Today I feel completely in the flow. Granted, I only woke an hour ago, but after a pretty good nights' sleep I'm feeling great!

I'm lying here on the floor with my daughter as I type. She is playing with some tupperware bowls, which seem to be much more interesting than her toys. And I have dogs lying nearby. For me, this is what the flow looks like, everyone content.

The last few mornings as I have stepped outside with the dogs, I have seen at least one feather. For me, it is a reminder to be in the flow...a feather on the wind. It is a reminder to allow life to guide the movements as I "dance" my way to where I'm going.

I'm grateful for the feathers outside. I'm grateful for the message I receive when I see them. I'm grateful for the majestic way they float on the wind and twirl and dance to the ground. I'm grateful for a good nights sleep. I'm grateful for feeling in the flow this morning and having some floor time with my babies. I'm grateful for the beautiful day ahead. And I'm grateful for the opportunity to see the flow and feel a part of it.

What helps you feel "in the flow"? What reminders is nature sending you?

May nature guide our hearts. May we find the flow and dance our way to where we are going. Have a beautiful day! 

I love colors. My favorite color is orange, probably followed by blue or yellow. But today I want to celebrate green!

Green is the color of nature, or love, of comfort... at least to me. I love seeing the grass returning to green as it awakens from its winter slumber. I love seeing the green popping up in the garden soon to bloom into tulips and daffodils.

I love eating the greens of fresh salads and ripe avocados. And I loved watching my daughter try avocado for the first time this weekend. 

I'm grateful for green. I'm grateful for the way it represents spring and the return of new growth. I'm grateful for the comfort it gives me. I'm grateful for all the ways green appears in nature. I'm grateful for the ways green adds to my plate and to my nutrition. I'm grateful for spinach, pickles, and avocados especially! 

I'm grateful that my daughter seems to like avocados. I'm grateful for all the ways she will get to explore outside as the weather warms and nature greens. I'm grateful for the new beginning that green brings and I'm grateful to share our first spring together as a family.

What is your favorite thing that is green? How does green inspire gratitude? What other colors inspire your gratitude?

May today open our eyes to the beautiful colors around us. May they look a little brighter today and may we let that brightness warm our hearts. Have a beautiful day!

Last night as came back to bed from my third trip to my daughter's room in less than three hours, I found my husband awake. He asked how she was doing and I responded I thought she was hopefully back to sleep. He asked how I was doing and I responded with an ugh. It was nice to hear him awake and checking in though. 

As I lay down he said he thought he knew what may help. I was all ears! "Hummus," he said. We both got a good chuckle and I told him goodnight. The night continued to be long but each time I got up I thought, "hummus." 

The reason hummus is funny is that we had just watched the TED Talk by James Veitch. It is about how he responds to scam emails. It's a good laugh if you haven't seen it! And the humor last night of my husband's comment went a long way to keeping my spirits up as I got up time and again.

I'm grateful for my husband. I'm grateful for his humor. I'm grateful for our ability to share laughs even when things are stressful. I'm grateful for his ability to take it in stride when I do not want to have a long chat at one in the morning. But I'm grateful for his quick wit that can cheer me up. I'm grateful for James Veitch's talk and the way he turns frustrations to humor. I'm grateful for a bit of laughter and for hummus.

What makes you laugh? How do you find humor in frustrations? Who can help turn your mood around?

May today allow us to see the humor in every situation. May we choose to play. Have a beautiful day!

Life is all about choices. We don't always get to choose the plot line but we get to choose how we participate and how we choose to view it. Even knowing this, sometimes it can be hard to choose positively.

Last night started out with me being up every two hours with my daughter. This is not uncommon for the stage she seems to be in so I dutifully got up time and again to reassure her I still exist and occasionally feed her. 

Three a.m. arrived and suddenly she was up every thirty to forty-five minutes. The path from my bedroom to hers became a scene from Night of the Living Dead. Quite honestly there were a few times that I would find myself in her room or back in mine, standing there, wondering how I got there. So, as there would be little sleep happening anyway, I allowed my imagination to play. 

