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Make yourself a priority….

What are you doing in your everyday life to make yourself a priority? What time of the day is your time? What activity is your activity?

Too often we get swept up in the days doing everything for everyone else. I am guilty of this. I believe I am a born helper. I want to help everyone I meet. I enjoy helping others. I do admit though that in this helping process has led to me being “burnt out” for a while. I know what it is like to feel like this day in and day out. You gave your all and you have nothing left to give. You give and you give and you forget about yourself. This takes a huge toll on your mental health. Yes, I have had my struggles with mental health. Usually when I forget to care about myself then I end up getting sick.

Find your time. Find your passion.

In order to make myself a priority I had to learn to say no to others. This was, and sometimes still is, a hard thing for me to do. I know I cannot help everyone but for those I do, know that I give it my all. I do my best.
In order to make myself a priority I had to say yes to myself. I struggled with this at first but now I love time to myself. When I was stuck in negativity I was the last person I wanted to spend time with. I laugh as I type this because if I didn’t want to spend time with me why would anyone else? The only types of people who wanted to hang out with me were people stuck in the same kind of darkness.

My time is usually first thing in the morning or late at night. I struggle most nights to sleep. I am usually awake before my son and I enjoy having coffee in quiet. This gives me time to gather my thoughts and plan the day. I have a comfy chair on the deck facing the lake and I enjoy taking in the morning sights and smells. On days when I am too much of a wuss I can sit inside on my comfy chair looking at the lake. The water is my happy place. A big part in why I purchased my house is because I am close to the water. I am a water sign. The sunrises and sunsets over the lake are breathtaking. The sounds of the waves crashing upon shore are soothing. The view is one I will never get over. Every day I am so very thankful for where I live. I usually have a few minutes each day for fitness. I crank my angry blood pumping tunes and I run, I bike, I do yoga or an online work out class. I need these few minutes in the day to get back on track. I often come up with my writing ideas when I am working out. I don’t have a set time of the day that is one hundred percent mine and not every day goes as planned. Again, I don’t control the world even though I think I could rock that crown, ha. I just do my best to claim some part of the day as just time and I do something that is just for me. It’s the best feeling in the world.

Make yourself a priority. Find your time.

My passion is writing. I have always been a writer. For years and years I have written in journals. I have written poetry. I have written short stories. I just have never been brave enough to share my writing. I was always worried I wouldn’t be good enough. I wonder who am I writing for? I am writing for me because it’s something I love to do. So what if no one reads it? So what If I fail? I have had one heck of a fun time doing this. Yes it’s been a bit intimidating at times. Sharing my thoughts and feelings feels a bit like I am exposing myself. I started this journey as a life coach to share my experiences be it good or bad and have people grow and learn from them. I royally messed up my life but here I am still going forward. I am living my dream!

Blogging has opened up so many doors for me. I never dreamed that so many people would read my blog and reach out with such wonderful feedback. When I can sit and write I am at my happiest. I cannot wait for you all too read my book! I have never been so excited to live out my dream. I am doing it! You can do it too.

Find your time. Find your passion.

NES……

Nintendo Entertainment System was all the rage in the 80’s. My older brother got a NES for Christmas. Dad engraved his initials J.V.D into the bottom of the console. I have to admit my brother is good at everything he does, games included. My dad was thrilled when he beat him once but it never happened again. My older brother is not one to play games against, you will lose. Welcome to my childhood of always being player number two and waiting forever until he beat the game. Only to get a thirty second chance to play before I died. I was always Luigi and I could never beat any of the games. We would spend hours trying to find the princess only to find she’s in another castle. How many castles does this princess need? Don’t you dare get me started on Duck Hunt. If that dog pops up and laughs one more time about my shooting skills so help me. Maybe my anger started here in the pixels of Duck Hunt. ha.

Did you ever play NES for so long you had the arrow button became impressed into your thumb? Your hands cramped up from holding that controller for what seemed like an eternity? For some reason it felt like you could make the jump if you squeezed the controller harder and threw the cord with you whichever way you were going. No? Just me? My eyes felt like they were going to bleed from all the pixel goodness. I might have needed the glasses I have today from all the NES I played in my childhood.

My brother wasn’t the only good gamer, oh no move over sir, enter my step mom. Growing up she played Dr. Mario like it was her job. She and her friends stacked the pills and killed the germs like professionals. She started on the hardest levels with the fastest settings. I can remember sitting with my step sisters and the game was going so fast it hurt our eyes to watch. Then when we got a turn to play it was on the slowest setting and on the first level and we struggled to stay alive. The struggle was real!

