Comfortable in Your Own Skin

Recently while I was having lunch with a friend of mine, I realized just how rich our conversation was thanks to a technology-free atmosphere.  A couple of hours of unfiltered and trusted sharing made me think about what it means to be comfortable in one’s own skin.

As we talked about our different experiences with open hearts, a sense of humility and peace washed over me. Within each of us is an inner well of strength that gives us the courage to go forward with the unspoken certainty that tomorrow will shine a brighter light of hope.

Our inner well of peace is always full, ready to refresh our souls at any time of need and yet how little we turn to it, choosing, instead, to turn outward for answers to some of life’s challenges.  Why?

With this question in my head, I knew it was time for me to go to one of my favorite places to think. I started on a walk through the garden and found an area that was in need of a little trimming and weeding. With shovel and shears, I began to work away.  The garden is my place to harness that inner well.  The garden allows me to refresh my soul, contemplate my thoughts, and clear my mind as I dig and prune in preparation for another burst of growth. 

The different seasons of the garden teach me how to continually prepare my heart to walk with humility and understanding that there is something greater than me. The more I understand this gift of grace, the more I am able to grow comfortable in my own skin and be at peace. The strength of a humble heart allows me to flourish like a bountiful garden through the seasons of life. And maybe, it is this gift from above is what fills our wells effortlessly and endlessly.

Recipe for Life

Fill your well with a dash of quiet time, much love and daily nurturing to refresh your soul.

Tap your inner well often, it is your greatest source of strength.

Merry Month of May

To all of my women friends and colleagues,  

Have a merry month of May!

Mothers, sisters and daughters -- you are gifted treasures. 

Celebrate this gifted season of womanhood. 

Life lessons from the garden

This week, I was thumbing through some of my garden books when I was pulled into a story about the virtues of the gardener who tends to the cyclical unpredictability of the land, season after season.

Yes. A garden instills humility in us -- a deep respect of something greater than ourselves. We learn about the gift of nurturing, tending and caring for others – from the heart. 

The author went on to describe the gardener’s deep inner strength and their wisdom to not only grow a successful and healthy garden but to choose to live a life that is able to find joy in all things.

Life, like the garden, is very unpredictable—yet, we gardeners dig, prune, clean and repeat.  We welcome in the joy of the surprises created in the garden—not by us, but by something greater than us.  Hope and inner strength translate beyond the garden.

One of my favorite lines goes something like this:

I thought by being diligent and dedicated to my work, I was growing my garden, yet I learned that actually my garden was and still is growing me.

I am sure I am not the first person to discover that gardening is a wise window into the mystery of life. And, like many who have come to this conclusion in their higher-learning institute of gardening, we discover how to be joyful through all of the seasons of life.  

Plan, celebrate, reflect -- February is full of surprises!

Take a Tea Break

On a cold and chilly morning on a recent trip to China, we were preparing for an early morning hike. Our guide arrived to greet us, appearing through a curtain of mist, with a flask in one hand and a stack of small cups in the other. As we drank from the cups, it was almost magical how our senses were heightened by the harmony of the aroma and our dramatic natural surroundings. The warmth of the tea was as comforting as the camaraderie that came from sharing these moments of time. Once strangers, we were now good friends. The tea infused us all with energy for our trek.   

We began a conversation with our guides about the art of drinking tea. No, having a tea is not a quick drive through a Starbucks or a dash into a local coffee shop, the art of drinking tea is about taking the time to slow down while breathing in the aroma coming from the steeping tea leaves.  As we began to learn about the different types of teas --  their tastes and their regions -- we were intrigued and decided to take a class about tea.

The next day, we met May, who invited us into her world of tea.  She told us how she fell in love with it at a very young age.  She was from a small village where both her parents worked full days, 6-7 days a week.  Yet, once a week, her mother would always find time for the two of them to go to a local tea shop. They would spend hours talking and laughing as they sipped on their favorite teas accompanied with sweets from the local market. 

She knew from these early experiences, that she wanted to make it her mission to introduce the art of tea appreciation to everyone she could meet. 

As we slowly sipped on a variety of teas, we shared in many stories with much joyous laughter. We found ourselves lost in time…not rushing to grab something, text a note or pick up the phone for a two minute call. We stopped. Time stopped as we took in the moments and the layered aromas of the earth. We learned how to taste the flavors of these aromas, and as we sipped, we were walking through the humid forests, climbing to the tops of mountains and traversing golden plains with our eyes closed! "The essence of the tea will quench your adventurous spirit," she said. 

Our special May closed our class with a request. She asked that we remember her with our next cup of tea and that we continue her mission to invite others for tea.

As I write, I am sipping on a Snow Blossom tea (May’s favorite). And, I've invited a friend who will be here very soon. To May, we will raise our teacups! 

Sit and sip a cup of tea. Let it warm your soul. And let the sharing of tea invite conversation. It is truly a special gift of time, of peace and of comfort. 

Reflections: Preparing for a New Year

When the year winds down and you're crossing off the last few days on the calendar, where do you go to reflect? Do you reflect? 

I find that there are so many mixed emotions this time of year. Relief. Dread. Optimism. Excitement. Abundance. Calm. Anxious. Accomplishment. Disappointment.

A windfall of 365 days to fill is a gift. Each one of those days is a gift. 

It's very helpful to try to grasp the year ahead all at once and try to give it a shape, an intention. Yes, an intention.

It's so important to shed the skin of the previous year, whether it was bright or lackluster. 

Mark the transition and give yourself permission to reflect. Sometimes it helps to go to a familiar place at an unfamiliar time. For me, there's nothing quite as comforting for my soul as the beach in winter. It seems to encompass all of me: past, present and future. That expansive horizon line gives me perspective and hope. The beach is ever-shifting but it is always beautiful in its unpredictability. And every tussle in the clouds is followed by glorious, luminous light at sunset. 

Take time to make note of your transition into 2018. This way, you will be ready to embrace with gratitude the unchartered course of the next 365!

Look forward and make this your motto for 2018:

Lend a Helping Hand

Remember to be helpful this time of year. 

Helping is Healing, Empowering, Loving, Peaceful!

The Hostess Gift and Saying Thank You

When someone opens their home to you and shares their personal side of themselves with you, it is special. Not only is that person inviting you "in," they are giving you their time and full attention.   That's why one should always arrive with a hostess gift as a simple gesture of thanks.

Your gift does not have to be costly or elaborate, but it should be genuine and from the heart.  It should signify "kindness and thanks" in appreciation for sharing a special time together or for a special gathering. 

Technology occupies every aspect of our lives these days but instant gratification of cyber connection and interaction cannot be compared to in-person relationships. They take care and maintenance -- and being thankful is a huge part of why those person-to-person relationships work -- and last.  

Thank you. These two words are so easy to say. They uplift the giver and the receiver's soul.  Use them often.

A handwritten note accompanied with a keepsake gift such as a candle, flowers or a plant, handmade craft, or a delicate food treat are the perfect way to express thank you to a friend, family member or a colleague.  

Give the gift of  "thanks" to those who share a personal time and space for you for it is truly a gifted moment.