a reminder (for you, for me)

In this moment,
when the rain comes down
or the to-do list might seem like it has free will to add items
or the little ones are saying "mama mama mama" on repeat
or you simple, truly feel sad
or the sun is shining so brightly it takes your breath away
or you aren't sure how you will pay the bills at the end of the month
or you are caught up in the shoulds or what ifs
or you are happy to just be right here
or you just wish you had a friend who could come over and play, 
take a few moments (just a few seconds if that's all you have) and notice that each time you inhale, you create space around your heart.

Close your eyes. Find your breath. Notice.

You create space inside you, around your heart, with each breath.

Space.

Beautiful, real, true space.

Notice if that space can remain even as you exhale. (It can. It does. Notice.)

Before you open your eyes, give yourself the gift of trusting that you choose what enters this space.

Yes.

Repeat, repeat, repeat as needed.

Sending light and peace to you today,
Liz

PS Listen to (and download) one of my guided audio meditations that focuses on finding this space around your heart here. And for more love notes like this one, sign up to receive my (almost) weekly newsletter here.

giving into the giggles

I've just finished watching the season opener of "Downtown Abbey" and I have a blog post brewing inside me not so much about the show but about something else entirely but earlier today I pinky swore via text with my friend Rachelle that I would choose rest when I can and right now, really, going to bed at 11:20 PM is the choice I need to make.

But I want to leave you with this photo of a very giggly girl and her mama because I want to remind you (and me) that giving into the giggles and the silly and the oh my goodness you really want to play hide and seek again moments might just change your life. Or at least make your heart open up a bit wider.

Yes. 

As will rest. So be sure to do that too. Off I go...

xoxo,
Liz

choosing a word isn't permanent...

an altar for waiting soul mantras

Right now, my studio is full of words and intentions for the new year as beautiful souls are choosing a word to act as a touchstone for them for the new year.

I have been so moved by the stories arriving with the shop orders. This weekend, I created a new altar for the Soul Mantras to sit on after they've been polished and are awaiting chains to then be packaged up and sent on to their new homes.

I want to share that I've noticed some discussion about and received emails from people feeling "pressure" to choose a word or figure out what their word should be. Oh sweet soul, please let that go today. 

Choosing a guiding word or phrase for the year isn't the same thing as choosing a wrist tattoo. 

It isn't permanent. It is one practice that might or might not work for you. 

At any given time, I work with severals words and mantras. I am a word person. They are my most comfortable medium.

When my mind is swirling or I'm exhausted with a very awake toddler to take care of or when I feel lonely or a bit lost, taking a few deep breaths and then focusing on a word or phrase grounds me.

Because there are so many words out there, it helps me to have a few that are at the ready. Words I wear as talismans or have on sticky notes or write on my mirror...words that come out of conversations with dear friends that I write in huge letters in my journal. 

Words are part of my soul care practice. Choosing one for the year is just another way of bringing in self-care for me. It becomes another handhold for me in the midst of it all. 

Maybe this idea resonates. Maybe it feels like too much. Listen to what you need. Let these first few days of 2013 be full of more ease and less perfection or a need to do anything because it seems like you are supposed to.

Sending you light and love today,
Liz 

happy new year

Eleanor Jane :: January 1, 2013

May your year unfold
with light,
peace,
joy,
and love love love.

2011 :: 2012

This little shirt is a bit of a tradition around here.

She insisted on wearing it all day even though a bit of her belly peeks out.

And of course she wanted to pair it with her new favorite purple velvet skirt.

Yes.

I adore her.

And I think today's photo will be the cover page of our 2013 Project Life album. 

storytending

This is one of my favorite photos I took this year. I'm in my mother's home alone while Ellie was out playing with her grandparents.

At the time, being alone wasn't an experience I'd had very often since Ellie's birth. In this captured moment, I'm surrounded by books and words and poetry and idea journals. I was in the middle of teaching the first Poem It Out course, which was truly a highlight of 2012. Ideas were swirling, and I felt rested for the first time in months. And I was making lists of the stories I wanted to tell and brainstorming the right containers for those stories.

In the last two years, I've begun to really focus on sharing my work through stories. It literally feels like I think in stories these days. In some ways, that's been the case since I began blogging and perhaps from the time I was a little girl and headed out the backdoor into the small bit of woods we had with my favorite book and peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

At my retreats, I often think of myself as a storycatcher as I listen and share words back and forth with women. And when we circle in person or in my online courses, I do think of myself as a storyteller.

Lately though, when I'm sifting through the stuff that sometimes piles up in the corners inside me, I'm beginning to see myself as a storytender. I'm being gentle with myself and these stories in the same way I cared for the little tendril of green that grew in the milk carton in the windowsill of my first grade classroom when we grew zinnias for our mothers that year. I'm trying to really notice so I can add water and open the windows for some fresh air and create space for rest. 

