Thursday, March 29, 2012

Pretty Woman.....

So I'm in Toronto for a couple of days with my hubby.

He's sitting in a chair in a Water Conference all day while I've been out shopping my little heart out {smirk}.

I went to the mall with a little list of 'essentials' that I needed to get.  Instead I spent 3 hours in the change room of Suzy Shier with the World's Best Salesperson at my beckoned (spelling?  who cares!) call.

And while I stood at the checkout and wondered if I should put some things back she gave me 'the look'.  Now this look isn't something that most salespeople will give you.  Most will allow you to put back your entire purchase if you so choose.  Not this girl.  I took one dress away and she said to me "that's all you're allowed to put back".

I laughed my ass off!

She was spunky, super stylish and didn't let me put my own clothes back on until she had exhausted every single possibility in that store!

She deserves a medal.  I was walking into that store to 'browse' and maybe grab a white tank top.  Instead I walked out with twenty pieces of clothing and twelve pieces of accessories!  This from a girl who used to hate to shop!

And just yesterday I was talking with my Image Expert friend Denise Rivait about salespeople and how usually they are out just to make a buck and while this girl definitely earned her commission today she steered me clear of some things that would've been a big mistake.  I appreciated this immensely since I totally suck at buying things for myself!

Did you know in 3 hours in the same store you can make a lot of new friends.  One girl and I were going head to head in a competition of who would look better in the same blouse.  We even suggested going out for lunch and drinks after we were done.  What a hoot!

Here's a crappy snapshot of my purchase minus the accessories.


Hubby should be arriving back to our hotel room any minute.  He's due for an imprompu fashion show and then we'll be heading out for Thai.

I could get used to this life! 

Don't Wait!

The biggest absurdity of life, I think, is the fact that we believe we are alone.

Seriously?

Alone?

With all these people living on this planet right now at this moment, we feel alone!

How crazy is that?

We feel alone when we're sad, worried and stressed out.  We feel alone when we've lost a loved one.  We feel alone when we are going through a traumatic experience, lost a job or blew a tire on the freeway.

The truth is we are never alone.  In every moment that you are having a life experience someone else is having the same life experience (just with different characters and geographical location).

The truth is that if in any moment of need you were to reach out and touch someone (remember that commercial?) you would realize how very much NOT alone you were.

So why do we wait to reach out?  Why do we ASS U ME that we are the only ones having a difficult time (poor me!)?

How is it serving you emotionally, physically or mentally to remain in this desperate space and not reach out for help?

This is a tough one to admit, isn't it?  Maybe somewhere in your being you enjoy being in this desperate place all alone with no one to help you.  Maybe it proves one of your limiting beliefs that no one cares about you or you are unloveable.  This is stuff you need to think about and resolve when you are in a crappy mood or a crappy place in your life, or you may never conquer it!

Personally, my funky moments (of which some of them dragged on entire years!) felt comfortable because if I was in a funk then how could I be expected to be successful.  I was afraid of success because success to me meant hard work, being away from my family and maybe losing people I loved.  Funks kept me from living my full life.  Funks confirmed my belief in myself that I was unworthy of anything productive or positive in my life.

Now, I am convinced that I cannot do anything alone in my life.  I am convinced that being a successful mother, wife, entrepreneur, artist, healer, yada yada yada is contingent upon my reaching out to others for help (and being that help when I am reached out to). 

When we reach out we can lift eachother up.  We can help someone realize their worthiness and potential at lightning speed if only we reach out to eachother.

I have heard some of my friends say things like "I feel bad bothering someone with my stuff.  I feel like a loser like I can't figure this out on my own.  I don't want to waste anyone's time".

This is just more of that limiting belief crap that floats through our heads.  Ignore it and call someone anyway.

We can't expect people to be there for us if they have no idea what is happening in our life.  We can't expect someone to help us find our way out of the darkness if they don't know that we have forgotten our light.

So, reach out.  Don't wait.  And if you don't feel you have someone in your life you trust to reach out to.  Then reach out to me.  I'll help you because I know you would do it for me, wouldn't you?

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Funkity funk funk funk

This morning I woke up with a slight case of 'funk'.

Funk.  You know that sinking feeling in your gut like things aren't quite right and you might be better off not getting out of bed.

That's funk.

If funk had it's own 'side effects' label it would look something like this:

"those with funk may experience a heaviness in the chest and an increased need for air.  You may experience your body feeling like a house of bricks making it difficult to move around or get off the couch.  Funk deteriorates eyesight and you may find it difficult to see the things you should be grateful for and you will definitely have a difficult time seeing all the amazing things you've experienced in the past.  Funk messes with the digestive system, making your stomach jump, flip and turn like you are on a roller coaster that you can't get off of.  Fatigue, loss or increase in appetite, a general sense of 'who gives a fuck' are often related to funk.  Some may experience loss of direction and may be found wandering aimlessly through the house, the grocery store or the office.  Nervousness and anxiety are also common side effects of funk."

