Ladieeeez, You Deserve This

     

Photo Credit: Evan Kaufmann

     I have so much to share with you in the days ahead. My life has been very colored these past few weeks. But before we get into the story of my ongoing love and life sagas, I wanted to take a little detour.

     I came across this article from one of my favorite sites: www.DrMercola.com

     Close friends and family who know me, know that I'm a bit of a "Freddie" (Think "A Different World"). I'm a bit of a boho broad. I'm not completely juices, nuts, and berries, but I'm on a road that seems to be leading more and more into wild open spaces.

     With that said, I love how God has made our bodies. I'm constantly fascinated with the care and complexity of which are bodies have been made, and that our bodies have the ability to heal themselves, blows my mind. And to top it all off,  the fact that nature (Water, sunlight, etc.) works in symphony with our human experience almost makes me want to cry.

     Dr. Mercola stresses a more natural and holistic approach when it comes to heath and wellness. He's not simply about treating the symptom and the surface effect, but rather he is constantly dealing with the root issue of the things that have made us sick...as a culture (which many times involves a lifestyle change, not just pills). Thus his website is a wellspring of knowledge. I urge you to take a peak at it sometime or hop on his email list.

     So as I was saying, I was on Dr. Mercola's site and I came across this...

Dr. Northrup’s Top 10 Health Tips for Women:  

In this interview, Dr. Northrup shares her top 10 tips for women’s health:

1. Get enough sleep: Proper sleep is essential for optimal health, and it helps metabolize stress hormones better than any other known entity. 

2. Meditate for at least 3-12 minutes each day, to calm and soothe your mind. 

3. Begin your day with a positive affirmation. 

4. Exercise regularly. Ideally, aim for a comprehensive program that includes high intensity exercises and strength training along with core-building exercises and stretching. 

5. Breathe properly. When you breathe in and out fully through your nose, you activate your parasympathetic rest-and-restore nervous system, which expands the lower lobes of your lungs, and therefore engages the vagus nerves.  

“Relax the back of your throat. So many women have thyroid problems – it’s from chronic tension here; because you’re pretty sure your feminine voice isn’t going to be heard. It hasn’t been heard for 5,000 years. You’re not alone. But it’s being heard now,” she says. 

6. Practice self love and unconditional acceptance. Dr. Northrup suggests looking at yourself in the mirror at least once a day, and saying: “I love you. I really love you.”  

“After 21 days, something will happen to you. You’ll see a part of you that looks back at you, and you begin to believe it. “I love you. I really love you.” 

7. Optimize your vitamin D levels. Get your vitamin D level checked. Ideally, you’ll want your levels within the therapeutic range of 50-70 ng/ml. According to Dr. Northrup:  

“Sunlight is not the enemy. It’s lack of antioxidants in your diet that is the enemy. Natural light is a lovely source of vitamin D; you can’t overdose. But many people – to get their levels of vitamin D into optimal – are going to need 5,000 to 10, 000 international units per day. So, vitamin D is important. You can get your level drawn through MyMedLab.com without a doctor’s prescription." 

Just remember that if you take high doses of oral vitamin D, you also need to boost your intake of vitamin K2. For more information on this, please see my previous article, What You Need to Know About Vitamin K2, D and Calcium. 

8. Cultivate an active social life; enjoy some face-to-face time with likeminded people. 

9. Epsom salt baths (20 minutes, three times per week) are a simple, inexpensive way to get magnesium into your body. 

10. Keep a gratitude journal. Each night, before you go to bed, write down five things that you are grateful for, or five things that brought you pleasure. 

“Remember: every emotion is associated with a biochemical reality in your body. So, you want to bring in the emotions of generosity, pleasure, receiving, and open-heartedness. The same things that create heart health create breast health.”

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     And there you have it ladies. 

     So make sure, that in this fast-paced, whirlwind of a year called 2013 and every year to come, that you truly take the time to treat yo'self right.

Wisdom's Knocking: 

"The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be."

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Sounds of My Love Today

www.johnnyswim.com

www.solangemusic.com

www.allenstone.com

4 Ways to Stop Goldbricking

Photo Features: Victoria Clemmons

     Did you know that the word "Goldbrick" is a synonym for "Procrastinate"? Seriously. I know. I couldn't believe it either. This is what the internets have told me. So it must be true.

     With that said, I have been goldbricking it up all day today. 

     I feel a little bit ashamed.

