Charming Chatter

WF & Flower Sugar Heaven!

Hello everyone!  How are you all doing?  Today is "Wellness Friday"!  And, I have some Flower Sugar goodness for you, too.  I think I've died and gone to "Flower Sugar" heaven, really, (oh and home-baked cinnamon roll heaven)!!

Let's do a quickie Wellness Report, and get to some fabricy, cinnamony goodness!

Me

Reading/Journaling :)

Meditation :)

Walking :|

McStudly

Reading :)

Meditation :|

This week was kind of an "off" week on the weekly tasks, yet a great opportunity for growth.   We had an unexpected life circumstance that challenged us in the new things we are learning, in particular non-resistance to what is, to life, and enjoying the present moment.  While we didn't sail through it perfectly, we handled it with much more love and compassion than we would have before.  Amidst dealing with this life circumstance, we found many moments of peace and joy.  So, all in all - we give ourselves a big ole :) for the week!

What We Are Learning: 

For the past several weeks, McStudly and I have been reading this:

It is a powerful, transformative book.  I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone, no matter where you find yourself in life, but especially to those who find themselves unhappy, stressed out, and heavily burdened by life, to those who are longing to find authentic joy, peace, love and compassion. 

I say we are reading it together, but we are not reading the same book.  Apparently, McStudly finds this

(my book notes) distracting!  Strange - I know.  He is reading his the new high-tech way.  But, I'm still a "book" person! 

Now, amidst life and circumstances, I have been thoroughly enjoying making my version of the McStudly quilt!  

Perhaps it is "Flower Sugar" or perhaps it is "The Power of Now" or maybe both, but I can't remember ever having experienced such joy and peace and stillness in making a quilt! 

I've even cut another quilt with an older line of "Flower Sugar".

This will be one of (probably) several remakes of the antique quilt hanging in my sewing room

because I find such rich beauty in it's simpicity!

The weather is cooler here - and I love the change of seasons.  We have so many traditions and special things to enjoy in each season.  I love the cool, crisp air of fall!  And, I enjoy fall cooking!  In the summer, we enjoy fresh and light food.  When it gets cooler, we move into what I call "down home" or "comfort" food mode.  So, I baked a batch of Hay Hand Bread yesterday

and with the extra bread dough, I baked cinnamon rolls!   

O-M-G!  I'm not sure there is anything better than an ooey, gooey, homemade cinnamon roll, fresh from the oven on a cold night!

I am finding that even amidst the trial and turbulence of life circumstances, there is great joy in

taking the time to "just be" in the present moment and

enjoy the simple things in life - and for that, I am grateful.

I'm looking forward to hearing about your week, and wishing you all a joy-filled weekend!

TTFN,

Kelly

Wellness Friday - Learning Non-Resistance

Hi Girls!  Can't believe it's already Wellness Friday again.  This week was a bit more tough than the last couple of weeks.  It was funny, I was doing my reading and the author was talking about women and that time of month, and he said that we experience "considerable inner turbulence" - ca-racked me up!  And I've said that to McStudly more than once this week - "Uh Babe, I'm experiencing considerable inner turbulence!"

Kelly

Reading/Journaling    :)

Walking    :)

Meditation :(

McStudly

Reading     :)

Meditation    :(

Yep, we get little frowny faces on meditation again this week.  It's a bit like exercise - so hard to make yourself do it, but you feel so much better afterward.

Lesson I'm Learning This Week:    As women, we are cyclical beings - our monthly cycles resemble the ocean (high tide and low tide) or the moon (full and crescent).  When we are in high tide/full moon, we are generally happy, outgoing, and don't let the little things get to us.  We are enjoying life.  But, as our hormones levels drop each month, we move at some point to low tide/crescent moon.  Now, during these times, all the little things that didn't bother us earlier in the month come up.  Life issues and pain that remains unresolved comes up.  We become a bit more withdrawn, and are more easily agitated by things that don't bother us in the hormonal highs (Exhibit A:  Pretzel Dough)!

Living in a patriarchial society, we've lost the insight to honor the low tide/crescent moon part of the cycle.  We've been taught that there is something wrong with us for having this emotional swing, that we should be "good" girls, and not get angry or agitated.   Others expect us to be happy and giving all the time, and even worse, we demand that of ourselves - when nature is calling us to rest, to take some time to recoup from all of the working and giving we've done in the first part of the cycle, and yes - to learn to deal with those painful issues that come up month after month after month after month.  It is calling us to be the space we need for ourselves to grow, and be transformed.  The low tide/crescent moon part of the cycle can actually be a gift that transforms our lives for the better - if we don't resist it!

Now, most of my life - I have resisted this cycle like the dickens.  Not the good part, of course - I seriously love the full moon/high tide part!  Life is awesome then!  But, because I've believed for years that there is something wrong with me, with this cycle I go through - I've resisted it.  I've ignored it.  I've tried to work and keep busy to avoid it.  I've judged myself as being a bad person or inadequate for being female, and going through it.

