Are you aware of what’s running your life?

Maybe some deadlines? Responsibilities? Fears?

A lot of us feel like that’s what run our lives…

As if that’s just the way it is…

But there’s another way living…

And it has to do with *choosing* what we allow to guide and run our lives.

It involves letting the old default ways of living fall to the side (after thanking them for being part of our lives of course…

And then welcoming in with open arms the qualities and practices that allow us to thrive and feel empowered on a daily basis.

But we gotta choose them.

It’s not going to happen on its own.

Left to their own devices, our lives will tend to stay the same as they have been — with fear, lack, and avoidance of pain continuing to run the show.

But when we choose…that’s when everything changes.

Below are three self-care practices and qualities that I have consciously chosen to bring into my life.

They allow me to sustain enjoyment of my beautiful life.

And like most self-care practices, these three core practices give way to many other beautiful self-care practices that I am incredibly grateful for.

But without these three, the others would not be born.

They are what my friend Jen Louden might consider part of my Minimum Daily Requirements and I do my best to live with them in my heart, mind, and soul on a daily basis as I move through my life.

As you read through them, consider what yours might be.

Maybe you relate to the ones that I’ve shared. Maybe you’ll realize there’s some other HUGE piece of the picture that you’ve been needing to bring more of into your life and now you see it more clearly…

Here are the ones I’ve found really work for me…

Self-Care Practice #1: Feeling Good:

When I don’t feel good physically or emotionally, things in my life feel much more difficult.

It’s not that they ARE more difficult.

It’s that they seem and feel more difficult.

Why? Because if I don’t feel good, the events that I experience meet a version of me that is weakened and tired and upset. A me who is not resourceful and inspired.

This is why it’s my highest priority to support myself in feeling good physically, emotionally, mentally, an spiritually.

Surprisingly, this was not an easy choice to make.

Initially I had a lot of resistance to feeling good and allowing myself to feel good.

But when I found the willingness to feel good and I finally did make the conscious choice to feel good, it was the domino that tipped over all the other goodness in my life.

Totally amazing.

Self-Care Practice #2: Simplicity:

I used to think that being complicated was something that made me special. Something to wear on my sleeve — but kind of in a hidden way so that I could only reveal it to the people who I thought really mattered.

Not only did my life usually seem complicated to me on the outside, but my internal world was complicated for me also.

I spent a lot of time trying to figure and sort things out, a lot of time living in the past, (makes things very complicated!) and a lot of time dealing with low-grade depression and anxiety. Ooof.

As I made my transition toward happiness, however, and discovered what it took to sustain it, I found there wasn’t room for things that were complicated.

Taking on complicated projects, worrying that things were messed up and confusing, and thinking that I myself was complicated in a way that was inherently impossible to undo…were totally cramping my happiness.

So I made a conscious choice: Complicated was out. Simplicity was in.

And my oh my, how things got better for me and I made that distinction.

Self-Care Practice #3. Surrender:

This one is like the river that the other self-care practices float on.

There are a few pieces to my relationship with surrender:

It involves doing my best (with as much love, focus, and skill as I have available to me in that moment) and then releasing my attachment to the outcome.

That’s the magic part.

Trusting, having faith, watching how I am supported no matter what.

And choosing to be grateful for the outcome I receive as a result of my efforts.

Saying thank you to everything! Everything. Everything. Everything! (Even the things I would have complained about in the past.) Everything means everything

And gratitude toward everything? Well it’s just about the most powerful thing I’ve discovered to date.

The Three That Lead to Glee

Feeling good. Simplicity. Surrender.

The three self-care practices I consciously chose to bring into my life so that it could flow and I could enjoy more of it.

What are some of the qualities you could choose that you know would make it easier for you to enjoy your life?

It doesn’t matter if you know THE three yet…

(Trying to be perfect and get it right the first time and KNOW things is a pretty sure way to stunt our happiness…)

So just start opening your heart and mind to it…

Fill in the blank to get the creative juices flowing:

“If I practiced _____________ more often, I’d probably be happier and/or my life would flow more smoothly, etc.”

