My Word for 2012

I have some work to do in achieving a few dreams of mine.
The word for the year needs to be inspiring though.
Not something dreaded.
And so I choose Commit.
A much friendlier word indeed.

I will commit to:
~ happiness and being the best me I can be!
~practice!!! (guitar, voice and yoga)
~getting things done (projects I've started or have been intending to start)
~eating healthier and menu planning
~stengthening and maintaining relationships
~doing the "work" neccesary to achieve the above desired goals.

New Beginning

Ok, so it's been almost 2 years since I abandoned this blog.
Well, I think it's time to rekindle an old flame and get right back up on the nearly dead horse and see how many more cliches I can bash up in the process!

The idea is, not to overthink it, I've decided. So rather than agonize over my content and grammar and spend all kinds of time rewriting and reworking, I'm just going to journal, more or less.

And add photos.

And simply express my creativity.

Perhaps join a group or two (I have been doing my morning pages for 4 days straight now!)

I'm feeling a wee bit giddy and excited! Yippee!

That Tastes Different

"Where do you wish to make a difference?", asks Jamie Ridler today for WishCasting Wednesday.

Hmmm. Well, it's 6 1/2 weeks into the new year and I'm still not doing the wonderful meal plans and cooking better/healthier meals for my family that I had planned to. And I'm still struggling with keeping a schedule in order to use my time more efficiently.

I SAY I'm going to do it. But I'm not so big with the follow through.
I mean, there are some good days.
But many days I just feel pathetically ineffectual.

So, "where I wish to make a difference" today, is in sticking to my plans and following through with scheduling meal planning and preparation so that the long term difference will be a healthier me and a healthier family.

I will do it one step at a time by spending one hour today to work on the menu plans and grocery lists.
Tomorrow, I will check my progress and spend at least 30 minutes to pick up where I left off.
I will call a friend today and tell her I am doing this and I will call her tomorrow to tell her of my progress.

She's a good friend .
She will support me.

I love cooking and providing Nourishment for my family.
I love to cook REAL FOOD. (Thanks to BlissChick for this timely post!)

I hope to share some of my recipes and meal plans here.
I hope there are others who have the same aspirations to healthier consumption.
I hope you will join me and perhaps we could support one another in this nourishing endeavour.

Here's to making a difference with good eating!

Following My Heart

I'm really working on establishing those routines and schedules and I'm flying high today!

You know what I mean? Some days are high, zooming right along, energy and motivation are good.

Some days are low, sluggish, stalled, energy and motivation are more or less calling in sick.

I find these first couple months of the year tend to play host to those “low” days more frequently.
And such has been the case for me of late.

But not today.

Today, I have a renewed energy and sense of purpose. And the reason is twofold; singing and yoga.

I had recently been undecided about two things.

a) Whether or not to join an women's A cappella singing group called Bella Anima (beautiful souls) and

b) whether or not to take a short break from teaching one of my yoga classes to take a yoga class for myself.

Well, I decided to listen to my heart (and ignore my bank account's nasty glare) and DO BOTH!!!

I checked out the singing ensemble last week and decided to join.
I went to my first yoga class last night and I have been feeling so good today.

One other thing.
Yesterday day Jamie Ridler asked “What would today be like if you took 10 minutes to doodle” . Well, today's photo is the result of my doodling that I actually did on the weekend.
I'm planning on making cards out of it.

So how is your energy today?
High or low?

Dreams My Heart Seeks

A little late but created nonetheless.

And my first one, too!!

I was supposed to go to Jamie's Full Moon Dreamboard workshop this past Sunday.

But this past Sunday, it turned out that my heart and body needed to be at home with my family that day instead.

I WILL get there one day soon.

I had so much fun creating this vision even if it was in my own bedroom instead of with the lovely Jamie Ridler. (Thanks for your understanding about my cancellation Jamie. I'll be there February or March for sure!!)

Wine, candles, music and flowers, hmmmm.

Love?

Yes!! And lots of it.

Self Love.

And Music and singing and good food and writing and plenty of time to do it all in!!

What is your heart seeking?

Resist Not Your Routines!

