Sonia Marsh - Gutsy Living

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A Modern Thanksgiving

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 My youngest son Jordan, sixteen, returning from
There are many ways to express gratitude on Thanksgiving Day, however, what caught my eye, was Seth Godin’s definition of a Modern Thanksgiving.
“A modern Thanksgiving would celebrate two things:
  • The people in our lives who give us the support and love we need to make a difference, and…
  • The opportunity to build something bigger than ourselves, something worth contributing. The ability to make connections, to lend a hand, to invent and create.”
Peace Corps volunteers, Harvey and Patty Gagnon, are in their sixties and doing what Seth Godin said; they are building something bigger than themselves.
You’ll love what Harvey says at the end, “Forget the golf game, there’s always time for that when you’re 92.”

HAPPY MODERN THANKSGIVING TO ALL MY FRIENDS AND NEW CONNECTIONS.

LOVE FROM SONIA.

How to become positive on a sh*?ty day

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You’re feeling sorry for yourself.
Your (fill in the part of your body) hurts, you’ve got a meeting you’re not looking forward to, you cheated on your diet, you had an argument with someone close to you, you’re looking for work, or perhaps, like me, you’ve got a deadline to meet and you’re stressing out whether you’ll finish on time.
So what better time than, now, to shift to a positive attitude. After all, “A strong positive mental attitude will create more miracles than any wonder drug.” Patricia Neal.
I know, it’s easier to feel bad and make excuses than to shift your thinking. I’m guilty of that too, however, wouldn’t it be nice to find that ray of sunshine, by making a small shift in the thoughts going through your mind?
How can I shift to a more positive attitude?

  1. Start by doing something small and simple: make a special cup of tea or hot chocolate with whipped cream Take your dog for a walk in a different place, so you see new surroundings. Listen to a song you love. Pull out an old book you haven’t read in a while, but remember enjoying. Call someone you’ve been meaning to, but haven’t allowed yourself to take the time to.  
  2. Help someone out: I have a friend who recently broke her leg, and I know she loves her cup of Peet’s coffee just as much as I do. I would bring her a cup over and spend fifteen minutes chatting with her, before we each had to get back to our writing.
  3. Read Inspiring stories: Feeling overwhelmed happens to all of us, and sometimes reading an inspiring story, like the one I read on Mary Jaksch’s blog GoodLife Zen: “How catastrophe can open a door to new life,” can help you change to a more positive outlook on life. Christopher Foster has his own blog: The Happy Seeker. Christopher shifted his outlook on life after losing a 36-year connection with his community, and the sudden death of his wife as they were returning from a Caribbean vacation to celebrate their 25-year wedding anniversary.
  4. Turn your list of negatives into positives: Make a list of all your negative thoughts and next to each one, turn it into a positive statement. So in my case, instead of saying, “I shall have a hard time getting my memoir published,” I write, “I can already see a bidding war going on between publishing houses who want my memoir.” 
  5. Learn and practice meditation: This is a skill many already follow, and others like myself, need to develop. I’m gradually learning to practice meditation as I realize the importance of becoming still. As Christopher Foster mentioned in his guest post: “I have come to realize also that this stillness I love is my own stillness. It doesn’t come from some strange, far-off place. It is my own stillness, and it has found me at last.”
  6. Start a blog: This is a great way to share with others and feel connected to a community. If you have friends who feel lonely, why don’t you encourage them to start writing and connecting with others. It’s never too late, and age is not an excuse either. Just look at Christopher Foster. He started his blog: The Happy Seeker, last May, and I know he is not in his 20’s, 40’s, 60’s …?
 Your thoughts are always welcome.

Life is calling. How far will you go?

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Lately, I’ve noticed a trend in blog posts addressing the following questions:

  • How can I make my life more meaningful?
  • What is my life purpose and what can I do to make a difference?
At first I thought those questions were geared towards middle-aged and older people: those who start to re-evaluate their life after the kids leave home or they retire, but then I noticed how this question is becoming more prevalent in today’s youth.Perhaps a shift is taking place in the way people see their future life, the economy forcing people to rethink their short and long-term goals. It seems as if people are seeking alternatives to the 9-5 jobs?

What do you think?

Since our return from Belize in 2005, I have volunteered once with a group of nurses in a Mayan Village. Since that day, I’ve thought about joining the Peace Corps. Last Saturday a recruiter from the Peace Corps offered a seminar at Borders Books in Costa Mesa, California. I decided to attend. Here are a few points for those of you who might be interested.

  • There is no upper age limit for volunteers
  • Entire application process takes 1 to 1.5 years.
  • Safety and security of volunteers is highest priority
  • 27 month commitment, (includes a 3 month training period)
  • Living allowance covers cost of housing and other necessities
  • French and Spanish a plus
  • 48 days vacation to visit country or go home
  • Graduate school opportunities before and after
  • Develop skills for global marketplace
  • Receive advantages for federal employment
  • Earn $7,425 for transition when you return
  • Health and dental benefits, extended up to 18 months after your return
Peace Corps Programs:
Education 33%, Youth and Community 18%, Health and HIV/AIDS 18%, Business and IT 17%, Agriculture 8%, Environment 7%.Peace Corps Main Locations:
Africa 41%, Latin America 23%, Eastern Europe and Central Asia 17%, Asia 8%, Caribbean and N.Africa and Middle East 8%, Pacific Islands 3%.

