traveling down a road

You are traveling down a road
Where is it taking you?
Where are you hoping to go?

You are traveling down a road
Is the path unexpected?
Or did you plan out each turn?

You are traveling down a road
Keep your eyes open
Soak in the new scenery

You are traveling down a road
Choosing your own destination
Savor the moments on your travels

You will go down this road only once
Don't forget to pause and look around every once and awhile
For you are traveling down a road, living the life, your life

the ripple effect

I was like Rita.  I didn't care for hearts, or anything pink for that matter.  I thought it was little girlish to like hearts and so I stayed away from them.  

That is until I opened my own heart to love.  Not the romantic type of love, but a deep self love and appreciation for who I am.  I took time to find myself and to really learn what made me happy.  

It was during this self discovery that I saw hearts every where.  In rocks on the ground, up in the sky within the clouds, in the soap on my glass shower doors, in the crumb that feel off a piece of my sandwich.  Hearts were constantly showing up.  Perhaps they were always there, and I just never took the time to notice.  

Once I started seeing these hearts they showed up more and more.  In the piece of chicken that Dustin ordered for dinner, in the ice frozen over my windshield, in the small stain on the carpet at work.  Love is all around.  

I was reminded of how far I have come in my love of hearts when I read Rita's letter that Elizabeth shared on the Squam Website.  Rita shares how her heart opened when she took my class :: Love Notes Special Delivery ::  

I am blown away by this letter and the effect that class had on her.  I created that class because I felt a deep urge to introduce people to writing from the heart and showing up on the page.  I never expected that it would touch someone so deeply.  And it did.  

Throughout the class Rita shared such amazing, heartfelt, honest writing that blew me away.  I loved how she was showing up.  She inspired me immensely.  And that is the ripple effect.  When we show up and do what our heart is calling we can't help but effect those receiving our gift in a positive way.  And in turn that person goes out and follows there heart, and more people are affected.  The rings in the lake keep getting bigger and bigger.  

You do the world a disservice when you shy away from shining.  The world needs your light.  You are meant to sparkle.  Take the leap.  Follow your heart.  Watch how the ripple effect unfolds.  

You can read Rita's story here and find out more about the women who began the ripple affect for me, and how attending squam changed my life.  

stitching

She was stitching up the contents of her heart
Carefully laying them down before the machine
Remembering when the threads got pulled out
Tracing over the lines of the ripped seams
And tattered fabric
She choose her favorite color to patch things up
And she continued, even when the needle went through her finger
She didn't understand how the machine worked
Or really what she was doing
All she knew was that with each step onto the peddle
The machine hummed
Her heart felt lighter
And she was sewing herself back together

facing rejection

There are moments in life when we leap
Take a risk, totally unsure what the outcome will be
We hope, we dream, we wish
But we never know
And we are never fully prepared for when it doesn't go the way we wanted
Our heart broken
Our dreams shattered
Our hope washed out to sea
Taking the leap to risk isn't to hard
What is difficult is standing back up after we have been rejected
How do we gracefully stand again
How do we not take it personally and have the courage to try another time

I have taken that risk
The outcome was not what I wanted
And I am standing back up, a few tears later
I believe there was a reason, one that will show itself to me later on
I am learning that no matter how many times we try, rejection always hurts
It will never get easier
But one thing I do know for sure
We can't accomplish great things unless we go after them
So we must show up and take that leap
We must continue to try day after day
Even when we are faced with rejection

reach out

There are times when you feel like you are hanging out, alone
The world spinning out of control around you
Feeling there is no where to turn
Lost, afraid, unsure

But the thing is, you are never alone
There are always people who love you ready to reach out
Extending a hand filled with love, and hope for a brighter future
They lift you up, dust you off, and cheer you on

There will be moments when you do not see them
They are looking on from a distance
Watching as you navigate your journey
Knowing they can not interfere with your decision making

But when you need them, they are there
Arms wide open
Loving you, for you
Letting you know it will all be ok

Do not be afraid to ask for help
To lean on others when things get tough
Do not be afraid to speak the truth
And let them know you screwed up

Life is a wild ride
Filled with ups, and downs
But along the way you always have support
When things seem dark remember this

focusing

I am writing daily Heart Notes until January 3rd.   Only two days into this project and already my heart is overflowing with gratitude.  As I read emails from some of the recipient’s tears of joy have fallen from my eyes.  It feels so good. 

I am learning over and over again how amazing and beautiful things can unfold when we focus our mind. 

I have recently been focusing on eating healthier, preparing meals ahead of time, and infusing exercise into my daily routine.  I am feeling stronger mentally and physically. 

I remember when I first started exercising again.  Oh my goodness was it a struggle.  I couldn't lift the same amount of weight that I remember lifting.  Running a mile was torture when I used to be able to run three miles without a problem.  My mind spewed out so much negative self-talk it was ridiculous. 

But I kept showing up.  Day after day I showed up, even if I only did a little bit.  What mattered was that I was there.  Before I even realized it showing up was no longer a chore but something I deeply desired to do.  My mind shifted. 

I am now seeking out ways to push myself harder.  Go the extra step.  Do just one more pushup when I think I can’t.  It is a challenge for me to work out on my own.  I find that I push myself harder when I am with someone else or in a group setting. But circumstances do not allow that to happen often, so I must learn how to dig deeper and push myself harder. 

I have a big goal in mind that will take a lot of work to accomplish.  So I show up.  Day after day, especially when I don’t want to. 

Some of my favorite things for working out are:

These amazing headphones.  How many times have you gotten tangled in your headphone chord.  To many times for me to count.  Now I can run without getting all tangled up.

My shoes.  I know this type of shoe isn’t for everyone, but it has made running so much more enjoyable for me now that I no longer suffer from hip pain. 

Utilizing Rhapsody provides me the freedom to add songs to my {get moving} playlist in an instant.

And this song really gets me going.

What are some of your favorite things help get you moving?