All posts filed under: Refueling Soul

I am thankful I have a cup

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As we enter Thanksgiving, I am hoping you and I remember how lucky we are. Not matter what is going on, we are given the gift to wake up in the morning and start again. And every morning is a new opportunity. “Gratitude helps us see what is there instead of what isn’t.”– Anonymous I love this quote. I read a book recently on how you can think about everything you don’t have or be upset with your friend or partner for everything they are not doing. Verses understanding how you view the situation is as much of a problem as they are (if not more). They are human and have their own internal and external struggles. Focus on being thankful they are in your life and the wonderful things you love about them and your frustration vs gratitude/appreciation balance completely changes. Sometimes we focus on what we don’t have and let competition, jealousy, a future desire outweigh what we have today. If you have a few friends, food on your table, and  roof over …

Refuel: Moving past the election

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I am struggling, admittedly. I am struggling to escape social media, the news, fear, ignorance, and the balance of not putting my head in the sand vs. not being so angry that is ruins relationships.  Trying to unite us yet make it clear I do not believe in hateful words spoken by our next president.  I go from being fucking pissed off, to being accepting, to being hopeful, to being scared, to being exhausted….and then wanting things to go back to normal. As I have written many times, it is all about balance and perspective. So, I do believe that time will answer a lot of the questions. Yet, I don’t know how to balance this with a need to act in some way. I have people I care about that voted for Trump (and Clinton). And while I love those individuals and I don’t think you are racist…..it is hard for me to imagine anyone ignoring such hateful words in order to see a different America. I have so many questions yet I don’t …

Showing Up….

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As I was on my long hike in the woods today….I was thinking about how often we just don’t show up in our day. We are preoccupied with tomorrow or focused on something in the future. I read a great quote this morning as I started my day that got me thinking while I hiked (are you hiking in Hiketober by the way?!!) “It is one of the saddest facts of human nature that we commonly only learn their value by their loss….There are times in the lives of most of us when we would have given all the world to be as we were but yesterday, though that yesterday had passed over us unappreciated and unenjoyed.”- Williams Edward Hartpole Lecky I loved this quote because it is so true. How often we have regrets or miss something from the past, yet while in that moment, we didn’t fully appreciate or enjoy it. And this really applies to anything in our life. For example, our weight. We are always worried about weighing less verse appreciating …

Through our eyes….

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I love this quote. I found it during a time I was feeling particularly down on what I was looking like. I have gained a few pounds over the summer, my clothes weren’t fitting quite right, and I was just not feeling pretty. We all have those moments. Some more than others. And there is SO much pressure to look a certain way. Social media and filters on our phones make it worse. And lots of articles have been written on this pressure.  What is beauty? And who gets to define it? But I also noticed as I was feeling down on my looks and after reading this quote that I when I check a woman or man out on the street I’m looking at them for all sorts of reasons…sometimes it is purely about their fashion or body shape, but it also about their body language, their mannerisms, sometimes I am trying to figure out what kind of person on they are, or simply I’m staring right through them in a middle of a …

The little moments

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After being away from blogging for a two months…I’m back. I took some time to disconnect. Today I start back after a wonderful weekend with my Dad. We didn’t do anything too big but just enjoyed each other’s company. And as we both get older, I am learning to enjoy every little moment together. Tomorrow anyone one of us could be gone from earth. And I want to make sure I don’t lose sight of every precious moment. We were driving home from church today and we started talking about how precious life is and how little time we actually get to really just enjoy moments with family. We are spread out across many different states (and countries!) and I start to realize how those moments when we talk on the phone each day really matter a ton. And how disengaging for a few minutes is so important to really listen to the other person on the line. Since we don’t live super close, when we are together, it is so important to be present. …

The constant desire to want more….

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So much of our life we are wanting more. Whether it is to lose 10lbs, be single, not be single, marry, divorce, kids, no kids, kids to grow up so that you have some freedom again, kids to not grow up because it is going too fast, new job, more money, more vacations, less or more from a partner, etc. And we look at facebook and instagram and read about celebrities and wish for something we don’t have. We play the lottery in hopes it will make our life better. We are envious of someone else’s life in some way and we are always planning ahead on what else we want to achieve. If we move it will be better, if we make more money it will be better, if I buy that dress or go on that vacation it will relieve my stress, etc. We all do it. It is human nature. So as I was writing and journaling this week, I came across two quotes. Both I thought were so powerful and so …

Perspective

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With so much going in the world ….it is still hard to keep perspective sometime. You forgot how lucky you are by having some of the basics- a job, your health, a family, your life, a safe home to go back to,  etc. Most of us usually have most of the basics. Yet we get so caught up in all the day to day stress. I worked a long intense day. I was really excited to get home to eat and work out. I have gained a few pounds lately and needed to get my act together and I was on a mission today. As soon as I got in the car, I hit traffic. I am very lucky to currently have a 25minute commute. Well tonight….lasted over 90minutes. Once I was rerouted several times due to blocked roads I was ready to scream with road rage. I thought it was usual DC blocked roads due to a political car brigade. However, when I finally saw what was going on, it was a 10 car …

Chapters in Life

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I loved this quote when I saw it “Do not judge my story by the chapter you walked in on.” Most days we judge a person within seconds of meeting someone. And that judgment sticks. Yet, we don’t take the time to understand who that person is beyond that moment. To understand the whole book. There is a woman who works the front desk at the condo building I live in. I see her every Saturday, she is quiet and comes across a little awkward. And I always just said hello but never talked to her. Today I walked in and asked her how her day was? First time I have ever actually asked her a question. And she had the most interesting response. She basically went on to say her son had gotten hurt this morning and she was thankful that he didn’t break his back after an ER visit. And she went on to talk about living in the moment and how your attitude and behavior makes it a good or bad day. Not …

Refuel your Body with Water Aerobics…. (Yes, I said water aerobics)…..

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Why don’t we play more as adults? It frees us to laugh, be silly,and ultimately relief some stress.  And are there some good ways to play while still getting a healthy work out? I would love some ideas.  I recently rediscovered one from my Grandma K’s bag of workout tricks. It was limited albeit but this was a good one. Water Aerobics. It is hysterical and so fun! You can dance freely under water like no one is watching (because they can’t see you). My prediction is it is the new workout wave. I love it. The older women that stereotypically do it found a hidden gem workout. If you actually work hard, it can be a good work out, plus the instructor is usually a character and the music is super fun. I laughed the entire time and got a work out in. I mean, what is not to love. And you are in the water so no one can actually see what you look like in a bathing suit or your flailing limbs …

It takes energy, generosity, gratitude and discipline to be lighthearted…

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I am doing a 5year happiness project. Each day for 5 years you write what you are thankful for each day. Just a sense of gratitude each day, as a way to remind yourself of all the reasons to be grateful. It is actually quite powerful and yet so simple. It heals and helps reduce stress. And helps keep things in perspective.  There is a good quote by Buddha “Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one which gets burned.” So instead of focusing on anger, resentment, envy, or jealousy….I am trying to focus on gratitude. And mindfulness and mediation. Some days are easier said than done. So this project each day of writing just one sentence is really helping me keep things in check.  As part of this process I am also trying to focus on treating myself like a good friend. Listen, be kind and forgive yourself and others through the process of gratitude. I am finding being more lighthearted is …