Oh how the times have changed and the gaming systems have gotten far too complex. What’s up with all the buttons? I miss the simple days of the NES. Whatever happened to start, select and keeping it simple? Now they have buttons on the sides, top, back, and front of controllers. Sweet goodness, there’s a reason I can’t game in current times. The graphics are so clear and the button combos are far too complex for me to master.

When I moved out on my own I tried to convince my step mom to give me the old Nintendo but that didn’t happen so I turned to Kijiji and e-bay. I am happy to say I purchased not only the NES console, controllers, duck hunt gun and most of the games I once tried to beat and some new games too. Yes you still have to hit reset a million times until the picture loads correctly. Sometimes you have to wiggle the cartridge or take it out and blow on it. But after all these years it still runs like a dream.

Nothing is as calming as kicking it old school with the NES. I am happy to report as an adult and not being playing number two. I am pretty darn good at these games from the 80’s. I have even beaten a few.

The controller now seems smaller in my hand. As a kid I felt like it was a giant thing to hold. The victory of beating the game is a feeling that cannot be topped. I played Dr. Mario against my step mom as an adult and I won! Victory is mine! I have yet to meet anyone who can beat me in Dr. Mario. No need to challenge me, I like thinking I am the best. I even have a Dr. Mario tattoo on my hip. Forever making Dr. Mario my favourite NES game.

Jaws is a game I never experienced as a kid, but have come to love as an adult. It didn’t come with any instructions and it makes no sense but when you win and fly off into the pixel sunset. It makes the struggle of killing jellyfish and stingrays, collecting shells, fly planes, finding submarines and hit jaws with a boat all worth it.

It has all been fun and games, until recently when I thought it would be exciting to set up and play duck hunt with my son and my niece. Both kids are 7 years old about the age I was when I started learning to play Nintendo. I was showing them how the game worked and I reached level 10. Something I have never done before, apparently I am really down right horrible at this game. I felt like I was finally on fire and making great headway. Feeling great, until my niece, first try makes it to level 13 like she was hired and paid to take those ducks out. Even worse my son, comes up after her, boom same right to level 13. Oh duck hunt, a game I will forever dislike. Keep laughing dog!

Here’s too many more days and nights filled with NES goodness. Thank you to the friends and family who have come and shared some laughs and played some games.

What was your favourite NES game? What is a game you would recommend I try?

I am sorry and I forgive you….

Forgiveness is defined as “the release of resentment or anger. Forgiveness doesn’t mean reconciliation. One doesn’t have to return to the same relationship or accept the same harmful behaviors from an offender. Forgiveness is vitally important for the mental health of those who have been victimized.” This is a powerful process to healing yourself.

Raise your hand if you need to forgive? Raise your hand if you have been the victim? I would have raised both hands way up as high as I could. I have held onto resentment and anger for so many years like a god damn professional. Resentment and anger were my way of life for far too long. Resentment and anger are what I lived for. This started in me as a child, snow balled as a teen and as an adult until I hated pretty much everyone and everything including myself. I wasn’t able to change into the positive person I am today without saying I am sorry and I forgive you.

I know I have not always been an easy person to be around and I admit it. I was boiling with hate because I didn’t know how to understand others and forgive. Yes, some of this hate was caused by the things other people said and did. Yes, some of the hate was caused by things I did. Yes, some of this hate was fueled in my failures. Yes, some of this hate was because I blamed myself for what happened to me. I cannot control everything that happens but I can control my reaction.

When you get stuck being the victim in a sad story, you get so overwhelmed being the main character, you forget about all the other people in the story. You don’t care about anyone else. You blame, you hate and you stay stuck. I lived this life for far too long. Instead of focusing on the good in my life, I only saw the dark the parts I hated. Instead of seeing the good people surrounding me, I only saw the people who kept me stuck. Again I cannot stress this enough you attract the same kind of people into your life. When I was stuck being negative I kept finding more and more negative people to stay stuck with me, who hated all the same things I did. People who wanted to partake in the same self-destructive behaviours. Holding onto hatred will do you no good. Holding onto hatred is horrible for your mental health. Learn to heal.

