Category: Patience

11/24/2025 0 Comments

549) Five Hour Fireplace on a cold Florida night | Happy Thanksgiving 2025

Five Hour Fireplace!

Happy Thanksgiving 2025 to all! Enjoy this roaring five hour fireplace when you need a calm space. Soak in the natural sounds of a crackling and popping wood burning fireplace at the beach - to help bring your mind present and to a state of peace.

During the hustle and bustle of this upcoming holiday season, simply remind yourself to take a minute or two - or five hours - and give yourself patience, simplicity, and become one with nature and the world around you.

I wish you and yours a very dear and lovely and special Happy Thanksgiving 2025. Please know that I am grateful and very thankful - for you.

Love you always,
Christine

P.S. Let me know if you enjoy this video?

*Pro Tip! Play this video in the background during your Thanksgiving dinner and celebration for some coastal holiday ambience.*

This video was filmed on a cold Florida night - Monday, November 10, 2025.CP708.

Fireplace playlist:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLa7nooQvf7IS5FwQx82gO51IXJgrtFoGh&si=-WGmWG9H5fOaGYhJ
These Are My Thanksgiving Dreams!
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLa7nooQvf7IRIC__-nwSa7300x9J6nhWG&si=a807Y5BmAyKRpVok

Fireplace Sounds
Nature Sounds
Florida Video
Calming Nature Sounds
Cold Winter Night
ASMR
Crackling Fireplace
Roaring Fireplace

#fireplace #thanksgiving #florida

Hey there fellow dreamers! March Before You Feel Like It... If you've got dreams - it's up to YOU to make them come true.

I'm Christine Pieper, and these are my Floridian dreams. I am an artist, writer, and content creator here on YouTube, living my very best life in The Sunshine State. I'm here to give you a push - I want you to have the best day of your life today, then do it all over again tomorrow. These are my dreams, and if you've got dreams - it's up to you to make them come true - and no one else.

Come along with me from somewhere in The Sunshine State - as I take you on all of my Floridian adventures - and beyond! Join me for walking tours, dining reviews, hotel and beach cottage room tours, adventure hikes, beach walks, sunrises, sunsets, as well as simply soaking in and appreciating the sights and sounds of the world around us.

So be sure to SUBSCRIBE and join a community of fellow dreamers so you don’t miss a thing! But either way, please say hello! And let me know - what step are you taking today to pursue all your dreams?

Love you,
Christine

*P.S. Share out this video with anyone you know who wants to go on an adventure!*

‘Genevieve’s Journey Through Jacksonville’
*My hardcover children’s book - FOR SALE ON AMAZON*
https://a.co/d/1TZtK69

How you can directly support the content on this YouTube Channel:
1) Subscribe, Like & Share! www.youtube.com/@christinepieper
2) Original Artwork: http://www.christinesfloridiandreams.com/art-for-sale.html
3) Merch!
https://christines-floridian-dreams.myspreadshop.com/all
4) Genevieve’s Journey Through Jacksonville:
https://a.co/d/1TZtK69
5) All Children’s Books, Coloring Books, Notebooks:
https://www.christinesfloridiandreams.com/childrens-books.html
6) Bean’s Blog: http://www.christinesfloridiandreams.com
7) Spread the word! Hurricane Awareness, Hurricane Education, Hurricane Preparation -
Christine’s Best Hurricane Tips - Resource Guide:
https://www.christinesfloridiandreams.com/besthurricanetips.html
8) PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/christinepieper
9) Venmo: http://venmo.com/u/beansfldreams
___
*Editorial Disclaimer:
All opinions are my very own, and are not the opinions of any paid sponsorship, affiliate/review program, or brand partnership.
___
Welcome to another day on this beautiful planet Earth. Now, let’s go on an adventure together! Subscribe. Like. Share… and Dream.

