{life reflections}

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{life reflections}

 Sporadic thoughts and rambles. A glimpse into my mind and world. 

Entries that I might jot down in my Happy Diary; the release of thoughts to flow uninhibited. Reflections from the soul. 

Reflections of life.  

I hope to leave you inspired. 

If you want to share your own reflections of the week please leave a link to your "life reflections" entry in the comments for all to find and see.

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Loving the Current Version of Yourself

Hi Lovelies! 
Whoa! Another random post from me! ;) 
I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting lately. On a day such as today I was struck with an overwhelming sense of self and reflection that began with a Facebook post but that I’ve decided to share here as well—as I know most of you are missing posts. 
So, here is my little self-reflection today… 

Firstly, this photo is what started the flow of thoughts. This photo was my first Spring back in my home of Nelson, BC. I cannot believe this was already five years ago! Time flies! 

After this I started looking through an album of old photos from that year and the next few following it. Why? Because I look so damn happy in that photo and it had me thinking about my journey in this life. Shuffling trough those memories back in Nelson I feel very grateful for my journey. 
My life has always been a turbulent one, things have never "settled"; there is always something rocking the foundation on a very deep level, chipping away at depression and anxiety. BUT, when I moved back to Nelson I began a more conscious path of self-growth on the positive side. This is a path most of you are well-aware of as it began this very blog and all the advice and reflections I had to share because of it. Now, I’ve admitted in my last post that I may have gone a little overboard with the whole PMA (positive mental attitude) at first; I realized a year later that it could only last so long for me. But it was part of my journey, part of who I became, and now I've learned to embrace all sides of myself; both the dark and the light. Balance?? I'm a highly emotional person: my highs are over the wall, my lows have me down in the dirt; and they can switch as quickly as the swinging of a pendulum. But I'm more grounded as a person not denying either side of those. 
My Dark fuels my creativity and art. My Light fuels my relationships and life. 
My point? I have none. I just felt an overwhelming sense of accomplishment and satisfaction looking back at the last 5 years of my life (has it really been 5 years?!). This has been a while coming, in all honesty, as I felt a certain bitterness and resentment at the fact I was no longer this super duper happy woman all the time like I was in my PMA year. So, let me tell you: It's a nice place to be loving what I was but loving who I am more now, without bitterness or resent or longing for a different version of me. 
I’m sharing, as I like to do, because these moments of self-reflection are still easy for me to write and share in my busy life. When they come around, I still like to share my thoughts on life. 
I hope that you, too, are doing lots of self-reflection and that, no matter where you are at right now, you can see a light in the tunnel. The tunnel has no end, not at the moment, perhaps never, it is a journey through our ever-evolving souls and there is always room for growth. I hope you find balance, and that you learn to embrace every part of yourself without resent or longing. And if you haven’t found that place yet, don’t worry. The journey isn’t over yet! 

Okay, rambling reflection over! ;) 

Much Love, 


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{Goodbye 2014 - Reflections of the Year}

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{life reflections}

 Weekly thoughts and rambles. A glimpse into my mind and world. 

Entries that I might jot down in my Happy Diary; the release of thoughts to flow uninhibited. Reflections from the soul. 

Reflections of life.  

I hope to leave you inspired. 

If you want to share your own reflections of the week please leave a link to your "life reflections" entry in the comments for all to find and see.

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Goodbye 2014 - Reflections of the Year

Wow! We’ve already reached the end of 2014! What a year! As I sit here in my new little apartment, my eyes glancing to the large painting my boyfriend made me for my birthday, with my kitty on my lap, and the twinkle lights strung about the walls giving my creative space a cozy, moody feel, I can’t help smile. So much of my life is so immensely different from December of last year. The end of 2013 was a very bumpy road, as I previously blogged about. The feeling this year feels much much different. A feeling of fulfillment, excitement, and bliss sing in my heart with a very happy song. 

What a year indeed! 

To start upon this reflection, we can all be thankful we survived Mercury in Retrograde! What a ride that was for most people I know. I remember watching couple after couple breaking up—some of these were short-lived relationships, some of them fifteen-year marriages—but they collected one by one until over twenty people I knew had ended their relationships. I remember watching this domino effect, wondering when my turn would be. It was a feeling of mixed emotions, of relief and of fear. My turn certainly came—which has been no secret to my readers, starting with a rather large handful of blog posts that began in July. Because of this, and because of many other things, 2014 has been a year so divided in black and white that it still amazes me.  

As I made my cheesy “year in review” (like so many others) on Facebook, it only felt right to conclude that: as far as I was concerned, 2014 began in May. As I allow my fingers to roll over my keyboard with flowing thoughts, I can’t help realize that the first several months of 2014, however, were vital and necessary for the greatness that was to follow. Light cannot come without darkness. Breakthroughs don’t often come without turbulence, and happiness doesn’t come without first realizing what isn’t right in your life. So, the first half of 2014 was one of self-discovery, of getting honest with myself, of waging the war in my mind of what I really Wanted and Needed in order to enter a better phase of my life. I’ve spoken before about the vows I made myself in March, of the intentions I set, of the general turbulence of my own emotions. Although, thinking back, the first half of the year was truly an emotional struggle, there is no way I cannot be immensely grateful for it. Timing was everything, and I couldn’t be happier with how the wheel of time, and my own resolve and determination, unfolded my new life. It was all necessary. 

