Accepting Yourself As You Are Today

Seek Not Outside Yourself, Heaven is within. ~ Mary Lou Cook

March 13th chapter is about making peace with the past that has put every line, every wrinkle, every saggy midsection we own. Learning to love yourself and every flaw that goes with it will take a bit of doing but it needs to be done asap, not as soon as you lose weight but today with this mantra. "I am what I am and what I am is wonderful" There. Was that so difficult? Oh wait. Keep repeating until you truly believe and mean it!

How Do I Look?

The question is usually asked to others but today's chapter is to ask it of ourselves. The more important question however, is how do we feel? How you feel about yourself will influence how you look more than what you are wearing. Rather than focus on the glitz on the outside, focus on complete beauty. "Personal transformation begins with a stronger inner life" that will guide you to finding what's right, be it hair style, weight loss or wardrobe. To discover it, set aside 20 minutes a day to meditate, reflect or just walk. Finding your authentic self will do more for your looks than you realize. It's always been there, it's just that you need to go down into yourself to find exactly what you desire, which you already possess.

You Are Not Your Appearance, but Does the Rest of the World Know That?

The tragedy of our time is that we are so eye centered, so appearance besotted ~ Jessamyn West

Gee, yesterday it was all about presenting ourselves better and today it's about NOT having to be "pulled together" every single moment. Just as long as you don't beat yourself up for not being perfect and let your inner beauty shine which in turn will transform the outer.

March 11

Sending and Receiving Personal Signals

If you will resolve to work each day for self-realization, your whole world can change...The two women you are, they can make you over. ~POND'S COLD CREAM ADVERTISEMENT, GOOD HOUSEKEEPING, December 1947

Dang this woman can't make up her mind. Now we are back to caring about the way we look! Since the inside is reflected on the outside, if you're not feeling wonderful on the inside, you won't make the effort for your outside to match. If you feel wonderful on the inside, you will make the effort to look wonderful on the outside. The path of personal transformation may start inside, but can go both ways too. She quoted another Pond's Cold Cream ad from the 40's but my favourite saying is from the 70's and my take on a Wonder Bra Commercial. When I'm looking good, I feel good, and when I feel good I look SOUND great!

1975 Wonderbra Commercial

A Radiant Reflection

Projecting Your Authentic Self

So many women just don't know how great they really are. They come to us all vogue outside and vague on the inside. ~Marcy Kay Ash

Or visa versa. Sometimes, your authentic self on the inside is not reflected on the outside. Staying the same for safety sake when you'd rather exchange yourself for a sleeker version, means you need to awaken your own radiance to get out of the rut on the way you present yourself. Grab a magazine or catalog and cut out all the pictures of women and clothing you find attractive. Make a collage in your discovery journal (January 28) just like back when you were 10 and played with paper dolls. To help you discover your true sense of style, find your dream hairstyle, wardrobe and accessories, put on paper and then work toward that in real life.

Take the path to the "joy of surrounding yourself only with things you love, and the pleasure of wearing only clothes that make you look good and feel fabulous and project your authentic sense of style. If it's not, live without it." (note, sweats pants are never to be worn outdoors. No trips to the grocery store to replace the empty vanilla container mid baking or to the rink to pick up the kids because you don't have to get out of the car but risking the possibility. Other than lounging at home, they should be kept in the gym bag, taken out to work out and put back immediately afterwards. Oh, unless they are Winnipeg Blue Bomber sweats, to be worn proudly anywhere anytime lol)

Taking The Plunge

Until you make peace with who you are, you'll never be content with what you have ~ Doris Mortman

The idea in this chapter is to reveal rather than conceal your authenticity Exploring the way you present yourself to the world by your personal appearance is much more than the way you dress, do your make up or hair. It's about the many ways you chose to either expose or hide your authentic self and to finally acknowledge, accept and be comfortable with who you truly are. So take time to ponder and reflect, consider creative choices and shake off those past doubts and fears to understand your core. Treat yourself with kindness, gentleness, respect and patience. Sometimes you're the only one, and if so, you need to do it for yourself.