*Some of my many playlists!*
St. Augustine:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLa7nooQvf7IR1_dRr5VSHL0-RVtvKNDSV&si=o_Qfzdx097fcWzyL
Jacksonville:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLa7nooQvf7IShaHCmZoxotV080ibgVsIr&si=jb1y1ei9SMFb2rCt
Jacksonville Beach:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLa7nooQvf7IQPEtmraXz0KI3AX5JZzdCF&si=nyde-EtVMAE-Zmkq
Key West:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLa7nooQvf7IQvk6hB2gNXj07thvqkHn-B&si=wB2CcjbYeHv7SSt2
Anna Maria Island:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLa7nooQvf7IQXpwCkVgcoKVId4YHBZ9Kj&si=4HoOeFP_VAjG1EXb
Amelia Island:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLa7nooQvf7ITkpYSdN53GaAkJfvwmviFo&si=e7MsA4Ynun9c8EVk
Walt Disney World:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLa7nooQvf7IQEGosRCDMbWjUIm6ZU935m&si=9Exn07ANb_niYbnY
Life Is Like A Hurricane:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLa7nooQvf7ITbxeOPj4Dih-BASPu7S2_Y&si=w-usqKCLabdcim28
Wake Up The Sun With Me!
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLa7nooQvf7ITEmbujQFF7DdnfoNcPxTX2&si=TP2W2eu6LI0vZNIk
Sights & Sounds:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLa7nooQvf7IQ7hppxxZxSM8LpK1b5K4bC&si=WOCSokPr-2MmtiGV
Bird-Watching:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLa7nooQvf7ISQID8YxVxpOfg5eoEyWNb3&si=cC05FMMPjSmUQWfU
Street To The Beach, Baby!
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLa7nooQvf7IRoz5DTxJ8Gkw0g2Qb2FNzt&si=4hG6Nz8muJtab-O8
Street By Street!
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLa7nooQvf7IQJN1mSpoBKNuks5JFcYt5h&si=wnHjpNx_XTFuKuwQ
Streetcars, Trains & Automobiles:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLa7nooQvf7IRgsF7GMOSi6IDoFzGJrry_&si=0PeSudxbamAZ77o9
Walking Tours:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLa7nooQvf7IQ14du7XgCyFbWvPrg95ElI&si=YdXtPuXxJpHqmQMl
Driving Tours:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLa7nooQvf7ISKKS-uYTv3OnhQ8KPy9qPc&si=cxtN6nJohiOpcsel
Hotel Room Tours:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLa7nooQvf7ITvP329HFpdEIjn9ojIDjCF&si=L0TNUXtmfUWfwzI0
Vlogmas - These Are My Christmas Dreams!
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLa7nooQvf7IQaLQ6aEOByGpkF1DLtXY1j&si=8U69QYdeWuOYxYGw
Sheltie Life - These Are My Shetland Sheepdog’s Dreams!
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLa7nooQvf7IT8qr3Q1t-hZwWeKxBXsDZ-&si=zOvNA3vxvM9MgzB0

A Coastal Thanksgiving Fireplace 2025

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/4gOnwBsuv8E

Five Hour Fireplace!

Happy Thanksgiving 2025. Enjoy the calm and soothing sounds of a seasonal, coastal fireplace on a cold Florida night.

Happy Holidays!

Love you,
Christine

Fireplace Sounds
Nature Sounds
Florida Video
Calming Nature Sounds
Cold Winter Night
ASMR
Crackling Fireplace
Roaring Fireplace

#fireplace #thanksgiving #florida
CP709.
___

Happy Thanksgiving 2025! 🍁🦃 🐾

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/fYc-uPwJGcM

Happy Thanksgiving 2025 to all!

Genevieve Noel and I would like to wish you and yours a very special and Happy Thanksgiving 2025! I am so very grateful and thankful - for you.

Love you,
Christine

P.S. What are you thankful for this year?

Thanksgiving 2025
Shetland Sheepdog
Sheltie
Dog Life
Sheltie Life
Happy Thanksgiving
Pumpkin Pie
Grateful
Thankful

#thanksgiving
#shetlandsheepdog
#florida
CP710.
___

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10/29/2024 0 Comments

353) Turtles Swimming at Bird Island Park in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida 10.16.24

Hey there fellow dreamers. We had just finished our livestream at beautiful Bird Island Park, without seeing any turtles on this day. No sooner than I said goodbye to you all when these adorable little turtles came swimming right up to me.

So I do hope you enjoy watching these precious creatures swimming as much as I do. Please soak in their beautiful message… one of love, curiosity, exploration, patience, and perseverance. And, maybe most importantly, to just keep swimming.

May all your worries roll off your back today.

