Thursday, February 23, 2023
This morning I listened to a podcast in which a lady who, upon immigrating to the U.S. at age 8 or 9 was given this very unambiguous directive by her parents "Perfect English with no accent like YESTERDAY!" Or however you say that in Mandarin. Now in her late 30s, this lady's English was definitely very good, but by her own assessment, the articulation still sounded very effortful, despite her years of cultural immersion, because she was still driven by the thought that it had to be perfect and artful, robbing it of the ability to ever be natural, which is to say: imperfect. "Tsk, tsk," I clucked, sympathetically. "She thinks she has to be perfect."
And then the aha! moment, that gleaming sliver of time when you get a chance to see inside your own fishbowl; when what you already know logically can be felt in your bones. Oh. *I'm* doing that. *I'm* showing up that way. The more I self-coach and examine my thoughts on purpose, the more evident and obvious it becomes that I'm creating everything in my life, including my sometimes stilted, topic-rambling, but lovingly and diligently crafted blog. I already knew this consciously; I review it daily, as a matter of fact. Thoughts create feelings, which drive actions, which create results. So even as I write this and you might be nodding your head along in agreement ("Sure, that seems reasonable..."), I don't necessarily expect any of you to scream "Eureka!" (but if you do, please email me and tell me; better yet, write me a review!)
I've been trying to be perfect or thinking I had to be and in doing so, have scrapped a ton of probably okay blog posts, have not yet landed my $5 million book deal (key word: yet), and worst of all, I've denied the world and you wonderful readers of the reason you're here on this blog in the first place: me.
There's no shortage of clutter-clearing and feng shui tips or printable recipes or homemade cleaning-supply-making moms who have overcome illness or even a bad sunburn on the internet. A lot of them have been doing it way longer and in much more stylish, influencer-y packaging than I have. All this is a google search away. You're here because, for whatever reason, you like, know, and/or trust me and you think that what I have to contribute to the conversation on these topics is worth hearing enough that you're reading it right now. So first, thank you so much for being here! I am truly honored by the gift of your time and attention. Second, because I value that investment from you, I am going to do my very best to be worthy of it by giving you what you came here for: jokes. And also a commitment to frequency-raising thoughts about living a more meaningful, authentic life with less stuff in the way that only I can say them.
Here's to both of us for being here and shining the unique and amazing lights of our souls at each other, in the guise of clutter clearing.
P.S. I am hosting a free workshop/webinar on March 23 called The Declutter Power Hour. Spend your lunch time with me (11:30am CT) and learn some of my best tips for clearing your space FAST, cleaning your space thoroughly, and ask your questions about any of it. Click here to save your spot and get the zoom link.
Do you want someone you like, know, and trust to help you look into your own fishbowl to sort out your thinking or your closet? If so, I would be so honored to be your coach.
I offer group courses, virtual organizing, feng shui consultations, and 1:1 coaching on your timeline to meet your needs. Visit the contact page of my site to book a session or send me a message to set up a discovery call.
Monday, February 20, 2023
While the activity of the ceremony may vary depending on the facilitator, the ceremony I attended combined the drinking of the cacao with a sound bath from crystal singing bowls and journaling prompts to connect and have a dialog with our inner child. The ceremony concluded with optional sharing of our individual experiences and a unity circle.
In Western culture, the Cacao Ceremony is somewhat new, but the cacao plant has long been revered by Meso-American cultures, where the plant was of central import and used both ritualistically and as currency, perhaps because the health benefits of pure cacao--which are plentiful! Full of antioxidants and minerals, the chemical compounds found in cacao have been shown to enhance mood, reduce insulin resistance, stimulate your brain and cognitive function, slow aging, improve sleep quality, support the gut and cardiovascular systems, boost the immune system and protect from chronic disease. No wonder the Wizarding World of Harry Potter employed it for dementor recovery!
Though much healthier and slightly more bitter in taste than it's highly-processed, but more famous derivative cocoa, the hot, rich, cacao drink felt both comfortingly familiar and boldly new at the same time. At the opening of the ceremony, we held the warm terracotta mugs full of pure cacao drink garnished with edible flowers to our heart's center in gratitude for the experience, all that we are, and all that is to be.