The one comment I keep hearing from all Peace Corps Volunteers is: “I feel like I received more than what I gave.”

Your thoughts and opinions are truly valued.

Why everyone should take a one year sabbatical

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I agree with Matt Koenig, “Everyone should take a one year sabbatical.” Next year in June, Matt and his family, plan on taking one year off. I love the way his blog has the countdown to the day with minutes and seconds.

Matt gives four reasons why and I agree with his reasons, but being older than him, I’d like to add a fifth one.
1)      Find Your Purpose
2)      Health and Rejuvenation
3)      Family Time
4)      Travel & Experience the World
5)      Live your life today. Don’t postpone by using excuses of kids, health, money, elderly parents to take care of etc.
I would argue that too many people put off doing what they want to do, until retirement. How many times have you heard people say, “We can’t move now, the kids would hate to leave their friends.”  Or, “We can’t move to (name favorite place you’d like to move to) until we retire.
Before my family moved for a year to Belize, (both my husband and I craved adventure and change) we heard different comments like, “What about your kids? What do they say?” To which we responded, “It will be good for them to experience life in another country.” Now that we’re back in the US, I would do it again in a heartbeat.
My mother died when I was 25. For those of you who have lost a parent at a fairly young age, I believe you gain a different perspective on life.
Many people go through life unhappy. Get up, go to work, and as Matt puts it, “live for the weekend.”
We expect our kids to go to school, get a good education which we hope will lead to a good job, purchase a nice house and car and then save until retirement. (I might be a little guilty of that myself, as far as my sons getting a good education, however, if they choose to live abroad, or do something they’re passionate about in a third world country, that’s fine with my husband and me. We just want them to find their own thing.)
As Matt says, “It’s the typical delayed or deferred life plan that all of us are so familiar with. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. For many it works. The thing is for others like me it is what makes us so miserable.Would I ever find the thing that I was truly passionate about and then be able to turn that passion into a life quest?”
Matt mentions what Chris Guillebau says in his life manifesto, “The Art of Non- Conformity: “Once in a while it really hits people that they don’t have to experience the world in the way they have been told to.” 

Now Chris Guillebau is a man I truly admire. I just listened to a half hour interview with Chris Guillebau on David Garland’s blog: The Rise to the Top.
There is so much good stuff for writers and bloggers building a platform and for those who want to travel to each of the 192 countries around the world, like Chris. The difference is he’s visited 151 countries so far, and will achieve his goal by the age of 35.
But enough for today. Chris Guillebau, has such a fascinating outlook on life, and as a person who loves to live a Gutsy Life, I shall talk about him on Thursday. Hope you join in the discussion:
Do you agree with taking a one-year sabbatical?
Why? or why not? If so, what would you do, and where would you go?

Would you like to live to be 100? Here are some secrets of Centenarians

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 Esther Tuttle 100 years old today.

I have always had a fascination with people older than myself, and a yearning to learn from their “wisdom.”
Perhaps being an only child, and often surrounded by my parents’ friends and older relatives, made me realize that I could learn from listening and maybe bypass certain “mistakes,” by following their advice.

Here are three reasons why I believe we should listen to, and respect older people:

  • You never know what snippet of information can make a difference in your own life.
  • An older person with wisdom can often soothe your fears and worries about how you are handling issues in your own life.
  • Older people often offer the same secrets. We all know we might benefit from following their advice, but don’t always listen.

After watching Secrets of Centenarians, you find some common threads.

Esther Tuttle now 100, is amazing. Listen to her beautiful clear voice. She says, “It’s partly genes, and also being conscious of your body.” Esther explains your body is your instrument, and stresses the importance of yoga, stretching and walking. Also, we need to eat and drink in moderation. Esther still drinks today and claims that, “Moderation is a wonderful thing.”

Mae Anderman 103, agrees that genes play a role, and that keeping your mind alert, and having family helps. She also says many people today are anxious and ambitious, and that people have changed and become more “brash, and much less friendly.” She states there’s no use in saying, “I should have or could have. That doesn’t matter.” Also the future will take care of itself. Live in the present.

Travilla Deming 100, says her secret to living long is, “Don’t emphasize anything that is evil or bad. Get rid of it or rise above it.”

The following New York Times article, claims that: Genes do play a role in longevity, although Esther Tuttle’s parents died at 42 and 50.

According to Dr. Nir Barzilai, a geneticist at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, “Centenarians are 20 times as likely as the average person to have a long-lived relative.”

A Swedish study of identical twins separated at birth and reared apart concluded that only about 20 to 30 percent of longevity is genetically determined. Lifestyle seems to be the more dominant factor. If true, then this gives hope that we can live longer and healthier lives by taking care of ourselves.

I want to thank Marla Miller, founder of Marketing the Muse, for posting this on her Facebook page, which prompted my post.

Do you have any words of wisdom, or stories from an elderly person you’d like to share?

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