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!
The sun rose, big and bright over the Bog, lifting the spirits of everyone as it started its climb upward into the brilliant blue sky!
Cottony fluffball clouds dotted the luminous blue, way up high, and invited the sun to join them.
It was a new dawn. A new day. And spring was on its blossoming way!
The snow had mostly melted, leaving only small, wet, glistening patches here and there.
The deciduous trees weren’t quite budding yet, but the faint buzz and hum of life from all the awakening creatures in the Bog could be heard. The stir of everyone waking up from their winter slumber filled the air with jubilant, bubbly excitement!
Even though the breeze was still brisk with the chill of winter fading, Kat, Bear, and Wogs felt warm with happiness and delighted anticipation for all the coming goodness of spring!
Squeech flittered from branch to branch, chirping and singing with energized cheer! Tickled pink, Flop and Fluff hopped and bounced with lightness and glee! Even Bear could be heard purring in delight!
Kat(feeling a renewed and refreshed brightness in her heart and waving big love and light to you!): Hugging you so big! Isn’t this just a wonderful breath of fresh air?!!!!
Wogs(feeling a bounce in his step and waving love and light to you): Hugging you so big! Take this moment just for you; be light and breathe deep!
Bear(purring loudly now and flicker-waving love and light to you from the tip of his tail): Mrow! (…which of course means he is hugging you so big … and encouraging you to take this moment to refresh and take a deep, cleansing breath!)
Winter can be so long, so cold, and so dis-inviting. I hope the thawing snows, brightening sun, warming weather, and the promise of spring coming helps to lift your spirits and help you feel light and bright again!
If you’ve been busy, busy on the go, go, go, or feeling low, please take a moment to simply be. Wherever you are. Whatever is calling to you. For even just a breath, stop and savor you, your precious and beautiful body, this moment, and this breath. Feel a re-blossoming of your goodness and joy! And smile the biggest you’ve smiled all day!!!
I’m hugging you so BIG! Filling you with all the love in my heart! And surrounding you with blooming, cheerful light!
Introducing “My body is an alien!” (women’s hormone health blog series)
Hello my beautiful bright souls! Thank you so much for being here! I’m so happy to be sharing this time with you!
What is all this “My body is an alien!” stuff about?
Lemme explain why I’m doing this blog series. It’s actually a long story of life and experiences, which I feel like we’ll uncover more of as we go, but let’s just hit the big picture:
I’ve been perimenopausing for a decade-ish now, with symptoms ranging from mild to severe, and it’s been my own kind of hellish challenge, robbing me of life, days, weeks, months. I’ve been to doctor after doctor. I’ve been reading like a champion. Always searching for what I can do to feel better and live healthier and happier again.
In all of this, I’ve learned A LOT! And I’ve done all of this learning within the context of my health science, research, healthcare-careers-coaching, and educational background.
And something I’ve learned is how appallingly deficient the informational and healthcare resources are out there for women.
So … me being a woman, perimenopausal, with many health challenges, educator, and being someone who is choosing to be a bright positive light to change the world around us into a happier, healthier place to be … I decided I needed to share what I’ve learned to:
help you feel better faster
to get positive, healing information to help and guide you and your choices toward improved wellness
to assure you, you are not alone
to remind you, our bodies changing is normal, but that doesn’t mean we understand or that it doesn’t scare us at time … so support is key
and, honestly, to help you see a reality about ourselves that can get lost (or until now, hasn’t been found). This reality is that although our bodies may feel alien to us at times (or all of the time), our bodies are nonetheless in this journey with us. As such, we need to become friends with our bodies and nurture our relationship and health together with respect for the codependent team we are. Me + My Body = Happiness and Healthiness!
So with all of that … What are we going to talk about?
We’re gonna talk about our bodies. Our health. Our happiness. Our lives and living more positively in wellness.
We’re gonna talk hormones. Those little beasties that rule our lives from a place deep inside that we can’t see without lots and lots of testing and blood work, … but … WE FEEL IT!
