Sometimes we all just need time to sit alone with our thoughts. Even my daughter, who normally acts like time alone is the worst thing in the world, chose to spend time by herself today. We need time to unwind. We time to let our thoughts drift. We need time to do the little things that bring us joy. 

I'm so grateful for some time alone. I'm grateful to see my girls needing their space today and help them find it. I'm grateful for separate bedrooms that gives them their own space. I'm grateful to just sit and breathe. I'm grateful to let my thoughts wander. I'm grateful for a new art journal. I'm grateful to take time for me and know my whole family benefits. 

How often do you take time for yourself? How often do you sit alone and let your thoughts drift around? 

May we choose to care for ourselves and see the benefits. May we take time to just be still. Have a beautiful day!

It's mowing season again but the yard isn't the only thing in need of tending. At work I have been working with my colleague to give a fresh look to an older space. At home I have been working to clear out some of the clutter, both organizing and donating. And I have been trying to add a bit more movement into my day as well. 

I have noticed I tend to go in cycles with cleaning and organizing. It definitely spurs me more in Spring and Fall as the weather is cooler. But with my focus on doing things for myself and seeking balance I am finding the fresh looks to be very energizing too. 

I'm grateful to clear out some stuff that needed taken care of for a few months. I'm grateful to cross of a couple things from my husband's list in the process. I'm grateful to tidy my workspace so I don't feel so crowded. I'm grateful to file the stack of papers that needed filed. I'm grateful for my little one's patience and ability to entertain herself. I'm grateful to take frequent breaks to play with my kids or do something for myself. I'm grateful to be feeling more energized the more I get done.

What is on your to do list? What fresh look would you like to see in your space?

​May we move into the next season with a fresh perspective and renewed motivation. Have a beautiful day!

I spent the weekend painting the office I share with a colleague. We looked at paint swatches and agreed that something light and fairly neutral would be best to accommodate the variants in each of our decor and supplies. We agreed on a very light silver color with the slightest hint of blue. It was similar to the hue in our old office so it made sense to keep it similar.

As I drove over to the store to pick up the paint, I silently hoped that the blue would come through a little more than it looked riding next to me on the passenger seat. Lighting is everything when it comes to paint and the bright sunlight made the color look washed and drab. I reminded myself that it looked fine in the room and that it was the color my colleague and I had agreed. 

When I got to the store I handed the helpful, young paint-mixer the page of color swatches and, pointing, told him the name of the color I wanted and which size and sheen. He marked it with a star correctly and went off to find the base paint to start mixing. I wandered off down a different aisle to get additional supplies and came back just as he was finishing up pulling them out of the shaker. We talked for a few moments and put the cans in my cart and walked to the register. As I was checking out I was pleased to see that in the light of the store it did have a little more blue hint to it. 

I painted the office and was so thrilled to see it was a very nice dusty blue color. My colleague arrived saying how she liked the color too and how much more blue it was that expected but in a pleasant way. I pulled out the swatch to hold it up to the paint and as I did I realized even though he had put a star next to the one I said, he had written the sheen info on a different color swatch. Sure enough, he had tinted the paint a different color than we had picked. Yet it was more blue just as I had hoped and we love it on the walls. All I can figure is the universe stepped in to share my soul's request instead of the one I spoke in words. 

I'm grateful to laugh at the plot-twist. I'm grateful my colleague and I love the color. I'm grateful to get fresh paint on the walls. I'm grateful for my soul's voice. I'm grateful to spend some time exploring why my physical voice and soul's were not in sync. I'm grateful for the lessons to be gained. I'm grateful for the beauty and joy the color brings to the space.

What is your soul asking for today? Is it something you can voice? If not, why? 

May we find ways to bring joy to our soul. Have a beautiful day!

More changes are on the horizon! I am excited about the new but as usual have turned into a bit of a stress monkey over the details. I want to see the change, now. 

In the midst of my distraction and anticipation I have made some silly blunders. Now is a great time to pause, take a deep breath, and remind myself to go one step at a time.

I'm grateful to feel the excitement. I'm grateful for the confirmation it gives me to feel like I'm making progress and moving forward. I'm grateful for my husband and colleague's input. I'm grateful to keep putting myself in check to slow down and not monkey-mind it. I'm grateful for deep breaths and afternoon quiet time. I'm grateful for a new season, new growth, and new changes!

What changes do you feel like making this season? What changes make you feel excited to move forward?

May today remain balanced as we look to the future and still celebrate where we are today. Have a beautiful day!

Today is a day of processing. I have learned some things over the last two days that have me running through emotions from anger and guilt to a sadness near grieving. For now, I am letting the process run its course and feeling all the feels. 

In the back of my mind I have options for solutions that can be carried out. But first I feel like I really need to just let the emotions run their course and process this information. I need to be able to take myself and my emotions out of the equation before I take the next steps forward. The next steps will be solely focused on my child and her best interests. This moment is for me.

I'm grateful to just sit and listen. I'm grateful to try not to push or force it. I'm grateful to recognize my tendency to rush to fix while my emotions are still high and try a different tactic this time. I'm grateful to give myself space. I'm grateful to listen to the self-talk and counter the unproductive. I'm grateful to focus on recentering. I'm grateful to believe that my family is a team and together we can accomplish just about anything.

How do you allow yourself time to process? What does allowing your feelings to run their course look like for you?

