To My Dear, Sweet Friend

You just started a new chapter of your life and you're adding new adventures to it every day. A new house, new state, new family. Things might seem scary and uncertain at times, but everything is a lesson and everything will turn out the way it should. You'll be fine. I know you will because you are strong, through and through.

Look at everything you're about to experience as some new, uncharted territory to your life that you're discovering. It's up to you which fork in the road you take, how bumpy the road is or how smooth. You have a good head on your shoulders, always have. Remember that.

You have people that love you and are here for you if you need them. Remember that nothing is ever set in stone. On the rough days when you wonder what's next, know that they will pass and move into good days when you will look forward to what's ahead. Likewise, the good days will pass too, but that's only so that you can appreciate them that much more. You would never know happiness without sadness. You would never know light without dark. Learn from all of it and enjoy the lessons.

On the days when you don't know top from bottom remember that everyone's been upside down at one time or another, and that only happens so that we can see things from a new point of view.

In the moments when you doubt yourself  - stop. The head can be confusing but the heart always knows what to do. You will always make the right choice in the end. For you, for your family, for everything. As long as you pay attention to what you know deep down inside you can never go wrong. It's impossible to stray from the path you're meant to be on as long as you believe in yourself and you trust in that belief.

Never let anyone label you as this or that, or anything at all for that matter. You decide who you are and what you are capable of, period. No one can be you but you, so don't let them decide who you should be. They don't have to live your life, you do. Be whatever you want. Be better than what you want. Be more than you even think you can be, because you can. You have it in you to be great. You already are.

Most importantly remember that, although you are miles away, you are right here in all of our hearts. That's the only distance that ever really counts anyway. 

Be strong.

Be brave.

And call me. I mean it.

Love you,

XOXO

Shadows and Secrets

About a year ago I read The Dark Side of the Light Chasers by Debbie Ford. The book is about aligning with the good inside of you as well as the bad and removing the mask you've created to let people see only what you want them to see about you.

The idea is this: You must fully accept yourself, the good parts of who you are (the light) as well as the bad parts of you (the dark), to become a whole person. Trying to push away the dark only makes it grow that much bigger, stronger, and more powerful. It takes over, changes you, turns you into someone you don't recognize even. Embracing it abolishes all of it's power over you. In turn, you have complete power over it, over your whole being.

We tend to forget that every single person has something about themselves they don't like, that they hate even, that they just can't accept. The key here is that every single person has this. It's not just you or me or your neighbor or your third cousin twice removed. All of us are imperfect in one way or another, all of us have secrets, and all of us wish there was something we could change. Truth be told, I got caught up on working on my own dark side and never finished the book, but was fortunate enough to have a class at school that had us practice this theory full on.

One night we had to split a piece of paper in half and on one side, write what we present to the world about ourselves. On the other side we had to write what no one knew about us, our secrets. What happened thereafter will never be forgotten.

We all had to trade our unnamed papers to keep this anonymous and to keep those terrible, dark secrets safe. Now, I must admit, my school is small. I know almost everyone there somehow. Maybe not well, but well enough. That's what I thought anyway. As students would read papers I would try and figure out who had written it. I've always wanted to be a investigator of some kind, or at the very least an extra on Men in Black, so this type of mental sleuthing is quite normal for me on any given day.

That night I heard all kinds of happy, wonderful things being read: Happily married, volunteer, life coach, etc. Then we'd get to the dark stuff and I would almost stop breathing: Cuts myself, unhappy marriage, wants to die, hates everything about myself - on and on like that. I had no clue who fit any of these. None.

We all have secrets. Some big, some small. For me, blogging was always a terrifying notion. Actually, letting anyone know my innermost thoughts was the most horrible idea I could think of. I actually thought I was doing a fantastic job of not letting people get too close or see too much until one day at school a friend told me that I had "serious walls built up". Well, there went my cover. That's the point though.

We think we have it all figured out. We think we have done an excellent job letting everyone see only the best in us when in reality they see, or at least sense, that there is more to us. That something lies under the surface. We think our mask is on so tight that no shadows can escape, when in all actuality it never fit right in the first place. All along light was breaking in while shadows were creeping out, revealing our true nature.