We’re gonna talk about how beautiful we are. How beautiful our bodies are. We’re gonna talk about finding and growing a peaceful, health-filled relationship with our bodies.
We’re gonna hit topics like (but not limited to, cuz there is so much I have to share, and I’ll keep posting goodness to help you as much as I can!):
All the stuff your mom didn’t tell you, cuz she didn’t know either (emerging women’s health knowledge)
Our bodies and what it takes to make them function well nutrition, hormone balance
Hormones (What are they how; How they affect you; Why you should care, … How come I feel so crappy, & what can I do about it?)
Hormone balance, imbalance and the cause/effect of each
When hormones go wonky … symptoms … and what you can do to help you feel better and well again.
Body image
Nutritional health … food as the best tasting medicine ever!
Wellness
Movement, as in get yo’ body moving, … movement as medicine!
The media is out to get us, lol, but for realz!
So much juicy wellness goodness informational and helpful stuff to help you … it’s gonna be crazy awesome!
Essentially, my goal is to share my own experiences as a 50 yr old, perimenopausal chick, and as my health aware self with all of my education and experiential background for additional highly informed insight!
MS in Human Genetics + additional considerate graduate studies in Molecular, Cellular, & Developmental Biology … (but all this science boiled down into usable human speak)
20+ years pre-health career coaching, mentoring, and educating along with close relationships with medical and dental professionals
Scientist working in the pharmaceutical industry working on inflammation-based diseases (cardiovascular disease and diabetes, with distinguishing factors [hormones] for women)
Personally, I am a significant sufferer of hormone and health things gone wrong … for instance, how easy it is to think you are doing a good thing, but end up slowly depleting yourself (for lack of vital information, misinformation, misguidance, etc., especially from under-informed medical professionals)
Because you are important, and you make the world a brighter, better place!
I’m gonna bring my happiness, love, silliness, PINK, and fun into our chat … because, let’s be real, this stuff can be boring … or worse, scary at times. And my goal straight up is to help save your life and help you live happier, healthier, with ease and comfort and joy!
I’m gonna make you laugh. I’m gonna make you smile. I’m gonna make you feel loved. I’m gonna let you know you are NOT alone. You are not going crazy. Your body is an alien. And I’m gonna tell you how and why. And I’m gonna tell you what you can do about it. I’m gonna help you feel better and make the changes (nurturing and nourishing) you need to improve how you feel.
We’re going to grow you with positivity and AWESOMEness!!!
And that, my sweet pea is our introduction to My Body Is an Alien! Next chat, we’ll begin our wellness dive into some healthy, happy goodness with your body’s health and your mental and emotional wellness as our focus!
WOW!!!! The goodness I feel from growing prayerful intentioning into my life is fundamentally shifting and AMAZING! I love it! And I owe it all to Yoga with Adriene.
Adriene Mishler of YWA is, for me, a positive angel on earth filled with peaceful, healing goodness that emanates in powerful waves of light from the very core of her delightful being! I’ve been doing yoga with Adriene daily (with very rare exception of feeling too unwell) for a year now (since my health went super blinky and freaked me out). She had helped me grow meaningful, healthy movement into my body I never thought possible before.
So when she offered a 30 days series, Breath, I was all in and ready for whatever new goodness she would be sharing with us. If you haven’t done the series and you love yoga, check it out!
Well, so, in one of our sessions, Adriene says to raise our prayer hands to our third eye, and think “insert meaningful intention”; now touch your lips, and say “insert meaningful intention”, and now touch your heart, and feel “insert meaningful intention.”
My light and energy blinky zinged instantly … I felt so alive with awareness and the simple, powerful beauty of this prayerful intentioning!
Now mind you, I have no idea what Adriene would call it. Or what it might actually be called … but for me it’s a moment to be mindful with a praying intention to guide my yoga practice, my moment, my day, and … my life.
I find myself doing this multiple times a day. I’ve been sharing this practice with friends for greetings and see-ya-next-times. We love it!
