Hopeful

The goal of meditation is finding the space between thoughts. Quieting down the mind and letting spirit infiltrate. After you step away from meditating the hope is that you bring that spark of joy, love, bliss with you and spread it throughout your day.  Share some compassion, a smile, listen without attachment, & be present.

Lately, I have been shrouded in doubt— the un-dramatic repetition of each day bleeding into one another and the looming frustration of patiently awaiting perfect timing has me questioning my manifestation powers. All of the responses to my query letters and first few chapters of my book have been overwhelmingly positive. So kind in fact that their rejections inspire hope.  One agent went so far as to say, “Your book sounds really great, and I’ve no doubt it would help a lot of people.” and then went on to give a insights on the market and what I can do to make my work stand out. Her thoughtful suggestions were neatly concluded with, “Please don’t be discouraged though! You want someone who’s 100% passionate no matter what. And as this is simply my position now, I believe you’ll find that person!”.  So, thank you agents for your gentle rejections, kind words, & use of exclamation marks when discussion my passion & creation!

As they say, what I seek is seeking me and all will be shown in divine timing. I surrender to the universe & let my spark outshine my doubts.🙏🏽💖

check your assumptions, please

So, Ava and I have been attending music class for a month. It’s half an hour, but always starts five minutes late and ends on time, consists of 6 songs: two intro and two outro, that are always the exact same, and two songs in the middle. Each song may have a similar tune and a maximum of three phrases repeated over and over again, but it’s high energy and provides an opportunity for my babe to interact with others her age. So, as she joyfully bops along to the songs and others chew on the foam mat we begin the process of socialization.

Yesterday, one of the other moms thought Ava was a boy because of her outfit and then instantly called herself sexist. Which means that I’ve achieved my goal of dressing her comfortably and I guess that means gender neutrally.  In case you didn’t know, from three months onwards girls’ pants are waaaay tighter in the waist and legs than boys’, which makes them uncomfortably tight and more difficult to crawl around in.

There are other girls in the class and they have tights with ruffles on their butt and clips or elastics with bows on their heads.  The contrast and way that we choose to create gender appropriated identities always strikes me.  They are all just adorable babies and as parents we choose how to dress them and present them to society.  Would we ever consider putting boys in uncomfortably tight pants with ruffles on the butt? Would we ever place a restrictive elastic on their tiny heads to identify their gender? It seems clear, to me at least, that from birth we shape our children, their perspectives and the way they see themselves in the world. It is a clear illustration of our views and values as we throw them into fashion over function– dresses and tights, ruffles and bows, elastics and ear piercing.  From a young age we tell girls that what you’re wearing is more important than what you’re doing. So, thank you to that mom who had to check her assumptions, when she said, “I knew you had a daughter, but the camo threw me off” and stay woke mama. It’s 2019, equality starts with you and me.

🙏🏽💖

Sending love, light, & a bit of delight,

XXO

Happy New Year, Happy New You?

Happy New Year! Hooray we’ve made it and somehow it would appear that everyone I know is on some sort of diet. I mean, it’s a different calendar year, but it’s clear that we are still carrying around the same limiting thoughts that previously plagued us.

It’s time to shape our thoughts in a positive way and accordingly adjust our narratives.  While we are still buzzing off of our holiday high it’s an opportunity to channel that excitement into practices that will be valuable the whole year through:

1. Get enough sleep

2. Set your intentions at the start of the day focusing on positive interactions and experiences

3. Sit down and clear your mind at least 10 minutes a day, start by focusing on your breath

4. Do something physical: take a walk, a quick workout, some yoga, release some endorphins and feel good

5. Commit to activities and relationships that feel like a good exchange of energy.

Let’s ease up on the constant internal chatter and provide ourselves the safe space within our own minds to just exist without interpretation and judgement.

Sending you love, positivity, and growth in 2019.

Children’s lit and our presumptions

Any stories that we tell ourselves repeatedly become the foundation for our beliefs.  If you repeat something enough times you tend to believe that it’s true. As part of our bedtime routine, we read at least three books.  Revisiting classic children’s stories is so interesting because they are so… odd.  We have at least three copies of Love You Forever, Where the Wild Things Are and Goodnight Moon and I have to admit that these are well-known titles and I’m sure that I read them as a child without questioning what was actually going on, but when it comes to laying the foundation for the beliefs that my daughter will hold and the messages that we are repeatedly telling her nightly, I have to take a step back and evaluate if these are lessons worth instilling.

It’s more than a little bit creepy that the Love You Forever mother cannot allow her child to mature and become an independent adult. She chooses to drive across town, climb up a ladder, & crawl through a window to cradle her grown son once he’s asleep.  Also, the son should really call his feeble & sick mother once in awhile and she wouldn’t have to break and enter to catch a glimpse of him.

Where the Wild Things Are makes no sense, I can’t even pretend that I have any idea what it is about.

Goodnight Moon is perplexing! This anthropomorphic bunny is literally saying “goodnight” to everything it sees, and it doesn’t matter if it’s living or an inanimate object, just listing things and saying “goodnight”…but even more bewildering, why does a rabbit have kittens? What alternate universe are we living in where those kittens wouldn’t eat that rabbit nicely stuffed in his stripped pyjamas?!