Change doesn’t come easy. Change doesn’t happen overnight. It took me a lot of years to fill myself with hatred and it took me a lot of years to fill my life with positivity. I had to learn to say I am sorry for what I have done and I forgive you for what you have done to a lot of people in order to move forward in life. Some people I reached out to and I said it too them personally. Some people accepted my apology, others didn’t. I know that I did my best and if they are not in a place to accept then I hope one day they will. Some people I have lost track of over the years and so I had to accept how to move on without formal forgiveness. You do whatever you have to do to move past what is keeping you stuck. I can honestly say today there isn’t a person I wouldn’t say I am sorry or, I forgive you, to and even give them a hug. Life is too short to stay pissed off or filled with hatred. Even those people who made it to the top of my hated hit list over the years, I accept your apology and I forgive you. This does not mean that I want to have all these people back in my life, don’t get me wrong. It means I am healing from the situation and wishing them the best on whatever path life takes them. I believe that people come into your life and they teach you lessons you need to learn going forward. Like chapters or books, not everyone stays forever but for the time they are in your life they can teach you so much if you accept the lessons good or bad.

Yes things happened to me and I did things I wish I didn’t do. However I cannot go back and change what has happened. So why carry it around and keep living it over and over? Keep on hating for the rest of my life for something in the past it’s such a waste of time. I am not saying forgive every little thing that happens immediately. We all have our process and our ways of dealing with situations. I am saying that when you understand the situation and choose to see the good that can come from it you will learn to apologize and forgive. You will learn to be a more positive person and attract great people into your life.

Try starting with removing the word hate. The word hate is such an over-used but powerful word. Hating results in a lot of pain and destruction for everyone involved. It should actually never be used. If you can remove it from your vocabulary you will realized that you never really hated anything or anyone. You may have a profound dislike or were deeply hurt and so you feel defensive. Focus on the feeling rather than the scapegoat generalization of hate. It will be the first step to forgiveness and healing. Forgiveness will allow you to move forward and release the burden so you can heal.

Learn to choose positivity. Eliminate hate. Learn to forgive and say sorry.

Attitude alignment…

I recently read a quote that hit home with me and I wanted to share it with you. It said “The only difference between a good day and a bad day is your attitude”

How freaking true is that?

This got me thinking, like inspirational quotes often do. A guilty pleasure of mine is that I love quotes. I have quotes all around my house. No matter where I am in the house it reminds me to choose positivity. Kind, simple words, often put me in a much better mood. Remind me that being in a good mood will make the day much easier and enjoyable. This is not just for myself but for those who are around me.

I set positive quotes as my background on my phone, tablet, laptop and this computer I write from. I use positive quotes as my passwords. I turn beautiful pictures that I have taken into the backgrounds for quotes on this website. Sometimes when I am finding it particularly difficult to get through the day I make quotes with my favourite sayings so I always have them with me. I keep a file on my phone, because I usually have my phone everywhere I go, so I can stop and redirect myself at any time of the day. I have the power. My favourite quote comes from my Opa. My life’s motto is “Do your best and if your best isn’t good enough fuck it” This quote always put me right back on track. I never give up and I always keep working towards my goals. I know that I am doing my best

What is your favourite quote?

I have mentioned before that in my office is a vision wall. It started out as a board and quickly grew to the whole side of my office. Anytime I am working and I feel like I need inspiration, bam, right there, a whole wall. My wall is covered in quotes that I love to read, quotes that inspire me. My wall is filled with my accomplishments. My accomplishments remind me I am fierce and I can do this. My wall has visions of all the things I plan to do in the future. My wall has beautiful pictures from places I have traveled and places I still want to go. I do my running in front of this wall to remind myself that I always have something to be thankful for. Running helps me clear my mind and I often write these blogs after a run. Staring at my visions, quotes, hopes, dreams and accomplishments often sparks an idea for the next blog.

I admit I have been guilty of being that girl with a bad attitude. If you could only see the negative and be in a bad mood, well that was me for years on repeat. What a waste of a life! Again, as a reminder, my change did not happen overnight or even in a year. It has taken me years of work on the path to being a better positive person. It’s a lifetime of work. When you are stuck being negative what do you attract? The same kind of people! My life was filled with negativity. I had toxic friendships and relationships. I didn’t want to be alone in my negativity and misery loves company. It is possible to remove toxic people from your life and it is possible to change from being that toxic person. You do not have to stay stuck in negativity anymore. You have to want to change and you have to believe in yourself. It is the best thing I ever did.