When the flower blossomed, it was all the more sweet and reassuring. Getting honest and clear with myself was such a blessing. Although I would have gladly gone without the immense heartache, it was all part of the process. New love has been such an eye-opening, warm, fuzzy, fulfilling change. If any more gratitude filled my heart, it might explode. There was plenty of cleansing, clearing, and healing of relationships in general this second half of the year; all of which have made this year all the more magnificent. 

Conclusion? 2014 was undoubtedly one of the greatest years of my life—even if the “great” part was felt mid-year. It has also been, undoubtedly, one of the hardest years of my life on an emotional level, and in relationships that extend beyond my love life. I learned a lot about myself, about what I wanted, about what I didn’t want; about what Made me Happy, and what made me not so happy; about what was blocking my personal growth, and about how to heal myself; about what was going wrong, and what was going right. I also learned a lot about Love; in various relationships and various forms, about not settling, and about being Deserving and Worthy of good things.

I look forward to emptying my “Jar of Happiness” once the clocks turn over into a brand new year as well; but that will be a separate post as it was the year before. For now, I will say that each year is a gift, filled with profound opportunities for growth and enlightenment. If there was one lesson that was most significant this year, it would be to Listen to your Heart. And I mean truly truly listen. The Heart Knows. Be honest with yourself, believe you are worth Happiness and Goodness, and good things will surely follow. 

Myself? I am extremely excited for 2015—and this year it’s not because I want the last year to end, but because I feel so blissful in my current state of affairs that it excites me of what’s to follow. 

So, here I am wishing you all a very Happy (and safe!) New Year’s Eve and a brilliant best New Year! 

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☺ "Against Balance" ☺

We hear about balance a lot in our day-to-day struggle to be human, to do our best, and to find our calm and our perfect bliss in our lives. When a lovely woman in my own life shared this piece, I couldn't help but pass it along. I think it sums up the idea and struggle with "balance" perfectly. 

I hope you enjoy! 

Originally posted by Elizabeth Gilbert -- find her work here. 

Against BALANCE...

 Dear Ones -

 The other night at my event in St Paul, a young woman asked me about how I achieve balance in my life.

 First of all, I love that she thinks I have achieved balance in my life!

 Secondly, I felt the need to speak out once more against the subtle tyranny of the word BALANCE, which I think haunts and punishes modern women more and more every day. 

 We are constantly being told that we should be achieving balance — that we should somehow exquisitely be negotiating the relationships between our work lives, our home lives, our romantic lives, our health and well-being, our spiritual selves. You can't read an interview with a famous woman these days that the journalist does not applaud her for having achieved BALANCE....and then if you turn the pages of that magazine, you will find ten more articles showing how you can achieve balance. too!

 Be careful. 

 The word BALANCE has tilted dangerously close, I fear, to the word PERFECT — another word that women use as weapons against themselves and each other. 

 To say that someone has found the secret to a balanced life is to suggest that they have solved life, and that they now float through their days in a constant state of grace and ease, never suffering stress, ambivalence, confusion, exhaustion, anger, fear, or regret. Which is a wonderful description of nobody, ever. 

 Balance, when we do find it, is a breathtakingly temporary condition. We stand upon a world that spins at 2000 miles an hour. Our minds, meanwhile, spin at 200,000 miles an hour. We collide every day with other humans who are also sliding and spinning wildly. The landscape of our lives, therefore, changes by the minute. You find your balance one day and think, "Hooray! I have solved it" and then five minutes later the world utterly transforms again, and you're knocked on your ass one more time.

 That's just how life is on this planet — messy, fast, out of control, unpredictable. It's all terribly interesting, but also terribly unstable. 

 That being the case, I dropped the myth of BALANCE a long time ago. (I buried it right next to PERFECT.) My life seems happiest — as I tried to explain to this young woman the other night — when I just surrender to the madness, and embrace the glorious mess that I am...and also when I embrace the glorious mess that everyone else is, and the glorious mess of the world itself. My life gets the most painful when I try to set the entire mess (myself other people, life itself) into order. 

 The world is like a dropped pie most of the time. Don't kill yourself trying to put it back together. Just grab a fork and eat some of it off the floor. Then carry on.

 If you can get some stuff done in the chaos sometimes, god bless you. If you can basically hold it together, propping yourself up with duct tape and glue, rock on. If you can manage stay upright even one hour a day, you're doing pretty great, as far as I'm concerned. And if you can be kind to the other stumbling fools around you half the time — well, that's just heroic. 

 Basically, I think we are all just sloppy stupendous champions.

 Onward!

Heart,

LG

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☺ Self-Empowerment ☺

 

I believe in self-empowerment. I believe that if you give someone the reins to their lives then they will do great things. I believe if you empower someone to know that they are wonderful creators, that they can decide their paths, that people can heal and move into spaces of greatness in their lives. 

