Taking Time

I started reading a book with two of my friends called "A Book That Takes Its Time" by Irene Smit and Astrid Van der Hulst. We found the book on a recent trip to Redmond, OR. Me and my friend drove to Bend, OR to visit another friend who had just moved there. We decided to drive to Redmond and Sisters, OR for the day. While walking around the quaint little downtown of Redmond we came upon a small bookstore, it was a lovely place called Herringbone Books in Historic downtown. We walked in and the smell of books was amazing. As we were perusing titles one of my friends came upon this book and we all decided to complete it together. Even though we live in different cities, we thought how nice it would be to complete it as a group. Holding each other accountable and sharing what we find sounded like a perfect idea. It just so happened the gentleman behind the counter had just purchased the bookstore the day before. He was really amazing and we all bonded over the love of books and stories.

The book is about taking time to reflect on the good things in life and for carving out space to create. One of the first things the authors talk about is finding time to do nothing. That often times it is in the moments we carve out to be still that so much can come to you. In the day and age of technology that we are in I find it harder and harder to sit and do nothing. Meditation is something I have been working on bringing back into my life, and this book seems to come at the exact right moment, as everything seems to. I am looking forward to the journey with my incredible friends!

I finished another book recently that really hit home, Waking Up In Winter by Cheryl Richardson. In the book she makes a remark that hit deep, she said she realized she has more years behind her than ahead. This has really become a reality in my life now that I am entering my mid 40's. Perhaps I can live a long life, I don't know but I know that in my family history it is probably a true statement. This has really been something I have been thinking about so much recently. I am not sure yet what this all means for me but I am starting to meditate on it and to really dig deep on what this means. I know that appreciating each day is important, but the knowing that as I get older the years are passing by so fast, quicker than ever is becoming real that life is so short. I want to live my life with more purpose, more intention. I want to spend more time with the people I love, but I also want to cultivate a relationship with myself that is more loving and kind. I am starting to listen to my body more and resting when needed. I am wanting to make decisions with the intention of living my authentic self and to make decisions that honor what brings me joy. It seems almost selfish, but it is becoming necessary for me. I wonder if I were to die tomorrow have I really done all that I can in this life? There is so much I want to do, so many places I wish to see. I am trying to find the balance of money, bills but also travel. One step at a time, that is what keeps coming to me, to just take it one step at a time, but be sure to put intention to all that I do. I am starting to ask myself "does this decision align with what I want in life?" This is becoming a more important question with each decision and each year that passes by. I am not sure yet how my life will develop and where this all leads, but I know there has been a shift deep within and taking a little step each day is what is important. I am also starting to take chances on things that maybe I wouldn't have before, because if you don't take chances you'll never be able to get to where you really want. There is another quote in Mary Oliver's poem The Summer Day that is really aligned with how I am feeling, "What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" What a GREAT question, and one that is resonating so deeply within me right now. So ask yourself, what is it you plan to do? Namaste :) 

Kindness and Yoga

It has been three months since I had back surgery, a microdiscectomy on my L5 - S1. Last April I felt a pain in my back out of nowhere, I can still remember the exact moment, I was walking into my kitchen and I felt a twinge in my lower back. I thought to myself "odd, wonder what that was" and by the next morning I could barely walk out of work. For the next seven months I experienced back pain, numbness in my foot and my sciatica was screaming at me most days. There were days where my leg would give out and I would be in so much pain. I thought I was pretty healthy, I had started working out several months prior, but wasn't so consistent and I jumped into a group workout program and less yoga. 

