‘Baby blues, baby blues, all caught up in those baby blues.’ – The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
This has been my song for the last three days. At first I thought there was something wrong with me. How can I feel so joyful yet so sad at the same time?
Bursting into tears for no apparent reason whilst my heart simultaneously swells with love for this little soul we’ve created is an overwhelming cocktail of emotions.
And then I heard of ‘the baby blues.’ 80% of women will experience the baby blues and it usually passes within 2 to 3 days.
However, if you find you are feeling teary, anxious, and irritable with moods that are up and down for longer than two weeks, reach out for support from friends and family, as well as professionals as you may be experiencing early signs of post natal depression.
Remember to be gentle on yourself and don’t be afraid to ask for help. Giving birth is a huge undertaking on a woman’s body and emotions and now is not the time to berate yourself. You are doing the best you can.
Bad days don’t make you a bad mum, they simply remind you that you are human; not superwoman.
Trust that like anything, in time, it will pass. You’ve got this Mumma!
I am lucky enough to have experienced work that I love. Teaching mindfulness and yoga to children encourages them to build better relationships with themselves, their friends and family, and the world around them. I can’t think of anything more rewarding than that.
But it wasn’t always that way. I’ve worked many a long hour in jobs I disliked just to earn some money and because it’s what ‘everyone else did.’
Maybe you love cooking, music or design? Maybe you’re passionate about the environment or making a difference in the lives of others, but feel you can’t make money following your passions?
We are so conditioned to work ‘for the other man’ in order to get ahead, often working long hours for very little in return. Worse still, we dislike the work we do.
Today, I encourage you to consider a different paradigm.
What would your life look like if you were getting paid to do what you love? What steps can you take to make your vision a reality?
Is it going to take grit, determination and perseverance? Yes. Do you have what it takes? Yes!!! Believe you can.
Work is love made visible.
– Kahlil Gibran
This photos was snapped spontaneously by one of the students from school as the kids played with my hair and goofed around 🤪
I think she’s captured perfectly the joy I receive from working with children and being in their company…
🌼 They remind me not to take life too seriously
🌼 I love the way they are in complete awe and wonder of the magic of life
🌼 Children are full of enthusiasm, even about the smallest of things
🌼 They say what’s on their mind! Zero filter 🙈 ..this can be scary, but it can also be so beautiful and pure that my heart melts every time 😌
And that folks, are just a few of the reasons I friggen love my work ❤️🌈
Do you love what you do? If yes, or if no, why? I’d love to know if your work aligns with your heart’s values…
To live is a choice. The question is; How are YOU choosing to live? With grace, humility, gratitude, courage and reverence? Or with resistance, pride, constant complaining, fear and nonchalance?
Believe me, I know how easy it is to fall into a state of dissatisfaction. To find the light in each moment is a CHOICE we must make, and on some days that can take immense effort. But choosing to look at what’s right, rather than what’s wrong is a choice that rewards deep dividends in emotional well-being and content.
Every day may not be good, but there is something good in every day.
Today, look to what’s good. Choose to live in ways that bring you simple joys of pleasure and peace, or better still – do something that makes your heart sing and your soul dance!
One of the best way to achieve peace and fulfilment is to live a life of authenticity, one that’s in complete alignment with your soul’s wishes. Too run down to go on that dinner date? Reschedule. Your real friends will understand. Run yourself a hot bath and relax instead. Love the colour red but always play it safe with black? Make a statement and purchase some killer red heals. Always wanted to to take up dancing but can never find the time or money to? Don’t delay and book a class today!
Whatever it is that makes YOUR soul happy, do it. That is how we must aim to live.
Welcome to my forty-third 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 receivethem.
Soul Reflections
Five days ago I submitted my book proposal to Hay House Australia, the worthy winner will be announced on March 2nd 2018 (My Mum’s birthday!) Happy birthday Mum?! 😉
There were many moments during my writing process where I became stuck. Mostly, when I began comparing my book to other books in the same category, or when I compared myself to other people with better credentials, more social media followers and bigger profiles then mine.
Comparison is the thief of joy.
– Theodore Roosevelt
True creation comes from a place of joy, it emerges from the heart. That’s when our creativity begins to flow.
When I stopped comparing myself to others and trusted in my own unique individuality, my words became infused with the love for what I do.
