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Friendly ChitChat
On the Bog (with Kat, Bear, & Wogs)

Chatting with Friends. On the Bog. Mary Kate Kopec. Love and Big Hugs!

Happy Chatting with Friends!

Recent winter days had been gray, blustery, and teeth-chatteringly cold On the Bog. So, when the sun popped through the clouds, bringing brightness and cheer, our adventuring trio, Kat, Bear, and Wogs, set out for an afternoon trek through the windblown, ice-crusty snow, looking for some fun and friends!

The sound of Bear’s sled carving a path through the snow was its own kind of hypnotic, relaxing delight. Kat and Wogs soon found themselves humming in time with their rhythmic footfalls crunching deeply into the snow; Bear happily purred along in accompaniment.

Squeech and Tookie joined in, chirping with mirth while flitting and zipping from the trees to the bogtails, playing and munching in delight!

They were quite the happy little harmony! It was simply wonderful being outside with nature!

Through the distance, the echo of their sunny enjoyment floated back to them, getting louder and louder until Kat, Bear, and Wogs realized they were being approached.

Friends emerged from a tree-lined path on the other side of the Bog. It was Sandy and Sweet Samson out for their own adventurous sled-riding trek!

Pausing On the Bog, Kat, Bear, Wogs, Sandy, and Sweet Samson all waved hello and stopped for some exciting chitty chat!

What heartwarming happiness it is seeing and being seen. Hearing and being heard.

Chit chatting. Connecting. Being Friends. Sharing kindness and love.

They all laughed about their perfect timing and hoped to see each other again soon!

Kat (giddy for seeing friendly faces): Ohmigosh Sandy, Sweet Samson, how lovely to see you!

Wogs (smiling big): How are you both? Having a fantastic adventure today?

Sandy (overjoyed for bumping into friends): We’re good! How wonderful to find you out here!

Bear (jovially flicker-swishing his tail and thinking cool sled of Sweet Samson’s ride): Mrow!

Sweet Samson (waving his curly tail and thinking cool sled of Bear’s ride): Mrow!

You are precious and unique, like a snowflake. Mary Kate Kopec. Love and Big Hugs.

Friendships, Relationships, & Connection

Hello Precious-Hearts!

I hope you are happy, healthy, safe, and well today! May the bright and healing light of the stars, the universe, and the heavens above speedily bring you any of these you are lacking!

Let’s have a quick share about connection and connecting today!

Our relationships with ourselves, our friends, our families, … all the people in our lives near and far, … these relationships … these connections … are what we make of them and allow them to be in our lives.

They can love us, support us, hold us, empower us. They can help us move mountains uphill. They can be the light in the darkness, and the strength when we are weak.

They influence who we are and who we are becoming!

I invite you to connect with yourself today. Be your own best friend (There’s no one in this world you will spend more time with than you, so loving and being kind to you is wonderful and powerful!).

I also invite you to connect with a friend or loved one today! Someone you can share goodness with. Someone you will feel brightened by, and someone you can help feel brightened by you!

Connection through friendship with yourself and with those you love … it’s a beautiful, life-brightening goodness!

Thank you for being here with me today! Thank you for connecting with me! Thank you for sharing this precious time together!

I love you BIG! Hugging you even BIGGER!

Magical Manifesting

Hello Love Birds!!!

Have you ever invited change into your life … like you’ll exercise more or you’ll eat better or whatever it is you’ve wanted or needed to change … but somehow, some way, your invitation gets lost in the mail?

Love.

Accomplishments.

Growth.

Mindful change.

Making our lives an even better place to be.

Becoming who we want to be.

All very worthwhile and worthy of you and your life, so I got to thinking, how can I help my precious-hearted peeps actually do something meaningful? Create lasting, positive change? Make something good of those intentions? Become the blossoming love bird they want to be?

You had an idea. A motivation. A need.

But then, that want/need/motivation, … it goes by the wayside.

Let’s see if we can change that. Let’s get you that change! Let’s help you make a positive difference in your life!

Rest to manifest. Mary Kate Kopec. Love and Big Hugs.

Making Change!

How Mary Kate? How do I make this change? I want to grow this new thing into my life, but I seem to lose to my way. Ya know. Life is hard. I’m busy. I realized my change was taking too much time. … I got distracted … etc, etc, etc.

Well, Sweet Pea … most change does take time. A bit of effort. But what if I could give you a concrete, straight-forward, no-frills, step-wise plan to ensure your success?

Let’s help you take your intention from “nice idea” to real, positive change in your life?

Oh, and BTW … this is not a sales pitch, lol. But seriously.

I’m for realz gonna share my magical, change-making goodness with you right here and right now.

Manifest your fresh start. Mary Kate Kopec. Love and Big Hugs.

How to Manifest

Ze Steps!

(said with a French accent, to be cute and fancy and fun)

What do you want/need? What change are you looking for? Define it. Visualize it. Write it out. Doodle it on a piece of paper. Scribble it on your phone/tablet/digital device of choice. What? Do? You? Want? … See it. Know it. Be clear and detailed.
ASK for it. Ask the universe. The universe is filled with ebbing and flowing energy. It is filled with everything we need and want. So let the universe in on what you want/need. This way the universe knows and can feel your desires and can get on your side to help you! (Additional ways to ask: meditation, prayer, focused thoughts, lighting a candle and sending your wish into the stars with the flame, etc.)
Dig in. Help the universe help you! The universe is a place of energy and abundance, and it gives to you in the form of energy. So you – with your arms, legs, body, and mind – are going to have to show the universe you are serious and help make this dream/want/need come true (Yep, I just sneakily upgraded to potential dream status stuff, too!) … (I mean, hey? Why not? The universe has it all, so why not think as big or as small as we want? … But remember … the universe is energy … youz gotsta use that energy to make your ASK happen.)
Trust. Faith. Patience. Trust that what you ASK is there and coming to you. Trust. Believe. See it. Know it. Feel it. And be ready.
See/note the signs. Pay attention to your progress. The little/big steps that come your way. See the signs. Note them, and realize you are getting closer and closer to receiving your ASK.
Give gratitude for every step you get closer and closer. You are making progress!
“Increase your vibration.” (I love this step … and it, along with the foundations of this list, comes from a HuffPost article I read … worth the read.) I hear “increase your vibration,” and I hear … “GO FULL ON PINK!!!” Oh, yaaaaaaaaaaah!!!! :0)
Overcome your “blocks.” Overcome doubt. Overcome negativity. Overcome the behaviors, thoughts, actions, … the “whatever” … that is keeping you from reaching your ASK.
Receive your ASK with GRATITUDE!!!!

