HAPPY THURSDAY ❤️

It’s another lovely Thursday on my sunshiny porch. This porch gets sooo much light during the day, and the sun here makes my heart jump for joy! The weather channel says it’s 43 degrees right now, but I think it feels more like 75! I’m sitting on the bench with a T-shirt on, my coffee cup in hand, and it feels so lovely.

I’ll start taking Thursdays off from work so I can have a little bit of me time, and enjoy my home, and family a little more.  Last week we had a busy work day, and I had to go in the late afternoon, but it was well worth it, but it still cuts into the relaxing mood. Today, it will be a full day of doing all the things I love at home, cooking, maybe organizing a drawer, or closet, resting, watching a show, and taking Daisy for a walk at some point. It’s supposed to be a sunny day, and I’m all here for it.

Exactly one week ago today I started my new and improved “Self Honoring” journey, and without embellishing this experience, I am already feeling like a different person, all in the best of ways.

I had been suffering from terrible migraines again lately, situations out of my control were “getting” to me easier, and I felt out of balance in every possible way.  I was feeling bloated, uncomfortable, and bottom line, unhappy generally speaking.  I knew I had to grab the bull by the horns, and so I did!!! 🐂💪🏻😉

Even though I’m not doing a detox of some sort, never done one actually, it almost feels like that, but not in the fasting, liquids, and gut cleansing kind of way… although some of that cleaning happens naturally when you start nurturing your body with all the right foods.  I’m talking about a self loving detox, a start over, and deciding that what I want for my life, it’s only up to me to make it happen… NOBODY else!!!

People can love us, people can encourage us, people can even push us to do certain things, but if we are not the ones deciding what we want for ourselves, taking initiative and actually doing a “1, 2, 3… GO!”, all the encouragement, love, support, and coaching from other people will simply not work. We are the captains of our own lives.

Every time we start a new program, routine, or lifestyle, we are going to have obstacles, lots of opportunities for discernment, and MANY temptations that will try to stop us from growing into the person we want to be, but it’s up to us to decide how we want to handle it.

When it comes to food (I am a BIG foodie in case you haven’t noticed! 😉), I have to have a plan every day in order to stay focused, and on track, and meal prep is a key element for me. It’s a good thing that I love cooking so much, because I don’t mind -in fact it relaxes me- spending countless hours in the kitchen on the weekends meal prepping for the week.

I have a busy job that I love, and I need fuel to keep me going every day, and have the energy that I need keep up, and be creative. I don’t have the luxury of making meals every single day, so meal prepping is king at our home!

When I was younger, my mom’s best friend was a career woman, my mom was a stay at home mom at that time, and her friend used to meal prep on the weekends.  I remember my mom going over to her house (she’d take me with sometimes to hang out with her friend’s kids), and my mom and her best friend would spent hours in the kitchen chatting, drinking bottomless cups of coffee, and bonding while her friend cooked meals for the week for her family of five. I always loved, and admired that about her, I thought it was so cool! I must’ve been around 10 years old then.

My mom always cooked homemade meals for us, it was never an extraordinary event, it’s just something she did for us, but now looking back, it WAS extraordinary, because she took the time to do it, she did it with love, and she made sure that she ensured time at the table with our family of five every day, saying grace, eating, talking about the day, and spending time together.  Our meal times were always sacred!!!

Ok, I don’t know how this conversation turned sentimental for me 🤣, but I shouldn’t be surprised I guess!

Things I’ve been doing this past week to stay on track:

❤️ Meal planning.

❤️ Eating healthy and balanced meals.

❤️ Packing lunches, and dinner (if I’m staying late at work), and snacks so I’m not tempted to eat office candy, and sugary things.

❤️ Doing my skin care routine morning, and night (one of my FAVORITE things!!!)

❤️ Stretching- I’m the least flexible person in the world I’m almost positive!

❤️ Participating only in conversations, and situations that are good for my mental health.

❤️ Keeping a tidy home.

Although it might sound like a lot all at once, it’s not, because this is a routine that make me whole. I’m not training for any type of marathon, or trying to accomplish anything else extraordinary, but this is my own form of superpower, and showing up for myself.  And acknowledging that what I do for myself, is the guiding light I need to continue my journey.

Cheers to more days of self care in every way, moments on the porch, many cups of coffee, and downtime.

Maybe I’ll have to change this page to, “Thoughtful Thursdays!” 😉

Have a lovely day, make someone smile, and always be kind! ❤️