Our creative ideas may not be for everyone, for some it just wont resonate. And that’s ok. Don’t let that stop you. Remember your ‘why’ and trust that someone, somewhere is waiting for that perfect photo, painting, book, dress, interior design, song or melody.
Stop comparing yourself to others and dance to the rhythm of your own drum. Remember to take joy in the dance itself.
When you dance, your purpose is not to get to a certain place on the floor. It’s to enjoy each step along the way.
– Wayne Dyer
Soul Strolls
This week we’ve been soul ‘dancing’ rather than strolling, and have shaken our hips to the sounds of Alt J, Warpaint, Fat Freddy’s Drop and more! On Thursday, at our first musical event – it bucketed down with rain. But we didn’t let that stop us. There was something refreshing about dancing in the squelching mud as the heavens opened, drenching us with the cleansing waters of Mother Earth.
The sun made her appearance again for The Pleasure Gardens in St Kilda, where we enjoyed the incredible performers, artists and unique individuals who attended this family friendly event. It was the perfect way to let our hair down after exam studies and proposal deadlines.
Soul Food
I looooooove coconut and I love fruit (I still believe I’m made for Hawaii!) So today I am sharing this delicious Quick Coconut Chia Seed Pudding. I bought all of the ingredients today and plan to try out a few different fruit combinations! I’m loving fresh mango at the moment, and can’t wait to try a mango version. What fruit would you add to your Coconut Chia Pudding?
Soul Music
With so much magical music in the air, it’s so hard to choose just one song to share! So today I am sharing two of my favourite songs from this weeks events, Fat Freddy’s Drop’s Roady to get you in the feel goods, and the more deeper sounds of Warpaint’s Love Is To Die.
Soul Sisters
Today I am sharing Tanya’s post A Storm So Perfect. Tanya wears her heart on her sleeve and in today’s raw, heartfelt peace – through her experiences she reminds us to step beyond our fears and into the life we were meant to live. Head over and say hello, Tanya is a beautiful soul.
Wishing you all a magical melodic Sunday filled with fresh hopes, dreams and wishes for the week ahead ❤
Today, love, dance, create from your heart – and enjoy each step along the way.
What is it that makes you come alive? What causes time to stand still in that moment when nothing else matters? Are you living? Laughing? Loving? Maybe you are creating, teaching, or learning?
Whatever it is that brings you the most joy – do that.
Forget about what you think the world needs. Don’t try to mould yourself to fit into a box of what you believe is expected of you. What the world needs is your joy. Be the joyful, loving soul that you are, and then share yourself with the world.
Today, follow your bliss. Know that we can best serve others when we spend time each day doing the things we love.
There is no harm in surrounding ourselves with comfort and beauty, so long as we enjoy them… The antique chest of drawers you saw which you simply adore; the sleek new set of wheels you’re itching to drive one day; that Hawaiin holiday of a lifetime; a house in the country; a cute wee puppy – all of life’s pleasure’s are there to be enjoyed (so long as we can afford them and are causing no harm to others!)
Life was never meant to be dull or boring, nor must we go without in order to live virtuously. The problem arises when we attach our happiness and self-worth to what we have, rather than to who we are at our core.
True happiness cannot be bought nor can it ever be taken away. No-one, and no thing can deny us of our innate peace. They may dull, stimulate, threaten or enhance the love and joy that already exists within, but that love and joy is infinitely ours and we have the power to sustain it, regardless of our circumstances.
Today, enjoy life’s pleasures. Remember that what you focus on expands. Awaken to the abundance you already possess.
Welcome to my twenty-fifth 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 cannot stress enough the importance of beginning each new day afresh. Yesterday has been and gone. We cannot undo what has already been done, but we can bless yesterdays lessons with love, and embrace the joy of a new day.
When we drag our past forward into the present, we feel heavy with yesterday’s sorrows. After a while, the accumulation of upsets becomes too burdensome to bear. We must be willing to let go of the notion that things could have been any different. Accept that things were precisely as they needed to be, for those were the lessons we needed to acquire in order to move forward.
Let go. Free yourself from yesterdays sorrows and release the past. Don’t hold yourself hostage to it for a moment longer. Know that you did the best you could with the knowledge you had in that moment, and the same is true of others. Forgive and move on. Today is a new day, with fresh hopes, dreams and joys waiting to be discovered.
Soul Strolls
Since moving house recently, I have yet to discover a local park that is large enough to enjoy a good stroll. The hunt will continue. In the meantime, I took to the streets, but there is beauty to be discovered all around if our eyes are open to it. I captured these cute we flowers in someone’s front garden. Pretty and pink, to brighten these darker evenings in Melbourne.
