Spilling Open

I poured a cup of tea, light a candle, and set out a few cookies.  I was setting the stage and preparing to dig into Spilling Open.  Each December I will grab my notebook and answer many of the same questions.  This year I decided to pull all of those questions together and create a one of kind printable PDF that included not only the questions but poetry and inspiration to inspire and ignite the spark.  I created this because I love reflecting on the year that has passed.  It is healing for me to journey through what was and set intentions for what I hope will be.   

I listed my top 10 moments from 2014.  I relived my biggest adventure and praised what I am most proud of.  I learned from what tested me and discovered many things about where I live.  

I then boldly stepped forward and described how I want 2015 to feel.  I dreamed big dreams and set intentions for spending more time with certain people.  I picked one thing to work on and boldly stated what I want to be celebrating when 2015 comes to a close.  

The poems that I had written touched me in new ways and helped me open up my heart just a little bit more.  I felt inspired and excited.  So many good moments were spilling open and my heart filled with deep gratitude.  There is nothing better than reflecting back on your year and unearthing how you want the next year to feel.  I worked my way through the 74 pages and felt so satisfied and filled with love when I was done.  It has been a good year, a really good year.  

I learned:
:: That I am stronger than I ever knew I was mentally and physically
:: I can accomplish anything when I put my mind to it.  
:: Dreams comes true when you follow your heart and do not give up
:: Standing tall in who I am is necessary for me to shine and move ahead
:: I have an incredibly strong and powerful support system

You can get your own copy of Spilling Open to print out and dig into just my signing up for my newsletter.  These pages took me on an incredible journey and my hope is that they do the same for you.  When you state what you want you set the wheels in motion and start carving the path.  What dreams are you ready to say yes to?  What words are you ready to spill open?  Dig into the adventure today.  

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traditions

The past few days have been filled with celebration, family, laughter, and lots of fun.  Presents have been unwrapped, love has been shared, and joy and gratitude has filled my heart.  I am so grateful for my family and the way we come together to celebrate.  

As the year comes a close I will be taking the time to reflect on what was and open my heart to what will be.  I have a  few traditions that I carry out each year and this year I will dig into them again.  Some of them are:

Photo Look Back
I take many photos but rarely print them out.  They are all housed inside of my computer.  At the end of the year I carve out an hour or two to sit down and go through my entire year of photos.  I start with January and work all the way up to December.  Memories resurface and the simple every day moments that I took with my iPhone get savored again.  I love these photos because they are a true reflection of the life I live every day. 

Mondo Beyondo List
This tradition was brought into my life by the wonderful Andrea Scher.  At the beginning of each year I sit down for ten minutes and write down all of my wildest and craziest dreams that I would like to come true as well as the little things that have been nudging my heart.  As soon as I start my timer I don't let my hand stop writing until it dings ten minutes later.  It is interesting to see what spills out.  Dreams come up that I didn't even realize I had.  

Once my new list is written I go back and take a look at previous years to see what has come true or what has been written again.  I love having these yearly list to go back through.  Sometimes it takes years for a dream to come true but the simple act of writing it down plants the seed.

Collaging How I Want to Feel
I have always been drawn to collage.  For years I have been ripping images out of magazines and gluing them down. Some of my early collages have been framed and hang in my kitchen today.  What I love about collage is the freedom.  As I go through magazines I rip out the images I am drawn to; the ones that make me feel good for one reason or another.  Then I lay them all out and start gluing them down sporadically.  There is no rhyme or reason for where they end up, just a feeling.  Sometimes one page becomes two and other times I love the way they fit together so much that I pull it out of my notebook and frame it.   These visual pages are a reflection of feelings deep from my heart.  

I am big on traditions.  They are a touchstone in my life and a reminder for me to slow down and savor the passing of time.  The three above are just a few that I practice.  What traditions do you have?  How do you savor and celebrate the passing of time?

braving the blues :: getting outside

The hours spent indoors during the week weighs heavy on my heart.  I seem to  be unable to remember the last time I saw the sun.  The air is crisp, but I knew I needed to get outside.  Nature heals me.  It brings me back to center and reminds me of the goodness that this world has to offer.  