Complete the sentence a few times with whatever comes up as you’re thinking about it.

No need to censor. Just list them out…

The more qualities and practices you imagine, the more clarity you can get about what wuld really make the biggest impact in your life if you were to start practicing them.

And no, you don’t have to practice them all at the same time. Even starting with one conscious self-care choice can make a huge difference.

But like I said earlier, we gotta choose it.

It’s not going to happen on its own.

So give yourself a little loving help today…

Leave a comment and let me know what you’re thinking, feeling, and realizing after reading through this…

And let the conscious choosing begin!

Before I tell you how to be happy  (the easy way!) I gotta make sure you know how we wind up unhappy in the first place.

Don’t worry – we’re not taking any long trips back into your psyche or childhood memories.

The main thing to understand is that getting unhappy takes the same amount of effort as getting happy.

“Men are disturbed not by things, but by the views which they take of them. ” -Epictetus

The only reason we are ever unhappy (stressed, bothered, worried, angry) is because of what we THINK about the situation we’re in or the situation we’re observing.

Unhappiness is a result of our thoughts.

That’s it!

Consider this…

How do you think it is that one kid is totally bummed when she gets a C on a test and another kid is ecstatic?

Both kids got C’s on their tests…

One is happy and one is miserable.

Obviously a “C” written on the top of the paper is not the cause of their feelings.

There’s something else affecting whether they feel good or bad.

Yep…it’s the view that the kids took about their respective C’s.

One kid thought it was great. Another thought it was terrible.

The way they thought about their C is what caused their feelings.

Got it?

It’s with this insight that we’ll explore how to be happy – the easy way.

Remember…being unhappy is a result of your thinking.

And…

Being happy is also a result of your thinking.

This is great news!

Since you’re going to be thinking *something* – it may as well be something that you like and that makes you feel good.

We are thinking machines.

That’s what our brains and minds do. They think. Think. Think. And think some more.

Thoughts come in lots of forms:

• Thoughts about the past.
• Thoughts about the present.
• Thoughts about the future.
• Thoughts we don’t like.
• Thoughts we do like.

That means your thoughts are always a combination of those things.

1. Thoughts about the past that we don’t like.
2. Thoughts about the present that we don’t like.
3. Thoughts about the future that we don’t like.

Or we can have:

1. Thoughts about the past we DO like.
2. Thoughts about the present we DO like.
3. Thoughts about the future we DO like.

So here’s where it gets really simple…

If you want to feel good, stop thinking things that make you feel bad.

And start thinking things you enjoy and that make you feel good!

If you don’t like how you feel when you think about what your kids are going to do after they graduate high school, stop thinking about that. (You worrying isn’t helping anything.)

Instead, start thinking about that great meal you had last night that tasted so good, or how grateful you are that your kids are even graduating high school. Start thinking about that great sweater you got on sale, or the funny TV show you’re looking forward to watching later.

If you don’t like looking at the dirty dishes in your kitchen, for crying out loud, stop looking at them..and start looking at something you find beautiful!

There are so many incredible things in the world to look at. You do not need to torture yourself by looking at things you don’t like.

Eventually, when you are feeling better, you can look at the dirty dishes and it will be okay. But for now, stop looking at them.

Focus your attention on your kitty cat, your artwork, your beautiful yard, the birthday card on the fridge, close your eyes and imagine yourself at the beach if that feels good…

This is a matter of focusing your attention on what you DO like instead of what you DON’T like.

It’s a matter of THINKING about what you do like instead of thinking about what you don’t like.

The more you boost yourself up with good feelings by choosing to focus on things you like, the easier doing everything else in your life gets.

Life is easier when you feel good!

When you feel bad, everything else seems difficult…have you noticed?

We get unhappy by focusing on things that we don’t like. By thinking about them over and over and over.

Knowing that this is how our brain works, we can reverse engineer our happiness.

Start focusing on things that you do like. Think about them over and over and over…and watch how you start to feel better.

