It's that time of year over here that I start to get my Christmas on. I'm struggling a bit this year in getting motivated to get it all together. Does anyone else have these kind of years? It might be that I just have too much stuff, been collecting Christmas goodies from day one, too many different options. 

A few years ago a bought a beautiful 12 foot tree and it really was a Christmas dream. I will post those photos in my upcoming Christmas blogs as well as other Christmas ideas. I put up three trees last year and still had enough decoration themes for two more. I have always decorated around my interior design themes in my home, thus the decorations enough for a bazillion trees. I always have done a kid tree that is fun and full of the kids childhood ornaments. I've given the kids most of their decorations now as they have families of their own and their own babies. That being said, until my last one moves out and i don't feel like doing a fun tree, there will always be room for that.

Essential for Christmas creativity, I gotta turn on the Christmas tunes...and I gotta sing. If not, I just can't pull it off. I have included some of my favourite Christmas playlists here for you to get your Christmas on. Some tunes are new and old, some from my childhood, some from the years raising my own kids and now, raising myself. Hope you enjoy, click each picture to link you directly to the playlists!

The quandary this year is which colour themes to go with or should I just mix them all up? The colours will still of course have the blue and gold in the main tree. Any thoughts? I'm willing to take votes! Check me out on CharisOnLife Instagram and vote in the poll in my stories! 

I buy my decorations all over the place, I I don't buy the most expensive. I don't believe it makes a difference on a tree as long as your tree is put together beautifully and the way you like it with the things you love. I have home made decorations, Dollar store decorations, I always have luck at Canadian Tire and of course my home away from home, HomeSense. 

My kind of excited about mixing it up a bit this year, I don't know if you are like me but I get used to putting the same things in the same places because it works. Keep posted to see how I'm making out this year. Let the decorating begin. 

#christmas #christmasdecorating #decor #holiday #blogger #bloggerstyle #lifestyleblogger #blog #lifestyle #christmastree #interiordesign #christmasmusic #music #playlists #spotify #affiliatemarketing #homesense #canadiantire 

​Want some company? 

I discovered a super cool app during the summer that I not only use to organize groups for CharisOnLife, but for myself in always challenging myself to get out and meet new people, experience new and fun things. 

The app is called Meetup and it is an international app that shows you what is going on in your area if you are a member. I used it when I was in Sacramento as well, being in a city for an extended length of time and not knowing anyone. Many people use it when they are travelling out of town on business as well, it beats hotel life and hanging out on your own at the hotel bar. Why not go for coffee with some new people? Why not head out on a hike in a local park? Why not just get out there? 

Winnipeg itself has a pretty large Meetup community with tons different activities. I hope to bring some California flavour to this as their meetups are a bit different but the same. If you haven't looked at all of the other offerings in Manitoba, you should definitely check it out. 

(I'm not saying this outloud but for those of you that are single, perhaps finding a potential date is as easy (and perhaps preferable) as joining in on activities that you yourself enjoy. CharisOnDating would say that for sure!) Do things that you love, practice your chatting skills, get comfortable in your own skin. The most appealing people that you end up wanting to spend time with are happy people and those doing what makes them happy. Enough said. Get out there. 
​

One of the things I hear from everyone that joins me in my own groups or others hosted by other groups, there are a ton of people out there wanting to connect. Some like that it's organized by someone else and they can just show up. As someone that always does the organizing, I love it because I don't always WANT to do the organizing, sometimes it's great just to move along with the crowd. ​

I have a series of coffee club events, more times coming to accommodate evening and weekend get togethers. Seriously, if I haven't had a chance to chat with you recently, come on out and say hi! The most regular one is Friday mornings at 9:00 at the Park Cafe at Assiniboine Park. I will be searching out for new coffee spots that can accommodate groups of 4-20 if anyone has any recommendations. I used this app on my last Housesitting gig through Trusted Housesitters to help me plan my activities while I was in Sacramento and will be doing so for each and every other trip I plan. (especially for long term stays) There are o many tools out there to make your holidays as robust as possible. 
​

Hustle and Bustle is one of the walking groups that has no pets and no kids as those variations are accommodated in other groups like Mutts and Butts and High Rollers with Baby Strollers. Pick the group that fits your life the most! I do all as I have grandkids, a dog and I also enjoy walking on my own, and talk of course. These walking groups usually last around the hour mark as it's a leisurely pace so that everyone can attend. 