I use lots of intentions:
love
gratitude
kindness
peace
safety
calm
focus
and so many more, whatever I need in the moment
But my big go to is of course, LOVE! But also KINDNESS.
I love to set my daily intention using this prayerful intention. Today, I started with kindness and peacefulness. (I know … how rogue … doing 2 at a the same time!, but that’s me for you! lol)
But so, I prayerful intention with, Think kindness and peace, Speak kindness and peace, and Feel kindness and peace. And it’s amazing how simply powerful this mindful intentioning is … I find it guiding my moment and my whole day.
It’s helping me channel positivity in my living and be the PINK person I want to be! I love it!!! I love how it’s making me feel, and how I’m acting/behaving/being positively, even more, which is a good thing, because I want goodness to be the very essence of my existence!
(I’ll have moments of weakness where I think about a trouble I’m dealing with … like figuring out how to navigate a friendship that has grown toxic … and I’ll feel the sadness or frustration or hurt from a previous interaction, and I’ll feel low. But now I’m guiding myself to remember/focus on the good stuff, grow away from further connection, and simply think, speak, and feel love toward that person … from afar … and also for myself, to let go of the negativity and grow forward with gained wisdom and strength.)
And so, I’m sharing prayerful intentioning with you … hoping the goodness fills you up, lights you from within, and helps you glow with positivity and brightness!
So for this first part of my sharing with you today, I hope you will try Prayerful Intentioning and see how it makes you feel!
Just a teensy big below, I’ve created and shared a delightful, happy, peaceful video (it’s about a minute long) … just even watching it should help you smile, feel loved, and big hugged!
I also continue to give gracious, heartfelt gratitude for the expansive, growing-me light Yoga with Adriene has brought into my life! (Check her out if you haven’t and are looking to grow movement and body wellness into your life!)
Adriene Mishler and Benji of Yoga with Adriene (image credited to PeacefulDumpling.com).
Where there is Adriene of Yoga with Adriene shining so brightly, in my digi-doodling and digi-painting efforts, I went in search of ideas for a background to join my prayerful intentioning stick-peep, and I found a new brightly lit soul of vibrant goodness, and I just have to share her with you!
I saw a “POSitude” of hers with a tree and a vibrant background that is perfectly delightful, and I felt it would be a great inspiration for my video art for you. (see below)
So first, her name is Jennifer Wagner, and her inspiration webspot is Inspirivity, and she’s on various “art adoption sites” like RedBubble and Zazzle. You’ve truly got to check out her work! She is amazing!!! I’m link-heavening you here to lots of her amazing creations!
One of the things I love about digi-arting is growing myself with the tech to do creativity in a way new to me. And I can tell you this, Jennifer Wagner has an amazing eye and talent, and her heart is filled with delight and light! I hope her creations brighten your days!!!
In making the video for you here, I was inspired be Jennifer Wagner’s piece:
This vibrant light of love is created by Jennifer Wagner and her Inspirivity!
Isn’t this piece of Jennifer Wagner’s Inspirivity art so happy, AMAZINGLY VIBRANT, and delightful?!!!!! And I don’t even begin to know how she created the bubbly glass effect in her tree!!!! But I love it, and someday hope to grow that digi-arting skill into my capabilities.
But for now, with the love and happiness her tree inspired in me, I wanted to create and share a gentle scene for prayerful intentioning. I needed peaceful and calming, and for my digi-doodling, something that would be theme consistent to my stick-peep. And so, I give you my loving, inspired, and gratitude-giving version of Jennifer’s glorious heart in my new Prayerful Intentioning video!
I have been inspired by Adriene and Jennifer as I continue growing myself forward into the happy, healthy wellness I seek through positive living, and I give so much heartfelt gratitude for their light in this world!
It’s ladies like these that brighten our days, and we are fortunate to have them with us!
If each and every one of us shows up with our own bright lights and shine as brightly as we can, we will make a difference! We will make our world a brighter place! We will make our lives and time shared so much more amazing and delightful!
