Create Meaning through Ritual
With the shorter days and colder nights, daily rituals can be comforting this time of the year. Even the simplest gesture can bring meaning to an ordinary day.
1. Write down a daily intention. Ask yourself: 'How would I like to feel today?'
2. Practice 5 minutes of silence a day. Either all at once, or throughout the day.
3. Start the day with a glass of warm lemon water to aid digestion. Add 1/4 tsp.
baking soda to neutralize any acids harmful to teeth, or use lemon essential oil.
4. Be a really good listener to at least one person.
5. Before sleep, write down 3 things you are grateful for.
Faces of Love
Love has the courage to say 'I love you' first.
Love smiles at the barista no matter how early it is.
Love says 'I'm listening' instead of 'what can I do to fix this?'
Love understands why someone lashes out, instead of hurting back.
Love buys a friend lunch without expecting anything in return.
Love follows the heart, not what others think.
Love recognizes your gifts and talents.
Love knows no blame, only 100% responsibility.
Love serves with humility and needs no recognition.
Love knows how to say 'no' instead of 'I should.'
Love sets boundaries, and in that way, is limitless.
Love gracefully permits another to not love you.
Love, like an orchid, needs nourishment to blossom.
Love, in its ferocity, embraces an open heart as a broken heart.
Winter's Embrace
As we gracefully descend into winter's embrace, and trade in the flip-flops for clunky boots, puffy coats, and ice scrapers, learning to surrender to her unpredictable nature is like chicken soup for the soul. We slow down and we nourish ourselves. Spend time with people you love and trust and who support you; take an afternoon to make homemade soup; give yourself the gift of time. You only need to take in her magnificence to remember to stop sweating the small stuff. And in the space left behind, you remember how magnificant you are.