Goooooose--fraaaaaabbaaaaaa

I tend to think that your breath is actually your anchor, the gift we've all been given to center ourselves in this very moment. Whenever something happens that involves even the slightest tension (which is almost an everyday occurrence lately), I stop, draw in a deep breath, and release. I don't know how many times I have stopped my friends, halfway through one of their "venting sessions" and force them to stop, breath in deeply, and release!! LOL


Have you ever noticed how often you unconsciously hold your breath?? Once you start paying attention, it might surprise you to see how much tension you've been carrying around inside. Nothing is more effective than a deep, slow inhale and release, for surrendering what you can't control and focusing again on what's right in front of you.




None of us is built to run nonstop. That's why, when you don't give yourself the time and care you need, your body rebels in the form of sickness and exhaustion. How do you give back to yourself? Talk things out with a best friend (Dr. Phyllis is in the office...just a phone call away!! LOL). Soak in a hot bath and enjoy at least one lit candle. It may sound hokey, but focusing on a burning candle for a minute, while taking deep and relaxing breaths is actually very calming (women...best if you do this when the kids, hubby, or boyfriend is asleep and not wanting anything from you).

At the end of the day, I like to "come down" by reading, or just sitting by myself...it's what I call going mindless (don't even go there!!! LOLOL). But, it's true....it's my way of just letting go of everything that weighed on my shoulders that day. Or I put in an old movie or TV show I have on DVD...and just forget the world around me for a little while.



You have to nurture yourself so you'll have more nurturing to give to those who most need you. It's like the oxygen-mask theory: If you don't put on your mask first, you won't be able to save anyone else.

So stop. Go "mindless". Breathe in......and.....let goooooooooooo. Say it....gooooooose-fraaaaabbaaaaaaaaaaaa. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure.


See? Don't you feel a little more relaxed?!?!? I'll bill ya, don't worry!! LOLOL

You Just Stand

During difficult times, I sometimes turn to a song called "Stand". Donnie McClurkin sings it, and part of it goes like this: "What do you do when you've done all you can, and it seems like it's never enough? What do you give when you've given your all, and it seems like you can't make it through?" The answer lies in the simple refrain: "You just stand."

That's where strength seems to come from--our ability to stand up, face resistance, and walk through it. It's not that people with the courage to persevere (good word!) don't ever feel doubt, fear, and exhaustion. They do. But in those toughest moments, we can have the faith that if we take just one step more than we feel we're capable of, if we draw on the incredible resolve every human being possesses, we'll learn some of the most profound lessons life has to offer.

I do know that there is no strength without challenge, adversity, resistance, and often pain. The problems that make you want to throw your hands up and holler "Mercy!" will build your tenacity, courage, discipline, and determination.

I once read a book by Eleanor Roosevelt (awesome woman!!) called, "You learn by living." One of my many favorite quotes in that book is, "You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face, and are able to say to yourself, I lived through this horror....I can take the next thing that comes along....you must do the thing you think you cannot do."

Every challenge we take on has the power to shake us--to knock us to our knees. And yet, what's even more disturbing than the jolt itself, is our fear that we won't withstand it. When we feel the ground beneath us shifting, we panic. We forget everything that we know and allow fear to freeze us. Just the thought of what could happen is enough to throw us off balance.

I think the only way to endure the "quake" is to adjust your stance. You can't avoid the daily tremors. They come with being alive. These experiences are really gifts that force us to step to the right or left in search of a new center of gravity. Don't fight them. Just find a different way to stand.

Balance lives in the present. The surest way to lose your footing is to focus on what dreadful things might happen. When you feel the earth moving, bring yourself back to the now. You'll handle whatever shake-up the next moment brings when you get to it. In this moment, you've found a new place to move your feet so you can step onto higher ground.

As you walk into what you fear, know that you already have the enduring power you're asking for--then say thank you, because you understand that your deepest struggle will produce your greatest strength. And what do you do in that moment, when you feel like you can't make it through? You just stand.

Stand - Donnie McClurkin

I hope you Dance

There is a song by LeeAnn Womack called "I hope you dance". I love to listen to that song. It reminds me that every day brings a chance for me to draw in a breath, kick off my shoes, and step out and dance--to live free of regret and filled with as much joy, fun and laughter as I can stand.
You can either waltz boldly onto the floor of life and live the way you know your spirit is nudging you to, or you can sit quietly by the wall, receding in the shadows of fear and self-doubt. You have the choice this very moment--the only moment you have for certain. Are you dancing in the light or fading in the dark? If your life ended tomorrow, what would you regret not doing? If this were the last day of your life, would you spend it the way you're spending today?? When was the last time you laughed with a friend till your sides hurt?
I once read a quote that caught my attention. It said, "He who dies with the most toys is still dead." Anyone who has ever come close to death can tell you that at the end of your life, you probably won't be reminiscing about how many all nighters you pulled at work or how much your mutual fund is worth. The thoughts that linger are the "if only" questions, like who could I have become if I had finally done the things I always wanted to do? The gift of deciding to face your mortality without turning away or flinching is the gift of recognizing that because you will die, you MUST live now. Whether you flounder or flourish is always in your hands--you are the single biggest influence in your life.
And your journey begins with a choice to get up, step out, and live fully. I hope you don't get so wrapped up in nonessential stuff that you forget to really enjoy yourself--because this moment is about to be over. I hope you'll look back and remember this as the time when you decided to make every one of your moments count, to relish each day as if there would never be another. And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance, I hope you dance.

I Hope You Dance - Lee Ann Womack