Today I am happy to say that for the most part my days are good. My attitude is that of understanding. I understand that not every day is going to go as planned. I understand that I cannot control the way my day goes. I understand I can control my attitude when things do happen. This is probably the hardest adjustment I have had to make and I still struggle sometimes. I am not perfect but I am trying. I understand I have to be flexible and deal with things as they come up. I know that I cannot solve all my problems on my own and its okay to ask for help. I used to think asking for help meant I failed and I had to admit it. In a way asking for help is a sign I failed but it’s also a great opportunity to meet other people, to see other people’s point of views or the way they do things. Asking for help has allowed me to network with so many wonderful people I am thankful to have in my life.
I have learned that the only thing you can change is yourself and how you react to the challenges you face every day be it big or small. A negative reaction will not solve anything or make life better, only choosing to face the challenges in a positive way and ask for help. Oh yes and when you ask for help accept it with gratitude. You will find the positivity will be returned and your life will be better for it.

I am positive if I can do it than so can you!

Siblings…

I grew up with my brother. We look alike, we grew up in the same house but we turned out to be two very- different people. I think my brother is a lot like our mom and I am more like our dad. I find it fascinating to meet siblings. To hear stories of how alike or dislike siblings can be.

After having found a corgi that I think is the sister to my late beloved Charleston, it got me thinking about my siblings. Yes buckle up I warned you before my family is filled with nuts, but these crazy nuts love like no others.

My parents separated and divorced when I was around 7 years old. My brother and I lived with our mom full time and visited our dad. I’m not going to lie, if given the chance I would have lived with my Opa. I laugh when I type that because I feel like I spent most of my time there anyways, I might as well have lived there. As a child it was my happy place. I am honoured to say it still is my happy place and I visit often. I love that I get to share this amazing place with my son. My heart is so full with memories made and memories still in the making.

As a child I always dreamed of having a sister. When you grow up with a brother who always wrecked your dolls instead of playing dolls with you, well you dream of a sister, someone to play dolls with. My dad was in a relationship with a woman for roughly 8 years or so who had 2 daughters. Oh my step sisters came in like two raging bulls and we have been laughing ever since. Even though our parents have gone separate ways we have always remained sisters. I am that sister who bugs them, who keeps in touch and demands we all get together. Sisters for life and I wouldn’t have it any other way! You gals forever changed my life in the best way possible!

Both my parents dating over the years has added many great people into my life, not all of them stay forever but for the times we shared I am thankful.

I admit it I am a family person, family means the world to me. I am lucky to have so many people to call my family. I enjoy checking in with family near and far. I do my best to keep in touch. I love texting, emailing and Facebook for this reason. It’s so easy now to keep in touch. To remind those crazy nuts how important they are!

When I was a teenager I was on a solo trip to B.C. to visit some of my family. Oh B.C. is my destination happy place. I have so many fond memories of the years of travel to the west coast there is no were else in the world that makes me this happy! The one trip to B.C. that forever changed my life was finding out I had a half-brother. Oh goodness biggest and best shock of my life. I hate the term half or step, you’re my brother. I will never forget this day. I was sitting at my aunt’s kitchen table right by the door where you walked in and I am sure my jaw hit the floor. I think this brother and I are so much alike. We didn’t grow up together but when we met it was like we had always known each other. I was seventeen years old when we met. Now, we don’t always get along, we’re siblings. We have gotten into fights or disagreements and not always been able to see eye to eye. I think mostly because I am the little BIG sister and you are the big LITTLE brother (I am taller than both my older brothers) but we always come to a solution and you know how much I love you! I am forever grateful for our aunt bringing us together. You, my sister in law and my nephews hold a huge part of my heart. You all make my days filled with laughter and love. Thank you!

I also have a friend that’s like a sister even though she grew up with sisters. Too bad you are stuck with me for life. You will forever be the sister I chose. Kelly your family has always shown me love. Your parents became like second parents to me. Your sisters became my friends. No matter where life takes us you will forever be a part of my family. Love ya girl! Thank you for always being the greatest friend a girl could ask for.

As a kid my world felt small with just my brother picking on me. Ha, but who knew I would have so many people come into my life over the years. To all my brothers and sisters thank you! You brighten each and every one of my days and remind me how much I love and am loved.

RUN…

I have always had a love of running. As a tall girl I have always been known for my legs. I started running in grade school and I won the 400 meters. I felt like I could take on the world. I knew with these legs I was born to be a runner.

