Slow Down

A poem by Danna Faulds.

Walk Slowly

It only takes a reminder to breathe,
a moment to be still, and just like that,
something in me settles, softens, makes
space for imperfection. The harsh voice
of judgment drops to a whisper and I
remember again that life isn’t a relay
race; that we will all cross the finish
line; that waking up to life is what we
were born for. As many times as I
forget, catch myself charging forward
without even knowing where I’m going,
that many times I can make the choice
to stop, to breathe, and be, and walk
slowly into the mystery.

I believe we can all prosper and thrive when we remember to take a moment to breathe, to walk slowly, to stop and smell the flowers along the way…

May you move slowly into the magic and mystery of the weekend.

In love & light,

Hayley xx

Soulful Sunday #27: Can You Help?

Welcome to my twenty-seventh instalment of ‘Soulful Sundays’. A weekly share where I post a roundup of soulful reflections, each including recipes, songs, quotes, blogs I have read and/or any other inspirational discoveries to sooth the soul.

For me, Sunday’s have become a day of quiet contemplation and simple pleasures. A time to reflect on the week gone by and to consider my hopes and dreams for the week ahead.

My hope is to extend some love outward and to share some simple pleasures with anyone who cares to receive them.

Soul Reflections

So this week I decided to submit an entry to the Hay House Writers Workshop Competition in Sydney. Last year I attended the workshop online and was able to submit a book proposal as part of my participation in the course. Sadly, my book was not selected – however, three very deserving writers were chosen for their beautiful books to be published.

When I saw the opportunity to attend the Sydney Writers Workshop in July by submitting a short video describing my idea for a book, I decided to have another try. If you have enjoyed my inspirational posts, and feel inspired by my daybook, which would be of a similar nature – then please take the time to vote for my video below! And if you have the time, maybe you could even share my link with your audience with a link back to my WordPress site.

So far, I only have 8 votes, and I have just ten days to obtain close to 500! So any way in which you can help would be greatly appreciated (and of course I will send you a signed copy of my book when it’s selected for publication!) 😉 I would very much appreciate your support.

I must say, the moment I submitted my entry, I suddenly thought: “Cringe! I’m not good enough, I rambled too much, I wavered off topic..” I silenced the negative self talk and tried to find the truth – we are all deserving. Each and every one of us. Sometimes we take life far too seriously, so why not present ourselves as we are? In my case, that’s a little bit silly at times, but with a big wish to uplift and inspire the masses.

You can vote for me here! Just click on ‘VOTE’ and then find my entry (Hayley) which should be close to the top! Thank you ❤

Soul Gifts

I wanted to share these beautiful roses bought for me by someone very special. He showed up at my door with these unexpected flowers on the anniversary of my Dad’s passing on the tenth of May.

‘What do we live for, if it is not to make life less difficult for each other?’

– George Eliot

Soul Food

I would like to share an old favourite of mine, my Chocolate Chia Pudding recipe. It tastes delicious and is also nourishing! Which is an added bonus. No nasty refined sugars in this desert – just Mother Nature’s goodness! Enjoy.

Soul Music

Today I am sharing Say Hello To Heaven by Chris Cornell to honour his life. We have lost a beautiful, gifted soul far too soon, yet his words and music will forever remain in our hearts.  May your soul rest in peace.

Soul Brothers

I am sharing these beautiful quotes on strength compiled by Charles French at Words, Reading and Writing. A beautiful way to end the week and a timely reminder to remain centred in our inner strength for the week ahead.

In love and light,

Hayley xx

 

Soulful Sundays #18: Undefeated

Welcome to my eighteenth instalment of ‘Soulful Sundays’. A weekly share where I post a roundup of soulful reflections, each including recipes, songs, quotes, blogs I have read and/or any other inspirational discoveries to sooth the soul.

For me, Sunday’s have become a day of quiet contemplation and simple pleasures. A time to reflect on the week gone by and to consider my hopes and dreams for the week ahead.

My hope is to extend some love outward and to share some simple pleasures with anyone who cares to receive them.

Soul Reflections

In today’s opening quote, I am reminded of my six year old self learning to ride my blue BMX. Self taught, I’d lean my bike handles against the wall of our old house, push off, then fall in a tangled heap on the pavement. Bruised and scraped, maybe – but defeated I was not. Persistence and resilience eventually paid off as I was cheerfully met with the fulfillment of riding freely. And it wasn’t long before I was riding with no hands, the wind whipping through my hair as I careened down the hills laughing.

The same is true in life. ‘We are each of us defeated many times…’ Yet if we brush ourselves off, and find the courage to climb back on the turning wheels of life, if we ‘learn from it and try another way – then we will find fulfillment.’ It won’t be long until we are riding free, no hands, with laughter and fulfillment overflowing in our hearts.

