I was a ding-dong the night before and locked my keys in my trunk, of course with all the doors locked.  I was waiting until 7am to call AAA and request service.  Days like that are where I can recognize I am human, crap happens, pay the AAA annual subscription, and keep moving.  Thankful for fast service from AAA.  I highly recommend you get some type of Roadside Coverage for moments you are human.  I think I have called every year for something random.  Towing, ran out of gas, key lock out, dead battery, change the tire….11 year membership and counting.  Back to meditation, I was distracted by the time and situation.  Even though I had everything available to set my mind at ease about the situation, I was still thinking about it. 

Laughing Buddha reminding me to laugh at myself when I am human and lock my keys in the trunk! 

I was visiting my sister’s house so I was distracted by all of her plants, not as familiar surroundings, sounds, sights, smells.  I wanted to go explore instead of sit.  I did a distracted version of 3-part yogic breath of lower lung chamber (expand the low belly), middle lung chamber (ribs expand) and upper lung chamber (chest lifts, collar bones broaden).  The breathing helped some, but my mind was still flittering off like a butterfly in a field.  I later have realized that I needed to go ahead do my walk-about and see what my eyes wanted to take in, smell the flowers, look at the different projects going on…and then go back and sit.  I need to recognize the energy I had swirling in my body and desire to explore and do that first, get it out of the way so that I can come back and sit with a more meaningful meditation. 

I finally decided to take a walk and visit the plants, walk the property, and I found myself walking to the horses in the various pastures below my sister’s house.  I had noticed a couple of Paint horses the day before and were drawn to them.  I had caught the eye color of one and I had to see more. 

Cisco, a lovely black and white Paint stallion came over to say Hello and posed several times for me. His elusive friend stay away this morning.

I snapped a pretty pasture weed flower, they open each morning and close when it starts to get hot in the day. Papery thin petals, very delicate.

Later in the day we enjoyed a nature walk around Lake Purdy in Irondale, Alabama.  To begin to describe the physical difference in my sister’s strength was amazing, I was, am in awe.  I could hardly keep up with her walking…She is on a mission to be stronger, more confident, feeling better, healthier…one step at a time, one day at a time.  #warriorsister #phoenixwarrior #susannaisawarrior #warriorstrong

Susanna and AnnaCarol blazing the trail ahead.

Susanna pauses to take in a lake view, and let me catch up. 

Striking veins on this leaf, I think it is from a Sycamore Tree.

The world’s original Google, Dad, can let me know for sure. 

It is not uncommon for me or my sister to find bones when we are in the woods. 

When we are together, it is almost a guarantee.  We left these to rest where they lay.

A Mom and her Mini-Me. 

And this is the type of ‘Good’n Tired’ we like to do. Work Hard, Play Hard, Rest Hard.

Thankful for this day, for quality time spent with family, for strength that can continue to grow. 

Spreading Love,

Paying Attention,

Letting my Light Shine,

Treasuring the Journey…one day at a time.

Blessings,

Iris

#meditation #treasuringthejourney #findjoy #sharejoy #spreadlove #spreadjoy #keeppracticing

I’ve dreaded, put off, procrastinated doing the 40-day meditation that is part of my requirement to complete my 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training certification.  Why?  The truth….I was scared to sit with myself, my thoughts, that inner voice.  Scared of the tears I felt would come gushing down my face.  Scared.  Well Meditation Day 1 is over and you know what?  I survived.  I am still breathing, deeper in fact, and it was ok.  I actually liked it.  Yes I cried, not like a fire hydrant gush, but tears flowed, but they were tears coming from joy and a grateful heart for the vision of a future moment in time, one that is coming and will happen. 

I have started waking up earlier and earlier in the mornings, 5:15am-ish…yea EARLY for this chick.  But I was going with it, just get up, start the day.  I began to walk with my coffee around my yard, my little slice of Eden.  Admiring the flowers, listening to the birds, listening to the world wake up.  People evidently are already on the river at 6am in these parts, squeals of delight from those skiing or knee-boarding could be heard.  I grabbed 4 prayer flags on my way out, not my usual number of prayer flags, but today I grabbed 4.  I decided to sit with the prayer flags during my prayers and time of meditation, to instill my prayers a little longer in them. I didn’t color coordinate on purpose, but matching prayer flags and prayer shawl for the win.  More about Prayer Flags in a later post.