Responsibility will always be a finicky thing. It is a concept that most will have a difficult time wrapping their minds around at first, and allowing the concept to be empowering as opposed to taking resent or hostility towards. Taking responsibility does not serve you if you allow it to be self-defeating. Meaning, if you accept that you are responsible for your life, but do so in a way playing the "poor me" attitude, then all you are going to do with that responsibility is blame yourself, feel badly about yourself, and blame yourself some more. Blame is not accepting responsibility. Blame pushes you into deeper states of self-loathing, and that is not the point of empowerment or taking that responsibility. Taking responsibility means accepting that, yes, you made some mistakes, because you're human after all and mistakes are part of growth. That is what you are accepting; not that you should feel badly for mistakes, but that you should own up to them, accept them, and empower yourself because of them; because you are human and you are on a path like everyone else in this world, stumbling, and learning, and growing through trial and error and experience. Taking responsibility means allowing yourself to make mistakes, and accepting that it's okay to do so. Taking responsibility means choosing to grow from mistakes, instead of feeling crippled by them. 

People also often associate this responsibility as an accusation towards their battered state (in their initial response). So let's make this clear: taking responsibility does not mean that you Wanted to damage yourself or your life, or that you Wanted to put yourself in a shitty situation. Perhaps certain old patterns, thoughts, or universal wave-lengths led you from one place to another, but that doesn't mean you Purposefully wanted to throw yourself into some hellish life or situation or circumstance. Taking responsibility simply means that you accept what is (and, again, not Blaming yourself or others), and choose to shape the life ahead of you. It means accepting that you cannot change your past but that you Can shape your future.  

Taking responsibility means Empowering yourself. It means saying "I Can!" Self empowerment is saying fuck the odds that are against you and going forward anyway, ready to claim what you want, what you deserve, what you dream your life to be. Self-empowerment means not settling, but striving for excellence, striving for your dreams and never letting anything get in your way. It means not accepting no for an answer--especially if others tell you you can't. Self-empowerment means being a Doer. It means planting as much enthusiasm you have at any given moment into your wants and dreams. Self-empowerment means constantly striving for self-improvement. And it also means empowering others as much as it means empowering yourself. It means lifting yourself and others up, and never kicking someone (or yourself) when they are down. It means choosing love over all other emotions; but accepting that all other emotions will and should be felt, expressed, and then let go of. It means being non-judgmental and understanding; to both yourself and others. It means accepting that you are human; that you will stumble and fall and cry, but that, after the rain has fallen, you can still stand back tall, brush yourself off, and keep being awesome. Self-empowerment means never feeling badly for being human, for having a "bad day", or a "bad moment", or a "bad month". Self-empowerment means being gentle with yourself. It means nourishing and nurturing your sense of self, and never tearing it apart. It means seeing your wondrous worth. It means being grateful for all that you are, and loving all that you are. It means encouraging yourself. And it means being courageous. It means building yourself up. It means believing in yourself and believing that good things are coming and Knowing that all things are possible.  

Self-Empowerment means saying Yes to possibilities, to magic, and believing in Miracles so that you may welcome such miracles into your life. Because all things are possible. 

    

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{life reflections} A Slap in the Face: A Reminder of Happiness

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{life reflections}

 Weekly thoughts and rambles. A glimpse into my mind and world. 

Entries that I might jot down in my Happy Diary; the release of thoughts to flow uninhibited. Reflections from the soul. 

Reflections of life.  

I hope to leave you inspired. 

If you want to share your own reflections of the week please leave a link to your "life reflections" entry in the comments for all to find and see.

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A Slap in the Face: A Reminder of Happiness

Who is familiar with that moment when a certain realization attempts to slap you across the face? While I've had many moments like this, one in particular struck me again recently. In being honest, this little funk I've been in has been a rather tedious and lingering ordeal, one which I have been struggling with daily. Some days I feel like I must be bipolar: sparking from happiness to anger to tears in a matter of fleeting moments. One couldn't guess when the tempest would strike next. But then, I remember that I am cleansing, and that finally (several years later) all the excess estrogen has been attempting to leave my body after five years of being on the birth control pill. I also remember that the emotional roller coaster has been doing a few maniacal twists as of late--probably to keep me on my feet ;). And so, life simply has its funks and it is best not to beat oneself up over such things. We are, after all, all human, and happiness doesn't always come so easily. 

And then I was slapped across the face. I don't remember how it happened, what prompted it, or why exactly in that moment it sprang up from that inner part of my mind to give me a good talking to, but it did. That slap reminded me that my happiness depends on Me, and Me alone. I am in control of my own life, I am responsible for my own state of mind. Sure, it's not always a cake walk, and sometimes things really test your ability to simply "be positive". I mean really test you. For instance, every time over the past little while that I have had a moment of absolute happy bliss, it seems to be snatched out from under me like some cruel joke. I blame everything outside of myself for that bliss being snatched away from me. Because it's easy to pass the blame, especially when one is struggling with their own inner demons within life. But then there's that slap. That slap that reminds me that I am responsible for my own happiness. In seeing this, I have to remember--and I mean really drill it into my mind again--that I not the circumstances, people, or events around me can take my smile away. Sure, things will test you (and, again, sometimes really test you) but in the end, You are still responsible for allowing these things to ruin your day--and your life. It's a harsh reality at times, especially if we are caught in a state of helplessness within our own deteriorating self-appreciation. It's like one more thing to taunt us, to tell us we're not good enough because we can't Just Be Happy. Oh cruel world! But, when being honest, and if we can really take a step back then we can also realize that this mentality only further traps us into the web of self-helplessness and the "poor me" attitude that spirals so easily out of control. Because we refuse to accept that We are in control--at least, we Can be. 