Funk is not contagious and is thankfully curable!

I used to let these kinds of days embrace me, except funk doesn't embrace you gently, funk kind of puts you in a head lock and repeats 'say Uncle' until you do.

Now, I put some upbeat music on, or I throw on one of my healing chant cd's.  I sometimes make myself a cup of tea and get out my pastels and see what kind of creation comes out of it.  Sometimes I dance to that music and just let my body move.  Today, I'll take the puppy for a walk (puppies are like kryptonite to funk btw), throw on that music and draw my little heart out.

What do you do when the funk hits?






Thursday, March 15, 2012

The Power of PMS!

Come on girls. 

We all know that burst of energy you get from PMS that makes you Queen of the World for a day and makes you feel like you can accomplish anything your little heart desires (except fit yourself into your jeans because along with that spurt of energy comes the ever lovely bloating)!

I'm not one to 'track' my cycle (in fact my husband is probably more versed in knowing just when Mother Nature is going to strike!) so this morning when I woke up with a sudden, overwhelming urge to purge a closet I was a little stumped.

I have been telling myself for days that I am not interested in Spring cleaning.  That I will not spend these few beautiful, early spring days cleaning the house and organizing my stuff!  But as I lay in bed, silently waiting for the urge to pass the images of all the stuff I had stuffed into that closet came flooding into my minds eye!  The problem with the 'minds eye' is it doesn't shut off just because you pull the pillow over your face to escape it.

The Universal Law of PMS states that when the moment arises you will have no choice but to slap on the rubber gloves, roll up your sleeves and get down to business!

It's true, I looked it up!

So in less than an hour I had gone through the original closet, the entry closet, my bathroom cupboards, my linen closet and my office.  I had rearranged some furniture and cleaned under my bed (the urge was THATstrong!)  I filled the entire back of my van with bags and boxes to drop off at the second hand store and realized that I have a real shoe addiction that needs to be addressed professionally!

I followed that up with dusting and washing the walls, vacuuming the floors and cleaning the windows (inside only since the thunder was rolling and I didn't want to get electrocuted by lightning for the sake of clean windows).

I didn't get to step into the kids bedrooms though.

What are the odds this PMS power will last a few days?

Saturday, March 10, 2012

How To Become More Spiritual

Don't you just love that title?

"How to become more spiritual" is something that many people I've come into contact with lately have been asking about, stressing about and beating the hell out of themselves over!

When they 'mess up' they chastize themselves for not knowing better.  Because we all know truly spiritual people know EXACTLY how NOT to 'mess up'.

Whatever!

So, I thought I'd do the human race a huge favour by giving you the secret to spiritual success.  You can thank me later :)

Do you have your pen and paper handy? 

Are you listening?

Okay, here goes....

Stop trying to learn HOW to become more spiritual and start seeing that everything you do in every moment of the day is a spiritual moment, it is an act of a spiritual being.

If you STOP obsessing over HOW to be more spiritual you will see that you already ARE as spiritual as it gets.

It's not in your meditation practice.  It's not in your yoga practice.  It's not in the kind of clothes you wear or how many vibrationally charged healing stones you carry in your pocket.  You don't need a 'sacred space' in your home or office to make you spiritual.  You don't need to know how to chant, pray or practice forgiveness.  You don't need to spend tons of money buying programs and books to teach you about spirituality.  None of these things is relevant to your spirituality.

And although these things are fun to take part in and make life a little more manageable and awesome; here's why you don't NEED them.

YOU are a SPIRITUAL being. 

Baby, you were born this way!

But HOW do I not try to be spiritual?  (Do you see the problem here?)

Today, I am doing laundry.  I am a spiritual person doing laundry.

Tonight I will watch my son play hockey, I will most likely yell for him to skate harder and pass the puck (for the love of GOD!).  I will be a spiritual person watching hockey and yelling at my son to play a better game.

Tomorrow, I will sleep in, eat eggs for breakfast, invite families into my home for meditation and then go to bed and all the while I will be spiritual.

Do you get my message?

Can you let go of the obsession of 'becoming' spiritual and relax a little into the wisdom that you ARE that and there is nothing else you seek.

It's kind of like looking for your glasses when you are already wearing them!  We have been searching for a way to be spiritual when all along we have been the ultimate spiritual being!

Monday, March 5, 2012

What the Heart Knows

You know there have been many times I have convinced myself that I don't want what I want.

(Say that five times fast)

But the heart knows...  You know?

Like when your heart sinks when you see lovers kissing in the park and your single and you are wishing for that same kind of love EVEN though you  have convinced yourself you are better off alone.

Or when you convince yourself that life is just fine where it's at and you need nothing else, until someone close to you gets a new house, or a new car or wins the lottery.

The heart knows when your intellectual thoughts and beliefs are not in alignment with what you truly desire deep in your being.

So, I'm wondering what would happen if you simply allowed yourself to go where your heart wants you to go. 

Admit to yourself that you do want more.  Admit to yourself that life just doesn't feel complete without that special someone.  Admit to yourself that you want something more from your relationships with your family and loved ones.