Take every opportunity to get out and meet new people, human interaction pumps up your endorphins, makes you feel happy and alive. Come out and be my guest! Join up to Meetup for wherever you are travelling. 

A few notes on this if you are planning to use this while away. First off, make sure you start doing groups that interest you about a month and half prior to your arrival in your new destination. Some groups that you may want to join are closed and you need approval to join. The other side of that is, you get some idea for planning your schedule. You need to temporarily change your location to your destination city and then search out activities. 

You also need to write a brief note to the organizers that you are only in that particular city for a limited duration (whatever it is) so that they don't toss you. It happened to me in Sacramento. One group literally dissed me that I was planning on attending their activities while in Winnipeg. (I had changed my location back by this time) Let's just say that their snarky attitude in regards to being an out of towner, was  not in the spirit of Meetup. However, every other group has been amazing and the Meetup community in Sacramento was STRONG. I admire their organizational skills. 

This is not a paid partnership with Meetup, I use it because I love that it brings people together. 

I have been so inspired over the last month, seeing and chatting with so many talented artists in California. I saw art with mediums I had never seen before, beautiful, amazing pieces of art, that all I want to do is start creating my own new pieces. I recognized that there were some niche ideas that I want to try, my art mojo was and is bursting at the seams. Let it be said that here in Manitoba, we have so many talented artists and makers here in my own back yard, all of which I try to support as much as possible here in my own community. I have to give kudos to those local artists that inspire others to keep on creating based on their diligence in getting their art out there. 

The thing that I noticed the most was the different ideas, and mediums that artists in Cali were using, and I triggered a creative response in me that I thought had disappeared for good. I found in the not so distant past that my creativity when it came to art had diminished. I couldn't figure it out because I have always had the drive to create. I realized that when my body was freaking out due to it's three hiatus from the healthy body train, that my creativity and actually brain function was on a hiatus as well. It was so messed up.

Now however, maybe it was the sunshine, maybe it was the energy in Cali, perhaps it was just giving my mind, body and soul a well-needed break, that it all came flooding back. THANK YOU UNIVERSE. No really, thank fucking g**. Being a creative soul with no creativity was not a fun place to be. NOW...my cup over-runneth. I've got my paints out, I'm souring for new materials, my clay is making a come back after many years and it keeps going. 

Art fills a large piece of my heart, my brain and my soul. I feel JOY, when I create. I feel PASSION, when I create. I feel ALIVE. I can't wait to see what comes out of my newly found mojo and what it does to my art. You can always check back on my gallery to see what's up.  The link is below, just click!  #supportlocalart  #CharisOnArt 

#artist #contemporaryartist #mixedmediums #acrylic #acrylicpainting #designer #interiordecorating #artwork #commissionartwork #travellingartist #circles #blogger #lifestyle #lifestyleblogger #travelblogger #adpost #affiliatemarketing #artshows #art #photography #blackandwhitephotography #manipulatingart 

Itchy Feet ... I got 'em.

Do you ever get itchy feet, have you ever had itchy feet? Do you just keep scratching or do you find a way to get rid of that absolutely, lose your mind, crazy itchiness? Find out what I did to cure mine.

Re-invention, re-focus, regenerate, revive ... my four R’s that describe what’s been going on over here. I know you’ve been wondering, it’s been a bit quiet for the past three years. Now, that’s not to say that there hasn’t been anything to write about, it just means I couldn’t get it down on paper. (figuratively and literally) SO much has happened, bits and pieces will be leaked to the CharisOnLife press correspondent in the days and months to come. Keep posted for the coming adventures here. You can subscribe to the blog if you want updates when the next one is published.

