Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Take time out


I’ve recieved a lot of feedback regarding my blog. I’m happy to report that my intent is being carried out. I want to help enLIGHTen people, in every sense of that word. I’m also on my own journey though. And as often as you might find inspiration or guidance through my blog, I’m also visiting it in order to keep myself on the right path. 

So, what do I do when I’m having a bad day? Well, there are many techniques, but I want to share the ones I most frequently use. Sometimes, when you’re out and about, you feel you don’t have time to stop and think something out. That’s ok. Here's some tricks I use to shake the funk, instead of faking it. 



I wanted to share the following story in order to give you a specific example of how I’ve shifted my energy and in return, had an outstanding day!
It was Easter Day. After my divorce, I didn’t really enjoy holidays. I sulked in the memories. I always remain grateful for what I have, but let’s face it...sometime we get sad. Sometimes we get mad. And holidays triggered that for me. 
I had a wonderful friend visit with her kids in the morning. Her husband was deployed, so it was great to get the kids together and visit the pool. She's an amazing person and it's always a blessing to surround ourselves with awesome people. 


I was grateful, yet still missing the big family gathering. My son’s grandmother (ex’s mom) had invited us over, but driving 3.5 hours one way was a bit too far. They've been such awesome grandparents and have helped us out a lot with this transition. Once again, I was grateful to have such awesome people in our lives, but still in a funk.
So, I decided to visit people that may feel the same way. Logan and I emptied his eggs from the morning egg hunt. We filled them back up with candy and little hand-written ‘thank you’ notes that I wrote on paper and cut in to strips. After rolling the strips and stuffing the eggs, I wrote 'LOVE' on the outside of each egg. We then headed to the VA hospital in Minneapolis.

This place is usually bustling with activity. In the past, I’ve invested a lot of my time in their parking lot just looking for a space. Today? A dozen cars were scattered in the lot. 
Entering the building was a bit eery and I wasn’t sure that this mission would be a success. Logan was a bit confused as to why he had to share his eggs and where everyone was at. 
We trekked on and slowly started finding people. We found a guy hunched over in a chair in a waiting area outside one of the doctor's offices. Now, remember the offices are closed, so it’s dark in this lobby. There’s no background noise or elevator music. No phones ringing. Just silence and there he sits...alone. We didn't wake him, but still placed an egg next to him.

We came across another guy just hanging in a dimly lit hallway by himself. He was a Vietnam veteran and missing both legs, below the knee. He smiled as Logan reached into his basket and pulled out a shiny plastic egg. “Happy Eeth-ta,” Logan said with a grin. He has a bit of a lisp still. hee hee
At this point, Logan was mostly excited just to be sharing. He’s a little young to understand exactly what we were doing. But, I know these experiences will remain in his heart and mind. After delivering our eggs, we headed for the exit. 
“Logan, I’m really proud of you for sharing your eggs,” I said to him. “Some of those people don’t have family to share today with.”
“And dey don’t have eggs, mama,” Logan questioned.
“Yes, Logan. And they don’t have eggs,” I confirmed. “But they do now, because you shared your eggs and your light.”
“I shared, mama,” he proudly stated. 
Brings tears to my eyes just thinking back to that day. I set out to shift my paradigm. I set out to take my mind off of things. I also wanted to share the joy of that day with my Logey Bear. I ended up with so much more.

I had an appointment at the VA last week and ran into the Vietnam vet in the cafeteria. It was as if we were old friends. As he smiled, his life and experiences were illustrated through each wrinkle. He had it rough, yet his eyes still twinkled when he saw me. I was in uniform this time and you could tell he was a bit surprised to see that I was also in the military. 
We had a short exchange, but my heart was filled for the rest of the day. I think I’ll do more of this work. I want to visit a women’s shelter. I can connect with them. It might hurt. It might bring up bad memories, but I’m ready to release. I’m ready to grow.
Each day is truly yours to own. Your energy is exactly that...YOURS! Please claim your energy and be responsible for it! 
Take a timeout if you have to. Take time for yourself. Do whatever it takes. It’s totally worth it, I promise!
Tell me how you shifted a “bad” day! Keep smiling!

