Habits, Health, and Happy Little Moments

Habits are strange, I am noticing them more and more as I become more present in my life. So now I am intending to rid myself of a bad habit that I've had since I was in high school. Its not anything weird, but I don't want to mention it because it is just a tiny bit embarassing. It is a nervous habit, that's all, but it is something I am intending to be more aware of so I can stop doing it. It's the kind of habit like biting nails, which is a nervous thing. But it's not that. But like that. Sort of. :-)

Health is a spring-time subject if there every was one. How can we not think of our health and wellness this time of year? New growth, new life, sunshine, blossoms, baby animals, fresh air, la-la-la--you get the idea! Well, I am more aware of my eating habits lately, for one, and have not only cut out the gluten but dairy and caffeine, and sugar is next. BUT, this is not an easy task! I am setting the sugar intention as it is one Habit that is NOT helping my Health.

Having to slooooooooow down is getting to be a theme with me. My last blog had a bit about being made to slow down and finding the gratitude in it. Sometimes I think that the only time we stop and smell the roses is when we have to. Like when we are sick and someone brings you flowers! I've got a cold this week and I feel a bit down about it, but am making the most of it. I did get a lovely bunch of purple tulips from my husband though, made me smile and I smell them every time I go in the kitchen (well, as much as I can smell with a stuffy nose). But why is it that we slow down only when we are made to??? And usually what slows or stops us is something unpleasant. My new goal is to slow down for the GOOD things in life, and today was a good start on that path.

First, my son was running a bit late for preschool. Our internal clock still thinks it's an hour earlier than it is! At the last minute he asked if he could stay for the lunch session so I agreed and then quickly made his lunch. Normally this would annoy me and I'd get grumpy because we'd be even later. But today it didn't bother me. I chose to be in a good mood and just "let things be." On the way there I wasn't rushing the drive, and it's a good thing because some ducks were crossing the road near the preschool (it's near a lake). I was able to stop in plenty of time for them, and we got to watch their cute little duck-butts waddling safely across the road. It was a happy, sweet, spring moment. By the time I got back home the sun was shining and I took the time to do some reading and writing sitting on my front porch. It was one of those "in the moment" mornings, and it was great.

Something happened yesterday that fits my "slowing/stopping" theme, too. I was stopped at an intersection near to my house yesterday morning, as there were several police cars blocking the roads and redirecing traffic. I had gone that route intending to stop to get some gas at a particular station that was still selling theirs for under $3.50(!). Well, I couldn't get in that lane to get there because there had been a car accident. But instead of feeling annoyed I took a deep breath, felt grateful that I was safe, then offered some prayers for those who had been involved. It turns out that one of the cars was driven by a friend of mine. I found this out today when she e-mailed about it. She is doing fine and it seems that during and after the accident she was taken care of by angels. I am so glad...

I think that praying for "strangers" who have been in accidents is one Habit that I will continue. :-)

Keep reaching for the thoughts that feel better!

Creativity, Counselling, and Chiropractic Care

(Photo is one of my classes with the Kent Youth Theatre)

I'm feeling so darn creative these days and like I am going to burst if I don't start doing something about it soon!!! Touble is, I am apprehensive because I haven't been (very) creative for so long that I am quite emotional about it. It almost feels scary, because I feel like I have not been myself fully for so long. I worry that people will say that it isn't me, that I will seem phony or silly, or that I am copying other people's style (what is my style, for instance???) I grew up being a very creative gal, but have lost that momentum over the past few years. I could literally spend every moment of my waking life creating art and communicating with people (I am an Aquarian, after all), but my life looks nothing like I desire it to look like. I used to do acting, dancing, film making, teaching, arts & crafts, and all sorts.

When I got married I redecorated our entire house in England (to drag it out of the 1970's), made a flower garden where we originally had concrete slabs, taught children's theatre, and even gave scrapbooking classes. When I became a Mother, I gave up my creative time, thinking it was selfish to do anything like that. Like art is just "extra" and has to be put off until later. I think that I felt that way because my father often put his art way ahead of everything else (he does oil painting), and that has hurt a lot of people over the years. So, I didn't see how to be a mother and a creative person, and ended up depressed on and off for about 5 years!!! For me, being CREATIVE is essential. Just is.