We spent about one hour in meditative and self-nurturing dialog with our inner child, either journaling it by switching the writing between dominant (present self) and non-dominant (inner child) hands or in quiet reflection, while the crystal sound bowls, each of which is tuned to the frequency of one of the seven chakras, were played by the facilitator. Prior to closing, each participant had the opportunity to share whatever they wished from their experience. The resulting insights I gleaned personally and shared by others were profound and I left the ceremony feeling lighter, having shared some of my most painful thoughts with a compassionate friend and listener--myself.
Why attend a cacao ceremony?
I have always been an adventurous spirit, curious about other cultures and traditions and I almost always say yes to new experiences that help me know myself and others better. Why not? And also...
In the past 13 or so years, I have investigated many healing modalities beyond Western medicine after experiencing a series of health crises beginning during my first pregnancy, for which the doctors I had previously consulted had no answers or understanding. While I have found relief and transcendence in so many methods, from tapping and crystals to meditation and homeopathic immune therapy, I continue to seek and try any and all experiences that help me connect more frequently and deeply with my heart. In doing so, I have found that my physical health has not only been restored, but now thrives as I take care of it in loving concert with my spiritual health. I am so glad to have found the Cacao Ceremony as another way I may continue to heal and offer love to my own heart and share that love to all around me.
Are you curious about or craving more healing in your life, but need a little hand-holding getting started? If you are ready to embark on a restorative journey of creation that supports and nurtures you every day as you do whatever you're meant to do in life, I would be so honored to be your coach.
I offer group courses, virtual organizing, feng shui consultations, and 1:1 coaching on your timeline to meet your needs. Visit the contact page of my site to book a session or send me a message to set up a discovery call.
Thursday, February 16, 2023
But as author Catherine Price explains in How to Break Up with your Phone, "Our lives are what we pay attention to. When we decide what to pay attention to in the moment, we are making a broader decision about how we want to spend our time."
I want to spend time paying attention to my actual life--the people I love, the ways I want to grow and strive, and the things I enjoy doing, which is not ACTUALLY the endless water fill game that mesmerized me when I saw it on Instagram and have been known to get really into when I am mentally spinning out.
I was recently listening to another audiobook in which the author, while hiking with a friend, came across a 30-something man in a loin cloth who was living in the canyon, eating squirrels, and basically exempting himself from our modern life because he considered it overly complicated. While I'm not ready to fully embrace rodents as a dietary choice, and a loin cloth is not nearly warm enough for my sherpa-lined tastes, there's still a part of me that thinks canyon-dweller guy, Jeff I think it was, has it all figured out. I think of Jeff when I feel overwhelmed: when I have 4735 tabs open on my browser trying to figure out how to record a podcast; when I'm trying to listen to someone else's podcast or webinar and simultaneously plan on-brand social media posts; when I hold my 12,000th cup of hot tea and stare at the blinking cursor of this blog wondering if I remembered to add jam to my grocery pick-up; when I wrap a fuzzy blanket around me and look out the window to my yard wondering if I should hire a landscaper or just put in 37 miles of plant beds as a weekend project; when I am doing absolutely everything but being mindful and still and being here now.
My out-of-mind away messages, while feeling existentially unique and agonizing, are far from uncommon, however. Like so many people, I keep the power of zillions of carefully-engineered distractions within arm's reach most or all of my day (and night). Don't want to focus on a project or feel your feelings or do the hard thing that makes you grow? You don't have to! Practice a foreign language for an hour and then another pouring different colors of stacked "water" from tube to tube endlessly all without even getting out of your chair (or while jogging in place, in my case). Feeling a way about your current reality? Press that social media button and two hours and a growling stomach later, you look up to see that it's dark and you're pretty sure you dislike everyone, even or especially, yourself. (It was such times as these that prompted my first formal foray into the digital detox in 2020, as instructed by Cal Newport's book Digital Minimalism.)
Jeff, teach me your ways!
But seriously: How to Break Up With Your Phone lays out a wonderfully, no-nonsense 30-day plan for the seriously addicted to wake-up and break-up and eventually make-up with their phones, but in a more fulfilling way that is the product of open-eyed consciousness and intention. While I will be using her methods, I have already done some of the steps (out of order) in my own journey and my own next step is relocating the charging of my phone (and Apple watch and airpods) away from my bed and out of my bedroom, which despite my own longtime awareness of how important it is (any electronics in the bedroom are anathema to rest and peace in the bedroom, says Feng Shui), has taken some time to talk myself into actually doing it.
Tonight is the first night without it. Here I go! See you back here soon.
