doing your best

Outside of my apartment window I have a view of the most beautiful sunsets.  There are days when it is takes my breathe away with the sky lighting up with spectacular color.  Each time the sky lights up this way I am reminded of the cross country adventure I took years ago.  Out west the sky was free of power lines and buildings.  You could gaze for miles and miles soaking in all the beauty that this world has to offer.  

They sky memorizes me because no matter where we are in the world we are all under the same sky.  We see the same sun and moon and make wishes on the very same stars.  It is  a gentle reminder that we are all human and each of us are just trying to do our very best. 

Life isn't always easy. There are moments where it is tough just to walk out the door.  We struggle on our path and feel like we can't catch a break.  It is difficult and heart wrenching.  During these times we need to be tender with ourselves and remember that we are during our very best.  

We are all human, looking up at the same sky.  We are not perfect.  We face challenges and have our own inner struggles.  Do not be quick to judge someone because you never know what it is they are going through.  Just show up in your own corner of the world and do your best. 

“It helps to remember that everyone is doing their best from their level of consciousness”

— Deepak Chopra

share your story

We gathered around the Thanksgiving table and his aunt and mom told stories of when he was young.  It was lovely to get this insight into who he was before I met him.  Along with this story there are many more, each one playing a part into who he has become.  

Hearing these stories filled my heart with happiness, yet at the same made it break a little bit thinking of how my mom was longer with us to tell the stories of my childhood.  My mom knew me before I knew myself.  She was the keeper of all the stories and always told us of the times we had forgotten.  She knows the story of when I lost my first tooth, learned how to ride a bike, and how it all went down the night I was born with clown makeup and all. 

I think of my three year old niece who spent a lot of time with my mom. She was with her almost every day and will still speak of her.  I know that as she grows older those memories of her will fade and the angel necklace she wears will become to small.  

But my father is teaching all of us that the memories never have to fade if we keep sharing stories about her.  There are moments with my family that I feel strange talking about my mom.  I know when I bring her up that tears surface for all, but I enjoy speaking about her.  She has infused so much into me and my family.  Her spirit lives on in all of us.  

At my Father's thanksgiving table he brought my mom along by drawing her as his place setting and writing around it that he was thankful for 40+ years with her.  I wasn't there to witness when he drew it but I was so grateful to have been able to see it in person when I gathered with him later in the day.  

This drawing is a reminder that we must continue to share stories about my mom.  We must talk about her often, even if the tears surface.  This is what keeps her spirit alive, and there are so many stories to choose from.  There are happy pants, and moments at the shore, chocolate covered pretzels, and tar beach.  There are corny jokes and seashells.  Nutcrackers and birthday dinners.  

Sharing stories of her feels healing and fills me with love.  Even though she won't be with us this holiday her spirit will be and the traditions that she has instilled in us will be carried through.  You can find a piece of her in everything we do.  

It is important to share our stories. To speak of what made us.  To laugh about the hard times and savor the good moments.  Each piece our the story is what has made us who we are today. When we share these stories we are inviting people in and bringing down the wall.  This is necessary for connection.  

This past year has filled my heart and soul with stories.  The time the front lawn of my parents house was filled with feathers.  Sitting outside the hospital so my mom could have some alone time with her friend.  Her last mothers day.  The moment I gave her the bracelet.  Coloring together at Luke's birthday and the moment she took off her real pants to reveal her happy pants.  Even through the sad times there was so much goodness.  

I know I must share these stories.  They are the stories that have shaped my year and who I am.  Without these stories I am nothing.  

It is important for all of us to share our stories.  To show up and tell the truth, even if it hurts.  As individuals are gathering in the Heart Notes classroom stories are being shared of favorite memories from the year and I know there are plenty of more stories to come.  These stories give us a glimpse into someones life.  This is incredible personal and amazing. 

There is still time to join.   We begin class December 2nd.  Throughout our time together we will close out the year by looking back on all that was and dreaming and scheming for what we hope 2016 will hold.  