In my early 20s when I broke my back and messed up my leg, my physical fitness slowed to non-existent. After having my son and struggling with sleep problems I thought I would start running again. I purchased a jogging stroller and we took off, corgi dog too. My son thought these runs were great fun. We would run towards the lake and back in what I can only be described as chaos. I am pretty sure running with a stroller and a corgi, stopping for water, snacks and the millions of things my son saw would have been hilarious to watch. Not only that but I am sure I looked like a giraffe on roller skates just going all out, legs everywhere. I apologize to anyone who witnessed that. With my injured back and leg, running on sidewalks started to take its toll and the pain was just too much to handle. I would be down and out for days with pain and limited mobility. I stopped running outside so we stuck to walking and we had way more fun! Funny how when you slow down you come to appreciate the adorable things your toddler finds or the crazy places your dog wants to discover.

I refused to give up on my goal of running. Going to the gym was out of the question for me I already didn’t have enough hours in the day. I am not as comfortable at the gym as I am at home. I packed on the weight and I struggled to stay on a path of positivity. I knew I needed to run!

At the time I lived in a quaint two bedroom apartment and space with an active boy was limited but I found the solution. An apartment sized, compact elliptical runner. I got the last one in stock so it was meant to be. I started running again. I ran five kilometers every morning and every night. I felt like I could run a marathon- an inside marathon on an elliptical of course ha. The low impact of the elliptical let me get my running out. I feel that when I run on the elliptical I get my run out and I don’t wanna run from things in life. Running has always helped me clear my mind and keeps me grounded on what to do next. Before I took up running I used to run in life but more so run away from life. I ran from relationships, weddings, and I even ran from where I lived. I ran from tough situations instead of dealing with them. When the going got tough I thought I could out run my problems. Spoiler alert you can run but your problems will follow.

When I moved to my house a few years back, well, I have moved the elliptical I think to every room. I run every now and again but I always fell behind. I dusted it off last week and set a goal. RUN! Run five kilometers every day. It’s a great way to stay fit and busy during the lock down of the current pandemic situation. I also wanna get my legs warmed up because biking season is upon us.

I started off each day taking a picture of the 5 kilometers completed. I made it 4 days in a row as if I was going to win the gold medal. Then on the fifth and what was to be the final run, I was running my heart out. My angry tunes were flowing through me. My legs were on fire. I thought I was gonna push past five and go further. What I didn’t know, because of the loud angry music, is that the machine was making a horrible sound. A bolt snapped and I went flying. I hit hard. That’s a long ways down for me. Tall girl problems (that and finding 38 inseam pants). The fall knocked the wind out of me and brought tears to my eyes. Good news I am okay!

I am thankful for my mister fix it son. He came running to me and said “Mom are you okay?” “Do you need me to get my tools?” This kid has a tool for everything he was able to help me take apart the machine figure out what I needed. I am thankful for the internet. I went online and searched the company. I found the user manual and it had the part number. I am thankful for e-mail. I shot off an e-mail and behold the part for the machine is still available and I was able to order it. I am now waiting on the shipping. I am told it will be a few weeks because of the Covid-19 everything shipping wise has slowed down. Gone are the days of overnight shipping and instant ordering. My legs are itching to get back running.

I am thankful for the weather warming up. I was able on a cool but sunny day get my bike out and do a practice run. With my son being 7 now, he is into biking. He biked 9km the other day. He’s gonna be joining me on long bike rides soon!

Keep fit. It’s amazing how much better you feel when you have some type of fitness. Get out enjoy the sights of nature. Walk, run, hit the gym or bike whatever your passion is. Do something you enjoy and that keeps your body going!

Let go….

Let go and let the positivity flow. This is a lesson I wish I had learned a long time ago. I was the queen of holding on. I wore this crown of negativity with great pride. I held on to the negativity like it was my security blanket. My happy place looked black and hopeless. I took every negative thing, that was ever said about me or to me, everywhere I went. I only focused on the bad, the mean and the down-right ugly parts of my life. I let the negativity destroy my life. I only envisioned the black hole of doom. I could only hear the negative remarks on repeat. Slowly, but surely driving me mad. I packed it around day after day, month after month and year after year, until I finally had enough. I broke free.

I saw the light of positivity and once I jumped in with both feet I haven’t looked back. I think I have changed every part of my life. Listen up, this didn’t happen overnight. It took years to believe my negativity, you can guarantee it has taken years to accept my positivity. It is a lifetime of a work always in progress. Always learning and always trying something new. I am not an expert. I am just doing my best. I am proof that anyone can change. You just have to want it. Anything is possible. If I can do, it then so can you!