Love you,
Christine

P.S. Like. Share. Subscribe - and Dream.

Bird Island Park is located at:
101 Library Road
Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida 32082

(Bird Island Park shares a parking lot with the Ponte Vedra Beach Branch of the St. Johns County Library.)

The replay of the livestream showing the entirety of Bird Island Park can be found at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtO8ZS4Ye_c&t=649s
My Bird Island Park playlist:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLa7nooQvf7IR-7ldNJMHm2kMxi18Dn9K-&si=5RKYZKNN8LnkcLxI
Also, here’s my Ponte Vedra Beach playlist:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLa7nooQvf7ITDVUj3DL2G7sstOzpkdxUn&si=DK4C-JWPPi3pVRg6
Be sure to check out this adorable little bird's morning routine in Jacksonville Beach, Florida!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKRRBHFok7c&t=99s

This video was filmed on Wednesday, October 16, 2024 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
Video 501.

#turtles #pontevedrabeach #florida
___

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5/7/2024 0 Comments

244) Time To Put On My Positive Pants!

It’s time to put on my positive pants!

This is me in 2017 on my final day of chronic pain rehab. And the picture below is me in 2024.

Hey There Fellow Dreamers - I announced yesterday (on our Monday morning sunrise livestream) that this coming Saturday I do have a special, celebratory stream planned, and I would love for you to join me as I achieve this important milestone in my life…

May 11th will mark my 7th anniversary since completing the Mayo Clinic Pain Rehabilitation Clinic (Mayo PRC) here in fabulous Jacksonville, Florida. I went through this life-changing chronic pain rehab program back in spring of 2017, and every day since then I have been living a very different sort of life than my entire life before rehab.

As part of my livestream on Saturday I will be happy to answer any questions I can about living and navigating life in chronic pain. So please feel free to drop me any questions down below, or simply chat with me in the stream on Saturday.

If there are no questions - no problem - I will still be celebrating life - with you. But I did want to offer Saturday’s LIVE as an opportunity to converse with you about this topic. And just as importantly, IF YOU KNOW SOMEONE who can benefit from such a video, definitely share my channel with them and let them know I would be happy to address any questions they have on Saturday’s stream.

So as I celebrate seven years of life this week, seven years out of rehab, and seven years of continually marching before I feel like it, I do invite you to keep exploring with me, walking hand-in-hand with me, learning new things about the world with me, and most importantly, to keep dreaming with me.

Love you,
Christine

#chronicpain #mayoclinic #jacksonville

*Editorial Disclaimer - Sharing my progress and journey publicly is not in any way to be considered medical advice, prescription, or treatment. I am not a doctor and my channel is not medical advice. I am not affiliated with Mayo Clinic in any way whatsoever, other than being a patient and graduate of pain rehab. I am not sponsored, endorsed, and have zero affiliation between myself and my channel, my website, and Mayo Clinic. But I can, and I am always more than happy to, share my progress and refer you on and spread the word about Mayo Clinic, by providing their phone number with you right here: 904.953.2000.

If you, or someone you know, is living in pain, chronic pain and/or severe depression, please know that you are not alone in this world. Please seek medical help immediately, or visit your nearest Emergency Room.
___

P.S. I talk about this coming Saturday's special stream in this YouTube video below:

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10/18/2023 0 Comments

134) Mickler's Landing, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida LIVE! Wake Up The Sun With Me! Let's Walk 1 Mile

Where will we all be in July of 2029? That is the question I am pondering today. And I would like you to join me on a six year journey - together. Let’s go!

On Friday, October 13, 2023, SpaceX launched a Falcon Heavy rocket for NASA into outer space. I find this quite fascinating, so I invite you to join me as I ramble on about this venture - and - let’s walk one mile together on the beach while we’re discussing this massive voyage.

This launch was SpaceX’s 8th Falcon Heavy, and NASA paid SpaceX a sum of $131 million to launch this mission. The mission cost to NASA is $1.2 billion. The spacecraft is the size of a tennis court, and is now traveling on a six year journey, going 2.2 billion miles away from us here on Earth. It will arrive at an asteroid in July, 2029, and then study its magnetic fields and chemical makeup.

