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LimitlessLessons

My life revolves around teaching lessons of some sort. Whether it was in my role as an Elementary School Counselor for eleven years, my current role working with kiddos and administrators K-12, mom to two young adults, or owner of two spoiled chocolate labs, I teach lessons all day long. But the most valuable lessons taught on a daily basis, are those taught to me; by my students, by my children, by my dogs, and sometimes even by strangers! And that's what this blog is all about...those limitless lessons that come out of nowhere, but stay with you forever.

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A Few of my Favorite Things

1/29/2018

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I figure if Oprah can do it, so can I.  Things have felt a little “heavy” lately so I decided a lighthearted blog post was in order!  Here are five of my favorite things I’m currently obsessed with: 

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#1: You are a Badass by Jen Sincero~ I'm putting this at number 1 because I’m on round 2 of being obsessed with this. I first read it a few years ago and it moved me out of my comfort zone to, among other things, apply for a new job (which I got!) and help get me out of a mental haze I was in. I’m currently obsessed again. The pages are highlighted, tagged, and marked up. It’s covered in food stains and dog hair but it is my bible right now and it’s making a difference again as I navigate new hurdles in my life. Just a glimpse into the badassness of Jen Sincero from like the first 50 pages or so…
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“It never ceases to amaze me the precious time we spend chasing squirrels around our brains, playing out our dramas, worrying about unwanted facial hair, seeking adoration, justifying our actions, complaining about slow internet connections, dissecting the lives of idiots, when we are sitting in the middle of a full-blown miracle that is happening right here, right now. We’re on a planet that somehow knows how to rotate on its axis and follow a defined path while it hurtles through space! Our hearts beat! We can see! We have love, laughter, language, living rooms, computers, compassion, cars, fire, fingernails, flowers, music, medicine, mountains, muffins! We live in a limitless Universe overflowing with miracles! The fact we aren’t stumbling around in an inconsolable state of sobbing awe is appalling. The Universe muse be like, what more do I have to do to wake these bitches up? Make water, their most precious resource, rain down from the sky?”


“Self perception is a zoo. We spend our lives drifting between glimpses of our own, infinite glory and the fear that not only are we totally incapable/unworthy/lazy/horrible, but that it’s only a matter of time before someone blows the whistle on us. We torture ourselves incessantly, and for what purpose? If we can glimpse the glory (and I know you can), why do we waste our precious time giving any energy to the other opinions? Wouldn’t life be so much more fun, productive, and sexy if we fully embraced our magnificently delightful selves?”

“Imagine what the world would be like if everyone loved themselves so much that they weren’t threatened by other people’s opinions, skin color or sexual preferences or talents or education or possessions or lack of possessions or religious beliefs or customs or their general tendency to just be whoever the hell they are.”

“Comparison is the fastest way to take all the fun out of life. It’s none of your business what other people are doing. All that matters is that you’re enjoying yourself and pleased with what you’re creating. It’s precisely your uniqueness that makes you awesome--deciding that someone else’s uniqueness is better than your own isn’t exactly being your best buddy about things...You are more than enough. Avoid comparison like the plague.”

“You aren't a better person for feeling guilty or bad about yourself, just a sadder one. Get clear on this one truth: guilt, shame and self-criticism are some of the most destructive forces in your life, which is why forgiving yourself is one of the most powerful.”

Go. Get. This. Book.

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# 2:  My Hidrate Spark Water Bottle~  I’ve never been a water drinker.  Actually, for a long time, my hydration came solely from diet soft drinks and alcohol.  I’ve jumped on and off the water bandwagon for years, but this little bad boy has me riding it into the sunset!  It syncs with my fitbit keeping track of my water intake and sends me cute reminders throughout the day, reminding me that a body needs more than Diet Dr. Pepper and Titos.  It lights up in my face if I don’t pay attention to the messages screaming DRINK ME!  I’m not sure why this has worked so well for me but it has.  It’s a little pricey, but has been well worth it for me!  I found mine on Amazon.

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#3:  Molokai Coconut Bai~  Ok, ok.  I admit, I do get a little waterlogged at times, so this has become my new best friend when I’m ready to throw cute Hidrate Spark across the room.  Sometimes I need something with a little flavor to it!  There are lots of flavors (I’ve tried them all), but I keep coming back to this one.  Here are the ingredients so you can decide if it works within your nutritional goals but for me it’s been a great alternative to diet soft drinks.
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Ingredients:

Filtered Water, Bai Proprietary Sweetener Blend (Erythritol, Stevia Extract), Coconut Water Concentrate, Natural Flavors, Potassium Citrate, Citric Acid, Ascorbic Acid, Coffeefruit Extract, White Tea Extract, Sea Salt.