I settled into the grass, took my sandals off, in my pajamas and sat facing east, toward the rising sun, the place where all things begin and closed my eyes.  I allowed the mind to quiet, I reminded myself to make my breath louder so I could hear it better, to be able to better focus and center, ground myself.  After a few breaths the calm comes, the light got lighter in my closed eyes, I knew Spirit was close, the air, the energy and had shifted.  Learning to sit with the quiet, to know you are safe in this sacred moment, to not feel fear, but awe of the beauty, the presence around.  Learning how to feel Spirit again…to be able to sit in the light, to feel the light emanating from me. 

I had visions of a time in Cozumel, Mexico, a snapshot of a group of people underwater scuba diving, my friend Rodrigo was there to take the picture.  A vision of myself sitting at the end of the dock, at sunset, thankful for the day I had just experienced.   One more reminder and affirmation from Creator that my dream of a Scuba + Yoga adventure is within my reach.  It will happen. The joy my heart felt, the smile that came across my face, and the tears, huge tears of joyful anticipation of this time.  Thank you for this vision, this dream in my heart. 

The night before I had read the book “Harold and the Purple Crayon” to my son. The little boy creates his own world, whatever he likes with his purple crayon. The world is his canvas and he holds the crayon. The squiggles that inevitable come to my eyes at times this time felt more purposeful like a shape was being drawn over and over for me to see the image, but in a stick figure, crayon type of drawing. The image of a Roadrunner was being drawn, no doubt about it. Creator reminded me that the world too is my canvas and I have the crayons, every color under the sun, to draw, dream and create the world I want. Exactly what I would tell my son, Creator was telling me, reminding me of this in my meditation.

Why a roadrunner though?  Of course my question after meditation and always grateful for Google to lead me to the answers. 

From Native American and Mayan traditions roadrunners are notable for their speed (they can run faster than a human), bravery (they kill and eat rattlesnakes) and endurance.  Roadrunner represents quick thinking, being able to shift dimensions easily, and being able to switch directions quickly.  Hopi and Pueblo tribes believe roadrunners to be protectors against evil spirits and are considered medicine birds. Some tribes consider the bird to be sacred and will not kill the bird, while others sacrifice this bird and eat its meat for medicine, strength and stamina.  Roadrunners have an unusual X-shaped footprint, often used as a sacred symbol to ward off evil spirits in certain tribes.  The X-shaped footprint tracks conceals which direction the bird is headed (thus throwing malignant spirits off-track.) 

From the blog ‘Feathers and Bones’, I found a wealth of information…  I’m liking the Roadrunner more and more.

– Although speed is its ally, time is irrelevant to the roadrunner. It can do several things at once and isn’t bothered with completing one thing before moving on to the next. This is partly due to its great mental agility represented by the crest on its head.. Many native cultures believe a "crest" symbolizes quick and efficient thinking capabilities. Those with this medicine have the ability to think quickly on their feet, flow with rapid change and understand the proper use of speed. 

– Due to the roadrunner’s large body, it cannot stay airborne for more than a few seconds and so, it prefers walking or running. It has a clownish gait when running or walking and reminds us to laugh with ourselves and not take things too seriously.

– The roadrunner is a vocal bird producing a variety of sounds from crows, chuckles, clacking and coos. Roadrunner asks us to use sound to benefit ourselves. Distract unwanted influences or say the right thing at the right time. By listening to the roadrunner we discover the right tone to use in any situation from a low coo to a screeching chuckle. Sound as well as speed can pierce through a situation and change its energy. Shamans are known to use both to shape shift realities when necessary.

