SELF ACCEPTANCE PART 1

I had to laugh during a recent visit with my 83-year old aunt whom I hadn't seen in over a year. With the innocence of a child, she blurted out, You got fat! 

I reflected back to the writing of my now published, third book, A Year in a Suitcase. As I read back in my journals I had written about my astonishment to the fact that my weight had risen to new heights! During this time, I weighed more than when I delivered any one of my four children! Really? How could that be? How could I have let that happen…. to me?

Like many women, I had been weight conscious and even athletic in my younger years. It wasn’t until my life began to shift in a direction that I was unfamiliar with and all I could do, literally, was to remind myself to wake up and breathe through each moment. I didn’t care about anything else. I couldn’t care about anything else! When I finally began to emerge from The Dark Night of the Soul… I was in disbelief. Was this really my body? Oh how it had changed. I became a bit more aware and conscious of what I was putting in my mouth but I still wasn’t motivated to do much else about it.

While away on a trip, a book caught my attention. It was taken of brave women showing their tastefully exposed naked bodies. The title…. This is Who I Am…. I instantly knew that I would like to make a book titled…. This is My Body…. it is NOT Who I am!

My aunt had given me a gift, an opportunity to take another look at accepting myself exactly how I am. Can I love me… every inch of me without judgment? Can I be in choice? Can I consciously decide what I put into my mouth and enjoy it without guilt? Can I enjoy what I choose to put into my mouth without making excuses or punishing myself at a later date using the excuse, I ate/drank too much. When I get home… I have to fast/run…whatever punishment seems appropriate!

Certainly I want to be as healthy and look as good as possible. However, it seems as important to accept, love and make peace with me… exactly how I am. 

YOUR LIFE: A MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR

Recently, I drove 10,000 miles in 1 month in my little Sentra. I had an outline of where I was going, but let God/The Universe support my desires as they surfaced. 

I started near the Mexican border, headed west to So Cal; drove up to Oakland and then Grass Valley, where I picked up a friend. We headed east to New Hampshire, where I dropped her off and continued to Toronto, Canada, where I picked up my friend from Ireland. He and I continued on to Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec City. I had previously decided that I needed to go to Nova Scotia, with no idea why. One morning on the TV someone was being interviewed and said that he went to Halifax, Nova Scotia twice a year. So we headed east and found an Irish Pub where we discovered there was a car ferry to Portland, Maine. We continued on to Niagara Falls and the journey eventually took me through Canada and down through Upper Peninsula, Michigan and down through Wisconsin where we attended an Indian Pow Wow for July 4th. We continued south through Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico and ended up in Arizona. 

A Magical Mystery Tour; that is our life! We are the co-creators/bus drivers of our life and we get to decide how we want it to look and where we want to go. This first step is simply to  

Get Clear with your desires. What will you create? What brings you joy? What makes you smile?  Don't make excuses or block the flow of energy because you can't understand how it could possibly happen. 

Then, set back, let go and trust… You can't make a mistake! There are no wrong turns. Whichever road you choose will lead you to adventure and growth.

Get Clear… Be Clear with your intention…. write it down… and watch the Magic Happen!!! 

Happy Creating! 

HOLIDAY STRESS?

Doing too much for the holiday season? Others expecting too much from you? The real question is… are you expecting too much from yourself?

Is your list endless of "to do's" that are really all about the stories you're telling yourself. "I have to clean before I leave. I have to change the oil in the car. I have to… I have to…

STOP! Who says you do? Where are those little voices coming from? Are they telling you that you're not good enough if you don't?

Take a look again and see if you can eliminate something. Try doing only the things that bring you joy! Try to eliminate anything that you use the word "should' before. Is there something that you can ask for help with? Will you ask? Will you accept it the way they do it without having to have it done your way?

Can you relax? Can you breathe?  Try to not think of the holidays as a destination but a journey. Be in the moment with each adventure and enjoy the things that you say YES to!