winter nurturing

Here in Minnesota we are in the depths of Winter. Everyone else in the US has also been experiencing a little harsher winter. It can be a challenge to stay positive and healthy for sure. I don't know about you but all I want to eat is warm, heavy comfort foods. My skin is tired and dry. My hair is a wreck of dry flatness.

And my spirit ...

Well, my spirit is mostly doing really good, except for those days when the sun doesn't shine, it's below 20 degrees (or worse), and there is yet another forecast for snow. This all does affect one's ability to move forward and to feel inspired.

Today, I had to dig deep and find the tools I needed to feel warm saturate deep in my bones, moisture in my body, and light in my soul.

*Big pot of boiling water with a customized essential oil blend from my friend Jodi. Yummy smells in house = happy Jennifer.

*LOUD music to get my body moving ... today's choice was the Sound of Sunshine from my soulinspiration Michael Franti.

*Turned my heat up a little bit and took off my fuzzy socks.

*Hot bath with my own Chakra Serenity bath salts that were SO moisturizing to my skin! Lovely!

*Superscrubbed my face with my fave deep exfoliant and sugar scrub. 

*Moisturized the heck outta my skin with LOVE. Literally. Jeanne has lotions for each chakra (and some of the stones inside them she got from ME!). They're not on her site, but you can contact her about them.

And then ...

*I sat on the couch and sat in pure SILENCE. For 45 minutes. No music. No guided meditation. No thoughts (mostly). Just silence. It was heavenly. It was a bit challenging at first, I wanted to go into a visualization of some sort or turn on one of the many many meditations or channelings I have available. Once I got past the monkeymind I was good.

It was amazing how much clearer energetically I felt when I took the time to come back to myself instead of the "doing" I was doing.  There are sometimes expectations of doing a lot, when really, if we can just BE and allow and let life FLOW as it's supposed to, life really does flow and expand and create whatever is perfect for us in each moment. My rituals and mini-spa day (which didn't take long!) helped me breathe deeper, be centered again, and find a new space to work from (as I continue some time-consuming projects).

There are other things I have had to do this winter to get out of a rut and I would highly recommend them to any locals (or find your equivalent in your area).

• Como Zoo & Conservatory.  Humid and flowery green BLISS.
• Walk the Mall of America.  (Just walk, don't shop. Okay but maybe stop for sushi.)
• Afternoon matinee of a stupid movie.
• Minneapolis Institute of Art.
• Walk around Lake Harriet (even in the cold & snow).
• Read books in the travel section of the bookstore.
• Eat hot & spicy pad thai and mai tai's.

So enjoy, crank the tunes and the heat!

What suggestions do you have to lift your spirit in mid-winter?  Feel free to comment to share!

soul singing

Ahhhh yes, today is a good day.

Nothing in particular or special happening.  I'm cleaning actually, like all out deep cleaning, wiping walls & shelves, rearranging stuff.  Really deep, hasn't-been-done-for-about-8-months type cleaning.  Even though I am sweating and stinky, since I've also spent a few hours outdoors pulling weeds, I feel really good.

As I was kneeling to pull a weed, I heard a little "tune" of music.  I actually gasped a little, thinking, "What IS that?"

Then I realized ....

    My soul is starting to sing again.

The singing is hard to explain.  Peaceful, brilliant, bright, loving, unexpected .... from a place deep within that you don't even know it exists.  All encompassing.


    And then the tears come.

        Again.

But it's all good.  This journey deserves tears of joy and sadness.  For so many reasons.  ALL of them good, despite what may seem as hard, pissy, stupid, or just outright bad and dark.  The joy, LOVE, peace, comfort, support, and even moments of bliss balance it all out and I am grateful for every single moment.

The past few months I have chosen to focus on three things ...

• LOVE.  In all ways, breathing it in, breathing it out, being in, embodying it.
•  
• ME.  Taking care of ME and nurturing myself, in whatever way that means in each second.
• 
  
• FUN.  It's SUMMER for cryin' out loud, what else would I choose?  (See previous post with my List!)  I want to experience fun summer things that make me happy, with the people that make me happy, and in ways that can only bring me more JOY.

I'm not sayin' there won't be challenges to come, but the fact that my soul is singing again makes it all worthwhile.

Can I just HUG the whole world right now?!  THAT is how good day is, so I want to send an energetic hug to each and every one of you!

     Oh watch out there, your shoulder might get a little wet though, since these tears of Joy are spreading!