it's here.
it is finally here.
moving day.
you will find me over here now!
hope to see you there!
xo
it's here.
it is finally here.
moving day.
you will find me over here now!
hope to see you there!
xo
the challenge came last week.
a classmate dared my lovely to a jump rope contest.
in all fairness, there was a heart association fundraiser at the school and all the kids were participating in the activity.
however.
this boy thought it might be fun to have a bet going between my lovely and himself.
he chose 3 other boys to make his dream team; she picked two girlies. {i adore her confidence.}
what began on monday as a thrill slowly unraveled into a heap of frazzled nerves. little by little.
tuesday, we wrestled doubt.
wednesday, we discussed the power of believing in yourself.
by thursday, a plan was clearly necessary.
we decided defining rules for this challenge was important. and once the agreement was made between teams, there would be no wiggle room for excuses.
i encouraged her to pick a strategy and stick to it. specifically, what's the glory in trying to jump fast and show off when slow and steady would be a better route to success? she concurred.
and, finally, when the negative mental chatter started chewing her up, i invited her to listen to her support system. we could see in her what the negative voices were distracting from her. she so had this.
when friday rolled around, i joined her for lunch and one last pep talk. she was doing some smack talking with her friends. and as funny as it was, i leaned in and softly said, "why focus on him so much? why not use all your energy and focus on YOU? and your strategy? imagine that moment when you win."
i see the same thing in life. we diffuse our own tremendous power when we worry and obsess and lose steam over what other people do. the only power we ever have is over ourselves and our choices. to create a desired outcome, get focused on what YOU can do. and watch your power accumulate.
i came home after lunch. and the mister went up to watch the ropes go down.
an hour later, all three of my peeps walked in the door.
HOW DID IT GO? DID YOU WIN? WAS IT A TIE?
and she said, head down, "i did exactly what you said and. . ."
i searched faces for a clue, some context.
WHAT HAPPENED?
and that's when she beamed a mega-watt champion's smile right at me. . .
"I WON!"
thatta, girl! i always knew you would.
today's post is dedicated to the synchronicity that graciously bowed itself to this dream come true for the lovelies. . .
their very first comic con and the delightful pleasure of meeting a few of their favorite characters ever.
and, so, we shall begin.
i am grateful for. . .
whatever inspired us in the fall to let the lovelies watch the back to the future trilogy. over and over and over again.
the incredible luck that aligned for several of the actors to be scheduled for the spring dallas comic con.
my dad stepping in to buy our tickets while i was busy contemplating whether we really needed to go or not.
the adventurous fans who dressed up in character, completely swooning the lovelies and amping up their halloween costume expectations.
the incredible kindness and patience every actor demonstrated. truly.
the many ways the lovelies sought to connect with the actors and their characters. as they approached christopher lloyd, they said in unison, "great scott! it's dr. emmett brown!" to which he laughed whole-heartedly. just as they were leaving, he leaned in and proclaimed "great scott!" right back at them. i think it took their breath away for just a minute. . .
walking right in for a picture with a few famous faces.
the lovelies getting everyone's autograph on their DVD set.
sitting in the delorean.
seeing a few resolutions in full bloom. one lovely wanted to meet someone famous this year. the mister wants to create memorable moments, and this definitely fancied its way to the top.
and
the joy of being in the company of my family. it was the perfect day.
i am grateful for. . .
being halfway through my feng shui course. ahhh. . .
everyone who graciously agreed to have me shui their space for my final project.
some heart full trees on our chalkboard. the only thing missing is wind swirls of a love poem. any suggestions?
how happy this made me.
my berlin kitchen. her journey + recipes were the perfect combination of golden storytelling.
a recent keane concert. in the company of my mister and a most lovely friend.
feeling inspired by this magazine cover. hmmm. . .a wall heart + a stack of polaroids? a perfect afternoon project.
also feeling inspired by this adventure in color. some paint swatches + an empty vision board are calling my name.
clean windows.
the joy of being smiled at and the effervescent feeling of a smile stretching across my face in reply.
a spontaneous spring trip to london!
this beautiful paint color combo. while they won't work for what i wanted, i am smitten with their luscious hues.
the things that matter by nate berkus. a flawless book in every way.
a ridiculously silly evening with a bestie. if you are going to get lost and your night is going to turn into a comedy of errors, it's magically therapeutic to be with someone you adore.
an upcoming class with a favorite shui guru.
comic con this weekend. trust me. . .that phrase startles me more than you. but, i have lovelies who are obsessed with back to the future. and the professor and lea thompson will be attending. so, you know, comic con. . .here we come!
