Monday always arrives like cold water during a shower. Enjoying suds and bubbles and then a cold blast interrupting your comfort. It isn’t Mondays fault that we are given forty eight hours to catch up the home front. Did I think about work during that time? Sure did! Are you productive during your down time or just face plant once work is over? Digging up routines that work, planing, having clean clothes, and meal prep goes a long way. This past week left me scrambling in a lot of departments. Thank God for the helper elves in my life!

Being prepared is not an easy science on most days. All the specialists in the world want to see you in September. Shout out to my grown child! Many thanks!! You realize your short comings in a work week. I was able to get supper on the table almost everyday without a last minute thaw. Days can go south and it becomes easy to question your capabilities to endure. We do though, we have to. Sometimes we just need to lower our expectations and pat ourselves on the back for surviving.

Really life isn’t hard, the standards we set for ourselves is the problem. If you don’t have it together, be okay with that. When you get that shot of cold water, turn up the heat. You are human, we make mistakes. Communicate your needs, that’s all you can do. I have had people say something that resembles a question, but then they shut down before you can dial in on what they are trying to say. Say it, do it, 5 4 3 2 1, get it out of your head and out of your mouth. I hope everyone took the 48 hours and gave themselves what they needed. Hopefully you had a little bit left over to give to someone else. Hate to say it, but tomorrow is Monday.

There are so many fake faces in this world, great in the front, while the sludge drips down the back. I prefer to take people at face value, but every now and then, you get a real glimpse. Sure everyone has a story and we shouldn’t judge, that I understand. People are victims of their circumstances and they can choose to be a victim or become advocates instead. I stand for those that don’t have a voice. I stand for those that don’t have a choice. I stand for the downtrodden and underdogs in this life. Point is I stand, and don’t just stand by, if I know you, I will stand for you.

Am I right? Not every time, it is what I see that sways me. Lots of tricky sly cats out there. I am quick to forgive, not so much at forgetting. There is a lot of, “ If that happened to me…” drivel that the speaker has not the slightest clue about. Perceptions and reactions are different things. What you think you would do and what is actually done is different driving forces at work. I am an observer, an empath and if I am in your corner, you know.

Louder doesn’t mean smarter, angry doesn’t make you right, faster doesn’t mean better and silence doesn’t mean you are calm. Don’t judge by face alone, people are multidimensional and abstract. I like to trust but still take things with a grain of salt. I like to assume best, I don’t like to be disappointed. It would be great if we could trust everything we see and hear, but there is nothing wrong with adding caution too. It is a new world out there now, ever-changing, be sure to be an authentic person all the time!

“You don’t have to do it today,” and that was a light bulb moment. Someone else said, “ I can’t I am too overwhelmed right now!” It all makes so much sense. Things I don’t recognize in myself, being said to me. It is an aha and also a forehead slap! One hundred percent or nothing is not the way I should approach things. I am the first one to tell others, “ that is not a today problem.” Here I am solving everything in one day or trying to. The structure and organization I crave, has me trying to solve world problems in an instant, that my friends is not realistic.

If you are like me, slow your roll. You’re on it, you’re aware of it, that is half the battle. Take your time, give things time, trust the process. You can still give your all and treat yourself gently. There will always be more to do, always! Rushing to the finish line, does not mean you will be finished. I guess the wishy washy summer, makes me crave order. I will say that eliminating the procrastination has me ahead of the game, but also removes the safety net that makes me slow down. Faster for what? Burn out?

Going forward, keep that forward motion. Resist rushing, sleep on decisions, delay final answer. Stay true to deadlines set by others. Your own deadlines, spread them out. If you don’t have to, don’t give it another thought. Be fun, be silly, a rewarding thing to teach yourself. All work and no play makes you a grump. Draw a balance beam and divide things along it, not all, not nothing. Be kind to others, but be kind to yourself!

I am trying to trace back when Negative Nelly showed up in my life. I am a glass half full kinda gal. Somewhere along the way, this troll Nelly, would insert herself into my life. Sometimes we get into a competition internally about the whoa’s of life. One persons complaints starts a tirade of complaints and then the mind gets filled with all the blah. I am not getting into that habit again, nope. Fix it! You don’t like it, fix it! Verbal diarrhea does not solve problems. You can think about it what you want to think, you can complain, it won’t help.

