Happy Mother’s Day!

At my bridal shower, 2010

First let start by wishing my mom and my mother-in-law a very happy mother’s day!  Without my mom, I wouldn’t know the meaning of giving.  She is one of the most giving, loving individuals around.  She rarely puts herself first and is willing to do anything for anyone.  And happy mother’s day to my mom-in-law (or should I say, mom-in-love, as she likes to call herself).  Thank you for raising an awesome son and for accepting and loving me as your daughter!

Today is a day to celebrate motherhood.  It is a day to nurture and embrace the love that is around us.  Isn’t that what motherhood is all about?  As a child, I think the best token of appreciation I can give my mom is to follow in her footsteps and be the best mom I can be to Cole. It is my responsibility, as a mother, to apply all the good that my mom and my grandmas brought into my life and pass it on to my child.

I hope I will always remember to take the time to tuck Cole into bed, to hug him when he needs a hug (or even if he doesn’t need one), to show up during all of his life moments when he really wants/needs his mom to be there, to recognize the times when I need to be firm or loving and to be the best mom I can be for him.  Being a mom is a tricky thing.  Just because Cole is my child, and I know I am a good mom, doesn’t mean I am being the best mom for Cole.  The things he needs and wants are not always going to be things that I am able to give or am good at….I hope I can recognize his needs throughout life. I hope I can put aside my natural tendencies so I can be the mom that he needs me to be. I hope I can create an environment where Cole feels loved, nurtured, and comfortable with himself. I hope I can  provided him with oppurtunities to succeed and to shine.

Thank you to all the wonderful men in my life – Christian, Dad, and Cole – for making sure today was my day to be celebrated.  Cole woke up with a huge smile on his face and happily announced “happy mother’s day!”  Both families joined us for a great brunch prepared by my Dad and Christian.  Christian also cooked me a very yummy dinner while Cole and I did family yoga.

Salmon and grilled veggies
YUM!
Yoga fun with Cole - throwing away the cookie crumbs!
I didn't know we had a stalker! 🙂

Today was a great Mother’s day! I tucked in a happy Cole, and now I get to curl up on the couch with a happy Christian!

To everyone that loves and nurtures someone, Happy Mother’s Day!

Not Today!

There are some things in life that I just have to accept about myself. My days of running 6 minute miles are long gone (I’m sure I could get back to it, maybe, but don’t want to dedicate that much time to that goal!).  I will never have 26 hours in my day, so somethings just have to get scratched from the after-work schedule.  My house will never be spotless. AND I lack the confidence to get in the pool to swim on my own.

If you are following my blog closely, yesterday was Wednesday.  Yesterday was the day I was supposed to swim.  It didn’t happen.  I started to feel guilty about it.  I like to do what I say I’m going to do.  I definitely don’t like to feel like I defeated myself. Instead of beating myself up, I’m recognizing my lack of motivation for what it really is………lack of confidence.

The only way for me to actually get into the pool to swim is to increase my confidence about my swimming ability.  Jumping in and going for it is probably not the best thing for me to do it this situation.  I want to love swimming.  I want it to be an enjoyable experience for me.  I want it to become a life-long hobby.

While Cole was in his swim lessons last night, I was watching and beating myself for not bringing my bathing suit.  I gently told myself to get over it. I need to accept the fact that I am not confident about swimming. I need to find a way to increase my confidence.  The Rec Centers offer adult swim clinics all the time.  I got up, grabbed the class book, and attempted to find a class.  unfortunately, the books that are out right now are the spring books.  The last adult swim clinic listed started in April.  Summer books will be out soon though, and I will be signing up for a swim clinic.

Until registration opens up, I’m giving myself permission to remove the burden of swimming from my daily thought process.  To be honest, it has kind of taken over.  I’m neglecting my training and my yoga practice because I’m stressing over swimming.  I’m going to put my bathing suit back in the drawer so its not a constant visual reminder of what I’m not doing.  (okay – it’s honestly still in the zappos box it was mailed in and sitting on my bedroom floor!)