    I mean, what does it mean when we procrastinate?

     Obviously we don't want to face the task at hand. But why? And how can we break out of this habit of procrastination?

     I gather fear and laziness are the nasty little culprits underneath our lack of excitement when approaching a necessary responsibility. And below, I'll share a few quick tips to help us both get out of this procrastination rat wheel.

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     When do you find yourself procrastinating the most? When you have a big meeting, getting ready for work, an assignment to prepare for, a research paper to write, a screenplay to finish, a book to read, working out, a resume to send out, a person to email back, a call to return? I can honestly answer a big fat yes to all of those.

     If you're anything like me, you like to feel free and not controlled or boxed in whatsoever, so the thought of being boxed in by a responsibility can be overwhelming at times, and creating a schedule in your life makes you already feel like you want to punch someone in the face. But how about I paint the picture this way...we are developing discipline. Not simply rigid rules and stipulations. And trust me, we want the fruits of what discipline can bring into our lives.

     Hear me out. 

     When you create boundaries in life, you actually allow yourself a clearer defined area of freedom within those boundaries, instead of being completely scattered and not clear of mind in any area or expertise, which in turn is actually bondage and not freedom at all.

     Put it this way. When does a small child usually feel most free, alive, and safe? When they are in an open area with no defined play area, or in a playground or open yard with defined boundaries of some sort?

Photo Credit: Victoria Clemmons

     It's interesting that boundaries, not only create a safe place but also encourage more freedom and individual productivity. Instead of being a mediocre and insecure "Jack of all Trades", you become an Expert of being authentically you in your chosen trade.

     So how do we make this idea of boundaries and freedom work in the realm of procrastination?? What is it about procrastination that can adhere to such guidelines and discipline?

    First, let's remember that procrastination finds its fuel in fear and laziness. So be sure to starve yourself of those two attributes whenever you can.

     And now, let's look at 4 ways to break out of the cycle of procrastination in your life (And my life!).


1. Make the Task Somehow FUN

     On most days, I want to feel like I'm on an Indiana Jones Adventure. Even if I'm doing something mundane like making copies at a copier. But it's true, if you approach your task at hand with a spritz of joy, it won't be as daunting. Plus, if you are able to, like when you are writing, cleaning, or working on a project, incorporate listening to your favorite CD or choosing to reward yourself in some small way once the task is completed (I always seem to reward myself with food, massages, movies, or pedicures, but I'm sure there are other ways.)

2. Set a Schedule

     If you are making a decision to work out, it won't just happen by magic or simply because you think it. "A goal without a plan is just a wish". Look, I'm preaching to myself as well. I'm suppose to be chipping away at my current screenplay, but I have dusted that thing off since last month. But I digress. But as it goes, I'm relegating Wednesdays and Thursdays to chipping away at my script for at least 2 hours on those days. Then this gets written in every calendar that my eyes see in my life (iPhone, iCalendar, Gmail, etc.). There's something powerful about writing your schedule out.

3. Be Kind to Yourself

     There's no need to beat yourself up in the process. That's not going to help you or anyone else in the long run. You are much stronger than you know. And you are capable of far more than what you've seen so far. Truly. Also, tell yourself the benefits of how you'll feel once you accomplish and complete the at-hand task.


4. Just Do It

     Nothing like a good ol' kick in the pants. At the end of the day, you simply need to do what needs to get done. So you might as well do it with a smile on your face and a kind attitude. You'll be glad that you did. Plus it feels good to finish the little milestones along the way. Turns out, these little milestones prove to be far more important than we had first realized.

Wisdom's Knocking:

“The absence of limitations is the enemy of art.” 

 ― Orson Welles

Freedom.

Photo Credit: Hannah Anderson

I'm not quite sure how and when it fully happened. But it did.

My emotions and feelings jumped off me and onto a cliff somewhere by a lake.

And then they jumped.

And then they drowned.

It's weird how you can feel something so strongly for someone one moment, and feel nothing for them the next.

But then I was able to see the picture fully, for what it truly was.

I had been released.

Oddly enough, I didn't know I was in a prison.

But I had been.

Now my heart is free and open once again. Expectant for all the new possibilities of a new adventure that lies ahead.

Did I mention I'm going to Paris this year? We'll get into that later...

Moving forward,

I'll never regret giving my heart away.

But boy, is it it good to have it back.