Now- all of that information is WAY too complicated for me to even begin to understand. I can barely process the fact that the rocket lifted off successfully and left Earth’s atmosphere, let alone the fact that we sent something to land on an asteroid billions of miles away.

But the point I’m making here today is about the journey - the voyage itself. We are voyagers… we always have been, and we always will be. As humans, we will always be looking out at the horizon, and wonder what is beyond it. This mission acts upon that belief. And I can’t help but do some dreaming of my own today...

About what life will be like when that spacecraft makes it to its destination?
Where will we all be?
What will we be doing?
What dreams - that we have today - will we have made come true?
What will we still be dreaming about - six years from now?

In this video, I invite you to add your dream, or dreams, into the comment section down below. I told you my own dreams in the video, and I’d love for you to share yours with me, and with the rest of all the dreamers out there. Think of it as sort of a form of ‘accountability’ or a declaration of sorts. There is definitely power in writing down your thoughts. So go ahead and let me know what a dream of yours is that you hope to have accomplished by the time this spacecraft meets up with the asteroid 2.2 billion miles from now, and six years from now. We can all work on our dreams together, and let’s meet up on the flip side once again.

I’m going to check back on this video six years from now, and let’s see what we’ve dreamed along the way together. So today, I want you to dream - dream loud, dream hard, and dream proud. I am proud of you, and you should be proud of you too.

Love ya!
Christine

Mickler’s Landing is a public beach access located in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. At the intersection of A1A and Ponte Vedra Boulevard, there are bathrooms and showers on site, and this beach access is handicap accessible as well. Mickler’s Beach, as it’s also known, is an extremely popular spot to soak in the sun while in the greater Jacksonville area. Especially during the summer time, and weekends, Mickler’s Landing’s fairly small parking lot can be constantly full, with cars waiting in que to park, and a backup on the roadway. There are now lots across the main intersection that charge to park to help in the need for extra parking spaces.

Mickler’s Landing is also a known shark tooth hunting spot. So while you may be looking out at the horizon line when you’re here, be sure to look down into the sand as well. You never know what kind of treasures you may find.

Filmed LIVE on Wednesday, October 18, 2023.
Livestream number 15.
#micklerslanding #pontevedrabeach #florida

Ron On The Go:
https://www.youtube.com/@RONONTHEGO
About the mission launch:
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/10/13/watch-spacex-falcon-heavy-launch-nasa-psyche-asteroid-mission.html
About the mission:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaizD3e--h8
___

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9/12/2023 0 Comments

119) This Is How I Am Comfortable Talking To The Camera! I Put The Camera In My Face & I Talk To It.

Celebrating My 100th YouTube Video!!!

Hey Dreamers!!

You There!

Don’t Stop!
Don’t Quit Now!
If you’re a new content creator on YouTube… Or - Maybe you haven’t even started your channel yet? All because you lack confidence or comfort in talking to the camera…? Watch this video - to see how I handle the camera being in my face. This is my 100th video upload on my YouTube Channel (Christine's Floridian Dreams) and I made this video to celebrate that special milestone. Thank you so much for dreaming along side me in this wild and crazy life.

But mostly, I made this video because I hope this can help you in any way as you pursue the dreams of your own YouTube content creator journey. Or, just to help you get out there and live the life of your dreams - each and every single day. And then - do it all over again tomorrow. If you’ve got dreams, it’s up to YOU to make them come true, and no one else. So pick up that camera - and hit record. You have a story to share with the world! For goodness sakes, TELL US!

Love you, Christine

P.S. Let me know how your dreams of talking to the camera are going? I would absolutely love to know… What stage of content creating are you in? How do you overcome the fear, anxiety, or awkwardness you may feel when attempting to talk to the camera? And what about all the rest of your dreams? Are you pursuing them each and every single day? Share with me in the comments… I’d love to know!

This was filmed on Tuesday, September 5, 2023 in Jacksonville Beach, Florida.
Video 100.

Places I went in this video:

Sneakers Sports Grille (phenomenal food, by the way!)
111 Beach Blvd. Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250

&

Whit’s Frozen Custard (my favorite ice cream shop in Jacksonville Beach!)
1232 Beach Blvd.
Jacksonville Beach, 32250

#talktocamera #motivation #contentcreator
___

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9/2/2023 0 Comments

118) Singing TO the Angels - MY REACTION to Jimmy Buffett's Passing

These Are My Dreams - and JIMMY is a part of them.