Little trolls had carried me from bed, down the hall. The waves from her sound machine had become real and swept me graciously back to my bed. I was not really as tired as I felt but was pretending to blend in with the zombies that lingered in the hallway. 

Delirium and imagination are not so far apart in the wee hours of morning following a sleepless night. And while I was not thrilled to face the alarm this morning, at least I got to have a little play within the circumstances of the night.

I'm grateful for imagination. I'm grateful when imagination is fully conscious and playful. I'm grateful for delirium when imagination is too much work. I'm grateful to be there for my daughter during her nightmares and frights as she grows through this stage. I'm grateful to know that I can make it through another day, no matter how tired, and still make the choice to be happy. 

What choices are you making today? When have you faced delirium and turned it into play?

May today give us extra support in choosing to see the positive. May we find fun and play in the choices we make. Have a beautiful day!

The simple solutions are often right in front of me if I pay attention. We tried every medicine and natural aid under the sun to help my dog who is having bladder leakage but in the end simple diapers have been best. She is more comfortable and relaxed. We are not having to clean up messes every hour or two. And the solution was in front of me every couple hours as I changed my daughter's diaper.

Last night my daughter was having a rough time sleeping. She just kept waking up. After the third time of going in there I decided to turn on the fan, perhaps she was hot. Sure enough, she was out the rest of the night with that cool breeze going. And she woke a happy baby, very excited to see her fan moving!

I'm grateful to pause and look for the simple solutions that may be right in front of me. I'm grateful when sleepiness can be put aside to recognize a simple solution. I'm grateful for fans. I'm grateful for the gentle movement of air and the hum that lulls me to sleep. I'm grateful for my daughter's love of fans that makes for an easy fix. I'm grateful for my dog's comfort in her doggie diaper. I'm grateful for these solutions and for the many more I will discover.

What simple solutions have you found? Is there a solution right in front of you to a challenge you have been working on? 

May today open our eyes and mind to the solutions that are right in front of us. May we embrace what works. Have a beautiful day!

Last night I had several dreams about an alternate reality of owning my own massage space and different changes and challenges that went with it. While they were not bad dreams at all the combination of working dreams and being up with my daughter has me feeling pretty exhausted this morning.

I love dreams. They can teach me so much and open my mind. And yet my real life right now is the manifestation of my best dream. 

In the dreams of my passed I was told I had to trust in love. I was told that my soulmate that he was waiting for me and that I would know him when I met him by his voice and eyes. I was told by my daughter that she was waiting for me to find her daddy and then she would come. All these dreams have come true. 

I may not be rich in money. I may not have grown my business as fast as I thought I would have by this point. I may not have traveled as far for fun as I imagined. And I certainly have not jumped from the ground to catch a flight with a friend, riding on the wing of the plane. But so far, I have to say that the real dreams have far exceeded the rest.

I'm grateful for dreams. I'm grateful for the fun and fanciful things I've gotten to do in them. I'm grateful for the whimsy and play they inspire. I'm grateful even for the ones that are full of lessons that I may not have wanted to hear at the time. But most of all I'm grateful for dreams that come true. I'm grateful for the joy of holding my baby girl in my arms. I'm grateful for kissing my husband each morning. I'm grateful to have recognized his voice and his eyes just like I was told I would. And I'm grateful for this magical life that makes dreams come true when the time is right.

What dreams have come true for you? What dreams are you still waiting to manifest? Have you asked for a dream to explain what still needs to be done before it can happen? Sometimes the answer is easier than we make it.

May today shed light on our dreams. May we pause to celebrate the ones that have come true and believe that more are yet to come. Have a beautiful day!

I feel like there is some truth to "nothing says lovin' like something from the oven." I love the delicious smells that come when the oven is in use. It is an association that was established in childhood and still holds true.

Do you ever smell a combination of smells and it takes you right back to a memory? It's like you're a time traveler and your nose is the time machine.