So shine brightly my peeps! Love Big and Hug the Biggest!
Be loving. Be kind. Live in gratitude. And feel the goodness in your heart and let it shine!
I very much hope this writing has helped you feel happy, well, inspired, and … open to giving Prayerful Intentioning a try!
Like Adriene and Jennifer, Prayerful Intentioning and Inspiration are SO BRIGHT!!!
A fellow wellness blogger and friend of mine, Dylan, were having a conversation the other day. We were talking about (trying to figure out why) people seem to ignore or avoid happiness inspiring images and or content (well, beyond that of adorable cute animals doing adorable, cute things).
And my brain blitzed.
And my blitz’n reaction is: Do you really have to sort out all the background shiz, first? Life is more layered than that. We can be more. I know, because I am.
People look at me and all my pink and see bubbly happiness and think how lucky I am, or how easy I’ve got it. … Beggin’ your pardon, but LOL!
My therapist says I suffer multiple-trauma, anxiety, and OCD from all the shiz I’ve had happen in my life. And I’m working on it all the time … but it doesn’t keep me from living as much as I can in happiness.
Cuz basically, it’s like this. I’ve had a lot of bad happen. (Lots of people have, and you may be one of them.) But I ask myself, do I want to wake up everyday feeling like shiz? Or do I want to wake up each day with hope, love, happiness, laughter, and smiles? (Take a guess which one I pick.)
And that’s the golden key … right there. CHOICE.
I CHOOSE to blossom and grow happiness in my life each day, even if it has to be on top of all the background emotional noise. (Hell, I’ll squash all that noise with happiness if I can!)
So lemme first talk about the damage … I have a visual/real life analogy I think will help a lot. And then I’m going to share with you actual, real actions and things you can choose to do to blossom and grow happiness into your life, too! Like for, free, yo! I’m just going to give you the golden key for free! Cuz … loves … we have to share the love and help each other, peeps! We have the AWESOME POWER to blossom and grow so much goodness into our lives and into the world … we can make our time here on earth a better place to be, and even enjoy it, BIG TIME!
Okay … So Damage.
Firstly know, we CAN BE HAPPY even while still having damage and hurt.
Here’s my analogy:
Getting hurt in life emotionally is like a bad cut on your skin (or whatever degree of bodily damage you’d like to associate to your emotional hurt … I share the imagery with you here in whatever way works best for you! <Big LOVE>). OK. So bad cut. Something sliced you open. It hurt. It sucked, and likely still does … cuz no one feels great about getting shizzy stuff happening in their life. … But the cut (or appropriately sized wound) will heal enough to go on.
And depending on how you treat it, it may heal super great (like almost no scarring evidence remains) or pretty descent (yucky scar). But either way, you’re very likely gonna have a scar.
I feel this holds true for emotional shiz and scars. For instance, I’ve had some really bad shiz happen to me. It hurt. It sucked. And my brain/emotions/heart have healed … enough to go on.
Is there a scar? You betcher buttercups!!! My brain/emotions/heart are covered in scars. But I go on. My shiz doesn’t go away, but with time and care (therapy and positive living), I heal a little bit better each day, more and more, all of the time, each and every day.
And that’s the point. I’m not fully healed. My damage doesn’t disappear just cuz I’m bouncing around in happiness. It’s back there. All those scars. And the damage.
But I choose NOT to let all of that (the what happened in the past) keep me from making today a better, happier day (just because I’m not fully healed).
And that’s the golden key: CHOICE!
I choose NOT to let all of that (the what happened in the past) keep me from making today a better, happier day. I choose to NOT let it keep me from feeling love now. To laugh and feel delight. To bounce and engage. To enjoy.
And this isn’t to say that when I’m in a full blown panic attack, or my OCD is raging that my happiness isn’t impacted. Hellz ya, I suffer. I cry. I freak the fiddoodles out.
