No, I do not own a cat. I have nothing against cats except an allergy to them. So this blog is not about me going out and getting a kitty; rather it is about my love of having my head rubbed.

My mom used to rub my head at night before bed. It was an amazing feeling. Having my scalp massaged can instantly calm me. I love it! Perhaps that is why I take extra time to massage my clients scalps, if they choose.

The other night I was all wound up. It was one of those nights that I want to blame on hormones because anxiety turned to annoyance and I could not seem to settle myself. I lay in bed trying to do some breathing exercises with little effect, my husband simply reached over and rubbed my head. Within ten to fifteen seconds I was at ease. And in under two minutes I was ready to fall asleep. 

He says it is like a cat the way I will curl toward his hand if he stops. Well then just call me Meow-ington. It is my heaven; my instant relaxation.

I'm so grateful for my husband's ability to read me in times like this. I'm grateful for him silently taking action to help. I'm grateful for the amazing feeling of having my scalp massaged. I'm grateful for a simple technique to relax. I'm grateful for my mom starting this when I was a child. I'm grateful for how well it works to put me to sleep.

What is your favorite way to relax? Is there anything from your youth that helped calm you that you still use today?

May today bring us the relaxation we need. May we find the techniques that work best for us. May we cherish the kind acts of others. Have a beautiful day!

Despite feeling better yesterday, I still kept my daughter home from swim lessons. There is no need to push the limits as she regains full health. We simply took the day slow and easy.

Due to the holiday season and some other changes, storytime at the local library is not happening today. While we will still go to exchange our books, there is no dictated schedule. We can go when we please for however long we choose. 

Yesterday my daughter slept in just passed 8:30 rather than waking at 6 a.m. She then took one long afternoon nap rather than two. Today it is after 7 a.m. and she still sleeps peacefully. She is at the age where this may be the transition to one nap and a whole new schedule. Or she could simply still be catching up on sleep from being sick. Rather than guess and plan and try to make it happen, I feel completely at ease just going with this new flow. I like the slow and easy way it has transitioned so far and any kinks it may cause will work themselves out. 

I'm grateful to take it slow and easy this week. I'm grateful to make the decision to take it easy yesterday. I'm grateful for all of the options and activities we have today and I'm even more grateful to choose another low-key day. I'm grateful for the sleep my daughter is getting. I'm grateful for her little body's ability to heal and return to health. And I'm grateful to do everything in my power to help that process.

What is your favorite way to "take it easy"? How can you find little ways in your day to consciously slow down?

May today help to quiet the hustle and bustle of the coming holiday season. May we consciously choose the speed that best fits our needs today. Have a beautiful day!

I have seen the Flint Hills a thousand times, yet every time I drive through it captures me. I love the rolling hills, wild grasses, and occasional cattle. 

Even though I have seen it before, each time is like the first as I see it in a slightly new way. Whatever filter I wear that day from mood or thoughts gives it a slightly different perspective. This phenomenon is not reserved for the Flint Hills.

Each day we wear a filter. It is determined by our outlook, how well we slept, our past, our hopes, any good or bad news we have received; a million things. Vision is not as definitive as we imagine. It is very much based on perception.

The last two nights my husband slept in the guest room so that he could set the conditions to better aid his sore throat. The first night I slept great as my body used the silent and stillness to dive deep and catch up on over a years worth of lack of sleep. Last night, however, I kept waking  up reaching for him. It's not that I am fully caught up on sleep, but rather that I am caught up enough that I am aware something important is missing.

It hadn't really occurred to me how aware I was he was there when he is there and I am sleeping. Obviously I knew I like having him there from times he has been gone but last night showed me in a new way how aware I am even as I sleep. And just how much comfort there is in having him near, even if I'm asleep.

I'm grateful to understand in a new way. I'm grateful for how close my husband and I are to each other. I'm grateful to know we could survive without if we had to and I'm grateful to not have to today. I'm grateful that my family is on the road to recovery and that my husband will be rejoining our bed tonight. I'm grateful for the little things that give me a new way to see. I'm grateful for the filters that change the Flint Hills but always make them beautiful in my eyes. And I'm grateful for the filter that gratitude gives me for this life.

What filters are you wearing today? How does being aware of the filters shift the view?

​May today remind us we are in control of our perceptions. May we find beauty in the world around us. Have a beautiful day!

Family is a special word. To me, family is the people who are always there for me no matter what. Some of these family members I was born into, some I married into, and others are friends that have earned the term family. 

On Thanksgiving it was easy to say that I am grateful for family. I am always grateful for my amazing family. But in the night following Thanksgiving and the weekend that followed my family reminded me just how truly lucky and blessed I am.