I wrote piece a while back on the very beginning of the past three year journey in the blogpost, Mount Everest ... Again , if you want a bit more back ground to what started a tough three year health journey that literally shook my foundations. Much has happened since then, much I will write about in hopes of helping others that might be looking for similar answers. But … this isn’t what I want to talk about, not today anyway.

Today is about my itchy feet. It's time to re-evaluate and RE-INVENT myself, although I have had to do that many times over the past three years. Truthfully, I’m no stranger to re-invention, I’ve done it many times over my lifetime, I still find it invigorating and exciting to think about all of the possibilities. That old saying still stands true, the world is your oyster. Question is, what is my oyster this go around?

At the foundation of my being, I am a mother, and grandmother, which really are my true joys in life. It’s so true what they say about becoming a grandparent (and yes you can’t possibly understand it until you are one), LOVE takes on a whole new meaning. Having grandchildren is like eating ice cream for the first time, pure bliss, I think it’s because YOUR OWN children made these adorable bundles of joy. It opens a whole new section of your heart that you didn’t know existed, and it bursts right open. Not only that, you find a little pocket of energy that you didn’t know still had either. (Which you didn’t know you needed or forgot about how much energy you need to look after these little squirts.)

Sometimes however, in all those titles, which also includes a career title, community title, online persona, something was still missing something or lost in the rat-race of life. This is where I decided I had to RE-FOCUS some energy on myself and the things that I wanted to still do in life. I got scared that portions of that life I dreamed about, were passing me by and that now was the time to get on it. I began to feel like it was now or never, the health scare that I went through, jolted me back to the reality that I have always believed in, taking the bull by the horns and doing it now. There might not be a tomorrow. Your health IS NOT GUARANTEED so a piece of advice, STOP TAKING IT FOR GRANTED.

This is when the real Charis kicks in, the do or die mode, and we all know I’ve been there many a time, sometimes by choice, sometimes not. I realize that I thrive in this arena, I realize that I still have NO FEAR when it comes down to exploring the prospects of what I want.

I WANT, are the two key words here.

I sat down and wrote a list on all the things I have been WAITING to do. WAITING for the million reasons you all have as well.

WAITING until I have time …
WAITING until the kids grow up …
WAITING until I can take time off work …
WAITING until I’m retired …
WAITING to have enough money to do the things on that list …

A million WAITING excuses, do you get it?

I just decided I am not waiting any longer. I wrote my list. Then, I threw it out to the universe and started making it happen. Truth is … you can wait FOREVER, and sometimes it becomes TOO LATE. I can’t emphasize this enough. I took a tally of what I have, what I need and what I want.

First off, I needed to REGENERATE. Not rehabilitate my body, (although I still have some of that to do) but regenerate my mind and body with a focus that it was only about my needs. SELF CARE 101. If you are someone that is a giver, you will understand what this means. When you are constantly giving to others, giving your energy to others, you forget about what you need. I needed a break, from everything, I needed first and foremost not to be worried about anyone else for just a little bit.

Once that I’m regenerated, I figure in about a month’s time, when my plane (yes plane) lands back in the country. Everything back to fabulous, the Charis of old, will be back and as good as new. Wondering where I am yet? What I decided to do?

I wanted an adventure, I wanted to travel, meet new people, do different things, see different things, be a RE-INVENTED me. Just didn’t know how I was going pull that off. I wanted to spend time really focusing on my business, working on the on ways to work virtually or from place to place that would allow me to do all of those things. Then … a part of me became Mary “Pick Up the Droppins’” Poppins. Before I knew it, I was on a plane to the land of sunshine, I made it happen. I threw it out there what I wanted, and the universe conspired to put the wheels in motion. I have always believed that once you make that decision to do something, the rest falls into place as it should. TADA!!!!!!