I have gained many tools and coping techniques from a lot of different people on this journey. I have done my best to keep an open heart and mind to everyone’s recommendations. No matter how crazy the thought or idea were. Trust me I would have tried anything to kick this madness of living in negativity. Living in negativity only ends in one way. You give up and you no longer want to live. I tasted that. I almost died. I almost died before I got to experience the best parts of my life. Don’t give up. Your life is worth living.

It was not easy to rid myself of my negativity. To free myself of the things I held on for so long. I had a lot of negative things I carried around with me for so many years, some since childhood. I’m in my late 30’s working towards 40, so that’s a long time. When I can start a story with, 20 years ago, it’s been too long. LET GO. Get rid of the negative thoughts that have held you back. Learn to replace them with empowering positive thoughts.

I have said a lot of apologies to people who I know I hurt. I had to accept that I wouldn’t get an apology from everyone I felt wronged me. I had to accept that my life wasn’t perfect. I had to accept my failures as lessons learned. The fact that I tried, whether I failed or succeeded, made me who I am today. For this reason, no I would not change my life. Do I wish I would have done things differently? YES! Do I wish I had snapped out of my negative wasteful life sooner? HELL YES! Wanting, hoping and dreaming of changing the past is just down right crazy! It cannot be done so don’t waste your time trying to defend your past. Understand the lessons learned. Move forward, that’s the only way to go. Jump two feet into today and rock it. Know that you can start each morning over. So yesterday sucked? Big deal not every day can be the best freaking day ever. I still have days where I sit down and I think what the heck was that? But now instead of crying and sinking into the black hole of death, doom and woe is me crap. I sit down and I think wow I got through that day and usually I learned something. No, the days don’t always go as planned but I am not in charge of everything. I cannot control the world. Imagine if I could though. Oh, the blinged out, bejeweled crown I would wear. You would need sunglasses just to look at it. I am thankful when I have a bad day I have wonderful friends, family, coworkers and people in the community to turn to. I can take the Caddy out for a cruise pending the bad day happens between April and October. I can sit out on my deck looking at the lake and breathe and remember how freaking lucky I am.

Remember to be kind to yourself. Do something you love each day. Remind yourself how lucky you are to still be here. Make a list of all the things you need to let go and slowly but surely tackle that list. It could take a minute, an hour, a day, a month, a year or a lifetime. It doesn’t matter how long it takes. Just keep moving forward. Let go and let the positivity flow.

Overcoming fears….

As a child I developed a fear of snakes. How do they move so quick without legs? When I was just a little girl I crawled under my Oma’s (grandmas) porch to have a tea party with my doll when I saw a snake slithering towards me. I stood up to scream. I guess I forgot how tall I was and that I couldn’t stand up under the deck. I smashed my head and knocked myself out. When I woke up I had snakes on me and I was frozen in fear. Side note snakes local to where I live can NOT kill you so I wasn’t scared of that, I was just freaked right out. My Oma always had snakes at her house. I can remember pushing her in front of me to avoid snakes coming towards me. Yes, I am winning granddaughter of the year over here. I also had an incident with a water snake at our cottage. I swam to shore and thought I won. I was safe but, that little bugger came out of the water onto land and right up to the cottage. I was freaking terrified! My heart was just a going! Snakes always had a way of finding me and giving me an unnecessary fear.

My second fear, I would have to admit, is birds. Why do birds always fly into me? My brother convinced me when I was a kid that I had an abnormally large head. I became super self-conscious as a result. Before we had the internet I couldn’t google how big is the average sized head. Oh brothers, always gotta pick on the little sister. I had a duck bite me once at a park for no reason. I was minding my own business. We had a rooster on the farm who used to come down from the top of the barn wings flapping in my face. My aunt had birds as pets and she used to let fly around her house. Guess who they flew into? ME! Birds of all shapes and sizes always found me outside and flew right into my head. I was always watching the sky and dodging out of the way. What the heck birds?

I am happy to say I have overcome my fears of both these animals. I have held a snake and I didn’t die. I no longer run screaming from snakes. I breathe and I remind myself I can get through this. Birds don’t seem to fly into me so much anymore. They must have gotten the memo about me being in the flight path and they went up in altitude? My beautiful friend Anna has chickens and ducks as pets that you can snuggle. She invited my son and me over to meet her bird crew. I had a full on panic attack thinking about it but I knew my son wanted to go so I sucked it up and we went. My son wants chickens as pets. Anna has a chicken named Social, that if you call, comes right over and you can hold her. That was a first for us, but oh my goodness snugly chicken made our day. But wait there’s more. Then along comes Ducky the duck who is too cute, running full speed right towards me, had a lot to tell me, very vocal and ate out of my hand. I would say this was a bird win day. I remembered to breathe and I not only got through it I want a pet duck!