That's a lot of paraphrasing to say what? LOVE THYSELF!

Love Thyself
Words by Woody Guthrie, Music by Joel Rafael

Love thyself most and best
Love thyself day and night
Let no feared word cause thee
To hate thyself

Love thyself last and first
Love thyself more each month
Let no scared howl cause thee
To doubt thyself

Love thyself more and more
Love thyself loud and long
Let no bad dream make thee
Mistrust thyself

Thyself is all you'll have
From cradle to thy grave
Love yours enough to make
Us love ourselves

Thyself is all you'll have
From cradle to thy grave
Love yours enough to make
Us love ourselves

Outfitting a Comfort Drawer

A little of what you fancy does you good ~ Marie Lloyd

Hmm, Sarah sure expects to keep me busy with filling baskets over the past two days and now it's a drawer. That's okay because I already have my favourite indulgences in the top drawer of my bed side table, Surprisingly there are no chocolate or treats, and not because we live on a farm that has lazy...okay spoiled... cats so mice control is at it's worst, but lots of my favourite decorating magazines, book on the to read list, old journals written years ago in day times that have been set aside for digital diaries. Scented candles, nature cd's and hand made cards. The only thing she suggests to do that I haven't is line the drawer with pretty paper and wrapped the comforts in pretty tissue paper and tie with ribbons. I'm thinking I should since otherwise it could just be considered like every other junk drawer in the house!

March 6

Creating a Toy Box

Respect the power of play and the importance of fun! You're supposed to find another wicker basket or fabric covered box and be sure it has a lid, because what goes in is your business and your business only. Or not if you do want to share but it is important to get down to the business of play and fill your toy box with what ever you want. Go on an excursion to the dollar store and fill it with what ever tickles your fancy. Find things that will remind you to lighten up and take time to set aside seriousness and have some fun.

I have a hand made wooden toy box that was in my childhood home. I was the only sister that wanted it after we moved out and I feel lucky to have it but it's actually sitting in storage in the woodworking shed behind the house. It is still filled with all the Disney VHS movies my kids grew up on. I still have a VHS player so there is no need to sell any movies but I am going to have to bring the toy box back into the house. Not to be my toy box but for the 3 year old granddaughter when she comes to visit. I can see us cuddled on the couch under a hand made blanket watching Beauty & The Beast, Aladdin or Snow White. And of course The Sound of Music. I first saw the movie at the Avalon Theatre when I was a kid and it's been my number one favourite ever since. I will have to introduce Monroe to the movie when she is old enough to appreciate it. That could actually be already! I was 5 when the movie premiered and I still watch it when it airs on TV every year. I absolutely love it! Why do you think I play the guitar and never became a nun!

March 5

Creating a Hope Chest

"Hope" is the thing with feathers--that perches in the soul...~Emily Dickinson

Sarah didn't have a hope chest when she got married. Neither did I but then again I eloped. You might think that ship has sailed. Not hope, just the hope chest but it's never too late. My mother's hope chest was cedar lined and smelled wonderful. I'm sure the contents changed over the years and were quite different from when it was started to what's in it now. When I left home for university, it held her prom dress, wedding dress, baby clothes from each of her 4 daughters and more. Even though it probably started out as filled with items to create a new life, it ended up being filled with memories of the life she created. Years ago I bought a huge blue chest to store my life's memories from high school jackets, baby clothes, blankets and handmade sweaters. Now instead of a young woman's hope for a new life it's a grown woman's hope for grandchildren.

But Sarah wants you to start a different kind of hope chest for yourself. As simple as a small wicker basket filled with little projects for the future. Unique yarn for mittens, fabric for recovering chairs, books to read or what ever you want until you can set aside time to tend to them. You can make one for yourself and if you have a daughter, make one for her too and put in your favourite books by your favourite authors inside for her to read. It's never too late to start. Hopes and dreams are always in the making.

