How to Recover from Hell Week

By Mary on February 6, 2012

Last week was particularly busy for my family. It seems the theater bug has bitten my whole family.

Missoula Children’s Theater came to town this past week. If you haven’t heard of them, they run a wonderful program for children. Two actor-directors travel around in a red F150. It carries the whole set, scripts, costumes and props to put on a one-hour play, usually a version of a well-known fairy tale. Children from all of the local schools are invited to audition after school on Monday. Those who are chosen rehearse all week, and perform twice on Saturday. At the end of the evening, the actor-directors pack up their truck and move on to the next community.

All three of my boys auditioned, and all three got parts in The Pied Piper!

A few weeks ago, my husband received a call and was asked to audition for a reader’s theater production of Norm Foster’s The Foursome. Reader’s Theater is where the actors read from scripts. They use limited sets, props and costumes, relying primarily on expression to convey the meaning of the play. His performances were also this week.

Stop. RelaxSo basically, because of other events scheduled for Sunday and Monday of last week, it has been a pretty crazy two weeks. My husband and I declared this Sunday a day of rest.

I slept in for the first time in…quite a while. I had a very strong desire to stay in my pajamas and not do anything all day, except maybe surf the net. And then the sun started shining through the front window, and it called me to move my body. So I compromised. I put on my yoga clothes and did yoga for the first time since sometime last fall. Or maybe even last summer.

I forget how much I enjoy the yoga DVD I have. (Jada Fire’s Expressive Yoga for the Soul if you are interested.) And I was truly amazed at how much stronger and more flexible I am since I have been working out on the Wave Vibration Fitness Machine at my chiropractor’s office. Some day I’m going to get one to use at home!

It felt so good to have a day with nothing really planned. It is so easy to get wrapped up in all the projects I am involved in. I sometimes forget that I need to schedule down time as well. Rest and relaxation are an important part of keeping balanced and maintaining positive mental health. When balance and mental health are not looked after, everything else becomes much more difficult.

The only thing I scheduled for the day was a phone call with a friend that I hadn’t talked to in ages. It was refreshing and energizing to catch up with her, and laugh with her. Again, it definitely helped with the balance and positive mental health.

I am very grateful that I, and my husband, took a day off, a day of nothing, a day of rest.

Blessings,

Mary

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Blessed With Abundance

By Mary on December 26, 2011

Yesterday was Christmas, a time when some of us think about our own brand of spirituality, some of us take joy in giving, and some of us are all about getting (I won’t even call it receiving).

I was a little bummed as I put out the Christmas stockings, and mine was only half filled. There were no presents for me under the tree (well, there was one, kind of – it was for me and the rest of my family). I didn’t let my slump last long though. There were quite a few presents for my boys, and I had been a little worried that they would have precious few gifts to open. And I did buy myself a present a few days before Christmas.

holiday blessingsI enjoyed seeing them get excited about the items my husband and I had found for them. I started seeing the abundance all around me: the abundance of gifts for my children, the abundance of birds in the trees outside, the abundance of love in my home, and food in my cupboards, and activities to keep my mind engaged.

I spent the day cooking for my family, and was gifted with the thanks of full tummies throughout the house (which, in a house with three growing boys, is a rare blessing indeed!).

I even went for a walk in the sunshine with my sweetheart for the first time in many weeks.

By the end of the day, I was feeling full to overflowing with blessings in my life. And so I share some of my blessings.

Until January 15th, 2012, use the coupon code “holiday11″ to save 50% off your next order of guided meditations. And may you be blessed with abundance this year!

Blessings,

Mary

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Redefining Free Time

By Mary on October 10, 2011

Law of attraction teachers will say that to receive what you want, you have to know what you want. Be very clear about it.

For several years now, through coaching, meditation and journalling, as well as other tools, I have working to get clear on what I want. For me, it boils down to these three things:

  • Time freedom
  • Raise my vibration
  • Earn my living from my spiritual work

I’ve been actively working towards these three goals for over two years.