This new day of freedom cost me a great deal of tears, but afforded me a great deal of prayers from the likes of you.

And now I find myself laughing.

The way in which my life plays out. You know, never how you expect it to.

I've learned to keep on dreaming, even if it breaks my heart.

I know it sounds weird, but disappointment can actually birth new life...if you let it.

It gives you PAUSE. True indeed.

And you're forced to start again. To start over.

Which is not necessarily a bad thing...

And as I look at my feelings and emotions fall off a cliff, leaving me free of a heavy burden, I bless my storyline and the storyline of others.

Yes, maybe things didn't quite play out as we had expected, but there's no need to hold resentment or bitterness in our hearts.

Forgive and bless.

(As quickly as possible)

Wish them the absolute best. And mean it.

And be free to move forward. To find your passion. To find your calling. To find your love.

In all its discoverable glory.

A new adventure awaits for you and I. One that we've been waiting for, for oh so long.

My part in your journey may not be as substantial as we'd thought it would be, but there was still a part to be played. And the same goes for you. So, thank you for your part in my journey.

And now, Reader, you and I begin again.

Like this month, we will March into something real, something ready, and something just for us.

Oh, the beauty of new beginnings.

How good it feels to start to fly-- once again.

Wisdom's Knocking:

"Blackbird singing in the dead of night 

Take these broken wings and learn to fly 

All your life 

You were only waiting for this moment to arise"

-- The Beatles

To Anonymous:

Photo Credit: Evan Kaufmann

     Last month, I received one of thee most encouraging and loving comments on my blog ever. It was left anonymously under my blog post: "I Only Feel Ugly Around You."

     Here's what Anonymous wrote:

Hello! 

I stumbled upon your blog recently- it was one of those days where I killed time following the little link road and exploring the interwebs. I just have it on my heart to tell you a few things: a) you are an incredible writer. b) from the outside, I can tell you that your honesty is seriously refreshing. c) your faith is soo encouraging. I am working against sounding creepy here, which may be inevitable on some level but I really wanted to tell you that what you write is valuable and far reaching. Some of the things you have written have hit me quite hard and I really feel the wisdom that God has shared with you. So, thank you! Be encouraged in what you do, who you are and where you are at in life right now. It is beautiful.

     I'm a words girl. And a sure-fire way to get into my heart is through the art of hugs, kindness, and words. It's that simple really.

     I was thinking about this comment a lot this morning. I was trying to be a bit of a Sherlock Holmes. But let's be real, you know I was wondering if it was a man or a woman who left this comment. To Anonymous: If you are a woman, please ignore the rest of this blog post. I'm not one to swing that way, and I don't want to be a tease. But if you're a man, I simply want to say God bless your ministry and I'm definitely intrigued. Mostly, I'm interested in what it is that you write about in life.

     From the way in which Anonymous so crafted their comment, I'm gathering that they are a fellow writer. I mean, do you see that sentence structure! Good Lord. I may simply marry this person for their beautiful use of grammar.

     Shocking News Alert:

     Yes, I went to film school. No, I've never seen "Sleepless in Seattle" or "You've Got Mail" but from the trailers and previews I've seen, I've gathered all I need to know to create my own scenario with my own Anonymous in my mind.

     Of course I'm wondering if I've seen you in real life? Are we complete strangers to one another? Do we have mutual friends? Do we know each other? Were we at the same coffee shop a few weeks back? Are you somewhere living in New York on your way to Paris? I may never know.

     But what that comment from Anonymous did for me at the end of the day...Well, it simply made me feel beautiful and loved. Contrary to what I had been experiencing during the writing of that particular post.

     That comment also caused me to dream and to grasp once again, ever so tenderly, that what God is doing in me, in my life and around me, is absolutely beautiful.

    So to Anonymous: Thank you. Thank you so very much.

     Love,
     Patrice

Wisdom's Knocking:

Random acts of kindness go a long, long way, 

and often open unexpected doors of blessing.

Time With You

Photo Credit: Evan Kaufmann

I am making intentional time for you.

Out of the thousands of people in our lives.

I am making intentional time for you.

Out of the thousands of reasons not to.

I am making intentional time for you.

Last month passed.

And I made intentional time for someone else. And that was a big deal.

This month is beginning.

And I'm ready for intentional time with you.

And now, after all this time, you're standing in front of me, with arms wide open.

Wisdom's Knocking:

"Be still. And be loved." - K.T.