March 4th

Priming The Pump For Inspiration The well of Providence is deep. It's the buckets we bring to it that are small ~Mary Webb

Apparently creating an atmosphere to write is necessary to activate the right brain and to do what it takes to get the creative juices flowing. Some people need to do a ritual and do the same thing each time to get them into their place. Me? I can write anywhere, anytime and anything. Like now on the couch while everyone else is watching hockey (Dallas & Flames tied at 2 with 2 minutes left in the game, not that I care). I don't need mood music, lit candles and a cup of green tea to get me in the mood to write. I'm always in the mood. Maybe I could be more creative if I did create a reassuring ritual and a ceremony of comfort that inspired the spirit of my authentic self, but until I suffer from writers block, I think I'm good to go for now. This may not be a bright and shining moment in literature, but it's me, it's mine and it's... oh wait, yesterday's chapter spoke of hubris..an "exaggerated sense of self confidence". Well it's not a matter of confidence but complacency I guess. I am what I am what I am....that usually comes before a humbling. A heart attack is certainly very humbling, and it does not surprise me in the least that heart disease is now the leading killer of women.

My friend Lana had a heart attack at the age of 50 and at that moment, smoked her last cigarette. A month later, I followed suit. My Grandma Laval had a heart attack when I was attending University of Winnipeg just before I turned 20. You would think I would have taken better care of myself since then but I only quit for 3 years in 2000 and have now quit since Sept 21st. Hopefully it's not too little too late.

Time Smoke-Free: 165 days, 2 hours, 6 minutes 49 seconds
Cigarettes not smoke: 2476
Money Saved: $1089.00
Lifetime Saved: 18 Days, 21 Hours

Look at that. I have now gained more time to write in my daily blog/journal. Lucky me! Lucky you! NOT! lol

I've been writing since I was 12. From songs to Davy Jones to essays about rabbits in Grade 3. From romance novels on my Dad's old typewriter to blogs on the computer. My parents were both musician, and my Mum was an English teacher and my Dad taught French. I got corrected no matter what language I spoke! Pretty much the only French I know is the first page of the Grade 7 French text book that I memorized. I regret not learning my family's native tongue. Mind you it's not really French but Waloon as my Father's family was from Belgium (my Mother's family was from England and Scotland.)

Family roots are the ties that bind and the fabric that weaves your past and future. My family fostered creativity from day one and I am thankful for my upbringing that appreciated the arts and encouraged creativity and authenticity.

March 3

Setting Aside a Personal Sabbath Anybody can observe the Sabbath but making it holy surely takes the rest of the week. ~Alice Walker

It's been far too many years since I've been to church. I think the last time was Father's Day 2003 when I was living far away from home in Ontario and figured if I couldn't spend it with my Daddy, then I may as well spend it with the Big Daddy of all time. But making a day sabbath does not necessarily mean going to church, or temple, mosque or synagogue. It can simply mean taking a day of rest. A day of staying in pajamas and doing as little work as possible. No finishing undone projects from the past week or starting new ones getting ready for the next. It is for reverence, rest, renewal, rejuvenation, reassuring, rituals, recreation, rejoicing, revelation and remembering. Forget R&R, that's R to the 10! What matters is that you do something special that speaks to you soul. I don't think that painting truly speaks to my soul, as much as I do love redecorating and seeing the beautiful fruits of my labours. I will skip it today, but only because a trip to Edmonton to pick up a new vehicle has gotten in the way of any R&R, but my Sabbath will be Sundays. My Sabbath will be a do nothing day, not even to "putter" as I call it, when I clean house in what ever haphazard order, ADHD schematic that overcomes me. I will walk in the outdoors, take pictures of the landscape and be grateful and say thank you to the universe for all that I have been blessed with. If this is not what the Great Creator intended when She created the Sabbath, then I have no idea what is sacred. ~Sarah Ban Breathnach