Fast forward, three days, I’m sitting in the sunshine of a beautiful home with Georgie the cat working on my website and writing my blog. Already, I feel the 4 R’s have already been accomplished even if it is in the baby stages. Find out what I'm doing and where I am in the coming blogpost on The Disappearance of Mama C here.

Please click on the link below to find out how you can also become a Trusted Housesitter and World Traveller! You'll thank me! 

 

Last week spurred this blogpost as I was at my monthly girl's dinner party and of course we were discussing men and relationships along with all that comes with that.  It's an amazing group and it's nice to share our experiences as women, as professionals, as mothers and as friends. We often have a chuckle at the dating scene as a 30-40-50 something year old, as it is full of surprises and definitely provides great dinner party fodder. Let's face it, Winnipeg is a small, small, very small city, and it would be advisable to remember that in how you, as daters, should be accountable for your actions. The other side of that is, as daters, you should be prepared for the consequences of your dating actions as well. Be accountable people! At the end of the day, you have to laugh at most of the stuff or you would cry. 

Dating these days is a crap shoot, no matter what age. I hear the issues my kid's friends have, I hear the issues my own friends and family have, and I listen intently to the issues and hesitations my clients have. Yes, if you haven't looked at my website, and my coaching categories, I am a relationship, mostly a dating coach. (CharisOnDating) I feel for all of them, I know what it's like, been there done it, got the medal for surviving it. Dating is a very complicated adventure at any age. This is especially true if you are middle-age with children, step-children, ex-spouses, assets, divorces, careers and a shitload of baggage. Truthfully, we all have baggage, no matter how old you are, accept that and you are well on your way.  In the end it's about how you handle and manage your baggage, that's what you should be analyzing when you're interviewing your next dating prospect.  

The first thing I always work on with my dating clients is the always, who they are and what they are bringing to the table. What lies within... To my core, I believe that no one can be truly happy in any relationship unless you are first and foremost, happy with yourself. That's a tall order nowadays. There is so much pressure out in the world to be superhuman, to be perfect, to be everything to everyone. Just in case you weren't aware of it, NONE of us fit this bill, and nor should we want to. My clients and I work on how they can feel confident and exude that in their daily lives. We work on how to present themselves in all aspects of their life, working on creating the best version of themselves as possible.  We work on negative thought processes and change them to positive, we turn around debilitating behaviours and learn how those behaviours are blocking their ability to move forward.

In many cases, we do a style make-over. Trust me when I say, the market is steep out there, no matter what age you are, presentation is paramount. Many times that comes along with a reality check about expectations around dating. I'm all for waiting until you find the person that fits the best with you, but making sure your expectations are valid is so important. Many of the things we are able to change, don't cost an arm and a leg but are deal breakers to many that are out there actively looking for a partner. Just to mention a few: TEETH, HAIR, GLASSES, and CLOTHING. Teeth I find get the most points in the thumbs down category, in this day and age, there is no reason to have bad teeth. Hair, easy fix, but make sure it's not your barber or hair dresser of 20 years that isn't doing you any favours. It sounds shallow, but if you don't believe it, just trust me in the numbers of people I coach, first impressions do matter. As I always say, " You are your best billboard"

If you don't want to ask your closest family and friends why you aren't able to get a date, then come ask me, I'll give it to you straight. I find my clients are willing to listen to me as the advice I give them is unbiased, and sincere. Most of your friends and family might not want to tell you what needs to change because they don't want to hurt your feelings, perhaps they aren't the best judge of what you should change or not change in your life anyhow. Just sayin'

The other very important aspect about this is like-mindedness. Just an example, we are living in a very health conscious world, like-minded people look for someone that share the same health conscious interests. Those that are on the health and wellness wagon, want to share their time with others that value the importance of attaining or living a healthy lifestyle. This type of profiling becomes even more imperative when dating and looking for a partner in our later years. We are more comfortable in our lives and we understand the importance of sharing our lives with someone that holds the same values and beliefs that we do about how we live. 

