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A Scary Time!
On the Bog (with Kat, Bear, & Wogs)

scary time. positive relationships. Mary Kate Kopec. Love and Big Hugs!

A Scary Time!

It was a scary time On the Bog! Lightening struck, and thunder shook the very walls of Starry Cottage!

Dark skies roiled. Heavy rain blew and blustered, drenching everything in sight and obscuring the usually chipper sights of the Bog. All the creatures were silent and still, hiding in their homes and shelters, hoping for the storm to pass quickly.

Inside Starry Cottage with a candle lit in the window for hope and light, Kat, Bear, and Wogs huddled closely together, holding each other tight.

Kat (shuddering in response to a loud, nearby lightening strike): I’m scared.

Wogs (hugging Kat tighter and gently stroking Bear’s head for comfort): Me, too. But it’s scary outside, so that’s normal.

Kat (cuddling in closer to Wogs and petting Bear with calming love): I’m so grateful we have each other!

Wogs (loving Kat and Bear big time with gentle comforting hugs): Me, too!

Bear (loving Kat and Wogs so big and thankful for their comfort in such a scary time, snuggled deeply into Wogs lap and felt calm with Kat’s gentle touch): <3

Live an Inspired Life! Mary Kate Kopec. Love and Big Hugs!

It would be great if scary times didn’t happen, but they do. They can throw us off-center and disturb our calm. They can bring tremendous upset and upheaval. We can struggle to navigate these difficult times.

But navigate we must. One step at a time. One foot in front of the other. One breath at a time.

They help us be a little braver, be a bit calmer, and help us find the strength we need to get through the scary time with less soul scorching … less fear … an in a way that helps us feel not alone, … and simply better.

Nourishing positive relationships with others, growing love with friends and partners, and investing in meaningful connections all take time to flourish, but these bonds are gifts in our lives! They brighten our days! We have goodness to share! Support to lend! Hugs to hold us!

Together, we celebrate the good times, and comfort each other in the scary and difficult times!

Together, we make life happier, healthier, PINKer, kinder, more loving, more caring, … simply filled with more goodness!

I am filled with gratitude for this shared time with you! Thank you for being here with me as we navigate the good days and the bad days! Thank you for sharing your brightness with the world!

May any scary times you face pass quickly and without lasting debilitating impact. May you have the love and support you need to hold you, comfort you, and guide you safely back to brighter days! May you always feel my love holding your heart!

Create Positive, Functional Relationships to Cope and Heal!

Positive, functional relationships, anti-inflammation, health. Mary Kate Kopec. Love and Big Hugs.

Hello Sweet Beautiful Blossoms!

Today is sort of an impromptu post. I have lots and lots of planned posts and things to say, which I will definitely keep on writing, but for this quickie moment in time, I’m reading this incredibly helpful book called, The Body Keeps The Score. In the short of it, it’s about trauma and recovery, but in the long of it, it shares juicy, Amaze-balls insight into mental and emotional health, biology (structure & function), healing, and the healthcare system approach to treating mental and emotional challenges. … It ain’t light reading, but it’s worthy reading! So … I’m reading today … and something I read resonated SO BIG and SO DEEP I just had to share with you!!!

More to the point, it says these positive, functional relationships are critical for healing and coping.

I’m gonna paraphrase from the book here (I’m in CH 5 for those of you who are so inclined to dig into the book yourselves.):

And there’s a hair-bit more of super importance:

There are 2 main reasons why I decided to jot down my thoughts on this for you:

Throughout Covid, I’ve been forced to navigate my anxieties and fears and my increasingly complex health challenges, and as a way to navigate and cope, I:

joined a women’s circle
started doing YogaWithAdriene
invested in my mental, emotional, and physical health (a relationship I have with myself … that in all honesty covers everything I’m doing here … I have committed to myself and my wellness.)
started working with wellness and success coaches that are positive peeps for me to work with
distanced myself from toxic information
returned to therapy after 20 years
am growing my knowledge of women’s health and the effects of inflammation
adopted anti-inflammation eating and living habits

I’m taking positive actions for myself and surrounding myself with positive, functional relationships, and IT’S WORKING!!!!

As part of the above, I said I’m growing my knowledge about women’s health and the effects of inflammation … and what I’m reading in this book supports a very important aspect of being able to reduce inflammation (which, honestly, if you’re a blossom – an estrogen-producing, vagina-bearing individual [EPVBI … or some new acronym yet to be determined] … YOU MUST KNOW … you very likely have elevated inflammation … and this means, you are prone to developing a host of unfriendly health challenges … like the Big C, heart disease, stroke, etc … but more details of this are for another post … lots of them.) …

Therefore, surrounding yourself with positive, functional relationships will not only make you FEEL better in the happiness department, it will help you BE HEALTHIER in every way.

