I was talking with a friend the other day when he made a comment about going to the gym that evening. “Oh Geez! The gym is going to be PACKED tonight!” he said with a look of disgust on his face. His anticipation was of the droves of people who show up at the gym on the first day of the year (every year) to get going on their New Year Resolution of exercising more, losing weight, getting fit...
We live in a strange world at a curious time. There are shifts happening all around us. New paradigms and a new consciousness dawning. Yes, we all know that change is the only constant. Blah blah blah. But how do you navigate ALL the changes when they come at once? Or when a change seems so monumental you just don't know how you'll survive it? A large part of successfully managing big change in life is learning how to be OK with the "not knowing". Easier said than done, right? Tony Robbins says "The quality of your life is in direct proportion to the amount of uncertainty you can comfortably deal with." Here are my 5 Tips to help you ride the wave of change: 1) First of all,...
My cousin Cindy died last night. The cancer came in and polluted her body and it was more than she could survive. She is in peace now. She is my age. I find myself with a different perspective on death and dying than it seems most people have. There is a lot of talk about how it shouldn’t have happened and about how sad it is. I try and try to find the sadness and it doesn’t come. I had the same experience several years ago when my sister-in-law died and last year when my grandpa died. It creates a challenge for me when choosing how to communicate with family and friends. There are socially acceptable things that people say when someone passes. “I’m sorry.” “It’s so sad.” “Poor _______.” “They...
Yeah, the Beatles song is trailing through my head right now. But that's not what I want to talk about. When you are struggling as a parent, no matter WHAT the situation or circumstance, ask yourself "What is my highest intention with my children?" Then, get quiet (hopefully sitting still for a few minutes) and wait for the answer. My hunch is that it will have something to do with LOVING them. Always. I believe this is one of the greatest aspirations for any parent: TO LOVE MY CHILD NO MATTER WHAT. It's not so easy at times! This is just a reminder to ask what LOVE would do, when you feel yourself spinning out of control. Then, do that. Even if it contradicts what you did 2 minutes...
This was a powerful experience I had a couple of months ago with my children. I wrote about it in my journal but haven't shared it. Till now ;) It is a beautiful example of how our kids can be our greatest teachers. Enjoy! I fell asleep in Matthew’s bed. After a short time, I thought he was shaking his leg and the bed was moving. I woke up and decided that he wasn’t going to sleep, so I got up and left his room. Just then, Mandie came out of her room and followed me downstairs and asked if I had felt the earthquake. I realized that Matthew WAS asleep and that the earthquake had awakened me. I have always been terrified of earthquakes, ever since I...
This is a POWERFUL message about parenting with true UNCONDITIONAL LOVE. I just had to share it with you. It's so worth the 23 minutes it takes to watch it. Grab a cup of tea and settle in for a treat. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EVEmZ2c_es Please let me know your thoughts <3...
"It all works out in the end. If it isn't worked out, it isn't the end." ~Unknown This has come up for me several times lately and I wanted to share it. It has been my mantra for many days when I felt the heaviness of life upon me. I completely believe this to be true. I believe that we live in a friendly universe and that we are being supported and held in love at all times, even when, perhaps especially when, we feel overwhelmed and/or out of control. What does this mean to you? I'd love to hear your interpretation. Please share in the comment section below. And remember to KEEP BREATHING. With LOVE <3...
I've been grieving. My marriage of more than 15 years is over. I am learning what it is to fall apart and face a blank slate with choices and fears and dreams. It is miserable and magical. (credit T Swizzle ;)) And I'm doing it with my kids. So many lessons are being learned, about life, love, responsibility, self, expectation, forgiveness. Much is so raw right now that it's challenging to frame it all in a neat piece of writing. For now, I'm going to share a poem that I wrote yesterday just upon waking in the morning. The words were there as I came out of sleep and I followed the simple directions and wrote them down. Little did I know that it would...
I am so sick of all the ‘rules’ that we think we must live by. Eat this. Don’t eat that. Do this to be happy. You must be thin. You must be popular. You must be smart, sexy, important, wealthy, NORMAL, happy, strong, successful, understanding, nice to others, at peace, on time, clean, polite, and make everyone else around you happy, too. Don’t forget to get enough sleep, exercise, always do your best, use your blinker, be patient, LOVE everyone and always always always honor your commitments! WAIT!! You still need a good tan, to fix what is “wrong” in your family, help others, save money, be responsible, and do the RIGHT THING!!! Truly, the list of THINGS WE MUST DO goes ON AND ON AND...
Let me warn you! My ideas about school and education are anything but conventional...