The seven months of my injury taught me so much about myself and my body, and especially about my mind. I gained a little over ten pounds over the course of seven months and I struggled with staying mentally healthy. Working out for me, specifically running and yoga keep my mind happy and settled. I don't know that I will be able to run again, the impact of running on my back scares the crap out of me to be honest. I was cleared to work out again in late January, then I got sick. Bronchitis and a couple rounds of antibiotics and a cough that has lingered for the better part of a month. This week I started back in yoga, and if I am being honest with you I was terrified to go back. I felt like a kid starting a new school. I was anxious and really didn't want to go. I did it though, I got myself back into the studio, where it is overwhelmingly hot when you first go. I go to a Bikram studio, it is the yoga practice I love the most. The warmth of the room helps me focus and allows me to be more flexible than normal. I still can't get into all the poses, and after being away for more than 6 months, I was brand new again. I talked to the teacher and let her know that I was back and that my goal was to stay in the room and listen to my body, she agreed that was a perfect focus. I allowed myself to listen to my body and to gently get through the class. My fears immediately went away and for the next hour I focused solely on my body, feeling the poses, paying attention to the messages it was giving me and being in the moment. I felt back at home, and for that hour nothing else crossed my mind, which is why I love yoga so much. At the end of class I was drenched in sweat and I was exhausted and exhilarated at the same time. I slept better than I had in months that night, and I thanked my body for the strength to get through my first class back. Each class will get better and easier while being more challenging as I allow my body to get deeper into each pose, and my mind will once again have a reprieve each day. 

I told myself that this year I would be kinder to myself and all others. Taking care of my physical health is one of the steps to take care of the whole me. I haven't always taken care of myself, and this year I am making it a priority. It feels good. As I meditate a little each day, get myself to yoga and eat a plant based diet I am seeing that my mind, body and spirit are all connected and I am honoring myself each day. It is a remarkable thing to feel and watch in yourself when you make the decision to be kinder to yourself, and when you take care of the body that does so much for you, the mind that is so beautiful when in balance and the spirit that helps guide you to a truly authentic life. Namaste. 

Living in Gratitude

The flu season has been a rough one this year and has certainly taken it's toll on me. I have been sick and I am heading into my third week of upper respiratory issues, currently with bronchitis. At work we lost someone, quite young, to this flu season and I have seen and heard of so many being hospitalized and/or dying from it. It was a bit of a wake up call for me. I am not young or old, just kind of floating around somewhere in the middle, so you almost feel invincible at times and yet you start to feel the gravity of where we are all ending up. 

Being sick and struggling to breathe help you look at each day a little differently, and it certainly helps you appreciate each breath you are able to take. Today I was able to take a road trip with some friends and my kids to Sacramento. We walked around Old Town Sacramento, perusing through shops and having lunch. It was a beautiful day spent with people I love, a day that I am very grateful for. I haven't always had a close knit group of friends, as I grew older I made friends through work and these friends have become my family. They are my tribe, the ones I lean on in tough times, the ones I laugh with, the ones that encourage me to follow my dreams, the ones who are there for me always. I never understood the importance of a tribe of people that are friends but I see now how important they are in my life, and I am so grateful for their friendship. 

When I got home, me and the kids starting watching a new TV show on Netflix and we spent three hours together, hanging out laughing and discussing the show and life in between. It is nights like this that fill me up with so much love and gratitude for our time together. As they are getting older and emerging into adulthood I know that I won't get as much of this time sooner than later. I am happy for them and excited for their future but I certainly cherish these nights with them. Where we are together, eating dinner and binge watching a new show. I am a lucky Mom, I don't take that for granted. 

Life is made up of these moments and days like the one I had. Spending money on little things in shops, talking with friends, enjoying a stroll through a little town, talking, laughing and singing on a two hour drive with my friends and kids. These are the moments that make up a well lived, happy life. These are the moments we create that we look back on with so much joy and love. Today reminded me that each day we have is such a privilege, and to be alive and breathing is the greatest gift of all. I am reminded to let go of the small things, the worries and the never ending list of things I need to get done, money I need to save, a house that needs cleaning, clothes that need washing, and the list goes on. Create your moments and memories, cherish this oh so short life we get to live. Every day is a gift, every moment a chance to create the life you love <3 Namaste :) 