Soul Food
I have been under the weather lately, and am in need of comforting foods which offer a good source of nutrients to support my health. So I am sharing this delicious Peppermint Chocolate Mousse by one of my favourite health and wellness bloggers, Alice at The Whole Daily. I use DoTerra Essential oils for their therapeutic, organic healing qualities.. This mousse can also be made using orange essential oils! Yum!
Soul Music
Today I am sharing James Bay’s – Let It Go. A gentle reminder to let things go, to let them be and to leave everything that’s broken to the breeze.
Soul Sisters
I am sharing Nina’s post How Did You Live Today? A gentle reminder to live each day to the fullest. To embrace the moment and to not allow another day to go by wasted. Thank you Nina for the reminder.
Life is too short to dwell in the past. So today, let go.
Today at school, I asked 91 kindergarten students what it means to be peaceful. As always, whenever I listen to children’s responses regarding matters of the heart, I am blown away by their wisdom and intuition: ‘Peaceful is being kind to your friends…’ ‘Peaceful means you are calm and still…’ ‘When we are peaceful we help others and never be mean…’ ‘Peace is when we love each other…’ So many beautiful responses at the tender age of five. I am forever moved and amazed by our little ones.
It got me thinking about what it means to have peace in one’s soul. For me, it is a sense of being aligned with my truth; choosing right words and right action; making peace with my mistakes and the past; forgiving myself and others; attempting to right my wrongs and expressing myself honestly from the heart… What does peace look like to you?
Each day we have a series of choices and decisions to make. We may not always get them right – but if we aim to choose our words, thoughts, deeds and actions from a place of peace, if we listen to our hearts and respond to life rather than react, then rest assured we will meet with a life of fulfillment and joy.
Today, take a moment to be still and listen to your soul. Choose love over hate, joy above sorrow, and peace before conflict. Because ‘to have peace in one’s soul is the greatest of happiness.’
Real change begins within. We must be willing to become what it is that we wish to see in our lives.
I have found that whenever my sense of inner peace is off balance, if ever I am met with difficult roadblocks along the way, there is usually a personal growth lesson I am failing to recognise. Did I waver momentarily from my authentic self? Have I communicated clearly my truth? Did I fail to recognise another’s perspective? Have I neglected my self-care practice?
Once we become aware of what’s going on on the inside, we can recognise the teachings that are being reflected to us in our outer world. Only then can we return our focus to the basic principles for a peaceful existence – acceptance; forgiveness; kindness; patience; love; joy; gratitude. The situation then usually resolves itself.
In today’s quote, Mahatma Gandhi, leader of the freedom independence and civil rights movement in India, reminds us that we must ‘be the change.’
If you crave more peace – be peaceful. Do you long for more love? Be more loving. If you wish to receive more abundance in life – give more. More happiness? Share your joy. The best way for us to experience a life of fulfillment is to be the change and lead by example. Our outer world always mirrors back to us the state of our inner world. The good news is, we have the power to change this. We have the power to shift our perceptions so that we can experience more of the love, joy, and abundance that is available to us.
Today, ‘be the change you wish to see in the world.’
Blessed are those with an attitude of gratitude. Grateful hearts have the ability to turn a meal into a feast, ‘not enough’ into plenty, a small fortune into acres of diamonds, a fleeting moment into an eternity… Simply put, when we are grateful our lives become abundant with blessings.
It’s easy for us to be grateful when life is flowing beautifully; money is in the bank, we find the perfect parking spot, the lights are on green and we feel a sense of belonging. But when life is challenging, when we receive unexpected bad news, our dreams have been dashed, there isn’t enough to cover the bills and they don’t love us back – the words ‘thank you’ don’t come so easily. It is during these times we must take stock of our lives and recognise all that is good, even if we must begin first with the basics; food on the table, shelter, clean water, good health… Can you walk, talk and see the beauty that surrounds you? Can you hear the music that stirs your soul? Can you love, dream and create? Give thanks for all of that, for gratitude possesses the transformative power to turn even the darkest moments into light.
Each day we get to choose how we experience life, it is a simple shift in perspective from one of lack to one of abundance. Each day is a gift when we recognise, and give thanks for its many blessings. So today, say thank you! For ‘if the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.’
Dear Dad 