The theme for the lunchtime request hour on the radio today was songs that represent 2009 for you. The three requested songs that I heard during my time in the car were Walking the Tightrope by Stevie Ray Vaughn, Under Pressure by Queen, and Mercy by Duffy. None of those songs spoke to me; they all seemed a bit negative. Sure, the economy of 2009 has made things tough for everyone, and my family is certainly no exception. But before I start scanning my iTunes for my song of the year, I wanted to reflect and recap what my year was about.

For the past couple years I have started January with my husband away on his annual music cruise. I actually really love this time. I ease through my days on my schedule, I write and read and eat healthy food and get some good rest. By the time he comes home, the tension and chaos of the holidays has melted away and I have had some good introspection time to ground me.

I also started 2009 with a vigorous study of the chakra system. I have been interested in exploring how Feng Shui can help with our health and through reading and yoga workshops I learned a good bit about the mind/body/environment connection. There is still more I want to incorporate in this area--sounds like a great goal for 2010 as well!

Attending church was a consistent spiritual practice for me in the first part of 2009, as my daughter received her First Communion in May. We have a church that we love that leaves me inspired each and every week, and often brings me to tears through the power of the amazing music performed at each mass. Looking back, I see that this really anchored my intentions and was a weekly reminder to stay focused on being the person I want to be every day. This too piddled out a bit as the year went on. I'm beginning to see a pattern here...let's see where I go from here.

I had the good fortune of having a dear friend in San Diego to visit in February, a long weekend I made by myself and thoroughly enjoyed. I caught up with some very special people in my life, and ended my time away with my first paragliding experience! How invigorating! And if you're ever in San Diego, make sure to take the time to visit the Self-Realization Fellowship Temple in Encinitas. It is so peaceful and beautiful...I could spend a weekend in their gardens. I ended February with a performance of devotional chanting by Krishna Das which was a moving and centering experience.

I entertained my design side by attending the Junior League Tour of Kitchens in March. This was a great opportunity for me to step in to some beautiful homes and fill my brain with ideas of what works (and what doesn't). It also reminded me that it's not square footage that makes a home; good energy can be found in small bungalows or large estates. Good flow, pleasing colors, a balance of elements, and simple organization can make any space a masterpiece.

Looking back through my calendar, I realized that once spring hit my focus switched pretty quickly and heavily to the children. A week in Orlando, end of school year activities, then right on in to summertime. Those summer months are always a challenging time for balance. There's a lot fun; swimming, play dates, later bedtimes. But yoga, personal time, reading...these all go by the wayside for a few months. Come fall, my bank is usually pretty empty. New teachers, new classmates, new rules, and general transitions means focus on self is still difficult once the kids are back to school.

This fall, however, I had a wonderful trip that demanded my attention. I was taking my dream trip to Italy. My youngest child started kindergarten and I was rewarding myself for eight years of being a stay-at-home Mom and getting all my kids off to elementary school in one piece. It was a trip of a lifetime (to date!) and the planning of it occupied most of my free time until I returned to my real life in the end of September.

The rest of the year I returned my focus to myself a bit and the direction I wanted to go now that I am an elementary school empty-nester. My website was built, my blogging began, and plans started underway for networking and Feng Shui presentations. I don't feel as mindful as I did in the beginning of 2009, but I am motivated and moving forward, and maybe that's just where I need to be right now. I am quickly approaching the first week of 2010 when I will turn my attention to what I want to accomplish in the next year and am excited to break it down into short-term goals and steps that will keep me consistently moving forward throughout the year. All the while, one of my main objectives will be to remain present and content in the current moment, embracing the joys of my everyday life and the gifts that are all around me (especially the ones that call me Mom!).

So this all started with what song I would use to capture 2009 for me. Now that I've gone on this journey of remembrance, I will listen to the lyrics more closely to see if I can identify my theme. All in all, it was a great year! A year of introspection, fun, and forward movement. I am very excited for 2010 and the birth of my consulting business, and working to find the balance between my passions and my duties. That is something I wish for everyone!

peace, love, and resolutions...

It is hard to resist the definitions of who we think we are supposed to be, based on what society tells us, our family tells us, or the media tells us. There are so many influences out there that lead us to think we should be something different than exactly the way we are. As hard as I resist it, I want to look as cute in those jeans, have a healthful meal on the table for my family each night, and have a smile and some make-up on my face when my husband comes home from his job.