I am really close to setting some real intentions about CREATIVITY, I desire to SERVE the world with my talents, and even though it feels really weird to say that, i know that it is the way to live my best life. I need some support from anyone out there who has battled with doubts, etc. It feels like a huge step of faith for me to do this, to step out into the unknown, into something exhilerating, a bit like a free-fall.

On to the second subject... I'll just say here that my husband and I are having a few sessions of marriage counselling. We feel very positive about our relationship, but we've had some areas that we've needed help, er, "tweaking." It's working though, and I know it was the right time, because we attracted FREE sessions through a church. We needed the incentive and the cost was standing in our way. Did I mention that it was FREE??? YAY UNIVERSE!!!

I am also seeing a Chiropractor, who is into the Power of Intentions, and he is so positive and interesting, that sometimes I think I am going in for the adjustments to my spine just so I can have an "attitude adjustment" each day. Actually, I started going because I had terrible headaches and neck aches on and off for years, and they are finally clearing up. AND sinus problems are also going away, which was a very happy side-effect that I noticed after only 2 sessions. I have been having sinus issues for so long that I forgot what it was like to breath freely!! I totally believe that our body's energy has all the tools we need to be healthy, if we dont' stand in its way. My Chiro Dr. says: "The Power that made the body can heal the body." I know he's right. Now if I could just stop eating cookies...

Blogging, Being in the Now, Butterflies

(this post was made prior to the "A" post below, but I put it here so my alphabetical order will make sense!)

I'm back, after not Blogging for a few days, even though I had made the decision to blog daily. DARN!!!
Well, I am now telling myself that I can blog regardless of whether I feel I have something interesting to say or not. I was just waiting, for some kind of inspiration, but THAT isn't helping, that is causing me some stress over the blog. Wrong attitude!!

I am realizing, through reading and participating in the 100 Day Challenge, that it is BEING fine with what is happening right now is what creates Happiness. I can honestly say that my Happiness "set point" has been low all of my life, not having parents who modelling JOY to me... I end up expecting things to be negative, and I end up feeling uncomfortable when things are going too well!!! But that just means I need to stretch my "happiness muscles" and let them be uncomfortable for a bit. I am on a mission this year to create abundant happiness/joy/acceptance and to figure out how that happens and share it as i go!

A sort-of-quote by Eckhart Tolle (as told by Oprah in O Magazine): "All the stress and pain in the world is about not being in the now, because it's allowing whatever moment you're in, even if it is a moment of despair, to be that moment; wanting it to be something else is what causes the pain and the suffering." WOW. What I get from that is that when we Resist the present moment (perhaps by wishing we were in the past or somewhere in the future) we are only adding resistance to whatever it is we would rather have and keeping that from coming in. But to get to that something we'd rather have we have to WANT what we already have, or at the very least accept it.

I had to do this a couple of months back, in a big way. I was alone, hating living alone with my son without my husband (I was suddenly a single-parent), hating certain things going on in my body that were scaring me, being angry with the loss of control I felt, and upset that my marriage was in a precarious place. This was a big ol' pile of hell! Well, I had to accept all the anxiety, fear, pain, and aloneness and just let things "be." I guess I had no choice, I felt I could keep resisiting all of that or I could just let go and float down the stream of it.

And things have gotten a lot more peaceful in my life since I have done just that. My marriage is growing, my fears and anxiety attacks have nearly subsided, and my body is showing me that it is stronger than I knew. I now tell myself 10 times a day to just "Be in the Now," and my whole reality is changing!

Butterflies? Well this is because I have been noticing them everywhere lately. I bought a couple of decorative tins at a thrift shop the other day and I've been seeing butterflies here and there and everywhere! I may do a collage of just butterfly clippings if I can find enough of them. Maybe I'll ask my Co-Creators to be on the lookout in magazines for me...

Keep reaching for the thoughts that feel better!
Clarissa xxx

Alphabetizing, Ayurveda, and Asking!