Making lists like this is a great way to start getting your attention going in a feel-good direction:

I like peaches! I like the ponies next door! I like waking up early! I like sleeping in! I like fresh juice! I like coconuts! I like my pillows! I like flute music! I like my mom! I like my spiral notebooks. I like my new red puffer vest. I like strawberries. I like grapes! I like my car! I like blue skies! I like the chirping birds! I like my prayer flags! I like my Kindle! I like my friends!

Use the comments below and make a list of things you like! Focus your attention like this regularly and magic will happen. Bippity boppity boo!

Thank you to Mama Maple for taking this beautiful photo.

I’m reading The Vortex by Ester & Jerry Hicks. On page 41 they share a 30-minute Energy Alignment Process that I’m starting tonight when I go to sleep:

1. Find things in your immediate vicinity – such as your bed, your linens, your pillow – to direct your attention toward.
2. Set the intention to sleep well and wake up refreshed.
3. When you wake up in the morning, lie in appreciation for at least 5 minutes.
4. Refresh yourself by bathing and eating.
5. Sit for 15 minutes and quiet your mind. Feel your vibration rise.
6. Open your eyes. Write for 10-15 minutes about things you appreciate about your life.

It feels so nice just *thinking* about doing this. Imagine actually doing it!

I’ll be back tomorrow to report on this experience.

Join me if you think it’d feel good!

Where were you on July 6, 2009?

I was sitting at my laptop blogging these 9 things about how I wanted my life to be different in 30 days:

July 6, 2009:
Describe the me that I would like to be in 30 days: I wake up happy and excited to see what the day has in store. I feel so good about putting myself first every morning. I am easily able to discern what is good for me and what is not for me in a particular moment. I understand more about how I work. I am unique and I’m more familiar with me than I am with me in comparison to others. I am vibrant and honest. I feel shiny and sparkly inside. I am clear and confident. I’m proud of being me and love how I’m taking care of me.

I definitely didn’t fit that description 30 days after I wrote it…

But it’s now July 7, 2010…a whole year later…and guess what? They’re all true.

Wish #1 – I wake up happy and excited to see what the day has in store.

More often than not, this is now true for me. I love it! I wake up, plug in the white lights that I hung around the ceiling, then I lay back, smile and think, “I love it here!”

My room is absolutely beautiful and it makes me so happy. It mostly has red, orange, pink, and purple in it. There are green plants; 5 of them. I have a cool frog (Freddie) on my wall. He’s made of metal and he’s 3D and looks like he’s hanging there by his little suction cup feet. There are paper lanterns hanging in one corner. It’s my dream room. And it’s so fun to wake up in.

This has come true.

Wish #2: I feel so good about putting myself first each morning.

Yes I do! I have my little morning rituals – they vary sometimes – but Me Time is always there. Whether I’m walking around the block, meditating, sitting in the sun drinking my fresh juice, journaling, inquiring, singing to myself, or doing sun salutations…the morning is mine. And I feel AWESOME about it.

This has come true.

Wish #3: I am easily able to discern what is good for me and what is not good for me in a particular moment.

I am a chillion times better at this than I was when I originally wrote it. Why? Because I’m trusting myself more. I’m trusting my intuition. Trusting my life. Trusting my path.

There are times, especially when I am thinking of existential things and my mind gets away from me, when I feel lost and have trouble discerning whether I should be sitting or standing (as a dramatic example.) But on the whole, I am good at saying yes and no – which is what this whole thing was about when I wrote it a year ago. To make a decision and feel good about it and trust that it is good. Particularly around activities I get involved with, people I spend time with, and foods that I eat. I am good at it!

This came true.

Wish #4: I understand more about how I work.

Hells yeah. Have you heard of Wealth Dynamics? Seriously changed the way I understood how I should be working. But not only that. I’ve realized that I am not someone who works well with deadlines that involve other people. Nope. Just not for me right now.

I also know that in order for me to enjoy my work, I need to feel like I have a relationship with my projects and the people I’m creating things for. Oh, and on the creating topic – it’s not my strong suit to create things. Partly because of the deadline thing…and the fact that I’ve had some wicked Business Injuries over the last couple of years – some of which I have not yet recovered.

So for sure. I understand more about how I work. And I am loving learning more about me in this area.