Secrets are everywhere. Whispered in the hall, cried in silent tears, shared over cups of coffee. In some cases they're even published. The Post Secret books all started with a dream, literally, of words written on post cards. The dream eventually took flight and post cards were left all over the place inviting people to share their deepest, darkest, and even funniest secrets - anonymously. Much like with those who read Debbie Ford's book, those that sent in post cards found relief in releasing what they were holding on to.

I realized that evening in class that no secret is worth destroying yourself over and no self perceived darkness is worth any of the torture. How bad can anyone really be if all of us have a dark side as well as a light side? If we all have these secrets and face them, let them be known, we wouldn't have to have secrets anymore at all. They wouldn't grow and build up and take over our lives.

Never have we lived in an age where being yourself  is harder and easier all at the same time. Harder in the sense that even just realizing who you are is a lot of work, especially if you've tried so hard not to be yourself. Easier in the sense that more people are open minded, and open hearted, to change and differences. In fact, I just returned from a trip to Ireland where on an ad for the local newspaper a titled jumped out at me which read, "Before you make up your mind, open it." Beautifully said.

Now is the time to be open, completely and fully 100% you, whoever you may be. Now is the time to embrace your dark side and release your secrets and in doing so, embrace and release yourself. All it takes is one step forward or possibly just one post card.


What do you think about releasing your secrets? 
Twitter

Related Posts
Fat America
Breaking Free From The Broken Record
To Be The Best

He Giveth More Grace

I recently found this when I was going through some of my gramma's things.  I thought it was really lovely and helpful, especially in hard times.

He giveth more grace as our burdens grow greater,
He sendeth more strength as our labors increase;
To added afflictions He addeth His mercy,
To multiplied trials he multiplies peace.

When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources
Our Father’s full giving is only begun.

His love has no limits, His grace has no measure,
His power no boundary known unto men;
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus
He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.

- Annie Flint

India- Part 4: The Taj and the Train

Since I'm going to have a new adventure very soon, and since I have plenty of old adventures to fill you in on, I thought it was time to "git r' dun". I mean, sheesh, took me long enough.

It was a cool, but very sunny Thursday morning. Me and my roomie had gotten up early to get some breakfast before our group headed out to see the grandest of grand things, the Taj Mahal. The beauty of going to see the sunrise over the Taj is not only in the obvious awesomeness of it, but in the fact that there was no line to wait in. We walked right in and right up the the big, beautiful building.

Photo Credit: Melia Metikos 2011

It was foggy out but that was probably one of my favorite parts of the morning. The quiet, stillness in the air as the sun rose. The eerie, yet loveliness of the Taj rising up out of the mist. Eventually we were rewarded with the sun clearing the fog and revealing the twinkle and glow of all the jewels embedded in the architectural masterpiece. While touring around, Raj told us that there was supposed to have been a black Taj Mahal directly across the river from the white one.  The white one had been built for the emperors wife based off of a dream she had one night of a majestic building. The black one was to be built for the emperor himself. The sandstone had already been laid there for the second one, but the son of the emperor thought his father had spent too much money and had him imprisoned. Now when you look across the river you have to imagine the dark copy layered over the sandstone, the only clue to it's long ago almost presence.

Before we left the Taj we took about one million and nine pictures, one of which was us all posing in the  Captain Morgan stance. Yes, we were those tourists. When I got home and looked through my pictures I found that a stranger had taken it upon himself to also do the post directly behind us. Hilarious! We then took off to go exploring around town a little more before we had to hit the road for our next adventure. 

We went to a place where they make statues out of marble, all hand made and very delicate.  We then went to Agra Fort where we got a little lesson on the Swastika. This whole time I had seen it as a bad sign, a horrible thing that symbolized an even more horrible event in time. Turns out the Swastika is an age old symbol used by many cultures and that - get this - it is actually a good, happy symbol for prosperity, good fortune, and protection. The word itself stands for "well-being".  Turns out Hitler liked it, took it and made it his own, tilting it to the side slightly so that the he could claim it for his own meaning. The things you learn when you travel!