Free TimeRecently, I’ve noticed just how jam-packed my schedule is. Added responsibilities at work, rehearsing for a play, extra-curricular activities for my boys, and my own regular activities have left me with very little free time. That first goal feels ever so elusive right now!

One of my core beliefs is that my outer world is a reflection of my inner world. So it occurred to me during my morning meditation last week that perhaps my lack of free time has something to do with how I am thinking and talking about time.

I thought about that for a little while, and sure enough, all of my language about time was negative. “I don’t have time for that”, “when have I had time”, “in all my copious spare time” (read that last one with a heavy dose of sarcasm).

The past few days, I’ve been thinking about how I can change my thinking about time. It’s not been quite as clear as I had hoped. The first thing I need to realize is that I have chosen all of the things and activities that I am currently involved in.

I choose to go to work (the biggest allocation of my time) in service to my family, so we can continue to have a place to live and food to eat.

I chose to audition for the play, and then to accept the part I was offered. And I really am having fun and enjoying the new relationships I am building.

I chose to enroll my boys in karate, to encourage physical activity and self discipline.

I choose to continue writing my blog, and organizing my spiritual circle, and coach my clients. It fills me with joy to witness others grow and expand.

I really have more freedom than I thought I did, once I stop and re-frame how I see my time being used. Time freedom is more about who I am choosing to be, than what I am doing with my time.  Choosing to be in love and gratitude, no matter what I am doing, is my mission for this week!

Blessings,

Mary

PS. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in Canada!

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Christmas and Birthdays and Yule, Oh My!

By Mary on December 20, 2010

It’s Sunday night, and I’m in the middle of making cupcakes for my youngest son’s birthday party tomorrow.  His birthday is later this week. Tomorrow night, I will be going to the Christmas party for my work.

Earlier today, we went to a Solstice Celebration and potluck.  Last week, I went to a surprise birthday party for a close friend of mine, and my middle son’s Christmas concert.  And earlier this month was my husband’s birthday.

It seems like this time of year is exceptionally busy, and not just for me.  Everyone I know has multiple events, invitations and gatherings.  I also happen to be a last minute Christmas shopper, mostly because of the other events earlier in the month!

While Santa day looms up ahead of me, this year I am extremely grateful that I have my meditation practice and now my Life Coach to help me keep my balance and stay centered.

The feeling of overwhelm has threatened to, well, overwhelm me several times in the past few weeks.  And I have been so much more able to catch myself as I start to drift into the anxiety because I start each morning with meditation and intentions.

And in my coaching session just this morning, my coach pointed out that I am accomplishing a lot, and I have more time to work on my projects coming up very shortly.  Thank you, Hazel!

Oh, and hot chocolate helps too! ;)

What are you doing to keep your cool during the “silly season”?

Blessings,

Mary

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The Goddess Treatment

By Mary on November 29, 2010

This weekend I received the Goddess treatment, and I have to say, I could learn to like it! In fact, I enjoyed myself very much, and it’s something I definitely recommend to every woman.

I spent the last three days at the Divine Feminine Diamond Retreat, with Lourdes Elardo-Gant. I met Lourdes through my husband, and we have played Cash Flow with her and her husband several times.  She told me about the retreat she was planning, and invited me to come and present.  I was thrilled!

Then, a friend of mine signed up for the retreat as well, so we were able to attend together.  We both had a wonderful weekend, and I am so grateful.

The retreat began Friday morning, when my girlfriend picked me up.  When we arrived at the hotel, we were escorted to a beautiful room down by the ocean, where the gas fireplace was merrily heating the room.  We were served tea, and the first thing we did was choose a Goddess card for the weekend.  My card was Hathor, and the message was “Receptivity”.  I had to laugh because just before drawing the card, the intention I set for myself was to practice receiving!

Right away, we headed up to the spa for a glorious relaxation massage.  It was blissful, and a very good opportunity for me to practice receiving!  After the massage, we enjoyed a gourmet lunch at the restaurant upstairs.  Now that is a relaxing and luxurious way to begin a retreat! I definitely felt like a Goddess!