This came true.

Wish #5: I am unique and I am more familiar with me than I am with my comparison of me to other people.

(Wow. What an interesting thing to write!)

Truth: I compare myself to others so much less frequently now. It’s almost amazing. I do things in public that I would not have done previously. Things like TALK to people in grocery stores. And make small talk with clerks in shops. I smile. A lot. And I am too busy having fun in my world to spend much time thinking about what others are thinking about me.

It’s so refreshing…it’s like…wow. Really refreshing.

And I really like me. More than I ever have.

This came true.

Wish #6: I am vibrant and honest.

Vibrant. Yes.

Honest. Yes.

Continuing to bring awareness to both. Yes. Especially about being honest with myself about how I’m feeling and not trying to control it or limit the degree to which I feel something. Preventing myself from feeling fully is on of the biggest ways I Upper Limit myself and stop myself from experiencing more joy, success, love, and abundance.

Wish #7 : I feel shiny and sparkly inside.

Oh yes! This had a lot to do with my health and now that I’m so on track with taking care of my insides, I totally do feel fresh and shiny and sparkly. I know that my insides are happy and enjoying the way I’m treating them. And all the good stuff that I’m giving them. And when I went to my brother’s wedding last month all my friends and family said I looked vibrant and healthy too.

This has come true.

Wish #8 – I am clear and confident.

Yes! And with that comes a feeling of maturity. Of independence. Know that I’m totally here for me and willing to do what it takes to take care of myself. I feel good about my choices and I’m confident and trusting that all is well and my life is wonderful. It can’t be otherwise. I’m finally getting this.

This has come true.

Wish #9 -  I am proud of being me and I love how I’m taking care of me.

Oh my gosh. I don’t think I ever expected to feel this proud of myself. To like myself so much and to appreciate the things that I do for myself on a daily basis. I have so much respect for what I do to sustain my life and enjoy it!

A year ago I was wanting to change my life in 30 days. Those initial changes got the ball rolling – now a year later – every one of those desires I had have become true. Super cool.

How would you like to be different in the next 30 days?

And would it be okay with you if they all came true in the next year?

Last time I wrote about how instead of valuing productivity, I now value feeling good.

And because I choose feeling good over productivity, my life is way different.

For one, I feel better more often. (Hi Captain Obvious!)

Another one is that by choosing to feel good, I also regularly meet my COE’s as Jen Louden calls them.

Conditions of Enoughness.

The other day I had a copywriting project to wrap up for someone. It was hanging out in the background of my mind but I just hadn’t made the leap to finalize it. So I went to Panera’s and gave myself a 3 hour time block to get it done in.

With the help of some good tunes and a window to look out of when I needed to daydream a bit, I got it totally finished in 90 minutes and my clients loved the work I did.

So guess what?

I let that be enough for the entire day!

That was all the work I was going to do and that’s all the work I did.

It was so cool.

I didn’t once think about all the stuff I “should be doing” that I wasn’t doing.

Was there stuff I *could* have been doing?

Of course. There always is…and there always will be other things I *could* be doing.

But should?

Not anymore.

Not when I declare what enough is and then lean into that and ride it.

It was totally enough that I completed that project. It was a big deal to finish it.

Totally enough. And because I declared that it was enough, I got to experience other things during my day.

Not knowing where enough is with work.

When I work without knowing what enough is, it’s like overeating.

I don’t listen to the signal to stop – if I even notice the signal at all.

I don’t know when to stop stuffing myself with work.

I don’t know how to feel good about what I’ve already done.

Not knowing what Enough is actually affects me negatively.

Because then I work work work – don’t take care of myself – then wind up in trouble.

What kind of life is that?

Learning how to identify what Enough is in my life may be one of the best lessons I’ve learned all year.

I use it around food. I use it around work. I use it around my body. Around my friendships. It’s amazing.

I’m even getting better at recognizing the Enoughness after the fact if I forget to declare it beforehand.

(Thank you for bringing Enough to life for me, Jen. )

Getting Clear About My Why

I’m the type of person who tends to want to know Why I’m doing things. (Other people need to know How, or What, or Application Possibilities.) Since I know that I’m the Why kind of person, it’s silly to ignore it.

