claim your space

What if it was easy
If you didn’t have to struggle to get it done
If it felt good and real

What if you did it your way
If you showed up exactly as you are
Giving it your all

What if you choose your path
Carved it yourself
And invited those you desire to walk with you

What if you gave up
Put down the idea, let go of the expectations
Threw in the towel because it was no longer calling to you

What if you spoke from the heart
Said the words you really have been wanting to say
Letting go of worrying what others thought

What if you choose today to begin
To truly say yes
And dive right in

What if you followed your heart
Listened deeply to what you desire
And made those desires your priority

As far as I know you only have one precious life to live and you are the author of this life
Where do you want your story to go? 
How do you want to feel each day? 
Where do you want to show up? 
What do you want to hold onto and what do you want to let go of? 

You invite in the energy that surrounds you
What if you choose to invite in happiness, all the time!
What if you let go of the negative souls that are dragging you down?
How would that shift your moments?

What if you stepped boldly into the life you want to live?
Where would you be standing?
Who would you be with?

It is never too late to begin
And today is as good a day as any
Do not wait a second longer to claim your space in this world

being ok with saying no

I tend to over commit.  To say yes when I really should be saying no.  I carve out time to do things with friends and family, and it is lovely and divine, but it does not leave me much time to do the things that I want to do.  Like read, write, practice yoga, sit on the front porch and watch the day pass by.  

I am an introvert.  I need time to process.  Time to be alone.  Quiet moments to allow my mind space to rest and be restored.  Having a balance between this quiet and the activities with others is hard for me to do.  I put others first not wanting to disappoint.  I say yes when I really deeply am feeling no.  I think of others and do not consider how it is physically draining me.  

I fill my calendar with things to do but never carve out dedicated time just for me.  I push myself to the limits, constantly on the go until my body forces me to slow down.  This isn't good for me or for others.  When I do not take time for me I do not show up as my best self.  I am tired, quiet, and not really there.  

This is something that I know needs to be adjusted.  If I keep going at this pace I will lose who I am and I do not want to do that.  I want to balance my time and in order to do that I must make myself a priority.  I need to recognize when I am pulling myself thin and I say no when I feel it, even if I think I am disappointing someone.  

Saying no isn't easy.  It take courage.  The realization that you may miss out on something.  And knowing that you will inevitably disappoint someone.  But it is needed to stay whole, to be fully present when you are with someone, and to allow yourself space to rest.  

I am going to take a look at my calendar and intentionally carve out time for me.  I am going to write it in ink and follow through as if it was a commitment with another.  I will hold myself accountable.  And when I have this time I will not use i watching tv or getting sunk down the rabbit hole of social media.  I will be intentional and do what feeds me.  

Do you struggle with saying no?  What could you put in place to help you? Please share in the comments as what you do may be a huge help for someone else.  

where I stand

It is here where I stand
My feet are steady
I do not know where my next step will lead me
But I feel confident to take it

It is here where I stand
Open to all this world has to offer
The brilliant highs and the deepest lows
All of them fill me up

It here where I stand
Ready for anything
I am on an incredible adventure
And I want to savor every moment of it

It here where I stand
Today
But tomorrow I may be someplace else
For that is the beauty of choice

You always have a choice
To stay, to go
To linger on the outskirts
Or dive right in full force

Yes, it is up to you how brightly you want to shine
Do you wear your heart on your sleeve
Or stand just beneath the shadows
How does it make you feel?

Take today to examine where you stand
Feel the moment
Savor the preciousness of this time
Then when you are ready, take your next step

she said

She said you make the world a more beautiful place to be

She said it is your good energy that generated all of the goodness

She said thank you for providing all of these opportunities to connect with wonderful people around the globe, and for being authentic and vulnerable enough to help all of us work through this wonderful thing called life.  You inspire.  You make a difference.

She said the way you express yourself is truly an inspiration to others

She said you are a part of my fondest memories ever

She said you have put into words what we all feel

She said you are amazing and inspiring

She said everything you write is so full of heart

She said you capture the best moments

She said you speak from the heart

She said you are a gift

She said you are writing is amazing

She said you are beautiful

She said one of the things I admire so much about you is how you are aware of such beautiful feelings and then how you can verbalize them and make us feel it to

She said I heart you

She said I miss you

She said I am so happy you were here

She said I love the way you use your words, you pull at heart strings

It was what she said that opened up my eyes to the journey I am currently traveling.  I keep dreaming that my writing will make a difference, that I will gather and tend to the souls of others, that what I do in this world matters.  

Hearing what she said made me realize that I am currently walking the walk.  While deep in the thick of it I did not realize that I am already living my truth.  I am cultivating my dreams.  I am tending to hearts.  I am writing from a place of honest vulnerability.  I am touching peoples lives the way I have always dreamed of.  I am inspiring others.  

Sometimes we need our dear friends to hold a mirror up in front of us so that we can see all that we are.  It is through their reflection of us that opens up our eyes to our own innate beauty.  They see us through unfiltered lenses.  They are the recipient of our energy.  They feel what we give them and they can show it back to us.  

She said ... is a prompt from a course I am taking called Community Grace with Hannah Marcotti.  The prompt was to go through text messages, emails, social channels, and interactions with our tribe and pull out the pieces when they hold up the mirror showing me where I am really there for them.  