Friday afternoon, after a guided meditation on Ho’oponopono, we got to work.  We played some more Friday night, exchanging Goddess gifts and watching a movie from Spiritual Cinema. Saturday was more working with partners, doing some self exploration.  We had another long gourmet lunch to break up the day, and Saturday afternoon I was on!  I am pleased to say my presentation and guided meditation about Ideal Relationships went beautifully, and I was happy with the feedback.

Sunday morning, we did some more work, before being treated to a limo ride to lunch at another gourmet restaurant.  After lunch, we toured the Comox Valley in the limo, before returning to the hotel for another afternoon of meditation (Seeds of Enlightenment) work and play.

All in all, I had a wonderful time, learned about myself not only as a coach and presenter, but also as a participant.  Thank you so much Lourdes!  I’m going to be treating myself like a Goddess much more often! :)

Blessings,

Mary

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Ritual and Meditation

By Mary on November 15, 2010

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the Importance of Ritual. Bringing a sense of ritual can be very helpful in your meditation practice.

Remember that I mentioned that ritual helps tell your mind that you are moving into a new space. Meditation is definitely entering a new space, so any cues you can give your mind will help you move into that altered space will make your meditation practice that much easier.

There are many things you can do to add ritual to your meditation practice. Here are a few examples:

  • Unplug your phone
  • Light candles or incense to set the mood
  • Put on your favorite meditation music or white noise generator
  • Put on a guided meditation recording (shameless plug!)
  • Have a specific location in your home or office that you go to to meditate
  • Sit or lay down in your favorite meditation position
  • Count forwards or backwards
  • Repeat a mantra

As with any action you take, the intention is what makes it a ritual or routine. Be mindful as you make your preparations to meditate.  What is the main thing you would like to achieve or take out of this meditation session? A few things you may want to take away from your meditation include:

  • A greater sense of peace, joy, love, etc.
  • A quiet mind
  • A solution to a problem or question
  • Healing
  • Setting your intentions for the day
  • A greater connection to your Higher Self or Source
  • Gratitude

This list is only a few of the things that I use meditation for. Be creative, and have fun with it! What rituals do you to to prepare yourself to meditate?

Blessings,

Mary

The sale on Power Walks Within ends on November 22nd!  The price will be going up after that, so buy it now before this great deal ends!

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The Power of Appreciation

By Mary on November 8, 2010

As I write this, it is 1:30 am for the second time tonight (thank you Daylight Savings), and I am in the Vancouver airport waiting to be able to check in for my flight. I’m off for a week long training session with Coach for Life.

It’s been quite the journey getting just this far. I had to work earlier today, and I only had a brief time with my boys before it was time to head out. And that’s when the best laid plans completely fell apart.

I won’t go into details. The quick version is that the car wouldn’t start, I couldn’t even jump it. I had to make an extra trip to the grocery store when I planned on leaving to make sure the boys would have lunch on Monday for school. It was pouring rain, and I was afraid I might miss the ferry. And on the way I found out that the ferry I was planning to take was cancelled.

I will admit, when I finally said my super brief goodbye to my boys, and started driving down the highway in the “wrong” vehicle, I cried.

Not for long. I started appreciating that we had just done the repairs on the van so I was safe driving in the rain. Later I appreciated the sign that gave me the information about the ferry before I drove to the wrong terminal. I was grateful I had planned for the earlier ferry, so I still had time to catch the last boat on the other route.

On the bus ride through West Vancouver, there was a loud man complaining about many things. Instead of becoming irritated, I chose to appreciate the fact that there was a bus at all, and the driver who not only stayed up so late to drive it, but was also very safe and considerate about staying on his schedule.

I appreciated the quaint downtown corridor, and the really cool lights in the trees that looked like dripping water. And I am grateful for the free wireless access here at the airport that allows me to write this blog post now and send it out to you.

So instead of being grumpy that I am not sleeping in a cozy bed, I am perfectly happy and feeling good.

All is well in my world. How about yours?

Blessings,
Mary

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