​May today be slow and gentle. May we take the time and space we need for whatever stage we're at today. Have a beautiful day!

I'm grateful to see today's snow isn't holding us up. After the last couple snowstorms causing closed schools and shutting everything down, it is nice to have a regular "keep on moving" kind of snow. 

I'm grateful for yesterday's bitter temperatures that allowed today's snow to be dry and easy to sweep off the surfaces. I'm grateful for the plow trucks making their rounds with salt. I'm grateful to make it back up our steep driveway after picking up my daughter from school. And I'm grateful to have evening plans that can be kept despite a little snow.

I'm grateful to see most people going about their normal business. I'm grateful for the excuse to go outside several times to sweep, getting exercise and fresh air. I'm grateful for the weekend starting tomorrow at our house. And I'm grateful for this quiet moment of tuning in to gratitude.

What are you grateful for today? What keeps you moving and gets you motivated?

May today be just another day and may we celebrate the ability to do our normal activities. Have a beautiful day!

Kansas weather is never boring. Yesterday was sixty degrees and windy as can be. Today, blizzard conditions with temperatures in the teens and snow expected all day. It kind of makes you feel alive and energized, right?

Yesterday my exercise was walking at a toddler's pace around the beautiful park lake. Today I will be bundled head to toe and shoveling my bodyweight in snow that is deeper than my snow boots. To make it extra playful, my driveway is steeper than some of the best sledding hills in town! Woohoo! 

I'm grateful to let the weather enliven me rather than weigh me down. I'm grateful to have a backup plan today for clients that obviously had to be canceled. I'm grateful for all the companies that look out for their employees and let them stay safe at home. I'm grateful for the snow crew that has been making rounds through the city, tirelessly. I'm grateful for the beautiful day yesterday. I'm grateful for the moisture for the plants today. I'm grateful for the playfulness of a snow day. 

Does your weather give you jump starts? What weather perks you up?

May you be safe and warm today. May you find the beauty in even the most bizarre twists of weather. Have a beautiful day!

From sunsets to the last day of the year, it feels like things should be winding down to an end. There is hope in closing the door and opening a fresh one. There is hope in a new sunrise and a new year on the calendar. 

I will be honest I am struggling with reveling in that hope today. As more people in my circle are finding out they have Covid; it feels like we're still stuck in the muck of square one. Social drama I thought had passed (and took comfort in that passing) has revealed itself to be only a mirage, dissolving the comfort with it. Family wounds from the past have been ripped open, fresh and painful as we navigate it in multiple new ways. 

It may be the close of one year but the year ahead offers many challenges that still need navigated. So what do we do when it all starts piling on? What do we do when hope feels dim, or gone? I do not know what the answer is for you. I know that my friends in the mental health field are filled to the max and I'm grateful to know people are seeking help. For me simplicity seems to hold the key. Nature stirs the little light inside. The combinations of enjoying today and planning for the future beyond all this helps me. Gratitude helps me. And when all else falls short, cranking up the music and just dancing around the house like a crazy person with no real dance moves liberates me from my funk. 

I invite you to try any or all of these things. I invite you to seek help. I invite you to push outside your comfort level to try something new. I invite you to cry if you need and laugh when you are done even if you don't feel like it. Make noise. Move. Let it out. 

I'm grateful to recognize the weight as it creeps in. I'm grateful to share it with you and then sign off so I can shake it off. I'm grateful for a new year ahead. I'm grateful to know my family can weather whatever comes because we weather it together. I'm grateful to have such a large family that still manages to be close. I'm grateful for the community that watches each others' backs. I'm grateful to recognize my false comfort and seek true comfort. I'm grateful for these bumps that make me stronger and more grateful to know they will pass.

What helps you feel better? How do you shake it off?

May today keep us vigilant in our mental health. May we plan for an amazing year to come and keep our support systems in place for the moments of need. Have a beautiful day and Happy New Year!

Prioritizing is so important. I think we inherently all know this. Yet it can get muddled sometimes on which things are truly priorities.

Yesterday I read that getting a dog isn't one big decision; it is in fact thousands of small decisions. It is the decision to take the dog out to go potty, no matter the weather, multiple times a day for the next ten to twelve years (or more). It is the decision to pay for food no matter how big that puppy gets over the course of its life and the vet bills and anything else it needs to have a happy, healthy existence. (Life is Messy by Matthew Kelly)

When talking to a toddler it is important to give them some sense of control. We do this by choices. Do we offer them three dozen choices? No, that would be overwhelming. Perhaps this is why I struggle to choose an outfit in the morning. Sure, I am an adult but we can all get overwhelmed when the choices are seemingly infinite. 

Finding what is important seems to be very connected to being able to decide what we let go. Letting go doesn't have to be so hard though. Many of the things we can let go, someone else may be needing. When a tree dies in the forest, it isn't lost. It is giving back to nourish the rest of the life around it. 

I'm grateful to have plenty of areas where I can clear out. I'm grateful to see how my letting go can be someone else's abundance. I'm grateful to start focusing on what is important and where I can make it clearer to see by letting go. I'm grateful to let go of emotions that are attached to things. I'm grateful to be moving forward on this beautiful journey.

What is important to you? Is there anything in need of letting go? Is there anything you need?

May today help us find what is important. May we get clear on what that looks like and let the rest go. Have a beautiful day!