Money management. Yes, it's a factor. Many have split their assets in divorces, or have gained wealth and success by this point and are very cognitive about the choices they make in a partner. Money as we know, especially from our younger years in raising families, can cause so many issues. It's part of the process, but there comes a time, when you hope that people have learned how to manage and make money to guarantee their security by now. People aren't jumping into relationships blindly when it comes to assets and finances, there is too much at risk. So, whether you are young or old, get a handle on your finances. 

There are many a topic to discuss when it comes to dating. We will save some of the others for other blog posts. The bottom line is, take the time and money to invest in yourself to find the right partner. Do your homework, more importantly, do the work. Recognize that confidence is the best turn on, so ensure that that's exactly what you exude. Get your ducks in a row on all levels, be the best version of yourself that you know how to be. 

Last but not least, learn to love yourself, when you've done that, the right partner for you will come along. Have a dream, a little faith and hope :)

#CharisOnDating #Dating #Men #relationships #lifecoaching #datingcoaching #love #cosmopolitan #huffingtonpost #vogue #canadianliving #zoomermagazine

​Mount Everest … yet again. Sometimes I get tired of climbing mountains. Seriously. 
 
I believe that everything happens for a reason.
 
Everything.
 
I do not believe that we are given more than we can handle, I believe that the things that happen in our lives are lessons we are supposed to learn. If you know anything about the circle of life, karma, (there is other terminology for this, but this is the easiest to understand) we go through lessons, sometimes repeatedly, until we learn what we are supposed to learn, so that we can move on. Some people get stuck in these cycles, others, recognize the challenge for what it is and start climbing that damn mountain, no matter how daunting the task is.
 
It’s been a while since I posted a blog, mostly because I couldn’t type, it hurt too much. It still hurts, but I now just type in small spurts. I’ve got lots to say about this last mountain I’ve been asked to climb so I figure I might as well start.

On October 17, 2016, I was hanging privacy film on the glass walls of my office and my arm, shoulder and neck were damaged.  Let me state that it was privacy film that I didn’t even want, I don’t care who peers into my office, I do my work and I go home. The higher powers that be wanted it up, they didn’t want to sand blast the glass to match all the other offices, so they ordered this DIY privacy film. They also didn’t want to pay someone to install it and had me do it. Let me just state, I'm an office worker, I am not on payroll for maintenance items. I guess this fell under “other duties as assigned”. So, I started installing it. By the time I was done, three hours later, my fingers were numb. By the time I got home, I felt so awful, I went straight to bed. Woke up and thought my head was going to explode I had so much pain.
 
For the first time in 30 years, I went to the chiropractor and hoped that it would help. Thank goodness it did, I don’t remember having a pain like that in my head ever. Off to work I went, grabbed my work vehicle and headed off visiting clients. By mid-morning, my right arm was killing me, by the next day, I could barely move it. Since then, long story short, I’ve been off work. No…let me clarify, I’ve been off LIFE. Five months later, I have been to the physiotherapist 1-3 times a week, my doctor once every week to two weeks, and my chiropractor 1-2 a week. For five months … rehab has been a full-time job. Let me state, I rarely have needed to go to the doctor prior to this, and haven’t been to a physiotherapist in at least 8 years. I didn’t need to, I was perfectly healthy.
 
Those that know me, know I’m extremely healthy, no complaints, nothing stops me, I go and go and I go. That’s my personality. That’s why I have so many things that I do. It’s because I love it, every second of it.
 
So … I went from supermom, business owner and government worker to a useless bag of bones that couldn’t do ANYTHING. I couldn’t lift my arm, couldn’t brush my hair, could barely lift a glass. Sitting hurt, standing hurt, walking hurt. No matter what I did it was in constant pain. Everything in my life came to a grinding halt. Not only my office job, but my coaching, my home life, everything. Do you know what it is like to have to sit at home but not be able to do anything at all, not laundry, not dishes, not make a bed? For me and my personality, it was the worst thing that could happen, I was immobile. The house became a mess, I couldn’t grocery shop, I literally could not do anything, I was, suddenly, for the first time in my life, completely dependent on others to help me.
 
