Accentuating the Positive

If one is a greyhound, why try to look like a Pekinese? ~Dame Edith Sitwell

Apparently Dame Edith was a homely child and was miserable until she discovered poetry and music and in doing so fell in love with her authentic self. She became famous for her flamboyant sense of style. Oh how can I relate to that. The homely child that is. I certainly wasn't one of the popular kids at school. I blamed it on my father, a teacher and the vice principal in charge of discipline, but it was pretty much the glasses, bucked teeth, braces, acne and skinny teenager that I was, who tried too hard. I hated my glasses. When ever I dressed up and felt like Cinderella, then I would have to put my glasses on and turned into one of the ugly step sisters. Thankfully years later another fairy tale came true. Thankfully glasses are now a fashion accessory and The Ugly duckling now feels like a beautiful swan. :)

http://sonnetsat4am.blogspot.ca/2007/09/happy-birthday-dame-edith-sitwell.html

What do you like about yourself?

If you want to find the answers to the Big Questions about your soul, you'd best begin with the Little Answers about your body. ~ George Sheehan

Sarah Ban Breathnach, author of Simple Abundance, sure likes to keep you busy with daily tasks. Reading this book is not just a read, it's a do, feel, find and be. When you look in the mirror, do you like what you see? If not, look again and look at yourself lovingly and appreciate what you see, more than just skin deep. Tonight, you're supposed to set aside an entire hour to celebrate how awesome you are by having a bath with bubbles or oil, candles. As you dry, apply lotion and give yourself a massage. Before going to bed, look in the mirror and appreciate all your good points, inside and out. If you can't find 20 things, then keep doing it every night until you can.

I think I can fit that in, as soon as I am done painting another coat on the bathroom counter, right after a soak in the hot tub. Forget the mirror. I'll think of those things I like about me while soaking. That is one thing I like about bedtime now. 20 minutes a night, a relaxing soak, under the stars, listening to the hum of the tub and the quiet of the night. Farm living is one thing this town girl appreciates.

Self Nurturing: The Hardest Task You'll Ever Do

Of all the assigned tasks so far, the creative excursions, hope chest, toy box & comfort drawer, discovery journal etc, they all lay undone. What is so difficult? They are such little things to do for yourself. You should treat yourself better if you want your life to come together. Today's task is to make a list of ten nice things you could do for yourself and select just one and do it.

As I lay in the back of Monika & Ed's toy Hauler outside of Parker Arizona, listening to the coyotes on the nearby golf course yip & howl and probably chasing after a rabbit, I can think of all ten things I did nice for me today. From sleeping in 15 minutes this morning, not rushing through breakfast Lana prepared, treating myself to a glass of wine for lunch, watching a chick flick during the flight (The Descendants) and the list goes on. But then again, being on vacation it's easy to indulge in lots of things. The challenge is squeezing time in for yourself on workdays, weekdays and days that end in Y! 

Loving yourself into wholeness

Tonight I sit in chestermere with friends who love me wholly, flaws and all, just as I love them. Why is it that we cannot love ourselves the same way? On the outside we have it all together, portray we are bold and strong when in reality we feel fragile & frightened. At times like those, is the time to pamper yourself and treat yourself to a simple indulgence and pleasure. I remember a time when the kids were small I felt I was the be all and end all to everyone else but me. It took a long time to learn you can't look after anyone else unless you look after yourself first. So do it. Say no to everyone else's demands and say yes to you. You deserve it. Tonight I deserve it too. So I will indulge myself in buying beautiful red bottle of rum. Redrum to be exact. This might be a dangerous start to our vacation, but thankfully I only had two drinks and left the pretty bottle for next visit to the Beierbachs. Time to head to bed & rest up for the flight to Vegas in the morning. I love my life :)

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!