Dear Jimmy,

Can I call you that? I feel like we’re on a first name basis…

You see, I’ve been to Margaritaville a time or two. And Jimmy, you were there with me every time… even if you didn’t know it.

Gosh, Jimmy, this one hits hard. Real hard. Because - Just like millions of folks, I woke up to the news… that you're gone. You’ve left us. I Truly Was Shocked. I didn't even know you were ill, and then I got the news via a text this morning from my Mom.

Usually, when I hear news of a celebrity death, the news hits me just like any other piece of news… A little distant… and a bit far from home. Maybe a prayer, and a well wish to the family, deep in my heart, and no one, but me, knows what I wished. Or what I prayed, as that individual goes to Heaven. But Jimmy - your news hit me differently… Much different.

Because, you see, I found my lost shaker of salt a very long time ago.

And how come you never told us you were sick? I know, I know, you kept it private for a reason. You really didn’t want your Parrotheads to worry about you. Because - worry - really is not part of the Margarataville state of mind, is it?

So, Immediately upon hearing the news, flashes of Margaritaville went through my head, and flew right into my heart…

And I was right in the middle of all of my dreams…
And I could taste that infamous cheeseburger…
And I could visibly see that bottle of Heinz 57.
And I went further away, deep into my dreams, and I thought of how much you have meant to me.

Because -
All through the years…
As I grew up…
And as life got hard…
And living got even harder…
And I grew older…
And hopefully a little bit wiser…
And never even just a little bit wealthier…

You were always there for me. During all the hard times. In the back of my mind. And always in my heart. It’s actually MIND BLOWING to me how many of your hotels we have been to, including my dogs! And how many of your restaurants we’ve been to. And how much of your good food we have enjoyed. And HOW many memories that me and my family HAVE that YOU have been a part of. You don’t know any of that. And SO, I thank you today. And I will miss you always. And it’s up to us now. Your devoted fans and Parrottheads. To keep living life even just a little bit differently than the rest of the world. To live a little bit loose. And maybe just a little bit more carefree. Maybe just because if we couldn’t laugh, we’d all go just a little bit insane.

So even if people laugh AT me.
And Even if I’m the joke.
It’s all ok.
Because I’ve already changed my Latitude.
Which did help change my Attitude.

Because Mother Ocean called to me many years ago now.
And Because I’ve been on that 7 Mile Bridge.
And I’ve sat at the end of the world.
And I’ve felt that salty air on my skin.
And I’ve breathed in those Heavenly Mallory Square sunsets.
And in my dreams I HAVE sailed away.

And I truly do know exactly where Margaritaville is located.
And I’m more than happy to post the address directly in the comments section down below.

Because I don’t want to take life too seriously.
And because I hope others do the same.

Because as life gets more conventional every day…
And modern living gets more serious every waking morning…

Here’s to hoping you’re not one of the last of your kind…

You were that constant reminder in the back of my heart, to continue being somewhat unconventional, because that’s me and who I really am.

So with that news of your passing, my heart aches today. And I do wish you well. And your family is in my prayers. And you are in all my thoughts. But maybe I don’t need to pray for YOU right now..

Because as when most people go to Heaven, I know they are up there where they Angels are singing…

Your trip to Heaven means something a little bit different… It’s what I’d call a Sail Away Party that’s a bit more unconventional…

Because as you arrived in Heaven -

Which is right where you should be -

The angels are not singing TO you -

I know YOU are singing to the angels tonight. You’re putting on a free show. The best concert the Heavens have ever seen. And they are lucky to have you there. And your song is on repeat. And the drinks are ever-flowing. And the rims are salty. And someday, the rest of us will be there, with you, wasting away in that Heavenly sunshine. And no longer searching… ~

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11/26/2021 0 Comments

114) Foundation of Faith

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8/31/2021 0 Comments

112) August 31, 2021

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5/11/2021 0 Comments

107) 4 Years Killing It

~ Celebrating Four Whopping Years Out Of Rehab ~

Wow.

Today I’m celebrating four years of life.

I may be 40 years old, but these last four years are what today is all about.