Thanksgiving night I ended up sick, hugging a toilet, and miserable. A couple hours later my sweet baby woke and I discovered she was also sick. I could not have managed all the continuous laundry, trying to keep her comfortable, and figuring out a plan through my own haze by myself. My husband was awesome.

Friday afternoon, everyone fed and feeling better we headed out of town as planned to see my mother-in-law, believing it had just been a simple case of food poisoning. We lasted nearly twenty-four hours feeling fine and enjoying our time. Then Saturday night it hit again. I got a little queasy but it was easily calmed with crackers. My poor baby was not so lucky. She again had a rough round of getting sick.

My husband and mother-in-law were so amazing. Cleaning everything and finding alternative baby blankies and sheets and anything we needed. I was able to simply focus on comforting my bitty. I am so blessed.

Upon returning home we found our ailing, aging dog to be in seemingly better health than when we left. It seems a weekend at my parents' home was just what she needed. I know it does not change the fact that her time is coming but seeing her happy and a little more energetic warms my heart.

I'm so grateful for family. I'm grateful for the way my heart fills and overflows with gratitude when I think of how blessed I am for the people in my life. I'm so grateful for my husband who really helps out and isn't afraid to get in the line of fire for his family. I'm grateful for my mother-in-law and her loving reaction to our second wave of sickness. I'm so grateful for her calm way of figuring out what we needed and taking care of it. I'm grateful for her hospitality and the wonderful feast she made for us. I'm grateful for my parents care and kindness to our dogs. I'm grateful for their amazing Thanksgiving feast as well and all the hospitality they show us week after week as we have Tuesday dinners and Sunday brunches. I'm grateful for the friends that have become family as well. I'm grateful to be so blessed with such an amazing family. 

Who is your family? What are you grateful for about your family? Where do they shine?

​May today remind us how blessed we are. May we tell our family how much they are appreciated while we have them close. Have a beautiful day!

Thanksgiving has arrived! This is what I train for all year. One special day to dig even deeper and share what I am grateful for about this blessed life I live.

I'm grateful to wake to this beautiful day. I'm grateful to share this holiday with not only my husband and daughter, but my parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, and family friends. I'm grateful for the new generation of family members that will be celebrating today. And I'm so grateful to get to grow this special day and celebrate with my in-laws as well. 

I'm grateful for not just Thanksgiving day but Thanksgiving weekend. I'm grateful for a holiday to encourage gratitude and thanks. I'm grateful for a holiday to bring people together, not for commercialism, but for food and conversation. 

I'm grateful for another day with my sweet dog, Austin. I'm grateful for what a good "sister" my dog Pippin is for my daughter and other dog. I'm grateful for the humor and love these fur-babies brign to my life.

I'm grateful for this warm house that my husband and I have built into a home. I'm grateful for the delicious smells that fill it this morning between the goodies for this afternoon and breakfast. I'm grateful for the soft sounds of settling as the rest of my family sleeps in and enjoys this day off. 

I'm grateful for the trees rising high outside my window. I'm grateful to watch birds flitter back and forth from the branches and squirrels play along the trunks. I'm grateful for the sun's rise, even behind clouds, that brings light to the world and beckons my rise.

I'm grateful for so many things from the tangible assistants like this computer to the intangible feelings of love that warm my heart and excitement that motivates this day. I could not list everything in one blog that I am grateful for because gratitude has a way of snowballing when there is this much to be grateful. I am grateful to be so very blessed. And I am grateful for each one of you that seeks gratitude in your own life and helps make this world a more beautiful, positive place.

What are you grateful for today? How can you spread the joy of this holiday and share your gratitude with the world?

May today's positive energy lift this world. May we find the beauty and gratitude in everything around us. May the filters be peeled away and everything we take for granted shine for us to be grateful. Have a beautiful, blessed day!

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving! While I fully believe in practicing gratitude EVERY day, I do love getting together with family to celebrate how grateful we are for this year and the ones to come. 

While the temperatures are brisk today I know I will stay warm between running errands and giving massages. Today is a day of preparation so tomorrow can be a more relaxed celebration. And part of that preparation is helping others to relax so they may bring their best to their own celebrations.

I'm grateful to have all the supplies for the baking and cooking we will need to do. I'm grateful that this year there is less of the baking and cooking for us to do as we attend Thanksgiving at my mom's and then my mother-in-laws homes. I'm grateful for my clients that help keep food on my table year round. I'm grateful for another year to celebrate with family. And I'm grateful for my daughter's growing awareness and flexible nature during holidays.

