Flashback Friday.....Claiming the Exclamation.

A little over a year ago, on Sept 24, 2015, 

I was standing at the register and could not contain my happiness and joy at the news that my brother found out, that after a long summer of thinking that cancer was in his lungs, a biopsy determined it was not cancer, but instead it was a lung infection.

So,
rather than dancing and shouting my Hallelujahs and scaring customers who lined up to pay for their books,

I took a pen and notebook and drew out my excitement, 

set it in front of me and smiled at it every time I felt like shouting:

"My Brother!"

That was a little over a year ago.
In between there has been celebrating, holidays, doctors appointments, scans, waiting, wondering, Sunday dinners, laughter, devastating news of others with cancer, funerals, births, more doctors, some aches and pains, birthdays, vacations, doctors with differing opinions, more scans, more waiting, more wondering, sunny days, rainy days, more opinions, more waiting...more wondering.

The wondering and wondering and wondering.

Through all this our thoughts run the gamut of emotions.
I don't know about you, but it is unfortunately easier for my brain to revert to doubt, caution and fear...

rather than hold on to the good, positive and hope.

I've read some about this and realize I'm not alone.

There is a thing called the Velcro/Teflon affect.
Which basically says our brains hold on to negative experiences like Velcro - they tend to stick.

and our brains treat positive experiences like Teflon -
they tend to slip away.

I am really trying to practice staying mindful and be intentional at turning this around.
Sitting with and being with what comes,
the possibility of good and the possibility of bad...
and letting it be.
But also,
having a mindset that rests by holding onto the hope and acceptance instead of the doubt and fear.

So, this week...

I am making this Exclamation Point the "lock screen" on my phone...

Using it as a visual and constant reminder to my brain to be mindful to hold on to hope...

instead of being consumed with fear.

Directions to here: