My two year old is getting more observant about the world around her. She probably doesn't remember much about this time last year. Today as we backed out of the garage she was distraught. "Mama, the sticks are empty!"

My mind was on the schedule and it took me a second to comprehend. For my benefit she added, "Where all my leaves go?!" Oh, the changing of the seasons came quickly this year. The beautiful colors of Autumn were swept off the trees in the high winds we have been having. 

We talked a little as we drove about how the trees drop their leaves so they can rest and they will grow new ones in the Spring. We talked about how it gives us a fun game to play on our next nature walk. But I couldn't help but feel her words in my soul a little. The beauty of the season has definitely fallen...or at least shifted. 

This time of year it is easy to focus on some of the things we "lose". We lost an hour of time. We lost some more sunlight as the days get darker. We lost the beautiful color in the trees. We are losing the warmer temperatures. And let's face it, with the holidays, we may be losing a little sanity too.

It can be easy to fall in this trap of loss. It can be easy to let this lead us into the distress of the winter season that so many of us struggle with already. So instead let's focus on what we gain. Let's focus on the beauty that we still have.

There is a beautiful carpet of color right now. It is easier to get the right amount of sleep. There are more community and family activities this time of year and we may even be able to participate in some smaller traditions this year. The sky is opened up, allowing us to see clearer with the leaves gone. There are plenty of beautiful gifts to be found this time of year.

I'm grateful for the gifts all around me. I'm grateful for the beautiful carpet of color underfoot. I'm grateful the nature trail is not muddy as the leaves provide a clean path. I'm grateful to sleep in and allow my body to rest. I'm grateful for the shift this time of year brings. I'm grateful for the call to balance the hectic pace with added down time as well. I'm grateful for the observations my two year old made that brought me out of my head and back to the present moment. I'm grateful to do my best to model finding the beauty in each moment.

What beauty are you finding this time of year? What is one activity you would like to try this season?

​May we let go of what we no longer have and focus on all the abundance right in front of us. May we find beauty in the moment, every moment. Have a beautiful day!

Finding time to meditate is not easy with two little ones. I got up at five this morning to try and workout and get in a meditation to start my day. Instead at 5:03 my littlest woke up ready to start her day. 

At lunch I decided to have a picnic on the deck with my girls. The sunshine is always so rejuvenating to my spirit and it was the perfect weather. My kids were fidgety and chatty as always, especially as we neared nap time. So I decided to try a more active approach to meditating that they could participate. We sat there on the deck gazing up at the tree above. When a leaf would come floating down to us, we counted it. 

It really is amazing how still my children can be when they are focused on something. We sat there for a while just counting. Sometimes the leaves would fall several at a time other times there were long pauses in between single dropping leaves. It was beautiful. It was a wonderful moment shared that brought all of us into that calm, present space I was seeking.

I'm grateful for these moments with my girls. I'm grateful to be able to be crazy and silly and loud sometimes and help teach mindfulness and calm other times. I'm grateful for the beauty of the leaves floating down from the tree. I'm grateful for the sunshine warming my skin. I'm grateful to be outside in November without the need for a jacket. I'm grateful to get in a quiet, peaceful moment and still be present with my kids. I'm grateful to pause and enjoy Autumn's best active meditation.

How do you prefer to unwind or meditate? Do you prefer active ones that keep you focused by counting, focusing, or listening to something? Or do you prefer the silence and letting your mind wander?

May we take time to unwind each day. May we get creative when our plans run awry. Have a beautiful day!

Life will always have some hills and bumps. Most the time life isn't even a paved road and sometimes it may even feel like we're stuck in a round-a-bout. It may be a journey but sometimes it helps me to think of it more as a dance party than a path we're driving (or walking). 

There have been more than a couple things that have gone sideways this month. There have been plenty of beautiful, smooth moments too. But when those sideways moments come, I find them easier to deal with if I just imagine the song changed. We were doing a nice smooth waltz and now this white girl is gonna have to do her best impression of break dancing. It doesn't always look pretty but it sure is a more fun way to think about it.

Maybe I was having a silly dance with my kids and now the song turned to a sad melody. It's okay to just sit one song out and breathe. Maybe I was getting in the rhythm of a nice two-step and suddenly we are twirled into a do-see-do square dance. That is life. It doesn't want to play the same tune too long. It want's to help us try something new, get out of our comfort zone every once in a while.

You may be thinking this doesn't sound helpful. Sometimes it's not. But the next time something goes sideways try busting out The Sprinkler dance move or Moonwalking out of the room and tell me you don't feel a little better. Laughter may be the best medicine but if you dance like me, it's a good way to bridge the gap and get the laughter rolling. 

In all honesty I do not do this very often. The last couple years have felt a little like a rut. But as I try to make an effort to add more silliness and play in my life, this is one response I am focused on increasing. Who's with me?

I'm grateful for silliness. I'm grateful for ridiculous dance moves and the people who were bold enough to make them popular. I'm grateful to enjoy a wide (and I mean very wide) range of music. I'm grateful to feel safe and comfortable to express my quirkiness to my family. I'm grateful to model ridiculous things like this to my children. I'm grateful to hear my two year old asking her big sister to come "spin me right round like a record baby, please." I'm grateful to put things in contexts that make them easier to "handle". I'm grateful for a life that continues to help me grow and learn.

What perspective helps you when things go sideways? What response helps you adjust?

May today be silly. May we allow ourselves to be completely ourselves and let our quirks and uniqueness fly free. Have a beautiful day!

I really enjoy knowing. I enjoy having answers and a plan and a plan b. It's comforting even if misleading. It makes me feel like I am in control of at least some things.

In reality there is a lot I don't know. There is more I don't know that I even know I don't know because it hasn't even hit my radar yet. It is not just relegated to topics I haven't studied like Portuguese or heart surgery. 

Every day there are things I don't know. I give my best guess. I try my best solution. It's all we can do, right? 

What if that isn't true? What if our best option is to simply witness and wait? What if the answer is coming in its own time if we sat still long enough to hear it?

I do not know if my dog will recover from another round of pneumonia. All I know is that we are trying and beyond that all I can do is wait. I do not know what has my little one so completely out of character the last couple days. I can keep guessing and finding out I'm wrong again, or I could just witness it and be there for her as we wait for the answer. I do not know what is going through my oldest daughter's head. But maybe if I wait and just witness she may share some of it with me when she is ready. 

I don't know. I really, truly do not know. But what if I just witness the discomfort of not knowing until it maybe isn't so uncomfortable? 

I'm grateful to be taking more time lately to just sit and let my mind wander. I'm grateful for all I know. I'm grateful for the things I don't know that can help me grow. I'm grateful for patience and practice building more. I'm grateful to slow down and just witness with a little less focus on solving. I'm grateful for a little quiet time.

May today remind us we aren't supposed to have all the answers. May we find acceptance and maybe even some ease in not knowing. Have a beautiful day!

There is a lot going on in the world right now and a lot going on right here in our own backyard. A lot of things seem to be topsy-turvy and the division of beliefs around what we "should" be doing seems to be growing. 

As an energy-sensitive adult it takes diligence in remembering to clear and center. Then I watch my young children who have definitely been affected by the pandemic as well and yet they roll along. Part of me wonders if it is because they are so young that they can adapt to all the upheaval. 

I spoke to a teacher friend of mine. She said this year has been exhausting and harder than any year she has ever taught before. It isn't the students. The students are more than happy to do whatever is asked so they can continue to come to school and see their friends. It is the parents that berate her day in and day out for things out of her control. 

Kids are resilient. Teens are able to find ways to continue their education whether that be online or in-person. They are willing to do what is necessary to move forward. And thank goodness for that! They will be the ones truly having to make major changes and sacrifices to undo all the harm our planet has sustained. They will be the ones who will find ways to make peace no matter what the other side believes because they will know that we are more than just our feelings in the moment. They will know that pandemics end and things move on. 

It is us adults that have some work to do it seems. We can learn a lot from listening to our kids. We can shift a lot from modeling ourselves after them. We can find safe ways to let our emotions out without unleashing them on people just doing their jobs. We can build the resilience with which our children seem to be born. 

And yet we do it for them. We need to make this shift to resilience not just for our own health and sanity but for our children. We need to give them that security in knowing it will be okay. We will get through this pandemic. Any liberties we feel were taken can be argued when we are back to a stable, post-pandemic place. We can have each others' backs no matter what each of us believes. We can choose respect. We can choose hope and that hope will give us the resilience we need.

I'm grateful to witness the resilience in my children every day. I'm grateful to make a conscious effort to center and stay grounded. I'm grateful to seek balance. I'm grateful to wear a mask when it is needed and I'm grateful to know I have a voice when that need fades. I'm grateful for every parent that tries to do what is best for their kids and even more grateful for parents who witness the beauty and strength their own kids can teach them. I'm grateful for everyone who is choosing to use this time to come together in love and respect. 

In what ways are you resilient? Which areas have been a struggle during this pandemic? How do you take time to honor your feelings? How do you take time to honor and respect others'? 

May we be the pillar for our children while being a student of their wisdom in resilience. Have a beautiful day! ​

When water flows over a stone it slowly smooths and carves it. It isn't an overnight event. It is something that happens over time. This is what I keep reminding myself as my family navigates a whole new schedule and new routines. 

I love mixing things up but I also love having a baseline routine. Certain times set aside for work, nap, and play help me to be present where I am needed. The routine is still new and in limbo as we try different things to see what helps us all transition most smoothly. But for now it still feels jumbled and a little chaotic.

This is the water from the storm. It is rushing and flowing any which way it can go to keep moving forward. 

Just like the storm water returns to a slow stream, so will my life return to smoother days. Those smoother days will slowly begin to carve a new routine. It will get comfortable.

Sure, there will still be times of storm and rushing water. There will be times the water changes course and has to begin again in smoothing a new path. This is all part of life and I welcome it.

For now I will let it flow in all its chaotic rush. I will take deep breaths and observe. I will watch for places the water seems to flow the smoothest and the routine seems to be working. And I will follow its lead. 

I'm grateful to just pause and focus on nature. I'm grateful to witness the rush feeling and observe it as if it was a river flowing past. I'm grateful to know the waters will smooth and slow again soon. I'm grateful to let it flow as it needs as my whole family adjusts to all the new. I'm grateful to be as calm and steady as possible for my kids in these times of change. I'm grateful to learn from them the art of rolling with it.

Which stage of life is your water flow? Is it rushing and changing? Is it smooth and steady? What visuals do you picture to help yourself stay steady even when life is shifting?

May we be steady as the rock and flowing as the water. May we find comfort in being the observer while still having both feet in the game. Have a beautiful day!

It seems that change happens in waves. Sure, there are some changes that happen nearly every day. But when the big changes come it seems they happen in clusters. 

So here is a toast to all of you out there riding the wave of change. Sometimes it gets crazy and sometimes it is messy, but we can (and will) make it through to ride the next wave. 

Why are I giving you a pep talk? Because it is what I need to hear right now. I have found that most the time people say the words they need to hear. So here it is, You are going to be fine. You are going to be better than fine. This wave is the beginning of a great adventure!

Most of all, during the wave of change, we need patience. No transition is instantaneous. There will be "in the flow" moments and tumbled around moments. Patience is important, especially with ourselves. 

I'm grateful for my little pep talks. I'm grateful to know someone out there needed to hear this too. I'm grateful to make myself stop when I start to get over-wound. I'm grateful to do everything in my power to help my kids move through all these transitions smoothly but I'm also grateful to know that it will not always work out that way and they will still be fine. I'm grateful for nap times. I'm grateful for tax help professionals. I'm grateful for celebrate my dog's birthday! I'm grateful for resilience and I'm grateful for this wave.

How are the waves of change going for you? What do you need to support yourself? Where could you add a pause or a little more patience?

May today bring some balance and ease to whatever wave you are riding. May we always hear the words of support we need, especially from ourselves. Have a beautiful day! 

As my own boss I often drive myself pretty hard. While that is an important trait in entrepreneurship, I am also human. I have decided to give myself some human time, some "vacation time" to just stop and smell the flowers with my family. 

My practice will still be up and running full speed, as it needs to, as it gets off the ground. But I am going to take a few days off from writing my blog to give me just a little extra time in the day to relax and unwind.

I'm grateful for this blog that allows me to toss my ideas out to the world in hopes some positivity sticks. I'm grateful for all those who have reached out to let me know this blog has made a difference. I'm grateful to hear when people resonate with my blog or when they have a different perspective to share. I'm grateful to have been practicing the grateful life for nearly ten years. I'm grateful for all my gratitude practice has given me. And I'm grateful to continue to practice gratitude even as I take a short vacation from blogging.

What inspires your gratitude? What are you most grateful for today? What are ten things near you right now that are worthy of gratitude?

May today remind us that gratitude is never far. May we seek it in everything we do and share it more abundantly than any other words we speak. Thank you for reading. Have a beautiful few days!

Today has been a surprisingly productive day. The first surprise was that I slept in! When I say slept in I mean I woke at six instead of five which is pretty great for me. I still had time to get my self-care practices in because my kids slept in a little too. 

I was able to run an errand and still get some laundry and vacuuming done. Lunch was still on the table at the usual time and a good portion of my productivity is owed to my girls for playing so nicely on their own this morning.

I'm grateful for this stage where my kids are a little more independent but still cuddly. I'm grateful to get a little extra sleep after staying up late last night. I'm grateful to still prioritize my self-care. I'm grateful to cross a lot off my to do list. I'm grateful to never be bored, haha! I'm grateful for another week that has flown by and for a fun weekend to come.

How do you find ways to sneak productivity into your schedule without disrupting other things like self-care? 

​May today help us clear off the to do list so we can enjoy the weekend. Have a beautiful day!

There is something so renewing about being out on a walk with a good friend. It really helps bring things back into perspective and balance. 

The park was so beautiful today with the cooler breeze and cloud cover. Even the rain we got toward the end was so refreshing! Just walking, exploring, and catching up with a friend I haven't seen in too long has renewed my spirit.

I'm grateful to have made this lunch date. I'm grateful for a park big enough to share. I'm grateful for the beautiful trail and areas to explore. I'm grateful my kids were content to wander along while my friend and I spoke. I'm grateful for my friend and all our spiritual connection. I'm grateful to reconnect after a long pandemic year. I'm grateful to spend time in nature together. I'm grateful for the turtles, fish, ducks, and geese that made their magical appearances. 

What renews you? Who do you enjoy hanging out with and connecting? When was the last time you did these things that bring you joy?

May we remember to take time to connect to those who are important to us. May we take time in nature as well. Have a beautiful day!