I’m letting myself of the hook, and I’m okay with it. And on days that I feel like I’m not okay with it, I can come back a reread my blog.  It’s okay to let myself of the hook right now because it is what is best for me in the long run. In order to really enjoy swimming, I need to start in a more organized structured environment.  I need someone to hold my hand through the process.  Once I’m started, I know it’s something I will incorporate into everyday life.

Good Things are Happening

As much as I talk about Blissology on my blog, Christian told me that I should email them and ask if it is okay to include their logo on my page.  I would never claim to have a connection with them without their permission. I know that it’s easy to copy and paste, but I just don’t feel comfortable connecting myself to anything without the other party being aware. It comes down to respect and appreciation.

So I emailed. I asked. And they responded.

Hi Kristy,

We love your blog, thanks for your support and inspiring words as well.

Please go ahead and use the logo in your blog.  We are proud to be associated with your writing.

Love and light,

Nicole

Nicole Laderoute

Bliss Coordinator | Yogi | Surfer | Earth Lover

info@blissology.com | 250.726.7480 | www.blissology.com

http://tinyurl.com/yogadownloads

I think I did a little dance in my seat when I got the email response. I know I had a smiled plastered across my face. I am so proud to display the blissology logo on my blog (click on it! it will take you to their website!).

As my blog is growing and developing, I’m finding these small connections to people everywhere.  My family is reading.  My friends are reading. Friends from High School are reading. Someone from Blissology read my blog.  Even strangers are reading. I LOVE IT!  In less than one month, I have had more than 1000 clicks on my page. Thank you for reading. Thank you for supporting me.  It feels so good to recognized by a company like Blissology, and it feels even better to get feedback and comments from everyone. I’m also craving more, so if you like my blog – please share it. You can subscribe at the top, and my posts will be delivered to your mailbox. Have any tips on attracting more readers – please share them with me.

The other night Christian and I were preparing dinner, and Christian asked me what I wanted to drink. I told him anything without caffeine.  Cole asked me why I didn’t want caffeine.  It’s just something I’m trying to eliminate from my diet. I don’t drink coffee, but I do love to drink an occasional soda.  I don’t need it, and water is so much better for me.  When I told Cole this he asked me, “Is that one of your 40 day goals?”  DO I TALK ABOUT IT THAT MUCH?  I’ve never discussed it with Cole, but I do think it’s becoming a way of life for our family.  And Cole is very aware of it.  I LOVE IT!

I can’t explain it, and I really don’t know exactly what it is….but good things are happening in my world.  Things are slowly falling into place.  I’m open to the world around me. Christian and Cole are right beside me in my journey.  I’m taking the time to slowdown.  I’m taking care of me, and I’m letting life happen.  This year is going to be a great year.

What’s your Life Mission?

If you didn’t watch the video that I posted yesterday – Hammock Enlightenment – I have some more insight from Eoin Finn for you to enjoy today.  Eoin opens his talk by saying

It is my life mission to tune into something big and to help it fuel all my decisions because I really believe at the center of our being, we are all deeply connected to an infinite source of joy and wisdom.  But we cover it up continuously, and we need to keep it uncovered culturally and individually.  And when we do this, we can answer what I call the ultimate life question which is – How can I balance out my own personal desires, what I want to take from the world, with my impact on others – the web of life. The ultimate human questions. At the end of life, where are we on that scale? And, one of the things we need to do to do this is to make ourselves feel good. It’s that simple.

One of my 40 day goals is to post my life goals and to complete my vision board. Eoin’s talk has got me thinking even more about it.  What is my life mission?  We all have one rooted somewhere inside of us. It’s up to us to recognize our own life mission.  It should fuel our life decisions on a daily basis.  What are my personal desires and how does it balance with what I take from the world? No one’s life mission should be to take something from anyone or anything – not our families, not neighbors, not our enemies, not our planet.  We are here to make ourselves feel good and to create good around us.

So, what is this Life Mission? To tune into this huge, vast and powerful force that lights us up and makes us feel connected to the concerns of other people, other beings, and all life. To me, the closest way I describe this force is to call it Love. My Life Mission is to be a conduit for the force of Love and allow it to be expressed in as many interactions as I can, from how I talk to a small child to inspiring thousands at once.