As I look to 2013 and the ways I hope my business and family life will shine, I'm taking time to sift through a few stories. In little bits of time, literally five minutes here and ten there and two over there, I'm tending to the places I've been, the hurt that rests there, the joy that needs to be felt again, the beauty that insists on revealing itself.

Even though this can feel thick and even sticky, it creates space inside me so that I can live with my heart open to all of it: the joy, the hurt, the beauty, the shit, the silly, the love, the light.

And this life is what I want to choose again and again and again.

Join me in tending to your stories. Notice what needs to be watered...what needs to be free.

Let yourself rest in the truth you find. 

*****

For more notes from me about making the choice to tell the true stories and other adventures into creative self-care, sign up for my (almost) weekly newsletter that is really more like a love note from my heart to you.

water: a practice, a companion, a teacher

water . customizable heart necklace in the shop

The word "water" kept showing up in unexpected ways this year. I think it began with this mug from The Universe Knows that I chose for myself when I gave them at the Pen & Paper Retreat in March. I started to think about what "be like water" could mean and why I was so drawn to the phrase.

mug from the universe knows

I kept picturing the way water flows in a creek through the middle of the woods as it turns and gathers small bits of things to carry downstream. It brought up the idea of creating space to invite in more ease and be open to the flow of things, especially things that are out of my control.

But of course water isn't always full of ease. There is the unpredictable power of the force that is the ocean. Standing at the edge of the ocean this summer while looking at layers of flotsam surrounding me, I had an image of the ocean as a womb that holds more than one could ever understand. Kind of like a woman. As I stood at the edge of the Pacific Ocean that day, I held hands with fear and bravery and made the choice to open up to an image of home while the waves crashed and the wind blew my hair and favorite green sweater.

Then there are the ways that I have felt parched this year. My body, my heart, my mind, my soul. Through the deep realization that I choose whether I water these parched parts of me came a new kinship with the word water. And it guided my decision to create a new series of programs with the theme "Water Your Soul."

In the last few weeks, the idea that I should claim this word as my teacher and guide kept tapping on me. I started brainstorming all it might mean: sea, space, salt, wave, parched, blues, flotsam, flow, lemon, quench, seaglass, womb, whales, kindreds, circling, mighty, ease, depth, courageous, lifeline, wandering, the earth's rhythm, the way home.

As I look to 2013, this is what I know: I want to create even more space within my home, my mind, my business, my family. I want to quench my unspoken desires. I want to invite in ease and trust the flow of things. I want to own all that rests inside me. I want to unearth my own unexplored darkness. I want to nourish and reconnect with my body. I want to spend more time with mother ocean. I want to find the rhythm of my own tide within. 

So I'm going to spend time with water this year. I'm opening up to what it has to teach me as I navigate whatever is to come.

Your Word

Are you choosing a word or phrase to guide you in 2013? I would love to hear about your word and why you are choosing it. Please share in the comments or send over an email. 

new three circles necklace in the shop

I am also excited to share that I've added a few new customizable options in the shop that would be beautiful talismans for your word or mantra of the year, including this new three circles necklace that can hold words from past years or multiple words or a short phrase.

If you are still looking for your word and feel drawn to choose one, think about doing the exercise I shared yesterday without a word in mind. You could just start writing, "2013 was the year I..." and see what surfaces for you. You could also explore the growing list of words and stories over on Ali's blog. So much inspiration found there. Or you could listen to my recording of the 2012 words over on Ali's site to see what word(s) taps at you.

And I feel moved to share that I am a "word person," so this exercise deeply speaks to me. I love words. I want to eat them with a spoon. And when I read poetry, sometimes I do actually feel like I'm devouring them. However, this practice might not speak to you. That is okay. Maybe there is a piece of art or song or quote that you see as a guide for you right now. Maybe there is a blessing, a prayer, a poem that you plan to reflect on daily or monthly. You can use this exercise as a jumping off point for so many ideas.

My intention with this practice is to give myself an access point for self-reflection each month. Working with the word "whole" in 2012 really pushed me to live deeper and wider and be less stagnant. I work with several mantras at any given time and often choose a new one at the beginning of a season or when something is shifting in my life. And taking the time to choose one word at the beginning of a new year just feels right for me.

a word to guide the way

My word of the year for 2012 has been whole. It has guided me throughout this year and truly acted as a companion during moments of uncertainty. Last year at this time, I wrote a post for Roots of She about how I hoped 2012 might look like if I lived from a place of "wholeness." I'm sharing it below because I think this is a beautiful exercise to do when thinking about choosing a word as a companion for the year. I have updated the closing of the post with a followup and to make it relevant for 2013. Tomorrow, I will share about my word for 2013. 