Now, maybe I should’ve started at the top of my chat with this next bit I’m about to mention. I kinda buried the lead. But there’s a foundation, a fabric, a backdrop from which you need to operate on in this step-wise ASK-rewarding approach …

Remember … the universe is energy. So. Positive energy in, gets you positive energy out. And vice versa.

So … if you vibrate smiles, love, can-do, will-do, gratituding-goodnesss … that’s gonna come back to you. Triumph! (Feel free to say it with a French accent for fun!) And squee!

But if you boo-face it. Nay say it. Doubt it. Or sabotage yourself willingly or unwillingly … Well. Le sigh.

What we are talking about here is called “manifesting.”

Manifesting is a process. A concept. A way of approaching life. A way of channeling your goodness and energy into creating the life you want to live! … And if I’ve just walked you into a “woo woo” territory that makes you fidgety in your seat … hang on for a few … I’ll make it worth your read and time! :0)

Magical Manifesting: How To

Bringing your life to life!!!!

How to Manifest: The steps. Mary Kate Kopec. Love and Big Hugs.

Manifesting steps summarized for you in a handy-dandy, reference digi-art!

I’ve been interviewing blossoms who practice the art of manifesting in their lives, and the upcoming Positudes are summaries of their gained insight and wisdom from their practice. They share this with you for encouragement and support!

Manifesting your dreams. Mary Kate Kopec. Love and Big Hugs.

Manifesting changed my life completely. Mary Kate Kopec. Love and Big Hugs.

Manifesting Musts. Mary Kate Kopec. Love and Big Hugs.

The F Word in Manifesting: Faith. Mary Kate Kopec. Love and Big Hugs.

Skeptic? It’s okay … I was, too.

A PINK-hearted, health & wellness promoting, life coaching, educating, mentoring, previous life and pharmaceutical scientist like me … I came open to the idea of manifesting (having been hearing the word dropped into a zillion conversations by blossoms I know over the last 2 years and wanting to share concrete helpful goodness with you) … but I also came with a bit of skepticism on the woo-woo sounding concept. “Unh-huh, sure … I’m sure you manifested that money right on into your account.”

I wasn’t sure or convinced … at first.

One of the things I have found as I’ve been researching the practice of manifesting, is that like many other practices, it is open to interpretation. And from interviewing the above blossoms, I can affirm my finding. Each blossom I spoke with has a different approach, different way of thinking about her practice, and different motivations for her manifestation practice.

However, I also readily recognized core patterns and essential elements practiced by each of these beautiful souls! (My research, these interviews, and my own experimentation with my new found manifesting practice helped me create the list of steps I provided above. Those steps are the core of manifesting success!)

When I think of manifesting, I think of it as a form of project management:

goal setting with activated actions steps and progress assessment along the way
with your life and intentions being your project
buuuut project management high on the fumes of PINK POSITIVITY, a will-do attitude, trust, patience, and the universe as an energy-granting, gotch-yo-back teammate!

Manifesting is some seriously life-altering awesomeness!

I’m a newby. Just getting started. And I’ve already been manifesting wellness and goodness into my life that I didn’t have before. And I’m so PINK, I’m giddy over the moon!

This isn’t to say I didn’t hit snags in my efforts. It is a PRACTICE after all. When I tried and failed, I saw where I “stood in my own way.” When I succeeded, I saw great satisfaction in overcoming my own blocks and self-defeating behavior.

Because manifesting is often misunderstood or discounted … met with doubt … I have been on a scientific/investigatory journey over the last month. Reading, researching, learning, growing, interviewing peeps who manifest to hear their thoughts and experiences, and ultimately, trying it out for myself!

There’s so much I’ve learned and experienced and now have to offer; I’ll blog about it for those who want a deeper dive.

But for here, in our Love Letter, know this (from an original skeptic): IT WORKS!!!

Manifesting Works! Mary Kate Kopec. Love and Big Hugs.

Manifesting Works! Bring your life to life!

Truly.

If you want it. If you want positive change. If you are willing to live it. Manifesting will change your life … how you live … how you think … how you approach your needs and wants.

Manifesting is a practice. Something you grow.

For instance … one does not run a marathon on their first ever attempt at running. It takes practice. Time. effort.

So … don’t be all like: Hey, Universe! I want a million dollars!

Remember, you’ve got to come at your ASK with clarity, will-do, trusting, and go gettem positivity.

Don’t expect the universe to just drop a million dollars on your lap if all you do is throw the thought out. There’s more to it than that.

Buuuuutttt … if you follow those steps listed above … with the universe on your side, being for you all the way, … you will manifest this goodness in your life!

Manifesting is life-changing! It’s powerful! It’s empowering!

Getting rid of negative thoughts. Mary Kate Kopec. Love and Big Hugs.

Manifesting is founded in positive thinking. Here’s what you can do to get rid of those pesky negative thoughts.

As I mentioned, for manifesting to work, you have to get positive! You have to channel your PINK, your love, your positivity, and you have to let go of your hesitations, negativity, doubt.

And sometimes that can be hard.

Since I’ve been on my deeper wellness journey (started at the beginning of 2020 with my onset of scary, hard health challenges), I’ve come to embrace the words:

Let it go.

