It's crazy out there! 

That seems to be the theme of 90% of the news these days. The more I want to offer my "look on the bright side" mentality, the more people want to shut me down.  I often try and explain that I can't help my thoughts, it is just one of those personality quirks. To me, the glass is always half full and I always try and find the good amongst the "crapola."

The key is to allow peace into your life again.  If we don't take the time to mentally recharge our batteries we will surely implode from the weight of the world.  Humans have an incredible capacity to bounce back, and this current state of affairs will be a testament to that ability, however, even life at the current pace needs a break now and then. It is not only good, it is good for you.

Whether by meditation, exercise, rest, or just being quiet, allowing peace back into our lives will not only enrich ourselves, but also the ones around us.

Peace Baby!

Why is it that we often give the best advice to loved ones and friends, yet forget to follow it ourselves?

Case in point, I always tell my 19 year old son that he had better not talk and drive without a headset, and even then, I would prefer he not. I am pretty good about following that rule, and rarely talk in the car because it is my sanctuary with surround sound and my "perfect musical pitch" when the music is cranked that loudly. Today was different, however, because I was making deliveries and my daughter had called to complain of a sore throat. I wanted to call my husband to see if he would be home soon. I didn't have my headset on, so I used the speaker function, but alas, it was not the best connection, so I lifted it to speak, thereby defeating the entire "hands free" concept of the speaker. The lights on the police car behind me were on in a minute. Pulling over, I could hear my son in my head.  "Nice one mom".  " Why don't you practice what you preach?" 

Why indeed. I think I may just have to start, because according to him, I give pretty darn good advice!  

"What do you want to be when you grow up?" As children, the answer was usually career based and it usually winds up being what our parents did, or becoming a movie or a rock star, etc.  What it didn't include was the "How do you want to be"? idea. 

We work diligently at our jobs, tend to our families and hopefully on occasion enjoy our hobbies, but it still does not answer the question.  It is my opinion that "How you want to be" is just as important as "What do you want to be", because it speaks to the inner person and not the things we do on a day to day basis.  It proves the theory that what we do does not define us.

One of my favorite quotes is " All of us want to do well. But if we do not do good, too, then doing well will never be enough." by Anna Quindlen. I believe the only way to get is to give back. Call it karma, call it do-good, call it gratitude, but it's a theory that has worked for me time and time again.

So..."How do you want to be when you grow up?"

A business problem reared its head yesterday and put my mind in a state of flux. I was back and forth on my decisions.  "Life throws you curves" my business coach, JJ Reich said.  I am the type who always puts it in perspective. "No", I said. "Business threw me a curve".  I laughed when I said it was my achilles heel to always see the good, but then I realized that it is not such a bad place to be. Yes, there will always be problems flung at me, both in business and with my family life. But I will never think the "world" is ending when it's just a business problem, because I always remember what matters most.

What matters most to you?

As I was laying on the massage table, waiting for the masseuse to come back, I was thinking of all the things I had to do for the day,and  it occurred to me that I was ruining the good feeling before it had even started.  I was forgetting to relax, forgetting to de-stress, forgetting to breathe.



I have read reports on the importance of taking a break, perused books on the benefits of massage therapy and spoken about holistic healing many times in my skin care demos.  Why then was I not allowing myself that time for my own healing.  I realized that for some, including myself, who at this point ought to know better, it was not a naturally occurring process, but something that had to be learned again and again.  It is that important and that necessary.

I promise to keep learning, to keep breathing, and most importantly, to keep getting those blessed massages!

Slowly inhale.....now slowly exhale!  Ahhhhh!