And that’s what my therapy is for. To help me understand me. Understand how I cope. Understand my struggles. Understand how I can make the best beyond what happened. And to know that no matter how much I might want to wish it away at times, the shiz happened … it was real … it sucked … and the damage it caused sucks, but that I am more than the bad moments of my life.
Therapy is there for me to learn and grow coping mechanisms and skills and to have support on shizzy, sucky days/moments.
And then, peeps, I gotta say … the exact moment I can … I bounce back all over my happiness … I get that goodness lit back up. I stoke my lil spark and desire to smile again with every tool I’ve got in my tool kit! I go big, because the bottom line for me is … suffering and feeling like downed, depressed, sad shiz sucks, and I hate that feeling enough to do something about it.
I hate that feeling bad enough to CHOOSE happiness!
So with that little pep talk, which I actually hope has helped you and even inspired you … let’s talk steps and actions! Let’s talk about what you can do to blossom and grow happiness into your life!
Enough Pep Talking … Let’s Talk What You Can Do to Blossom and Grow This Happiness Stuff Into Your Life!
Believe you can be happy. Cuz you can be. You have to choose it. You have to blossom it. You have to grow it!
Practice POSitude … which means to think, focus, & act on positive thoughts. (Stop focusing on all the hurt and damage … it’s there, but it doesn’t need to rob you of the rest of your life. Let it be there, and heal it as you grow.)
Practice Reaffirmations … Tell yourself nice things about you … Like how precious and beautiful and rare you are … and how much we need you to light up this world with your goodness!
Practice Gratitude … What is something you can be grateful for today? Think about that and focus on it. It will help you feel better!!!
Uh, this one’s going to sound too easy, but it’s for real and proven … So … SMILE, BIG & BRIGHT. Just do it. Like, even, right now. Just smile and think a happy thought … and ohmigoodness … it will release happy chemicals in your brain and actually help you feel happier right this moment!!!
Laugh out Loud! Go watch something funny. Tell yourself jokes. Hell, just like smiling, just start laughing out loud … cuz it, uh, works!!!
Cut the shizzy people outta yo life! Or at least reduce their presence as much as you can. Their toxicity is eating you … and you are worth more and better … you deserve NOT to have them treat you like crap. So adios toxicos!
And on the note of #7, instead, surround yourself with Love & Support! People who want to be blossom and grow happiness like you. Like minded people with similar goals are much better at supporting one another.
Connect with, love, & hug someone special today … even if it’s “only” you. You are amazing and wonderful … and you are the person you will spend the most time with in your life … so find someone or find you … and connect, love, & hug, big time!!!!
This last one is really a summary quickie of a bunch of wellness steps that help you feel better overall, so use at will: eat something nutritious, hydrate, rest/sleep well, get movement into your body, take a calming and intentional breath, journal, create or color something, be kind to you, … breathe!
Does it take a little bit of work? Sure. But so does holding onto all that anger. All that hurt. All that frustration.
You will put effort into whatever you do … so you get to choose. Will you put your effort into blossoming and growing happiness?
I hope so! Because I truly believe you are beautiful! You are special and unique. And we’ll never have the gift of your bright light again! So I really hope I can help you feel better and feel happiness and wellness! Because I love you!
For me, February is the month of love!!! I know I’m not joined in this sentiment by all, and I remember my younger days of singleness, lacking a date for “the big day.” And I remember the sad, aloneness I felt.
I hated feeling that way, and so many, many, many, many years back, I decided to change my focus. To reframe the day. To value it for something more than just a date holiday. To see it for the goodness buried within, super deep, and super AWESOME!
So now, I use the month of February to celebrate love of every kind … to celebrate the brightness we can bring into our own lives and the lives of others! And I invite you to join me! … In doing so, we can make the world a better place!!!
We have the power to be love, for ourselves, and for those around us!
And so, I made this itty bitty short video with a BIG, Heart-Pinking message in … just for you!
The heavy snows of late had turned the Bog into a winter wonderland for all to enjoy, … even at night, as Kat, Bear, & Wogs were about to discover!