However, sometimes, it’s not as easy as letting it go. I try, but “it” is still there. Especially when my anxiety screams or I get a panic attack.

While interviewing my beautiful blossoms, one interviewee – Cheri Roberts – said to me something along the lines of:

Let it go? (In reference to negative thoughts) … Where they gonna go? You let them go, and they just hang around. Sometimes you gotta push that negative thought into a corner and tell it to eat a sandwich.

O! M! G!

First, I laughed at the image. But. It resonated with me so BIG! And honest to the heavens … it freaking works! I’ve been shoving my negative, nay-saying, doubting thoughts and words into a corner, telling them to eat a sandwich, and it’s working!

I’m laughing right now thinking that I’ve shoved so many thoughts into a corner now that there’s a Cafe Noir where my negative thoughts go to die, after first being fed a nutrient-dense, wellness sandwich. They either eat the sandwich and turn positive, or they die.

And good riddance.

Just in this part of the manifesting practice alone, I’ve been feeling such a weight lifted off of my shoulders. I’ve been feeling SO MUCH MORE POSITIVE!!! (And you might be thinking, “As if that could be possible, MK … How in the world could you get any PINKer???”)

LOL

… But remember, I’m human … with scary health challenges … living in a world gone amuckHappiness During the Pandemic? … and I have stellar anxiety!

The negative thoughts … they come.

And they suck. They try to tell me the worst, most terrible things.

But now I am getting pretty good at pushing those self-defeating beasties aside. And I will continue to grow this strength in me … as it comes with such relief from the mental darkness.

And let’s be real … negative thoughts are in fact self-defeat attacking you. Fight back! … I am!

Get your positivity on, and get your life back!

Word Choice Matters for Manifesting

Word choice is powerful!

Lastly for our Manifesting Woo Woo Awesomeness: Let’s talk Can Do versus Am Doing!

In positive reaffirmations and oracles and posituding, you’ll see encouraging words like:

You can do this!

And by the way, yes, you can do this! So I don’t want to minimize the impact of the messaging … sometimes, it’s exactly what we need to hear.

But here. Listen to these words:

I AM doing “it.”

Can we get through this pandemic? Yes.

But better.

We ARE getting through it!

Can Do is Empowering! Am Doing is POWER!

Every time you do something good for yourself … acknowledge your accomplishment. Acknowledge your success. Acknowledge the goodness you have activated in you and your life!

I can lose weight. I AM losing weight.

I can get healthy. I AM getting healthy.

I can be happy. I AM happy.

BE. BEcome.

Update from Can-Do to Am-Doing!

BEcome the you you want to BE! Live the life you want to live!

Grow the goodness you want to embody into you and your life!

And if you want, use the PINK-powered, Universe-Assisted, Dream-Achieving, Magical Manifesting steps given to you here to help you!

When bad things happen to good people with good intentions …

Honestly, I can’t in good conscience share manifesting with you … as what is ostensibly a philosophical way of living and being without addressing the objection – the hard question. Because in truth, I asked the same question.

How do you explain horrid things? Are you trying to tell me that good people who have horrid things happen to them manifest the horrid thing … like you’re blaming them for their own tragedy?

Just to be clear, my answer is a HARD NO. I don’t believe people purposely manifest a tragedy. I believe people manifest a goodness, a something they want … like going to Ariana Grande’s concert in Manchester, England. The tragedy is their manifestation aligned with the terrorizing manifestation of a suicide-bomber.

Manifesting is a directing of energies … not all people are channeling loving energy.

When bad things happen = The confluence of 2 opposing manifestations.

The concert-going intention had NO WAY of knowing about the terrorizing intention. It’s terrible. It’s shitty. And in cases like these, we may want to scream at the universe. We may want to know WTH it’s thinking. We may want to challenge the universe. It is the way of tragedy, loss, and grief. But … and just to be clear – I’m NO physicist. I’m just working with my understanding of the science … overall the universe is energetically neutral with a balance of both positively and negatively flowing energy. There is positive energy, and there is negative energy. And sometimes positive and negative intentions collide to tragic outcomes. Other times, positive intentions overpower the negative.

What I’m left with is … honestly … a core guiding principle: live in love, do my best, share my best, and carry on. Live with hope. Live with positive intention and goodness. And ask for light and love to surround me and protect me. Hope. Love. Kindness. … There are no guarantees, but we can be the good in life, if we choose.

Be Love. Mary Kate Kopec. Love and Big Hugs.

Where did Manifesting come from anyway?

One last note on Manifesting. Who thought this up? How did it become a thing?

Manifesting is based on the law of attraction from New Thought spirituality … law of attraction … that’s the whole channel positive energy to get positive energy back thing. Cheri Roberts from above has read the book(s) and is a lifelong practitioner of Manifesting. She walks the walk and talks the talk. She is truly amazing, and honestly the most lit-up, incredibly positive person I know. She brings amazing light into the world! She and her life are an inspiration and a testimonial in manifesting. She’s a real life case study. I found her conviction encouraging, and she is truly the Cheri (cherry on top) to get me to try this ‘woo woo’ magic. I give immense gratitude for her time and share, as even in my ever beginning manifesting practice, I am seeing so much goodness come from my efforts and evolving mindset. POSITIVE POWER, peeps. Positive Power! :0)

Well Love Birds, I hope I’ve helped you gain a deeper understanding of Manifesting … along with some powerful, actionable know-how to make positive change in your life!

You are beautiful! You are loved! Thank you for sharing this growing, loving time with me!

Be safe! Feel my ginormous hug! Know that I love you SO BIG!

Muah,

MK :0)

Let’s Make a Positive Difference!

Let’s make a positive difference!

Hello Precious Heart!

There’s no one like me.

There’s no one else like me in the whole wide world. (Never has been, and never will be again.)

