Determination

How cute is she?! I'm not sure if she is running away from something, or desperately trying to get to something! I like to see her as having such determination to open those doors to get to something she knows she wants. Nothing is going to stop her from trying. With all her might, she will not take "no" for an answer. I was like that when I was her age. Do we all start out with such determination to live life to it's fullest, and then slowly but surely it fades, only to resurface again and again to remind us of who we are or who we want to be?

How determined are you to know who you are?

One small, next step

First thing I want to say to Emily is I will be snowshoeing next Saturday at 12 noon. I park my car at Longshore by the first golf tee. I'd love to have you join me! And my sweet Molly, thanks!!

In the book Something More by Sarah Ban Breathnach, she asks the question: Is there one small action that I can take to nurture my new dreams toward their fruition? And if there is, it gets to the top of my To Do List.

I live for this stuff! For me, it's first finding the dreams which can only be discovered by beginning to look in the first place. Most recent example is the snowshoeing. I knew it had to go on the To Do List, so taking the small action steps, one by one, made it happen. I reached the point where it could not be postponed...the snow around here did help!

I couldn't ignore it...and I realized I would really regret it if I waited or put off trying.

Don't wait to discover what you need to be truly happy. To be wonderfully fulfilled. Take one small step!

choices, choices, and more choices

I've been thinking lately about choices and how important it is to make them. When you think about it, we make hundreds of choices a day. From the moment we wake up, we have to decide whether to get out of bed or not, and thus begins the first of many choices that will define the moment.

One choice I finally made lately was to go snowshoeing. I don't know why, but it has been tugging at me for years now! So, one day I decided to finally make the choice to rent some snowshoes and just do it. I knew it was something I really needed to do because every time I thought about it, I felt excited! I was not disappointed! I felt exhilarated and so happy that I finally listened to that tugging at my heart. I'm hooked! Not just to snowshoeing, but to making conscious choices that move me forward, out of my comfort zone and into experiences that make my life fun! What's tugging at you??

ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE

ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE

Author Unknown

If there was ever a time to dare, to make a difference, to embark on something worth doing, IT IS NOW. Not for any grand cause, necessarily...but for something that tugs at your heart, something that's your inspiration, something that's your dream. You owe it to yourself to make your days here count. HAVE FUN. DIG DEEP. STRETCH. DREAM BIG.

Know, though, that things worth doing seldom come easy. There will be good days and there will be bad days. There will be times when you want to turn around, pack it up, and call it quits. Those times tell you that you are pushing yourself, that you are not afraid to learn by trying.

PERSIST. Because with an idea, determination, and the right tools, you can do great things. Let your instincts, your intellect, and your heart guide you.

TRUST. Believe in the incredible power of the human mind. Of doing something that makes a difference. Of working hard. Of laughing and hoping. Of lazy afternoons. Of lasting friends. Of all the things that will cross your path this year.

The start of something new brings the hope of something great, ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE.

I'm inspired!

I have been inspired to enter another post on my blog because I heard my dear sister-in-law visited the site! That makes it...let's see....maybe 5 people since I began the blog last June!

My intention all along with this blog was to begin a dialogue with others on how I, we, they try to live a healthy life. It has always been important and very interesting to me to learn as much as I could about how I could live the healthiest life possible. I don't know why I have this passion, but I do.

One thing I've learned is that it is easier said then done...that's why I believe it is important to share with others the struggles as well as the triumphs of the journey. Like, how quickly one can go from being healthy and feeling good, to feeling completely out of control and in the emergency room! No worries, it was just a bug, but it came on so fast and out of nowhere.

Things like that just happen. Life happens. It does get you thinking though!

Love After Love

The time will come when, with elation you will greet yourself arriving at your own door, in your own mirror and each will smile at the other's welcome, and say sit here. Eat. You will love again the stranger who was your self. Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart to itself, to the stranger who has loved you all your life, whom you ignored for another, who knows you by heart. Take down the love letters from the bookshelf, the photographs, the desperate notes, peel your own image from the mirror. Sit. Feast your life.

I just had to share this poem by Derek Walcott that was shared with me during my Mindfulness in Education workshop that I attended this past weekend. It reminds me that our path to integrative, whole health begins with sitting...yes!! not necessarily running 5 miles in record time (although that could be part of it for you), but sitting!

Sitting, breathing, opening the door to your self...listening to the answers about your self that only you know. Imagine what is there!

listening to you

When is the last time you took the time necessary to get still and hear what you have to say? Taking the time to be still and listen for the inner wisdom that only you can bestow upon yourself is the beginning of understanding where you are and where you want to go.

Filtering all the "thought attacks" our mind chatters to us will help clear the debris, sift away thoughts that are not necessary or helpful, and clear the way for the wisdom to come through.

I do this by going to the beach by myself, and basically just looking out into the distance. Sometimes reading a helpful book on topics that encourage me to be happy and healthy. Or closing my eyes as I sit in my most comfortable chair, and pay attention to my breathing.

Nothing fancy, no retreats that cost thousands (although that's fun too)! I find I have lots of helpful things to say to myself! Give it a try!