following your path

There is a calling in my heart
One I know I need to listen to
It tells me I am a speaker, teacher, leader of this world

It reminds me of my power to encourage
The positivity I bring to a room
Calmness, ease, light

It is not easy to recognize what we are meant to do
So often we push it aside
Pretend we do not know

But once we see it, we can't deny it
We are here with a purpose
We must fulfill our prophecy

We know the road that leads us to happiness
And although we may not be traveling on it
We have plans to make our way there

When the light bulb goes off
We cannot extinguish it
We must follow the bat signal and shine

What is your life path?
What destiny is calling to you?
Reach for it, go for it, begin today!

choosing your own destiny

You do not have to do the things that have always been done
You can be the hero of your own story
You can grab the reigns and choose the direction you want to go
You do not have to drop everything and run to do this
You can begin slowly by asking the questions

What have you come here to do with your one precious life?
What moves you?
What calls to you when everything else is silent?
What grounds you?

You can carve out your own path
You can find your own way home
You can choose which way to go

Honor your commitment
Go towards it
Write your own story
Follow your heart no matter what an outsider may say

Today is the day to take one step towards living more fully you
Today is the day to choose you before choosing others
Today is the day you say yes to this great big adventure we call life
Today is as good a day as any to begin.  

What will you say yes to?
What one little thing will you choose to push you closer?
How will you blossom?
How will you step more fully into yourself?

Anaiss Nin says it best:  "And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom"

spark your creativity

As the leaves change around here there is so much color it is a feast for the eyes.  I am reminded of when I was a kid and my brothers and I would rake all the leaves into a pile and jump into them with reckless abandon.  There was so much fun and freedom in that moment.  

As I have grown older there seems to be fewer and fewer moments of reckless abandon.  I tend to focus on what I need to do and am always looking ahead at the next thing on my list.  However, fun and play should have their moment in the sun as well.  

My dear friend Kelly Barton has taught me a lesson or two about infusing fun and color into my every day life.  Her chalk art creations, time on the porch, and awesome watercolor paintings inspire me take time out to play and create.  

This fall Kelly is offering a new online course called soul.FULL.  It is filled with color, awesome projects, and will give you a chance to let go and create.  I am joining in on the fun and I hope you will, too.

soul.FULL. is a one-week guided field trip that explores how to bring creativity into your everyday.  Through this course you will develop new habits that will give you an artist's nudge and put a smile on your face.  

You can read more about it on Jeanne Oliver’s blog HERE.  Hope to be creating along side of you this November.  

seeking

stepping into fall

Standing here 
Legs tired
The air much warmer than when I set out
Struggling to take another step forward
Amazed at making it this far

The fall days are setting in
Running is different 
Darkness sets in sooner
A cool chill fills the air
Layers are required, and sometimes a flashlight

Transitioning over to this hasn't been welcoming on my body
Resistant to the change
Wishing the warm summer air would stay a bit longer
Running more cautiously 
Keeping fingers crossed an injury does not occur

How do you walk gently into the changing of the seasons?
Do you welcome them home with open arms
Or are you fighting with them
Denying the fact that the change comes
No matter what you say

I mixed between battle mode, and loving the colors
The bright oranges, reds, and yellows fill me with hope
And infuse inspiration into my soul
They rustle as I run past cheering me on 
Pushing me closer to home

With each ending there is a new beginning
As the seasons change a new flux of energy flows
In and out, in and out
We are never the same
And yet we go through familiar feelings again and again

love letter to you

Dear Brave Soul,

You did it!  You showed up.  There may have been moments of fear and hesitation, but you showed up anyway.  Be gentle with yourself on this journey.  Take time to savor the moments that make you laugh.  Feel all the emotions that wash over you.  

Listen to the sounds of nature and breathe in deeply.  For you did it.  You took the hardest step, which was getting here - and now you are here!  Inside you are expanding.  Know that you are so much stronger than you give yourself credit for.  Know that you can do anything you put your mind to.  You are enveloped with love and the world wants to see you shine.  

As you step out that door stand a little bit taller.  Lift your head up to the sun, breathe in deeply and know that you totally got this!  For you are deeply loved.  

Love always,
Your biggest fan