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Balance is key...

As we spring clean our lives and set goals, it’s important to retain our balance. Focusing too much on work may lead to imbalance in your diet or exercise. The scales can lean many ways. Focus too much on family and you may lose sense of your own goals and burn yourself out. 




So, where could you use some balance? You CAN control this, ya know? Are your excuses what is holding you back? 
What do you want you want in your life? A dear friend, Avianna, recently started a running journey after many years of believing she would never be a runner. Last Friday, she decided, “I am a runner.” She is now training to run a 5k race in June. And that, my lovelies, is how it’s done! I say again, what do you want in your life? Who do you want to be?


To figure out where you want to go or who you want to be, start with who you are.
I’m a woman...and a Soldier!

I’m a mother. I’m a sister. I’m a Staff Sergeant in the Minnesota National Guard. I’m a photographer and graphic designer. I’m a CrossFitter. 
Who are you? Who do you want to be?
I wanted to become more fit. That goal required better nutrition. How could I make this change. I was doing well with balance, but making time to prepare better meals seemed a little out of reach. I told myself, “STOP! Be present to change the present!”
I came home one night and needed to get some dinner made made quickly, but I was low on ingredients. I was determined to balance my evening so that I could have quality time with Logan. That meant no trip to the grocery store. 
I opened the fridge and got creative. I’m a recipe kind of gal, so this was a stretch for me. I brushed some EVOO onto some portabella mushrooms and put them in the oven for 10 minutes. At the same time I sautéed some sausage, salsa, spinach and green peppers. After those were nice and toasty, I added them into the mushrooms and baked for 5 more minutes. It was quick, healthy and filling.



Step out of your comfort zone! Thank you for sharing the following quote, Grace!
"A ship in harbor is safe,
but that is not what ships are built for." 
~ John A. Shedd


I love anything Mexican, but was challenged due to my recent goal of giving up chips, bread, tortillas and the like. 
So, when I was craving tacos last night, I just changed it up. I took 99% lean ground turkey and cooked it up with taco seasoning. Not impressed yet, are you? Well, I skipped the sour cream, cheese, rice and tortillas! Instead I placed the taco meat, tomatoes, black beans and fresh salsa (no Pace Picante here!) over a bed of romaine lettuce and spinach. 
Not only was it filling, but I felt good afterward. I felt clean. I felt nourished!
Remember that balance is key. That requires you to be present. You must own your day. You must own your life. If you believe and practice this conscious living every day, you’ll be sure to keep smiling! :-)
***By the way, we’re starting a LOVE RUNNERS group here in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. Training schedule will be posted on Facebook. You can join even if you can’t do the run with us. If you live somewhere else, get your shoes on and run with a friend. We will have our first 5k on June 20th. Message me to be invited! 


https://www.facebook.com/events/204722742976372/?context=create



Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Prioritize your life


All right, lovelies. The sun is shining, flowers are in bloom and it’s time for some spring cleaning. By spring cleaning, I mean cleaning out all of the clutter from your life. Time to dig through those bad habits. This is really something to do all year round, but I’ve found that I’m slacking in some areas after the last year’s challenges. 
So, let’s go and get some transformation rolling!
What are you connecting to that you shouldn't be? Time to chop, chop, chop it out!
It’s easier than you think to disconnect from these space fillers. It’s your life and you need to do work! Get it done!
In order to track your goals, you can use a calendar, planner or whatever. Find a method that is easy. I just use a notebook. This is the same notebook that I use as a journal and also where I write my dreams and affirmations. Find something that works, so that you can get in the habit easily. 
After about a month, your planning and journal time will become a routine. Just you setting and knocking out your goals one by one. You transforming your life and living your purpose!
Visualize it right now. Take the time to close your eyes and focus on those daily, weekly and monthly goals!
And as always, keep in touch and keep smiling!