Make friends. Surround yourself with people who love and support you. Who will see and hear you for who you are. Who will connect with you.

If your current tribe is not serving you … aka supporting you … seek and build a new tribe.

That’s what I am doing, and it’s working!

It won’t happen overnight. It will take time. But you are worth it!

And that is my impromptu message of love and big hugs for you today!

Oh … I just want to add, I know this can be easier said than done … I am human after all … the challenges of first of all valuing yourself enough to commit to yourself can be a doozy, and then once you value yourself, quitting or navigating toxic relationships is hard. I know.

So what I’m saying here is LOVE YOU to Be Well. Baby steps with the big goal in mind! Start small. Remember: “Progress, Not Perfection” (Jill Stante).

Try starting with either growing a new positive, functional relationship, or by reducing time in a toxic one. And then keep loving you and moving forward!!!

And say this next Positude out loud to yourself to remind yourself … daily … frequently … as much as you need until it’s grown deep inside you with knowing:

Hope this helps! Thank you, always, for being here with me and sharing this growing time together!!!!

Big Love and Big Hugs!

Turtle Time!
On the Bog (with Kat, Bear, & Wogs)

On the Bog (with Kat, Bear, & Wogs). Mary Kate Kopec. Love and Big Hugs!

Turtle Time!

With summer quickly approaching, activity On the Bog was at an all time high! And the turtles were getting in on the action!

The blue skies were mostly clear, and the sun was bright and happy. Bug and bird life fluttered, flittered, and flew all about, buzzing and chirping, humming and tweeting, and making for a most melodious delight!

Tree canopies bubbled with leafy life and gently swayed in the comfortable, warm breeze. Wildflowers burst with color. And our adventurous trio, Kat, Bear, and Wogs, out for an afternoon walk, came upon the joyful busy of the Bog.

Tabitha, the snapping turtle, had emerged from the depths of the bog covered in algae, and was nestled into the hole she’d dug, laying her many eggs! By the middle of summer, baby snappers would be scattering about!

Tomi the Taxi, a painted turtle, was happily ferrying riders from one bog spot to another. Kat, Bear, and Wogs looked on as Tomi gave Belle a free ride … Belle and Squeech were taking turns and having fun! Tomi was cheerfully playing along with his feathery friends!

Kat (excited to see turtles, thinking they are SO cute): Ohmigosh, look! Turtles!!!!

Wogs (thinking turtles are SO cool): I see them! And look, Tomi’s playing taxi ride for the day! We should go grab our picnic gear and camp out for the afternoon!

Bear (cheerfully flicker-waving his tail at all the scurrying and flurrying and enjoying their adventurous find totally agreed with Kat and Wogs): Mrow!

Hello Beautiful Light of Love and Happiness!

Thinking of you being here with me, I’m bouncing with giddy glee! You make me smile so big, and you fill my heart to overflowing! Thank you for our shared time together!!!

Remember to give yourself a big hug and lots of love today! Drink lots of water. Nibble on nutritious num nums. Get up, wiggle/dance/walk around, and give your body some movement love! And take a moment to look at something you love and just breathe and be! You got today SO GOOD!!!!

muah! xoxox!

What Exactly are POSitudes?

POSitudes. Mary Kate Kopec. Love and Big Hugs!

What Exactly Are POSitudes?

Okay. So, the other day I was having a conversation with a fellow biz chick, and she asked me, “What exactly are P. O. S. itudes?”

Instantly stunned … I thought: P. O. S. itudes? … as in Piece Of Shiz itdues?

OH.MY.GOD.

I’m still cracking up. But also freaking out.

So, well then … lemme clear this up!

POSitudes are they way every blossom who wants to live a happy, healthy life should be thinking, acting, and channeling!

Mary Kate Kopec. Love and Big Hugs. POSitudes

POSitudes = POSitive + attitudes!

I’ve been spelling POSitudes with a capital POS, because once upon a time I spent considerable time being a health scientist, and in chemistry, for short, we use POS for positive and NEG for negative. So POSitude was just an obvious go to for me. However … to get swapped into “piece of shiz” by non-chemistry folk … uh … ???

Looks like we’re due for an capital letter emphasis change. So from here on out … it will just be Positude … a happy combination of positive and attitude!

Every blossom already has some Positudes built into her life, just from living, learning, and listening … but I take it a step further.

I reflect on my life, the ideas, thoughts, words, images … anything that helps me cope, heal, feel better, smile, laugh, … All The Good Things … and then I tap into my doodlebug juiciness and art things up with AWESOMELY positive, loving images + words + reminders to help, not just me, but any blossom who sees them.

My goal is to brighten my day and yours, and to guide our ways … for when we get a bit too busy to remember the little things that make a big difference!

