Control = Exhaustion

Feeling exhausted? Most of us have good reason to be tired, but exhaustion is a whole other level. 

It could be from living life too seriously. When we set up rigid parameters in life we keep the spontaneous away, leaving us little if not any moments to be carefree. And that is exhausting...

When is the last time you laughed uncontrollably? When is the last time you did something out of your routine? When is the last time you tried something new? 

It's a tough one for me. I HAVE TO be the mom. So how do I maintain my role as responsible adult and find moments to be footloose and fancy free?

Turns out life tends to run more smoothly when you throw in a little unexpected, when you break away from your schedule and opt for the chaotic, the unreasonable, THE PANCAKES FOR DINNER ;) Because then you are allowing your self to live (you know like REALLY LIVE). When we break away from the predictable and give way to the unpredictable--  stop trying to control life and just let life happen--we can relax. And when we are in a more relaxed state of mind, we are more open to passion and excitement and energy and laughter.

It's all about control. The thing is... THE THING IS... we can't control anything but ourselves. You can plan all you want but you should also plan on your plan to not go as planned. We exhaust ourselves when we constantly try to control what we cannot control. 

So the next time you find yourself exhausted trying to stick to your plan, let go and just roll with it... it will be OK.. in fact, it will probably be better than OK. It may even turn out FANTASTIC!! 

DIY Coconut Oil and Sea Salt hair spray

So I'm taking a bit of a jump away from the norm and delving into uncharted territory here on Words... a beauty post. What, what?!?

I can't help it... I am having a serious love affair with coconut oil and I just have to share one of the little gems I've discovered using this lovely, ah-mazing, miraculous ingredient.

I love to bake and coconut oil has taken my fav chocolate chip cookies to a whole new level of epicness... try it roasting sweet potatoes, too... you will thank me. Yum!

Coconut Oil, once dismissed as a bad, bad thing, is now receiving all sorts of good press for its numerous healthful benefits including skin care, stress relief, weight loss, increased immunity, proper digestion and metabolism, relief from kidney problems, heart diseases, high blood pressure and diabetes.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg! Seriously! 

BUT... you must get the good stuff. I recommend organic and extra-virgin. There are lots to choose from, so do a bit of your own research, but I picked up a big jar at Costco for around $16. 

So I digress... I did say this would be a BEAUTY post...  Here ya go!

Turns out coconut oil is not just a wondrous consumable. It's also fantastic for your skin and hair. Use it as a moisturizer, deodorant, in your hair as a scalp treatment and in this great sea salt spray to keep your locks moisturized and smelling like you just spent a day at the beach (in a good way). 

8 oz *Warm water

1 tsp sea salt

1tsp coconut oil

dab of your fav hair gel

add to a spray bottle and shake it up! Voila! 

*water must be warm to dissolve the salt and oil

You can spray it on your hair damp or dry then scrunch your hair to create beautiful beachy waves. Make sure you shake up the mixture each time before use. 

Words

Is there anyone else under all of this blue like me?
Do you read words on a page discovering amazing thoughts and reread it just to feel the words once again leave your lips, your mouth so full of the rhythm and the meaty, savory, ripeness of each syllable so carefully and intentionally crafted?

Is there anyone else that feels magic when you find the precise word to describe an exact movement, emotion, action? Do you feel immense gratitude for that word that string of letters that cuts through the superfluous to deliver your message without needing to stammer or um and ah or go on and on troubling yourself with long soliloquy just to express what this one word conveys so effortlessly?

Is there anyone else who closes a book in reverence with complete surrender knowing you have been forever changed by another's story? Do you feel the real heroes are authors who find ways to shape us all by spinning their tales and revealing their hearts and unleashing their demons onto blank pages?

Is there anyone else who could spend hours alone in rooms of books and feel that you are in the epicenter of it all forgetting to eat, forgetting your name, forgetting the world exists outside and that you must reenter your life and forsake the lives and places found in the pages and hardcovers around you?

Am I alone?

Morning: a time for gratitude

Hello, sun in my face. Hello, you who made the morning and spread it over the fields and into the faces of the tulips and the nodding morning glories, and into the windows of, even, the miserable and the crotchety – best preacher that ever was, dear star, that just happens to be where you are in the universe to keep us from ever-darkness, to ease us with warm touching, to hold us in the great hands of light – good morning, good morning, good morning. Watch, now, how I start the day in happiness, in kindness. | MARY OLIVER

We have an amazing gift each and every day we wake up. We have life. We have breath. And with each breath holds opportunity to learn and grow and love and help and LIVE. I like to wake each day and actually count my blessings. I may not cover them all. It would be impossible to cover them all. But, to have this time of intention and awareness in gratitude sets the tone for my entire day. And collectively, these moments of gratitude, make me a happier more focused and balanced person. 

This life is beautiful. We all have amazing gifts and opportunities for using them. If we don't give pause to reflect and recognize what we are actually doing here on planet earth... then what are we doing? 

Give your smile. Turn away from griping and complaining and moaning and groaning and all the things that steal joy and block our ability to attract the good and wonderful. We all have aches and pains, challenges and obstacles and sadness... but we are all capable of basking in joy anyway! Isn't that powerful? We can even be grateful for the challenges... the closed doors, the hurts and failures and defeats... because they make us stronger. It's all about perspective. We choose how we interpret life. You are in control. 

 Feel the sun's warmth. That is for you. See the beautiful flowers. Those are for you. Breathe in the fresh air. Feel the breeze. Hear the laughter of your loved ones. Taste the sweet juices of life... how can we not be amazed at it all?  

LOVE