Again, I'm not saying it's an easy walk in the park. Sometimes it is, most certainly, but other times it really feels like you have to fight tooth and nail to climb back to the top of the happiness ladder. And once we are at the top for a few fleeting moments, sometimes the foundation is still weak and so we topple quite easily down again. And this is another cycle that is so easy to start feeling helpless in, to start beating yourself up for, or cursing life for being so cruel. It's the self-perpetuating cycle of self-rejection, of self-loathing, or lack of self-appreciation. This is why I still hold strong to the belief system that happiness must must must start with You. Once you start feeling Good about YourSelf, then you can start to stabilize your ladder to happiness and the journey, while still bumpy, can be much easier and more manageable. 

Life truly Is a beautiful, wondrous gift, and to see it as a cruel place there to tear us down or laugh at us doesn't serve you. Life is not cruel, only our mentalities towards it are. These mentalities are built over time, burdened by life events and tribulations to solidify the feeling; but all the beauty in life can also serve as your tools to change your perspective. Once the perspective starts its building then the path to happiness can truly be paved. And that path is most easily paved by gratitude: gratitude for the small things, the big things, the people around you, the events around you, the material things, the weather, a roof over your head, anything and everything, but most importantly, gratitude for Your Self.  

So, allow a little slap to cross your face every so often. Let the lessons remind you to have the courage to empower yourself, to remind yourself that You Are Strong enough to overcome anything. Put yourself in control, truly and fully empower yourself and replace any negative thoughts with the words "I Can!". Love Yourself. Encourage yourself. Remind yourself that you Deserve to be happy, that you Deserve Good Things. Healing takes time, but more than that, healing takes Persistence. Do what you must for yourself every single day, by doing this you can move yourself away from the "poor me" helpless mentality and start to write a beautiful life for yourself once more. 

Much Love and all the Happiness in the world to you and your beautiful sparking soul! 

xo

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{life reflections} Being a Woman! + Emotions & Health

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{life reflections}

 Weekly thoughts and rambles. A glimpse into my mind and world. 

Entries that I might jot down in my Happy Diary; the release of thoughts to flow uninhibited. Reflections from the soul. 

Reflections of life.  

I hope to leave you inspired. 

If you want to share your own reflections of the week please leave a link to your "life reflections" entry in the comments for all to find and see.

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Being a Woman! + Emotions & Health

It's tough being a woman. It's also intensely magical and amazing and I wouldn't trade it for the world. My husband has asked me before, on days where I'm clutching my stomach with cramps of death (of course he waits until they subside before asking) if I would not trade all that to be a man. I wouldn't. It's not because I don't like men or don't find them deeply fascinating as well, it's just that I love being a woman. Being a woman is such an opening experience, as if we can feel more deeply and wildly and enter depths and bonds amongst fellow women that perhaps men don't get to enjoy. I just love the feminine energy. There's something magical about it; like free gypsy souls, empowered goddesses, and/or soulful fairies. 

I saw this meme on Facebook yesterday (see below) and it made me giggle because I've been talking about similar things with other women in my life a lot at the moment to which the image made me relate. For instance, I keep describing myself as trying to "get my fire back", and we as women in general tend to like using these whimsical metaphors to describe our energies and feelings and passions that can't be put so bluntly into "logical terms." Sometimes it's as if women have their own dialogue--and studies have down that in some ways we do because of the way our brains are wired. These are things that if you tried to explain to (most) men, you'd probably get an arched eyebrow and a look to suggest you might have lost your marbles. "You're fire back??" But… women get it. They just get it. You'd only need to half explain yourself and women would just get it. "Ah, yes, your fire back! Of course!"

The experience of being a woman is one I wouldn't trade for anything. Being a woman is fun, and we are strong, compassionate, fiery beings that have so much to offer each other and the world around us. So, I'd take cramps of death any day and still be a woman. 

The truth is that our society is very uncompassionate and detached when it comes to women's health and women's bodies. I realize this more and more as I dive deeper into learning about my own body, about our cycles, hormones, and the emotions that Directly affect our health. And yet we're meant to believe that our health has nothing to do with our emotions. This is another topic that has been reoccurring lately: Emotions and Health--but I'll get to that when I'm done talking about the awesomeness and trials of being a woman. 

Being a woman should actually be a lot easier than it is. Every part of it! But society has suppressed women for centuries. Feminist talk? Absolutely! How about we stop shying away from being "feminists" because every single damn person on this planet should be a feminist! Feminism doesn't mean hating men, it means equality. I also feel that it is much more than that, I feel like it's about getting back in touch with our roots, with each other, and with men as well. Becoming open to Love in all areas of life. Our attitudes towards men has developed into one of tension and separation. Separation is everything to do with feminism (in my opinion) because women have been pitted against one another creating separation amongst our own gender and the opposite gender--leaving us feeling utterly alone for much of our lives. I think it's so eye-opening and important to realize this so that women can stop being so catty towards one another and finally love and support one another instead. You'd have to be pretty blind not to have noticed, or not to have felt, (once you're paying attention) the level of cattiness women have towards one another--feelings of jealousy, envy, and all around bitchiness. It's absolutely mad that women should be this way! But it's absolutely intentional, because it came with the territory of suppressing women all that time ago. What better way than to pit women against one another? Now, feminism has continued because of our society, because of the mentalities of both men And women. We can no longer blame it on the opposite gender, as many men are also feminists, and most women are a part of continued suppression (simply because it's embedded in our society). 