Take a Walk

I have been sick for the last two weeks, and my cough has been insane! I am on steroids, antibiotics, an inhaler and lots of cough syrup, I am exhausted, but I made a commitment to getting outside and walking more. I love being outside and walking amongst the trees and feeling the warm sun on me, it is so healing and so meditative for me. So even though I feel like crap and it is hard to breathe my daughter and I met my friend in Truckee and we took a walk near Donner Lake. It was so beautiful, chilly at 32 degrees, but the sun was out and the trees were covered in snow, it was breathtaking. And I think it did my lungs some good. This year, the year of goals for me, I am trying to spend less and spend more time outside. Even on days that I can't walk too far or for too long just getting out feels so good. Little by little this cough will go away, and little by little I will walk farther and longer. Taking baby steps every day to be the best version of me. Get outside, be with nature, feel the earth beneath your feet, feel the cool air on your skin, the warmth of the sun - so healing! What are you doing to get back to you? Namaste :)

Starting with 5 minutes a day

I told myself I would start a daily meditation practice again this year. And I committed to 5 minutes a day this week. Meditation is a practice, the more you do it the better it gets, its exercise for the mind. The more you exercise with meditation, the easier it is to sit in stillness. I went to a week long silent meditation retreat a few years back, with no meditation practice I sat in meditation for at least three hours a day. I can tell you I went crazy, my mind was a chaotic mess and my body had every ache, pain and twitch that was possible. I reached a breaking point mentally and I wanted to run as far and as fast away from the retreat as possible, but alas, I was stuck in the middle of nowhere in Colorado. I had no other option but to finally let go of the resistance and surrender. It was an absolutely pure peace I had never felt before in my life. The three hours a day seemed easy and fulfilling. I sat in stillness and experienced things I had never experienced prior. I told myself I would continue my practice when I left....anyway....I am starting again to get to that place once more. Be kind to yourself, we all lose our practice sometimes, the important part is getting back to it. Discipline, mental discipline is my friend to get back to sitting for an hour at a time. Can you commit to it? Do it, for your own sanity, for your own peace and joy. Namaste :)

Back to writing, and my dreams

I have taken quite the hiatus in writing in this space, the space I enjoyed so much for a long time. I remembered that this all started to keep an online journal of my thoughts on life for my kids. And for the last couple years I have not put any focus on it. Perhaps it is time to get back to some things in life. I've had two years of putting my dreams aside, not because I had to, but because I got a bit side tracked working a new job for the County. I started seeing that the allure of a pension made sense, and I kept telling myself "Your 60 year old self with thank your 40 year old self for a pension", which has a lot of truth to it I am sure. You can still chase your dreams while making good financial decisions - I will say that again for myself - you can still chase your dreams while making good financial decisions. Phew, that is a hard one for me to grasp sometimes. I also took on a high stress job, dispatching! You work so much overtime, often you get one day off a week, working 12 hours shifts or more each day. The adrenaline rushes come every few minutes sometimes, I can't even fathom what that does to ones health....oh wait....yes I can!

This year I decided to set some goals, ones that I can look at long term, like five year goals, and ones that I can look at weekly. This has helped shift my focus to actually guiding my life instead of just responding to it. I have felt like that the last two years, like I have just responded to whatever comes up the best way I can. That has worked, until it just doesn't work. I switched jobs to one that gives me more 'me' time and one that has less adrenaline ups and downs. For the last six months it felt like I was detoxing and finally coming back to me. And my dreams of life are re-emerging with a gentle nudge, saying 'we are still here and you are still capable' - a beautiful and comforting feeling.

It is time to love and nourish myself again, and time to chase my dreams, but this time with setting goals. And as I reach those goals, celebrate them! I am trying to nourish my body back to health as well, it is a whole experience for me - mind, body and spirit. Each one depends on the other, and it is time to honor that once again. I am feeling a bit overwhelmed but I am also excited. I am starting with reading about plant based eating to help my body, bringing back meditation - a little each day to start, and then get back into a yoga practice. Kindness toward myself and all others - Namaste :)

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