– When spring arrives, the male roadrunner acquires food for himself and then offers choice morsels to a female as an inducement to mating. He often dances around her while she begs for food, then gives her the morsel after breeding briefly. Roadrunner teaches us the importance of honoring our personal needs first before giving to others. Some might think of this as a selfish act but in truth it is a balanced one. Although roadrunner has an ulterior motive when offering the female food (that of breeding) it carries the message of survival. Take care of yourself first and then assist others.

– Because roadrunner is always thinking of ways to get what it wants it reminds those with this medicine to use the ingenuity of their minds. If a problem occurs "think" yourself out of it. Highly intelligent, roadrunner medicine people have the mental capabilities to fix or change any situation. Procrastination is not part of this medicine. Roadrunner reminds us that mental alertness, speedy action coupled with the right use of sound always produces harmonious outcomes.

With an open heart and mind, I welcome the Roadrunner as a Spirit Animal in my life.  May I be reminded to be quick thinking, adapt to change, to laugh at myself and not take things too seriously, to use sound and speed to alter a situation or change its energy, to honor my needs first, take care of self first, so that I can then be of service to others, and to use my brain….I am smart, may I use my intellect for the greatest good, swift, alert, eyes open, able to adapt, messenger of the roads, of the Spirits. 

I think it is no coincidence that my name, Iris in Greek mythology is the “Messenger of the Gods” who moves with the speed of the wind and the Roadrunner is “Messenger of the roads and Spirits”, known for its Speed.  One more connection, thank you Creator. 

Spreading Love,

Paying Attention,

Letting my Light Shine,

Treasuring the Journey…one day at a time.

Blessings,

Iris

Sources:

http://www.native-languages.org/legends-roadrunner.htm

http://feathersandbones.blogspot.com/2008/07/metaphysical-roadrunner.html?m=1

http://www.firstpeople.us/FP-Html-Legends/How_The_King_Of_Birds_Was_Chosen-Mayan.html

#meditation #roadrunner #spiritanimal #spreadlove #listeningtoCreator #treasuringthejourney

I had an ugly cry on Saturday.  I won’t get into the details, but it was needed and a long time coming and I am thankful I had a friend by my side when it happened.  It is so easy to go with the ‘Fine’ answer when asked how you are doing.  When was the last time someone took the time to ask you how you are REALLY doing, you know, the below-the-surface question?  When was the last time that you took the time to answer that below-the-surface question with the true below-the-surface emotional answer? 

Some people seem to be naturally positive people, others seem to be naturally negative or cynical.  I liked to think I am closer to being naturally positive, but I can quickly and easily get closer to being negative than I care to admit, especially when the stress has been turned up a notch or two, or twenty.  I commend Elizabeth for putting her personal story out there for the world to read, but I commend her even more for her commitment to remaining focused on being more positive each and every day.  A great read from an aspiring new author, my best to Elizabeth in her future writing endeavors and to her personal war against depression. 

Even though I am not a ‘new’ mom anymore, as my little boy is almost two and a half years old, most of this advice still applies.  A few snippets that still ring true at newborn, two years, 5 years, 15 years, 30 years, forever….

• Cut yourself some slack.
• Parent towards the big picture and know many of the things you fret over aren’t as important as they pretend to be.
• Learn to ditch the mom-guilt fast, if you don’t squash it when they are tiny it will haunt all your mothering.
• Don’t forget who you are. It’s easy to get lost in parenting. For “you” to get lost.
• Give yourself grace as you learn the ropes. Give your children grace too.
• Let yourself mess up and then dare to admit it, and let them do the same.
• Your only goal is to raise someone who cares about others and can make good decisions.
• We all feel like we have no business to be doing what we are doing and that we must be messing it all up.
• Surround yourself with other parents who can build you up, reassure you, and swap stories (and babysitting) as needed.

Pete will probably never ever run through an airport professing his love for me, but that is ok.  His consistent ways each day with our little family show his love for me, and for us, even on the days when he drives me bonkers and gets under my skin.  Love is hard, marriage is harder, but very much worth it.  I needed this good reminder about what love really really really is in the grand scheme of things. 

