Weekly Share - March 9, 2018
You have made it to Friday. For that, you are the winner! Yes. You. Are. And the prize is... some fun shares delivered from me to you.
A Simple Pleasure
The first share is a simple pleasure. A clue? I hate stagnant air. The air inside my home can sometimes feel a bit lacking in the fresh department. It is just what happens when we are pumping central air through our home day after day. Now, I clearly value my heater and air conditioner--but I wouldn't say the heated air is exactly fresh. One thing I love to do is to turn off any air in my home... and open the windows for about twenty to thirty minutes. Clearly in the spring, summer, and fall--I can do this for longer periods of time. Hurray! But I especially like to do this during the winter. So maybe you feel like this isn't so special-- but for me, it really brings a bit of the outdoors in. It revitalizes how my home smells and feels to me. I can hear the birds. It makes me happy. Call me crazy. Try it. Go ahead! I dare you.
For Your Soul
John sent Clara this song/video amidst a string of challenging days cause he is thoughtful like that. High school can be a rough go. Remember, anyone? This song is the perfect antidote for those of us who are feeling a bit down and out. Repeat song as necessary.
And...because one song is not enough at this time of year. A good friend of mine (Hat tip--Jen Hammond) turned my attention to the artist Milck. Do you know her? We all should. Try the song "Black Sheep" on for size. Or for a mantra song, try her remake of "Ooh Child."
What songs feel healing to you right now?
Music is magic, isn't it?
For Inspiration
I am sitting on the edge of my seat, eagerly anticipating this documentary on Ruth Bader Ginsburg. May 4th, people. What are some of your favorite documentaries? We love us some documentaries around our house!
For Your Relationship
A good friend of ours (Hat tip--Liz Dalton) suggested an idea that has revolutionized our dating experience. Do you think I might be exaggerating a little? Let me reassure you. Nope. We used to schedule our calendar in a bit of a reactionary way. Things come up? We plan them. Write them down on the correct day and time in our calendar. We would have dates by ourselves sometimes. Dinners out with friends. Work functions to attend. Ultimate frisbee games or track meets. It was all there. It still is. But HOW we schedule all of this FEELS different. IN A GOOD WAY.
Consider date weekends. This idea works especially well if, as a couple, you sometimes enjoy different things. John has two weekends a month where he plans a date with me. He invites me. Tells me when to be ready. If I need to wear anything special. The deal is that we show up as our best selves for the date. Good energy. Generous. Any tense topics are left behind for the duration of our time together. They can wait. We really try to just focus on the time at hand. Oh! And the outing must reflect us in some way. Our desires. Our personality. Or our world. It is a time to share ourselves with one another. We definitely don't plan up the entire weekend--but John can decide if we visit his parents or if we attend a work function that weekend. He may want a breakfast with friends. The weekend can reflect his level of being social and his values. I accept all the invitations that I can really feel positive about. It switches for the other two weekends. I am in charge of those. So I do the same. I plan a date that reflects something about my inner world. I let him know the time. What to wear. I bring my best self to the date. And for those weekends, I have a bit more say as to how busy they tend to feel. We aren't too rules oriented here--but it comes in handy as I tend to enjoy slower weekends. Dates that are out in nature. A bit relaxed. More intimate. Hello snowshoeing! With good food always. John may choose more of a group date. Or karaoke. Or a movie at the Broadway (which I also appreciate). The key is that we are both represented in a beautiful way in our lives. This has felt so honoring. And now, we are both a bit more thoughtful about our date choices. We feel more empowered. And honored in our shared time. Try it out if this sounds like something that might work for you! What are some of your favorite date ideas?
For Your Health
Have you heard of The Blue Zones Solution? There are a few books, a website, and even a project based on nine tenets (called "the power nine") that continually show up in communities where people live long, high-quality lives. Some of the principles are--
*natural movement
*knowing your purpose
*putting family first
*eating largely a plant-based diet
If you are interested, check out the Ted Talk here. I find health stuff fascinating.
Note
Next week, I will not be blogging as I will be immersed in a coach training course that will lead to my certification. Very exciting! Thank you for being so supportive of my space here. It means so much. I will be back shortly!
So now you have a few things that have been lighting me up lately. I would love to hear from you. Do you have anything you would love to share with me?? Be brave, now!