FIRST! I have made the decision that I am going to Blog twice a week, as I now know that doing it every day is just not gonna happen!! While I was walking by the lake the other day I came up with an idea that is going to help me focus on my topics and ensure that I have no excuses not to write. Well, I have always loved a sense of order to things, so I have resolved to use the Alphabet as my format. And as a further bonus to my obsession with order, this method has a nice numerical tidiness, too! There are 52 weeks in a year, and half that is 26 (number of letters in the alphabet, hey!), so writing twice a week will take me twice around the alphabet in a year.

It's already working, because as I was thinking about my topics for today, the ideas that I wanted to write about were all "A's!" Definitely LOA (Law of Attraction, if you don't know).

NEXT! It's Ayurveda, which is something you either know about or you don't! It literally means "The Science of Life" and is an ancient health practice, which centers on a body/mind/soul approach (good basic description here). There are tons of sites that talk about it, so I am not going to elaborate (I'll leave it to the experts). My interest in it has grown over the past few years and I was recently drawn to delve into it more. My health has been up and down for several months and I made the decision recently to make a big change in how I treat my body. Low and behold, there was suddenly a workshop on Ayurveda going on in my area (not an area you'd normally find this!). I went to the workshop, found it fascinating and inspiring, met some awesome new friends and now I belong to the group that has formed out of the workshop. The thing is...

...this is not an easy change to make. I intend to follow Ayurveda about 80-90% and I have only changed about 20-30% of my health practices so far (maybe less). Oh, I'll eat well for a few days then end up at the donut shop! I do yoga in the mornings, but then I'll sit at my laptop for the rest of the day. I think you get the idea. The "western" way of treating our bodies is completely chaotic, especially if you compare it to Ayurveda, so it's no easy task to make a shift towards balance. I know, I know, I shouldn't be so hard on myself, it's just that it is frustrating me. Now that I have chosen to follow a path towards health I just want to get on with it!!!

LASTLY: The wonderful world of "The Law of Attraction!" This will feature LOADS in my Blogs, so don't come near if you can't stand the positivity! Basically, its all about Asking for what we desire in such a way that we can attract it to ourselves. Simple enough? Sometimes!
In "The Secret" there is a section where "Ask...Believe...Recieve" is highlighted as a main principle. This a good basic format for using the LOA. And it's been on my mind a lot more lately, especially the "Believing" part. Jesus spoke those words in the Bible (check it out here) and they are as meaningful now as they were when they were first spoken.

But what DOES it mean? I don't think it is so much about "faith" (faith in a higher being, faith as putting our trust in something outside of ourselves, etdc.) as it is our attitude about believing. For me, belief means that when I believe that I can manifest something that I desire, and I can let go of needing it then I can manifest it. I know that it is this step of letting go of the need and the fear that we might not get it that makes all the difference! Easier said than done, YES. I saw a video recently on YouTube where this is discussed, it's a very thoughtful video by Sam Harris (the singer not the writer).

Something from my own life (not amazingly powerful, but I think its clear enough). I have been asking for Free Things lately. Part of me needs to get things free because we have no income at the moment. Part of me just likes free things because it is fun to see what shows up! Well, I've been getting something free nearly every day! Some things are bigger, like furniture that I really wanted, and some things are small, like a coupon for free snack chips . I feel that because I am really not very attatched to the outcome things will usually show up! I don't worry about whether or not I'll get something free, I just accept that it will or it won't show up.

They chatted about this stuff on Oprah a few weeks ago, and someone shared that it is FEAR that hinders us from believing in the result. I think that sometimes we even fear asking, so then our desires never even get off the ground! We can also fear the recieving: the fear that we will get what we've always wanted!!! That last bit has actually been one of my biggest hidden fears, the fear of actually getting our heart's desire. Watch this beautiful video if you'd like to see a great teaching on this subject. And the discussion on Oprah is here.

Well, that is definitely enough from me today, I'm sure there will be more soon!

Keep reaching for the thoughts that feel better...
:-)
Clarissa