Sunday, September 18, 2011

free...at last


forgiveness is hard...but not impossible.  it is really hard to forgive someone when you haven't blamed them or felt angry towards them - there is always something under all that anger.  maybe it's hurt, maybe it's disappointment, frustration, or even sadness or guilt - but it's not simply anger.  if we allow ourselves to feel our way through it, the conditions for healing and moving forward begin.  if we stop prematurely and interrupt the process of feeling that anger, we run the risk of getting stuck & carrying a grudge.

if you find yourself carrying around a grudge, or perhaps some grudges, you may want to take some time to figure out the purpose of that grudge to become unstuck...

there is always a reason for a grudge & as humans we tend to justify being "stuck" - but most of the time, if you are honest with yourself, you will find that holding onto that grudge is useless and more hurtful to you than whoever or whatever you are begrudging.  want to break through and make room for joy?  feel your way through, forgive, and let your grudges go...
feels good to be free...at last.
peace & bliss,
amy

Thursday, September 15, 2011

note to self...


trust yourself, trust yourself, trust yourself...my mantra for today.
peace & bliss,
amy

Thursday, September 8, 2011

what's your song?


i loved me some ally mcbeal & i especially love this clip with her unconventional therapist.

inspired by this concept, i've actually encouraged many students and clients to find their song - you know, a song for those do or die moments in life when you are running low on confidence, energy, or that knock 'em dead spirit.  we all have at least one song that lifts our spirit & motivates us to face life's challenges.  it is not your "favorite song" or the most "popular song" on your current playlist - it is a song that helps you recapture a moment in time when you felt unstoppable, like a million bucks. it may make you feel like dancing, it may make you feel like crying, it may make you feel like SOMEONE out there understands you...
it is a song that sings to you.


my theme song for today...thank you james brown

peace & bliss, 
amy

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

love


this is a photograph i took last spring while visiting a family friend at her lake home in michigan.  it is a close up of part of an old metal chair they found in the middle of the lake, brought to the surface, and took home.  it now sits in front of her home along side the water, showcasing all it's weathered, elementally exposed glory. 

the real beauty? the hole that was created by all of the chairs experiences developed into a heart. 

anyone who knows me, knows i love a metaphor.  

this heart represents all the different the means to an end...
sometimes our hearts grow from loving, joyful experiences.  other times, it grows from painful, hurtful experiences.
nonetheless, it grows.
thank you love for giving my heart exactly what it needs - for love changes everything.
peace & bliss, 
amy 

Monday, September 5, 2011

happy :)

as you are...right now

happy
adjective
1. feeling or showing pleasure or contentment
2. having a sense of confidence or satisfaction with (a person, arrangement, or situation)

how many times do we negate our happiness because we do not embrace our own unique beauty?  here are a few helpful hints from kitty cavalier, a burlesque dancer and instructor who helps women of all shapes, sizes,  and ages embrace the beauty within...

1. Don't try to look pretty
Owning your beauty and looking pretty are two very different things.  Looking pretty is what we do when we want other people's approval.  When we need external validation to convince us of our beauty. Owning your beauty is a much different game.  As women, our beauty is eternal, and never leaves us.  The last thing you want to do is ask yourself, "do I look beautiful right now?".  You are always beautiful. It is not something that needs to be questioned, it is a simple truth. 

2. Own your walk

A woman's walk enters the room long before she enters it herself.  Each woman's walk is different and unique, but there is one universal rule: go....slow. No matter what. Even if something catches you off guard, resist the urge to speed up as you walk away.  A Femme Vitale is in no hurry, she is always right on time. 

3. Play with your beauty

Owning your beauty is a spiritual practice. Allow your body to be the canvas of your soul.  Play with your purpose in what you wear, your clothes, your hair, your makeup, your body language.  This is not so you can "look good to others".  It is to allow the Divine to speak through you. There is not another person on Earth who has beauty like you, nor will there ever be. Don't ever waste the beauty that is uniquely yours. 

peace & bliss,
amy

Saturday, September 3, 2011

wishlist...


oh yea...art and inspiration - check out melissa's other creations here...
ohhh...good glass here!
you can get one too here...

some things i think i need in my life...

but i don't want or need much.  interestingly enough, the less "stuff" i have the lighter i feel and the more i appreciate what i do have.  the bestest "things" in my life aren't things at all...thankful for all my intangible blessings!
happy saturday!
peace & bliss,
amy

Friday, September 2, 2011

if nothing ever changed, there would be no butterflies...

so yesterday was my last day at a job i enjoyed for almost 11 years...the hardest part by far was saying goodbye to the kids.

i explained to the older students that out of the deep sadness i felt came an awareness of how incredibly blessed i am...blessed to be in a place and know such a group that make it SO hard to say goodbye. they are some amazing kids and because of working with them, i became brave enough to say goodbye to certain things in order to welcome new hello's.

i thought about how i could explain it to the younger kids...and then i remembered the story of the butterfly.

you know, a boy found a caterpillar and took care of him, noticed him changing, and watched him create a cocoon. the boy patiently waited for the butterfly to emerge...and one day it happened.  he saw a small hole in the cocoon and the butterfly struggling to make it out - because of the struggle, he decided to help - he cut the hole of the cocoon so the butterfly could finally emerge and it did...with a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. sadly, the butterfly was never able to fly.  he later learned that the butterfly was supposed to struggle, the struggle out of the tiny hole of the cocoon pushes the fluid from the butterfly's body into it's wings so the butterfly can fly...

we processed this a bit and i likened myself to the caterpillar, my job with the school had been my cocoon, and now i am a butterfly free to fly and explore the new possibilities and opportunities life has to offer.

i am thankful for my life experiences, appreciative of my struggles, and excited about the changes that lie ahead...because if nothing ever changed, there would be no butterflies.

peace & bliss,
amy
beautiful butterfly


Thursday, September 1, 2011

it's simple...



say it again sister! let the paving begin...
peace & bliss,
amy