Today, we are taking an on-line road trip to Berlin, Maryland. Join me over the next few days as we take our journey down memory lane on All Things Fulfilling. America’s Coolest Small Town is indeed “historically charming & artistically alive & eternally young.” I love this community which is only seven miles from the natural beauty of Assateague National Seashore.
Don’t forget to turn on the modern-day record player by listening to the music from this You Tube audio as you scroll through these images.
I wish I could feature an individual story on every business in Berlin because they all contribute to the overall good feelings that I got when I walked the charming streets. Do return tomorrow there will be a myriad of images that will illicit memories from the past. Hopefully the pictures will stir up thoughts of only the good times in your life.
Don’t simply retire from something; have something to retire to. ~Harry Emerson Fosdick
What are you doing this weekend? Anything different?
I came across this picture that made me think about all the people who dread the idea of returning to work on Monday and dream of their retirement. Over the next decade there will be many people who will leave their job and enter into the next phase of life. Are you one of them?
Will you settle into a new kind of inspired existance and take the opportunity to pursue something you’ve always wanted? Baby Boomer, what kind of retiree will you be?
If you are approaching the renaissance years it’ a good time to put some thought into your second act. What will it look like? Will you sit it out in a chair uninspired or do something to put a little zing into your life?
At the beginning of next week on All Things Fulfilling, I am going to take you on an on-line, visual road trip for a few days to what is reported to be “The Coolest Small Town in America.” Don’t miss it!
Life is just a chance to grow a soul. ~ A.Powell Davies
Building a life for oneself that includes all things fulfilling means different things to different people.
Some people have big life ambitions, some small and some none at all. Personality, culture, family and societal environments, values and education are just a few factors that play into how we design our lives or not.
We’ve all heard the expressions “life is what you make it or make the best of your life or you only have one life to live so make it a good one.” Self-reflection and self-growth is needed if you want to follow these adages because we need to know what makes us happy and then make a life in sync with our interests and passions.
Summertime is the best time of year to grow anything. It’s the high time. The sun is shining, we are feeling optimitic and spending more time outdoors in nature. What are you doing today nuture your spirit?
My personal favorite out of the movies listed is Jiro Dreams of Sushi, which I featured in a blog posting some time back.
Have a fun weekend. The summer is slowly getting away from us, so enjoy every moment.
See you on Monday on All Things Fulfilling. I hope you found something meaningful that related to the context of your life in this week’s blogs postings.
This blog is brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard. Click here for information on her publications Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected and short stories Lessons of Heart & Soul.
“Take note of all the good and beautiful. It is there. Sometimes in the smallest crevices and sometimes boldly standing there.” ~ Lisa Desatnik http://www.GoodThingsGoingAround.com.
Last week my husband and I were granted what I considered to be a great priviledge. We were given permission to look in on the daily operations of a business that reaps the beauteous bounty of the sea. Nothing goes to waste from the harvest. What does not get processed to feed people, goes toward’s growing crops. The crustacean shells are used for fertilizer.
Lindy’s Seafood, a Mary Ellen Brand, in Woolford, Maryland allowed us to see their business first hand and take photos and video. What an eye-opening and educational experience. We arrived in the wee hours of the morning because the work day takes place from 1am to 9 am on Hooper’s Island a remote place on the eastern shore of the Chesapeake.
Grace, the plant supervisor, described to me what this line of very tedious work means to her 36 crab pickers, who come to the U.S.A. to find a job to support their families in Mexico. Typically women are crab pickers but for the first time ever, this harvest season, there were approximately four or five men among the workers at Lindy’s.
It was evident from my observations, these employees mean business! Picking crabs is treated like an art and the craft is taught to the younger generation when they bring their family members into the fold of working in the seafood industry. Crab picking is very tedious and detail-oriented labor and not for everyone. Grace mentioned the Mexican’s wonderful work ethic and the fact that they are as reliable as the change of seasons. She said they WILL NOT go home until the catch of the day is processed and will work as many hours as need be. She said she nearly has to herd them out the door to take a lunch break, which comes at 6:oo in the morning! They don’t want to stop what they are doing. From I what I gathered from our conversation, finding that kind of dedication and attention to detail from American workers is very difficult.