Unable to sleep from all the fun and laughter of games and hot chockit by the fire, Kat, Bear, & Wogs ventured out from their toasty-warm campsite for a sledding snow stroll.
The moon was a luminous, crescent beacon beaming from the darkened, nearly cloudless sky. The stars were just as bright. And the night felt magical.
Finding their way into the clearing, Kat, Bear, and Wogs were greeted with excitement from a stir of woodland creatures!
Zoot and Skootch hooted happy hellos.
Flop and Fluff hopped in bouncy delight.
Before them lay a path of bedazzled snow that twinkled and sparkled like diamonds in the bright moonlight!
Kat(pointing with enchanted delight): Ohmigosh! The shimmer! … All the glittery colors! They’re so beautiful!
Wogs(smiling and nodding, feeling elated): We should follow the moon glow for our stroll!
Bear (thinking, pull me closer!, wondered what would happen if he pounced on the sparkles, … and then he smiled mischievously): Mrow!
Hello, sweet special you! I hope however I find you today, you are well and feeling nurtured and nourished by your day (and night!).
In amongst all the wintery fun (and maybe not so fun), please take a kind moment to think of yourself and what you need. A hug. Time to connect with a friend. A cuppa somethin warm. Some delicious nom nom delight. … A moment to just breathe. To refresh. Relax. Rejuve. To behold you … beautiful you! To just breathe and be you.
The winter sun burned as bright as it could, but it was no match for the thick blanket of clouds blotting out its warmth. Only a small polka dot of dulled, glowy brilliance burned the sun’s image into the clouds.
Overnight, the snows had come heaping and heavy, covering everything in sight. A disinviting chill and a crisp, frozen breeze swept across the Bog, leaving shivers in its wake.
Back at their campsite, Kat, Bear, and Wogs stayed nestled up by the roasty, toasty, crackling fire happily sipping on hot chockit and cracking jokes, enjoying their silly fun and togetherness.
Kat(giggling with excitement to tell her joke): Where do snowhumans keep their money?
Wogs(shaking his head with a big smile): I dunno.
Kat(laughing at her own silliness, gushed): In a snow bank!
Wogs(chuckling wide, replied): Oh, yeah, well what do snowhumans wear on their heads?
Kat(holding her middle for laughing so hard and so long, she shook her head, cracking up with her big smile): What?!
Wogs(thinking this joke was his funniest, he smiled huge): Ice caps!
Both Kat and Wogs rolled with the fun and doofiness, loving every minute!
Bear (shaking his head at his humans’ silliness, but loving being by them, he joined in the laughter): Mrow, mrow, mrow.
Being in the moment and enjoying the thing you are doing fuels goodness in your life! Look around and give gratitude for your moment, or something in your moment that is goodness in your heart. It can help you smile and feel better!
I give gratitude for you being here with me in this moment right now. Thank you for sharing your love and time with me! I hope your day is brightened by your visit, and a silly smile has beamed in your heart!
Love and Big Hugging you, always!
MK :0)
Want to give a gracious and deserved shout out to KidActivities.net for sharing the jokes Kat and Wogs told today!
But for all the world, you wouldn’t know it. Not with how media, culture, our employment, and even our friendships pit us against one another.
I find myself having this conversation with every single one of my beautiful coaching souls. My friends. And I’ve had this conversation with my therapist. All of us are women … chicks of big hearts, open minds, … and feeling the negativity waged against us.
Seems like we’re never quite pretty enough, smart enough, do enough, help enough, give enough, go go go enough.
In the media we are told we need to drink more coffee, work out more, squeeze in more time to be better moms, wives, girlfriends, friends … cook more, clean more, get to work faster. It seems like our clothes are never nice enough. Our houses are never big enough. Our kids will only be happy if we get and buy them everything they want. So … of course, we’re going to need more money …
If only we would buy that cologne we could all smell sexy and be as beautiful as Charlize Theron, cuz without it, we’re just not as good.