When my Oma was alive she always loved blue herons. She always seemed to see them and point them out. After her passing I find myself always seeing blue herons and I feel like it’s her way of saying hello. So when I see a blue heron I always say “Hi Oma”.

I feel like if I was a bird I would be a pink flamingo. The bird that is all legs just like me. My house is decorated with pink flamingos. They make me happy! I feel like the flamingo is my spirit animal. Obviously I googled the meaning of the pink flamingo being your spirit animal and it says: “may be a symbol for joy and fun. Seeing a flamingo can mean that you need to bring more fun into your life. Forgive yourself and get rid of all negative emotions. If the flamingo has appeared for you, it is the sign that you should live your life to the fullest.” Well that fits right in with my life!

I guess my biggest fear as an adult was to be alone. I always hated being alone. I always wanted to spend every second of the day with someone else. I didn’t know how to be alone. On the path to self-discovery I found out being alone and doing my own thing is refreshing. I have never enjoyed my life more than I do now. I know who I am, what I like and where I wanna go in life. I no longer live for anyone else. I live every day to the fullest. Like a pink flamingo, I have fun.

I am grateful for every day that I wake up. I try to be productive in making a difference in not only my life but the lives of those around me. I am blessed to have the most amazing group of friends, family, co-workers and community. When I am fearful I remind myself to breathe and this isn’t forever, I will get through this. I know that local snakes can’t hurt me. I know that birds can fly higher, but sometimes they choose me to say hello to me by flying into my averaged sized head. I know that being alone is a wonderful feeling. I know that I am safe and protected. I slow down and enjoy my life.

Know that if you feel fearful, you can reach out. It’s okay to ask for help. Especially in the ever fast changing times of Covid-19 everyone seems fearful. I am always here for you! Reach out and tell me your fears. I love you all! Stay safe and healthy! Wash your hands!

Podcasts….

I first came across podcasts when I was struggling to sleep. Years ago I was diagnosed with sleep paralysis. I dream the same terrifying dream on repeat year after year. My dream is a terrifying life event. It’s a dream that feels so real to me. In my dream I am fighting for my life. I wake up in a haze of confusion arms and legs swinging thinking I am fighting for my life. I have broken many things in the night because of this terror. I have tried many things to sleep and yet years have passed and I still fight to sleep. My brother told me about a podcast he listens to at night to help him sleep and I thought well it can’t hurt. I downloaded an app to listen to podcasts on my phone because it has an app for everything. I started listening to the podcast called “sleep with me” this guy meanders on and on about nothing and everything in the most lulling voice. It’s helped me drift off and at first I thought it was going to work. I thought I was going to sleep but then as always, BAM, hello haunting dream. I still enjoying putting this podcast on if nothing else it turns off my thoughts and lets me drift. If you haven’t checked out “sleep with me” and you like to listen to something before or while falling asleep this guy has a sleepy way with words.

I start listening to a podcast series when I was out for a walk with my beloved dog Charleston. Sometimes our walks would last for hours as we would be lost in nature enjoying the beautiful days down by the lake. I found a podcast to capture my attention when I came across a series of weekly podcasts in investigative journalism. A series called “Serial” the first season was about the trial and conviction of Adnan Syed a teenager who was accused and sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years for killing his high school girlfriend. This podcast had me fired up about this trial and the evidence. I originally went to school for corrections with a hope of getting into a fight for justice for those wrongfully convicted. I absolutely love cases of wrongful convictions or stories of those who spend years on the inside but were innocent. In college I worked with a program providing family counseling in prison and it was a huge eye opener as to what it’s like to be in prison. If you love true crime and podcasts I highly recommend tuning in to “Serial”. What do you think about the case? Is he innocent?

