My first post for A Slice of Orange comes with A Slice of Nature. As I sit here in my writing cabin in the woods, I watch my favorite buck tip the flat bird feeder to his advantage. He is taking care of his own needs, much as we do in our own lives. Nature shows me each day how the trees, birds, and animals do not try to be anything else but who they are in any given moment. A deer is not trying to be turkey, a fox is not trying to be a bunny, nor is a songbird trying to be a hawk. They are who they are and that is the gift.
Often, in our own lives, we are concerned with trying to become someone or something we are not. It doesn’t work very well and we find in the end that we are just perfect as we are. 
We all have talents, but sometimes we must dig deep to find them. Finding our strengths and taking responsibility for own lives is key. Each of us has a path to walk, find yours and live the challenges and experiences that we are given.
I’ve learned not to have expectations, and that life is all about effort. Live in a space of letting go and work hard. Nature is my teacher and shows me that only we hold responsibility for the energy we give, along with the energy we bring to everywhere we go. If our intentions are good, our outcome is usually in sync as well. All of us have remarkable stories of finding ourselves in places we never expected, but that is an authentic and compelling life. Like nature, no two moments are the same.
Sally Paradysz
https://sites.google.com/site/sallywparadysz/
http://sallywparadysz.blogspot.com/
Sally Paradysz writes from a book-lined cabin in the woods beside the home she built from scratch. She is an ordained minister of the Assembly of the Word, founded in 1975. For two decades, she has provided spiritual counseling and ministerial assistance. Sally has completed undergraduate and graduate courses in business and journalism. She took courses at NOVA, and served as a hotline, hospital, and police interview volunteer in Bucks County, PA. She is definitely owned by her two Maine Coon cats, Kiva and Kodi.
That’s wonderful advice, Sally, and something we all need to be reminded of frequently. There is freedom to be found in just having the courage to be yourself. Thanks for an eloquent reminder.
.Thank you so much for reading my post. I love the freedom that comes with being yourself, it leaves so much time for thinking and doing other things!
Thanks so much, Carol.
Lovely, Sally!
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