VernetteOutLoud

Five Minute Friday: Fill

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We are ushering a new era this week and I’m feeling the excitement like you wouldn’t believe.

I’m joining the writers of the Five Minute Friday community, as the lovely Kate begins her journey.

Click on the button to the right for more details on what this challenge is all about and how you can participate.

GO

My heart is full.

I celebrated my birthday last week and I do believe that this is the birthday that all my birthdays from now on will be compared to.

It’s been so hard to feel joy around this time of year, because eight days after my birthday, I also relive the saddest moment of my life. But this year, something was definitely different. I started my day wanting to fill up with all my favourite things. I made reservations for one at my favourite places to eat because at the time I didn’t have a plan for the day, and it being the middle of the week…most of my friends were at work.

Then one of my cherished friends called, wanting to know what I was doing for the day, I told her about my breakfast plan and she wanted to join me. The same thing happened with lunch. I got company when I had every intention to go alone. And this is how my day went, early dinner, drinks, then late dinner. I had my favourite foods, with my favourite people.

And it was simply beautiful.

STOP

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I honestly don’t know how some of the other FMF writers maximize their five minutes and write so much. Every time I do this challenge, I get lost in the memories and my time is up in the blink of an eye.

When my buzzer went off, I decided to look for a quote that ties everything together and I found this:

To get the full value of joy you must have someone to divide it with. ― Mark Twain

So apt! The joy I felt was multiplied because I was able to share it with the people I love.

Five Minute Friday: Begin

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“We write because we love words and the relief it is to just write them without worrying if they’re just right or not. – Lisa-Jo Baker

I haven’t linked up in what feels like ages with the this lovely bunch of writers. But since this is founder, Lisa-Jo’s last week hosting Five Minute Friday, I needed to join in to celebrate with her as she begins the next phase in your journey. I also look forward to continuing this lovely practice with Kate Motaung.

Click on the button to the right for more details on what this challenge is all about and how you can participate.

GO

“On this path, it is only the first step that counts.” – St. Jean-Baptiste-Marie Vianney

But that first step is sometimes the hardest one to accomplish.

Because that first step usually reveals who you are.

If you can get past the fear.

The struggle with past failures.

The disappointment.

The fact that sometimes its sooo much easier to delay the inevitable.

To be able to just go for, to begin again, despite all that went before, has to be the most courageous thing you can do for yourself.

“Living in fear is so last season, if you want to be happy and really live your dream you have to take a stand and just put yourself out there. You might fail, yes indeed – but, you might, you just might succeed too! Don’t you want to find out? Either way your life will never be the same… Can you handle it?”
– Jackson Kiddard

What’s the worse that can happen?

STOP

I found myself getting lost in a myriad of memories, hence the very short post. I didn’t want to cheat and add another five minutes, so this is all I managed for this week’s prompt. The quotes I had the general idea about and cleaned them up afterward.

Thank you to Lisa-Jo for creating this space for us to get in touch with the truth that is sometime hidden inside our hearts. This challenge reveals and brings up and out things that you had no idea you were even thinking about. As we move on to the next chapter of Five Minute Fridays with our new host, I look forward exploring the wonders of my heart with you all.

 

Today you’re getting a twofer. Every day in August I will be joining the very creative Susannah Conway and her lovely community, in posting a photo a day. It’s a community project that doesn’t really have any rules – who doesn’t like that? – I will post a photo a day on Instagram. If you’re interested in joining this community, head on over to Susannah’s website here.

August Break Collage

Five Minute Friday: Grateful

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“We write because we love words and the relief it is to just write them without worrying if they’re just right or not. – Lisa-Jo Baker

I’m linking up again this week with Lisa-Jo and the other lovely writers of Five Minute Friday.

Click on the button to the right for more details on what this challenge is all about and how you can participate.

GO

I started a gratitude practice on Mondays where I share 7 positives/things I am grateful or thankful for and this practice has really changed the way I approach my week.

However, this week in particular has been especially hard. It seems everybody and their sister is writing a Mother’s day post and I am dreading reading your blogs this weekend which is crazy because some of my favourite blogs are “mommy-blogs”. In fact I am considering a social media blackout until Monday. Is that normal…that four years later I still cannot share in the happiness of others…even my own family on Mother’s Day?

I am reminded even more so around this time of year that it was the last truly happy times we shared with mummy. And the further away from Mother’s Day Weekend 2010 I get is the more I fear the memories of that weekend will fade. It feels like a triple whammy with her Birthday, Ovarian Cancer Day and Mother’s Day all occurring in the same week.

STOP

I ran out of time and it’s a good thing too because the tears have started and I cannot see through them to type anymore.

Five Minute Friday: Crowd

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“We write because we love words and the relief it is to just write them without worrying if they’re just right or not. – Lisa-Jo Baker

I’m linking up again this week with the lovely Lisa-Jo and the other badass writers of Five Minute Friday.

Click on the button to the right for more details on what this challenge is all about and how you can participate.

GO

Alone.

I am on the train and I cannot believe I am doing this.

I am trying to appear nonchalant, like I do this everyday.

But inside I am nervous. Can they tell?

In a tiny coffee shop now…a real one…not the joke we call a coffee shop back home. I sip and plan my next move.

I am a little overwhelmed as I step out into the cool air.

But excitement is bubbling to the surface. I am here, this is now and I am actually doing this.

Alone.

This should not feel so good. But maybe I really am a loner.

Here I am, walking around Manhattan, just a face in the crowd.

And it is the best feeling ever.

STOP

One of my favourite quotes on travel is by Gustave Flaubert, “Traveling makes one modest — you see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.” Because it is so true, traveling – stepping out of your comfort zone has a way of humbling you. Flaubert got it right and imagine he wrote this back in 1849.

I spent most of the time getting lost in the memories of that experience, hence the very short post. I didn’t want to cheat and add another five minutes, so this is all I managed for this week’s prompt.

Five Minute Friday: Small

5-minute-friday-1I’m linking up again this week with Lisa-Jo Baker and the other lovely writers of Five Minute Friday.

Click on the button to the right for more details on what this challenge is all about and how you can participate.

GO

This past weekend, I had to keep reminding myself not to compare my start to someone else’s middle. My sister and I have started a business together and we are small fish in a big pond. And I found myself comparing our product to that of more established businesses. Thing is our product is good and in some cases even better than some of the bigger fish.

But it was so easy to get caught up in comparing and second guessing and wondering and then ultimately worrying about being good enough. Without considering what it took for the bigger fish to get where they are at today.

And the rub when you start comparing yourself negatively to others is that you deny yourself the journey of your own growth.

STOP

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