Like remembering to take a healing breath. Like remembering to spend time doing something you love. Remembering to do the little self-care things that make a big ginormous difference.

Guiding questions to keep me on the right path
Loving thoughts to hold me tight
Positive reaffirmations to bolster me up
Purposeful actions to take me forward
Gentle, supportive reminders to keep me focused on the really good stuff in life
Big Hugs to love me so big and make me smile

Here’s some examples of my doodlebugging, juicy, loving Posituding happiness for you! I’ve put together a short compilation of a few of my Positudes (I actually have hundreds!). So, please …

Come breathe with me in this minute video book of Positudes! Give yourself a minute to just breathe and be, and enjoy this moment in Positude.

Welcome back from your minute of loving self-care and breathing!

As I was saying, Positudes are meant to help you! To love you and pick you up. Life can be crazy, hectic, overwhelming, busy, splattered with negativity, etc … and Positudes are reminders, thoughts, and ways of being and living to help you cope and counteract all of that … they help you guide your actions toward more positive and healthier living. They help you feel better and make you smile. When practiced regularly, they grow goodness and wellness into your being and living, and just all around make your life a happier place to be!

I use my Positudes daily. I have them on my phone in ebook form. I have them in video form for reflection in my yoga room. I have them on my computer. I have them sprinkled throughout my space to keep me smiling and living goodness!

One of my favorite times to reflect and meditate on my Positudes is when I’m wrapping up my daily yoga practice with my paced-breathing-legs-up-the-wall time. I breathe and watch my reflection video and reflect, meditate, and envision … it’s absolutely delightful and makes me feel so good!

If you are interested in more of my Positudes (thank you for loving them!), I am finding ways to offer them to you. You can experience them in a number of ways:

My monthly Love Letter
My blog posts (There’s a subscribe opportunity at the bottom of every blog post.)
My YouTube channel
My shop (currently ebooks, and eventually reflections videos and individual digi-prints)

The best way to let them help you is however they call to you, but what I find helpful is to read the words … and really let them sink in … enjoy the accompanying art … but feel the meaning of the Positude. Then I think about how this Positude can guide me in this moment, and even this day. I become mindful of how the Positude makes me feel.

Well, Beautiful Blossom! Thank you for being here with me! I hope this shared time has brightened your day! I hope you feel my love and big hugs! I hope you enjoy this moment we are in, and the rest of your day! I hope I’ve helped you smile big!

Muah!

Birthday On the Bog!
On the Bog (with Kat, Bear, and Wogs)

Birthday On the Bog!

Gifted with a beautifully bright, unusually warm, and cheerfully chirpy and buzzy sprwinter day, the Bog was alight with birthday glee and delight!

It was standing room only as everyone gathered ’round to wish Bear a very Happy Birthday … and to see his sleek, totally cool, new ride … the most squeetacular, pink, polka-dotted red wagon ever!

Kat (loving Bear so BIG): Happy Birthday, Bear! Hope you love your new wagon!

Wogs (loving Bear so BIG): Happy Birthday, Bear! Wanna go for a ride?

Bear (flicker flitting his tail, hopped inside his new wagon, and purring happily, beamed with love): Mrow!

Kat and Wogs tied their balloons to the wagon handle for added birthday bling. Then Wogs pulled Bear along in wide circles for everyone to see. They hopped and bounced, and whooped with the happiest of celebrating Bog creature sounds!

To share in the fun, Bear insisted everyone get to try a ride in his new wagon. And Wogs enthusiastically played along. Kat clapped merrily, growing the fun!

With elated fluttery wings, Squeech and Belle chirped and trilled bubbly songs the whole way around.

Flop and Fluff each rode separately, bobbing with the thrill and shimmying their puffball tails, happy for the fun!

It was a silly, perfect, special, fun sharing day!

Bear’s Happy Birthday party and super cool new wagon were the talk of the Bog for days and days. It was a love-filled day worth remembering!

Spring brings such excitement! All the green, all the budding and blossoming flowers, all the sunny warmth! It makes my heart extra super spectacularly SQUEEtastic, love-filled, and Huggy PINK … which is saying something, cuz I’m bringing this happy goodness all the time!

Here in Michigan, it will still be a couple of months before we get “reliable” sun and warmth, and to get there, the rains will come. But the rain brings all the life and green, so you won’t find me complaining. I just hunker down and in and enjoy each day and each moment for wherever I am.

This summer, Pauli and I will have our landscape installed (we recently moved into a new construction home with dirt for a yard) … therefore an outdoor space to play in, and we are excited for all of the upcoming firepits, stargazing, and hammock time listening to the sounds of the bog and nature!

In this moment, I really just want to HUG you so big and give gratitude for you being here and celebrating the joys of spring with me!

May your day be filled with light, love, big hugs, and blossoming with gratitude!