While at the fort I became very famous with the locals. As mentioned in my India: Part 3 post, a little Indian girl had asked to stop and take a picture with me, which I thought was adorable. Well here at the Agra Fort a little boy's dad approached me and asked if I would pose with him. Of course I said yes, I mean how cute is that? Then, however, a line started to form. Now, when I say a line I don't mean like a little group of people who are watching. No, no. I mean a line of families, 20 people deep at least, all ready to go to take picture with me. At first I was confused, trying to figure out who the heck I looked like that would cause all these people to want a picture with me. Then I saw Raj laughing at me in the corner, which further confused and frustrated me. At one point I started to feel a little bit awkward as the line kept growing along with my new found popularity. I finally broke free, because our tour had to move on, and demanded that Raj tell me what the heck was so darn funny.

Turns out all of those people wanting to take my picture live out in the countryside where they most likely have never seen a white person. Not ever, so seeing one is a very rare and unusual occurrence. The way I dress and my light hair and eyes, all of it so foreign to their everyday life. I'm just as fascinated with them, all their beautiful bright clothes and heck, I'm taking pictures too, so why not let them do the same? It was actually quite flattering once I knew what was going on. I'm probably in someones photo album, just like they're in mine.

New Friends

Before we left town we saw the tomb of Itmad-ud-dullah, also know as the Baby Taj, as it looks just like the big one. Truth be told, this was one of my favorite stops of the whole trip. The tomb is beautiful and there's no one there, so you get it all to yourself. The grounds are big and open and in the far off corner there's a tower you can climb (not sure if you're supposed to but, uh, I did) where you get amazing views. I loved every second of it. 

On our way out of town, heading for the train station that would take us to Varanasi, we saw a group of people meditating in a field in the middle of nowhere. It. Was. Awesome. Just out in this grassy field, forming a circle, lead by who I assume was a guru of some kind on a stage (yes, a stage in the middle of nowhere). That night we stopped for dinner at an amazing little mom and pop type restaurant before we headed off to the Train Station of Terror.

I say this because of all the things we did, nothing was scary or uncomfortable until this point. First of all, it was almost midnight when our train was set to leave. Second, the train was running about 2 hours late due to the fog. Third, the train station was an open, outdoor place where people were nestled up sleeping along with the dozens of rats that infested the place. Plus, the restrooms were open, no ceiling, which meant the second floor of the train station could see straight down into the restrooms, so me and my bladder were out of luck. Now, all of that I can handle pretty well during the day, but something about having to deal with it in winter at night made it all so very unbearable. To top it off, this would also be the place I got stared at more than anywhere else. 

Earlier in the trip I had started to realize that I stood out a lot as a tourist and I didn't want to do that. Everyone there was so nice, but also a little wary of me, so I wanted them to know I appreciated them, their culture, and everything that I was experiencing. Instead of us just staring oddly at each other I would catch their eye first (on purpose), smile and nod, and see what they did. Almost every single time they smiled back and waved at me. It was an ice breaker of some kind and it worked. I did try Namaste-ing everyone, but the nod was much more effective when I didn't have much time to make an impact.

I had become accustomed to being looked at and wasn't offended or taken back by it at all at this point. I knew to expect it even. All my nodding worked like a charm the entire time up until this point. Again, maybe because it was nighttime, but no one seemed to want to nod or smile back. They just wanted to stare and it became uncomfortable to the point where I think Raj was even a little worried. Eventually everyone in our group kind of huddled around me and the suitcases, maybe for warmth, but more likely to break the stares. Around 1am a couple from Europe walked up and suddenly things seemed better. They were friendly, talkative, and managed to break the ice with everyone around us. All was well, for the time anyway.

The train didn't show up until 2am. We had been sitting outside with rats and cold weather for three hours. The original itinerary was for us to sleep away the night and wake up refreshed in a new city. Things clearly weren't going as planned. Plus, the train ride was the one thing I had been warned about over and over and over again by books and friends who had lived in India or travelled there. Women are not exactly safe on the train, not alone, and pickpockets abound there. 

Once the train arrived we all found our bunks, conveniently and unconvieniently located right by the entrance. I had the top bunk, Raj had the lower one, Mary and Tony had the one next to us and Sunita was a little bit down the aisle, but not far. Each bunk came with a pillow, sheets and a curtain that was to close around you giving you privacy. My bunk only had 1/3 of the portion of the curtain that it was supposed to have. I decided my head was the most important part to cover since it kept the light out and of course hid me in a way, so my midsection and lower half were in plain sight. Mind you, we were in first class. Plus, it was a tiny little bunk, and I'm fairly short, so tiny for me means it was really, really little. I attempted sleep, but after about an hour or so I woke up and had to pee. Of course.

