Spring is Around the Corner

This week we had a few rare sun filled and warm days for Rochester, NY. That along with Lent beginning has sparked spring fever for me. The idea of spring has me thinking once again about new beginnings, you know out with the old and in with the new.

This month I will write about some new spring ideas that we can all implement in our lives keeping with the theme of “Effort” and blending it with “Renewal” as we count down the days to Easter. I will also share with you my favorite recipe for “Irish Soda Bread,” sure to get those Irish eyes smiling!

So enjoy your Sunday with friends and or family, kick back and watch Syracuse Basketball – they play at 2:00pm and gear up for some March Madness!

Namaste.

Never Give up

As I watched the Oscars last night I kept hearing the same thing over and over as the different winners gave their speeches, “Never give up!” Initially I didn’t pay attention to it right away then I believe it just hit me and I had that “Aha!” moment and thought, how true. As long as we work hard and “Never give up” the sky is truly the limit!

I was thinking of this when I went to my friend Wendy’s new salon today and I have to say I was completely wowed by everything. As I looked around this beautiful salon I realized the effort, determination and hard work that went into it and thought to myself – “Never give up!” I am so excited for Wendy and wish her well. If you are in Rochester (Penfield) you must check it out. Here is her website http://www.wendyatwork.com/
and the photos I am including are of her salon.

As I revisit my theme for 2009 “Effort”, “Never give up” blends perfectly with it and when we keep our eyes open it is right there in so many ways. You can hear during speeches, see it in your favorite businesses, witness in parenting and experience it through healthy choices. Remember “Never give up!”
Namaste.

Celebrating

In keeping with the month’s theme – Valentine’s Day, Mike and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary (even though it was in November) this past week at Mirbeau in Skaneateles, NY. We had a wonderful time and enjoyed every moment. It gave us time to rest, relax, reflect, talk and remember why we said “I do!” in the first place. And believe or not we missed the boys but knew they were well cared for and having the time of their lives with their cousins!

Taking your time and keeping things simple are two of lives greatest pleasure that go unnoticed in our busy world. So as this month comes to a close this coming week take the time to slow things down and appreciate all that you have.

Namaste.

Happily Ever After

Happily ever after is what we all seek. It is not that hard to understand, what is hard, is how do we achieve it?

The last two weeks I have been reading the “Twilight” series of books (my reasons for reading these books is a whole other story). Anyway I enjoyed the characters and needed to know how it ended up – I wanted them to have a “Happy Ever After!” I raced through the books even letting the laundry build up so I could find out. It was the same obsessive feeling I had when I first read “Pride and Prejudice” years ago. I just wanted the characters to be ok – isn’t that funny, maybe even a bit crazy?

Anyway as I was thinking about this theme I realized we all desire happy ever after but with life throwing us curve balls all the time how do we do it? The only answer I could come up with is, take it one day, one moment at a time and stay present always. We are only guaranteed the day we are in so make each day a “Happy Ever After!”

Sounds easier said then done huh? Well maybe it is not as hard as we think. What if we kept mindful of everything we are grateful for even on the days where nothing seems to be going right. In other words make that extra effort to see things we are thankful for that we take for granted and allow our minds to focus on them. Maybe we could write them down and keep a list in our pockets for us to go back to throughout our day. I believe that could work.

Another thing that could work is helping someone else. It could be the simplest of things like holding a door open for someone, listening to a friend in need, giving someone a hug or even a smile. When we help others we distract ourselves, we feel useful and at the end of the day we know we did well.

Here is another way, keep life simple. As humans for some reason we love to complicate things and when we do we tend to give ourselves our greatest heart breaks. We should really examine our choices and see them for what they really are and stop making excuses for bad behavior and just except the consequences and move on. You know – “Know Better Do Better!”

I guess when it all is said and done, life will throw us curve balls all the time, but we decide how we are going to catch them, and that is how we can build our own “Happily Ever After – moment by moment!

Namaste.

Celebrate Love This Week

The week leading up to Valentine’s Day can provoke lots of emotions. We may feel the exhilaration of love or we may feel the sadness of a lost love or the emptiness of no love. As we travel through this week lets remember that the people we encounter will be experiencing some form of the above feelings, so tread lightly and smile often and let’s take care of our friends and family.

Sunday February 8th Make an old fashion “Sunday” dinner and invite your in-laws or friends. Use a tablecloth and have fun mixing and matching dishes as you set the table.

Monday February 9th Make a list of people that you want to send Valentine’s to. Cut out hearts from paper and be creative, even use the newspaper for the background and cut out words that fit what you want to say – have fun! After gluing everything lay them out to dry overnight.

Tuesday February 10th Go to the post office and get heart stamps and send your homemade Valentines. It is so much fun to receive a letter in the “Snail” mail since it tells the person they are special and you made the extra “effort”!

Wednesday February 11th Wear something pink for the fun of it!

Thursday February 12th Grab a good romance novel and sit back for an hour and enjoy yourself. Make yourself a cup of tea and stay warm.

Friday February 13th Let it be your good luck day! Clean your living room, bake some heart sugar cookies and get the tea cups ready. Invite your friends over and have them each bring their favorite poem, or quote to share. Enjoy an evening of laughter and great conversation!

Saturday February 14th Start the day by exercising your heart, and then take a yoga class and work on your heart openers. Later in the day meet up with some friends or plan a nice evening with your family or loved one and celebrate their presence in your life! Happy Valentine’s Day!

*Just for the fun of it with all the cars dirty or snowy this time of year – draw hearts on the them with your finger. I bet you will create some laughter when the owners get back!

Iron and Wine

As I sit here on Friday evening enjoy a glass of wine from the red Chilean wines my husband brought home this week from Chile I ended up watching "Iron and Wine's" 'Boy with a Coin' on the internet - it is beautiful (http://www.myspace.com/ironandwine) The way these women dance is inspiring. Take a look and let me know what you think. Does anyone know if this type of dancing is taught in Rochester, NY? If so let me know!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Namaste.

Remembering Old Friends

This past week, was a week of saying good by and remembering those who have touched our lives. My neighbor from across the street from where I grew up, Mrs. Stephen's passed away. When I was at her wake on Friday, looking at the posters of photos from her life there was a quote that I had forgotten until that moment. It is from Dr. Seuss and it goes like this, "Don't be sad that it is over; Smile that it happened!" What a beautiful way to look at life.

Also this week my friend Margaret’s dad passed away. How grateful I am for him because without him I wouldn’t have my friend. Isn’t it amazing how we can touch so many lives through our family and friends?

As we start February, my blog will concentrate on different ways to show appreciation for love as we honor the spirit of St. Valentine’s Day.

Have a wonderful evening and remember to give those you love a big hug and kiss!
Namaste.