How Thoughts Shape Our Lives, Ep. 1

Mama

Hey y’all, welcome to my podcast called Heart-to-Heart with Mama. I’m just sittin’ here on my porch—got my coffee, watchin’ the sun rise over the pasture. For those of you who don’t know me yet, I’m Mama, and I spend most my days on a little patch of land in Washington raisin’ bees, horses, and a mess of chickens that are bossier than I am. I’ll tell ya, you live out here long enough, you start noticin’ how your mind can be a louder neighbor than any rooster. Now, I’ve got a few decades under my belt—enough to earn the gray in my hair and my PhD, which honestly, the cows couldn’t care less about.

Mama

I wanna kick things off today talkin’ about this idea that’s stuck with me like honey on a biscuit: what you focus on, grows. I mean, if you tend to your roses, guess what blooms? Roses. But if you’re always frettin’ about weeds, soon enough, all you’re gonna notice is the thistles pokin’ up everywhere—ain’t that the truth? That’s just the starter dough for the old saying, “Thoughts become things.” If you wake up thinkin’ your day’s gonna be a mess, you might just find you’re right.

Mama

I gotta tell you this—there was a time I almost gave up on the whole beekeepin’ thing. It’s not all honey and sunshine, let me tell you. I lost 2 hives that spring, and boy, I was ready to throw my veil in the creek. But somethin’ in me said, “Hold on now, Mama. What if you looked for what you could learn from this?” Sure enough, turned that thinking around, and next season not only did my bees pull through, but I found joy in that work again. That shift in my mind turned my whole outlook—and the bees, they must’ve felt it too, ‘cause I’ve never seen ‘em so happy.

Mama

You know, thoughts are like seeds—plant ‘em deep enough and before you know it, they’re runnin’ the show. I see it every day: when you chew on the same old idea, good or bad, it’s like you’re rollin’ out a welcome mat for more of the same. Take, for example, washday on the farm. It’s real easy to grumble about haulin’ heavy wet horse blankets to the line for drying, but if I put on some music and think about how good that sun’s gonna feel on my body while I am outside, shoot, even chores get to feelin’ lighter. On the flip side, if I wake up dwellin’ on what might go wrong—one mean chicken, one flat tire—it’s like the whole world gets heavier, right on my shoulders.

Mama

Let me ask you—can you remember a time you changed your whole experience just by how you were thinkin’? I mean, for me, there was this wild thunderstorm—I’m talkin’ sideways rain, thunder that rattled the windows. I was out driving the horses around the property when it rolled in all of a sudden. I had to drive my draft horses back to the barn, and let me tell ya, I was spooked. But I told myself, “Mama, you’ve handled worse storms and so have these horses.” That calm steadied me, and pretty soon, they were calm too. Sometimes, the weather outside’s wild, but the wildest weather’s in our minds; change that forecast and everything looks different.

Mama

So, how do you take hold of those thoughts and turn ‘em into something good? Well, here’s what’s worked for me. Every mornin’, before the rooster even thinks about crowin’, I set an intention—just a simple thought like, “Today, I’m lookin’ for little joys,” or “I’m choosin’ patience, even for the stubborn cows.” And here’s a trick—when a negative thought starts movin’ in like an unwanted guest, I picture myself changin’ the channel, just like on the TV. You don’t like the movie? Well honey, ain’t nobody makin’ you watch it. Flip on somethin’ better. Little shifts like that—they matter.

Mama

I know it sounds simple, but it takes practice. When I catch myself spiralin’ (and believe me, it happens), I take a deep breath and try for one good thought—sometimes out loud, just to make sure I hear myself. And I’ll leave you with this bit of Mama's wisdom: if you don’t like where your mind keeps wanderin’, give it a map to something kinder. I remember I had a friend try this when she wanted to rebuild her relationship with her sister, just by changin’ her story from “we always fight” to “maybe this time we’ll listen.” Low and behold, with time things started mendin’ from there. So, remember, you got more power than you think over the stories you tell yourself.

Mama

Y’all, that’s about all I’ve got for today. Remember, your thoughts plant tomorrow’s garden, so sow some good ones. Thank y’all for spendin’ a little time with me—until next time, keep your hearts open and your minds tended. You hear what Mama said, now?! I love you, bye.