I've been reading Christiane Northrup's book "Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdoms" and it is absolutely fascinating and every woman should read it! I bring this book up because reading it is like one long moment of "Wow! That is so accurate! I wish I'd realized this sooner!" However, one bit in there really stuck out to me that I wanted to share: that women are constantly apologizing for their very existence! It is so so true, and on such a deeply embedded subconscious level that it really becomes no surprise women still face such oppression. The mentalities of our society keep women in check; we grow up apologizing for being here, we grow up feeling badly about our bodies, about our appearance, about our periods and hormones, and everything else imaginable. We have a constant feeling of never being good enough. It's no wonder we have PMS, hormone imbalances, health problems and relationship drama. If we are constantly apologizing for our very existence how can we possibly hope to feel love, feel good about ourselves, and thrive and flourish as the fullest awesomest versions of ourselves? 

Back to emotions and health… when women are constantly apologizing for their very existence, then that creates some awful emotions towards our bodies, minds, and souls, and thus, health problems result. The connection is absolutely undeniable (between emotions and health) but it is something never taught in the medical field or in society. This connection makes the issues of PMS and other women-related health problems no surprise at all--because we're practically taught that our bodies are foreign objects that give us pain and bleeding every month and that this is simply something we must accept and deal with. We don't! If we start to fix the way we Feel about our bodies and ourselves then we start to see improvement within our health and all of those PMS syndromes can finally go away. Of course, this is such a deep and complicated issue, which is why I recommend picking up Christiane Northrup's book, because this woman is brilliant and highly educated and I feel as if she could help every single woman on this planet with her information and insights and intellect. 

My husband also picked up this amazing book the other day that has this chart connecting certain body parts to the emotional significance. Going down this chart, we were both blown away by the accuracy. Completely and utterly blown away! I wish someone had made me realize all of this sooner. My health has had it's turbulences forever now, but it makes so much more sense knowing that it all began (and continues) from emotional blocks. I feel much better knowing now that if I want my health to improve then it's time to dive deep emotionally. 

As it happens, I had a large breakthrough a while back, which has only been more and more solidified by all these new insights. I feel very fortunate to know these things now, which is why I felt like rambling about such subjects today. I mean, what amazing things to know and understand that we have not been told about?! The truth is that a lot of my time and thoughts have been taken up on these subjects at the moment (women's issues, emotional trauma and health). But, for today, that's all from me. 

I wish you all the courage in the world to tackle your own emotional blocks and to get your own health to all that it should and deserves to be!  

   

So Much Love from my heart and soul to yours!     

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.

{life reflections}

. . . . . . . . . . 

{life reflections}

 Weekly thoughts and rambles. A glimpse into my mind and world. 

These are entries that I might jot down in my Happy Diary; what happens when we put our fingers to the keyboard and allow our thoughts to flow uninhibited. Reflections from the soul. 

Reflections of life.  

I hope to leave you inspired. 

If you want to share your own reflections of the week please leave a link to your "life reflections" entry in the comments for all to find and see.

. . . . . . . . . .

Wow! What a crazy last several weeks! I feel that my blogging has been severely lacking--and so has my introverted personal time that I so desperately require to recharge, which I have been able to gain this past week with a much deserved couple of days off. The lows and highs of my life are extreme at this time, but I am glad to at least be experiencing both, as the highs make the lows so much more bearable and passable. The truth is, I feel incredibly blessed for my life at the moment, despite the whirlwind around me. Sales have been fantastic, which has been quite a turn from last year's holiday season. It seems at least this area of my life I am feeling the abundance of the Law of Attraction and the welcoming of money once more into my life. Other areas… not so much. But that's okay. Ups and downs are a part of life, and I know that it's just a matter of time before I reach better places in those areas as well, learning and growing from the lessons and moving forward.

My husband is becoming a nutritionist and with all the schooling and homework he's been doing, he's also been feeding me some incredible information. I already considered the both of us extremely healthy, but it's such a vast topic and it seems there is always Something you could be doing better for your health. That being said, I have also learned the importance of balance. Stressing about your health and what you're eating will eliminate all the good you do your body with a healthy diet and exercise. Because stress… well, stress is the devil. Truly truly. This aside, I have been on new supplements, checking up on my health, taking HCL and enzymes and doing a few various helpful cleanses to improve the drop in health I was struggling with the last couple months (thanks to stress from my past which caused food intolerances, hormone imbalance, low stomach acid, and so forth). With cleansing has come those extreme lows and highs with body and mind, but the end result will be fantastic! 

It might not be so bad, but life has a funny way of pouring when it decides to rain, and I know most of you will know the feeling. This end of year has been a very bumpy road, on an emotional and physical level, and it is why there has been a definite lack of new content on the blog due to the need to seek focus and find balance in those aspects of my life. Truth be told, it still amazes me the sorts of spirals life can dish out all at once. I had a health scare when I received an abnormal pap test back with possible low squamous cells--I had to book a special appointment with a specialist an hour away to find out for sure. I just received the news two days ago that everything is clear, whatever they had thought might be there isn't. What a relief! But, again, a bumpy ride: it was a reminder of the IUD experience I had two years ago, which, as it turns out, was actually quite a traumatic event for me which, this new year, I will be seeking out some resources to get past. Too personal? I feel like I share a lot of myself on here, and so, I like to share experiences as well. The whole experience was actually another reminder to myself to get my hormones back in balance and to really focus on my relationships and body that need healing due to that feminine energy. Women's health is a topic that I feel is so important, being a woman in a vastly uneducated society when it comes to women's health, and so this new year I intend to spread more information on these topics, because it is so important and I really wish more women knew about their bodies and the beauty that comes from within. 