Living from Wholeness

For the last few years, I have worked with the practice of choosing a word to focus on throughout the year. I choose my word in December and then spend time thinking about it and journaling about it in early January. And I create a necklace with my word that I wear as a reminder throughout the year. This year, I also followed along with Ali Edwards and her “One Little Word” class.

I love how choosing a word invites me to let go of having resolutions I might or might not keep, and instead gently pushes me to look forward with self-kindness and think about how I most want the next year to unfold. As I think about all that could happen in a year, I want my word to be a companion that brings me back to center amidst whatever beauty and uncertainty await.

My word for 2012 appeared during a conversation with my friend (and incredible coach) Nona Jordan. As we talked, the word that kept appearing was “whole.” We talked about how, through my work I invite others to shine a light on their paths and their stories, and how I believe that in any given moment we can hold all that is real and honor it. We can hold the truth, courage, beauty, fear, and sadness that one moment can bring and still see the joy that surrounds us. This is living with an open heart. This is living with your whole self.

Yes.

And then Nona asked me a question that has deepened my experience with choosing my word: “What would this time next year look like if you leaned into living from a place of whole(ness)?”

As I thought about this question, I felt those pinpricking tears on the back of my eyes and began to breathe deeply as the answer settled around me, inside me. Here is a glimpse into some of the journaling I did after our conversation:

2012 was the year…

I showed up as me and shed how or who they think I should be.

I gave myself the gift of yoga several days a week.

I said “thank you” more.

I started fewer emails with variations on “I’m sorry it has taken me so long to reply…”

I trusted the answers I heard within.

I said “no” when my gut told me to.

I created stronger boundaries.

I shared the truth more.

I spent more time breathing than reacting.

I stood tall in the beauty and the shit that is each day, that is living, and I stayed true to me.

I gave myself the gift of knowing I am enough and believing it.

I learned to have more patience with my husband and remembered each day that he too is enough.

I spent more time nurturing relationships with my family and friends than I spent online.

I continued to let go of the expectations of others.

I opened my heart to love in ways I never thought possible.

As I read through this list again, I think I might stand in front of my bathroom mirror on the morning of January 1 and say, “As I focus on living with a whole heart in 2012, this will be the year I will show up as me and shed how or who they think I should be. I will give myself the gift of yoga…” and so on. I will say these words out loud and let these intentions sink into my cells.

Follow Up

As I look back on 2012 and the list of the ways I hoped to live from a place of wholeness that I wrote in my journal, I'm choosing to be gentle with myself. This year I learned that coming from a place of softness and ease is a piece of living from wholeness for me. No, I didn't practice yoga several times a week in the way I intended, but almost every day I did pause for a few moments to breathe, usually over a cup of tea, and to just be right here choosing to pay attention even on the days that were the most intense. This is living from wholeness...listening to what I most need each day to be able to show up as my whole hearted self.

This word whole will be one of my teachers and guides for the rest of my life. I will return to it again and again, and in 2013, I intend to begin each month as I did in 2012: writing in my journal using the prompt, "The ways I hope to live from a place of wholeness this month..."

An Invitation

As you look to 2013, consider choosing a word to focus on as a practice throughout the year. This word could represent what you hope to manifest or the light you want to feel as you experience all that is to come or the companion you feel you most need right now. Maybe you already have a soul mantra or phrase or quote that you use as you navigate your life.

After you choose your word or phrase, I invite you to think about what this time next year might look like if you gave yourself the gift of really living your word or phrase. Consider making a list that begins with “2013 was the year I…”

And if you want to carry your word with you, I'd love to create a Soul Mantra for you so you can keep it close.

a little water for your soul

 

Earlier this week, I recorded an audio love note for the women gathered in Water Your Soul, and today, as I'm safe and cozy in my little home with Ellie Jane and thinking about my family gathered in Indiana for my grandfather's funeral and thinking about families on the other coast continuing to gather for funerals in a community that experienced the unthinkable last Friday, I feel deeply moved to share those words here with you today.

In the short audio, I share a few thoughts, read "A Morning Offering" by John O'Donohue from To Bless the Space Between Us, and share a chant. (It is about seven minutes long.)

My hope is that it will support you in creating space for a few moments of stillness this weekend.

Follow the directions below to download the audio and listen to it when you need a companion in the quiet over the next few days.

Peace and light on this Winter Solstice,
Liz

Notes about the Audio: Follow the instructions below for your operating system.

Windows: Right-click on the link to the MP3 file, and choose the option for Saving the link or target (Save link as, Save target as, Download link, etc.). Double-clicking the downloaded file will open it and begin playback.

Mac: Hold down the option key and click on the link to the MP3 file. It will download to the Desktop (or other folder you specified in Preferences). Double-clicking the downloaded file will begin playback and add the track to your iTunes library.

Love Note