I raised my kids on positive reinforcement, to encourage good behaviour and actions. Now is not the time to invite attention to all the negative things that rise to the top. It is quite common to get there fast in a conversation. I don’t know why, I remember doing a gratitude journal, to seek out the good of the day. I don’t want people to be fake in their interactions, bad obviously comes with the good. Perhaps we can get all the negative out and then conclude our conversations, on a good note.

At the end of a day we sit with our people and hash out the day. Finish those conversations with, “ what was the best part of your day?” “ Tell me something that happened that made you laugh today?” You could even implement to your people that at the end of every day you want to hear, something that made you feel good, something that made you laugh, and how you made someone else feel fantastic. That way a mental note can be made in the mind to seek them out, to make them real, and share good things! I have fallen away from some of my favourite practices. Pledge today to look for good, grow some positivity in your life. 💝

Tired in a good way is how August is leaving. Still squishing in a bunch of things before big September arrives. Dividing and conquering the last bits of summer in five different directions. It wasn’t perfect balance, but the best I could do. Progress not perfection is the new motto. I am not ready for pumpkin spice, I don’t really like it anyways. I do love the next season, so no hard feelings, summer isn’t over yet. Someone needs to tell the stores that!

My mind keeps racing ahead, and I keep pumping the brakes. Live in the moment! September is my new year, goal setting, planning etc. Who wants to plan in January? Brrrrr! January, I go to sleep for three months! I hate the thought of putting on socks and shoes again. I really don’t want to pack up summer and take out fall yet. For that reason, I will be mostly unprepared. This year, I am okay with that.

It has been a little over a year that I removed news from my radar. I know about things, because people talk about them. It isn’t my language anymore, family, friends and community, that is a good enough circle for me. It was a very important shift for me, here and now, forget the rest. Filling up on good things! Worry does nothing for no one! Every new day is one to enjoy!

School will be starting again, the debates and negotiations are going on within the walls of every home. Expectations are set, clothes, supplies, arrangements, scheduling for all the upcoming changes in the fall. For some the internet gets turned back on and some are just arriving home from lengthy vacations. Sleep schedule’s have to be reset, making lunches again and again and again. It is exciting for a few days and can wear off quickly.

The big day arrives and you send off your tater tots hoping for the best. For the newest little, it is a new world. If you have a boy, teach them about urinals, if you have a girl, a full jumpsuit with buttons and zippers might need some practice first. If they can’t tie, maybe velcro would be better for a bit. Educators, educate, sure they assist your children, but 15 kids needing their shoes tied, does nothing for nobody. Lots of kids arrive not able to manipulate their thermos, coat zipper or looking for a microwave that often doesn’t exist. A little rehearsal never hurts.

A little etiquette goes along way, your teacher is not your bruh and skibidi toilet ohio stays with their YouTube friends. Have a conversation about kindness, you don’t want to play with someone, that is your choice. I make those choices for myself everyday, but you don’t point, whisper, run away, and make others feel small, inadequate or worthless. There are enough rulers in this world, do some role play and teach empathy. I see the cutest little buttons, being the meanest little muffins. A true leader is inclusive. We need more kindness in this world and that starts at home.

We can’t predict our futures, it is a life mystery. We can go in a certain direction, but outcomes are different for everyone. I have always been conscious of the future, more than some. Unknowns get to you and I think that’s why a like to dabble in the past. Looking at genealogy and history brings things full circle. Your future is deep rooted in your past. Repeating patterns, learning curves, anxiety, cause and effect mar or provide clarity going forward. Possible outcomes for the future is not something you should dwell on, life is unpredictable. Goals are always good, but live in the moment.

What is on your horizon? To be and let be is a laid back approach we should all adopt. I remember learning about CPR and the ABC of life saving, so first step is the airway and breathing, in my mind just keep breathing. When you have a baby, breath through the pain, lack of oxygen equals more pain. When dealing with stress, deep breathe. Panic attack, in through the nose, out through the mouth, slow. Breathing is a major coping mechanism. You can survive the bleeding if you are still breathing.

