten other partners, I learnt how to have connection with your partner through your hands, but then also to be led, but also to keep a firm grip, and also not do my own thing, or when I do my own thing, I must remember I am dancing with another person! And the different men were all different, in my memory is still this older guy who looks spanish or something with the intense looking straight in my eyes…  So we learnt that we should push towards each other in our hands and then that will end up being a 50 % kinda hold not  but always pushing towards, so then you have a sense of the connection… Sometime in one of the turns too I didnt hold the guys hand fully and in the turn I slipped out, which was also something he said… Sunday when dancing with God in my heart through worshipping him that thought came, about where am I at, feeling the connection do I need to push more, etc… and keeping a firm grip, even in the turns of life! And also at one point I imagined Jesus looking straight into my eyes…I cannot explain this too much more with words, but I know as I dance more I will get greater revelation of me and him, or me and life… It was easy to let go in the muchacha(?) part of the lesson….

So last year when someone asked me what is my dream and what do I do for fun, I cried when he was gone, I’m friendless and dreamless, then a sermon by that very same guy on the Lifecycle of a dream, made me realise learning Portuguese, isnt as insignificant as it seems, The lifecycle of a dream begins with an idea that will just not go away.., And so as you step into that you begin to see!!! Also in the beginning of the year when a friend told me her dreams I also felt like AAAAH I am so far from where everyone else is in their life… And that made me step out on the the tiny ideas… but this year I have just been bumping into people who are doing what I dreamed to do, and reading blogs like A Beautiful Mess and getting soooo inspired and realising more and more when am I going to live up to my potential… And so if you are getting naar at others dreams  not because you jealous but because you realise that until you start doing what is inside of you, you are always going to be frustrated, it reminded me of this veeerrry inspiring quote in the beginning of the Element of Freedom by Alicia Keys cd…

And then the birthday Song I am always sharing with others…

“Just Showed Up For My Own Life” – Sara Groves

Spending my time sleep walking
Moving my mouth but not saying a thing
Hoping the changes would take by working their way from the outside in
I was in love with an idea
Preoccupied with how a life should appear
Spending my time at the surface repairing the holes in the shiny veneer

There are so many ways to hide
There are so many ways not to feel
There are so many ways to deny what is real

And I just showed up for my own life
And I’m standing here taking it in and it sure looks bright

I’m going to live my life inspired
Look for the holy in the common place
Open the windows and feel all that’s honest and real until I’m truly amazed
I’m going to feel all my emotions
I’m going to look you in the eyes
I’m going to listen and hear until it’s finally clear and it changes our lives

There are so many ways to hide
There are so many ways not to feel
There are so many ways to deny what is real

And I just showed up for my own life
And I’m standing here taking it in and it sure looks bright

Oh the glory of God is man fully alive
Oh the glory of God is man fully alive

There are so many ways to hide
There are so many ways not to feel
There are so many ways to deny what is real

And I just showed up for my own life
And I’m standing here taking it in and it sure looks bright

So here’s to Freedom and being Fully Alive. Here’s to no more fear of man or myself and to potential being engaged. Thank you to the Lord for my annual celebration of grace! Thank you Lord too that July is a Turnaround Month for me!

Thank you Father for being the wind beneath my wings! As I fly into all that you have for me, eyes fixed on you. Lead me with your hands…May I look into your eyes and not be afraid…