Whatever it is, just admit it. 

Where's the harm in that?

If your heart knows what you truly want AND it makes it obvious with the way it flutters and sinks then don't you think you owe it to your heart to listen and follow along?

I do.

Friday, March 2, 2012

All I know...

I just stepped onto the bus when my son said "Mom, you need to sit with him".  He was directing his request to a boy that was sitting alone behind the seat that he was in.

We were on our way to a field trip and all the kids were snickering as I sat next to this boy.

I introduced myself to this boy and he seemed really nice.  We talked about the production we were about to go see.  He told me that they had already watched the Phantom of the Opera movie and I explained I had only ever heard some of the music, had never really had the opportunity to see either the movie or the theatre performance.

We chatted some more about the book he was reading.  Diary of a Wimpy Kid.  My boys loved those books.  He told me a bit about how he really is enjoying the 'do it yourself' version of the series where he can write his own stories.

We have something in common.  A friend. 
That's when I knew why I was sitting with this boy.

He turned to me and said "My dad's girlfriend was pregnant and the baby died forty five minutes after she was born".

I asked him how he felt about it.  He said he was sad.  They were all ready to receive this new baby into their family and now there's all this baby stuff and no baby to use it.

That's when I told him I knew exactly how he felt.  I shared in small detail my own son's death.  I told him it's a hard thing to go through but that one day he will see just how important that baby was even though she didn't live a very long life.

The kids around me were quick to point out  this boys' flaws.  One girl said he yelled out in the hallway that he liked her hair and thought she was pretty (I can think of worse things he could've yelled).  She turned up her nose in that way girls do and said "I don't like him, I don't want to be his girlfriend".  Another boy gave me a look like "you poor thing, you have to sit beside him" and then proceeded to tell me what this boy has done in his 'past'. 

I turned to them both and I said "It doesn't matter to me what he has done or how you feel about him.  He seems really nice and we're having a good conversation".

He sat next to me in the theatre too.  At intermission he bought himself a bag of chips and a candy bar of which was confiscated by a teacher.  It didn't matter that myself and every other kid had some form of snack in their hand, he wasn't allowed to have his, he was told he wasn't allowed to buy anything (despite the fact that there were vendors walking up and down the aisle selling snacks!).

Why do we do this to kids?  Why do we label them bad because they have made some poor choices. 

At 11 years old this boy most likely doesn't feel he has an option but to behave in the way that he does.  Some of his behaviour is most likely a survival mechanism.  Should he be shamed because he is simply trying to survive?

Our children are not born 'bad' or 'disruptive' or 'dangerous'.  They are taught to believe that these behaviours are acceptable.

My son said to me "Mom, he just doesn't have a very nice home life". 

I am so glad I got to be the one to sit in that seat next to him today.  I'm so glad that I got the opportunity to be the one that God wanted that boy to experience today.

I don't know his whole story.  I don't know the trouble he has caused.  I don't know the truth of the situation.  All I know is that he is a boy, a human being who deserves respect and love because we all deserve respect and love.

That's all I know.





Thursday, March 1, 2012

Be Free....

Everyday I wake up and I put on my super woman cape.  Sometimes I wear it around the house just waiting for the moment that the world will need me to save it.  Most times though I am disappointed that the world doesn't call.

Instead, I am asked to do the little things like clean the toilets, do the laundry, wipe the muddy puppy paws and cook dinner.

And none of this feels like saving the world to me.

Except I am forgetting that yesterday I spoke with a group of young men about the potential for positive change if we choose positive thoughts instead of negative ones.  And I am forgetting that a month ago I was part of a Summit where I was able to empower people with the knowledge that they are intuitive and wise.  And I am forgetting that every Monday I mentor a little girl who can hardly sleep on Sunday nights because she's so excited that the next day is Monday and that she gets to spend time with me.  And I am forgetting that (almost) everyday I get out of bed and I make my kids laugh or at least have them question my sanity so that their day starts on the right foot.  And I am forgetting that what I have done is enough to get me at least a month of paid vacation time.

Instead of accepting that vacation time, I worry that I am not being used.  I worry that the world doesn't need me and that I'm not on the right track and I'm not doing enough to make a difference.

Instead of taking my vacation time and resting, I spend it frantically searching for what I might be missing.

No wonder I'm tired.

There's a great phrase in a song that I love.  It goes something like this "the fishes are confused, when searching for the sea.  Find what you can't lose.  Be free".

Find what you can't lose......

Be free......

You can't lose the knowledge that you are a spectacular human being.  Living a spectacular human life. 

You can't lose the knowledge that a greater force is holding your hand and guiding you to your destination.  You are essentially blindfolded.  It's time to trust.

What kind of 'employer' would the Universe be if it ignored labor laws and worked you like a dog without rest or benefits?

Be free.... 

Stop the madness of searching for something you are already living within.

We are running through life looking for something that can only be found or realized when we are still.

Be free.....