25 Days of Thanks

25 days, 1 notebook & whatever pen I could find.

The month of November challenged me to be more thoughtful & kind. The smile on the waiter's face when he found the note next to our coffee cups, the responses from old friends when they unexpectedly heard from an old friend & the grumpy neighbor who must have found the note in his door; he waves to me now. Intentional appreciation for daily wonders made me see the wonders of the world.

Filled up with thanks. Goodnight, world.

Winter Replenish

Every ounce of me wanted to conquer this year's resolutions. The sequin hat I wore while nursing a wee hangover gave me the confidence I needed to be on my resolution game & look sexy doing it. I was going to dominate 2014 in one day. I washed my face with a homemade milk & honey face wash. I woke up the next morning & thought of 3 things I was grateful for before getting out of bed (pre-coffee!). I drank double the amount of water I usually do. I went for a walk midday, taking in the crisp air & beauty around me. More prayers of appreciation. I prepared a healthy meal in the crockpot so we could have dinner at a normal time.

I even had time to get my 2014 Daily Planner! A mini-tradition I look forward to at the beginning of each year. I took the deepest nap of my life before dinner was ready…& then I woke up in one of the worst moods of my life. It could have been the pressure I put on myself to continue improving every day of this new year. Or it could have been my body saying it couldn't take any more stress, anxiety, or mental games from the whirlwind of a year that 2013 was.

Either way, I lost complete focus of the world in front of me. You know, the one I am fully immersed in right now. Not the one that was or the one that is going to be. I couldn't snap out of it. I failed at 2014. And it was only January 2nd.

It was in this 'tude I found The Wisdom of the Native Americans. It's a compilation of ideas, values & ethos many Native Americans believed in despite the Europeans' need to conquer by breaking trust agreements & inducing horrible treatment. This book made me realize how off-kilter our society is with what's truly important. It led me to look inward. Not much has been "resolved" since my mini-freakout yesterday. I'm 23 & have no idea what I'm doing. It's all I could come up with. I may never live exactly like the Native Americans did but hearing a group of wise Chiefs reminded me that peace is internal. You do not find it in money or power or materials. It begins & ends with nature. What has been here all along. What has survived the overuse & negligence.

So instead of resolutions, I'm seeking 4 feelings this year. Starting with replenish.

REPLENISH: I want to feel replenished in my mind & body. I'll be experimenting with meditation, DIY's that include natural ingredients for products I'm putting on my skin, mindfulness with what I'm putting in my body & whatever else comes my way. I don't have a plan other than this—you have no idea how that tilts my psyche—but I'm excited to see what happens.

4 feelings for 4 seasons.
I'll be sure to tell you how it's going. What feelings would you like more of?