Thursday morning, 9:47 and I have set my timer for 55 minutes to sit and do some writing and list making, planning my schedule for the next week or so.

One of my main obstacles is a lack of structure in my day.
I need routine.
I strive for routine.
And yet, I avoid it.

Oh, I do follow somewhat of a routine. I have a school aged daughter after all, so I get up everyday to get her off to school. It's what I do with time before she gets home from school that's the problem.

The days that I go to work, I am just so much more productive and I have more energy and efficiency. I know that this is due in part to the routine of getting up at a set time, showering, doing my yoga, preparing the lunches, EATING, then getting out the door and off to a job which is highly dependant upon routine.

(One of the things I often neglect to do on my days at home is EAT in the morning. When I am going out to work, I MUST eat or I am drained by 10 a.m).

I often resist that which I know I need with all sorts of excuses.
“I want to be free and spontaneous”.
“I will just do things in the order that they need to be done each day”
“I'm my own boss, I don't want a schedule”
“People will think I'm anal”.

Well, Carl Jung said “What we resist, persists”
I find this to be true, I have resisted setting myself a schedule and it just keeps coming back to haunt me. So after a year and a half of working part-time, I am finally making myself a schedule (solid,yet flexible) for writing , blog posting and playing guitar as well as for meal planning and housework.
I need to have a tidy space to work in, so why not build that strategically into my schedule.

Yay!! I'm so excited about this.
And now I have a new blog post too!
Excuse me, but I now have a date with my day-timer!!

Introducing My 2010 Trio: Gratitude, Nourishment, Acceptance

Finally, my first post of the year 2010. Coming to you via my BRAND NEW LAP TOP!!!! (After much frustration and messing around with settings and help from a tech friend to allow internet access)


Thanks to my darling Sweetheart, Fishguy, I got my Christmas wish.

Choosing has never been something that has come easily to me... Believe me, “Decide” was one of my top 10 words to choose from for this year. But, I chose Acceptance instead.

I accept that decision making is not my forte.

I won't beat myself up about it anymore.
I've also always been a fan of things that come in threes and three is my lucky number.

So, rather than picking one word for 2010, I arranged a trio instead.

Gratitude is my primary word for 2010.
This year for me, is about to be all about embracing Gratitude.
About being grateful.
Great-full.
I am grateful for all that I have and all that I am.
I am grateful for my wonderful, loving, supportive partner.
I am grateful for our awesome, kindhearted kid (sugar-plum, elf, pumpkin)
I am thankful that I am strong and healthy.
I am thankful that we have a warm and cozy home and friends both old and new, living near and far away.
I feel deep gratitude, for every day and person and lesson in it.
Because I have so much to be thankful for, I want to practice acknowledging it on a daily basis.
I intend to be more mindfully thankful each day and ensure a habit of counting my blessings and radiating an “Attitude of Gratitude”.
I also find that when I am feeling down on myself, unworthy and “not good enough”, it helps to remember just how much I really do have to be grateful for.

I also have an attitude of gratitude toward the abundance of nourishment (my second word) available for my use.
Nourishment~ to make grow, or keep alive and well with food.
My intention is to nourish my skin and body, my mind and heart and soul!
To feed my self and my family with love and healthy foods.
To keep reading and learning and writing.
To keep alive my heart songs by giving voice to them joyfully and often.
Rejoicing in the making of melodies and meat(less)loaves!!

Acceptance ~ less judgement, more appreciation.
Finding Santosha every day, contentment in the here and now, peace with what is.
This isn't about becoming complacent or accepting inappropriate behaviours or injustices.
It is about being less harsh on myself and loving and accepting all the parts of me including the procrastinator and the cynic and the grumpy old fart (Hey you kids, get off my lawn!!”).

I am participating in Jan's Meditation Challenge over at Awake Is Good. I found a nice way to incorporate my words into my meditation practice today. This is my mantra with each breath.
Inhale ~ Gratitude
Exhale ~ Loving Kindness
Inhale ~ Nourishment
Exhale ~ Loving Kindness
Inhale ~ Acceptance
Exhale ~ Loving Kindness
Repeat.