starting my day …..

It's time to get my day started in terms of productivity, but just a quick post first. I haven't posted in a bit and am happy to be here again. Life is busy but I feel something slowing it down lately. It's probably just how I've been feeling lately. I want that 'slowness' to invade my life and let me find the calm that is more healing than the hectic pace. I am right now sitting on my deck overlooking the garden and the sun is warming me nicely. The squirrels are feeding along with the birds and the resident chipmunk is running his little racetrack where my flagstone encircles my grass in the garden. It's such a funny sight to see him racing along the stone track! It makes me smile every time :). My green tea is done and I am just finishing up my green smoothie and a list is made for the day…I do better with lists. All this is a good start to my day.

In my last post I talked about our food journey we were embarking on and we are still on track. We are feeling our bodies adjust to the changes and we physically and mentally feel so much better. It wasn't a huge adjustment for us but there are always parts of a journey that are more difficult than others. I will share about that in an upcoming post. We head to the holistic nutritionist tonight for our monthly followup and I will check in about that soon here. 

Must fly now but here's a picture of my sun tea that I made on Sunday…… well, I didn't really make it. The sun did ! 

Have a lovely day! ….. and if you need to, ….. slow down :)

Maggie

my tea party…...

I've done it for years. It is my normal routine to get up for work early enough that I can do it, and even if I am not working I take the time for it ……. a tea party that is. A tea party for myself to begin my day. I love the quiet solitude of early morning and for me it lends itself to beginning my day in balance
which then in turn sets me up to have a good day. Now, it doesn't always follow through that way but I at least begin each day the same. I'm never rushed since I get myself up early enough to allow for it and all the other things that need to happen on a work day especially. Some people would rather sleep, while I would rather have this time to myself. I know some of my friends or co-workers think I am a bit crazy to do that but it's important for me to have this time and it starts my day off perfectly. As much as I am physically alone I most often will be reading so in fact there is usually someone invited to my tea party. Any number of authors have sat in on my tea parties and over the years I have learned much and shared in many stories. I love to read but my days leave little time to share in that so early morning is my 'reading time'. Books are a passion for me and to have a book in my hands is a wonderful thing. I don't think that I would ever own a Kindle or reading apparatus such as that because the tactile experience of having a book in my hands is not something that I would want to give up. Ok, I admit I have a kindle app on my phone which I thought might be a distraction while waiting for an appointment or such, but I usually forget that it's there and end up reading something interesting in a magazine instead. Maybe I was a writer in a former life as I love the ability to put words to paper and create something that someone else would enjoy. Words can be such a powerful thing. I read a lot of non-fiction and this feeds my constant desire to learn but I try to squeeze in a bit of fiction from time to time to allow myself to escape and be entertained also.

I remember in my younger years as a mom that I would get  up early and have my then coffee party (I don't drink coffee anymore) before any of the children awoke so that I could have some time to myself before the busy days of motherhood took over. I also treasure the memories I have of the tea parties that I had when I owned my bookshop and I would sit in my cosy chair in the shop and be amongst all those books! It was heaven for me! I could walk up to any shelf and pull a book and open up to any page and read. Sometimes I would take my tea party on the road and find a coffee shop where the atmosphere was of good energy and I would take my book there and sip on my tea. Most of my tea parties are now in my home which is my special place on Mother Earth.

Invited to my tea parties lately has been author Carolyn Myss as I am re-reading her book The Creation of Health that is also co-authored with Norman Shealy. Two amazing people that bring so much knowledge to the world of health and wellness. But I may have to share in my morning authors as I have a book waiting at the library for me by Jenna Woginrich called One Woman Farm which chronicles her transition from city cubicle to rural homesteading. Should be a great read!

My tea parties always have a special mug or tea pot which have changed over the years. I recently acquired a special set, on sale of course, and I'm sure it will be with me for years to come. It's tea party perfect!