You see, I have the worlds tiniest bladder. I am certain of this. I do drink a lot of water, but when I travel I plan things like this out better since I never know what my day holds. Regardless, it was about 3:30am or so and I had to pee like a pony. I was a little scared. We were right by the front door and the train kept stopping what seemed like every 15 minutes. A group of locals were talking and playing cards right outside my 1/3 curtain area. Of course during this particular time all of the "beware of being alone on the train" stories filled my head. I peeked out and realized that the bathroom was all the way down at the other end of the train. Hmm. Even though Raj was under my bunk and I could have woken him up, there was no way I would do that to the poor guy. But I was scared, especially after the staring contest at the train station earlier. I decided that I needed to appear badass so no one would mess with me, and this is what I came up with...

I'm on the top bunk which requires a little ladder to climb. I could either climb down OR I could jump down all martial arts like, elegant like a cat, and (in my mind) appear awesomely well equipped with self defense skills. I do have a purple belt in Kenpo, but that purple belt is from high school. I still like to think those were some good life skills that I attained and I do, admittedly, work out to Tae Bo sometimes just to get my speed bagger and roundhouse kicks in order. I'm pretty certain I have mad skillz, fo sho. OK, maybe not.

Anyway, I pushed my curtain aside, poised myself just right, and leapt. I actually landed just like I had planned and looked over my shoulder at the group of strangers with a look that said, "That's right. I got moves. Do not even think about messing with me." I then stood up and proceeded to the bathroom, the most awkward bathroom in the world with a window, mind you, with no curtain. Apparently whoever stole my curtain pieces took this one too. Also, one could not tell if this was a one way or two way window and we were of course at a stop at the particular time I chose to use the restroom. Lucky me.

I went back, decided I was never going to sleep, and whipped out my Nook. This was probably the smartest purchase I had bought for this trip. It literally saved me that night. I read, I kid you not, four or five Nook books on that eight hour get-your-rest turned thirteen hour wide-awake train ride. I also had to pee two more times that night and with each time I tried to do my kung fu leap down to the ground. Unfortunately, each leap looked less and less awesome, and by the last one I was looking like a fool. I totally biffed it and gave up all hope of looking badass. Instead I just went about my way praying I had fooled them good that first time. Several hours later we finally arrived at our destination super, super late and also kind of smelly.

Related Posts
India Part 3: Jaipur and Agra
India Part 2: Delhi
India Part 1: The People You Meet

Baked Coconut Lentils

I saw this on the Whole Foods website just the other day and thought it looked fantastic. This is an excellent "Meatless Monday" type of meal, if you're looking for a protein replacement or if you just want to try something new

An Indian-inspired version of baked beans in which dates, coconut and spices give a rich and hearty flavor that intensifies during baking.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon 365 Everyday Value® Organic Coconut Oil 
1 yellow onion, chopped 
1 teaspoon ground ginger 
1/2 teaspoon 365 Everyday Value® Organic Turmeric 
1 pound 365 Everyday Value® Organic Lentils (about 2 1/4 cups) 
1 cup pitted dates, chopped 
2 teaspoons gluten-free reduced-sodium tamari soy sauce 
1/2 cup shredded coconut 

Method

In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened and beginning to brown, about 8 minutes. Stir in ginger and turmeric and cook 1 minute. Add 6 cups water, lentils and dates and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350°F. Stir in tamari and transfer lentils to a 2-quart baking dish or casserole. Cover and bake 30 minutes, then uncover, top with coconut and bake 15 to 20 minutes longer or until lentils are tender and coconut is golden.

Serves 8

Decisions, Decisions!

I saw this blog (about another article) online the other day and while I was reading it I had one of those "a-ha!" moments. You know, where everything just clicks and you know it all makes sense. I am the worst of the worst decision makers and now I don't feel quite so badly about that. Now it all makes more sense and I can see exactly what this gentleman, John Tierney, is saying.

Here is an excerpt from the blog. Follow the links below if you'd like to learn more. Fascinating research if you ask me and just too good not to share.