During the week I lose my motivation to get outside.  Leaving for work in the dark and coming home in the dark pulls all the energy I had stored up from my soul.  The chill in the air pushes me to want to curl up under the covers and drift off into dream world. 

With my camera in hand I am pushed to walk beyond the four walls of my home and into the world.  I get to experience the beauty that is living and breathing right outside my door.  The camera forces me to slow down, breathe deep, and seek out moments to capture.  Taking photos reminds me to savor the opportunity for this moment even if the air is freezing.  

I am so grateful to have a partner in crime who will step out into the cold with me and capture the things we find.  I love going on photo walks with him because we each come home with different images in our cameras.  He is drawn to the bigger scene and I am drawn to the details.  Even if we are looking at the same thing we both capture different angles.  I love seeing the contrast between our photos and what the other was drawn to.  

The winter challenges me.  It takes work for me to stay creative and feel inspired.  This year I have mentally prepared myself by making a list of ten ways to prepare for the blues.  These words are tucked into my heart and have set me off on the right foot mentally.  Having this small list and being more conscious of battling the blues has helped me navigate this journey.  Sharing it with others has reminded me that I am not alone on these battle grounds. 

I have also been using instagram to share my moments in hopes of inspiring others to brave the blues as well.  Sometimes just seeing a photo of something someone is doing gets me inspired and takes me out of my funk.  You can find my images through the hashtag #bravingtheblues  

I invite you to join me in braving the blues.  Tag your photos and together we will bravely step through winter and create beautiful memories along the way.  What are your go to self care moments to get you through the winter? 

preparing for the winter blues

Winter is always a struggle for me.  It is the darkness that brings me down.  Upon leaving work {in the dark} I head home and want to flip on my heated blanket and crawl straight into bed. I think in a past life I was a bear that hibernated all winter.  This year before the winter blues take hold of me I am going to prepare and set my mind up with different ways to brave the blues.  I know that once I get to deep into the darkness it becomes a struggle for me to surface.  With these plans in place I will hopefully not fall down the dark whole.   I hope you will join me in braving the blues. Let's begin.  

Ten ways to prepare for braving the blues

1. Twinkle lights, lots and lots of twinkle lights.  In my house twinkle lights are not only for christmas.  I have them on year round.  They cast the perfect glow.  I love curling up on the couch with my journal, twinkle lights glowing, and music softly playing.  It feels incredibly peaceful.  To help brave the blues I am going to pull out some more twinkle lights and hang them up inside.  
2. Get outside.  When it is dark and freezing cold out the last thing you may want to do is get outside, but it may be the best thing for you.  A simple walk around the block and breathing in the fresh crisp air will do wonders for your soul.  You will feel rejuvenated and alive.  Yes, the hardest part is walking out the door but once you return I promise you will be so glad you did it.  Dress appropriately.  Layer up.  Put on your gloves and a scarf and step outside.  I live a few blocks from a coffee shop.  Instead of curling up and hibernating I am going to grab my laptop and my journal and head to the coffee shop to write.  The short walk will do me good.  
3. Be around others, even if they are strangers.  Walking to the coffee shop is only half of the prescription for braving the blues.  Being around others and not cooped up alone will lift your spirits.  Even if all you are doing is listening to others conversations and observing the world around you, it is nice to be reminded that you are part of a greater good.  You are not alone in your winter blues.  When I lived alone I spent many hours in coffee shops, at bookstores, or in the library.  As human beings we long to be around others.  Even though you may not talk to someone while you are out in public you will be reminded that you are not alone.  
4. Become friends with your local library.  The library is a wealth of inspiration and knowledge.  During the cold winter months seek out different books that will take your mind on a journey.  Spend some time in the kids section and read children's books.  Rent a movie, listen to music.  Pick up the latest travel magazine and dream about summer time and where you want to travel to.  The library has all sorts of amazing resources.  This winter I plan to make a weekly trip to the library to discover new things.  
5. Set up a weekly date with a friend. Having a weekly standing date on your calendar gives you something to look forward to.  Find a friend who lives nearby and set up a weekly movie date, meet at the coffee shop, walk together.  Do anything, just do it together.  
6. Dance the blues away.  After sitting at your desk or being cooped up in the office all day get your body moving.  Put on your favorite dance song get silly in your living room.  Dance, dance, dance those blues away.  
7. Create mini creative adventures.  On little cards write down some things that you can do with supplies you have on hand and seal them up in different envelopes.  For example:  pull out the watercolors and paint, tear out inspiring images from magazines, draw stick figures scenes, get a little messy and fingerprint.  Sometimes when we are feeling the winter blues it is hard for us to decide what to do.  Let the fate of the cards determine your next adventure.  When you are feeling down pick an envelope and commit to doing what ever it says.  
8. Send snail mail.  Sit down and write a letter to someone you love.  Let them know how much they mean to you.  You will be surprised how it lifts you up to send a little sunshine.  If a  letter is to much try a postcard.  
9. Have a movie night.  Make pop corn, curl up on the couch, and watch your all time favorite movie.  You know, the movie that you know word for word.  
10. Learn something new.  Being cooped up inside you will have time to learn a new skill.  Give your hand at crochet, a new language, or how to do something you always wanted to do.  

