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This morning a came across a link, “The Top 5 Regrets of the Dying”

Number 1?

“I wish I had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me”

It is so hard, unbelievably hard, to ignore people who impose expectations on you. Like an addiction, wanting your parents to be proud of you feels impossible to let go of. So impossible, that many people still search for their approval, even though their parents have passed.

It makes you feel insecure, self-doubt and even self-loathing to go against what your family, important people in your life, and society as a whole expect from you.

Take notice of the first phrase, “I wish I had the courage”

You are not irresponsible, you are brave.

You are not stupid, you are brave.

You are not lazy or lost or lacking discipline, you are brave.

And you are better off for it.

Be brave, don’t squander your life.

Where does truth hide?

When you don’t speak it?
When you don’t hear it?
When you don’t see it, or feel it?

What happens to truth when no one lives it?

Does it hide as a lump in your throat, trying to come out?

Or is it buried deep in the pit of your stomach, causing a pain you never get used to?

Or does it hide in the few untouched corners of the world, where it can still run free?

How would it feel to be free, too?

I’ve never felt cleaner than after jumping in an ice cold, crystal clear mountain river.

A shower can clean your body, but what about your mind? Your soul?

Nature has a way of providing everything we need ☀️🌻🌊

If there’s something you need today, take in a deep breath of the fresh spring air, and know that days like these are coming 💙

Let light in 🌻☀️

“In a consumer society, contentment is a radical proposition. Recognizing abundance rather than scarcity undermines an economy that thrives by creating unmet desires. Gratitude cultivates an ethic of fullness, but the economy needs emptiness.

Gratitude doesn’t send you out shopping to find satisfaction; it comes as a gift rather than a commodity, subverting the foundation of the whole economy. That’s good medicine for land and people alike.”

~Braiding Sweetgrass

You are enough. You have all you need. Live in abundance.

I wake up when the woodpeckers start to tap gently on my house. Their house. Our house.

I watch the deer graze lazily in my yard. Their yard. Our yard.

I follow my wolf because she knows my path. Her path. Our path.

☀️🌻🪴

The birds tuck into their nests beneath the rafters. They are safe here.

The deer lay down in the sun, knowing no predators in these woods. They are safe here.

I follow my guide to the cliff’s edge. I am safe here.

May all beings be safe,

may all beings be joyful,

may all beings be free.

Take a step back.

I’ve been getting frustrated a lot lately. Starting this business has been beautiful in so many ways, there is no fulfillment like the one you find when you finally start doing something you love.

But there’s also so much learning. So much technology. So many companies trying to take advantage of new entrepreneurs.

And there’s the end of the winter, when my season affective disorder hits its peak.

So yeah. A lot of frustration. A feeling like I have to have everything figured out at once, like I am late for my imaginary deadline, like I’m failing.

So I tell myself- just go make dinner. Just go play with the dogs. Just take a bath.

Take a step back. You can’t see the bigger picture when you’re up so close. The answer you’re looking for is there, you’re just looking in the wrong place.

Stop what you’re doing. Leave it alone. Take a step back.

And come back when you feel inspired again. Wait for the lightbulb to come back on.

Because it’s too hard to see in the dark.

This is what my morning yoga practiced looked like today.

Lots of pillows. Blocks. Blankets. Warm socks. Fireplace on.

I hardly ever do a Yin practice in the morning. I usually start out with pretty intense flows, paired with some sort of cardio so that I can light my inner fire and bring energy to the day.

But who says I can’t start the day relaxed and peaceful instead? Who says savasana can’t turn into a restorative morning nap?

We are waiting for a snow storm to come in. Sometime tonight or tomorrow. And it just felt so good to remind myself that it’s still winter. I’m still hibernating. I’m still hanging on an exhale.

And that’s okay.