So here’s how I use it: If I want to see something through all the way, I need to make sure I’m clear about Why I’m doing it. If I don’t give that information to myself and allow myself to connect to it, I’m setting myself up to fail. I’m not giving myself the best chance of succeeding. So I gotta be clear about my why.

I need to be clear about WHY I’m doing something. What is it that you need to be clear about before you feel good about doing things?

Another one of my non-anxiety-producing productivity tips is this one:

Putting Down The Stick

Remember the donkey withe carrot and the stick?

When I stop using the stick, it’s all different. I used to use Sticks on myself all the time. That’s how I got myself to do things. Beat myself up. Guilt myself into do it. Put pressure on myself to do things…or ELSE…all this yucky stuff would happen. That’s how I did it for years.

But guess what? I’m not willing to play that game anymore. Obviously it wasn’t working! So what if I got stuff done? It wasn’t fun and I didn’t like myself during it. I wasn’t happy. It made me physically ill. I wasn’t healthy. So that’s clearly not the right approach for me.

When I valued productivity above all else, I needed the stick.

But now, I choose feeling good over productivity . When I choose feeling good, I can’t use the stick anymore. It doesn’t go together. When I choose feeling good, I put the stick down and pick up the carrot and move toward my goals instead of away from my worries and panicky fears.

I used to use the stick but I realized it wasn’t giving me the results I actually wanted. Now I’m switching it up and putting down the stick in favor of the carrot. What’s your relationship with the carrot and the stick?

Making it inevitable.

So how do I help myself move forward without pushing myself and tying myself to my computer for days and days?

I set up conditions that will lovingly, and kindly support me in finishing The Thing.

With my recent Thing, I realized that one of the reasons it’s so hard to finish is that I’m not in communication with anyone about it. I’m not talking to my prospects in this niche. I haven’t been talking about it with my clients. I’ve basically totally abandoned the thoughts that need to be active in order to complete this project.

Now that I see that I’ve been doing this, and I see how the lack of engagement about the topic has been keeping me from being able to work toward completion, I’m setting up a condition that will make it so that I DO get that interaction on the topic of the unfinished project.

I’m creating a group teleclass coaching program so that I can talk with my people about the topic of the book I’m going to finish. That my inevitability.

By creating the class and having people register for it, I’ll have a context for opening up the topic of conversation again – both with the participants – and in my mind. And the people who pre-ordered the yet incomplete book, will get to attend this program for free.

So as I re-immerse myself on the topic of the book within this teleclass coaching program, completing the book will come naturally because I’m thinking about the topic so much more.

Again…it’s one of those duh kind of moments, but if I’m not immersed in the content for the book I want to finish, it’s going to be much harder for me to finish it.

Solution? Make it inevitable that I have some conversation going about the topic of the book. If that’s what I need in order to complete the project, then I’m going to give it to myself. That’s the domino that when it tips, the others will start tipping too. It has nothing to do with fear, shaming, blaming, pressure, or anxiety. And everything to do with being really clear about what I require so that I can give myself the conditions that will help me succeed.

What ingredient is missing in the recipe for you completing The Unfinished Thing? What kind of conditions could you set in place to make it inevitable that you’re set up for more success and have the support you require?

Some people ask me how I’m able to eat the way I eat.

They’re amazed that I don’t cook my food.

And that I don’t feel deprived all the time.

And that I manage to survive without cheese or sugar.

They think it takes will power, so they tell themselves they could never do it.

They think it requires a lot of time, so they tell themselves they could never do it.

But they totally can do it.

If I can do it, anyone can do it.

It comes down to this:

Are you willing to feel good more often?

I know it sounds like a weird question…

But I mean it…

Would it be okay with you if you felt good more often?

Would it be okay with you if you didn’t feel so __insert negative emotion of choice__ ?

Would it be okay if you felt open-hearted, peaceful, hopeful and happy about your life?

Most people would say, “Absolutely! Pass the Happy!”

But what they say and what they do are entirely different things…

The things they do DON’T help them get happier.