“Good decision making is not a trait of the person, in the sense that it’s always there,” Baumeister says. “It’s a state that fluctuates.” His studies show that people with the best self-control are the ones who structure their lives so as to conserve willpower. They don’t schedule endless back-to-back meetings. They avoid temptations like all-you-can-eat buffets, and they establish habits that eliminate the mental effort of making choices. Instead of deciding every morning whether or not to force themselves to exercise, they set up regular appointments to work out with a friend. Instead of counting on willpower to remain robust all day, they conserve it so that it’s available for emergencies and important decisions.


Decision fatigue and workout planning

NY Times Article

Thoughts? 
Twitter

Flourless Quinoa Chocolate Cake & Cupcakes

Brand new recipe from my teacher, and gluten free genius Chef, Rachel Albert. This is taken directly off her site (link below for your use as well).

The Healthy Cooking Coach



Photo Credit: Rachel Albert

Flourless Quinoa Chocolate Cake & and Cupcakes

Prep: 30 minutes      Cooking: 22 to 45 minutes    Yield: 2 (9-inch) rounds or 18 to 20 cupcakes
 
This recipe for Moist Chocolate Cake comes from the book Quinoa 365: The Everyday Superfood by Patricia Green and Carolyn Hemming (Whitecap Press, 2010). I converted the sugar in the original recipe to palm sugar. I added the variation for using honey as well as for other fat and oil sources and the soaking option. I also added the frosting, which I think makes the cake. It makes great cupcakes! My 9 year old and 2 year old neighbors and cooking students love these.

Note: The recipe I found on line called for cooking 2/3 cup quinoa in 2 cups of water. The original recipe in the quinoa cookbook called for 1 1/3 cups water, which I only recently discovered. If you opt to cook the quinoa in the smaller amount of water, reduce the cooking time to 10 minutes.

FYI: It looks like a lot of steps (below), but the recipe is actually easy to assemble. My rinsing and soaking suggestions add a couple of steps but I think they are worth doing.

Ingredients:
2/3 cup uncooked white or golden quinoa, uncooked
2 cups water

1/3 cup milk or unsweetened nut milk; omit if using honey
4 large eggs or 6 small to medium-size eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup butter, melted and cooled or substitute non-hydrogenated palm shortening or avocado oil
1 1/2 cups coconut palm sugar or see honey variation below (my alternations of her recipe)
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoon non-aluminum baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon finely ground unrefined sea salt (Redmond Real Salt or Celtic Sea Salt)

1. Place the quinoa in a bowl. Add water to cover it then swish it around and pick up a handful of grain at a time, rubbing it between your palms. Repeat several times, then pour the quinoa through a fine mesh strainer and rinse it until the water runs clear.
2. Combine the quinoa with 2 cups of water (for cooking). If possible, leave the quinoa to soak, uncovered, at room temperature for 2 to 8 hours or overnight.
3. To cook, bring the soaked or unsoaked quinoa and water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Cover, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook for 15 minutes (reduce to 10 minutes if using 2/3 cup quinoa and 1 1/3 cups water above). Turn off the heat and leave the covered saucepan on the burner for another 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and allow the quinoa to cool.
4. Melt the butter (or other fat or oil) and allow to cool unless you’ve had it sitting at room temp for several hours and it feels soft.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease two 8-inch round or square cake pans (see variations below for cupcakes). Line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper and grease again.
6. Combine the milk, eggs and vanilla in a blender or food processor. Add 2 cups of cooked quinoa and the butter (or other fat or oil) and continue to blend until smooth and creamy, like pudding, with no discernible grains of quinoa. You’ll need to stop the blender and scrape the sides several times. If using honey in place of sugar, add it to the blender or food processor now and blend again.
7. Combine the sugar (if using), cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Add the contents of the blender or food processor and mix well, stopping to scrape the sides with a spatula.
8. Divide the batter between the two prepared pans and bake on the center rack of the oven for 40 to 45 minutes (until a knife or skewer inserted comes out clean).  Remove cakes from oven and cool completely in the pans before removing and serving.  You could make a two layer cake with frosting or just serve each cake as is.

