I have found that hiking is one of the best forms of meditation and relaxation. It allows you to breath in the fresh air, listen to nature, feel the spirits and wind around you, and just enjoy the little things during the quiet moments of a walk outside. I love it. My goal is to continue to hike more. Hope you enjoy a hike sometime soon. It is good for the soul.
Competition. It is a word that has always been in my life because I was an active athletic girl (and now woman) who loved to compete. I loved competing in sports against myself, my peers, and rivals. Now as an adult, I realized there is still a lot of competition occurring unconsciously all around us. And definitely not just in the sports arena. I know you may think this is obvious. But I think a question we often don’t ask ourselves individually is…who are we competing against in our daily life? Our coworkers? Ourselves? Our sister? Our brother? Friends? Lover? Other family? And why are we competing? Is it all materialistic? Is it for attention? Is it to feel a certain emotion? I realized that I was competing more than I realized beyond athletic endeavors. And it was definitely not a conscious thing. And so I have challenged myself to be present, realize why I am competing and with whom? And then ask the question, is this necessary or do I need to change my …
I sometimes underestimate the power of a Sunday morning walk. I live in a city and it is the best time of the week/day to walk. The city is sleeping, you notice more of its beauty, it whispers to you as you walk…sometimes screams to you…to look at the architecture, everyone is so happy on these walks, and it is day of hope. The church bells are ringing, the sun is peaking through the clouds as the day opens up, and it is just so calm. It is a form of mediation for me. I usually do restorative yoga on Sunday evenings. If I can’t attend due to my schedule, then I always go for a Sunday morning walk. Today I went for two hours. Somedays I don’t want it to end and want the morning to stay forever so I can walk for hours. Somedays I like a companion to walk in silence with or to chat with as we see parts of the city for the first time (things we go by …
I took this picture while I was in Greece with my sister a few years back. We were walking during a quiet morning in Oai (Santorini). Not many people were out but these two women were having this quiet, sweet moment holding hands and watching the water. They stood there for quite awhile. And Nicole and I were doing the same thing when we looked over and noticed them. It made me think this will be us in our old age (god willing we live that long). It felt like such a genuine, magical, touching moment I had to capture it on camera. It reminds me how powerful and simple love and companionship can be with a sister/friend. This picture now sits in a frame on my bookshelf. And it reminds me of the importance of the love you have with a sister. My sister is my joy. My happiness. My best friend. She is my life partner who will be next to me through it all. Here on earth and beyond. She is my …
My valentine to all my loves. My family, my friends, my man, myself……. I chose love over fear. I chose to love each of you. Our two most fundamental emotions are love and fear. Fear is often the thing that prevents us from a full capacity of love. And love can shrink fear into non-existence. Love makes us move towards someone, fear makes us shrink away. My self challenge: Today (and hopefully most days) I chose love. I’m going to commit to being as fearless as I can each day. Love to all on this Valentine’s Day.
Each day I remember and try to practice balance. Some days it works out well, some days I fail. It is hard to maintain balance and not let work, duties, chores, or one part of your life outweigh the rest. It is my constant Achilles heel and my constant struggle. I realize that each day I am successful at balance, I feel more fulfilled. Even if that means forcing myself to the gym, or to visit with a friend when I’m exhausted or making dinner with my love or sleeping vs that extra hour of TV or even getting organized. Downtime is key in balance. Someone gave me advice once and I try to do it as much as possible. They said to always ensure you get at least 2 hrs. of downtime to yourself a week. Use the hours however you choose, but always find time to relax. It re-energizes you and your soul. I like to think this is separate from workouts. It is quiet time. A drive, a book, mediation, a walk….something …
“Wherever you go, go with all your heart!” Confucius (551-479 BCE) This week has reminded me how important it is to live in the moment. We only have today. Who knows about tomorrow. So I want to remind you and me to live in the moment with no regrets. Love with all your heart (Happy Valentine’s day by the way!), don’t let the worry of tomorrow ruin the present, and make sure everyone you care about knows how you feel about them. As all we know we have is today. So today, I challenge you to live in the moment. A few thoughts for today on Valentine’s Day from a book I read on a regular basis. I pull a few bullets each week to practice. The book is 1001 Ways to Live in the Moment by Barbara Ann Kipfer. I highly recommend this book!: · Forgiving soul: Some people find that forgiveness is one of the hardest qualities to summon. However, if you live truly in the present, so that the past simply falls …
This saying made me laugh and is so true. It made me want to eat a pizza too. While you can’t make everyone happy because you are not a pizza. Sometimes a pizza can make you happy! Sometimes the best medicine is just doing something simple for yourself and then everything feels better. A bath, a good movie, a glass of wine, a good night’s sleep, chocolate, and/or a pizza solves it all. I like all of them on one night when I really need an escape! Nothing too deep with this post….just simple medicine for refueling. What helps you unwind and refuel during a hectic or stressful time? Give me some ideas!!
As Carrie Bradshaw said “The most exciting, significant and challenging relationship of all is the one you have with yourself.” Take yourself out on dates no matter what you are juggling. Understanding your feelings, reactions, what you enjoy, and keeping your own identity is so important. It also makes us more interesting as people. I started doing this more when I read a book last year called the Artist Way. It is an incredible book if anyone is interested in a great read. It has been around for a while and it really is awesome. I will read it again in a year or two. It is 12 chapters and each chapter you then practice for the week (so think of it as a 12 week program almost). Early on you learn to take yourself out on artist dates and you keep those going throughout the 12 weeks. Dates just with yourself to find your creativity and in some ways who you are again. As adults, we lose our imagination, creativity and playfulness. At least …
Boundaries…..I’m learning boundaries. The ability to say No OR Yes more at work, with friends, with family, and with a love. And learning when I’m being too rigid, too flexible, too much of a push over, too accommodating, too generous, too introverted, or too lazy. It is all about boundaries. When I create them and hold myself accountable to them, my life seems to become a little easier and fulfilling. I take back my time and joy. With boundaries, I realize I can breathe, pause, and relax a bit. Try it. Set a boundary. Stick to it for a week and see how your life changes. It can be as simple as saying no to the TV show in order to take a long hot bath with a good book, glass of wine, or magazine OR to get an extra hour of sleep. You will feel better and more relaxed. Draw a line in the sand.
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