Read anything inspiring, uplifting, funny, or just simply awesome lately? Please share with me in the comments below!

Be awesome today!

Making Peace With Pinterest

Sometimes we just need to say NO!  Even to Pinterest! I look to Pinterest for my INSPIRATION, not as the example of it has to look EXACTLY like the one they did.  :-)  Perfection is not the goal.  The goal is do something that you enjoy whether it be cooking, crafting, DIY projects, sewing, etc…The goal is to make something, to create something, to put your personal touch on it…make it unique…JUST LIKE YOU!

One Thing Your Daughter Doesn’t Need You To Say

Be the example?  Be a friend?  Be real?  Be you? 

My friend, Carrie-Anne (Hi CAS!), sent me the link to this blog thinking I would like it.  Oh yes, I have read this blog many many times….amazing, soulful writer.  Good good stuff.  The pressure of being “the example”.  Whew, that is tough..perhaps we need to rethink and rephrase that approach…not just with our daughters or sons, but ourselves as well.

What Do You Have Too Much Of?

After this weekend of packing almost 40 boxes in preparation of our move, I can safely say we have WAY too much stuff…plates, bowls, books, fabric, glass, on and on…..remember my list of collections, I mean my hoard….Whew it is overwhelming.  One would think after packing up 40 boxes that it would look like a dent was made….well maybe a minor dent like a car ding in a parking lot dent….but there is more to pack. HELP!   And you all don’t even have a clue about the stuff that my lovely hubby, Pete, has.  LOL!    What do you have too much of? 

Hope you are having a great week!  It has been beautiful here in lovely north Alabama the past few days.  Get out and enjoy some sunshine.  Read anything inspiring, uplifting, funny, or just simply awesome lately?  Please share in the comments section. 

Be awesome today!

So here is a snapshot of my inspirational pins for my ABC wall art project…

Pinterest Board: Pretty Projects

:-)  Those cute ABCs just make me smile.  There are probably a few more pins of ABC wall art examples on some other Boards that I have, but you get the idea. If you want to click through any of those pins, click the image above to go to the Pinterest board:  Pretty Projects. 

I pinned all of these over 1 year ago and have been working on this project ever since. I am sure many of you might be saying “Geez, take long to finish a project, Iris?”  and I agree this one is taking longer than even I expected, but I did add a layer of complexity to this project and thus it is taking longer.  My challenge to myself was that the letters had to come from 2nd hand sources such as thrift stores, yard/garage sales, consignment store,or off the side of the road, or of the like.  I challenge myself on an everyday basis to not shop retail when possible and this especially applies to creative projects. 

With a project like this, sure it would be easy to go to Hobby Lobby or Joann’s or wherever to purchase my letters of various fonts, sizes, and materials, but it makes it too easy, at least for me.  I want this project to be organic in nature in that by it taking a longer time to acquire the letters and them coming from different sources, they will naturally be different.  So after a year or so of collecting <hoarding> letters, here is how my ABC wall art is coming along.

Angle from A Side

Angle from Z Side

Yes, I have duplicates of many letters.  I like to keep spares for various gift giving opportunities, plus I have other letter-inspired projects in my head swirling around.  ;-)  Not to mention my hoarding issues. I wrote about those issues in my Confessional List.  It is LOL funny.  If you happen to want one of my duplicate letters, let me know.  I am sure we can work out a deal. 

I am still on the hunt for a few letters.  Did you happen to catch which ones are missing?  Funny or ironic to me is that 2 of the 4 letters that I ‘need’ for this project happen to be 2 of my former 3 initials before I got married. 

At minimum I need a , and .  

The ‘T’ I have is too itty-bitty for ‘the look’ I am trying to achieve.

I also think my two letter ‘D’s are kinda wimpy so I would like a more substantial . 

For the letters that need a little color pop or pattern or texture added, I think that is a great way for Cason and I to spend some time together…Craft time with decorating letters.  Yea!  :-) 

I have the wall space picked out of where I want to install the ABC wall art.  I have opted to take a slightly different approach on attaching the letters to the wall than most of the other projects I have seen.  I want this to be easily portable and moveable so I have a plan up my sleeve and I have already twisted Pete’s arm into helping me.  There will be more to come on this Pinterest-inspired Project in the coming weeks. 

