Weekend

Be on the lookout for things

that fuel your gratitude.

Worries can be potent and mind altering.

This weekend I choose not to indulge in them at all.

" I am not afraid of storms 

for I am learning to sail my ship."

~Louisa May Alcott~

xoxo

💖

 

Lately

We wore fake tats (my o came off...) munched on Swedish treats, and laughed 

at our attempts to recreate the messy bun we saw on Instagram,

she thought I was sprouting my wings. (pic)

My car has engine problems...I just purchased it in Jan. 

It's towed to Ford.

I'm dealing with some things I don't want to deal with anymore.

My life is filled with struggles and blessings.

Mostly blessings.

Some words of wisdom from my peeps:

" Don't sacrifice who you could be for who you are."

" Your feelings are not here to hurt you, they are here to heal you."

" Obstacles are opportunities."

" The line between chaos and order is wisdom."

"Stand up straight with your shoulders back!"

"Play the hand your dealt the best you can."

"You are more than you think you are."

"Let fear push you, not stop you !"

"Life is a struggle. Do you want to waste it and struggle?

Or live it and struggle?"

My thoughts:

Honor life. Honor God. Honor myself.

He takes my moments of defeat and teaches me something that will help me later on.

Self-pity is a habit. One I want to break.

I am at a major crossroads in life.  I have been devoted,

honest, and have tried my hardest to do my best in a situation.

God knows, I absolutely, positively have done all I am capable of doing,

even at the expense of my own well being.

It's out of my hands, and I surrender it into His.

xoxo

💗

' He brought me up out of the pit of destruction

and set my feet upon a rock.'

 

Discontent

In the midst of my discontent,

  a random invite to join sister-friend & her hubby for church,

a morning greeting from Ohio pops up on the phone,

an Oriole lands on the feeder,

 and my fur-kids lay scattered at my feet.

Grateful for those little nuggets today.

"If today gets difficult, remember the smell of coffee,

the way sunlight bounces off a window,

the sound of your favorite person's laugh,

the feeling when a song you love comes on,

the color of the sky at dusk,

and that we are here to take care of each other."

xoxo

💞

 

Ritual

There is comfort in the little routines that dwell here,

they keep me grounded.

"Hygge happens when we commit to the pleasure

of the present moment in it's simplicity.

It's there in the things we do that give every day life

value and meaning, that comfort us, make us feel at home,

rooted and generous."

"Ritual is the time it takes to digest the magic."

xoxo

💖

 

Meditation

Inching out the weeds, old pup at my side, 

I thought I'd dread an afternoon of weeding,

instead it turns out it was a great way to meditate.

" Quiet contemplation allows you to connect with yourself,

To remember who you are when the day is done,

to ground down and breathe deeply."

" I am at a place in my life where peace is a priority.

I make deliberate life choices to protect my mental,

emotional, and spiritual state."

"On the other side of a challenge 

there is a great reward.

Keep going"

xoxo

💖

 

Fika

I made Kokostoppars and she brought the coffee.

There was a lot of catching up, a few tears,

then we cranked up AC/DC and danced uncontrolled & laughed

all the funk away. 

Quote nugget:

"If you are courageous enough to be yourself

in a world filled with the expectations of others,

you will live a life with more joy,

pleasure, and contentment 

(and a hell of a lot less regret)."

xoxo

💖

 

Homegirl

Today I'm a homegirl. Content with a cup of tea, my kiddo dropping in,

the rain moving in, a breeze on the front porch, 

a good book with a side of old friends.

Here's the quote from my course the other day:

"There is a line I have drawn over which I do not allow others to cross.

This line ensures me my uniqueness, autonomy and privacy.

I am able to be me the way I really am rather than the way

people want me to be by drawing this line.

By This line I let others know:

this is who I am and where I begin and you end:

this is who you are and where you begin and I end;

we will never cross over this line 

so that we can maintain a healthy relationship with one another."

~Lance Armstrong's Live Strong~

A little side note: I don't know how it happened that 

I really never knew about boundaries, except what I have learned for my profession.

  This last year they have been a thing.

  " ...how well or how poorly you regulate you

relationship with yourself"

Geez....I didn't even know having a relationship with myself

was a thing!

If you want to learn more about Boundaries too,

here are 

some great books that I've read:

Boundary Boss by Terri Cole (fav.)

How to Establish Boundaries by Patrick King

The Boundary is You by Chany G. Rosengarten

xoxo

💖

Accomplishment

I rocked a continuing ed. exam on Integrate Body, Mind and Spirit.

Turned on the A/C for the first time. 

I can breathe a little easier now.

Turned out there were some nice little quotes tucked into my course,

I'll share just a few:

" Smile, breath and go slowly-"

~Thich Nhat Hanh~

" Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries.

Without them humanity can not survive."

~Dalai Lama~

"Happiness is not exclusively brought about by change

in outer circumstances.

Happiness often starts with the act 

of releasing attachment to thoughts."

" It's not a matter of letting go-

you would if you could.

Instead of 'Let it go' we should probably say

'Let it be' ."

~ Dr. John Kabat-Zinn~

" If it is not right, do not do it.

If it's not true, do not say it."

~Marcus Aurelius~

" The meaning of good and bad,

of better and worse,

is simply helping or hurting."

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Love is at the root of what makes us sick, and what makes us well,

what causes sadness and what brings happiness,

what makes us suffer and what leads us to healing."

~Dr. Ornish

" Movement is a medicine for creating change in a person's

physical, emotional and mental states".

~Carol Welch~

"Intellectuals solve problems;

geniuses prevent them."

~Albert Einstein

And then there was one on Boundaries.

I think I'll save that for my next post. 

xoxo

💖

 

Slow

I thought it would be a treat to relax for a while, 

being sickly wasn't exactly what I conjured up in my mind.

How fitting my word for the year (surrender) has been.

" The more you try to control something,

the more it controls you.

Free yourself and let things take

their own natural course."

xoxo

💖

 

Sunshine

Stepping outside after a few rainy days,

the sun starting to shine through,

and watching the cubs come out to play.

"My life isn't perfect, but it does have perfect moments."

xoxo

💖

Orioles

It started as only two pair, then four pair, and now there are over ten.

They consumed sixty-four ounces of grape jelly today.

Quote that fits my thoughts:

"Here's the moments

 when you realize the simple things

are wonderful

and enough"

xoxo

💖