What pre-Thanksgiving thanks can you find today? What are your favorite aspects of this holiday?

May today help the preparations for Thanksgiving go smoothly. May we find plenty to celebrate as we enter into the season of holidays. Have a beautiful day!

Yesterday I kicked booty at "adulting". I got my whole to do list done, still took time for myself, and kept my wits while calming a bedtime tantrum. 

Today is another list of errands to run, swim lessons to attend, and going to work all before three. I can do this. I do this every week and with the added boost of confidence from yesterday I am feeling confident. And if something goes awry... well that in itself is part of "adulting". And then at the end of the day, who knows, maybe I will have a moment to pull out my coloring book and do a bit of "kidding" too.

I'm grateful for my productivity yesterday. I'm grateful for the confidence boost I got by marking off all my to do's from a list that seemed way to long to tackle. I'm grateful not every day of "adulting" comes with so many tasks. I'm grateful that today's tasks include some fun tasks like swim lessons with my daughter. And I'm grateful that even in the thick of "adulting" I can have some "kidding" time too.

When do you do your best "adulting"? How do you add some playful elements into your day?

​May today remind us being an adult can be fun. May we see our successes and give ourselves a pat on the back for effort. Have a beautiful day!

Self-care is so important to living a joyful life. And like many people, I am excellent at filling my time with to do's and forgetting to take care of myself. Time and again I set the goal only to let the good habits slip away again.

Yesterday I went with a friend to get a pedicure. It is something I haven't done in years. And I justified it by saying it was "for her". I would do just about anything for the people I care about and so I can rationalize money spent if it is "for" a friend.

Did you catch it? Did you see how self-worth is downgraded by this thinking? Well, I do because that is what I am trained to spot as an empowerment coach. And yet it happens because I am human.

Am I worth the time for self-care? Absolutely. Am I worth having money spent to get some pampering? Absolutely. And yesterday being out with my friend it was obvious that I needed that girl time just as much as she did. 

So today I once again set the goal and begin the journey of figuring out how to get self-care back in my day. I once again start re-training my mindset on not saying I am worth it but showing I am. I take a look at today's long list of to do's and I swallow the urge to wait until tomorrow to start self-care as I begin my day.

I'm grateful for the cyclical reminder that I need to take time for me. I am grateful for a pedicure and dinner with a good friend that helped me remember how much I need this time. I'm grateful to have beautiful toes as a reward. I'm grateful for the ability to see where my thinking and actions stray from what I truly believe. I'm grateful to admit I am human and feel no shame in needing this reminder. And I'm grateful to once again make a commitment to myself so that I can live my most joyful life.

How are you doing with self-care? Are your beliefs and your actions in unison?

May today remind us of the importance of taking care of ourselves. May we feel the love in simply having a little "me" time. Have a beautiful day!

It's National Take A Hike Day and, despite the forecast of rain, I fully plan to take part. I have been feeling the need to get back outside more. This is the perfect reminder and opportunity. 

I'm grateful for today's reminder to just go for it. I'm grateful to have a hiking backpack baby carrier. I'm grateful the rain isn't until later and that the temperatures are not too chilly today. I'm grateful for my little trooper who loves an adventure. I'm grateful to make this short and sweet so I can get out there and actually do it, not just talk about it.

If you could hike (or walk) anywhere, where would you go? What keeps you from going for it?

May today give us the motivation to get going. May we find opportunities to be active and get back to nature. Have a beautiful day!

Everything in life requires a balance. Like the tree sprouts leaves, matures, then lets them fall to the ground; life is a balance of give and take. Like the ocean waves build, crash to the shore and retreat again; friendships have times of growth and times or rest.

Many of my friendships have been in rest for the last year and a half as I navigate the waters of being a new mom. Thankfully the waves seem to be building once again and I am able to make time for friends. At the same time I am once again seeking a balance of giving and receiving. And my wonderful friends are helping me with that balance.

I'm grateful for an old friend who reached out after years of distance. I'm grateful for friends that have been by my side even in my "dormancy". I'm grateful for the ebb and flow of life and the balance I am working towards. I'm grateful for my girlfriends that provide laughter and conversation. I'm grateful for my mom friends who provide support that I couldn't do without. I'm grateful for my friend that has shifted with me as we changed careers and relationships and is my biggest reminder to receive as much as I give. I'm grateful to receive today. I'm grateful to give this weekend and benefit from that as well.

What ebbs and flows are you experiencing this week? Have you found a balance of give and take? Are there any friendships that are ready to renew?

May today bless us in the search for balance. May our friendships be in sync and the ebb and flow occur naturally. Have a beautiful day!