Variation:

• To use honey in place of sugar: Omit the sugar. Add 3/4 cup honey + 1/2 teaspoon pure stevia extract powder or clear stevia extract liquid and omit the milk, and then reduce the baking powder to 1 teaspoon, and increase the baking soda to 1 teaspoon.
• Flourless Quinoa Chocolate Cupcakes: Pour batter into 18 to 20 well oiled or paper-lined muffin tins and bake for approximately 20 to 24 minutes or until cupcakes test done with a toothpick.

Recipe modified from the book Quinoa 365: The Everyday Superfood by Patricia Green and Carolyn Hemming (Whitecap Press, 2010).

Healthy Chocolate Buttercream Frosting 

Prep: 15 to 20 minutes    Yield: enough to frost two 8- to 9-inch layer cakes

This is a variation on a recipe Lauren Benning posted on her blog, HealthyIndulgences. I changed the sweetener and the milk.

Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened or 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons non-hydrogenated palm shortening (I use Spectrum or Tropical Traditions palm shortening)
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons palm sugar, or slightly more as/if needed
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1/4 cup unsweetened plain or vanilla almond milk or unsweetened canned or aseptic coconut milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon finely ground, unrefined sea salt (I use Redmond Real Salt or Celtic Sea Salt)
1/4 teaspoon pure stevia extract liquid (plain or vanilla flavored); double if desired

1. Cream the butter or palm shortening in a small bowl until fluffy.
2. Powder the palm sugar in a coffee grinder or Magic Bullet for a minute or two, until extremely fine in texture (reminiscent of powdered sugar). Let sweetener settle in grinder before opening the top, then pour out and measure what you need.
3. Stir powdered sweetener into butter/shortening with a spatula, then beat until smooth.
4. Slowly blend in the cocoa powder (unless you want to redecorate your kitchen), vanilla, and sea salt. Beat in the milk. Add stevia, starting with 1/8 teaspoon. You'll probably use less than 1/2 teaspoon. Just keep tasting and adjusting the sweetness to your liking.
5. Frost cake and serve or cover. Refrigerate any unused frosting and allow it to come to room temperature and soften before using.
6. Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 1 month

Dalai Lama Knows Best

I saw this on We Heart It today and thought it was pretty accurate and eye opening. 

Go out and live!

Repeat After Me

I made this list a long time ago as a reminder of what's important to me, what I need to do to get where I want, and to be the best me I can. If you've never made one, give it a try. Make it yours. List all the things you need to do just for you. Then keep reading it until you achieve them.

I will wear more colors. Black does go with everything, but I don't need to channel Johnny Cash all the time.

I will quit being wishy-washy and indecisive. I will make a decision, stick with it, and realize that I really don’t have any control over what is meant to happen in life anyway.

I will honor myself and trust my intuition.

I will speak the truth as I see it and not worry about what others will think of me.

I will learn to relax and play more.

I will get more sleep! The movie/dishes/dog/laundry/email can wait. I will realize I have time and that there is a never ending supply of tomorrows.

I will realize that my list of to-do’s is simply a list. Not a report card on how well I did that day.

I will set aside time for myself. I will have “me dates” to eat, nap, read a book, drive in my car singing to myself or do whatever it is I want to do just for me and by myself.

I will make it a priority to write. To work towards my goals and my dreams. To not be afraid of what may or may not happen and to just try.

I will keep promises, large and small, that I have made to myself: To travel the world and live in its corners so I can better understand the people, their culture, their language and lifestyles. To one day eat chocolate covered grasshoppers just because I’m curious. To go to school and study anything and everything. To try new things at restaurants and not always order the same thing just because I know I will like it. To have more fun in life.

I will remember that I am never too old to do any of the things I want to do in life.

I will work towards crossing off everything on my bucket list.

I will stop beating myself up for not being whatever it is I think I’m supposed to be at that particular moment.

I will re-read this often as a reminder of the commitment I have made to myself and the things I need to work on to get there.

What do you want to work on? Make a list. Make it yours!


Related Posts
Breaking Free From the Broken Record
Have a Little Faith
No Regrets

I Love You, Loved You, Always Will

Today I weep, I weep for you,

I weep for things that won't come true.

I weep for what was had, now lost,

I weep because this is the cost.

I loved you then, I love you now,

I'll love you until there's no sound.

I'll love you 'til the earth is still.

I love you, loved you, always will.



Always will, gramma. Always will.

Related Post
Paradise Found