Today, dig deep. Find the courage to pick yourself up and try again. Know that however many times you are defeated, that there is always another way. And trust that peace and fulfillment are always along for the ride.

Soul Strolls

I captured this beaut on my evening stroll last week.. 🌹 It reminds me of Corita Kent’s quote; ‘Flowers grow out of dark moments.’ I believe this to be true. Every heart ache has a gift for you in it’s hands… Keep your eyes tilted to the skies.

Soul Food

On a drizzly Sunday like today in Melbourne, it’s a day for comfort foods. I discovered these Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge Bites at Happy Skin Kitchen. They look divine! Will you be trying these?

Soul Music

I’m going to a reggae gig here in Melbourne to see House of Shem. So I thought I’d share a track of theirs,  Move As One. I’m loving their vibes, I hope you do too!

Soul Brothers

Today I am sharing this enticingly cool poem by Robert C. Day titled Pale Orb. I thought it was very provocative, despite being so dismissive of the moon in favour of the sun. Have a read!

Wishing you all a kind and heartfelt Sunday wherever you are,

In love & light,

Hayley xx

Soulful Sundays #16: Live.

 

Welcome to my sixteenth instalment of ‘Soulful Sundays’. A weekly share where I post a roundup of soulful reflections, each including recipes, songs, quotes, blogs I have read and/or any other inspirational discoveries to sooth the soul.

For me, Sunday’s have become a day of quiet contemplation and simple pleasures. A time to reflect on the week gone by and to consider my hopes and dreams for the week ahead.

My hope is to extend some love outward and to share some simple pleasures with anyone who cares to receive them.

Soul Reflections

I can’t think of anything worse than a life not lived. Arriving at the end with a heart full of ‘if only’s’, ‘what if’s’ and ‘I should have’s’ seems somewhat tragic to me… I’d like to think we can all arrive feeling that we have lived life to the fullest, that we experienced the joy and beauty of a life free from fears and regrets.

To live life is to be present and open. To be fearless and free. To think, speak and act from the heart. It is not always possible to be and do all of these things all of the time – but we must certainly try. As Katherine Mansfield beautifully states; ‘Warm, eager, living life – to be rooted in life – to learn, to desire, to know, to feel, to think, to act. This is what I want. And nothing less. That is what I must try for…’ And so must we.

What in life is holding you back? Fear of failure? Fear of getting hurt? Fear of looking foolish? Fear of succeeding? The change and responsibility that comes with all of that? Whilst it is true that we must go forth with the flow, we wont get very far if we have one foot on the gas pedal and one foot on the breaks. Yes, tread gently, but let us also be unafraid to throw caution to the wind.

For in the end, isn’t our wish to say that we have truly loved and lived?

Soul Strolls

Blue is my favourite colour, so I couldn’t resist stopping to take a photo of these vibrant blue beauties whilst taking a soulful stroll recently. I hope you too have found the time to get out in nature this week!

Soul Food

It’s still very warm weather here in Melbourne and smoothies are my go-to easy meal fix at the moment. Today I am sharing my favourite Kiwi & Kale Green Juice. It’s fresh, citrusy and super good for you, especially if you had one too many the night before!

Soul Sounds

I just love this song ‘Fading’ by Vallis Alps at the moment. It makes me feel free and happy, I hope you like it too.

Soul Sisters

I recently had an emotional reaction to a comment that was said, it awakened an old hurt of mine and I took what was said out of context. Thankfully, I promptly apologised and there was peace regained and a shared understanding between myself and the other person, which is why I am sharing this lovely post called True Power by Bernice. Bernice blogs at Spiritualjourney17 and regularly shares inspirational posts which resonate. Head over and check out her blog!

Wishing you all a peaceful, fearless Sunday,

In love & light,

Hayley xx

Soulful Sunday #14: Perspective

Welcome to my fourteenth instalment of ‘Soulful Sundays’. A weekly share where I post a roundup of soulful reflections, each including recipes, songs, quotes, blogs I have read and/or any other inspirational discoveries to sooth the soul.

For me, Sunday’s have become a day of quiet contemplation and simple pleasures. A time to reflect on the week gone by and to consider my hopes and dreams for the week ahead.

My hope is to extend some love outward and to share some simple pleasures with anyone who cares to receive them.

Soul Reflections

I have been experiencing a lot of change in my life recently. My partner and I of six years have decided to go our separate ways. Letting go is never easy, but I have managed to reach a place of acceptance and peace, despite my world being so uncertain right now.

Adversity affects us all in varying degrees. It may come knocking on our door uninvited, or if we are lucky, at least with some prior warning so that we can prepare ourselves. But when adversity does hit, we may not feel ready to face the changes that are upon us. Life becomes uncertain. We become caught in a whirlwind of emotions as we are swept off our feet and carried by the winds of change. The best we can do in this instance is to go with it. To trust that we will land safely on the other side.