That being said, the emotional roller coaster is forever moving. At first, I wondered if I was the only one going bonkers, but then I noticed more and more people around me going through extreme highs and lows. Of course, the obvious answer to me is the holiday season. If you have a dysfunctional family then attention tends to be drawn to it at this time of year--especially if your parents are divorced and your family is split. But I feel perhaps it's more than that, a cleansing, perhaps, before the new year; drawing out unresolved issues to move forwards into more evolved and whole, loving beings. At least, that's what I'm seeking to gain from it all. 

What an end of year! I can't say it enough, my mind is still in tangles of this web. Christmas day was… a fail in my books. I feel like there is so much pressure on this one day of the year. For me, it's often a reminder of the dysfunctionality and brokenness of my family. I don't expect a perfect family anymore, it's been a very long time since I have expected this, but somehow, still, when the holiday season comes around it's a sharp reminder which, this year, was a bit more of a struggle. Maybe with too much other issues piling up (ones more personal I choose to omit instead of sharing all the private and inner workings of my life and relationships) it just became a bit much and I honestly just wanted the holidays to be over with. To top it all off, I spent three hours at the hospital last night after my husband got into a skateboarding accident. See? When it rains it pours. All things considered, he had the best possible outcome, but will be needing lots of love and care for a recovery that looks like it will be speedy--thank goodness! 

Okay, so having said all that, I'm not sharing any of this from some tragic stand point, merely from an observing point. The truth is, despite the ups and downs, generally, overall, I feel quite spectacular. And I intend to feed the good vibes with more good vibes. Gratitude is so important and it has been my largest focus through it all--that and focussing on the positive, always and foremost. I look to this New Year with so much hope and joy. A fresh start! That's always what a new year feels like, but unless you set your foot down and make it happen then nothing will change. I will be making changes where they are needed: focussing on health, seeking out resolution in unresolved past issues and relationships, and making more awesomeness happen. Truly, I feel like 2014 is going to be an amazing year for everyone. A year of enlightenment, love, joy, health, wealth, and abundance in all areas of life. Our New Year even starts on a New Moon, which is a period to clean the slate, set intentions, and start anew. It's been 19 years since the last New Moon on a New Year! 

Hope. Hope is alive in all of us. Hope is the fire that burns through our souls and allows us to see the light at the end of the tunnel. It makes me sad when people can lose that fire, and lose sight of that light that is almost within their reach. If nothing else, I just want to remind you all, that everything is going to be Okay, and the light is always there for you. Keep hope alive. Because goodness is there waiting for you, I promise! 

Here's to the happiest of New Years and a wonderful new chapter for each our beautiful, amazing lives! 

   

So Much Love from my heart and soul to yours!     

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{life reflections}

. . . . . . . . . . 

{life reflections}

 Weekly thoughts and rambles. A glimpse into my mind and world. 

These are entries that I might jot down in my Happy Diary; what happens when we put our fingers to the keyboard and allow our thoughts to flow uninhibited. Reflections from the soul. 

Reflections of life.  

I hope to leave you inspired. 

If you want to share your own reflections of the week please leave a link to your "life reflections" entry in the comments for all to find and see.

. . . . . . . . . .

Life is a whirlwind in every sense of the word, and it's up to you whether or not you choose to enjoy the ride. If there's one thing I've learned it's that there will always be trials and ups and downs, but these are presented to us to teach us something about ourselves, about life, about others. It's a fantastic gift these lessons, and we need to start seeing them as such. Wouldn't it be amazing if we were able to see the good in every situation? We'd learn so much faster, see things so much clearer, and enjoy life so much more deeply. Of course, it's never as easy as that. Some situations we find ourselves in are immensely easy, others really try our patience and our sense of self. But, no matter how down we may find ourselves, things always brighten up once we figure out how to climb over that next bump. There's so much inspiration around us if we choose to welcome it into our lives, things that can help us stay on track and to remind us that life is truly a journey worth having and living to the fullest--and that one bad experience doesn't mean the story is over, nay, you have many many more pages to fill of a rich and wonderful life. So get out there, find your bliss, live as much as possible (I mean, really find things that you enjoy and do those things), and stay as positive as you can. Take care of yourself, nurture yourself, love yourself; it is the single hardest and single most important thing you'll ever learn to do.

My entry today comes from my own trials and errors, ones that repeat, ones that go away and I think are gone and then sneak back into my life. But, despite the downs that transpire, I see my life heading in a beautiful wondrous and exciting direction that I had not possibly imagined (but had been trying to manifest). I've been reflecting on my Vision Board(s) these past two weeks and it's amazing to see what is currently happening in my life, and what I have already accomplished and manifested that I set myself out to do. I am so very grateful for it all. And I am very excited to be entering a new chapter of my life. My birthday is this wednesday, celebrating another year of my life in this world. Yet, age itself has just become a senseless number with no meaning. I feel better and younger than I have every felt. I would not trade it to be younger again. I feel young, but mature, I feel like I've really gotten to know myself over the past couple of years, really learned to embrace all sides of myself, and really learned to speak up and decide for myself what I want my life to be. Really, you can have anything you want in life, you truly truly can. The Law of Attraction is amazing and it's such a magical journey to watch it transform your life and the lives of others. So dream big, reach for the stars, and remember that Nothing is impossible unless you say it is. 