I have never felt so useless.
 
This all put such a different perspective on everything in my life. And … trust me, I had plenty of time to analyze it while sitting, healing, being that useless bag of bones. I had a very hard time accepting my new-found dependency and had to find ways to live an everyday life without being able to do anything myself. It sucked serious ass. Just sayin’
 
I found it difficult to ask for help. Again, not my personality, I’m used to counting only on myself to get things done. I think over the years, I just let my expectations go of others so that I didn’t feel disappointed when I felt let down. Protection mechanism for sure. But it was also about changing my reaction to other people's actions. Funny thing is, I did still kind of take it personally, I thought holy crap, if this is what life will be like when I’m old, I don’t want to get old.

I felt quite alone.
 
I guess the one thing I learned over the years, through my experiences, that in the end you only have yourself to count on. It’s true. Not because others don’t care, it’s just that they have very full and busy lives that they are trying to cope with. Sometimes, I think society has changed in how everyone takes care of one another, I think we are losing compassion and understanding for no other reason than lack of time and energy.
 
Life has become such a rat race that we are forgetting the one thing that makes us human…caring. We aren’t inanimate objects, sometimes though, I fear we are becoming so. I see it all the time around me, people are turning off their emotions so that they can control their environments more. Our protection tactics lead us to control our interactions so that there is less fear, less confrontation, less anger, and less upheaval. I believe, that at the end of the day in trying to negate all of those negative interactions in our life, and turning off those responses and reactions, we are also losing some of the positive aspects of life. Like loving, and caring for others. Our time cannot be all that important that we fill it up with a plethora of extraneous crap and forget to care, to love, to help. It made me also question my part in actively caring for and helping others. I did some real soul searching, let me tell you.
 
I think that’s what I remember the most about growing up in a small town, maybe it was the day and age, but people used to help each other. Especially in times of hardship and crisis. I know as a family, we experienced amazing show of community, many times. It was the kindness of others that helped ease the pain or the burdens of whatever crisis we were experiencing. The support of others. The love and caring of others.
 
I think that is why I coach. It’s my way of helping, supporting and caring. It’s my way of giving back really. There is something so gratifying about helping others, it truly fills me up.
 
I’m lucky that my journeys have brought me to this place where I am able to decipher what works in my life and what doesn’t. I have now had even more time, during this healing period, to figure out even more of this puzzle that we call life. I’ve realized that even though I recognize that I’m too tired to fight another fight, sometimes, you just need put on your hiking boots, lace them up and start that climb of Mount Everest once again. (I feel like I’ve climbed it a time or two) There are many times, and this is one, that I struggle with how many fights on how many levels can one handle at one time. Sometimes …  it seems overwhelming, but we always must fight for what’s right and hope that it ends up in our favour. This is one of those times.
 
I take the gauntlet far too many times to fight a fight that usually is more about the bigger picture than it is about myself. The fight goes beyond my personal stake in it because I hope that it helps the others that fall into its wake.
 
An Advocate, yes, I guess I have always been that. A referee, yes, I’m that too. A champion for others, yes, I’m that too.  Apparently, these things were part of my soul contract when I decided who and what I was willing to be, as me. But even us, champions of others, get tired. I’ve realized that if people aren’t willing to fight for themselves, then you sit down with yourself and ask yourself “What’s in it for me?” WIIFM is an acronym that goes beyond coaching personally and is a big one in the business world. It’s one I must constantly keep reminding myself of every day, every time I think about saying yes to someone else, every time I champion a cause. I’ve realized I must carefully pick and choose the right battles.
 
It isn’t that I haven’t practiced this before, but it’s taking it to a more drastic step. It’s against every fibre of my being not to fight for others, I have always felt that sometimes those that are not as strong, that don’t have a voice, need someone to help them.
 