You get the idea … the judgement negativity is everywhere, with the bottom line being, we’re never quite good enough if we don’t … do whatever it is they want us to do.
We lose our self-esteem, self-respect, self-love, self-worth. We learn to hate ourselves and the other lovely ladies around us, especially the ones who seem to be doing a better job at being Perfect.
Maybe she’s thinner. Maybe her hair is more lustrous. Maybe she seems to be able to do it all. And we loathe her for it.
You are glorious!!! You are beautiful!!! You have gifts, the likes we’ll never see again on this earth!!! You are unique and special!!! You are amazing!!!
You bring to us magic! And delight! And wisdom! Lessons learned. Experiences. Strength. Even in your moments of unstrength, your gifts are there, shining through, helping you cope in ways best suited to you. And we learn from you. We grow and flourish in your light. In your unique perspective. In how you see the world and brighten it. And for all that you do for us, we do it for you, too!
For we are strong and beautiful, and together, with our love shining so very brightly, our gifts complement each other making our lives and this world a brighter, more beautiful place to be!
Together, no longer judging … no longer criticizing, no longer stuck in the negativity structures forced upon us, together in love, kindness, compassion, caring, gratitude-giving … we see the goodness, the beauty in each other, and we know the truth:
Your beauty does not diminish my beauty, as my beauty doesn’t not diminish your beauty. Together, with love, our gifts complement each other making our lives and this world a brighter, more beautiful place to be!
PS: If you and your heart are moved by the loveliness of this digi-painting and you would love a copy for yourself, click here.
The warm, winter sun lingered for yet another delightful day. But the forecast called for a drop in temperature with gray skies a’looming.
Not to miss a chance to enjoy gleeful weather, Kat, Bear, & Wogs set out for a happy crinkle crunching stroll across the rainbow sparkling snow.
When suddenly, out from behind the trees, a euphoric puppy bounced and flopped into the crunchy white fluff ahead. He jumped up and down, swishing his tail enthusiastically. Puppy-Dad emerged next, carrying a stick, smiling, ready to play a game of fetch.
Kat(waving, grinning, and giggling with excited delight): Look! A puppy!!! Do you think he sees us?
Wogs(smiling at the playful puppy): Not yet, but keep waving!
Bear(happily acknowledging another fur creature on the bog and wondering if it would like to play with him, he called out with bubbly hope): Mrow!
I love this quote from Ivy, the main character in Damn Girl. That Sucks! I love it, cuz it feels wonderful, filled with hope and goodness, and it really is true.
I got really lucky this past year to grow new and budding friendships. In these challenging pandemic times, it’s been such a delight to connect via Zoom and chat ourselves silly.
We bring our cuppa somethin warm, a healthy snack, and jibber jabber over everything. We laugh. We share. We connect and care. Sometimes we art together and share our progress. Sometimes we cry. Sometimes we help each other cope with anxiety or stress. Every time we end with big smiles, lots of love, and the biggest of hugs!
I’d never met these delightful flowers until suddenly opportunity presented itself. Students in need of coaching. Ladies around the world coming together in a beautiful women’s circle to show love and support. The universe delivered bright, amazing starlight to me exactly when I needed it. My heart was open, and I leapt to try new things and meet new peeps!
In this new year, as we begin to see some new hope and bright light, with spring not all that far off, if you are feeling open and ready, seek opportunity to connect and make new friends! Brighten up the corners of your life with cheerful grace and light.
I hope this is helpful to any of you who might be feeling a bit disconnected. I know I did. And sometimes still do. Tis the way of an isolating pandemic. But new or old, nurture your friendships and grow happiness deeply in them. It will fill your heart and hold you tight!
Adriene Mishler and Benji of Yoga with Adriene (image credited to PeacefulDumpling.com).
This vibrant light of love is created by Jennifer Wagner and her Inspirivity!
For me, February is the month of love!!! I know I’m not joined in this sentiment by all, and I remember my younger days of singleness, lacking a date for “the big day.” And I remember the sad, aloneness I felt.