As they labored, not a word was uttered but Spanish music played in the background, and the fast paced rhythm kept their hands briskly moving.
From my observation, economy of movement in the workers and efficiency of the operation allows the plant to process many bushel baskets of seafood daily. It was a very fulfilling morning observing this group of people who depend on the fruit of the sea for their fulfilling livelihood.
More photos:
My husband and I would like to personally thank Terry Vincent, President of Lindy’s Seafood and his sidekick, his daughter Aubrey for allowing us to see the business operations first hand. And thank you to Grace for providing us with answers to our questions.
This blog is brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard. For information on her books Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected and short stories Lessons of Heart and Soul.
How long has it been since the biggest decision in your day was which hue to use out of a box of sixty-four colors of crayons? If only life was that elementary.
Have you ever considered this thought?
No doubt about it, there is truth in that statement.
Unfortunately life is complex. Things aren’t always reduced to black and white.
Next time you’re agonizing over decisions or find life challenging – simplify your thought process by remembering this –
To some people, living the simple life conjures up thoughts of living out in the woods with no running water, cooking over an open fire and being entirely self-sufficient by growing one’s own crops and hunting and fishing. A bit extreme for most people in this world of modern conveniences.
The good news is there is more than one way of living a pared down lifestyle. We can chose to simplify our lives in ways that might better suit us rather than returning to the homesteading concept.
In the interest of simplifying my blog writing today, here is a link to a great article that outlines 10 ways to simplify your lifestyle. Do a little soul-searching by assessing which choice suits your interests best.
“A single sunbeam is enough to drive away many shadows.” ~ Francis of Assisi
On my husband’s side of the family there has been some illness and a life was close to ending. However, things have taken a dramatic turn. I believe part of the reason that there is good news to report is because the person who stepped into the picture to deal with the situation, my husband’s first cousin, is a natural caretaker. In my mind, she’s a healing artist. It’s what she has done all her life. The situation could not have been handled more capably by anyone else in the family.
I’m so sorry that the task was so large that it meant uprooting her life for five months and tending to an enormous number of details. She closed out one phase of her loved one’s life and lined up everything for new beginnings. Thankfully my husband’s cousin is detail oriented, and made sure every loose string was tied up. Thank you, Mary, for being the sunbeam. You, indeed, are God-sent.
The course of events has made me think about how we forget to pay attention to simple everyday acts of kindness until disaster strikes. This article mentions things we can do to brighten the lives of others that perhaps many of us have never even thought of. Check it out because as it has been said before “life is not all about us.”
This blog is brought to you by the author of Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected and short stories Lessons of Heart & Soul.
Has there ever been a person who has gone through life unscarred? I doubt it because there is no such thing as a perfect life. Good times and bad times are all part of the human condition.Scars come in different forms – physical, emotional and mental. No matter what form scars take, anguish is it’s partner.
Today, on All Things Fulfilling, since we are focusing on things that might make life easier – think about this statement:
Understood! Save yourself some heartbreak by simplifying how you look at pain or sorrow. Change the perspective from difficulty to triumph. That’s all I’m saying but you can learn more about this issue through my award-winning memoir Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected.
This blog is brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard.
This week on All Things Fulfilling we are going to stick with one theme and see where it leads.
Simple blogging with thought provoking adages. Take a few minutes out of your day and ruminate. What do these mottos mean in the context of your life? Hopefully by weeks end, you will have reflected on ways you can simplify your life to make it more fulfilling for you and your family.
If you missed last Fridays blog called Pounds of Love. I’d suggest you go back and read it. The story exemplifies today’s thought, and it is a story of thoughtfulness and compassion for others.
All Things Fulfilling 