No one who thinks the way I do.

Sees life the way I do.

Talks the way I do.

Shares the way I do.

Loves the way I do.

There’s no one else in the whole wide world who problem solves like me. Who helps the way I do. Who gives of her heart the way I do.

There’s no one in the whole wide world who will make the same kind of positive difference I can make.

Am I special? Unique?

You bet your PINK-loving heart I am! And guess what???

The same is true of you!

You are special! You are unique! You are beautiful and perfect and growing and blossoming! You are shining brightly!

You are the only one who can bring your amazing, special, unique light into this world … and we need you! You need you!

Wake up sweet, precious, gorgeous soul! The world is hurting. We need you! We need your light!

Shine brightly my love! Shine your brightest and know you are not alone! I am here with you!

We are voices of love!

We are voices of kindness!

We are voices of compassion, helpfulness, & change!

Together, we can make a positive difference! Together, we can change the world! Together, we can save the world!

Happiness During the Pandemic?

Mary Kate Kopec. Love and Big Hugs. Happiness during a pandemic.

Happiness during the pandemic?

Hello Beautiful Blossom! Is happiness during the pandemic possible?

The question at hand: Can you have happiness during the pandemic? Is it possible? Or happiness during any difficult life change for that matter … is it possible?

I think so.

Honestly.

It’s not always easy … at first, especially … but it’s possible!

And I’m going to share with you how I found happiness during the pandemic and other difficult times in my life in hopes my experiences can help you find new joys and feel better … super soon!

Right up front, I want to reassure you, I’m not talking oversimplified, fluffed-up B.S. here. I’m not going to tell you some overly positive, unrealistic, useless crap.

I’m going to give you concrete, reality-based, helpful insight to help you!

Concrete, Reality-based, Helpful Insight

Let’s start with acknowledging how hard living can be in unusual times. Be it a pandemic. Leaving behind all that you know to have to start over in a new place. Unexpected career change. Or how about a change in relationship status?

When we’ve been living life as we see it, happily, and to suddenly get uprooted and lose the familiar, the comfort, the safety, the security, or whatever was making us happy … when we lose what we are used to … it can be very unsettling … and very upsetting.

Yet …

There’s something to be said for breaking routine … getting out of your comfort zone … trying something new. … Hang with me here … give me a second to show you where I’m going with this.

When we do the same things over and over, day after day, our chances to face new challenges diminish.

We can stunt our own growth. Our readiness to adapt can fade.

Think of it as Use It or Lose It.

Personal MK Short Story Time with Big Time Enlightening Insight

About five years ago, I was at the peak of my chronic fatigue/lethargy/muscle weakness challenges. I spent most of every day and every night in bed. Sometimes sleeping for up to 21 hours at a time, to wake up for 3 hours, and then find myself fully spent and going right back to bed.

Adding to this, my honeybun and I were living in Philly for Honeybun’s work … far away from home … and very different from our nature-y, Midwest life in Michigan.

It was a depressing and difficult time.

We lived for my “good days/moments!” But when we got them, all the things we would normally do for fun and happiness weren’t there. The life we loved was left back in Michigan, and we felt stuck.

There came a day when I was Skyping (old school to today’s Zoom) with a friend, and I was telling her about my woeful concerns and challenges, and she replied with the most amazing, supportive, but assertive words ever!

“Well, if you can’t rebuild your Michigan life in Philly, then find new Philly things. Try that and see if you can build new happiness.”

How Did I NOT See that?

Wuuuuuut????

How simple. And so obvious.

How had I not been able to just see it? How I had not been able to just ask myself that question?

It was being stuck IN the moment, not being able to see such a straightforward solution.

It’s like when you can’t see forest for the trees.

Sometimes you just need a fresh perspective. An outside eye. Someone else independent of your view … the look of someone on the outside looking in to see what you can’t or don’t.

It was one of those conversational lightbulb moments that comes with the opportunity to heal and grow!

Since honeybun and I both had latent loves for photography and nature, we chatted and did some research, and before you know it, we were both geared up with digital cameras and a list of nearby gardens to visit. And next good day, we bolted out the door with excitement! This has led to new, cool friends and sustained life goodness!

Applying what I learned … turned into pandemic readiness!

So fast-forward to the early days of the pandemic and all the shutdowns and isolations.

I was ready.

I knew the drill.

Instead of getting lost in the depression of losing life as we knew it or our way of living … we just created new pandemic-life things to do for us.

Even as the pandemic has dragged on ruthlessly and unkindly … we have continued to grow new ideas and activities into our days.

I still have debilitating health challenges. It’s a dangerous world out there for me. So isolation is really our best plan.

But isolation is so … lonely … and potentially disconnected.

True.

But with the pandemic came Zoom. I immediately sought out connectivity via Zoom. I rethought my plans and grew in happy activities I could do in the safety of our space. And when our little spot in the universe (Starry Cottage was finally built and ready for living), we dug in and have created happy spaces throughout our home to support a healthy, active, engaging, fun life … even in the pandemic.

Now, I’m not gonna sit here and tell you pandemic living is awesome. Pandemic living has a big ol’ SUCKS!!!!!!! attached to it.

Do we miss getting out and playing in nature not just in our backyard? Hells yes.

Do we miss seeing our peeps in person? Yessssssssssssssss.

Do we miss the living freedoms we had before the pandemic hit? Hells to the yes a million times over and over.

We even miss the simplicity of going shopping without being afraid for my life. As such, I’ve not been inside a store, grocery or otherwise, in nearly 2 years.

But like living in Philly. It wasn’t about rebuilding the life we had in MI. That was impossible. (The places, people, nature, and opportunities are all different … plus, our friends and family were all back home, plus, Philly is WAY more expensive!!!)

It was about building a new life filled with happiness in a space we had to be in – Philly.

What we’re really talking about here …

And that’s where we are today. It’s not about building a permanent pandemic life – hopefully (and if so, we’ll cross that bridge when it gets here). It’s about adapting and coping and growing.

