Reiki

Hola! It's been awhile since I last wrote. I've been spending much more time away from my computer (one of my best year yet goals). Life couldn't be running any smoother for me.

Last night, a few of my book club friends came over and we watched the movie You Can Heal Your Life after reading the book. And this has led me to want to practice Reiki more. I've been trained in Reiki I and II. Reiki II is distance healing where the practitioner sends Reiki across time/location. I'm inviting you to help me practice more. Please email me, contact me, post a comment with the initials and if you choose to the date/condition for a healing session. This can be everything from a cold to finding a better job or even a pet related health problem. I would love to practice it more and have considered starting a Reiki chain with other practitioners and this is my first step.

Hope all is well with you!

Spring

I can't believe how nice the weather has been here the past couple of weeks. I'm ready for spring. I have a new bird feeder up and love watching to see who shows up. Squirrels are so funny and will get in crazy positions for bird seed.

Hot Tub Time Machine was awesome. JW and her friend dressed up in 80s with tight rolled jeans, crimped hair, and jelly bracelets. It def. was worth good laughs. I miss the 80s!

This past weekend Chris and I went to see the Dead Sea Scrolls at the Milwaukee Public Museum. It was a good balance from last weekend at the movies. The exhibit was mostly about how the scrolls were found and artifacts from that era. It makes me want to read more about it. If you know of any good books, let me know.

Living my best year yet has been going pretty good so far. I've been working on getting my 10,000 steps in a day, eating healthier, and spending more time with friends. I've felt pretty anti-social the past couple of years due to a busy schedule and needing more down time.

My next step is planning a vacation for May/June: cruise, Europe, Grand Canyon, Savannah. Other ideas? What has been your best vacation ever?

Hope you are having your best year yet!

Hot Tub Time Machine

This past week has been a staycation for me. It was so nice, I got some cleaning done around the house, took Kirby on lots of walks, and spent time reading and pampering myself. Ahhh. Part of that pampering experience involved chanting. I got an email through Hay House Radio on Krishna Das's new book and cd titled "Chants of a Lifetime." I admit that I did not really know who he was but there was a link to a song on his CD online and I absolutely loved it! I listened to it over and over again. You can download/listen to it at this promotional site. I ran out and gout the book and can't put it down. I've never thought about chanting as a way to peacefulness, but for me it works better than mantras during meditation. First, I had to get over myself since it sounds a little silly -- but luckily Chris is the only one who hears me. :)

So this week is about new beginnings for me. And to live in the present moment I'm going to surround myself with laughter. On the Secret movie, one of the stories is about a woman with cancer who surrounded herself with positivity and laughter by watching funny movies. So, this weekend I'm going to see Hot Tub Time Machine. JW and I have been talking about it for a couple of weeks because we can't wait, this Friday it opens. If you are in Madison and want to join in let me know. :)

Hope you have a wonderful week!

Letting Go

Right when you think you have it figured out, you soul asks you to grow even more. This past few weeks have been for me about surrendering. I've realized that change is not easy for me even when the universe is pushing me toward it. How do you handle change in your life? I keep reading that change is a constant. You would think that by now I would have much more trust in it. So, I've been surrendering and one way I do that is through the sedona method. It's a process for releasing emotions. It's not so much about change itself but the emotions you put on the situation both good and bad. Here's how the process works.

1. Identify the emotion/feeling (happy, sad, etc.)
2. Ask yourself, am I willing to welcome this feeling as best I can? (yes or no are both correct answers.)
3. Ask yourself, am I willing to let it go? (yes or no are both correct answers)
4. Will you let it go? (yes is the answer)
5. When? (now is the answer)
6. Repeat until you start feeling relief

It sounds to simple but it works, at least for me it does. Give it a try and let me know if it works for you too.

I also finished the first 7 days of the consciousness cleanse. The first week is about coming to terms with your past and moving forward. I was surprised about what bubbled up from my past. I was holding onto a lot that isn't worth holding on to. Release, release. The next 7 days are about the present. I'm wondering if I will learn concepts that are similar to Eckhart Tolle's teachings.

Here is an affirmation by Louise Hay that I've also been using.
The universe is conspiring for my greater good.

It's quite beautiful and aligns with accepting change. Wish you all well!!

Back on Track

I am back on track after being sick last week. The weekend was all about the cold medicine and resting at home. I'm so glad to be feeling better!

Last time I wrote I was working on meditating and preparing for my dream life list as part of Ford's book. I'm still not ready to write this list out yet. A dream list seems so final and I'm indecisive about what to include and not include on it. So, I pulled out another book to work on. (I love books!) It's another one by Ford called "the 21-day consciousness cleanse: a Breakthrough Program for Connecting with Your Soul's Deepest Purpose."This book is amazing and I highly recommend it. I think this 21-day process is going to get me to my dream list. It's part law of attraction and healing your shadow self. I even got my mom to download it onto her e-reader to work on it with me. I invite you too as well.

The first week is about reconciling with your past. I believe that you have to make room to allow good things to come into your life and one way to do that is releasing/forgiving the past. The first step is giving voice to that and acknowledging it.

This 21-day process is also on Oprah's website. Let me know what you think and if you plan on starting this process too. Adios!

Week 6

The next step in Ford's book on creating your best year is writing down your fantasy life. I've been avoiding this step because I'm having a hard time figuring out what my fantasy life would actually be. I'm fearful that my dreams aren't possible, that I don't have the aptitude/talent for others. Time is slipping past and I'm worried that there isn't enough time. What I do know is that the clearer I can get with myself the better and that I don't want to regret not trying.

So this week, I'm going to spend time meditating on what I want with the hope of being able to write down my fantasy life this upcoming weekend. I do have a vision board to start from. Do you have any other ideas that have worked for you in discovering what you want? If you do, please share.

Week 4

I have to give a big shout out to my friend JC in Seattle. Thank you for the encouragement to keep writing and thank you for reading this blog too. Your recent comment put a big smile on my face. :) And you too, JW. This past fall when I went through a rough patch with a surgery, JW, was completely there for me. She dropped off dinners, walked Kirby, and even spent time watching TV with me when I would have been home alone. Best of all, she knows I have a hard time asking for help and so I didn't even have too ask. Friendships are the best.

So, this week is going to be about celebrating friendships for me! Living my best year is about spending time with friends and making sure they know how important they are to me. I hope you will join me too and reconnect with friends from the past and foster new ones too. Let's pass it on.