losing count of all the cardinals i saw + heard while outside this morning. last time i saw so many, it was raining. this morning was overcast, too, which has me thinking maybe they prefer when skies are gray.
every kind word you send me. it drenches me in delight, and i am completely and deeply grateful. thank you.
xo
i am not sure where january went. . .but hello, february!
and to each of you, an apology for my ebb and flow of posts.
back in october, you might recall, i made some twenty-thirteen resolutions.
and then the craziest thing happened. these goals started falling from the sky and into my wide open arms. just like that.
one goal was to finally get myself properly feng shui certified. within a mere week of that declaration, i was graciously extended an offer to complete a feng shui course. one of my favorite feng shui experts was transitioning her material into an online course, and she needed some willing students to participate in the beta course. never mind looking, i completely leaped!
about the same time, i decided to take this blog a new direction. and wouldn't you know, suddenly i am in the lovely company of a graphic designer who was realigning her work with a web designer. and would i be interested in having a blog makeover? again, no pause here.
a few other pretty fancy goals have shown up, and well, it explains why i've been more distracted. trying to pull myself together so i can do the work.
and that's what i'm here to tell you about today. when we chase our own dreams. . .those ideas that both delight and scare us, the ones tickling and taunting us with what if? in our heads, the visions that make us tingle toe to head. . .we gather the ingredients for real joy.
i constantly revisit the question of HOW. . .as if there might be a recipe for joy.
i suppose my answer today would be. . .
trust yourself way more.
choose faith over fear. you can't do both.
surrender that need to control the details of how the goal is suppose to look when it arrives.
tell better stories to yourself as words have HUGE energy to make themselves come true.
and align with those impulses of intuition because i am here to tell you, that is spirit speaking to yours.
i finished the class portion of my shui course last week, and i am onto my final project.
{sigh}
later this month, i begin the overhaul of this blog space. but in the meantime, i will be here. and i hope to see you around, too.
xo
i am grateful for. . .
a 38th birthday. an equal measurement of awe and gratitude for the last few decades, and my tremendously bright outlook for many more. . .
the snow falling quietly this morning. as though the world graced me with a blank canvas on this special day of mine.
red velvet gelato a lovely gifted me last night. yum.
lunch this afternoon with my mister. a date without the lovelies. it's kind of a big deal.
the pitch perfect soundtrack i've been running to this past week. i love me a good mash up!
the day last week when i saw 9 red cardinals. it was like good luck was around every corner!
a run in the rain.
downton abbey. so, i came to the party rather late. a-hem. and i know i cannot possibly contribute anything more to this fete. instead, i'll share my favorite maggie smith line yet . . .
I always thought this family might be approaching disillusion; I didn't realize disillusion was already upon us.
{maggie smith is just exquisite, right?}
rainboots.
the lovely women at hello monday who are going to revamp this-here blog of mine.
any question i have an answer for -- i am surprised any time i realize i knew a little more than i thought i did.
natural sunlight flooding our home.
my tibetan wind chime. and hanging it mostly by myself.
the names of lipsticks. ruby woo, lady danger, diva, fabby . . . as if i assume an alter-ego with a simple swipe of color.
a puddled blanket seducing me to bundle in and read a good book.
a three-day weekend ahead.
the kindness i am joyfully surrounded with at my blog. you each add so much sparkle to my day!
and. . .
the birthday wishes i've received. each one feels like a gorgeous trinket from a time in my life filled with beautiful memories. every single wish is adored.
thank you.
xo
while the new moon of last week still lingers ever so, take a moment and make a wish. a wish for something this year that would make you delightfully and enormously happy.
got it?
i tend to think if you create a dream really about yourself instead of chasing someone else's desires, life delivers up opportunities to make it happen. effortlessly.
however. it never hurts to make a few gracious moves on its behalf either.
a few suggestions as we move into the space of becoming more. . .
1. emotions are the easiest invitation to welcome change.
so.
how would this dream, once accomplished, make you feel?
begin making daily choices now that will cultivate this feeling. because emotions move us into alignment with our dreams. rather quickly.
2. instead of setting too small a goal so it feels achievable, break down your really big dream into weekly goals.
one of the best exercises ever recommended to me was a post-it map.
write down the goal you have on one post-it. and on the next post-it, write down where you are now. place them at two separate ends of a wall, table, desk, what-have-you.
and then, one post-it at a time, right down every action step you conceive necessary to make this dream happen. . .and place them in between today and your dream manifested.
each week, grab a post-it and work on that action step. one post-it is manageable. the visual reminders stimulate the universe to orchestrate on your behalf. and the feeling of map progression is rewarding.
