Thursday, January 31, 2013

Rise and Create!

Who says you have to start your day with the same routine morning after morning?

Coffee.... Paper.... Run off to work....

Try something different. I'm certain it will give you an extra boost :)

Yesterday I pulled out a few paints and started a little project. It was only 5 minutes or so of painting but it was such a sweet way to start my day.

Thought I would share some morning inspiration! Happy Thursday friends!

BPositive and BFree!

Love,
B

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Replenish Your Pool

It's amazing how the culmination of a week or even a day can leave us dazed and confused. What happened? How did my emotions go from happy and peaceful to irritable and frustrated in such a short period of time?

It's usually not one thing but a myriad of events that bring us to our "breaking points." This is where I usually analyze, compartmentalize, write, talk, and pray.

And from all that there are often very simple things that bring me back to even grounds.

-taking one hour to myself in the morning to drink tea, read, write, listed to music, or watch a TV show

-take time for myself after work to run or read or shop or cook

-do a project for my house on my sewing machine or knit something for myself

The key is to do something for YOU. Whether we are mothers, wives, husbands, providers, sisters, brothers, or someone's best friend, we spend a lot of our day doing things for other people. The beauty in the world is because of this. But we must refill our pools and find love for ourselves when we're tired and stressed. It's no ones job but our own to give ourselves what we truly need. And sometimes that is just a little time.

This morning, feeling as though I needed a week to recuperate from my last few days I'm surprisingly refreshed and alive. Simply because I let myself enjoy tea and my journal and a little blog time.

Now I'm ready to go and take on this chilly Pensacola morning and all that it holds!

What will you do for YOU today? Refill your pool!

BPositive and BFree!

Love,
B





Sunday, January 13, 2013

Tunnel Vision

I started a new job this past week. Every day had constant work, fast pace schedules, and influxes of new information. I was traveling down the the work tunnel.

At the same time I found this tunnel to be a distraction. It occurred to me just how distracted I had been when I was falling apart at the drop of a hat and shouting at my poor husband A for absolutely nothing that he had inflicted.

Mid freak out I had no idea what my problem was. I had a great week. I was happy to be settling back into the swing of things. I've been catching up with friends and learning my new job.

It turns out that my focused energy on work and orderly life was really just a distraction from dealing with my emotions. Feelings about being home and then leaving again. Feelings about this next phase in my life and in my marriage. Feelings about distance between me and all these people I love. Feelings about my purpose here and how I'm meant to have an impact.

All and all the freak out was welcome and necessary. I know I can't ignore these feelings. I have to find balance in doing my work in a focused fashion without tunneling into a falsely perfect life. Life is not perfect and tunnel vision is only a distraction from what's really going on.

This weeks focus will be about balance and about embracing all the truths that come with this crazy life.

Have a great start to your week! How will you create balance?

Sunday, January 6, 2013

Cherish and Be Cherished

Happy 2013 my friends. Words are pouring from my pen today. Having spent 14 beautiful days with my family and friends I am fulfilled and yet sad to be so very far away yet again. I'm moved to laugh and cry and I'm not sure which is stronger. What I do know is that I am truly feeling today. Not ignoring, hiding or over overcompensating in my actions. I am sitting here, alive and vulnerable and at the mercy of my thoughts and feelings. There's no question that there are terrifying aspects to these actions. Who would have thought it to be so frightening to sit with our thoughts and not succumb to distractions?

I decided to make a list. What would I like this year to bring?

I have everything on my list from "staying connected with my family" to "growing in my professional life" to "dancing and singing more freely and frequently." My list ended surprisingly with "being cherished" subsequent to "cherishing my relationships." As I thought about the people in my life that I love so very much it felt natural to focus on cherishing them through words and actions. To my surprise I became aware of my emotional stubbornness. There is so much love in my life that I often have difficulty receiving. I've built sound structures to avoid the hurt of distance and dissonance, a disservice to myself and others. It's a two way street this thing called love and if we want to truly cherish one another we must be cherished ourselves.

So this year among many other things I plan to cherish and be cherished. I hope you can do the same.

BPositive and BCherished (and happy new year!)

Love,
B