Do you have a project that is taking FOREVER?!?!?  Do tell!  Got a J, V, T, or D you want to donate to my project?  Donations are perfectly acceptable according to the rules that I make up as I go along.   :-) 

Stay tuned,

P.S.  Source for J, V, D, and T.

The Trance of Scarcity by Victoria Castle

It is a deep book and will require you to dig deep and think about yourself, your life, your story or the stories that you have been told and that you tell yourself. If you are ready to make a change in your life and your way of thinking, then I encourage and challenge you to buy and read this book too!

I am halfway through reading the book and know it is making a difference in my life.  Are you ready for some changes and ready to begin your personal transformation?  This book can help you on your journey.

Order it…Now!  Don’t delay!  Get out of your trance and start really living and thriving.   Click on the image above to go directly to Amazon and purchase the book. 

If you have read this book, I would love to hear your thoughts on the book and how you benefited from reading it. 

You are enough!  XO

In chatting with my sister recently, we realized we are both in a place where we need closure. The closures my sibling and I are seeking are both professional in nature even though we do very different types of work. I work in sales and am awaiting the decision on a contract that has been in play for many months.  My sister waiting for a position at work, a step up, advancement, a new career path that has also been in play for many months, even years.  We are both telling each other to be patient, and just wait.  My sister finally exclaimed “I JUST NEED CLOSURE!!!” and I could not agree more for her situation or for mine. 

The exciting and exhilarating, sometimes viewed as scary and terrifying, thing about closure is the AFTER.  You know, the ‘Now What’?’ question that comes into play.  Where do I go from here?  Now what?  For the outcome in closure in many cases can have a heavy impact on future decisions and life scenarios.  And if you are like my sister and I who play the ‘what if this happens, then I will do this, and also do X, Y, and Z, ‘just-in-case’ scenarios and then we worry about all of them.

Source

So, are you awaiting closure on a matter in your life?  I am sure it is a long time coming and I hope your outcome is better than whatever it is that you are expecting.  :-)  Be thinking about your ‘Now What?’, not in a ‘scared of what might happen’ way, but instead be EXCITED and OPTIMISTIC about the POSSIBILITIES way of thinking.   

I am consciously trying to think about my ‘Now What?” in a positive light instead of filling myself with worry about the unknown future and all of my worst case scenario what-if stories I spin up.  I am uncovering more and more that life is all about your perception, your thoughts, and the stories that we tell ourselves.  I encourage you to start filling your thoughts with awesome, positive, dream BIG ‘Now What?’ ideas.

So, please tell me are you seeking closure in something?  How are you answering your ‘Now What?’ questions?  Do you like the answers you are telling yourself?  If not, then change them!  It really is that easy!

Closure is coming, I can feel it….and I am looking forward to the ‘Now What?’ phase to come to fruition!  I hope you are too.

Dream Big and then Dream Bigger!

XO,

I Want to Be Awesome at Humility by Tiny Twig

An honest depiction of ‘when things get wild’ from a Mom/Wife/Woman’s perspective.  I love the part about “I want to be awesome at everything!”.  Hello!  Raise your hand if this applies to you!  That is so me!  The comments section is great too…we are not alone ladies! 

When Your Sister is Coming by The Nester

The Nester is one of my favorite daily blogs.  Her words ring truth for me almost daily; yet she has no idea how many women she inspires.  I am guilty of the all-or-nothing mindset many times when it comes to do a project, cleaning a room, organizing, etc.  If I can’t do it to the fullest degree that I envision in my mind, then I would prefer to just not do it all.  I am working on that mindset, but whew, IT IS HARD.  Perfectionism is a hard habit, way of life and thinking that is hard to move past.

