Slow Down & Give Thanks || 11.24.14

|| Time for Thanks & Giving ||

Down to the hours before I board a plane and begin a 4 day break much needed during this hectic holiday time. I can't believe last week happened so quickly, though time did offer me space to get the things I needed done. Thank goodness! Tomorrow, I'm looking forward to grabbing my borrowed carry-on, zipping up my ankle boots, and taking my time walking in the airport before parking my bottom next to a stranger on a packed plane and starting conversation -- I meet the nicest people on airplanes. With tests done, projects created, and artwork mastered (for the most part), I feel like my mind and body are begging for some relaxation. Headed your way is a holiday survival guide fit for Thanksgiving that I plan on putting to good use this week. I spent the weekend getting caught up, a mix between stress and ease, so it really is time for a slow down.

What is everyone up to this season? Any fun Thanksgiving traditions? Each one of my holidays have been so different from the last that I couldn't pin point a tradition if I tried. I'd love to hear all about your rituals.

Anyone staying mindful lately? Especially now, we need to remember all that we can give thanks for in our lives. ||Challenge|| Now more than ever is our time to be grateful, so write down, think aloud, or imagine the beautiful facets of our lives for which we can give thanks. I'd love it if you would share with me some of your thoughts.
I'd love to hear how you all are doing. How was everyone's weekend?

|| GRATITUDE ||

I am grateful for having a body that moves and a brain that works.

I am grateful for accomplishing tasks on my to-do list.

I am grateful for upcoming family time.

I am grateful for yoga.

I am grateful for meditation and a gentle reminder to be quiet and listen.

I am grateful for being a constant student in this class called life.

I am grateful for everyone in my life, good and bad, who teach me the lessons I most need to learn.

I am grateful for love and passion, hope and expectation, breath and laughter.

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What are you grateful for?

xxoo

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A Stepping Stone to all that is Good || 11.19.14

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This was originally posted to There's Beauty in Recovery last week... jump through to the site at the end of the excerpt to read more...

... Because it’s okay if something doesn’t work the first time. It is okay when goals are met with a little obstacle. Our heart blossoms each time we shout to the full moon of our worthiness, of our desire to be alive, of our beating chests ready to take on whatever is next. So I went back to the drawing boards, more like my place of meditation, and sat long and hard about what I needed to feel larger than life and in love with myself. I’ve created a little manifesto of self-love. Something a little easier this time – a stepping stone to all that is good ... [keep reading]

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Have you ever failed at something? How did you handle and react to the situation?

xx

[look! those are my words placed beautifully by Liza Rae from There's Beauty in Recovery -- green link on the sidebar]

|| The Mermaids Mantra || 11.18.14

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"I must be a mermaid... I have no fear of depths and a great fear of shallow living." ~Anais Nin

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I have this quote hanging beside my bed as a reminder. A reminder to be myself and not settle amid the shallowness of others. A reminder to be brave and daring and willing to escape and find the depth in other humans, in animals, and in places no one has ever been before. It doesn't have to be pretty or perfect or right. It just has to be exactly what I need in that moment. I truly do have a great fear of waking up one day and regretting what I did or who I became based on timid choices I made years before. How boring would it be not to be true and authentic to myself? I think it would be terrible to wake up and keep wondering what if. What if I just did it? What if we just went on a journey. Who cares where we end up. How we tell the story is exactly how events unfolded. We can choose if something was rotten or if it was a glorious invitation to our future. Have no fear of depth.

Be adventurous. Live life expansively and lovingly and true. Be yourself.

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Plus, I've always wanted to be a mermaid. Anyone else?

 xxoo

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