Qualities of a Good Friend.

I come to you as a friend, nothing more. 

I don't come to you as a coach,

a guru,

as someone who knows everything.

I don't come to you as some sort of Love expert,

Or an expert on life.

I'm still learning myself. 

I tell you things you already know in your heart. 

I imagine us sitting together

having tea

sharing our hearts with each other.

Knowing that while we are in each other's presence,

we are in a safe space.

We are loved.

We are connected.

That energy always lingers. 

A friend reminds us of our beauty.

They help us remember what's important

when life takes a hold of us,

And we're too busy spinning around to remember to breathe. 

I just want to remind you to breathe.

Listen to yourself.

Love yourself. 

Remember who you are. 

I mean, that's what friends are for, right? 

Love You. 

Gentle reminder: A truth no one can take away.

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Sometimes we are not our worse critics. Sometimes other people are more critical of us then we are. It can be kind of unsettling. It's interesting the lessons we learn in our lives. Some people are led to believe they know better than we do about our own bodies. Others believe their life philosophies are better than ours. That their life experience can make then dictators of other people's lives. They put on their expert badge and completely forget that your body, your mind, your intuition, your beautiful wisdom, is important. It should not be discarded. It should not be regarded as not worthy. It should not be regarded as wrong. And we all must know that we do not know everything.

What you believe, 

what you feel, 

your experiences, 

your own POWERFUL intuition,

 your outstanding wisdom,

 is important, and valuable. 

Please do not let anyone try to hide this truth from you.

Finding the Beauty in Practice

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I still remember my grandfather urging me to practice my handwriting. Sometimes I did, sometimes I didn't. I can't help but feel that practicing my handwriting which, I did not find very beautiful mind you, helped me develop my penmanship... Even if it isn't always neat... But sometimes it's artsy. Sometimes it's curvy, it moves and shapes itself according to my mood. I wonder if I would be able to do that without practicing the basics. 

I am coming back to practice. Working on practicing more. Because I have so many things I Love to do. So many things I could be better at, with practice. Not just skills like drawing, or doing more "advance" yoga poses, but also skill such as patience, kindness, stillness, gratitude- qualities that help my inner being shine. 

I am doing this by sticking to my morning ritual, which includes warm water with lemon and honey, meditation, and now, morning journaling followed by breakfast. This helps me remember to take care of me- helps me remember to slow down and remember what values I feel are important to a nourishing life. 

I will do yoga, I will make a conscious effort to wish all beings happiness. I will read before bed, do kegels while I brush my teeth, breath, and smile. 

I have high expectations for myself. I know that with practice I can be a better person.

With Practice I can accept who I am at this moment. 

Sometimes our brilliance must be coaxed out. 

We must believe we are worthy. 

We must believe we can overcome resistance. 

And we definitely can with practice.

I believe with practice we can learn to soften. Create from our hearts. Say no to our greedy tendencies... Become one with our art. 

We just have to put in the work. 

So simple, yet so hard.

But the merits make the struggle worth it.

Because deep inside we know what we are capable of.

Practice at first does not seem very beautiful, but oh, what brilliance it holds for us all. 

Beautiful Moments

:: Sharing a few moments from the past couple of weeks ::

• I am super grateful to have two really cuddly puppies. The one in the first pic doesn't let me take pictures of her unless she feels Melody (the one in the second photo) is getting too much attention. 
• Trying to figure out what the hell that fruit is. Tony and I said it looks kinda like papya. I don't think it's papaya though. 
• Enjoyed this first breakfast in our new home. I'm still sorta getting use to it. 
• Grateful for this morning light. This space does not have as much light as my old house did, but my morning rituals are just as sacred. 

I would Love it if you shared your beautiful moments with me. What has brightened your days? What makes you happy? 

Sending Lots and Lots of Love :) 

How to view yourself as a work of Art : Self Love tip of the Week.

Happy Monday Lovely. 

I'm coming to you with a Self Love tip for this week. I can't say it will be a regular thing, but I'm trying to make an effort to show up more, because I love the space we share so much.

Anyway, I have this thing about exploring Mantras every week, and this one came to me last week during my little fun impromptu photo shoot as I was modeling my new mala beads. 

As soon as I saw the picture above I thought: I am a work of art. 

I am a work of art.

Saying that out loud made me smile. And I let it resonate with my heart. That phrase goes much beyond the "photograph within a photograph", and also isn't just me saying "hey look how cool and awesome I am!" 

We are all works of art. We have a uniqueness about us that cannot be replicated. Our "flaws" are beautiful. They add to our light. Every detail of how we were created is the universe expressing its creativity. And everything we choose to be is us expressing ours. 

So this week I'm asking us to explore this phrase. 

-Look in the mirror and tell yourself "I am a work of art". Notice what comes up. Write it down maybe. Acknowledge any resistance to seeing your brilliance with Love, and continue to tell yourself that you are a work of art.