 I think I will always make time for a tea party in my life. It's just that special to me. I hope you find the time to spend a few quiet moments for yourself before you begin your day. Namaste…….. Maggie 

Reflections and connection.....

It's a reflective Sunday morning here at home as I sip my tea and listen to the rain outside of the meditation room window. Flute music is playing softly and vanilla incense is wafting from the room to throughout the house. I like these kind of mornings.......quiet, calm, peaceful. It feels as though the world is still asleep and the frenzied pulse of life has not yet taken over.  It makes me feel like this is 'my time' and these kind of moments often make me reflective. This mornings reflections are steeped in gratitude.

I am on the first day of my two weeks of holidays and I am always grateful for time at home. We are not going away on a holiday during this time off work but instead we have chosen this time specifically to complete another portion of the home renovations that have been an ongoing project since last July. We are beginning to feel a bit weary of all the work that we have been doing but it is bringing what is now our home together, back to life after so many years of passive living and merely existing as four walls. We have been breathing new life into what we are now making 'our' home and it feels wonderful and I am so grateful for this opportunity. I feel as though the house is smiling back at us and is quietly whispering a thank-you. A house needs to be a 'home' and a home needs to be a person's sanctuary. That place that you know you can wake up in and return to each day and feel both comforted and safe. It needs to be that one place on this vast planet that you can call your own and always feel like it is giving you a big hug when you walk through the door and reassure you that life is going to be ok. We all want to feel a connectedness, which in turn makes us feel supported and I feel that a home can do that for us. I have been in homes where I have felt that connectedness that it  has with its owners and I have felt the opposite also. Our homes are often a reflection of who we are as people and where we might be at in life.

For us our renovations are heading into the final stages of completion I can feel everything coming together and the connectedness is falling into place. It's a very good feeling and I am grateful for so many things involved with it. We are blessed to be able to do alot of the work ourselves and that we have had the resources to take this all on. When it is all said and done we will be able to sit back and smile and know that we did our best and our home will be a happy one.

Warm blessings to all,

Maggie

breakfast changes.......

The morning is cool and crisp today. It is certainly a sign that it is September and we are heading into Fall. Along with this comes our own seasonal transition inside of us and I always find this so fascinating. It was a simple choice this morning to make myself a hot bowl of porridge and enjoy the transition. 

Thats all it took....some steel cut oats cooked and topped in the end with agave, walnuts and hemp seeds. Perfectly perfect! 

Enjoy your day! 

Maggie

early morning......

On workdays my alarm goes off very early and I begin my routine to prepare for the day. I have always given myself enough time to get ready and then also sit and relax or do something that might need attention such as emails, banking etc. But today I managed to stir up a batch of goodness and filled the cookie jar to the brim. I whipped up a batch of chocolate chip cookies, the recipe that I have followed for probably some odd 30 years, and the house is wonderfully scented with both chocolate and vanilla. Now, since I am not one who can tolerate sugar well at all I probably won't even partake of a mere morsel but the scent is enough to fill my being with goodness. My partner Kelly will enjoy them for sure. She always smiles when she sees the cookie jar filled once again.

Fresh out of the oven and onto the cooling rack. 

Still in the dimness of the early morning light the cookie jar is filled and ready to be enjoyed. 

I hope that your early morning time is special for you also. 

Blessings, 

Maggie

 

soul to soul........

"Step aside from your busy day today and look soul to soul into someone else's eyes.......your day will brighten right then and there, right in front of you ......because at at the end of the day we only have each other...."

Just my early morning thoughts as I stood on the porch waving good-bye to my love as she drove off to work. We get caught up in moments of our busy lives, but I can carry with me the look we shared as we connected for a brief moment before she left......a soul to soul connection. Ours alone. 

Morning blessings, 

Maggie

Reflections.......