May 11th is the anniversary of my discharge from Mayo Clinic’s Pain Rehabilitation Center - located in Jacksonville, Florida. Today... marking four years out. Four times three hundred and sixty five whopping days. Each and every single day being counted and tallied. All adding up to - four years strong - and four years of absolutely killing it at life.

You don’t get to that numerical tally by simply blinking and repeating. Or taking a breath in, and a breath out, over and over again. But then again… you actually, and really, do.

I would not be the happy, content, at-peace-with-the-world, and God loving person that I am right now and today, if it wasn’t for Mayo, and my time spent there. Because while God saved my life, Mayo Clinic helped give me the momentum to keep going after that.

And I’ve rambled on about Mayo in the past quite a few times, so you can go ahead and check all of that out below, if you’re interested in learning more about my experiences at the Clinic:

Christine’s Floridian Dreams: ABOUT
Bean’s Library
#34) Merry Christmas ~ And How To Buy For That Person On Your List Who Saved Your Life ~
#65) The Sea Life ~ Happy Easter

The above articles delve a little bit deeper on how I came to be a patient at Mayo Clinic, my experiences traveling from Chicago, Illinois up to Rochester, Minnesota for treatment, and all the way to my new and fabulous life in Jacksonville, Florida. Plus, why my long and challenging month at Pain Rehab changed my life, and continues to change me - to this day.

So today, I wanted to pull your attention to what I view and believe, very strongly, are the tools and virtues necessary for living a fruitful and rewarding life with chronic pain. Because, four years later, it’s not just a snap of the fingers and life is amazing - it requires work - constant work - every single day. And one needs tools in order to do this work. So - here are the most vital tools I deem imperative toward continued success and maintenance after leaving rehab:

[ Plan ]

I plan. And I plan for everything. I plan my day. I plan my week. I plan my next two weeks out, and I strategically and creatively title that plan - “My Two Week Plan.” I plan the month. I plan the year. And, most importantly, I also plan for all these things to NOT go according to this plan.

But, at the same time I do all of this plotting and planning and scheming and theorizing... I simply live for today. (And, if that sentence makes any sense to you, please let me know.)

[ Purpose ]

I live. And I live now. I don’t wait to live. And I don’t count on tomorrow (even though I plan for it).

I wear my favorite clothes today (and I don’t save them for a better outing). I burn my favorite candles (and I don’t save them for only when guests come over). I sign up for the class I’ve been aching to take. I paint on all my canvases. I purchase tickets to my favorite play. I buy my coffee on the outside (as Jerry Seinfeld once said). I go to museums. I try all the newest restaurants. I create every single day - and not merely when I have time. I read all the books - of all kinds. I travel. I explore. I look up at the sky - and not down at my phone. I drive with the windows down. And I say hello to strangers, all the time. I know exactly why I am here and exactly what I am supposed to do. And I do it. Now. And I don’t save any of it for the unknown future.

Ahhhh, the unknown future. The future on a distant horizon we cannot possibly yet imagine. That brings me straight on up to my next tool.

[ Perseverance ]

There’s a reason the Mars Rover of 2020 was named Perseverance. My goodness! Can you even imagine the amazing journey that darn little robotic thing went on to get where it is right now?

Mars!... Freaking Mars! Do you really even realize how far away Mars really is from us here on Earth? Enough ‘really’s’ already. Without perseverance, there would literally, and really, be zero evidence of humanity on Mars. Or should I say - evidence of Earthlings on Mars. And that’s because the road to Mars is not paved and narrow. There is no defined route to arriving on the Red Planet. We’re making this all up as we go. It’s all foreign territory. And it’s scary. But thrilling. This - this feat - never accomplished before - landing humans on Mars. Who on God's green Earth knows when this will happen? It could take a number of years - a tally of days - a number and amount of time beyond our comprehension right now. And - It will take determination. It will take struggle, and challenges we possibly cannot yet even imagine.. It will take sacrifice. It will take discipline. And it most certainly will take - perseverance.

To persevere, means to struggle. To persevere, means to keep going. To persevere, means to face adversity, challenge, pain, hardship, and loss... and to keep going away. To persevere means you know how far away the future is, and to continue onward anway. To persevere, means it’s ok to fail. To persevere, simply means to get back up and try again.