To the Parents of Small Children:  Let Me Be the One Who Says It Out Loud

This post had me in stitches and close to tears at the same time, this Pastor nailed it and I thank him for writing out the list of “Your Not a Terrible Parent…” list.  This one hits so close to home for me.  Here is an excerpt:

“You’re an actual parent with limits. You cannot do it all. We all need to admit that one of the casualties specific to our information saturated culture is that we have sky-scraper standards for parenting, where we feel like we’re failing horribly if we feed our children chicken nuggets and we let them watch TV in the morning.  One of the reasons we are so exhausted is that we are oversaturated with information about the kind of parents we should be…”

Click on the links above to read these fantastic posts by some great authors.

Ta Ta for Now,

I am well on my way to being a hoarder!  HOARDER!  Some of my awesome, loving, support friends and family try to help me rationalize and label it something else as “Oh no honey, you are just a collector”, or “You see other ways objects can be utilized and your creativity”…and so on.  And first and foremost, to those of you who try to help me laugh at myself or tell me that it isn’t THAT bad, well THANK YOU, but I mean, let’s just be REAL!  I may not be to the “let’s call TLC Hoarders” stage yet, but I assure you, I am well on my way if things don’t change! 

A few weeks back while Cason was napping and I was attempting to clean the house (and was failing miserably), I decided to just write down the items that I tend to hoard.  Most of you probably already know that I LOVE LOVE LOVE thrift stores, so you can already see how this story goes…LOL!  I have come to the realization that I compulsively buy things simply because they fall into a category of object/thing/item/collectible/stuff that I like.  It does not matter that I might have 14 of that same item already at home in some shape or size.  In less than 10 minutes I had quickly (it was a little too easy honestly for me to rattle the list off so quickly) ticked off 50 categories!  OH MY STARS!  I was laughing in a “are you for real” type of way by the time I was done.  This massive list was starring me in the face once and for all.  Even though I “see” the stuff every day, I evidently have begun to not see it anymore.  Those clutter blinders are working overtime!

So, without further ado, here is my Hoarding List Confessional (not in any specific order):

So, WHEW!   What a list!  Are you still with me?  Hopefully you didn’t bail on me after reading that list.  Embarrassing on many levels, but it is just real.  So, now what?  If you are like me, you are asking “Ummm, where do I even start?”   Tossing it all out would not be good, so let’s just skip right over that option.  I obviously need to cull a LOT of stuff.  I wrote this list in late January and since then I have been steadily trying to go through my stuff.  I have attempted to better organize what I am keeping and be much more mindful of my purchases when I am out on my thrift store jaunts.  I have taken 20 boxes for donation at various local thrift stores, 10 bins for consignment, and recycled/tossed what I could.  I will provide more details later on my different quirky hoard of items. The funny part of it all is that most of my stuff is neatly arranged, OCD organized, and quite lovely….Organized Clutter at it’s finest, at least that is what I keep telling lying to myself.

So, anyone else a closet hoarder?  Or are you just out in the open like me now?  :-)  Have you made your list?  Do you need to? 

I am off to the thrift store, I mean, errr, off to sort through more items. 

Stay Groovy! 

Iris

Titles include:

The Best Things Ever Said About Parenting

The Joy of Parenthood

The Power of a Positive Mom

The Energy Bus

God’s Word for Simple Abundance

Beachcombing at Miramar, the Quest for an Authentic Life

Yoga for Live, Feel Confident

I’m a Big Brother (NO announcement being made, for when/if Cason fits this description, this Mom is ready)

Dear Dad, If I Could Tell You Anything (bought for Pete)

Becoming a Woman of Freedom

Find Your Purpose, Change Your Life

Crucial Conversations

The Martha Stewart Cookbook (because well, it’s Martha!)

Have you read any of these? If you want to borrow one, or two, just let me know!  I am happy to share!   Got any books you recommend I read? 

I always get a juice nugget of wisdom, perspective, advice, or creative idea from any book I read. Of course I will share what words speak to me in these books.  Obviously I am doing a lot of soul searching and all of these books all had titles that match my thoughts right now.  Awesome, thanks thrift store! 

Happy Reading!