Everyone wants to be happy. Different things make different people happy. Ghandi said that happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony. When I meditate, practice yoga, write in my journal, read, and listen to music I feel really in control of what I am thinking. I am more present, more aware, more attuned. When I watch too much TV, spend too much time with people who gossip or are pessimistic, or when I burn the candle on both ends I feel like those messages from the world around me really cloud my ability to feel deeply happy. As I write this I realize how in control I truly am of my own wellbeing. I can make choices in my life that lead me the way I know I want to go, the way I know feels right and true for me. Easier said than done sometimes, but that knowledge is something I can come back to when I'm struggling.

I tend to be a blabbermouth...well, that is my perception of myself at times. I'm pretty open and when I get excited about a topic I tend to get louder. I actually kind of like these aspects of my personality. But one of the worst feelings is when I think back to a conversation and regret having said something. I rarely, rarely, say something to hurt someone else. I am keenly aware of the energy this puts out and the damage it does. For me, it more often would be a slip of the tongue, or just divulging too much of my own thoughts and wandering in to that land where I might offend someone else. I worry about doing this--I probably worry about it too much. In general though, I feel like I have positive things to say and I hope that people hear me expressing myself and not passing judgement on them. I guess that is the best that I can do.

And the best that I can do--if I feel at the end of each day that I did the best I could then, yes, I'm happy. I teach my kids this too. Some days are better than others but I feel like my intentions are always in the right place. So thinking about true happiness, I see that it all starts with my thoughts, and I find it interesting that this is the most challenging part for me. I have my own definition of who it is I want to be, and that has nothing to do with the Jones', or a political party, or generations of women who came before me and did things a certain way (or didn't!). I know what I have to do to feel like I'm on the right path--like I'm living a true representation of my spirit. How empowering is that?!

Thanks for reading my blog today...this, apparently, was just what I needed!

peace, love, and enlightenment...

Have you seen some of these news stories on "hoarders?" These people live amongst filth and garbage because they physically and mentally cannot let go of anything. Sometimes it's sentimental, sometimes it's fear, and I'm sure there are dozens of other reasons why people exhibit this behavior. If we're honest with ourselves, we can all probably admit to holding on to material things longer than necessary. We call it clutter, or a "collection," or just stuff, and it fills our attics, closets, bookshelves, and garages. What has happened, though, is things that once gave us comfort are now dragging us down.



Have you ever just attacked a closet and cleared it out? Bags hauled to goodwill, last season's clothes packed into storage, your favorite shirt from college thrown in the garbage? When you finished the job, like items grouped together, shoes all aligned, everything neat and orderly so you can see everything in it's place--how did you feel? Were you breathing deeper? Did you feel a sense of calm, a clearing of the mind? That newly gained energy makes us want to open the trunks of our cars and dig to the back of the pantry and keep the projects going!



All of our belongings hold the energy of our memories we associate with them. We should look around our homes and be uplifted by what we see. When a couch reminds you of the ex-boyfriend you bought it with, and that's not a good memory, away it should go. And if you can't stand your living room lamp or you're embarrassed by your dining room rug, get rid of them. You don't need to go out and replace them right away...just wait. Get that item that is drawing positive energy away from you out of your house and see what happens. Maybe you'll run across a great sale on lamps and you'll find one that casts a warm, cozy glow on your space. Maybe you'll find that your dining room is much more appealing with the bare floor under your feet. If you don't love it, let it go--and who knows, maybe it will be someone else's treasure.



This year as we were pulling out our Christmas decorations I was reminded of my husband's eclectic collections of baubles he used to adorn his house with when he was single. A little bit of this, a little bit of that, passed to him from various people, some created by him in silly moments of creativity. When we moved in together they stuck around for a little while. But one year I just couldn't bring myself to stick the tinsel toothpicks in my houseplants one more time, and we purged it all. We began our own collection of holiday decorations that represented us and the life we were building together. There wasn't room for his bachelor decor any more. This year we sorted through the dozens of homemade ornaments from the kids' preschool years. Some are so precious we proudly hang them on our tree. Others, well, we decided we don't need gaudy foam angels to remind us of how cute our kids were at three. Some were thrown away, some we set aside to pass to them when they're older and they can decide if that glittery star with their face in the middle makes their heart sing or not.



Simplify. Get rid of the old to make room for the new. Live with what you love. For each new thing you bring in to your home, let something else go. Reduce, reuse, recycle. All great lessons to live by. And all strong messages of Feng Shui! If you need some help getting started, give me a call! Sometimes we need a little nudge to get the process going. After all, there are many reasons why we do the things we do. However, I promise, once you get rid of your "stuff" and clear the space, you'll be so glad you did.



peace, love, and purging...