I have not written in seven days and greatly missed my blog time, but knew I needed to chill and take care of myself. Some of April and all of May were tumultuous and my body was feeling the strain - sleep was hit-and-miss, my upper back and neck were tight with pain, nearly every part of my body was achy and uncomfortable and exhaustion was my state of being.
In an effort to feel less stressed, more balanced and rested, I treated myself to a Reiki session with Shenna Benarte Tuesday evening and a massage with Gina Englert Thursday evening. Gina and I also had a lovely girls’ night out after my massage and dined at Café Colette in the Wild Iris Bookstore, eating wild mushrooms and tropical salads. We even, unexpectedly, ran into each other the next day and enjoyed lunching together at Tempo Bistro to Go, where my man and I had eaten a delicious meal on Wednesday evening. This morning, he and I had a scrumptious breakfast at Sisters in the Haile Village and bought many luscious veggies and fruits and a bag of intensely strong coffee at the Haile Farmer’s Market. My diet is often not the best. Even though vegetarian, I don’t always make the healthiest food choices and often eat on-the-go or while doing something else. But, this week I ate several tasty, healthy, mindful meals filled with fresh, local and often organic ingredients and my body feels grateful.
I made some purchases that also helped with my week of self-care. One was a Tibetan Singing Bowl. The bowl became my possession through synchronicity. At the 2011 Gainesville Fall Art Festival, there was a Tibetan Singing Bowl at a booth. I had wanted one for a long time, but most of my cash was gone and to buy the bowl I needed to go to an ATM, etc. Feeling tired and not wanting to be bothered at the time, I passed up the opportunity to buy the bowl. Several times since then, I have regretted not buying it and even thought recently about how helpful the bowl might have been during the past weeks of stress. This morning, the same woman had a booth at the Haile Farmer’s Market and she again had one Tibetan Singing Bowl. I did not even notice her or her booth, but my man did. Once I realized who she was, my eyes searched her booth for a Singing Bowl, but sadly did not find one. When she recalled who we were and that I was interested in a Singing Bowl at the art festival, she pulled several items out of a bowl on her table. The bowl had been hidden by the items it held, so I did not notice it was a Tibetan Singing Bowl. Again, my cash was mostly gone, but this time I made the effort to find an ATM and brought home my lovely Tibetan Singing Bowl. When I finally get to my mom’s house and bring home the items she bequeathed me, one will be a small, round marble-top table that she knew I always admired. My Tibetan Singing Bowl will live happily and beautfully in the center of that table.
Another self-care purchase was a book called “Living Peace” by John Dear, which caught my eye when I was in a large, national bookstore in search of another publication that the local booksellers did not have (the big-box bookstore also did not have it). I put the book back on the shelf after perusing it because the writing seemed too “religious” to me. The author is a Jesuit priest and the book relies heavily on biblical references that triggered my old “don’t mention God and the Bible to me” reaction. Sometimes I forget that I have evolved to the point of accepting and appreciating various spiritual paths and I fall back into patterns of exclusion. I continued walking around the store, but was drawn back to the book time and again until I finally shook off my old thinking and purchased it. The book is inspiring, simply and beautifully written and has helped me focus on peace in my life.
The third self-care purchase was a CD - “Stress Reduction & Creative Meditations” by Marc Allen. I believe in meditation and I try to practice it, but have limited success. The most I can accomplish is short, simple meditations. I have more luck with guided meditations and possess several CDs using various methods of guided meditations. Some did not work at all for me and some were, at times, partially successful, but none led me to a state of true relaxation. As the book had, this CD caught my eye. I was determined to just walk by and not spend more money on another meditation CD that would not help me when I saw the words “With an Introduction by Shakti Gawain”. Shakti Gawain wrote my favorite book on manifesting, “Creative Visualization”, which I wrote about in my last post. If she was willing to record an introduction to that meditation CD, I was willing to give it a try. I often suffer from insomnia - have difficulty getting to sleep or wake up and am unable to return to sleep. I am not proud to say that I often rely on three (yes, three!) Advil PM tablets to help me get some much-needed rest. My insomnia comes and goes, but has been relentless during the last few stressful weeks. I used the CD Wednesday night and was amazed - no, shocked - at how relaxed I became. Within seconds of the last sound on the recording, I was asleep. I used it again last night with the same result. Not only does it help me relax enough to fall asleep, I sleep soundly and wake up early feeling refreshed.