I remember Christian Northup, M.D. saying that each month is like getting a little mini wake up call about everything we need to address - a warning that we get over hundreds of months to deal with what we need to deal with in our lives.  And, if we don't, if we resist it - then we get the mother of all wake up calls at menopause (scary)!  And, I believe, if we don't learn to stop and go with this very natural cycle, we will become chronic low-tiders, chonic crescent-mooners - chronically unhappy people!

And, so my lesson this week (and I'm really still learning this one girls) was that of non-resistance.   It was learning not to resist this very natural, and actually very beautiful cyclical part of my nature.  I tried not to resist anything that came - not resisting the negative emotions, not resisting those painful thoughts and feelings that come up each month.  I tried to be the compassionate and loving space for me to just be in that part of the cycle, to allow my poor little ego to complain and cry and *gasp* even get angry (not aloud to anyone else - but in my alone time).  Instead of rejection and criticism and choking out those things I usually resist, I tried to breath, to quiet myself and connect to the Being who is always inside me and part of me, and to be the compassionate, loving and understanding space to allow those negative thoughts and feelings to be.  And, it dawned on me that this is what we women are really fighting to get from our husbands - and probably what we've been longing to get from our parents our entire lives!  While they can be a help, no one else can fix us.  Nothing outside of us can ever bring about authentic, permanent transformation - we have to learn to connect with the loving, compassionate Being within ourselves if we are to find lasting transformation.

I also took some time to rest - did quite a bit of hand stitching.  My Halloween party grew by like 6 more people.  I was concerned about my being too stressed out - trying to be a good hostess to everyone and still trying to take good care of my trick-or-treaters.  So, I moved it to Sunday - oh, and asked a few people to bring a dish!  The truth is, I just don't have as much energy and patience at this time of the month.  I'm not going to resist that, and push myself to be in high tide when I'm in low tide.  We'll all still have a great time. 

It is strange, this peace that comes from non-resistance, from not judging and letting everything be just as it is.  It is amazing really.  It is nothing like that excited state of ego gratification (when we get something we want and are jump up and down happy)!  Rather, it is a calm, quiet, serene type of peace that really does transcend all understanding!  Now, if I could just do it all the time LOL!   Workin' on it, workin' on it!  That's what these Wellness Fridays are all about - because when I'm better, then I'm better for everyone else in my life!

Hope you all had less "inner turbulence" - and lots more of that serene peace.  Can't wait to hear how you all are doing!

TTFN,

Kelly

Wellness Friday!

Hi girls!  Well, it's already wellness Friday again!  I'm really growing to love these days - because they force me to reflect on the week, and how well things are going!  Since I have to share with all of you, it really draws me to reflect on changes that I need to make for the next week!   I can't wait to read your wellness reports - hoping you all had a great week!  And, if you'd like to join us in blogging on Fridays about your journey to wellness, please let me know.

McStudly is here with me as I write:)!!  Here we go:

 

Kelly

Reading/Journaling :) :) :)

Walking :)

Meditation :(

I did walk five days this week (good thing I walked on Sunday because it was cold and I got rained out on Monday)!  I spent more than my average time in reading/journaling.  But, McStudly and I only meditated once!

McStudly

Reading :)

Meditation :(

While we talked about it, and agreed that we need to get back to our evening meditation, things went really well this week!  We are learning much about finding authentic peace and joy in life - that lightness and REST (which was my Word Up for this year - and which is not so much rest from activity as it is rest in the heart and mind)!

What I Learned This Week:  You'll remember last week I learned that I kept myself way over-busied with activity as an avoidance mechanism!  Well, this week I learned that what I was avoiding didn't need to be avoided at all!  I learned, in the proper context of facing it, my pain isn't all that painful, and the fear isn't all that scary! 

Me:    McStudly, what did you learn this week?

McStudly:    You're putting me on the spot! 

Me:    Giving him the look!

McStudly (Being evasive and laughing hysterically):   I learned A LOT.

Me (Trying to remember McStudly is the strong silent type - and I love that):  No, seriously - what did you learn this week! 

McStudly:    I learned that you find happiness in the present moment, and to focus more on not getting caught up in the past or worrying about the future - but, to enjoy the NOW!

There you have it girls!  All in all, it was a great week - we're experiencing more joy, laughter, love and lightness in life - and that's what we set out to do!  Yet,  we think it would have been even better had we done our meditation as scheduled - so we're going to try to do that more next week.

Rewards:    No planned rewards for this weekend, but like I said, our whole focus on this wellness journey is finding authentic, lasting joy, love, peace, and happiness - and finding a lot more of that in our lives, well - that is the greatest reward of all!

TTFN,

McStudly & Kelly