Go With The Flow

I’m sitting here watching the waves gracefully roll on the shore and effortlessly return back to where they started. Ebb and flow, the natural way things are meant to be. We cannot force the water to stay one place or the other, it is constantly changing and constantly flowing, but it doesn’t stop us from trying to be in control. I watch as young boys run into the water. There bodies collide with the wave and the force of the collision knocks them down. That’s what happens when we go against the current, when we decide to fight what is and inflict our own will. We can spend our whole lives fighting to swim upstream. Eventually , when we become tired enough, we lose the fight and collapse in exhaustion. Eventually, our need to control and manipulate becomes lost somewhere in the years we will never get back. We bitch and complain about things instead of embracing the inevitable and unavoidable change that no place or person will ever be strong enough to stop. 

Be like water. Flow. Enjoy your life. Embrace the change. Surrender to each moment and allow it all to just pass through. Go where the wind blows and eventually you will end up exactly where you want to be.

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Are You Prepared?

I am visiting my family and we are on our way to the beach. Every single time we go on a trip, since I was a young girl, we would start our journey at the bank, go fill up the tank with gas and stop at the local food store for ice and breakfast sandwiches. It just infuriates me that people are never prepared. All of those things could and should have been done the night before so we didn’t add any extra time to the trip. I don’t get it. Someone please explain. On a positive note, because I did grow up that way, I have learned to be the complete opposite, prepared and ready days before I need to be. How about you? Do you wait until the last second to get everything done or do you tackle it well in advance? Last Minute Annie or Plan Ahead Danny?

Focus on Today

If there is one thing that really makes me crazy, it’s this. How many times have you spent time with people who are so focused on tomorrow or what might happen in the future that they miss the moments they have right there and then? Why even consider or think about what might be tomorrow when you will discover the answers for yourself in a few short hours? Be in the moment. Give it your full attention and make it count. How many minutes of your life have you lost living in yesterday or worrying about tomorrow? We do not ever get a single moment back. When will we start to respect and cherish the time we have today moment by moment? We are meant to live and enjoy and experience. Don’t miss out on today because your mind is pulling you toward tomorrow.

To Speak or Not To Speak

To speak or not to speak, that should be the question. I am learning to control when and if I will speak a little more everyday. I am slowly starting to have the ability to react less and make a conscious decision if I will respond more. Do we just say too much? I saw the quote a while ago that says, before you speak, ask yourself these questions,

Is it true?

Is it kind?

Is it necessary?

The fact is, nobody needs to hear every single thing you’re thinking. In fact, I strongly recommend that if you want to maintain happy, healthy relationships just say less. You don’t have to engage in every conversation, you don’t have to have the last word. You don’t have to debate with anyone to prove your point and if someone says something negative, don’t continue the conversation. Take a few deep breaths, don’t judge and don’t allow yourself to go there anymore.  You can make the world better or you can make it bitter. What will your words do?

Why Am I Always Right?

It finally happened. As a parent, I don’t want to always be right. I don’t want to be the one standing with an angry face, hands on hips, saying I told you so. Honestly I don’t. Right before I left for Mexico, I sat my daughter down and I begged her to slow down. The day before, I was following her in my car and watched in disbelief, that even with a cop beside her, she had the audacity to drive over the speed limit. I begged, I pleaded for her to drive the speed limit and I really thought she finally understood.

It took exactly 10 minutes after I landed to get a text from her that looked something like this: 

I got a ticket

Sorry

I could feel my blood start to boil. I knew it was going to happen and I did all in my power to prevent her from making a mistake that would bring about a consequence that wouldn’t make any of us very happy.

I have finally come to the conclusion that kids just will not listen to their parents. They think they are smarter than us, that they know more. What I finally discovered is that eventually life will teach my kids everything I couldn’t, one way or another. Maybe now she will slow down, maybe she won’t. Unfortunately, the decision is up to her and as painful as it is, I have to watch her learn from mistakes that she wouldn’t have made if only she would have listened.

Pushing Someone’s Buttons

We all have a set of particular subjects that set us off. It doesn’t matter why, the fact is, certain topics just get under our skin. I’ve  noticed lately that some people seem to enjoy pushing someone else’s buttons. It’s one thing if something is said innocently that ticks someone off but I can’t for the life of me understand why anyone would do something like that on purpose, knowing it will undoubtedly illicit a negative response. This includes continuously making points of comments about someone else in either direction. People should not feel they have the right to taunt someone else or shove their personal beliefs down someone else’s throat. Say your piece, make your point and then move the hell along. 

I first heard about the practice of ahimsa in yoga a few years back. Simply stated, it means, do no harm. The harm part can be represented by ill thoughts, words, actions or physical abuse. Do no harm with your words seems almost like a given to me but yet, when I look around me, words are used to purposely injure people every single day. You would think we could at least get that one, that seems so basic, right. Ahimsa. Non-injury to self or any other living thing. What a beautiful concept don’t you think? How different do you think the world could be if we all practiced and strived for such a lovely thing? What are your thoughts?

Lost in Mexico

I’ve been flying under the radar the last few days completely caught up in the beauty of Mexico. It was a short trip but we filled our days to feel like we were there for eternity. St. Regis in Punta Mita is an amazing place. Not only is it beautiful but it is also like a quiet retreat. The resort is spread out so strategically well that at night it’s rare to see another human being. And the staff, amazing! There aren’t enough words in the English language to describe how pleasant and accommodating they were.  So, I didn’t do much writing in paradise because I was busy enjoying every minute. Here are a few pictures of this amazing place.

   
   

A Moment of Pause

Today I had a ton of time to think. I was sitting on a large porch eating breakfast by myself. The breeze and the view were amazing. I watched as the wind gently ruffled the palm trees. I enjoyed the quiet calm of the waves and how they gracefully fell against the rocks. I sat there thinking that I should do this more often. It’s nice to look up for a change. We all should. How often do you sit still and just look at the beauty all around you? How many times do you sit in a rocking chair and spend several minutes just rocking? We rush, we run, we over schedule and we are missing the really special moments that give us a chance to reconnect with who we really are. The me who is more than the thinker, the doer. The me that feels connected to each and every wave and every grain of sand. The  me who just watches and breathes and feels gratitude for these moments, that once in a while, I finally pause long enough to enjoy.

Breathe

I am on my way to Mexico for a little rejuvenation and a lot of fun.  I remember the first time I heard the flight attendant say, “put on your own oxygen mask first and then help others”. I thought to myself, “what is she crazy?” Normally I would be traveling with both of my kids and my first instinct would be to protect them and then worry about myself. The older I get, I realize how important that tiny instruction really is. 

Have you ever felt drained because you are constantly catering to everyone around you? You give and you give until one day, you’ve got nothing left. Your tank is empty from everyone slowly sucking the life out of you and it doesn’t take long until you start to resent them. You get frustrated over the endless amount of give, give, give while all they do is they take, take, take. The worst part is you took the pin and stuck it in your own balloon and now you wonder why you feel so deflated? You have to know when to say no to everyone else and yes to yourself. What we forget is that people can’t take advantage of us unless we allow them too. You decide what to give. The point is, there has to be balance. You have to fill your own tank so it never empties out. It’s only when your tank is full that you can really love and provide for others. So put on your own oxygen mask first, so you can be there the way everyone needs you to be.

I’m Grounded

Do you ever feel all out of sorts? Sometimes I don’t even realize how scattered I am until I hit my yoga mat. There really is something to feeling grounded. For me, it is a quiet confidence that everything will be okay. It is a feeling of being safe and supported and ready to take on anything that comes my way. How about you? What do you do to feel grounded and what does being grounded mean to you?