And the truth of it is … with these challenges, when you seek to find the happinesses that will help you manage the challenge you face … you can grow new goodnesses into your life.

Philly forever gave us photography (and new friendships)! And I also learned how to digi-doodle and art! And how to video call.

All of these have been amazing helps during the pandemic!

Like Philly, the pandemic has given me gifts of happy growth as well!

The pandemic has given me the opportunity to grow my wellness through yoga (thank the stars for Yoga With Adriene!!!) and learning and growing an anti-inflammatory life (foods and activities for healthy, happy wellness).

I am a better, happier person!

I’ve met some amazing people in faraway places like Australia and the UK, and even way up in Canada … people, that sans pandemic, there would never have been a need, an impetus, to reach out to and grow into my life.
I have substantially grown my digi-doodling and digi-arting capabilities! I lose myself in my creating space … and my creative expression flows out of me with silly happiness!
I enjoy watching Bog TV (we have about an acre of nature behind our backyard to just sit and watch the trees, furry and flying and crawling creatures, the cattails flourishing in the bog, the ever changing sky, the stars … all of it) – being mindful and present, and sharing time with my honeybun.
I have found a bit of me that I never knew was there, and I’m getting to know this new me … and loving her! I’m way PINKer than I ever knew. I’ve always been a lover and a helper, but I’ve found my light amongst the stars and here on earth. I’m feeling a bubbling excitement that’s new and fun. It’s making me smile bigger and brighter. I LOVE this feeling!!!

So does living in pandemic times have a tremendous suck factor? Sure.

But does that have to be all it is? NO!

Can it be better than missing the way life used to be? OHMIGOSH, YEEEEEESSSSS!

It’s Your Turn!!!

So let’s get you up outta that stuck rut! Let’s get you finding your new happy things!

Let’s get you past waiting for happiness to come back to you in “life as it was” returned.

Honestly … there’s real truth in the statement, “There’s no going back.” Or “you can’t go back.” There’s no going back and you can’t go back, because that moment is gone forever. You are in a new moment. You are in a new time. With new things.

Life will never be the same as it was before.

It’s basic logic.
Basic fact.
We’ve seen too many new things and experienced too many new experiences.
Life and its gifts and challenges continue to roll at us.

We grow. We change. We evolve.

Or we stay stuck, lamenting. Disappointed. Unhappy.

Let’s grow you, blossom!

You are beautiful! You have so much happiness and goodness inside of you! What is that thing? Or things you’ve always wanted to try? Or do? Which one or ones will work for you in this moment of time?

Let’s help you let go of a life gone and blossom in your new life!

Your Happiness During Hard Times (the pandemic) Checklist!

I hope sharing my experience has given you insight into possibilities for your life. Sparked ideas for you that will help you grow happiness into your days, no matter where you are or what big shiz is happening out in the world.

In summary:

Don’t wait around for the “the way it was” … it’s not coming back. It can’t. You’re a different person now than you were then … life changes us … so even if you could go back, it still wouldn’t be the same, cuz you’re not the same.
- Accept that your life and life around you is moving forward.
Ask yourself, “What new thing or things can you grow into your life that work for you now?”
Find and create ways to grow these things into your life.
Grow forward.
- Let go of the past.
- Love the parts of the past that were wonderful.
- Appreciate the parts of your past that helped you grow and be a better you … a more defined you … a you with interests and ideas and abilities.
- Give gratitude for all the parts of the past … even the hard ones.
  - They have helped shaped you into the person you are today with your current strengths and gifts and love to share!
- Give gratitude for having a today to live and find and grow a happier, healthier you!

Well, Blossom, I give gratitude for any and all the help this sharing gifts you with! (I’m hoping it’s lots and lots!!!!)

You are beautiful! You are precious! You are loved!

Give yourself the time you need to love you!!!

Thank you for sharing this time with me!!! Hugging you so big!

Overcoming Negative Thoughts

A Page from MK’s Journal: Overcoming Negative Thoughts

Hello Sweet Friends,

Recently, I had to go for a mammogram and ultrasound … to investigate “a spot.”

With gratitude, I can tell you, I was given the all-clear.

But the days (and month … thanks to delayed scheduling during the pandemic) leading up to my appointment were a struggle.

Negative thoughts. Anxious thoughts. The what-ifs. The scary drama train I was riding. My brain kept trying to derail into darkness.

Thankfully my coping and wellness toolbox is chock-full of helpful images, positivity, affirmations, activities, … tools of the survival trade.

Even so, I was having a bit of a challenge after a month of build up and waiting, so the few days before my appointment, I started feeling anxious. That horrid jittery energy that frazzles in your chest? … Had it. Insomnia? … Yep, that, too.

I started having lots of little physical manifestations from the negative, anxious mental and emotional challenges I was facing … from being told there might be something wrong with me physically.

Oh, how the cycle goes round and round. Well, actually, mental, emotional, and physical health are interconnected, not so much cyclically … more dynamically interconnected … tweak one and they all get tweaked.

So, there I was, starting to feel my body cave. I knew I needed to get to self-caring on MAXIMAL SUPER BIG TIME to stop the train from wrecking, and wrecking me with it.

Time to try something new! Time to grow my toolbox.

The universe heard me, and as I pulled up my Yoga With Adriene playlist, YouTube made a suggestion: Let It Go Flow with Adriene.

Yes, please!

If you’ve heard me say it once, you’ve probably heard me say it a million times – Yoga With Adriene is an angel on earth! She helps me heal, and I luvs her SO MUCH! (Maybe someday I’ll even get to meet her … there’s a happy thought!)

I definitely recommend yoga in your toolbox. Yoga is scientifically and medically shown to improve your health … in all the ways (mental, emotional, and physical)!