The winter can be tough but you when you brave it with others and have a plan in place it may not be as bad as you thought it was going to be.  So together lets brave the winter blues. 

I will be sharing images on instagram {@jbelthoff} with the hashtag #bravingtheblues and hope that you will join me.  Seeing others photos may inspire you and help you brave the blues.  Let's do this together!  

celebrating fall

Living in the Northeast has it's advantages.  I have access within an hours drive to the ocean, the city, and the mountains.  I get to experience all four of the seasons.  Going from brutal cold winters filled with snow, to hot humid summers, and brilliant fall colors.  In between there is spring where new growth occurs.  

I may not be a fan of all of the seasons {especially when the cold and dark creep in}, but when they are here I enjoy celebrating them.  Celebration is one of my self care practices.  It reminds me to be grateful for what is and appreciate the beauty it holds.  

In honor of the brilliant oranges and reds here is a list of 10 ways to celebrate fall:

1. Get yourself outside!  Breathe in the crisp air and go for a walk around the block to admire the fall colors.  See the spectacular show that fall puts on each year.   Mother nature has the ability to fill the trees with color.  But don't wait to long, before you know it those leaves will be gone revealing the bones of the trees. 
2. Savor the flavors of the season.  Apple cider and pumpkin pie are my two fall favorites.  They taste even better when sitting outside on a cool day.  
3. Gather around the fire.  Roast marshmallows.  Tell stories.  Reminisce about days gone by.  Sitting around the fire outside with a warm cup of hot chocolate is the perfect way to kick off fall.  
4. Pull out your sweaters that have been tucked away all summer.  It is there time to shine!
5. Be an explorer and go Geocaching.   Dustin and I got into geocaching last year and had so much fun with it.  It brought us to places in our area that we didn't know existed and it was such a blast when we uncovered the cache.  
6. Rake the leaves into an enormous pile and then jump into them.  Pretend you are six again and let go, be free, and have fun!  
7. Carve a pumpkin.  This always brings me back to my childhood when my brothers and I would gather around and watch my dad carve our family pumpkin.  It was always so fascinating to watch as my father carved and the design took shape.  Go ahead, carve your own pumpkin.  
8. Celebrate Octoberfest!  Find a festival near by that celebrates or create your very own.  Try different beers you never had before and pick your favorite one.  
9. Collect different pieces of nature like acorns and pinecones to decorate your home with. I love having pieces of the outside inside.  Nature is grounding to me and you will find little bits and pieces of it scattered throughout my space.
10. Get outside and capture the colors.  Nature has really put on a spectacular show.  Get out there and appreciate it.  

Fall is fleeting.  It seems to take a bit of time to get here and then as soon as you notice it the cold air rushes in.  Take the time to savor the precious moments that fall brings.  How do you celebrate fall?  Do you have an traditions or special celebrations that turn to each fall?  I would love to hear about them!