3. watch for signs. i find when i utter a desire, little chances blossom at my feet. opportunity will come upon me, but if i'm not receptive to its assignments or the work, the chance to transition from dream to real-life withers.
so.
pay attention. do the work. and have faith you are being pulled toward the congruence of this dream and you.
xo
inspired prompt: when trying to figure out this one big wish, think about what you would LOVE to say about yourself in 12 months that would be different {think: better} from who you are today.
here's some truth.
last week had a dismal ending as we received disheartening news. hoping maybe something was off in its interpretation, we girded up our best selves and leaned in. well, it seems the interpretation is correct.
so. here i sit, trying to make sense of something that, quite frankly, doesn't add up.
the good news? it's here where the gold lies, friends.
where i practice what i absolutely believe.
because the most important lessons to learn are the ones that usually take us by surprise.
it is in these moments, i tell myself three things:
1. i am willing to see this differently...
2. because willingness expands my awareness of synchronicities, opportunities, and/or lessons in the present...
3. and nudges me toward something better.
every time i find myself needing to get really clear about what i want, i ask for a sign. as in HELP ME NOW, PLEASE. whether you pray, meditate, or just ask grace to intervene, you are always entitled to a sign. simply ask. and then be willing, aware, and open to something better.
i know i am.
xo
i had an inspired idea last year.
and then promptly snarled myself into a debate of whether it was overly gratuitous. as in, is this too heavy on the how swell my life is chatter?
so, i compromised. i kept daily lists privately. and made a few blog posts along the way.
if you cultivate a list every day of 9 things you are thankful for, you'll end up with 3,285 little notes of gratitude. which makes a thousand thanks a rather modest goal.
but is it blog worthy?
well. here is my answer.
having my nose in books for years now studying different theories on a well-spent life, i know one thing is certain:
gratitude is a cornerstone.
personally, i feel its levity most on my absolute worst days.
because even then, i celebrate the good and float above the low notes playing.
which is why i've decided a thousand thanks is worth chronicling.
so, i hope to make this a weekly post, and i hope a few are inspiring enough to arouse joy in everything swell going on over in your nook. because there is always something good, kind, and worthy of a handful of glitter!
let's begin.
i am grateful for. . .
a new year. beginnings always feel plush. potent. possible.
pomegranates and the patience to pluck them clean.
fascinating documentaries, especially his story and her story.
the return of daily rituals that slipped off the to-do list: writing, running, and meditating.
an approaching birthday. and another year for magical thinking and making.
a stack of books to read. this and this and this are at the top.
this site is a daily thrill as a good deal enormously delights me!
hot water + a squeeze of lemon + freshly grated ginger -- a healthy digestif for sure!
the halfway point in my feng shui course! {much more discussion on this to follow...}
twinkling lights. oh, how i hate to see them go. . .
the recycling of stuff we no longer use out of our home and into the hands of those who will.
goals. when i don't know what to do next and doing nothing isn't an option, my goals give me choices. and direction.
the zest of my lovelies' laughter. this sound instantly enhances every molecule of our space.
french bingo.
the simple meditation i feel when caring for our home. it warrants an eye roll, i know. but for me, it is how i honor the ritual of daily life.
and random acts of kindness.
xo
inspired prompt | what are you most grateful for today?
when life gets in her face, one of my lovelies steps right up. eyeballs it up and down. and narrates it into a story with a better ending.
given this began when she was a wee three, the girl's got spin. masterfully weaving her challenges into heightened awareness and brighter expectations.
what i love?
she gets it. the story delivers. and hers are usually plump full of reasons to celebrate and smile and sparkle.
when we tell ourselves a better story over and over, it is enough.
enough to create a shift.
so.
a few days into this new year, what is the story you want to tell?
no more stumbling on the past.
no more excuses. {haven't you outgrown them all?}
let your courage roar instead.
where do you begin?
i believe there is hope within a resolution.
whisperings from the deepest source within us to consider something different at new year's dawn.
our goals, like a luring sentence at a book's beginning, give us a glimpse into what could lie ahead.
who are you longing to become?
probably the best version of yourself.
so.
start there.
and tell youself that story.
xo
inspiration prompt: what 3 goals, if accomplished, would make you a different person at the end of 2013 than you are today?
"Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" -- Mary Oliver
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