This experience has taught me, that those that are not willing to fight for themselves, must find their own voice, should fight their own fights and climb their own mountains. If they have decided to do none of that, then their fate is of their own making. Anyone that knows me will attest to the fact that I am pretty cut and dry when it comes to making changes and decisions in your life. If you’re not going to fight for the change you need in your life, then don’t complain about it. Period. So, I walk my own talk, always.
 
In fighting for others, I must admit, and I had to come to this realization as well, that rarely did those instances turn out in my favour. In fact, most of them didn’t, so what was I supposed to learn from that? I learned not to clean up other people’s mess, other company’s mess, and stick to my own. The champion for change rarely gets a pat on the back and a “way to go” at the end of it.
 
I think that’s why I do what I do know, and maybe that’s the lessons that I have learned, people need to step up and decide to do what’s right for themselves, they need to decide to change for themselves. Now instead of fighting their fights, I help them fight their own. I give them the tools, I provide the support and the guidance, I provide the caring support that they need to move forward. Whether that’s changing their eating habits, exercising, job change, relationship changes…they all stem from the same place…from within.
 
That place within, can sometimes be a hard road to navigate but once you set your compass straight, climbing Mount Everest doesn’t seem so daunting, it’s just one step at a time. That, and the true belief in yourself that you can do it, that you have the where with all to be the change that you need in your own life.
 
The best thing that any of us can do is what I make that daily practice of, asking yourself, WIIFM, every time you consider making a decision. The answer should always be, we should be doing only what serves our well-being, that feeds our souls, that makes us happy and fulfills us. Life is too short to do anything else. It’s about being authentic with who you truly are and I don’t think many have done to work to find out who their authentic self really is. I know I make choices every day, if they don’t align with who I am as a person or what I believe in, I don’t do it. Do note, that although this sounds very individual, it is all encompassing. Who I am encompasses my family, my husband, my work-life, my clients, my world that surrounds me in a micro-environment as well as the world at large. It’s up to me how I take care of those parts of who I am by being authentic in sticking with my values and beliefs in what makes a person good, is paramount.
 
Therefore, the WIIFM is not just about me individually and how the world affects me, but it is about who I am and how I must interact with the world. I believe in truth, in doing what’s right, in being compassionate and caring as a human being, I believe wholeheartedly in being authentic and creating an authentic life. I believe that we all have a purpose, mine is helping others, no matter what category that falls into, it is also my passion.
 
Finding what makes you passionate stems from knowing your authentic self. Creating passion in your life comes from living an openly expressive life, by sharing of yourself with others. Passion is what makes this ride we call life worthwhile.
 
My passion right now is healing, in all ways. Healing my physical injuries and ensuring that I hold others accountable for their part in it. Ensuring that I have the opportunity to heal properly without the restrictions of process eliminating my ability to do so. Sometimes this is a vicious cycle.
 
One step at a time.
 
I still have limited mobility. I still cannot clean my own house, but I have hired house cleaners to help me do so. I cannot do my own grocery shopping, so I have it delivered. I cannot work out, but I am now able to start at 10 minutes a day and am thrilled at the prospect. I can only drive short distances, so I stick close to home. There is always a way to get it all figured out, sometimes it’s not the way you expected it to be, but, the result is the same. I don’t have any expectations of those around me to fill in the gaps created by my physical inabilities, or to look out for my best interests, it just doesn’t work that way. I … as always … must be my own champion. We all must be our own champions.
 
I have always been a silver lining kind of gal, and again, those that know me, know my strength and perseverance. This isn’t the biggest or most horrible thing that has happened to me, but I’m hoping it’s the last. I’ve learned so much over the past few months, about myself and others, about what I hold near and dear to me heart and to follow my path. As Dory says, just keep on swimming or climbing I guess since I have been using the Everest analogy.
 
The bottom line is this:
 
Stay true to yourself
Ask for help
Know when to help yourself
Take time to heal
Take time to care for others
Be a champion to yourself and others
Be authentic, always
Be passionate
Find the will to succeed

​