Putting words to a life mission is challenging. Eoin’s blissology project has definitely given me perspective on my own personal life mission. In his blissology booklet he provides the following assistance:

 A Life Mission needs to be:

1) The ultimate goal. Your raison d’etre

If you can think of one other reason for being alive that is more important than the one you wrote down, then keep digging. We are talking the truest expression of what your life is really about.

2) Broad in Scope.

Keep it general. Long and short-term goals tend to be very specific, but a Life Mission is more general. Try to avoid times and dates.

3) Whatever is Aching to come out of you and be articulated.

When you know yours, it will seem like there is so much freshness in your life.

What’s my life mission? Here is what I have so far – I’m completely committed to the philosophy behind it, but only about 95% committed to the wording:

My life mission is to develop roots in my community that create relationships and an environment that encourage love, health, happiness, and understanding.

I want to create a life for myself that is centered around love, health, happiness and understanding.  I want this to spill over into my life with my family.  I want to spread this feeling of love and contentment throughout my community. I want to encourage others to find a loving, healthy,and happy life, and I hope to show people that we should all be understanding of each other’s life mission. I want, more than anything, to be rooted.  Rooted to my life, rooted to my family, rooted to my community, and rooted to the love that is around me.

I want to be this tree – Zion National Park

I will be posting my life goals this week. It is a fun, enlightening, joyful experience. Try it! I started off by describing what I want my life to look like in ten years – when I’m 41!. I am in the process of breaking it down into 10 year goals, 5 year goals, and 1 year goals. They all are based on my life mission.  Life doesn’t seem so hard when you know what you want out of life.  I know I’m capable of making it happen.  This allows me to enjoy each day as an individual day and to enjoy each moment as a unique moment.

I am definitely breathing in the sunshine!

A simple hello

About a month ago, Eoin Finn was featured on Tedx.  If you haven’t figured it out yet, I truly believe in Eoin’s way of life.  On the day of his talk, I was ready to view the live stream and my computer wouldn’t load properly.  I was incredibly disappointed.  The talk I have waited and waited for finally posted today.  Take 20 minutes out of your day and enjoy!

There is so much to be taken away for these few short 20 minutes.  I could probably blog for the next month about what I agree with, what I try to apply to my life, and what I think can benefit us all. It really is something to absorb, and it is so simple.  Today I’m absorbing the thought of connection.  It is something I’ve been thinking about since this past weekend, and something I think Eoin addresses perfectly.

This past weekend, Christian, Cole and I went to Great Wolf Lodge (indoor water park resort) and Busch Gardens (amusement park) to celebrate Cole’s 7th birthday. While we were at the resort, I ran back to our room to drop off dinner leftovers.  We were the last room at the end of the hallway so I passed several people along the way.  I made a point to say hi to all of them.  We all are in a beautiful resort.  Everyone is there to have fun or to celebrate or to gather with family.  Saying hello to the people I passed seemed like a more than acceptable thing to do. I was amazed at the responses I got from everyone.  Not one of them gave me a genuine hello in return. Not one of them made eye contact.

I passed a group of women chatting outside their hotel room. I might as well have been invisible. They didn’t even acknowledge my hello.  I passed a dad with his two girls.  He stared at the floor and managed to grin.  I passed a teenage boy.  I think I just made him uncomfortable. I also passed a young couple. They managed to wave, but never looked in my direction. 4 hellos in less than 2 minutes and not one hello in return.

Eoin says it best – our ultimate point in life is to connect more. We can’t connect with each other if we don’t slow down. Not one of those individuals I passed in the hallway was willing to slowdown.  They weren’t willing to look up and connect with a stranger for 2 seconds.  A simple hello.  How hard is it to look up and say hi?

I really enjoy saying hi as I pass people. I smile at everyone while I’m running and attempt to say hi to most.  Sharing a smile with someone is such a simple way to spread cheer. It is also a simple way to make myself feel good.  I can be in the middle of tough run – by smiling at someone, I feel a surge of energy.

It is so simple.  Acknowledge people.  See people.  Connect with people. Slow down and open yourself up to the love that is everywhere around you!  Say Hi to people today.  See if they genuinely say hello back.

Here is my smile to you today - pass it on!