I invite you to join us and close out the year with a community of like minded, brave, and tender souls.  Even though you have to walk the journey yourself that doesn't mean you have to walk alone.  Together let's bid a proper farewell to 2015 and welcome in 2016 with a wide expansive heart.  

make your own happy

You have to make your own happy
You cannot rely on others
You are the one in the driver seat
Sure, things will be thrown at you
Bad moments will happen
Hurt and devastation will occur
It is how you react to it that matters
This is what sets the stage
No one can choose your reaction except yourself

You have to make your own happy
Create the life you most want to live
Take risks
Reach out
Find what it is that truly lights you up and go for it
It won’t always go your way
There will be times you wished it was different
How you choose to be in that moment is what matters
Do you let the sadness drag you through the mud
Or do you pick yourself up by your boot straps and continue on
Your happiness is in YOUR hands

You have to make your own happy
You are the one writing your story
You write your own daring adventures
And you figure out a way through when it doesn’t work out
Write happiness into the story
Add smiles and laughter
Joyful moments of seeking out the beauty admits the disaster
Choose to put one foot in front of the other
Smile, smile wide
Because when you make your own happy
You encourage others to do the same

Go ahead, make your own happy

grateful for this world

I am grateful for the world and the way it let's me live in it
It gives me space to expand
To reach, to grow
Never enclosing me in a little box,
but rather encouraging me to go out and play
Explore
Seek
Roam, free
Yes, this world gives it all to me
The mountains, the ocean, the sunshine, the sky
It gives me stars to wish on
And raindrops to dance through
It invites me to always stay curious
And to never stop dreaming
It fills me up with wonder
And puts on the most beautiful shows
This world is wide and expansive
And it reminds me of that every single day
There are endless roads to travel
New paths to explore
And oceans to swim in
There are mountains to climb
And moments to sit and savor
The world slows me down when I travel to fast
Sending me a heart rock to tuck in my pocket
Or a message through a feather, reminding me that angels do exist
The world is filled with wonder
And endless possibilities
It has opened up it's arms to me
Invited me in and asked me to explore
I am so grateful for the wide expansive world
For the diversity it brings me
The love it shows me
And the adventures it has opened up to me
Thank you for deep deep earth, the wide expansive sky
And everything between
It is here where I get to live
To simply be me
And be in awe of the world's stunning beauty

YOU are glorious

What I want you to know is that you are glorious
Yes, YOU! 
Makeup free, hair a mess, still in your PJ’s
You SHINE
Know that the only person you need to be in this life is YOURSELF
Exactly as you are
Do not aim for perfection
It does not exist
Simply do the best you can
Show up
Live in the moment
Make plans for the future
And allow your heart space to dream
You are FIERCE
Feel it, believe it, know it, LIVE IT
Do not let anyone put out your light
What you do and who you are matters
It all matters
These tiny moments that feel insignificant
They have the ability to uplift and change someone’s day
This is powerful
Choose LOVE, always
Seek, search, and sometimes let go
What you once thought was all you wanted
May become something else
Stay fluid and open to change
Follow your heart, it won’t steer you wrong
Remember, you are GLORIOUS
In all you do
In all you say
In all you are

change is the only constant

Change.  It is the one thing in this life that you can always count on happening.  Usually at a time you least suspect it.  Big and small changes flip your world upside and life as you knew it is forever altered.  

Change.  We never know when it will happen.  We live our life one way and then all of a sudden it doesn't even look or feel the same.  We plan, dream, and scheme for the life we want to live but then that vision becomes altered and we are shown a brand new path.  

One moment can change everything.  

How do we live when we are unsure of what the next moment will bring?  Do we tread lightly, never making plans, becoming fearful of what is on the other side?  Or do we live big.  Arms wide open.  Enjoying the moment we are in and savoring them a little more deeply because we know that they won't last forever.  

We have no idea what tomorrow will bring.  I think I will be going to yoga, then work, and a nice dinner.  But that doesn't mean that is exactly what will happen.  Anything in life is possible.  The good and the bad.  The stuff we plan for and the moments we couldn't ever have imagined.  

What matters most is how you live your moments.  How you savor the time you have.  Laughing a little more deeply.   Hugging a little bit tighter.  Making plan because you need dream.  And being present with where you are, right now.

Change.  It will always happen.  It is inevitable.  But it isn't always a bad thing.  Sometimes change ones up a whole new world to us that we did't even know existed.  

So live in the moment
Dream big wild dreams
But take the steps today to make them happen
Because you never know what tomorrow will bring