This morning I came inside from letting the dogs out and informed my husband that it smelled like Easter outside. I was very excited! When he asked what Easter smells like it took me a moment to find words. Granted the vinegar and egg smell was missing but outside it smelled like warm early Spring breeze mixed with fresh cut grass, and magic. He laughed and asked what magic smells like. It just smells like something wonderful is going to happen. It is that element that escapes definition.

I'm grateful for my nose. I'm grateful for the yummy smells of warm blueberry muffins. I'm grateful for the fun heart shape of the muffins so I can eat some love this morning. I'm grateful for the smells outside. I'm grateful for the early spring that has greeted us in February! I'm grateful for the smells that I associate with Easter from my childhood. I'm grateful for fresh cut grass. I'm grateful for soft, warm breezes. I'm grateful for that element of magic and that some things cannot be fully described just lived. I'm grateful for this day and all the potential it holds for being magical.

What smells have strong associations for you? What does magic smell like?

May today bless us all with a little magic. May we enjoy the memories of the smells around us. Have a beautiful day!

Today is National Random Acts of Kindness Day. Acts of kindness don't have to be grand gestures; they can be as simple as a smile. Smiles are contagious after all.

A hello may start a new friendship or holding the door may make someone's day. It really can be simple to perform acts of kindness and many of us probably do these things every day.

I'm grateful for holidays that promote love and kindness. I'm grateful for simple acts that are easily performed and appreciated. I'm grateful for smiles. I'm grateful for the smiles of people as well as those from my dogs. I'm grateful for a happy baby despite less sleep than I would recommend. I'm grateful for a loving husband that does so much each day to show his love. I'm grateful to share love with my community today through random acts of kindness. I'm grateful to spread the word about this holiday.  And I'm grateful for the people who make this an every day holiday.

How can you share love and kindness with the people of your community today? What is something simple that you could do every single day to make this a kinder place?

May today remind us that we are all brothers and sisters. May we spread love through our communities and create a world to share. Have a beautiful day!

Sometimes stepping back can be the most powerful and most freeing action we can take. In some situations, such as a frustration, it is easy to remind myself to take a step back and breathe. It is not always easy though.

As my daughter grows and becomes a little more independent it is a tough reminder to step back a little. There are some days now where she does not want to be rocked to sleep. She wants to lay in bed and get herself comfortable. And as she begins tackling the hard tasks of sitting and standing I know I also have to give her space to take a couple (safe) falls. 

It is not just in times of frustration or in times of parenting that I need to step back. Allowing my daughter put herself to sleep for nap time today I am reminded that we all need a little alone time. We all need some time to step back and just be. So today, I am trying to take some time to just be and release the need the race to get things done.

I'm grateful for my daughter's reminder. I'm grateful to be able to step back and give her space. I'm grateful that she still allows me to rock and hold her more often than not. I'm grateful to see the ways I need to step back. I'm grateful for deep breaths and relaxation. And I'm grateful to make the opportunity to allow myself this space.

When do you step back? What other areas of your life may require some space?

May today give us the courage to take a step back where needed. May we allow ourselves the time to just be. Have a beautiful day!

As I sit here; tired from a long night and wondering how I will keep my eyes open for the full day that is ahead, I cannot help but get lost in the sounds around me. There is the ocean waves crashing over the monitor. The hum of the refrigerator and computer. There is the sounds of soft dog sighs as they nap near me. But there is also the faint sound of birds singing outside and an occasional passing car. These are the sounds of sunshine; the sounds of a new day beginning.

I'm grateful to stop and sink into these sounds. I'm grateful to pause and just listen. I'm grateful for the silence that is not really silent at all. I'm grateful for the birds that uplift my spirit with their sound and give me a little energy. I'm grateful for the sun streaming in the window, warming me. I'm grateful to know that this can be a great day if I choose to make it so. And I'm grateful to take steps in that direction as I focus on my gratitude. 

What sounds uplift you? What does sunshine sound like to you?

May today bless us with a moment to listen. May we cherish the sounds we hear and take a moment to breathe them into our grateful awareness. Have a beautiful day!