I took some time to go through my facebook feed and found the above words written from others.  It opened up my eyes to the journey that I am on.  To quickly I can lose sight of all I am.  It is my tribe that constantly holds up the mirror and helps carry me through.  They reflect the purest pieces of me, and I do the same for them.  

This is a reminder that we are not meant to travel this journey alone.  We are meant to walk together.  To hold hands, laugh, and love.  

I encourage you to go through this exercise and see what you can unearth that your tribe has reflected back to you.  Write your own She Said and tuck it in your pocket to turn to again and again.  For what they say is the truth. Feel it, know it, believe it. 

savor the moments

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We took off on a mini adventure.  A night away to refuel our love tanks, slow down, and savor one another.  Road trips are one of our favorite things to do together.  Chatting in the car, singing along to the radio, listening in on the truckers conversations, and quiet moments of comfortable silence.  It is lovely to leave home and arrive somewhere new all in the a matter of hours.   

Adventure awaits around every corner.  New roads to explore, senses to be filled.  

We breathed in the ocean air while listening to the sound of the waves.  We stumbled upon a really old cemetery and watched the sunset together.  We explored, giggled, and loved.  

So easily we can get caught up in the hustle of life.  We need to take the time to slow down.  Even if it is just for the night.  We need to sink into this wildly precious life and enjoy it with the people we love.  Life brings us so much joy, we must slow down a bit to savor it.  

it takes a village

I had stood on the sidelines of the NYC Marathon for five years cheering on my aunt Kelly and uncle Chris as either both of them or one of them ran the marathon year after year.  They ran on Fred’s Team which supports cancer research for the Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital and ran in honor of Kelly’s father who passed away from the horrific disease. 

2010 NYC Marathon, Kelly & Chris approaching the finish line!

Each year my mom and I along with other family members stood on the sidewalk cheering.  Being a spectator at this event is amazing and as I stood there I was overcome with emotion.  I remember looking over at my mom and both of us had tears in our eyes.  You see people from all walks of life embarking on an epic 26.2 mile journey and it is truly incredible. 

2010 NYC Marathon with Chris & Kelly after they finished!

As I stood on the sidelines a spark was ignited inside me and I knew that one day I wanted to embark on this epic journey myself.  But saying yes to 26.2 miles isn’t easy.  It took me five years to work up the courage and when I hit the submit button and signed up with Fred’s Team I knew there was no turning back. 

Before I began training for the marathon three miles was my normal routine. How in the world did I ever think that I was going to be able to run 26.2?  But here is the thing . . . you are so much stronger than you think you are.  You can do incredible things when you put your mind to it and just take it step by step. 

And that is exactly what I did.  I had a training schedule that slowly increased my miles and soon 3 miles became 10, 10 miles became 15, 15 became 22!  At the end of my training runs I stood there exhausted but also incredibly proud of myself.  I was doing something I never thought I could do and it all happened because I decided to show up. 

For some of my runs you may have passed me on the street and thought that I was running in slow motion . . . but even in slow motion I was running.  During those incredibly challenging moments I pictured my family and friends cheering me on.  I replayed in my head the encouraging words they left on my donations page for Fred’s Team and it motivated me to keep putting one foot in front of the other. 

Come race day I was filled with a bit of nervousness but it was overpowered by excitement.  This was the day I had been working towards.  All my hard work and effort was for this moment and I wanted to enjoy it.  It was one of the most epic days of my life.  Family and friends traveled around the city to cheer me on.  I had written on my wrist each mile I was going to see them at and it was those moments when I saw their smiling faces and heard there cheers that kept me moving forward.  When I began to struggle I would look at my wrist and think that I just needed to make it to that next mile and everything was going to be ok, and it was. 

2014 NYC Marathon after I finished!

In life we aren’t meant to do things alone.  I may have been running the marathon by myself but I was never truly alone.  The encouragement from my family and friends throughout my training and on race day is what got me through. They were with me every step of the way.  The pushed me along, cheered my name, and were a constant reminder to me that I could actually do this. 

As I look back on the marathon one of the things I am most grateful for is that my mom was there to see me run.  My mom loved the marathon and looked forward every year to cheering on my aunt and uncle.  Having her be there for me meant the world to me.  She was so proud.  Her face beaming with a smile each time I ran past her.  It reminded me of the days I ran cross country; she was always there on the sidelines cheering me on. 

This year I will be going back to the marathon as a spectator to cheer on my uncle Chris who is running once again for Fred’s Team.  He is running in honor Kelly’s dad but also in honor of my mom.  Even though my mom won’t be on the sidelines with us cheering him on I know she will be there in spirit and looking down with pride.    

Chris - who will be running the marathon this year in honor of Kelly's dad and my mom

Running with Fred’s Team is an incredible way to run the marathon.  Not only do you raise money for cancer research but the team is there for you every step of the way.  Chris has set a lofty goal of raising $6,000 this year and every dollar raised makes a difference.  Cancer is an all too common disease that affects to many lives and families.  Please join in the fight and donate to Fred’s Team through Chris’s fundraising page.  No donation is too small.  Click HERE to donate.  If you are interested in learning more about Chris’s story click here to see the very personal page he has created. 

Running the marathon was epic!  The entire 26.2 miles I had a smile on my face.  

When we come together we are so much stronger than when we stand alone.  I learned this while training for the marathon and that lesson has stuck deeply within my heart.  Together let’s fight the fight and imagine a world without cancer.      

Donate to Fred's Team Today!