Ready for your own digital detox or other habit change, but need a little hand-holding? If you are ready to embark on a restorative journey of creation that supports and nurtures you every day as you do whatever you're meant to do in life, I would be so honored to be your coach.
I offer group courses, virtual organizing, feng shui consultations, and 1:1 coaching on your timeline to meet your needs. Visit the contact page of my site to book a session or send me a message to set up a discovery call.
Wednesday, February 15, 2023
Though I have been interested in organizing and cleaning methods most of my life, the high-vibration living journey really began with my own health struggles during my first pregnancy with my son 13 years ago and a desire to overcome them through holistic health practices: quality sleep, stress reduction, food as medicine, removal of toxins and chemicals in my environment, regular exercise, gratitude and joyful living--and a commitment to these things for life. I have therefore developed many recipes and remedies over the years to stand in for over-the-counter drugs, including this one, a digestive aid, which I began making regularly about 18 months ago.
My mother has a condition called dysphagia, which is a fancy word for "difficulty swallowing," with symptom severity for sufferers ranging from mild heartburn and indigestion to aspiration, need for feeding tubes, etc. My mother is thankfully more on the less severe side of the spectrum, but it does regularly cause her extreme discomfort. While she does take some prescription medication for this issue, I and my sister, who shares my commitment to non-invasive, low-risk ways to restore natural function, wanted a daily way to support and boost her immunity and resilience to further deterioration.
We came up with a simple digestive drink recipe that has helped her decrease her dependence on prescription medication when taken daily and offers relief from acute symptoms when they flare up.
The key ingredients in this drink that make it a digestive aid are: lemon juice and apple cider vinegar, which individually have practically innumerable health benefits, but when combined are a superduo with the immune-boosting power of vitamin C and fermented foods. Unless your tastes run extremely sour and acidic, however, they are rather unpalatable in their combined state (and may cause the erosion of tooth enamel over time), so I add them to a more mellow and pleasing herbal tea that is my base, along with some honey, which is easily digested by sensitive stomachs, though my sister prefers substituting with stevia. Because I serve it so frequently, I create this drink 32oz at a time in a mason jar and refrigerate it to serve as a cold drink. It would also be very soothing prepared fresh as a warm drink in a smaller quantity.
Though I do not have dysphagia or even heartburn, I also enjoy this drink anytime I am feeling any kind of upset stomach or bloating. My husband drinks it throughout the day as an appetite suppressant and blood sugar regulator. I do not make any medical claims about this drink other than to say I have personally been making it regularly for my family with great results; and for having a lot of vinegar in it, it tastes pretty good, too! I hope you agree,
To your health!
Digestive Aid Herbal Tea Drink
Ingredients for 8 oz preparation. (32oz mason jar prep notes in parentheses)
- 8 oz water, divided (32 oz, divided)
- juice from 1/4 fresh lemon (1 whole)
- 2 tsp honey (2-3 T)
Method:
Steep tea bag in 4 oz hot water for 5 minutes. Remove and stir in honey. Squeeze lemon juice into the mixture (BONUS- put lemon husks in your dishwasher for sparkly dishes OR in your garbage disposal and run for a quick freshening up). Add apple cider vinegar and add remaining 4 oz as cold water or ice. Serve immediately or refrigerate and consume within 5 days.
Monday, February 13, 2023
Have you ever wanted to accomplish something that you technically knew how to do, but got lost in the weeds the first moment you attempted it (and eventually abandoned ship)? I recently completed a 5-day online course/challenge to set up and launch an email marketing list. While I started working with email marketing approximately 100 years ago (in Internet time) and have, like everyone with a pulse, received my weight in marketing emails, I felt paralyzed by the thought of (or the many thoughts about) creating my own and [whispers] "being out there." What if it seemed spammy? What if no one signed up? What's it going to be like out on the WORLD WIDE WEB?!
I would say, truly, that none of the information in the course was new to me and was honestly very basic compared to other programs and books I had utilized. But the very simplicity of it (" 'Step 1. Write your name here...' 'YES! I did it!' " ) gave me tiny wins that created momentum to keep me going to the end when I was able to assemble all my baby steps into a larger, slightly-awkward email sign-up form and thank you content. Sure, my "thank you content" looked very impressive--if it had been on a late 90s Geocities free site, but I had done it! I did the thing. And once I did the thing, I could refine the thing, and try it out and make more mistakes and not die of being spammy or lack of subscribers or existing on the WORLD WIDE WEB or anything at all. Feels great to be alive!