I found this list of "Rules For Being Human", which inspired my post today, and that I wanted to pass on to all of you. So enjoy! And, as always, don't forget to create a fantastic day and a fantastic life!   

Much Love!     

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.

{life reflections}

. . . . . . . . . . 

{life reflections}

 Weekly thoughts and rambles. A glimpse into my mind and world. 

These are entries that I might jot down in my Happy Diary; what happens when we put our fingers to the keyboard and allow our thoughts to flow uninhibited. Reflections from the soul. 

Reflections of life.  

I hope to leave you inspired. 

If you want to share your own reflections of the week please leave a link to your "life reflections" entry in the comments for all to find and see.

. . . . . . . . . .

Today I feel good. Life feels pretty fantastic. My tummy has been up and down though, so I've been trying to do a process of elimination to figure out what I've been eating that's affecting it. It's hard to figure out sometimes, but when you know how good you can feel you strive to get back to that. Anyway, that's about my only complaint right now, otherwise I've been feeling pretty blissful. 

I feel as if I've found a good balance between work and play. I'm finally feeling good about money again and, low and behold, it's flowing ever so fluently at the moment. Which brings me to today's mention of the Law of Attraction. When it works, it really works! When you feel good about something and secure about something and abundance is rolling in, it's easy to attract more. Likewise, it's also really easy to spiral at the first sign of doubt. I think that's why we experience so many wide ups and downs in life and in varying aspects of our lives. But it's important to remember and try to get a grasp of the Law of Attraction, because it really does spiral very easily either direction--either with abundance or with loss. Gratitude helps a lot, but more than that, feeling good in general is the most important part. When you start to feel good--just overall happy, blissful, satisfied--then that's when everything else starts to flow more fluently. Piece of cake right? Sometimes. Other times, I think we all know how hard it can be to stay on track and to not get down. But there's always a light at the end of the tunnel and things work out in the end. So what's to complain about? Maybe there are things, maybe life is pretty easy for you, but either way, there are always always always things to be grateful for and ways of seeing the positive. Even if it takes a little more effort, feeling Good if achievable. Anyways, that's my spiel on the Law of Attraction today, because it never ceases to blow my mind. Like magic! 

Tralala.

I have been busiest writing and drawing and being a little introverted geek. Putting out this book is exciting to me, just putting out this creative project in general is exciting to me. It's really not like anything else I do. In case this is the first time you're hearing about it, this book is a fantasy, anime/manga-inspired, tale that I've titled "Everwake." The story is dark and twisted and whimsica,l and full of emotions, in-depth characters, and all sorts of other fun things that make a story exciting. I used to write stories all the time in my teenage years but that sadly stopped at the end of high school because I felt it was too "geeky"… ah the fun (not) of not being yourself at that age. Regardless, I started writing again a couple years ago, and drawing (obviously) which brought this story about. I'm already on Book 3! I can't even believe it. The ideas and story have just been flowing so smoothly and easily. I've also been doing a drawing every day to keep inspired and perfect my sketching. I can't wait to get my Cintiq (wacom tablet that will allow me to draw out more professional final artwork), so that I can start releasing more artwork for the book. I haven't decided exactly how I'm publishing, but I do know there will be lots of artwork and even some comic bits to toss along with the book. I just can't not place art with it. If I felt that I could then I would do the entire thing as a manga comic book, but I do love the writing aspect, the novel aspect, of the story, so I think combining the two will be something new and fun. So, yes, that's been taking up a lot of my time and I'm loving every second of it.
(You can check out the progress of that on my deviantart (click) since I won't be plaguing this page with too much news on that).

What else is new? 

Summer is winding down but the fun certainly hasn't stopped, and neither has the sunshine. We've had some crazy rain and thunderstorms, but then the sun comes back out and we can play and hike and swim and camp and enjoy the summer life. I may say this a lot, but I feel so blessed to live where I do. I look out my front windows and I'm staring out at epic mountains, a sparkling lake, and ospreys that soar above the treeline, occasionally swooping down to catch a fish or fly away from (or gang up on) the eagle that also lives around here. Nature is supreme, it's hard not to breathe it all in and be grateful to be where I am. Moving away from the concrete jungle that was Edmonton was the best decision I ever made. And, it's funny, because I never thought I could live in a small town again; too small, not enough to do, not enough opportunities, blah blah blah. Excuses. I can't stand big cities anymore. They're overwhelming whenever I have to spend too much time in them. Fun to visit sometimes, but not to live. All the things I thought I would be missing I didn't, and even if I did, those things fail in comparison to what I get living where I do. 

So, yeah, life is good. ;) And I've finally gotten around to writing another of these posts, it's been a while! 

Hope you are all smiling and singing and dancing, and being yourselves, and making the most of your day and week and life! I'm off for a saturday morning breakfast with my two siblings. 

Create a Nice Day! 

Much Love!    

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.

{life reflections}

. . . . . . . . . . 