But for today, I want to share a bit from this Yoga With Adriene: Let It Go Flow. It resonated so BIG with me that following my healing practice with her, I immediately hopped into my journal and started creating new journal pages to go with my daily living practice!

Amazing Reminders from Yoga With Adriene!

In her Let It Go Flow, Adriene shares the following:

“Don’t give up on yourself.

“There are so many things that are out of your control,

“But there’s one thing absolutely in your control

“And it’s you, your thoughts, your energy, how you treat your body, how you use your thoughts, your energy and your body, hey-o”

And Adriene offers the following 2 mantras:

1st Mantra:

“Everything is as it should be.

“… This is acceptance.”

2nd Mantra:

“The universe is for me, and so is everything else.” Adriene’s mom

And in a her Yoga For When You Are SICK video, she also mentions “Yoga as a medicine for life.”

These are some of her words that resonate with me so deeply! And so I’ve journaled them. To remind myself regularly, no matter which daily practice I am doing with her.

Reflecting on Yoga With Adriene’s Words of Healing Wisdom

Adriene’s guidance, words, and wisdom reminds me to:

Focus on what I can do … I can let go of negative thoughts, and let flow the positive thoughts.

Instead of “What if there is something bad about to happen?” how about “What if something good is about to happen?”

I am a beautiful vessel of healing.

I nurture and nourish my wellness with care, so I can blossom brightly. My loving efforts create healing, and help avert illness.

With this mental power fueling me and helping me cope and feel calmer, I hopped into my journal to create some pages to hold me.

Adriene’s words, the words of her mother, and my reflections along with the artwork I was inspired to create (written and shown in this post) are my journaling for my healing, and they helped me cope through my mammogram day.

They helped me overcome negative thoughts.

I now have these words and images as daily (or as needed) loving reminders in my toolbox, and I love them!

You might’ve noticed I used the same flower art for 2 different positudes. That’s the beauty of it being my journal. I can doodle art it up and write whatever works for me, and I just love, love, love how my flower turned out, and it felt right for both of my positudes. So, I doubled up for big hugging loves!

I hope these words, reflections, and positudes help you overcome negative thoughts, too!

May your heart be light and filled with PINK! May your smile be bright! May you feel my giant loving hug I’m squeezing you with right now!

Journal for You!

Journaling. Mary Kate Kopec. Love and Big Hugs.

Journaling for You!

Dear Sweet Blossoms!

Today, let’s talk journaling!!! And before you potentially click outta here, like journaling ain’t yo’ thang … hang tight for just a sec.

Lemme share with you some awesomeness I’ve experienced from journaling … along with the things that didn’t work for me and the why’s of that.

Because, honestly, journaling – when you do you – can be SO HELPFUL, and SO HEALTHY!

For me, my journal is what I make of it, and I make it what I need and want:

Reaffirmation
Positivity
Support
Reflection
Goal creation
Action planning
A place to think
A place get “it” out and let “it” go
Loving, gentle reminders
Bright, colorful, happiness to greet me
An opportunity to create
Wisdom I’ve gained
Information I need
Dreamboarding
Anything and everything that serves me in growing my wellness and happiness

Here are some of the actual pages from my journal:

Journaling Don’ts

Many, many, many moons ago, I used to journal – like a diary. And then my boyfriend at the time “just happened to glance over and accidentally read some it.”

Uncool, dude. Uncool.

Also, back then, I tried writing every day. Cuz that’s what you do in a diary, right? You’re faithful with your self-reporting, and you …, and NO, this did not work for me. I’d get busy and forget a day, then feel guilty. A week would go by, and I would sit down and try to remember each day and write it out.

Uh. I’m not gonna be a slave to my own good intention. That defeats the purpose.

So lessons learned of what NOT to do:

Don’t write down anything you don’t want other people “accidentally” reading, or keep your journal locked up. Personally, I still write down anything and everything I need to get out of my system. I am, thankfully, now in a relationship filled with openness and trust. I share everything with my honeybun. But what about all those other pesky people living in the world? You never know when one of them might just be snooping around your room … lol. In short, anything I feel should be just between me and the universe gets a flame ride into the heavens after I’ve given “it” the time I need to process it, learn from it, and let it go.
Don’t make your journal anything other than what serves you … what fuels you … what helps you feel well, healthy, and whatever other goodness you seek. In short, don’t journal like other people tell you to journal.

Journaling Do’s

It’s taken me time … learning what works for me, and then giving that to myself, to be able to create a journal space that nourishes and nurtures me – mind, body, soul, light, love, & spirit.

One of the things I’ve done in recent years is to go paperless. I hope to reduce my footprint and consumption. So I’ve become a digi-doodler, digi-everything. And my journal is no exception.

In fact, until the pandemic started and my health took a super nosedive into the unknown, I hadn’t been journaling for a while. But with everything going haywire (my health, and the health of the world around me), I needed a healing space … BIG TIME. A resource of positivity to guide me and lift me up especially on my dark days.

I found creating a digi-journal to be incredibly exactly what I needed. And the cool thing is, I have it downloaded into my Books on my phone, so I can have it with me whenever and wherever I need it. (Being on my phone, and being digital, I simply update it when I have things I need/want to add/process/share, and then I download the updated version … easy and saaaweeeet!)

