today is the day

Today is the day to be awesome!  To forget about what everyone else is saying and listen to the sound of your own voice.  To say YES to that one thing you have been wanting to do, really wanting to do.  Weather it is curling up in bed with your favorite book, going on an adventure, or booking your ticket for a travel excursion listen deeply to what you want to do and do it!

Today is the day to remember that our time here is limited. Don't waste it doing things that do not feed your soul.  Seek out what moves.  Reach for your dreams.  Let go of anything and anyone that doesn't bring you happiness.  Clear space for all the goodness you are inviting into your world.  

Today is the day to choose to look forward and not back.  To forgive yourself and others for any past hardship.  To take control of your own life and carve your own path.  You are the one who decides where you are going to go.  Don't make it harder for yourself by holding onto old hurt and pain.  Set yourself free and take a bold step forward.  

Today is the day to tell those you love how much they mean to you.  Be gushy and over the top about it.  Let them know, really know the special place you hold in your heart for them.  Spread love and kindness around. 

Today is the day to let go and be silly. To dance wildly, play like you are five years old, blow bubbles, draw with chalk, ride your bike.  Forget how old you are and let go into the world of fun.  

Yes, today is the day to be YOU.  Exactly as you are.  There is no need for you to show up as anything but yourself.  Are you clothes wrinkled, did you not put on make up?  That is ok.  Show up proudly.  Head held high, shoulders back.  Walk into a room and know that YOU exactly as you are is enough.  


This post was inspired from the second prompt of the Love Notes Postcard Project:

Today is the day ...

Finish the sentence and share what your world would look like in the comments below

love letter to car shows

Dear Car Shows,

I know you may find it strange that I am writing a love letter to you, in fact this is one love letter I never thought I would ever write.  Yet here we are with me tapping away at the keys filled with gratitude for YOU!  Yes, I am grateful for you.  

But you don't even care much about cars .... I know this is what you are thinking.  And to be quiet frank with you, I don't.  But I do love you car shows because of what you have brought into my life.  You have given Dustin and I something to do together that makes each of us happy for different reasons.

Him ~ loving all the cars
Me ~ loving the walking around

At each one of your shows we get have the opportunity to be outside together strolling down aisle after aisle of cars.  His eyes light up when he sees something that intrigues him.  Rare cars, cool engines, things I know nothing about but have grown an appreciate for.  I soak in the fresh air, the gentle stroll, the moments of hand holding.  It is the perfect combination for both of us.  

We have experienced many a car show together and they fill us up with so much joy.  So thank you dear car show for filling up parking lots and fields with every car imaginable.  Thank you for pulling us outside and giving us an opportunity to connect with one another.  I love how one thing feeds both of our souls for different reasons.  How divine.  

xo
Jennifer

love letter to play

Dear Play,

I have much to learn from you.  About letting go, not worrying about what others are thinking, and just being present in the moment.  You push me to my edges.  You encourage me to stretch, to reach, to grow.  You bring out my laughter and plaster the biggest smile across my face.  

When I am entangled up in you I forget about the weight that I am carrying around on my shoulders.  I feel as if the world opens up to me and possibilities are endless.  You give me hope to keep on trying and you remind me of the simple joys in life.  

Oh dear play you infuse me with happiness.  You take an ordinary day and make it extraordinary.  

It is not always easy for me to fall into your arms.  There are times when my guard is up and I am unsure of how to let you in.  But once I do I realize how much I need you.  Life without play just isn't a life at all.  

I am grateful to Dustin for always reminding me of you.  He nudges and nudges, knocking down my wall and bringing out the silly in me.  He always get's me to play.  

Thank you for stretching me.  For creating the very best memories.  For infusing laughter.  For brightening my day.  For reminding me again and again what an integral part of my life you are.  Oh dear play, you make this world a brighter place.  

xo
Jennifer

Join me in 14 days of love notes and write your very own love note to play.  How do you show up in the world and play?  What way do you integrate play into your everyday?  I will be writing one love letter a day for fourteen days.  For it is love that makes the world go round.  

love letter to the world

Dear World,

You give me so much.  Stunning sunsets, beautiful days, fresh air to breathe deeply into.  You create this magical work of art that I get to walk through each and every day.  I know there are many days when I do not appreciate it.  So many days when my head is down, my heart is heavy, and I am rushing from one thing to the next.  But you never give up on me.  You always surprise me.  You fill the steps I take with beauty and drop feathers right beneath my feet when I need them most.  Oh world, you fill me up in so many inspiring ways.  Always giving, giving, giving, and never once asking for anything in return.  You allow me space to go whenever my heart wants to travel, and when I am there you show up with your brilliant colors painting the most beautiful scene.  

I am filled with so much gratitude for you.  Grateful for the way you show up and share your light.  You give me so much space to be me.  You challenge me to work through the seasons and shine my light in the darkness.  Thank you for all you do and all you are.  

xo
Jennifer

Join me in 14 days of love notes and write your very own love note to the world.  What would you thank it for?  What are you grateful it has given you?  Each day from now until Valentines day I will be writing one love letter a day.  For it is love that makes the world go round.  

the open road

“We travel, initially, to lose ourselves; and we travel, next to find ourselves. We travel to open our hearts and eyes and learn more about the world than our newspapers will accommodate. We travel to bring what little we can, in our ignorance and knowledge, to those parts of the globe whose riches are differently dispersed. And we travel, in essence, to become young fools again- to slow time down and get taken in, and fall in love once more.”

— Pico Ayer

In my early twenties I drove cross country with a friend and someone she knew whom I had never met.  This person I never met had just gotten a new car and wanted to take it across the country.  Was I up for the adventure?  You bet!  Did I mind that I didn't know the girl who owned the car, not one bit. 

We had one plan in mind, make it to California where Sara's mom lived.  What happened in between NJ and CA was left to unfold as we went along.  We had a few places we could crash for the night but besides that the road was our opportunity to explore.  It was on this trip that my love affair with the open road began.  I was enamored with the endless possibility that we could go anywhere.  

With open roads before us there was no one except ourselves telling us to go left, right, no...LEFT!!!  I saw things I never saw before, like the wide open sky, billions of stars, and the sun setting in the grand canyon.  Nothing had to be perfect, we made it up as we went along.  

As I have gotten older and my days feel full with errands and a long list of things to do adventure has fallen to the bottom of the list.  I forget sometimes that it doesn't have to be a big trip across the country.  Adventure is always waiting for me right around the corner.  It is a block I have never traveled down, a trail I didn't know existed, taking a different way home and seeing things I never knew where there.  Yes, there is always something new to see and experience, I just have to be open to it.  

And so I am opening my eyes a little bit more.  Seeking out the unexpected.  Looking around the corner and taking the long way home.  I am going on little adventures and stepping outside of my comfort zone.  I don't know what will unfold, but that is all part of the adventure.  

What adventure have you taken recently?  Where have you gone near or far that has expanded you in some way?  Together lets make a pact to adventure more often.  

smile more

If you do just one thing today I encourage you to smile more
Let your face shine
Even when you aren’t feeling your best
When frustration is mounting
And you wish you could click your heals and be back home
Yes, in these moments smile
The very act of doing this will change how you feel instantly
Go ahead, give it a try right now
Lift your head up and smile
Feel the way it brings happiness to your heart
One small micro movement creating such a positive affect
When you smile at others they smile back
A chain reaction of happiness
So go ahead, smile more
Smile at strangers
Smile when you feel like stamping your feet and throwing a fit
Smile when you are sitting alone at your desk
Just smile more
Your heart will thank you