The other night I attended a relaxing and insightful meditation session. The space was calming and inviting – starting with the mint tea and a soft fragrance and music in the background. Exactly what I needed.  During the session, the young woman leading us asked about what did we need right now?  And loud and clear a voice in my head said ‘Ice Cream! A Milk Shake!” I had to laugh to myself – it wasn’t a deep mystical need, but something soothing and yummy that made me smile.  Perhaps it was a message to be more carefree – to be more like my younger self.

After the session ended I was very relaxed and mentioned the need for ice cream. One of the other participants said there was a little ice cream shop just one block away and she was walking in that direction. Ah – manifesting – I love it!  – ask and you shall receive!  We strolled along, chatted and she introduced me to the owner who happily scooped out a cone of butter pecan – I hungrily grabbed the cone and started to enjoy it –  creamy, dense, buttery with just the right amount of pecans.  (I opted not to have the chocolate milkshake I was thinking about so late at night – all that sugar would surely kick in around 1 am so I chose sleep over chocolate.) I wanted to finish my cone by the ocean and decided to drive a short distance to the beach and it was only then that I noticed the paper cover – it said JOY!  I had to laugh and think yes, just like in my book, Joy is all around us if we just look and pay attention.  It was right there in my hand but I didn’t notice it until almost the end.

Today is a great time to look for the joy in your life – it is right there for you, too.

On my early morning walks, no matter where I am, I allow my brain to be quiet and focus on what is in front of me. One of the most fascinating things about nature is that there are so many lessons for us – if we just look more closely.

There are patterns to observe – I have been seeing so many pelicans and noticed that they have an order they follow, which we can learn from so beautifully. The pelicans sit, watch, glide, dive for food, and rest. They work and soar and pause.

We tend to have our attention mostly on the work in front of us and not so much on the soaring. Our eyes are usually down on our phones and computers and other devices and I know that we miss so much when we have this narrow focus.

When we allow our spirit to rise above, we get a whole new perspective. Just as the pelican sees so much more clearly from above what they are seeking, so can we. Give yourself a break from the usual unrelenting tasks. Set a timer every hour to stand up, look around, go outside and look at the sky or trees or people going about their day. Breathe in something new. You will have a few moments of rest and maybe even you will receive new ideas and clarity, or just a much needed rest so that these pauses create even a little bit of soaring for your soul.

When we allow our spirit to rise above, we get a whole new perspective.

The theme of balance is coming up and I’m enjoying the playfulness that springs from this. There are two days of the year when day and night are equal and balanced. On March 20 at 5:24 pm EDT, we get to celebrate the return of more sunlight and increasingly warmer days in the Northern Hemisphere, after a long cold, snowy and rainy winter for many people.  The photo above is the cherry blossom tree in my yard, and I look forward to it blooming every year. It really makes me, and anyone walking by, really smile.

One of the things I love about any kind of holiday or calendar event is the silly things that we can do like balancing an egg on its’ end (word is you can do this 365 days out of the year), and even balancing a broom (just heard of that one – but a new broom apparently works better than an old one!). People get together and eat scrambled eggs in Bosnia, and in England, they throw wheels of Gloucester cheese down a hill and then people throw themselves after it.

The spring equinox is a perfect time to reflect on the balance of life and have some fun. Here are two tips to bring balance into your everyday.

It’s about feeling centered and light- you know inside when you are. Notice when you feel peaceful and what types of things you are doing to bring in these good feelings. Do more of them! On a phone call the other day a dear friend told me to give my ‘playful self’ permission to come out and play more. You don’t need to throw cheese but find something fun and lighten up.

Take time to notice perhaps the ‘dark’ side of your feelings as well. What makes you gloomy or crabby or short-tempered or jealous? Make a conscious decision to do less/none of those and refer to point # 1 and play more.

As we transition from the darkness of winter to the light and brightness of spring, we are reminded that it’s good to seek balance in our lives. We may not need to balance an egg on its end everyday – but we can balance ourselves just by noticing and making better conscious decisions.

And who can’t use a little extra sunshine and lightness in your step today?

 

Celebrate International Women’s Day March 8^th – Not Only for What We Do, but for Who We Are

This year, International Women’s Day is on March 8th. This day celebrates women all around the world not only for our achievements in the areas of science, the visual and performing arts, the economy, space travel, the culinary arts, fashion, technology, medicine, manufacturing, business, medicine, teaching, farming, government, taking care of families, being mothers, and in society as a whole. But also, we celebrate women for our strength and our true essence.  It doesn’t matter if we are famous or powerful or a super achiever.  What matters is that we live each day with love for ourselves and others so that we can be the very best we can be.

Make a point to recognize every woman that we meet, regardless of who they are or what they do. Let’s start now by honoring women not only for the things they do for others, but also for who they are as a being.

The theme this year is to Embrace Equity – where we get to stand up against inequity, for inclusion, so that when we do live our lives accepting others, with love, that is when we get to live our lives to the fullest.  And that is when both we, and others, can thrive.

The only thing better than one smart, funny, thoughtful, and powerful woman is more than one together.  Remember no one needs to be alone – there is so much support a, kindness and love around – all we need to do is ask.

Here’s to the women who are changing the world, not just for themselves but for anyone and everyone who wants to live a better life. Happy International Women’s Day! We all contribute to making the world a better place by reaching out and being open – one conversation at a time, one hug at a time, one smile at a time.  This is a perfect time to reflect on how much further we can go in achieving equality and opportunity and for giving more joy for all women around the world.

This year Embrace Equity – where we get to stand up against inequity, for inclusion.