My week is coming to a close and I can honestly say I feel like a different person than I did seven days ago. My body feels like my friend, rather than my enemy. I am relatively and suprisingly relaxed. I feel optimistic, happy and even peaceful. I am once again able to visualize, and Manifesting Mount Dora feels not only doable, but imminent.
In an effort to feel less stressed, more balanced and rested, I treated myself to a Reiki session with Shenna Benarte Tuesday evening and a massage with Gina Englert Thursday evening. Gina and I also had a lovely girls’ night out after my massage and dined at Café Colette in the Wild Iris Bookstore, eating wild mushrooms and tropical salads. We even, unexpectedly, ran into each other the next day and enjoyed lunching together at Tempo Bistro to Go, where my man and I had eaten a delicious meal on Wednesday evening. This morning, he and I had a scrumptious breakfast at Sisters in the Haile Village and bought many luscious veggies and fruits and a bag of intensely strong coffee at the Haile Farmer’s Market. My diet is often not the best. Even though vegetarian, I don’t always make the healthiest food choices and often eat on-the-go or while doing something else. But, this week I ate several tasty, healthy, mindful meals filled with fresh, local and often organic ingredients and my body feels grateful.
I made some purchases that also helped with my week of self-care. One was a Tibetan Singing Bowl. The bowl became my possession through synchronicity. At the 2011 Gainesville Fall Art Festival, there was a Tibetan Singing Bowl at a booth. I had wanted one for a long time, but most of my cash was gone and to buy the bowl I needed to go to an ATM, etc. Feeling tired and not wanting to be bothered at the time, I passed up the opportunity to buy the bowl. Several times since then, I have regretted not buying it and even thought recently about how helpful the bowl might have been during the past weeks of stress. This morning, the same woman had a booth at the Haile Farmer’s Market and she again had one Tibetan Singing Bowl. I did not even notice her or her booth, but my man did. Once I realized who she was, my eyes searched her booth for a Singing Bowl, but sadly did not find one. When she recalled who we were and that I was interested in a Singing Bowl at the art festival, she pulled several items out of a bowl on her table. The bowl had been hidden by the items it held, so I did not notice it was a Tibetan Singing Bowl. Again, my cash was mostly gone, but this time I made the effort to find an ATM and brought home my lovely Tibetan Singing Bowl. When I finally get to my mom’s house and bring home the items she bequeathed me, one will be a small, round marble-top table that she knew I always admired. My Tibetan Singing Bowl will live happily and beautfully in the center of that table.
Another self-care purchase was a book called “Living Peace” by John Dear, which caught my eye when I was in a large, national bookstore in search of another publication that the local booksellers did not have (the big-box bookstore also did not have it). I put the book back on the shelf after perusing it because the writing seemed too “religious” to me. The author is a Jesuit priest and the book relies heavily on biblical references that triggered my old “don’t mention God and the Bible to me” reaction. Sometimes I forget that I have evolved to the point of accepting and appreciating various spiritual paths and I fall back into patterns of exclusion. I continued walking around the store, but was drawn back to the book time and again until I finally shook off my old thinking and purchased it. The book is inspiring, simply and beautifully written and has helped me focus on peace in my life.
The third self-care purchase was a CD - “Stress Reduction & Creative Meditations” by Marc Allen. I believe in meditation and I try to practice it, but have limited success. The most I can accomplish is short, simple meditations. I have more luck with guided meditations and possess several CDs using various methods of guided meditations. Some did not work at all for me and some were, at times, partially successful, but none led me to a state of true relaxation. As the book had, this CD caught my eye. I was determined to just walk by and not spend more money on another meditation CD that would not help me when I saw the words “With an Introduction by Shakti Gawain”. Shakti Gawain wrote my favorite book on manifesting, “Creative Visualization”, which I wrote about in my last post. If she was willing to record an introduction to that meditation CD, I was willing to give it a try. I often suffer from insomnia - have difficulty getting to sleep or wake up and am unable to return to sleep. I am not proud to say that I often rely on three (yes, three!) Advil PM tablets to help me get some much-needed rest. My insomnia comes and goes, but has been relentless during the last few stressful weeks. I used the CD Wednesday night and was amazed - no, shocked - at how relaxed I became. Within seconds of the last sound on the recording, I was asleep. I used it again last night with the same result. Not only does it help me relax enough to fall asleep, I sleep soundly and wake up early feeling refreshed.
My week is coming to a close and I can honestly say I feel like a different person than I did seven days ago. My body feels like my friend, rather than my enemy. I am relatively and suprisingly relaxed. I feel optimistic, happy and even peaceful. I am once again able to visualize, and Manifesting Mount Dora feels not only doable, but imminent.
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