Change is inevitable. Change allows for growth and expansion. It is in our darkest moments that we often discover our light; our inner strength and commitment to oneself. Whether that commitment is to heal; to learn; to accept; or to be kinder to ourselves as well as others, change commands for us to dig deep and seek the light of Truth. To shift our perspective from one of anger, pain and blame, to one of peaceful acceptance and awareness.

Whatever troubles you are facing in your life right now, be kind to yourself. Be honest with yourself and others. What do you need right now? Quiet space? Welcome distraction? Time to heal? Support and assistance? Adversity is never easy. But there is always something beautiful waiting on the other side. Focus on what’s right, instead of what’s wrong. Search for the good. Seek beauty, freedom, clarity and joy. Have faith that all will come right. And do what makes your soul happy; ‘because when you stop and look around, this life is pretty amazing.’

Soul Strolls 

Walking has been helping me to work through the changes in my life right now. Spending time in nature brings clarity, space and freedom from obsessive thinking. I snapped these beautiful blue flowers the other day. I was feeling blue, but seeing the vibrant blue of these flowers reminded me that the colour blue is also associated with beauty.

Soul Food

I haven’t felt like cooking much and have been keeping life simple with salads and smoothies. So I thought I’d share this delicious Chocolate Avocado Smoothie smoothie recipe from Kris Carr. Because chocolate just makes me happy 🙂

Soul Sounds

Today I am sharing Coldplay’s Beautiful World. A reminder that we live in a beautiful world, however tough times get.

Soul Sisters

Today, I am also sharing this simple, resonating poem titled Wasted by Chole In To Diamonds. It resonated with me so much when I read it and so I thought I’d share it in today’s Soulful Sunday post.

Have a peaceful Sunday all,

In love and light,

Hayley xx

Soulful Sunday #13: Fear & Freedom

Welcome to my thirteenth instalment of ‘Soulful Sundays’. A weekly share where I post a roundup of soulful reflections, each including recipes, songs, quotes, blogs I have read and/or any other inspirational discoveries to sooth the soul.

For me, Sunday’s have become a day of quiet contemplation and simple pleasures. A time to reflect on the week gone by and to consider my hopes and dreams for the week ahead.

My hope is to extend some love outward and to share some simple pleasures with anyone who cares to receive them.

Soul Reflection

This week I’ve had to face my fears head on. Although it hasn’t been easy, it has brought with it a sense of freedom that I had denied myself for a long time. No longer can we shrink and shy away from ‘fear’ – for to do so is to keep ourselves from freedom.

What fears you are refusing to face? What decisions are you shrinking and shying away from? The quickest way to freedom is to face fear head on; to embrace it and invite it in. Find the courage within you to seek what is waiting for you on the other side. And keep the faith.

Soul Strolls

Nature truly is my therapy, I walk most days and it helps to clear the clogs and recharge my batteries. I want to share these wonderful lotus flowers that we snapped at the Botanical Gardens here in Melbourne. So colourful and beautiful.

Soul Food

Since I have been a little overwhelmed and anxious this week, I haven’t cooked as much as I usually would. But I have been keeping my energy up with green smoothies, fruit and vegetables. Now that I am on the ‘other side’, my appetite is returning, and these tasty sweet potato falafels on Kris Carr’s website look delightful! So I thought I’d share.

Soul Sounds 

Today I am sharing, yes, you guessed it –  Let It Go. The instrumental version, because yes – sometimes we can all learn to Let Go a little and feel free. Go on – you wont regret listening to it!

Soul Sisters

Today I am sharing a post by Mackenzie called Today I’m Terrified. But… over at Mack Marie. Since today’s Soulful Sunday is all about overcoming our fears, this beautifully open post will resonate with anyone experiencing fear.

Wishing you all a peaceful Sunday!

In love & light,

Hayley xx

 

 

Roses On My Table

Whilst it is perfectly acceptable to wear diamonds on our neck, and I begrudge no one for doing so – I am with Emma Goldman, in that there is much beauty to be found in the simple.

For some, it is the taste of rich, dark chocolate and a full bodied red after a hard day’s work. Maybe it is the sweet pop of cherries bursting in our mouths on a long, hot summers day? Or the soft podgy padding of an infant’s hand reminding us of the sweetness of innocence?

Whatever our ‘roses on the table’ may be, may we revere and savour the simple, and remember that we needn’t wear diamonds on our necks to experience the richness of life.

In love and light,

Hayley xx

Soulful Sundays #9: Creativity & Connection

Welcome to my ninth instalment of ‘Soulful Sundays’. A weekly share where I post a roundup of soulful reflections, each including recipes, songs, quotes, blogs I have read and/or any other inspirational discoveries to sooth the soul.