So in honor of my big (or at least first) email list launch, I wanted to offer you some hand-holding to something that, perhaps in your heart, you already know how to do, too. But I am going to say it in my way, with love and appreciation for where you are in your process, and maybe this time you will hear it and get out there and do the thing. Or another thing you've been trying not to do, but that you really want to do.
The thing I want to walk you through is creating a home sanctuary that nourishes and uplifts you, restores you in rest, and helps you connect more completely with yourself (and your partner, too). I'm going to tell you in 5 steps and I'm going to be cheering you on the whole time! Compassionate, hand-holding is here. Ready to create your blissful bedroom?
Sign up here, by clicking the image below. See you soon!
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| 5 Steps to a Blissful Bedroom Guide |
Want a little more personalized hand-holding? If you are ready to embark on a restorative journey of creation that supports and nurtures you every day as you do whatever you're meant to do in life, it's time to create your high vibe home.
I offer group courses, virtual organizing, feng shui consultations, and personalized coaching on your timeline to meet your needs. Visit the contact page of my site to book a session or send me a message to set up a discovery call.
Monday, February 6, 2023
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| How is a simple thing like trash can placement affecting your space? |
Feng Shui is a wonderful practice for bringing mindfulness and intention to your space. Even when you are not able to strictly adhere to the ideal version of every concept or principle, being aware and conscientious about your space will raise the vibration of it--and you-- through the application of your loving attention.
Today we take a look at the feng shui of the trash can. This humble servant of the home is incredibly useful for keeping a space tidy and hygienic, and yet placing it prominently in a room or space emphasizes what is not useful, what is being discarded or drained away, and when unattended, can create visual and olfactory (smell) disharmony that is unwelcoming and chaotic. Your trash is the way your home excretes and just as you would like your own body's excretion process to be smooth and regular to feel your best, so too is it important for that of your home.
Consider these guidelines for best trash can practices in feng shui, no matter where they are placed:
- Empty your bin immediately when there is an odor, and otherwise daily or weekly, at minimum. Daily bin emptying is required in many office building codes because trash poses a fire hazard. The energy of discarding is dull and stagnating and may lead to or attract blockages and hygienic hazards, as well.
- Blend your trash can with your decor. Choose a design that is attractive to you and matches with the room where it is placed. Discard and replace any trash bin that is broken or damaged or visually antithetical to your space immediately. The items in the receptacle are being discarded, but your bin is staying and should not detract from your energy every time you see it!
- Conceal your trash can or use one with a lid. A prominently placed trash creates a feeling of uselessness and waste in the entire space, emphasizing what is discarded and not what is helpful and beloved. A trash can stored under the sink or in a pull-out cabinet is wonderfully convenient and helpful for odor minimizing, but a well-chosen lidded version, discreetly-placed, works just as well.
- Size and number matters. When you have an outsized trash can or a space filled with trash bins, consider the implication for how much trash you are creating energetically with your life. The ideal locations for a trash can are in the kitchen and bathroom(s), where the most trash is typically generated. Keep the size moderate and empty them frequently.
It's most ideal not to place trash bins...
- at the entrance to your home (inside or out), which is where fresh energy is drawn in and enters your space (the mouth). Aside from detracting from the appeal and warmth of your home visually, a trash bin will sully this energy and opportunities and relationships may feel junky or worthless.
- next to your desk in an office (home or business), which is symbolic of throwing away opportunities. If a bin in this space is a must, try keeping it under your desk or in a less prominent space, as well as blending it with your decor and having a lid.
- in a living room or dining room, which detracts from the impact of the energy gathering, mixing, and amplifying
- in your bedroom, which detracts from restful sleep
- in the wealth section of your home, a room in your home, or office. How do I find this? There are a lot of answers to this question based on the school of feng shui and the facing direction of your house and the application of the bagua. One simple answer is that from the front door of the house or room or office, the wealth and prosperity section will be to the back, far left of the space. Practitioners who rely solely on the cardinal directions will say it is the southeast corner of a space. Either way, go with your intuition. If you walk into a room and can see the trash immediately, it is not an optimal placement.
Like these tips? If you are ready to embark on a restorative journey of creation that supports and nurtures you every day as you do whatever you're meant to do in life, it's time to create your high vibe home. If you would like to have an in-home consultation or personalized coaching on your timeline and with your specific needs in mind, I would be so honored to help you sort it out as your coach. Visit the contact page of my site to book a session or send me a message to set up a discovery call.
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