{life reflections}

 Weekly thoughts and rambles. A glimpse into my mind and world. 

These are entries that I might jot down in my Happy Diary; what happens when we put our fingers to the keyboard and allow our thoughts to flow uninhibited. Reflections from the soul. 

Reflections of life.  

I hope to leave you inspired. 

If you want to share your own reflections of the week please leave a link to your "life reflections" entry in the comments for all to find and see.

. . . . . . . . . .

I feel as if I've been talking a lot lately about the roller coaster of life; the ups and downs that can feel so extreme and so sporadic, as if the little gentle stream of life has now turned into a gushing tumbling river, plunging under and popping us high high back to the top. Maybe there's something in the air, it just seems like a lot of people I know, and myself included, have been experiencing much higher turbulence than usual. I would also like to think this has something to do with the shift of awakening within so many of us--so many people "waking up." It is a double-sided blessing: when we work on ourselves we allow ourselves to experience and draw out issues and problems that may have been rather deeply buried, therefore things may feel worse before they get better because we need to work through those issues before we can move forwards to the space of walking on rainbows while it sprinkles gumdrops. 

Ah life. It truly truly truly is a beautiful thing, it's just such a shame that we've been conditioned to believe that life is suffering, that life is hard work, that life sucks. Think about how many brain patterns we have formed during our upbringing to make us feel badly about ourselves, to make us feel that life is no fun, to make us believe that materialism and money are the only forms of happiness, to make us believe that our happiness depends on things outside of ourselves, and to make us believe that happiness is a farfetched myth that we could never achieve. 

When things get tough I think it's important to reflect on how far you've come. See, sometimes it may feel as if we haven't changed, as if we haven't gotten any happier in our lives, but this is when it's good to look back at where you were when you started. For me, I used to cut, I had plenty of suicidal thoughts, and being sad was just a daily part of my life. If I look at my life now, even when I have bad days, or moments of frustration where I don't feel as if I've gotten anywhere, it's pretty easy to see that I have. I no longer cut, I am no longer "depressed," I just have moments of relapse and real human emotions. Feeling bad, sad, down, frustrated, and so forth, aren't signs that you haven't gotten anywhere or that you're not, at the core of you, happy, it's just a reminder that we are all still human and we all still feel. Feeling is great, it's just our attachment to not letting go of negative emotions that is a problem. That, and that our minds tend to over-think things and create problems that aren't even there. We are all human, we are allowed to feel, we should feel. Ups and downs are a part of life, our holding onto the ups and downs are the part that we need to adjust so that the flow of life is much smoother and enjoyable. Let emotions flow and then let them go. 

Whenever in doubt, just think about how far you've come. Remind yourself that you're human and that life will always have ups and downs. Learn to enjoy the ride. Make the most of every situation and of ever circumstance or opportunity. Try to think positive, try to work on yourself. And don't beat yourself up along the way. Just do your best! And remember to smile. ;) 

I want to talk about two things this week in greater depths: the emotional guidance system; and first steps to working through depression. Two topics that I've been thinking a lot about lately that I have a lot I'd like to say and share. 

Our life experiences are gifts that we can share with others and that goodness has the domino effect of spreading to others. It's truly a wonderful thing. If you've learned something about life that makes things easier than share it with friends and family or a stranger. Spread the goodness because if it works for them then they too will pass on that knowledge to those around them. If people don't take your advice then at least you tried, no harm done. 

Keep smiling, trying, and loving life. And remember; JUST DO YOUR BEST! 

^_^ Much Love! 

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.

{life reflections}

. . . . . . . . . . 

{life reflections}

 Weekly thoughts and rambles. A glimpse into my mind and world. 

These are entries that I might jot down in my Happy Diary; what happens when we put our fingers to the keyboard and allow our thoughts to flow uninhibited. Reflections from the soul. 

Reflections of life.  

I hope to leave you inspired. 

If you want to share your own reflections of the week please leave a link to your "life reflections" entry in the comments for all to find and see.

. . . . . . . . . .

It's been a very very busy couple weeks! I always feel like I'm ahead with work when it comes to markets, that I have lots of time. And then I blink. And the market season is here. So I've been rushing around getting ready… and feeling rather overwhelmed. Stress seems to come in spurts for me, almost always to do with work one way or another; deadlines or money. They are difficult issues to work around and feel good about sometimes, but they are things I practice more and more, especially when you know how the Law of Attraction works and how if you feel as if you don't have enough time or enough money then you won't. So I've been telling myself every day; there is no need to stress; I have more than enough money, I have more than enough time, everything will get done and everything will be fine. It's true. Things always have a way of working out, so I need to keep that in mind during those times when I feel overwhelmed. Ironically, I stumbled upon one of my older posts about "learning to not get overwhelmed." How appropriate. Thank you Universe. 

Well, I'm off to actually take a day off and relax and lay in the sunshine for a while. Today is mine and Cory's 9 year anniversary. Nine years! That's crazy! So I'm going to spend the day with him and then later today is my bestie's birthday party so should be a super awesome day--and a nice relief from the chaos of my current mind. It's a dress-up party too, how fun is that?! 

Hope you're all having a lovely day and enjoying life and remember to smile even when you feel stressed or down. Oh the power of a smile or a laugh. Mood transforming! :) 

Love you all! Sending you happy positive energy and a skip to your step!  

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.