on growth

[image credit: morning dew, fine art america]

Every day is a growth day. I want to stay in my happy productive zone and skip past all the dark places, but that's just not how it works. We're human, and this means insecurity, guilt, anger, shame, doubt. They creep up on us. I dig in my heels and resist but inevitably I can't avoid the dark moments. I find myself overwhelmed by exhaustion and emotion that are no longer willing to be ignored. It's tough, uncomfortable. But then I find myself on the other side and I know it was necessary to go through it rather than fighting to dodge around it. It's the beauty of growth. And of life.

I've been reading Daring Greatly by Brené Brown. This book is truly profound and life altering. It's also uncomfortable, overwhelming, heartbreaking, and hopeful. All the necessary ingredients for growth. If you haven't found yourself a copy it's so worth hunting one down and carving out some time to read this incredibly crafted insight into the underlying things that drive our beliefs, self-esteem, behaviours, relationships and ultimately our ability to love, lead and parent. Brené Brown has some amazing kernels of wisdom to share.

With renewed confidence and strength,

Books + Quality Time + Wellness

When life gets overwhelming I say focus on the little things that bring joy to your everyday. That's what I'm doing! Here are some treasures in my life right now...

Book: The Fire Starter Sessions, by Danielle Laporte. What were you born to do? How do you find that fire that makes your soul feel alive? This book is AMAZING, possibly my favourite ever. Ever. Bold statement.

Recipe: Rosemary Olive bread recipe from Elana Amsterdam's Almond Flour Cookbook
For all you fellow gluten-free and grain-free peeps out there, try this bread! I've tried all the commercially available options, some small bakery-made options, and they all felt the same to me - low on flavour and with a really dry texture. It wasn't worth eating bread 'til now :)
 
Treat: The big amazon parcel that arrived last week, and that my 4 year old immediately tore into and sprung it open with delight. He distributed out the books, some for everyone :) The highlights for him were Ferdinand the Bull, Yucky Worms and one of my childhood memory books, The Paper Bag Princess.

Quiet Time: Reading quietly on the sofa in the evening (no TV!) with my son passed out on my lap has turned out to be the highlight of my week, despite all the sickness we've endured lately. Last week I read almost every evening. And the bonus was my husband picked up a book that had just arrived in the big order called Conscious Living (a recommendation from Kelly Rae Roberts blog), plopped down next to us on the sofa and didn't put it down until his eyelids were drooping and calling for bed.

Wellness: Eating real food - not living on things in plastic wrappers. My journey into real food has left me with a sense of wonder at the flavours real natural foods have. There's a fabulous book called Eat Taste Heal that combines ancient Ayurvedic principles with modern western ideas, and has really changed the way I look at food. I read it last year and pulled off the bookshelf again recently.

Nature: Spring flowers. Our yard is full of japanese roses, tulips, daffodils, heather, forsythia... It's a feast for the eyes. And new things are popping up almost daily. It's a great reminder that there is hope, a fresh start, we can indeed start anew.

Friendship: I have some lovely women in my life, who I cherish. They are holding me up in different ways as I move through a challenging blip on the radar. I'll do the same for them. 

Quality Time: Campfires! Two nights in a row on Easter weekend, with my husband and my young son chattering excitedly, mesmerized by the flames and thrilled by the smoke. So calm. Such a replenishing experience to sit contentedly and watch the fire together, with deep conversation about big things.

It's amazing how life can feel like a crazy overwhelming mess and a lovely treat that we're lucky to have all at the same time. I know I'm living my life the way I'm meant to if I can find the calm in this mad storm :)

xo

Healing + Truth

[ art journal page from last summer]

When I had a baby four years ago I knew it would be a journey. The beautiful thing I didn't realize was it would be a healing journey - body and soul healing.

After my son was born I was propelled into physical health challenges. They seemed insurmountable, unsolvable. I wrestled, I fought. And then I started to approach them peacefully and holistically and carried myself through many phases of healing (still going). All this physical recalibrating naturally led to emotional soul seeking. At first with prompts from many great books (oh how I loved it when my latest amazon parcel arrived. Those parcels kept me going). And then over time the prompts came from within. I started to listen, and the more I did the more the answers revealed themselves.

I started to paint again. I expanded.

I connected with nature. I expanded.

I found people who build me up and formed my community. I expanded.

And I found clarity on work, on my passion for art and design, and on the kind of business I want to be running. Tweaks were made, are continually being made. I'm finding my truths.

I'm on this journey, always will be, thankfully. My world is expanding, my energy is back, my heart is swelling and I'm looking forward. There are bumps along the way for sure, but I've got optimism and truth tucked in my pocket, and they always win.

xo