After the “sleep with me” podcast and the fire me up trail presented by “Serial” I was searching for another podcast but this time I wanted something with a more positive vibe. I have to admit at this time I didn’t really know what a life coach was. I don’t remember exactly how I came to find the mortality mindset podcast with Patrick Mathieu. I am beyond excited that I found this podcast because this is the podcast that forever changed my life. I started listening in again on my walks with my beloved dog Charleston and I still listen in on my walks with Queen Kelsey dog. I have to say I was immediately sucked in from the first episode I couldn’t stop listening. Patrick has a calming voice and he grabs your attention and almost shakes you with his questions. He got me fired up in a different kind of way. He fired me up as in, I could do this too. He has an extraordinary story to share and a powerful message. He was born with a one of a kind heart that no one can figure out. He has seen many medical professionals in his lifetime. His heart is a one of a kind heart no one understands how it works. Patrick was given his expiry date. Imagine if you knew when you were going to die? He was told when he would die. He didn’t give up, he got up and he challenged what the medical professionals said. He fought, he conquered and he’s a huge inspiration to so many people. He has lived long past his expiry date. I highly recommend listening to this podcast. It’s a game changer. He will challenge how you think.

After the first listen, I had to google Patrick and find out more. I found out not only was he a life coach but he was training other people to be life coaches. I stalked that page until I saw he was coming to Kingston, Ontario. I hummed and hawed at the idea of being a life coach. I didn’t sign up until the last possible moment. Remember I like to plan but not to do it, but I did do this. I was joined in that class by three other amazing women and it will forever be a weekend to remember. From listening to a podcast to now becoming a life coach, making my own website, blogging and many more things along the way. Heck yes I AM DOING IT!

Thank you Patrick for continuing to make the podcast that forever changed my life. I would be lying if I said it was just the podcast. Check out his book and his online learning. Google him you will be amazed like I was and still am!

As I finished writing this blog I was completing another amazing course created by Patrick. I just completed his “how to be a better person” online course and the certificate hangs on my vision wall as a constant reminder of all the amazing things I have completed and the extraordinary things I am still working on. Stay tuned always more to come from me.

As always if you have a podcast recommendation reach out and share it with me. I love hearing from you all!

Number 26…

The number 26 had no real meaning to me before today. As I sat down to write this blog I realized it is my 26th blog. What? That’s wild, right? I know it feels like the last 26 blogging weeks have flown by. When I set a goal of 52 blogs my intention was to write once weekly. This officially marks the half way point. I am half way to crushing this goal. My dream since an early child has been to write, with the end goal of a book. I am making this dream my reality. I will write my book.

I decided to write once weekly on Tuesdays. I later found out I was born on a Tuesday so clearly it’s a great day. I decided to write once weekly to get out some ideas I had in my head. I never thought I would write pages and pages. I had no real plan when I started. Just write weekly about whatever comes to mind. My general concept and idea was to spread positivity, kindness, and to send thank you messages. I wanted to inspire people that if I can change so can you.

I haven’t nailed my goal of a blog every Tuesday since I began as life happens. I am a single mom, I have a paper pushing job at the local hospital, I have pets and I have hobbies. Life gets busy but I do my best to always make time for writing. Sometimes the writing ideas come quickly and I have so many ideas but there are sometimes I get stuck. I was super stuck while coping with the passing of my beloved dog Charleston. Well there’s no other way to describe than it just down right sucked. His passing took a lot out of me. I didn’t write around the holidays because he was sick and I just wanted to suck up every gosh darn minute I had left with him. He left me far too soon and I couldn’t write. I couldn’t think. I couldn’t stop crying. Truth is I wasn’t sure I could keep going down a path of positivity without him. I had to come back with a blog about twenty things I was grateful for in January as a reminder of how blessed I am. I may not have gotten a blog out every Tuesday but for the most part I have and I have not given up even when I wanted. I pushed forward. I forgive myself and remind myself it’s okay to not make each and every goal exactly on time as long as you keep working towards it. Take a deep breath and get back on track. Keep moving forward and don’t give up!

I admit when I started this chapter of my life I was down-right terrified. The thought of creating and launching my website was overwhelming. I have never had a website and I have never had a blog, both experiences are very new to me. I felt safer when it was just in the planning stages. My fear of failure and exposing myself to criticism or controversy or disagreement would creep into my thoughts. Then I found the courage and I decided to just do it, launch the site. It was close to a year after I got my certification for life coaching in October 2018. (more on that next week) I had stayed stuck in the planning mode for almost a year with being hung up in the details. In September 2019 I decided to just go for it. Launch the website and start the blog and whatever happens just go with it. I knew I couldn’t move forward and succeed unless I tried. Any criticism will make me grow and any accolades will encourage me. I know I have done my best.

I am grateful for all the comments, discussion, e-mails, Facebook messages, phone calls and text messages about the website and the blog. I cannot say thank you enough for coming along this journey with me. Here’s to 26 down and 26 more to go with a book in the works. Thank you to all of you!