So, while I plan for the future... And I live life for today… And if at first I don’t succeed, I try, try, again. This fact brings me to my final bullet point of today’s discussion - Patience.

Yes, I live in the moment, while at the same time... I have to have the patience of a freaking saint.

[ Patience ]

The single most important factor to making it through one thousand four hundred and sixty days of life outside of rehab. Without patience, I wouldn’t be writing this today. Without patience, I would not be celebrating four years strong. Without patience, I would have zero creativity. Without patience, I would be suffering. I’d be pacing, and agonizing, and wondering when in the freaking heck is all of this pain ever really going to go away?... Really.

Without patience, I would not be alive.

There’s a real and solid reason why there is a saying on this Earth that goes a little something like this:

Patience Is A Virtue.

That’s because it really and truly is.

Patience is NOT the most popular kid in school. People tend to not like Patience. And actually, people tend to despise Patience. Patience is continuously, and unrelentlessly, teased and taunted and bullied. And sadly, Patience gets tortured every single gosh darn day, somewhere on this planet.

Yes, Patience is really hard to live with.

But Patience is Required for Success.

So if you really want to succeed at whatever your goal is, I’d say to simply suck it up, buttercup... And to welcome some good, old-fashioned Patience into your new and modern life. Become friends with Patience. Actually, I'd even go so far as to say to make Patience your very best friend in life... Yeah, Patience is really that important.

So while everyone else is beating up Patience in the back alley around the corner from the school yard… YOU - you there, you go ahead and save Patience from that beating. Drag Patience out of the alleyway. And usher Patience straight on into the nurse's office for a solid checkup and mending and a bag of ice to go home with.

Then, take Patience home with you. Serve Patience a plate of cookies and milk - almond milk - not cows milk. And ask your mother if Patience can sleep over. Watch your favorite movie with Patience. And then, go ahead and watch a film that Patience likes, that you happen to utterly and totally despise. But suck it up and have some darn patience already. Humor Patience, and watch the movie anyway. You’ll be best friends in no time. Gosh, and at that exact point - Patience will really and truly love you back, too.

If you can learn the value of patience, you can learn the secret to life. If you can learn the virtue of patience, you will be exactly where you are meant to be. If you can simply have patience, there is nothing that you cannot do in this world.

But gosh, golly, oh jeaz - there is most definitely a secret to being patient - and that is this. if you can accept patience, you can accept your pain. Your struggles, your misfortunes. Your annoyances. Your anger, temper, and all your irritations. Your mind - arguing with itself. Your heading - spinning. Your every breath you take. You can then handle the deck of cards you’ve been dealt. You will learn from this adversity. And that experience will build momentum, and carry you forward, through time. Yes, if you can accept and welcome patience into your life, you’ll be killing it at life too. Because, without patience, you’ll really never know or even possibly imagine where you will be... four years from now.~

*Editorial Note & Disclaimer:

All views, opinions, and statements herein are my own. I am not a doctor. I am not trying to save you, and I cannot make your pain go away. I am merely detailing to you my own personal opinions and experiences with the Mayo Clinic as a patient. Each person is unique, and what works for one, will not work for all. I share my story in hopes it will reach someone who may need to hear or see just these exact words at this exact time to push them to get the help they need… right freaking now. Because - sometimes saving yourself, is allowing others to help you save you. If you are in chronic pain, struggling, or severely depressed, I would highly recommend calling the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida to explore treatment options. Their phone number is 904.953.2000.

Author:

Christine Pieper is an Artist, Lifestyle Blogger and Vlogger - living, writing, painting, and filming in Jacksonville, Florida, with her hubby and nine year old puppy. She made a major life change in 2017 by uprooting and moving from Illinois to the Sunshine State, and has been living her best life in Florida since - detailing all her many and varied adventures living and traveling the Deep South to share with you here. Her mission is to help you live YOUR best life - by getting out there, going for it, and making that big change you always dreamed of. Christine will inspire you to get over yourself, show up for yourself, and get out of your own way. The only one stopping you - is YOU.

*To catch all of Christine’s Floridian Dreams, just bookmark this site, and check out her YouTube Channel while you’re at it - why don’t ya?

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