I had a difficult conversation last evening. All the emotions that came up for me during and after the conversation were ones that reside deep inside of me and some go as far back as my early childhood. It amazes me that as much as I have worked on my emotional and psychological health for many years both professionally and personally, these emotions are still there and come up from time to time. They are not suppressed because I know that I have worked on them and understand them, but they never really leave.  It merely proves to me again that 'cell memory' exists and it can bring back both physical and emotional responses very quickly. In fact in just seconds I can 'feel' just like I did when I was in a previous situation that was similar. Our minds and bodies are amazing.

This morning I am reflective in my thoughts and am taking some time to observe them. I sit in my meditation room with a cup of tea and some quiet music playing. The door to the room is ajar so that all or any of the furbabies can enter the room also if they need to. Currently Micah our Weimaraner lies beside my chair. I have smudged with sage from a special place that I visited with my partner Kelly called Lillooet. It hails from British Columbia where you can simply stop by the roadside and pick some sage. It's scent is so wonderful. I now can also smell the sweet scent of vanilla incense and have said my prayers not only for myself, but also for you, as I pray for all of mankind each day.

As all of this exists around me I can better ground myself and come to understand the emotions I was feeling surrounding the conversation. I can now see it was not at all the content of the conversation that was affecting me, but the way it made me 'feel'. It conjured up feelings and reactions from my past and it felt very uncomfortable. So now I can better work through all of this and come to an understanding of another piece of me. We are complex beings. We are intricate beings. We are hard to understand. But if we take the time to reflect and listen to the voice in our soul.....well, then we often can begin to discover who we really are and why we feel the way we do. It's work.......but, it's good work. Work that we must do to reveal our true selves and then live our best life. The authentic life we were destined to live.

The way I was feeling this morning drew me back to this painting. It is one that was given to me by a friend back in 2000. I look at it and can see myself as the woman sitting on the boat reflecting on her thoughts. I am always drawn to 'the water' when I feel this way and this morning I may be sitting in my meditation room, but I can go to 'the water' through this picture. I close my eyes and I'm there.

I pray that your day has a few quiet moments where you can reflect on life, a few moments where you can witness joy and a few moments where you can know yourself a bit better than you did yesterday. Every day brings growth.........thankfully.

Blessings to all,

Maggie

early morning......

It's early morning here and I have already been up for at least an hour. I always get up seriously early on my work days to allow myself plenty of time to get ready and then to also sit quietly and have some time for myself before heading into a long day of work. My job is as a nurse and we work 12 hour shifts so it's important for me to head into that in the best state of mind that I am able to be in. After all the tasks are done to present myself to work and also have my meals to eat there are ready I head to my mediation room so that I can sit quietly and let my mind be still for a time. This has always been important for me.

This morning I have smudged with a beautiful sage that we bought when we were in the west last fall. It has a special name from the region it is harvested from and it escapes me this morning but I will ask my partner today and let you all know from where it came. It is such a beautiful scent. There is music softly playing and this morning a choice of vanilla incense also wafts in the air. I have done a crossing for 3 souls that were not yet home and then also did some self Reiki to allow my day to flow well. That included a long distance sending to my workplace which will enhance my day also.

All of this is what allows me to stay in balance with myself and life. I will say that there are times that I veer away from some of these practices but inevitably I alway instinctively know to return and find that peace that it brings me. Our lives are busy and fraught with so much that can make us lose our peaceful perspective. This makes it all the more important for us to take some time out of our day to focus on our inner space and create that calm and peaceful being for ourselves that we know is there. It is simply a matter of unlocking the door and letting it come out and shine. Ah, I say 'simply', well it can be simple if we allow it to be. But so much of the time we place roadblocks on our path of peace and calm. Maybe look at clearing some of them away, even just one cleared will allow for a better focus. Even if you only begin with 5 minutes of your own uninterrupted time. Let it be yours and only yours and let your mind be clear and calm. Try it on for size and see if it fits. I think it just might.

I must go now. Blessings to all and may you find 5 minutes of peace today.

Hugs,

Maggie

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