My suggestions for what To Do when creating your journal:

Be kind to yourself
Be patient with yourself
Give yourself the space you need to be authentic, honest, open, and there for you
Journal when it serves you – when you feel called to your pages, not when an external expectation/definition would have you journal
When you need to get “it” out, write freely, without thought to grammar, punctuation, “correctness,” etc … just let it rip! Then process it. And then, the ultimate – Let it go!
When you feel the “harsh-ies” toward yourself … you know, you’re telling yourself how much you suck in whatever special way only you can bring yourself down (we all do it) … well, go ahead and write down how much you suck (btw: you don’t suck! not even a little!) … but so, write it down, and then my invitation to you … turn that negative self-talk into a positive in whatever way serves you:
- maybe you give yourself a goal with an action list to accomplish your goal
- maybe you reframe your negative thought into a positive thought
- maybe you see the words for the hurt they cause you, and find a way to love yourself more instead of taking yourself out at the kneecaps with a word/thought bat).
Let your pages heal you, guide you, inform you, light up your day … let your pages bring positivity and wellness into your life
Remember always: Progress, not perfection. (quote: Jill Stante)
Remember always: Nourish to flourish!
Remember always: What can you do to help you and your body cope and heal right now?
Be as creative or uncreative as you want … it’s your journal … it’s your toolkit of healing, love, light … or whatever you need it to be!
Remember: Your journal is your space to be what you need/want it to be.
What inspires you? Do you like to color, write, take photos, etc … how do you like to express yourself and document/witness your life?

Journaling for Reflective, Guiding Purpose!

Before we wrap up the idea of journaling, I want to share with you a specific page outta my journal I recently created.

The other day, I was feeling badly – health-wise – but I wanted to create something positive (for the goodness I could feel in the moment creating something positive, and for the positive of having created something I wanted to share with myself in my journal).

Recently, I’d been looking at scrapbook ideas for I can’t remember what reason, but I came across an image that inspired me. And I thought, I gotta PINK that up in my own doodle-delicious way!

So there I was, feeling badly, wanting to create something positive, wanting to create a journal page, and having a scrapbook inspiration page. So I created this:

Isn’t it just the PINKest, happiest scrapbook page, ever??? LOL.

Everything you see I created. I used doodles and art I’d already created. And I made some new. And I PINKed up my Life Goals list of how I want to live my life/what’s important to me.

And now, it’s in my journal! I can review it whenever I want/need to. I can get high off of the delightful PINK eye-fumes. I smile just looking at it! It serves me.

And so, I share with you an example of what even a single page in your journal can do for you!

Even in the creation of this page, I gifted myself the positive, creative, soothing activity of assembling and playing in my doodle-tastic world. I made a squee page for reflection and guidance, for healing and happiness.

The process was happy healing, and the product nourishes me so I can flourish!

A scrapbook journal page may not be your cup of tea. That’s totally cool. I’m not trying to convince you to scrapbook journal. I’m inviting you to Journal for You! You do you! I just hope my share inspires you with your own ideas of helpful possibilities!

Hugging you the biggest and loving you even more! Hope this writing brings a smile to your face and a hug to your heart … and happy new ideas for making your journal the coolest place ever!!!

There’s a Dragonfly on Me!
On the Bog (with Kat, Bear, & Wogs)

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

There’s a Dragonfly on Me!!!

Bear sat absolutely still, only daring to slant his eyes to the crook of his tail to see the beautiful dragonfly resting there.

This was a first for Bear! And he was SUPER excited, but SO very, very still. And quiiii-et, shhhh.

Wondering if he should hold his breath, Bear watched as the dragonfly gently raised and lowered its nearly invisible, translucent wings, as if the dragonfly was ready to dart at a moment’s notice, but for now was liking its perch.

There was a gentle, cool, Fall breeze with the sun shining bright and only a smattering of fluffy, puffy white clouds in the sky. Kat, Bear, and Wogs were taking in the delights of the day knowing soon it would be cold and much of nature would grow quiet under the upcoming blanket of winter.

Kat (whispering in giddy excitement): Ohmigosh Bear, look at you! You’ve got a dragonfly on you!

Wogs (gasping with a big smile and whispering): How cool are you, Bear?! What a fun thing to happen to you!

Bear (mrowing with uncontainable excitement, but only on the inside, he was exclaiming, “There’s a dragonfly on me! There’s a dragonfly on me!” … and thinking, This “being present in the moment in nature” thing is cool … hashtag, MakeThisALifeGoal!): <3

It really is the small things!

Hello Beautiful Blossom!

How are you today? Is there something you need? Something that will help you feel whole, well, and loved? Can you give yourself this thing?

I am thinking of you with love in my heart and hugs coming to you from my open and welcoming arms!

What little thing can you do for yourself today?

Can you take a moment to breathe intentionally?
Can you stop for a moment to soak up the nature around you?
Is there someone you can connect with to just say HI and let them know they are thought of, and for you to be thought of?
Maybe, you just need a good book, warm blanket, cozy couch, cuppa something warm and tasty and a moment to yourself.

Today, I wish you the small things. The little things that go a long way in bringing you joy, peace, calm. love, laughter, and wellness!

Today, my love for you travels to you from the happy wake of a dragonfly’s wings!

Muah!

MK’s Reflections: Love Is a Choice!

Love is a Choice.

“Love is a Choice. Life is beautiful – don’t waste a moment of it.” Mrs. McInerney, “Signed, Sealed, Delivered: The Vows We Have Made”

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeessssss. This!

These words are foundational to my existence. My living. My approach to my relationship with myself, others, my wellness, and the world.

Today, Sweet Blossom, I want to share this life changing goodness with you from the pinkest depths of my heart! I hope this share will brighten your life, enlighten you, and help you grow this goodness deeper into you and your days.

Love is a choice.

I once lived a life not loving myself.

Trauma, angry/hateful drama, stress: the trifecta of unwellness in growing up in a seriously dysfunctional home additionally challenged by a significantly mentally ill parent.

My young adult years were characterized by low self-esteem, low self-confidence, … essentially low everything. I was easy to manipulate, take advantage of, and abuse … all for seeking love that wasn’t there … that wasn’t able to be given … that was chosen not to give.

Imagine me young. A little pink-hearted, spritely, effervescent, openly loving little kid … all I wanted was friends. People to like and love me.

You would think that kind of inherent happy spirit would attract good people to me to love and like me. Instead, it was more like I was the light, and the darkness flocked to me to feel my brightness, but instead drained me of it.

