Excellent Advice for Living

I learned something important this week that I wanted to share—or, I should say, re-learned a lesson because it’s something I have to keep reminding myself, which is that intrinsic rewards always beat extrinsic ones.

Here’s the difference in a nutshell: the personal satisfaction of a job well done (intrinsic) versus creating something in search of external validation (extrinsic).

Without Grey

WITHOUT GREY
Poem by Heather Harrington

Without grey, I wouldn't miss the sun.

Without cold, I wouldn't long for warmth.
Without heat, I wouldn't look for coolness.

Without sadness, I wouldn't recognize happiness.

Without loud, I wouldn't want quiet.
Without silence, I wouldn't welcome noise.

Without age, I wouldn't ponder youth.

Without heartbreak, I wouldn't enjoy love.
Without loneliness, I wouldn't miss friends.

Without struggle, I wouldn't know success.

Without sickness, I wouldn't relish health.

Without difficulty, I wouldn't appreciate ease.

Without time, I wouldn't savor today.
And without grey, in all its beautiful shades, I wouldn't appreciate living.

Stepping into the Light

For years I lived a shadow life.

I didn't even realize I had lived this way for the longest time.

I first learned about living a shadow life from reading Steven Pressfield's Turning Pro: Tap Your Inner Power and Create Your Life's Work.

Standing Tall

Sometimes when you put a question out into the universe, it responds.

While on vacation, I was wrestling with a decision. I asked for a sign that I was making the right choice.

I then took a walk on the beach with my daughter. While walking, we came upon a Blue Heron in our path (I have always loved herons). We turned around; we came upon another one on our way back. I hadn't seen any on the beach before this walk, so I thought this was odd and looked up their meaning.

Hearts Intertwined

Oceans apart, we watch.

Helpless at what unfolds.

The unimaginable is happening.

Cities destroyed.

Families separated.

Lives lost.

Through the horror, a strong will emerges.

A heart of a country and the will of its people to survive.

For themselves, their children, the world, and the future.

War cannot destroy love or the will of its people.

Deep it runs like the waters of the sea.

Though the distance between us is far, we stand with you, heart in heart.

Some Days Call for Donuts

Just when I least expected it. It came.

Small. Unforeseen. But worth the work.

A win.

Sweet like the icing on a freshly baked donut.

Its tiny sprinkles symbolic of the efforts put in.

I could plow right past it. And move on to the next challenge, hungry for a new win.

Or I could pause. Pour a glass of cold milk and enjoy the goodness of the moment... and a donut.

Momentum

I wish to be much farther down the road, if I'm honest.

Instead, I will appreciate where I am.

For yesterday I wished to be at this point.

And now that I have arrived, I want to be at yet another.

And tomorrow, I'm sure I will wish to be someplace new altogether.

I will see where today takes me instead.

And at the end of the day, I will be grateful.

Grateful for the journey and the momentum I've gained.

After all, today is where just yesterday I hoped I'd be.

The Many Colors of Love

Love is red and yellow and blue.
Love is every shade and every hue.

Love is warm just like the sun.
It is found in everyone.

Love is bold and love is bright.
It is soft, and it is light.

To Tomorrow

To tomorrow, a new year and a new day.
It won't come without its challenges - but it never does.

Here's to showing up as our best selves;
to rising to meet the challenges ahead;
to working together;
to embracing love and kindness;
to seeing the beauty in the mundane;
to new wonders and new discoveries;
to cherishing the time we have.

Here's to a colorful new year ahead and letting the light in each of us shine through.

Happy new year.

More than a Cup

Life has felt incredibly hectic lately, as it does for many this time of year.

I long for it to slow down.

As I often do when life feels out of sorts, I brew a cup of tea.

I breathe a little more deeply as I sit to enjoy it.

Wrapping my hands around the cup, I take in the warmth and aroma. The tea, still too hot to sip.

I wait for it to cool and realize I've stopped racing. For just a few moments, I've gotten off the hamster wheel of life.

Heads Held High

Yesterday I finished a new painting.

It was a beast to work through, but it reminded me of an important lesson.

Not to quit when the going gets tough.

I felt lots of self-doubts creep in while I worked, calling me to scrap it altogether.

I more than once questioned my decision to go down this new path as an artist.

Rising Wave

It starts small, like a bubble in the foam that washes onto the shoreline.

This tiny ripple of movement, in otherwise calm waters.

At first, it is easy to ignore.

It comes and goes like a leaf blowing in the wind.

Until the tiny ripple turns into a swell.

A swell that causes me to pause and take notice.

Out of the Grey

Foggy, damp, and grey–the weather seemed to reflect my mood this morning. And the state of life for so many during the last year.

I laced up my shoes and decided to step outside and into the grey. A run would do me good. A run might clear some of the fog in my mind.

Unexpected Beauty

Flowers taught me an important lesson. One I should have seen earlier, but was too busy to notice. A lesson that I now see clearly.

Stepping into Quiet

Last Sunday we met two other families at Brown Bridge Quiet Area for a late morning hike. Brown Bridge is one of my favorite parks, although I hadn’t been in a while. It’s located just outside of Traverse City.

The morning was crisp but the sun was out and quickly warmed the day. As the name of the park suggests, the atmosphere was quiet, peaceful and serene. There were only a few other people in sight.

A Bucket of Joy

Are you facing a daily grind? Do you feel like you’ve lost your mojo?

After coming back from vacation I expected to feel re-energized and renewed.

Instead the last two weeks have been a struggle. Let’s just say it feels like I’m off track, like I’ve forever lost my “mojo.”

This left me questioning: How do I make each day the best day, and the best of times? Especially, when things in the world seem so hard and so many are hurting.

Open Wings

We took our first big family road trip. I survived… and learned something unexpected.

18 hours in one day, is a long time to spend in the car with your husband and 3 kids.

Especially when your husband puts on his podcast for everyone’s listening enjoyment.

I audibly exhaled as he put it on.

I then proceeded to roll my eyes. This road trip seemed to get longer. Not shortly after however, I’ll admit, I pulled out my pen and notebook and I started taking notes.

Embracing Variety and the Unexpected

I’m a planner by nature and a bit of a type A personality if I’m being honest. In addition to Life and Whim, I own a marketing business with Jay and another partner, my job is to design and plan out projects from start to finish. And as a mom of three girls, I am always planning their activities and our families’ day to day so that I can maximize and be as efficient as possible with my time.

Each day I get up early. I write my journal pages, plan out my day with my to do list and the breakdown of what I’m working on for that day. Everything is planned. While this makes me efficient and allows me to have time for painting and other things I enjoy, it also creates an illusion. The illusion that I have some sort of control in the world.