-Try saying this to yourself before you start your day. Whisper this truth to yourself before you get out bed, and as you wind down for the evening remind yourself that you are a work of art. No matter what happened. Even if you thought you could've been better, or if you had an amazing day. Remind yourself that you are a work of art. 

-Try not to only do this when your hair is done, and make up is on. Give your self this extra boost of positivity even when you believe you are looking your worst. Try to remind yourself that your particular brand of beauty is eternal.

-Write it down when you're in need of a self love pep talk. 

-I always recommend we begin with ourselves, because I believe seeing the Light in ourselves is important to be able to see the Light in others. 

With that being said, explore this mantra with others too. What happens when you acknowledge that your co-worker is a work of art? Your boss, the person who cut you off on the road, your children (even when they're being difficult), or a stranger you pass in the store- what happens when you acknowledge the uniqueness in everyone?

Please feel free to interpret this phrase in your own way. The words above are just what came up for me, but your interpretation is just as beautiful. 

Enjoy your week. May you really feel in your heart just how special you are. I hope to talk with you again soon :) 

Please feel free to share with me what this phrase brings up for you. I would love to hear about your experience with exploring these words! 

A pep talk for us "inadequate creatures".

#selflovepeptalk

My lesson this week?

Accepting that I am enough.

And not just enough,

But more than enough.

I am oozing with enoughness. 

Who I am is brilliant. 

As brilliant as those I admire.

As brilliant as those I admire.

As brilliant as those I admire.

Just as talented.

Just as creative.

Just as extraordinary.

Just as inspirational.

I have just as much of a voice.

I can create just as much change.

I have just as much beauty. 

My feelings of not enoughness paralyze me. 

Those feelings paralyze most of us.

Cause us to stiffle our brightness. 

But we don't realize 

That fear creates illusion.

Makes our vision a little cloudy. 

Those lies are total. BULLSHIT.

Total. BULLSHIT.

We are crazy awesome.

I'm working on tearing away the layers of artificial confidence, 

And making use of the brilliance I already got within.

Because it's there.

Our beauty never leaves, you know,

We just have to kick ourselves sometimes. 

Or hug ourselves, maybe. 

And remind ourselves as much as we need to.

And no, talking about how badass you are

Doesn't make you a bad person.

It makes you human.

Real. 

We all secretly want to pat ourselves on the back.

Go ahead and do it, Love. 

You are enough. 

You are just as brilliant as those you admire.

You have just as much of a voice.

You are

Extraordiary.

Visionary.

Creative.

Inspirational.

Beautiful. 

Unique.

Whatever it is you're saying you can't do,

YES you can. 

Yes, you can. 

You can.  

Just in case you need someone else to remind you, too. 

Write out your pep talk. Or type it on the computer, though I feel there's power in seeing your inspirational words in your own handwriting. Write out what you need to hear. Tell yourself how beautiful you are. How great you are. How amazing you are at this moment. Pin it to your mirror. Read it every day. Look yourself in the eye and say those words. Feel it in your heart. You deserve every bit of positivity and encouragement.

And don't be afraid to share your love-notes with us! Make sure to put the hashtag #selflovepeptalk with your photos on instagram & twitter :)

A reminder to great women everywhere.

I've been growing a little person in my womb for a little over 7 months now. Being pregnant has allowed me to reflect on just how amazing women are. Sure I knew that's where babies came from, but to know that, and actually feel it happening, is just incredible.

We don't have to have babies in order to be powerful women. But the fact that we are capable of creating life is astounding. But we can do so much more than that. Being a woman in this world is hard. We have so many messages telling us how we should be women. Our "roles" in this world are learned. We give up on dreams, we paint on happy faces, we become what we are supposed to be instead of dancing in our divine beauty. 

Divine beauty comes from within- if doesn't matter if you wear makeup or not. Or if you have children, if you hate dresses and high heels, or if you Love dresses and stilettos are your version of tennis shoes, you are amazingly beautiful. 

That beauty isn't about physical looks it's about the great power within us all. The power to be who you are and make choices from your heart. Your power does not come from how good of a wife you are, how well you cater to your man, how subservient you may be, how clean your house is, you are great because of your own innate power. By searching deep within your spirit and mapping out the person you want to be and living from that truth. That's the type of person that makes a good friend, a good wife, a good mama, a good leader, those are the types of people who move mountains. 

So I guess this Women's Day I wanted to remind women that they are incredible no matter what. Great goddesses of the universe, you are amazing because you are you, and the world shines brighter because you exist. 

I'm sure you already knew that though :) 

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Also I'm offering 25% your entire purchase in my jewelry shop TODAY ONLY. Simply use the code WOMEN25 at checkout. Also, 10% of today's sales will be going towards Harbor House of Central Florida. A fantastic organization that provides shelter, counseling, and other great resources for survivors of domestic violence.