Sadly, the new stories aren’t any better! Someone gave us a book called Princesses Wear Pants and then proceeded to exclaim that it was such an empowering book— so, I read it. It was terrrrrible. The entire concept of the book is that there is a time and place for dresses but this princess wore pants and in doing so, she proved herself to be braver than her little brother… when leaping into a fountain… to save a dog… at a party. The book goes through her extensive closet of pants for each occasion: yoga because exercise is important, overalls for working in the garden, a lab coat and corduroys for the facade of being smart & well rounded, ripped jeans for staying at home and reading a book….😬  I mean, of course we want to raise girls that are well-rounded and have varied interests but this book is blatantly selling consumerism and the limiting belief that you need the appropriate clothes for each & every occasion.  It also takes on all of assumptions of a girl’s role in society and what it means to be lady like— the transparency of being progressive is unsettling. How are our children being conditioned and is this the society we want to create?

However, when delving into my favourite classics it’s wonderful to know that there are still strong female heroines like The Paper Bag Princess. Elizabeth picks herself up after her castle has been completely destroyed, throws on the only thing she can find– a paper bag– goes on a quest to save Prince Ronald, outwits a destructive & powerful dragon and has enough self-worth to speak her mind without feeling inadequate when Ronald questions her appearance and ultimately, lives her best life! Now, that’s the kind of story I want to repeat over and over again!

You’re the best!

Xxo

Oh hello!

Remember that time I hadn’t posted since the beginning of January?! Well, I’m happy to say that I have been typing away at my book and it’s coming along wonderfully! In other news, I saw two motivational posts back to back and thought that I would share them! You’re the best, it’s time you start believing it! Sending you love & light!

Have a fantastic day! xxo

 

 

 

The Best is Yet to Come!

This is year is going to be the absolute best, I just know it! So, soak up all of the celebration and renewed energy of starting another adventure! I filled out this booklet to jumpstart my creative fortitude only to discover that I filled in the final pages before completing most of the booklet… Needless to say, my goals are clear. Last year was crazy and yet, I always have a feeling of being stagnant. I consistently feel like I am waiting for life to begin and after writing down all of the events, accomplishments and adventures from the previous year it opened my eyes to the fact that this is life, and I am living it. Be present, be bold, be FEARLESS (that’s the word I chose for this year). This is just a reminder– you are already incredible– just choose to feel good and keep it up!

Loving you in the New Year!🎉💕🍾

xxo

 

🙏🏽❤️

“You didn’t come here to fix things that are broken, or to know things you don’t know. You came because life on the path of least resistance is a delicious state of being. And you are in love with life, and you are in love with you, and you are in love with being in love with life.”– Abraham

Feel the creative energy as it radiates through your body, permeating every cell and connecting you to source. You are a master creator and everything you want is yours without resistance.  So, stop offering it up. Be easy about it and let all that is good come to you.

Sending you love & light.

xxo

You are the Answer

Happy Friday! That’s it, you’ve made it! When reflecting on my time at the ashram one indicator that you were making progress was when your internal experience became more interesting than your external experience. It’s so easy to get caught up in interpreting the actions of those around you and passing judgment when really nothing that anyone else does affects us, it’s how we choose to feel as a result of their actions.  It’s a choice to continue to let the drama unfold within our own minds instead of letting it pass and focusing on the present.  So, instead of getting disgruntled about the things that are going on around me, I am going to focus on raising my frequency, finding a state of gratitude, continually being excited and delighted by what the Universe delivers and realizing that with all of the external craziness going on it’s awfully nice to be able to retreat into the quiet, calmness of my own existence.  We are all just energy and none of it matters. Haha! Did you get it?! bc we’re all just matter. Happppppy Friday!

xxo

Oh hello!

Hrrummph. It’s true I need to raise my frequency. There are so many bizarre events going on and I look around in dismay and think… is this it? Is this all there is?

Uuugh. It would appear that I’m looking to get into the housing market and I don’t happen to have a cool $1.1 million in cash to purchase a small, semi-detached that needs updating, and has no legal parking spots…. Every time we get close to putting in an offer I am struck by the thought of investing my ENTIRE life savings into an old, rundown house and being in huge debt for literally the rest of my life. On top of that, it brings up other issues like my dissatisfaction with work.  I drag myself home from work every day feeling drained and I question if these are the best years of my life, if I will never be this young again, is this how I want to spend my time and energy? It hardly seems worth it.  So, all of this expended time and energy to pay for a hypothetical house and debt that isn’t even mine yet?!  And I suppose House Hunters International only encourages my plight as people pack up and move to distant sunny locations where they secure a four bedroom home with 2 bath and POOL for $500,000?! You can’t even get a one bedroom condo in Toronto for that!  The thought of moving somewhere warm, with a laid back lifestyle, and more time to spend in nature seems ideal.  It’s only a matter of time before I become a hermit in the woods somewhere, so, is it really too early to start? Other than that, everything is great! There are so many events to celebrate and it’s far too easy to get caught up in the drudge of the everyday mundane.

Sending you that little extra bit of magic to make today count!

Xxo

The broken world waits in darkness

So, my friend from Yoga Bootcamp posted a quote this morning and I thought it was the perfect sentiment worth sharing:

I love everything about this quote! Also, I heard this song on the radio yesterday and I was awe struck by the insights casually strung together in this 1997 East Coast Pop/ Folk Jam by Great Big Sea:

“And I say way-hey-hey, it’s just an ordinary day
And it’s all your state of mind
At the end of the day,
You’ve just got to say… it’s all right.

It’s alright, it’s alright…it’s ALRIGHT.

‘Cause in this beautiful life there’s always some sorrow
And It’s a double-edged knife, but there’s always tomorrow..Oh you know,
It’s up to you now if you sink or swim,
Just keep the faith and you’re ship will come in?.it’s not so bad”

Wait, what?! That is brilliant! Regardless of what may come your way, may your state of mind be a joyful, steady, and dare I say ordinarily beautiful!

Loving you intentionally, extravagantly, unconditionally.

xxo