2014 | 2015

“Wellllllll…that was a year of transitions.” … [And I say this. Every. Year.]

New jobs
New friends made
New geographical whereabouts
New adventures
New growth spurts

I was once afraid of transition or change. Believing that we are supposed “to know” our direction, set forth to find it & stick with it. But that’s so unlike my life?

And this year was no exception.

However! This year I acknowledged the comfort in knowing:

Tests turn into testimonies
Struggles turn into stories
Trials turn into triumphs

The will, the plan, the flow of life…

It’s sometimes hard to understand & always easy to fight — but my mind and soul are at ease when I take it in stride & know that whatever is happening is for a specific reason & I’m thankful to be a work in progress.

So while I love the idea of resolutions, history continues to prove itself that it just doesn’t seem to work out the way I [maybe you too?] originally thought it would. Therefore, I aim for mini goals, improvements, adjustments I can make to my everyday behaviors, my everyday flow of life.

• begin each day with thanksgiving, prayer & meditation.

• serve in the House that serves me. LifeChurch continues to fuel my thankful heart for an amazing House to call home.

• I am switching yoga studios in order to increase my knowledge, strength & ability; [mini goal] I plan to go confidently despite my insecurities.

• learn a new skill & this year I’m striving for Spanish.

• rekindle an old joy: sitting down to play the piano.

• become an even better dietician to myself & continue working toward an alkaline body. [Bulletproof Diet]

• give into my wanderlust & experience new cultures.

• listen more, talk less.

• look people in the eye.

• say thank you.

• unsubscribe from junk mail, any company I no longer want mail from & GROUPON. [you know what I’m talking about.]

• remember that the log in my eye is much more important than the speck in someone else’s.

• to be a continual seeker of goodness, light & my maker.

Cheers to 2015: May it be a year of thankfulness for all we have, serving those who need us, growth, continuous laughs & adventure.

#HappyNewYear.
#CelebrateLife.
#Adventure2015.

“What you seek is seeking you.” – Rumi

#InPursuit.

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Sun•Day (Yay)

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Sundays are the best days (my fav in fact)…especially when you have the pleasure of spending the evening with an awesome group of warm, wise folks, yummy food and [near] endless vino. An event hosted by the wonderful Robin, owner of the Bartlett Arboretum along with husband Kenny, who delivered her true to form specialty: delight.

In her speech to friends she expressed gratitude for their support, reminisced stories & uncovered lessons learned from longstanding friends she now calls family.

The woman has a way with words & I admire it so much because I am a lover of vocabulary.

During her speech she shared a few key words & phrases that stuck with me as I began to reflect on experiences & loved ones of my own:

•Patience
•Tenacity
•”Do it anyway”
•”With the end in mind”
•”Have fun & enjoy the view”

In the last year I have been a student to patience while being reminded it is a virtue for a reason.

My patience was tested while trying to decide whether I was being called to stay in Texas or come back to Kansas where my heart was. To make a long story short, patience eventually lead me home.

It was also tested when I met my Tree. I had no idea when we met that I was stumbling upon a wonderful human with the greatest heart & soul; that he would later teach me so much about letting go, letting God & the flow of life take it’s course, to believe in myself & my gifts. We began as friends but patience proved to bring us together in it’s own time. #thankful.

My yoga practice continues to test my patience as well — rather than envisioning where I want to be in my practice, yoga helps bring me back to the present moment to notice just how far I have come. I know one day I will be as developed as I envision but for now I am learning to be thankful for the voyage, setting my intention on trust & continued diligence.

Chutzpah, spunk, guts, backbone, willfulness…tenacity. Does anything worthwhile come to fruition without it? Or without the acknowledgment that sometimes despite our mindset, mood or plans we have to just grin, bear it & “do it anyway”?

I was a fan of listening to Robin reflect on times of “doing it anyway” especially on days where #TheStruggleWasReal.

There have been times when I’ve needed reminding that the situations I’m in are temporary & that without my personal tests I would never have my own testimony. “Doing it anyway” has offered me growth and has provided me with “entertaining” stories of my journey [typically after the storm, of course]; suggesting along the way to not necessarily be focused on the “end result” but rather keep “the end in mind”. We always hear people referring to the journey rather than the destination; go figure, they’re right. But sometimes the journey isn’t dang roses & Earth, Wind & Fire but rather a pain, rocks & glass [thank you Kid President]. I suppose life calls for us to get our hands a little dirty on occasion.

And lastly, she spoke of “having fun & enjoying the view”. A self explanatory reminder but how easily we forget.

Sunday adventure.
Monday jots.
Daily reminders.

Thankful heart, always.

#HappyMonday.