Remove obstacles and change your challenges to opportunities. Live today, don’t waste energy on worrying about tomorrow. Life is a symphony, keep it as a melody, when the symbols get too loud, know that it will pass. Enjoy the music in your story, get excited at the highs and lows. If it all becomes too much, just breathe!

When it doesn’t work out, just start again. I don’t know how many times I have had to pivot. Trying to achieve the balance of a bird on a wire is hard work. Being everything to everyone and keeping self in front is the best musical you could ever be a part of. Toe tapping, happy feels, forward motion, that is the goal. My son told me about the full moon that came last night, It was called the blue moon, because it only happens, once in a blue moon. I saw it shrouded in clouds, not blue, but low and huge. I love the full moon.

The season is slowly changing, the deer have returned to the roadways in early morning and evening. The sunset is a little earlier. The air is also a little more crisp in that part of the day, but still hot when it needs to be. It really has been a fabulous summer and it isn’t over. Don’t start that, pumpkin spice stuff yet, enjoy all this season has to offer, time goes fast enough. I’m not ready to trade in summer dresses and strappy sandals for sweaters and cute boots.

My father in law used to say, “ I’m not as young as I once was, but not too old to have fun.” I love that! If that is where you are in this lifetime, do that. If you are younger than that, eat this world up, it waits for no one. I have to keep reminding myself that the eighties isn’t twenty years ago, it was forty years ago! For all my vacationing friends, remember to relax, you don’t have to fill every minute. Give yourself time to refocus too! Smell the roses!

Do you think Celestial events affect us? Apparently the world beyond us has had a whole host of things happening this year, eclipse, northern lights, meteor showers. Do they have any bearing on our internal selves? Moons and planets aligning, horoscope, hocus pocus and all the other things that happen, how does it impact us? You know when you get the feeling it’s going to rain or the sky looks like the season is changing, is that something we are born to know? This year has been so different. I don’t want it to stop, maybe it is just personal growth, but it is awesome.

I have adventure in my steps, wandering and wonderment. I have no idea why, the dreamer is a doer. Spontaneity has come back that seemed to have been lost along the way. Little self challenges seem to work for me. A little, “Je ne said quoi!” Letting things go, enjoying moments, removing worry, it’s lovely! I feel free and full. I have done nothing but everything at the same time. Another wish to bottle and sell for everyone to enjoy. The changes you make to yourself, to spill out for others to acquire.

I would like to think it’s not the season of the year, maybe just the season in your lifetime. Take good things you get in this world and keep it close and discard the rest. Roll in others happiness and spread it around, we need more of that in our lives. Lift each other, don’t watch others get knocked down, be the good thing. If it’s not your way, change it. Take the steering wheel back and set your course in this life. I will root for you, I will start the standing ovation, I will be proud of you, be proud of yourself you will come out the other side of it a better person!

Cloudy or not, here I come! I am an empath and all energy affects me, I can sugar coat that to make myself feel better. I have built compartments and still succumb to guilt for some of my motivations. I gift wrap the compartments so dealing with them are more appealing. I close the boxes sometimes to give my heart a break and let my mind takeover. This is my learned strategy, is it avoidance? Maybe more of a recess. Whatever it is, most of the time it works for me. Different times of the year, week, day, work better for me and I at least recognize that.

I would never want to be perceived as an absent friend, sometimes it is only my ears that I can offer. If you need me and reach out, I do my best foot forward to be there. If you know, you know. I can not always be physically where I am needed, but my thoughts have you in my cradle. We are human and most of us strive for the best we have to give without sacrificing boundaries and mental health. When in turmoil, we tend to have tunnel vision and can only see our own path.

I am in the sunshine mindset, whether the weather be, whatever the weather is. Vibes ablaze with all the good things! Can’t let the clouds and rain put the fire out! Try to take what you can from what is available, it truly is liberating, waiting just robs you of time. Worrying just adds years to your available time. Another month and a half of summer, don’t waste it!