feather & foundation

Taking the time and connecting with friends (girlfriends and a new friend) was the inspiration for this episode.  There a sweet conversations and moments when we take the time to connect with others.  The taking the time gives a break from the endless things to do or get done list of life.  We often live in the "I'll do it later" or "I've got time" mind set.  Time is a thief and it waits for no one and we realized what it steals in life's everyday moments. Time marches on and we have no idea how much longer we have.  That's why it's crucial to take the time.  Make those minutes count in your life.  Make the time.

At a recent family wedding as I looked at my family-- from where I come from- I couldn't help but feel a sense of belonging.  I celebrate the relationships and the memories made with my extended family (aunts, uncles and cousins).  We come together with a shared history and traditions from the past, and created new ones.  We also have the ability to create our own "framily" with friends (the ones we pick, not assigned).  What a gift to be gathered with people who care for you, show up, support you, cheer for you, challenge you (in a good way) and accept you.  

If you are in a new place, or new season- you are looking to belong.  Getting roots down is important.  So look for those folks that are a match.  Look for your tribe.  We all crave a place & people to whom we belong.

Hanging out with little people is a joy in seeing how they see the world.  There is just such a carefree attitude in how they approach everything. In the seriousness of life and all the things as an adult we need - being carefree gets buried.   As children outgrow toys and put them away, much could be said about as we grow into adulthood, we tend to put away that childlike carefree attitude.  When we can touch back to the past and nostalgia, we can invite carefree living and being.  Being carefree is a quality, state of mind that wants to come out and play more often in our lives.  We just need to invite it and embrace it.  It creates well-being and overflowing joy in our soul.  

Amazing how a walk in the woods can ground you and remind you of the missing element of calmness in your everyday life.  With each step of fresh air and clarity, the to-do list and hurry up mindset disappears.  You become aware, focused and slow down to absorb it all - the sights, smells and sounds.  Sometimes it takes stepping out of our normal routine to realize we've been missing calmness being present in our life every day.  Hear tips on how to create calmness in your life, as well as things to remove.  Take a deep breath, light a candle, soak in the tub and put on your favorite podcast- this one & embrace calmness.  

Life's Revolving Door spins with hope and heartache, joy and difficulties, and goodness and grief as contrasting bookends.  We can be doing the thing in our life and completely miss living in that moment.  We have opportunities to celebrate special occasions and can celebrate a life well-lived at the end.  How do we live our dash?  What are our priorities?  This episode breakdowns what the dash means in buckets of our life. Life's Revolving Door keeps moving- keep moving- keep giving, living, and loving in your precious-not-a-dress rehearsal life!

A Friday night dinner date with a friend, led to unexpected & kind of random connections with a bunch of people.  It's amazing when you stop and take time to talk with people- the things you find out and learn.  We always seem to be in a rush- going and doing.  When we pause- we can have some people human connection moments.  It reminds you of the goodness and commonality of humankind.  It reminds us of the good, the best in humanity and that we really do have more in common than we are led to believe.  Those connections create a thread in the fabric of our lives.  You'll hear the benefits of what those connections do for your wellbeing and mental health.  What if today you played Connect 4?  No, not the game, but played the game of life in connecting with 4 people in conversation.  Have some fun and watch those threads of connection bring more beauty in the world and your life tapestry!

The power of a dream.  As we kept our eyes and hearts open wide at the marvel of space travel with the crew of Artemis II- while they lived  their dream, they invited all of us to dream big dreams and shown dreams can come true.  I still get the feels of reliving those incredible moments that united us as humankind.  It made me think on what do dreams do?  Why do we need dreams?   We discuss the cost of dreams, and what happens when someone isn't supporting them and how to navigate.  Dreams are unlimited.  They fuel our soul and create space for others to dream dreams.  Keep chasing dreams dreamer!  Bonus- a fun playlist at the end of the podcast.  Dream ON & Dreaming is Free!!!

We do an exercise that is eye opening on our life check in this episode (so be sure to grab a piece of paper to participate- (remember to give patience and grace as you work on it and through it!)  We can look at how our life has unfolded and notice the milestones, achievements and disappointments.  We look forward to the future with dreams, plans and anticipation.  In present- how do we intentionally create the days that are fulfilling and life giving?  How do we learn and grow to fulfil becoming our best selves.  As our days, unfold- even in the routine, we can change it up to welcome ease, flow, and betterment.  In fact, we are creating out memoir right now and we can write the most magnificent chapters as participate in our amazing life unfolding.  

Forgive- it can evoke all kinds of thoughts, feelings and emotions.  When someone does something against us- oh boy, do we build the energy around what happened, what they did and can you believe it, when we share the story with others.  Sometimes in reaching out we can have those conversations to have closure and move on.  Many times, we don't get that or the outcome we desire.  We forgive for us, not necessarily for the other person.  It frees us from being prisoners- trapped in bitterness and grudges.  How do we forgive those who hurt us? Betray us?  Why do we need to forgive them?  Forgiveness doesn't mean forgetting....we'll tackle that as well. Not only do we need to forgive others, but sometimes we need to forgive ourselves and give grace.  

WE often live our lives with if or when I HAVE__ I can DO, than I can BE.  It seems to have a waiting, wishing feeling, even a bit wishy-washy.  We are waiting  on the HAVE to arrive, before the DO can kick in and we can finally BE.  When we flip the concept around to BE-DO-HAVE.  We step into the BE first.  When we BE- we then can SEE what/who we want to be or achieve.  It's empowering, it's proactive- we focus on creating the BE, when we imagine, visualize, expect and act like what we want to BE- the DO kicks in (even if you aren't exactly sure of the DO- you just start in motion) and then you discover- the HAVE that you desired.