And I used to do this same thing.

I said I wanted to feel better. I said things like, “I just want to be happy…” “I want to feel at peace w/my life.”

But then I didn’t act according to that. It was just lip service. My actions didn’t back me up.

I’d go out at lunch and have a bunch of Thai noodles and peanut sauce and fried tofu, oily curry and rice, and then feel full, heavy, and exhausted.

Then I’d have to take a nap for 2 hours because the food made me so tired…

And I’d wake up feeling groggy – never really perking up all the way back up….

Then I’d eat my Thai leftovers and veg out in front of the TV until I went to bed.

Umm HELLO?

That’s not what someone who wants to feel GOOD does.

People who want to feel good don’t eat food that makes them feel bad.

Duh.

They don’t eat food that makes them tired, have a headache, or be unable to concentrate or come crashing down later.

People who want to feel good eat food that helps them feel good…if not better!

(They certainly don’t eat food that makes them feel worse.)

People who want to feel good eat food that gives them energy so they can do whatever they choose to do.

People who want to feel good spend time working through their own drama instead of spending hours watching TV about other people’s dramas.

I said that I wanted to feel good – and I loved the idea of it – but the truth was that I didn’t really want to feel good.

I wasn’t ready yet. That’s why I ate things that made me feel bad.

I just wasn’t ready to feel good yet.

I didn’t think it was okay.

And a really big part of it was that I didn’t think I could feel good.

I was kinda attached and stuck in the place I was at and didn’t get that I actually could feel better.

Now that I know I deserve to feel good, my food choices are easier…

I’m very clear about WHY I eat the way I do.

I eat what I eat because I know it’s going to support me in feeling good and celebrating my life!

My body and my mind feel great because of what I choose to eat.

Check in with yourself:

Did you intentionally choose the way you’re eating?

Or are you eating the way you eat out of default?

Do you know WHY you’re eating the way you’re eating?

Do you know WHY you’re eating the things you’re eating?

What do you base your food choices on? Taste? Texture? Price? Nutrient levels? Calories? Expiration date? Location? Convenience?

Doing that thing I do with my food isn’t even about the food…

It’s just one of many things that have changed in my life as a result of choosing to feel good.

Saying we’re overwhelmed is socially acceptable.

“It’s all so overwhelming.”

“I have so much stuff to do.”

“Ugh. I’m overwhelmed.”

Sounds like a bummer thing to experience…

But nobody really freaks out when you tell them you’re overwhelmed, have you noticed?

You don’t get the same OMG reaction that you’d get if you told them you broke your leg or were covered in poison ivy.

But don’t let people’s ho-hum reaction to your overwhelm convince you that it’s not a big deal.

Overwhelm is a sign of serious neglect.

Self-abuse even.

Think about it…

It can cause heart palpitations, anxiety, sleep troubles, sexual dysfunction, depression, sudden changes in mood, freak out sessions. It impairs judgment and can sabotage your business success.

Feeling overwhelmed sucks. And it hurts.

<Queue the melodramatic doctor’s voice telling you all the side effects to watch out for with those new-fangled prescription meds.>

Overwhelm is a sign of serious neglect.

If we’re feeling overwhelmed, something is seriously off.

There’s more (and bigger!) stuff going on than we’re admitting.

Overwhelm doesn’t happen when there are just a few things going on…

There has to be a big huge thing we’re neglecting – which gives those other little things a place to hang out and bug us.

Overwhelm only happens when something important is being seriously neglected.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed…get honest with yourself.

What’s the Big Thing that you’re neglecting?

It’s not that you have too much to do.

It’s that there’s one Big Thing you haven’t been doing.

Haven’t really stayed connected to my Trip metaphor…

Might be time to look at my relationship with it.

What happened? Why aren’t I having as much fun on my vacation as I was before?

What if nothing happened?

Is it okay for me to be on vacation and not be all crazy in love with it?

Is it okay to be on vacation and feel kind of…meh?

Yes. (I proudly assert to myself.)

And just acknowledging this is actually reconnecting me with the Trip.

Ta-Da!