For me, Sunday’s have become a day of quiet contemplation and simple pleasures. A time to reflect on the week gone by and to consider my hopes and dreams for the week ahead.

My hope is to extend some love outward and to share some simple pleasures with anyone who cares to receive them.

Soul Reflections

This week in Melbourne it’s the Untitled Literary Festival; five libraries, nineteen events and seven days of guest Authors, speakers, and creatives. A dream for anyone who loves the written word. As you can imagine, my diary is pretty booked out this week!

Surrounded by so much inspiration and talent, it got me pondering what it is that I love so much about the literary world and creative expression, in any form really.  For me, it always falls back to the same four fundamental components: connection, exploration, inspiration and imagination. I realise that not everyone may write or create for the same reasons, but for me, these four elements embody my love of creativity and writing.

Connection: Through my writing journey, I have found great connection with countless souls, many whom I consider great mentors and friends. And yes! That includes YOU! Most importantly, I have found connection with my Self. That inner voice of truth that often becomes buried beneath the mental chatter and confusion.

Exploration: Writing is an exploration of the soul. An excavation process, if you will. And the treasures we uncover provide the inspiration for creativity. Through our creative journey, we explore our inner and outer worlds with a sense of newness and wonder.

Inspiration: Inspiration can arrive in many forms, a verbal queue, a fleeting moment, the quiet whispers of our souls, a glaringly obvious recognition, a song, an image, a scene…inspiration is everywhere. We must simply be open to receiving it.

Imagination: Once inspired – or as Wayne Dyer would say; ‘In spirit‘ our boundless imaginations are set free.  Imagination is creativity’s playground.

Whenever I feel creatively blocked, I know it is because I have lost connection in some way, with myself or with others. Once I reconnect – exploration, imagination and inspiration just seem to flow. What are your reason’s for writing/expressing your creativity? What are the core pillars that keep you connected to your truth?

Soul Strolls

Here are a couple of snaps taken on my daily walks this week. Summer is arriving here in Melbourne, and my what a beautiful summer it is. Longer evenings, warmer weather and glorious flowers in full bloom.

Soul Food

Anyone who knows me will know that I am slightly (very) obsessed with peanut butter. I recommend natural, whole-food peanut butters over conventional peanut butters, which usually contain added sugars! So when I found this healthy (yes healthy) vegan peanut butter ice-cream recipe, I had to share. Did someone say peanut butter ice-cream? Yep – she sure did! Nom nom nom.

Soul Sounds

This week I am sharing a piano track for focus named Sleeping Lotus by Joep Beving. I love the sound of the piano, this track is beautiful to listen to whilst in the bath, house cleaning, or simply relaxing and of course, whilst being creative.
**for some reason I cannot embed the track at the moment, so if you use the link for now, I will attempt to embed the video again tomorrow.

Soul Brothers

Today I am sharing A Wish For Writers by Charles French over at Charles French Words Reading and Writing. A simple yet inspiring message of hope for us to persevere with our creativity.

May you all be blessed on this creatively inspired Sunday,

In love and light,

Hayley xx

Hayley In Wonderland

What a beautiful, sumptuous evening here in Melbourne Australia. Fragrant, alive, vibrant. The sweet aroma of Mother Nature’s ‘pure’-fume intoxicating and delighting my senses. The hottest day I’ve felt since Winter passed, welcoming Spring in all her colour and beauty. Spring is now surely making way for Summer.

Although unplanned, I took a spontaneous walk, which turned out to be Divinely timed. The Sun was lowering herself in the warm dusky sky, lingering long enough that I may enjoy a colourful sky lit walk. A walk which I can only describe as alive. If only I had captured pictures to share with you. But I’m equally happy I could drink the beauty with my own eyes, free from the lens of my camera phone.

I cannot describe the scents so well that I can do them justice. Only that with each few steps, I was captivated by yet another alluring aroma so vividly intense, that I felt I was wandering the isles of a duty free fragrant section in the airport lounge. Except, instead of the sickly, synthetic smells that overpower and repulse, each long inhale provided me with a healing hit of pleasurable plant ‘pure’-fume.  And all of this whilst listening to a steady orchestra of birds, crickets and life… Monarchs resting in lazy fashion, opening and closing their wings like clam shells; dogs chasing frisbees and footballs; children collecting baskets of flowers to take home to Mum…

I arrived home as the Sun was dipping, bidding her final farewell for the evening…

I felt like Alice In Wonderland.

May you be blessed with the presence of Now. However fleeting and brief those moments may be, may they delight in all of your senses. Here’s to living a life of wonder.

In Love and Light

Hayley xx

Peace