By the time I was an adult, I was wary. Cautious. Damaged. Cynical. Sarcastic. I’d built a protective wall around me so high, no one would ever get over it. No one would ever hurt me again.

The thing is, when you build a wall that high, it blocks out the light. The chance at love. The chance at growing beyond your own boundaries. You’re trapped inside a protective, self-limiting vessel of your own making.

In reflection, the way I overcame this …

I’d grow to the limits of my wall, and with that new confidence, that new self-goodness, I would chip away at my own wall … allowing new light in … allowing for new growth.

Bit by bit, day by day, year by year, I grew. My confidence. My self-esteem. My understanding of who I am … what I need … what brightens my lights and what dims it. I learned what I liked about myself and what I needed to grow. I learned to love myself.

I learned that for all the years that people hurt me, it had a lot to do with my inability to protect myself by not having the internal strength, will, skill, and self-care toolkit to love myself, respect myself, and care for myself.

Lemme see if I can explain this … It wasn’t that all the people in my life were malicious, horrid people spending their days trying to figure out how to destroy me. No. I learned that these people suffered with their own insecurities. Their own self-doubts. Their own feelings of self-negativity.

And the secret trick … the essential life lesson revealed: You cannot give that which you do not have.

You cannot give that which you do not have.

Meaning, you can’t give love to others, when you don’t love yourself first. Not fully, not with self-empowered/self-knowing authenticity. It’s like wispy cloud love instead of sunny, warm, fluffy, cotton-ball, guess-the-shape kind of cloud love.

Likewise, if you surround yourself with people who don’t love themselves … guess what they can’t give you …

Yep. You’ll be getting wispy cloud love, if any.

But here’s the thing.

Love is a choice.

We can choose love.

Sure. It’s not always easy. It took me YEARS to find my way to myself.

It. Was. So. Worth. It.

And it’s not like my days leading up to where I am now were filled with darkness. No. In fact, the more I realized I was important to myself. The more I realized I was worthy of my time, love, kindness, patience … The more I realized I wanted happiness, goodness, and love in my life … the more I grew in.

So each and every day just got brighter and brighter!

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

Choose you. Choose love. You are worth it!

Choose you.

Choose love.

Choose to surround yourself with people who love themselves, so they can share their love with you and love you back. (Or at least choose people who are learning to love themselves … aka … on a similar path and growing love into their lives.).

Love is a choice.

And the truth is … You are precious! There is something so uniquely precious about you, that only you can bring this light into the world!

And I promise you, WE NEED YOU!

We need our beautiful, bright light shining in the world, making positive difference.

We need to combine all of our uniquenesses and all of our differing bright lights to create a tremendously thriving, complementary, beautiful rainbow of light, love, and life.

Love is a choice. Life is beautiful – don’t waste a moment.

Love is a choice.

Life is beautiful – don’t waste a moment.

Growing yourself toward the light to live brightly in it … never a moment wasted … with every day getting brighter and brighter, filled with more and more love. For yourself. And to share.

Loving You!

Thank you Sweet Beautiful Blossom for sharing your time with me! For growing love into your life! For being the bright light only you can be! For making our world a more delightful, loving, happy place to be!

Hugging you so big, and SO PINK!

Be the Change

“Be the Change you wish to see in the world!” Mahatma Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi got it right!

If I’ve learned anything in this life (and I’ve learned lots), it’s that you can’t control others. You can’t make them be anything. For instance, you can’t make someone else be happy. You can’t make someone care. You can’t make someone be anything they don’t want to be.

We are impressionable beings. We are social. We hang out in groups, and we listen. We can be influenced.

We can be change!

We can be goodness! We can be love! We can be light!

Today I have a singular light brightening my brain. This light has been calling to me for months. It’s a light I need to shine brightly and to share, because it’s a light of making a positive difference. It’s a light that shows just how good we can be! It shows the change we can make!

Be a BEST PERSON in peoples lives!

A little while back I learned that a dear friend had passed. She was young. … Cancer. Taken before her time, and a devastating loss to all those who were fortunate to share life with her.

She liked ice cold cokey colas. Just about everything she ate needed “a lil salt” after a first tiny bite. Her laugh was mirthful and hearty. No one could decorate a Christmas tree like her, but pilots could use the lights as a landing beacon. And her heart was pure gold!

She was hard work, determination, grit, and a lickity split brain! She was reliable, authentic, and she liked flying under the radar. Meghan wasn’t looking for other people to make her feel important with ribbons and awards. But she was special; she was perfect (in only a way Meghan could be)!

Meghan was a Best Person in my life! (which is why I’m sharing with you!) :0)

Do you have a Meghan (Best Person) in your life?

I think we all have Meghans in our lives. The people who authentically shine and make us look inward to be our best selves!

I think to all the people who have come into my life. Beautiful souls! Bright lights! Angels on earth! Even spritely little fairies of goodness!

I can strive to always be my best, give my best, and help my best for others!

I feel that even if I only get five seconds in passing, I can smile! I feel deep gratitude for you and this time we share! And I strive to always be a light in your days!

I can be the change for goodness! I can be the change for love! I can be the change for authenticity! I can be the change for happiness and wellness!

I invite you to be a Best Person for others! (Be the change!)

Being a best person (the change) isn’t about being perfect. It’s not about always being something uber, impossibly positive.

A smile.
A hug.
Words of kindness, or love, or support, … or all of these!
Maybe it’s a gift of your time to help them tackle something challenging they are facing.
Maybe it’s just time shared laughing together and having a fun chit chat.

“Be the change …”, as Gandhi has said. I call it Being the Ripple!

You are precious!

You are light! We need you!!!!

Our world is faced with many struggles! And one thing is for sure, Our Love and Light can help!!! (It certainly won’t hurt … so … sweet blossom … Let’s be the change! Let’s be the ripple!)

Love and Big Hugging you big … and I’m smiling at you so bright my cheeks are practically in my ears!!!!

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!