Friday Rememberings:

Spent the first part of the day in my yard doing my calls and my typing. It was so great. I remember thinking, “Man, I’m so grateful I live in a place where I can do this!” I took pictures of ordinary things with my iPhone and I wore a sarong and my bikini top in the sun.

At night I went to dinner at Taleo Grill in Irvine with a vegan MeetUp group. We met on the patio. At night. It was cold. And I had totally forgotten my jacket.

Well, that’s not actually true.

As soon as I’d driven out of the neighborhood I realized I hadn’t brought my jacket…

But I told myself, “That’s okay. There’ll be heaters on the patio.”

And there were – which was awesome. But I wasn’t totally sitting under them.

There was a lot of laughter. And I paid way too much for a sorry looking spinach salad with no imagination. That really irks me.

Loved being around new people and sharing food together, so I came home and made a MeetUp group of my own where all I do is invite people over for Raw Food Potlucks.

I’m stoked about this!

I scheduled the first one for May 22. It’s a Saturday and we’ll meet from like 3-7 to eat and hang out.

Also on Friday – had a conversation with someone involving misunderstanding and disconnection. I know that can happen sometimes as part of relationships, but it still usually catches me by surprise.

I’ve started getting used to conversations going smoothly and easily. So when there’s a hiccup in one, it really stands out and surprises me now. It catches me off guard and then leads me to react, which can then contribute more to the misundersatnding. The cycle is really getting some momentum at this point.

Saturday:

At like 9:30 a.m. I was on my patio in sweats and a giant hoodie wondering, “Where is the sun!?”

Like really – I was almost taking it personally that the sun wasn’t shining brightly.

Friday I’d been outside in a sarong and my bikini…today, it was Look-Like-The-Michelin-Man weather.

I started feeling sad and frustrated that my day was being ruined by the sun not shining down on me.

(Interesting that I never get mad at the clouds – even though they’re the ones preventing the lack of sunlight in the first place.)

I think it’s safe to say I kind of moped around the house. Wasn’t really talking with my Scooby Friend much. Didn’t open all the windows and blinds like I usually do.

It was just kind of blah…

Then I saw on Chef Ito’s Facebook page that Ani Phyo was giving raw food talk 40 minutes from when I was reading it.

I used that as my reason to get out of the mopey dragging mood and energy I had. I got dressed, grabbed my stuff, and scurried along the highway to get there.

It was JUST what I needed. Like pushing a reset button.

Ani was inspiring and friendly and really knew what she was talking about.

I got my picture taken with her as part of my Good Memory Making focus. Love it!

And I got her to sign a copy of her book about raw food desserts for my sister. (Rose if you’re reading this, pretend you didn’t just read about my surprise for you!)

Fell in love with an amazing Sea Salad from Au Lac that I was so excited to see that I loved.

Some types of seaweed used to give me the heebie jeebies when I ate them.

But today I was saying yum to *all* of the different types of seaweed in my dish. Felt like a moment of growing up.

Plus this was a super creative, huge portion, of delicious nutritious salad and it was only $9.

So take that Taleo Grill! You and your $12 tiny arrangement of spinach, mushrooms, onions, and bell pepper can hang out in someone else’s belly from now on. Not mine. Grr.

(Ummm yes. The price of their salad really bugged me and continues to bug me. Gonna need to tend to this so I can see what’s causing it and give myself some ease and freedom around it. Yes please! Holding onto resentment about a salad is not how I choose to live my life. Doh!)

Sunday:

To say it more accurately this time, there are a lot of clouds in the sky this morning. It’s getting closer toward what they call June Gloom here in Newport. Where the mornings are kind of gray and gloomy because of whatever has been happening at the beach. Like fog and clouds and things like that.

Good opportunity for me to find something else to do in the mornings so that I’m not just sitting around looking at the clouds and feeling like my day can’t begin until the sun comes out. Addicted to sunlight. That’s me. I’d make a terrible bat.

Oh!

Instead of looking out the window at the clouds, I will do my Sun Salutations. My Dance of Shiva. And my Muscle-Making Movements that will get my heart rate up and make my body feel fit and toned.