I promise myself...

This was my first week back to work. Today I realized that I've spent so much of this week wishing things were different that I've stolen precious time from myself.

I've been wishing I didn't have to work when I could've been appreciating having work to do that I love & feeling grateful for the flexibility of being an entrepreneur.

I've been wishing Melaina would sleep through the night again when I could've been soaking up her precious baby cheeks or giggling at her awesome hair.

I've been wishing I could "just get something done" around the house when I could've been basking in permission to relax and enjoy my time at home.

So now I promise myself that I will not steal any more time wishing my life away.

It's time to return to acceptance of how things are and let go of struggling to change.

It's time to return to the present moment and let go of anxiety about the future.

It's time to return to trusting my heart and let go of doubting myself.

I will do this by breathing deeply, approaching my life from a place of love (not fear), seeing with grateful eyes and recognizing all the abundance in my life, and letting go of the expectations & judgements that have been hanging around my head. Finding peace with the present moment doesn't mean letting go of my aspirations for the future. It's a balance of effort and surrender, as well as discipline and contentment.

Top Five Fabulous Things About Being 41+ Weeks Pregnant

Megan and I on my due date

I've been on maternity leave for two weeks now! My due date (May 21st) has come and gone and still no sign of baby making his or her arrival into the world! I'm working on relaxing and being patient while enjoying every last moment of pregnancy! Sure there are lots of challenging things about being SO pregnant, but let's focus on the positive!

Me at 40 weeks, 6 days

Top Five Fabulous Things About Being 41+ Weeks Pregnant:

1. It is physically impossible to rush around. Seriously, being this big there is no way I can "run" anywhere or hurry through anything. I'm finding it's much easier to savor the moment when I'm moving so slowly.

2. Zero expectations. There really is no "making plans" at this point in my pregnancy. It's impossible to have an agenda of any sort. Any moment could be THE moment that things get going so that means every day is wide open with possibilities. It's beautiful to wake up every morning and think, "Hey, I'm still pregnant! What should I do today?"

3. Celebrating small accomplishments. Today I blow dried my hair! And put on make-up! I went to the grocery store! I folded laundry! Whooo - hooo!!! The littlest things feel so big to me now that I have no expectations of myself.

4. Wide open space. So much free time! Something I am not used to at all, but I am loving it! Yesterday I spent hours just sitting on my grandparents' patio chatting and watching birds - what a lovely luxury! My husband and I were joking that we've seen each other more in the past two weeks while I've been on maternity leave than we have in the past two months. Unscheduled time truly is a beautiful gift! Especially when it is guilt-free!

5. Infinite lessons in patience, trust, and surrender. Waiting to go into labor is unlike any other kind of waiting. There is so much hope and excitement and worry and frustration and discouragement and joy and just about everything else one can imagine! Combine all of that with intense hormones and you've got yourself one wild roller coaster ride! But really, what can you do about it? Nothing really! I mean of course I have tried every labor-inducing thing I've heard of, but none of it has made any difference. I might as well sit back and relax into my situation instead of trying to fight it!

As I read over my list I see that all of these ideas can be incorporated into our daily lives. Being super pregnant may make it easier to choose to slow down, let go of expectations, celebrate the small things, savor unscheduled time, and practice patience, trust, and surrender, but it is not necessary to wait until something forces you into doing these things. So I challenge you today, whatever you current situation might be, to think of one small way to include one or more of these ideas into your daily routine. Maybe you will turn off the television while you eat dinner tonight. Or stop and look into the eyes of the person talking to you instead of continuing to check your phone or computer. Maybe you'll try letting go of expectations during your yoga practice. Or making a list of all the things you've accomplished so far this year - big and small. Maybe you will block out an hour in the upcoming week to do nothing. Or plan a vacation for this summer. Maybe you will use the "off" button on your cell phone. Or let it go to voice mail. Maybe you will shift your mindset to trust that everything is happening exactly as it is meant to be happening. Or you'll surrender into what is right now in this moment, without trying to change anything. Whatever you choose, I would love to hear about it! Please leave me a comment or send me an email at mscime710@roadrunner.com!

The Power of Play

Good afternoon darling readers!

I hope you are doing well and enjoying a fabulous Friday!

Let me tell you about my day so far...

I awoke naturally around 8:30am, today being the only day this week I do not have to set an alarm. I wandered downstairs and found the hubby making his coffee, which meant I couldn't make mine (he drinks regular and I am strictly decaf now). So I meandered back upstairs, started checking email and pondering what to do with the day. I worked on my book for a few minutes, but was feeling uninspired so I went back online to browse some blogs.

Eventually, I went back downstairs to make my coffee and chat with the hubby about our most recent renovation project at the wellness center, the grocery list, and other such enticing topics! Finally a bit after 10am I decided to start reading through my visual journal. I used three colored index cards and labeled them "to-do, to-read, to-ponder." My visual journal dates back to March 2010 and it was really interesting to see how my ideas and my business have grown since then. By this time it was about 11am and I started to think "I'm wasting the day away." It is pretty unusual for me to spend that many hours basically doing nothing...

So I hopped in the shower and that is when it happened! I had a gorgeous aha moment!

More to come on that later, but my point here is that all of my idling and "doing nothing" lead me up to that aha!

That moment in the shower reminded me of my theme for this summer -PLAY!

Play is an important part of creating and no matter what you "do" with your life, you are creating something!
Looking back on my index cards from earlier this morning, I see that I jotted "the difference between being lazy and giving myself space" on the To-Ponder card. I think all too often we perceive playtime as laziness, especially those of us who tend to be "doers," but there is immense value in "being" without any goal to be achieved or tangible thing to be produced. Although I schedule in an Artist Date for myself every week and a 30-minute creative mini-retreat nearly daily, I still struggle with idleness - particularly when I am wanting to create something. What am I learning and re-learning is that you can't force creation AND that periods of "doing nothing" are an important and natural part of the process of creating.

So go ahead and take some time to "do nothing" today or over the weekend - you may be surprised by the results!

Holiday Fun

Hello Readers! I hope you are all doing well!

I can't believe that December is almost half over! Time is flying by this month...

Last week I was feeling kind of grumpy. I felt like I did not have any time to devote to holiday fun. On the one hand I am so grateful to have lots of work to keep me busy, but at the same time I don't like when things feel out of balance (all work and no play...). So I decided to schedule in some holiday fun time just like an important business meeting!

So far this month I have taken my daughter and her friend to the Kissmas Bash concert, attended a holiday party at my neighbors house, gone to the spa with my sister for a massage and facial (absolutely heavenly), and caught up with friends from my old job over some yummy holiday punch. Tomorrow I am going to bake cookies with my gramma! And we are making snickerdoodles - my favorite!!! Other things I am looking forward to this month: driving or walking around the neighborhood with the family to admire holiday lights while savoring yummy hot beverages, having a glass of Bailey's in front of the Christmas tree, listening to the sweet sound of children singing at Meg's chorus concert, teaching extra yoga classes to raise money for The PASSAGE House in Niagara Falls, watching all of the little ones in my family open their presents on Christmas day, sleeping in during my self-imposed vacation this month, eating Snickerdoodles for breakfast, and watching holiday movies (really want to see Four Christmases). I also am pondering starting a Winter Solstice tradition. I'm not exactly sure what, but I am thinking something that involves clearing clutter... any suggestions?

I hope you are enjoying the holiday season! What are you most looking forward to during this special time of year?

Photo credit