Category Archives: Self-help

Be “Acting Consciously Not Reacting Habitually”

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This is an old photo from 2007 when I was in labour with my first son. I thought of it this week because in my “new life” in our little basement suite 60 kilometres down the lake from our house.

I love exercising and doing yoga makes me feel a re-connection with my body and slows down my sometimes “frenzied” mind.

In the last two weeks, I have attended 5 yoga classes. This is more classes of any type that I have been present at in the last 2 years. In each of these yoga classes, I have experienced the emotions of sadness (yes, I did cry in class), anger, surrender, and learning to trust. Hey, is this the grieving process?

Anyways, last night at yoga, the teacher came out with this comment that we need to “act consciously not react habitually”. Oh man, I am a woman of habit.

I come from a long line of habitual people.

Perfect example: Both of my parents had the same barber/hairdresser for over 30 years! Yup… they both have great hair, but this is a wonderful? habit of going to the same place over and over. The other great? habit that has been handed down to me is being a “Yes” person. My parents try very hard to be good people, to help out and to say “Yes”.

For me in this journey of the last 3 weeks, of moving our family of five, has reinforced to me that not all my habits are healthy and that it is okay to shake things up. I commit to acting more consciously in my life back at home.

And hopefully I can get back into yoga/life shape so that at least I can touch my toes!

Be a Hairdresser

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There is something therapeutic about going to the hairdressers. I enjoy a fresh start, a new look and a nice relaxing shampoo. I love salons, the mind candy magazines and sitting for longer than five minutes.

I am not sure if it is the new hair cut I am sporting or the Aveda products that I am using, but my boys love playing hairdresser. They love getting out their combs and chopsticks (scissors), then “do” my hair.

It is a beautiful time. I love having hairdressers in my own home, as long as they aren’t using real scissors!

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Be “Daring Greatly”

When certain friends recommend books, I know that I should order the book from the library. (I love my library!)

BUT when Ang recommends a book I know that I have to get my hands on it! I normally buy 2 or 3 books per year and when Ang recommended the book Daring Greatly I had it in my hands within the week via Amazon.

The subtitle of the book is “How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead”.

I am on chapter 3, but I have to share the excerpt I read yesterday while I jump up and down. Here it is:

“As I explained in the introduction, there are many tenets of Wholeheartedness, but at its very core is vulnerability and worthiness: facing uncertainty, exposure, and emotional risks, and knowing that I am enough.”

DID YOU READ THAT? Yes more encouragement that I am enough!!

I love God.

“Coincidences are God’s way of remaining anonymous!”

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Be Letting Go

Tis the Season of Rushing… I am starting to feel things rev up inside of me as the calendar becomes packed up and the to-do-list gets longer.

Thank God for the insight of children.

We were playing at the playground last week and JC looked across the lake and exclaimed: “There is a piece of heaven!” Here is the photo I took of what JC was looking at:

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Amid the storm that often brews for people during this season, the light of God shines through.

I am definitely in the eye of a storm. I need to keep focused on His light and His love and His ways.

Tomorrow is week two of living 60 kilometres down the lake. When our family of five was staying in this lovely basement suite beside the vineyard, I felt calm and relaxed. But this weekend, we stepped back into our life and I feel confused trying to figure “things” out and I feel ‘harried’.

I am reminded of a saying that I heard when I first became a Christian because I definitely can’t figure this one out.

“Let Go and Let God.”

Be a Saturday Night Hair Styler

I have never really “done my hair”. Yes, I have had it cut, coloured and styled at the hair dresser, but besides perhaps adding some sort of hair product and blow drying my hair and perhaps even combing it, that’s all folks!

A couple of weeks ago, I got my hair cut from a wonderfully beautiful and young hairdresser. She spent 3 hours on my hair. Yes, 3 hours! 3 whole hours to myself reading magazines, chatting and I even got a nice hot cloth to wipe my hands and some beautiful cream to put on afterwards. Anyways… so in those three hours, she cut, shampooed, dried, straightened and styled my hair.

Last Saturday night I was inspired, I decided to relive the teenage years that I had heard about, doing your hair on a Saturday night. I had spent my teenage years playing sports or watching a video with a big group of friends. Hair styling never.

This was a first for me. Enjoy the fun!

Hmmmm….

 

Hey, what is going on?

 

 

Oh my, what did I do? Back to the regular Saturday night programming!

 

My oldest did walk in at one point and say, “Mommy you look beautiful!”. Thanks darling.

Be rocky!

We had an up and down and all around kind of weekend in one of our favourite places in the world.

We missed a ferry and were overwhelmed by tourists in our favourite spot. We had a delicious thanksgiving dinner with all the fixing cooked by my mom. Dad did almost all the dishes all weekend. Our labrador retriever had the time of her life in the lake and on the trails on the hillside.

We had our first road trip where mommy yelled very loud then had to take a timeout at the side of the road. I had my eldest son give me a “Joshua stone”. We had a long period of crying by our one year old. We also had 2 very peaceful sleepers… so I guess it all evens out.

When we go to the hot springs, we always head down to the rocky shore by the lake. The lake is man made with huge boulders of all shapes and sizes lining the shore.

This trip our big boys spent quite a bit of time trying to stack up the rocks. It was amazing to see their determination and focus and ability to get the rocks to balance. I hope they always have this focus and inner balance.

I tried for a few minutes to get my rocks to balance and I couldn’t even get the rocks stacked four high… well I did have a baby in my arms!!