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#4: Premier Protein~ As long as we are on the “good for you” bandwagon, I’m obsessed with these as well.  I’m living the high protein/low carb lifestyle whenever I’m not invited to happy hour, it’s not someone’s birthday, coworkers don’t bring in Carol Lee Donuts, or my husband doesn’t order pizza.  Therefore, these are essential to a quick snack or meal replacement for me.  I do drink Shakeology as well, but these are perfect to grab and go.  It comes in several flavors as well, but I’m stuck on the chocolate.  They have 160 calories, 3 grams of fat, 30 grams of protein and 1 gram of sugar.  Check them out and see if it's something that fits your lifestyle!

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#5:  The 5 Minute Journal - Pretty self explanatory.  Spending 5 minutes each morning and each night practicing gratitude will change your life.  Setting your intentions and affirmations is just icing on the cake. You don’t need a fancy journal though to be grateful.  Just wake up every morning with a big thank you to the Universe for being here one more day.  Switch your “I have to’s” with “I get to’s” and I promise your whole perspective will change.


And here’s my bonus favorite thing, Nothing More by The Alternative Routes.  A song my sister just sent me this morning as she was trying to grapple with why everyone keeps trying to divide us instead of unite us, wishing our politicians, media and entertainment industries would take a good hard listen.  And I have to agree.  You can’t preach love and then hate someone because they view things differently than you.  You can’t post Martin Luther King Jr. quotes about only love being able to drive out hate and then your next post be how much you hate Trump/Clinton/Republican/Democrats.  Love is love.  Loving someone who agrees with everything you do and believe is easy.  The real test is loving someone who doesn’t.  It starts with us people.  Life is not this black and white.  Just as we are all the shades in between, so are some of the issues we all feel so strongly about.
We are love.
We are one.

We are how we treat each other when the day is done.

We are peace.
We are war.

We are how we treat each other and nothing more.


Would love to hear about some of your favorite things!  And much love to you ALL!  xoxo
3 Comments

The Last Time

1/11/2018

4 Comments

 
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I’m finally getting back into a routine after a wonderful holiday and one of my goals for 2018 is to write more.  I always miss it when I stop doing it, but it also feels a bit overwhelming when I’m in the midst of it.  Not sure how much I will share on my blog, but writing is definitely something I love and a form of therapy for me.  And we all need that!  So thank you for continuing to read and comment, for encouraging me along the way, and for those of you I see pursuing your dreams and inspiring me to do the same.

We did plenty of entertaining this holiday season, so I was blessed to spend lots of time with friends and family.  We recently moved so this was our first year spending the holidays in our new home.  People ask me quite often if I miss my old house.  Of course I do!  We spent 23 years there and raised our babies there, but there is also something exciting about a fresh start to this new chapter of our lives.  Recently though, I was asked if I felt sentimental last Christmas knowing it would be our last time in the house that held so many memories.  The question gave me pause because I realized that a year ago I did not know it was our last Christmas in that house...we hadn’t bought our new one yet.  I had a tinge of regret that I hadn’t taken more pictures, I hadn’t just sat in the  moment and taken it all in, I hadn’t appreciated more deeply each and every one of those 23 Christmases.

Which led me to think about all the “last times” that came and went with no fanfare, no celebration, and not even the slightest awareness I was experiencing them.  I think mostly of my kids but also relationships that have come and gone and little did I know I was experiencing my last kiss, my last phone call, or even the last time I would hear the words I love you from someone important to me.

I remembered seeing a poem that spoke to this and left me quite the pile of mush and after a quick google search, here is a portion of it...

The Last Time

But don’t forget …
There is a last time for everything.

There will come a time when you will feed
your baby for the very last time.

They will fall asleep on you after a long day
And it will be the last time you ever hold your sleeping child.

One day you will carry them on your hip then set them down,
And never pick them up that way again.

You will scrub their hair in the bath one night
And from that day on they will want to bathe alone.

They will hold your hand to cross the road,
Then never reach for it again.

They will creep into your room at midnight for cuddles,
And it will be the last night you ever wake to this.

One afternoon you will sing “the wheels on the bus”
and do all the actions,
Then never sing them that song again.

They will kiss you goodbye at the school gate,
The next day they will ask to walk to the gate alone.

You will read a final bedtime story and wipe your last dirty face.
They will run to you with arms raised for the very last time.

The thing is, you won’t even know it’s the last time
Until there are no more times.
And even then, it will take you a while to realize.

So while you are living in these times,
remember there are only so many of them
and when they are gone, you will yearn for just one more day of them.

​For one last time.

-Author Unknown-


Ahhhhh.  So much I yearn for that is already gone.  So many last times I wish I could replay and freeze in time.  But yet so many last times still to come.  I challenge you in 2018 to be in the moment, to be intentional in appreciating the little things, and to love every moment of your life as you would if you knew it was...the last time.


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