Soulful Sunday # 37: Love The Moment

Welcome to my thirty-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

Today, I’m reminded to love the moment I’m in. So often we are pulled this way and that. We race from one thing to another, rarely immersed in the present; already thinking of ‘next.’ To live consciously takes practice – a dedication to catch oneself whenever tempted to drift.

Here I am enjoying my drum lesson with my man, who took a sneaky shot whilst I was playing. We both love music. I love this photo as it captured a moment I was loving, with a person I love with all my heart. How sweet when we love the moment we are in?

Soul Strolls

Later, we took a soul stroll. Following our noses, we came across this beautiful park with a flowing river. Curious, we decided to go off the beaten track and cross the river. As we crossed, we paused for a moment on the rocks to listen to the rhythm and flow of nature.

The river served as a reminder to go with the flow; to trust the direction of life.

Soul Music

I am loving listening to Deuter at the moment. I find his music beautifully enchanting and soulful, full of emotive rifts and melodies. In keeping with the theme of flowing with life, I’d like to share a track called Sound of Invisible Waters. It really is quite stunning. Sometimes the magic of life flows by – invisible, unnoticed. Yet if we tune in to ourselves and our surroundings – we tap into that invisible flow. That is where the magic happens.

Soul Food

I made this delicious chocolate mousse at the weekend, except, I decided to infuse mine with DoTerra’s Wild Orange essential oil instead of peppermint. It went down a treat with my guests, who all agreed it tasty divine.  I love that this recipe combines two of my favourite things; essential oils and chocolate, to pack a punch of yummy goodness into my tum. Health is wealth – you really can have your cake and eat it.

Here’s my chocolate orange version!

Soul Sisters

I’d love to share this post by Girly Christian who shares 10 Ways To Show Kindness. One way we can begin to enter the flow of life is to live mindfully and purposefully. We can do this by spreading love and kindness.

Today, on this soulful Sunday – may we spread seeds of joy, accept life as it is, and love the moment we are in.

In love & light,

Hayley xx

 

 

 

 

 

 

This Moment

The only time we ever have is NOW. Even when the next moment arrives, we begin to live it in the moment, which is always now. Yet so many of our present moments are squandered with thoughts of the past or the future. Ruminating and mulling over the past, which cannot be changed – robs us of the present moment. Day dreaming of the future, which is never guaranteed – robs us of the present moment.

Our mind, which swings back and forth like a pendulum between past and future thoughts, is what keeps us from fully experiencing and living life now. When we silence the mental chatter by breathing and becoming aware of our true self – the loving presence behind the thinking, we begin to immerse ourselves in life itself. Each moment is new and fresh. Old habits fall away as we experience ourselves and the world we live in as ever changing, ever evolving, ever new. We are limitless. Life is limitless. And the time to live is NOW.

In love & light,

Hayley xx

Soulful Sundays #20: Sweet Life

Welcome to my twentieth 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

We get just one shot at this sweet life of ours. It will never come again – so live! Why waste life with thoughts of the past, regretting the choices and mistakes we have made? Why squander our time fretting about the future? For the future may never come.

So many of us choose to love cautiously when we can choose to love passionately instead. Yes, maybe we will get hurt. But wouldn’t we rather die with a thousand words expressed than a thousand unspoken in our hearts? Not only are we guarded in love, but we live cautiously too… Too often we dismiss our dreams and lay them aside for fears of not being good enough. We fear success and we fear failure. But those burning desires within our hearts exist for a reason. Life is what we make of it. Be bold. Be brave. Your dreams are real, so go after them.

Today, let us live. May we laugh a little louder, dance a little freer, love a little larger, and dare to dream a little longer. May we throw caution to the wind and embrace the life we intended to live. Because ‘that it will never come again is what makes life so sweet.’ Nothing is ever guaranteed. So don’t wait for life to begin, begin living.

Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?

– Mary Oliver

Soul Strolls

On the last day of February here in Melbourne, I caught this beautiful sunset on what was officially the last day of summer. With a high of 34 degrees, she certainly turned up the heat for us!

Soul Food 

In keeping with the ‘sweet life’ – I am sharing these Jaffa Bliss Balls by Becomingness. They look a treat. Even better, is that they are guilt free! Mmmmm yummy.

Soul Music

Today, I am sharing this gorgeous track by Sons of Zion, Life. It’s a beautiful reminder for us to love, live and dream for today.

Soul Sisters

I must share with you Miriam’s post Bushwalking and Basking in the Now, which is the perfect reminder for us to live now and immerse ourselves in the moment. To look up and love life. Head on over and have a read!

Wishing you all sweet Sunday!

In love & light,

Hayley xx 

Love What You Do

As I sit here with gratitude overflowing, I couldn’t agree more with Katharine Graham’s statement. Today, I taught eighty-one kindergartens how to meditate and do yoga. Their smiling, peaceful faces were a picture of innocence and love. Afterwards, we silly danced to the Beach Boys Surfin USA as we played and laughed and giggled. As the children left, I was gifted with spontaneous hugs and ‘thank you’s’ for teaching them mindfulness. But the truth is, each day they are the ones teaching me. When in the company of children, how can we be anything but in the moment? And this is my daily work. I am so blessed and thankful to love what I do. How can anything else be more fun?

It wasn’t always this way. For a long time I was unfulfilled with my work. I felt it lacked purpose and meaning. But there is a quote by Kahlil Gibran which reminds us that it’s not necessarily what we do, but how we do it.

Work is love made visible.

– Kahlil Gibran

Although it certainly helps, we needn’t love what we do. But we do need to do it with love. When we work from a place of love, whatever our work may be, we breathe life into our work. Which in turn breathes life and meaning into what we do. When we operate from a place of grace and gratitude, we attract more abundance into our lives. Doors begin to open where before, there appeared to be none.

So today, have fun. Whether you are cooking, eating, gardening, cleaning, working, living, loving, laughing! – make each moment matter, and do it with love. Because ‘to love what you do and feel that it matters – how could anything else be more fun?’

In love and light,

Hayley xx

Soulful Sundays #17: Why Delay?

Welcome to my seventeenth 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

If we stop for a moment and take a look around, we begin to realise just how lucky we are. This life is pretty wonderful. So why do so many of us delay our happiness?

“…I’ll go on holiday once I’ve tended to the house repairs…” “…When I have more money I’ll be able to do the things I want to do…” “…I’ll look for love when I’m not so busy and have more time…” “…When I retire I’ll pursue my creative passions…” No no no people. The time to live is NOW.

There are no ‘perfect moments’ or ‘right times’ to begin living our lives. Life is far too precious to place on hold for one more day. Our aim is to participate in life in ways that are meaningful and fulfilling. It needn’t be something extraordinary, it could be as simple as watching the sun set, stroking your pet, laughing freely with another whilst goofing about. We each value different things, beliefs vary from one person to the next, but at our core we all wish for the same; peace, abundance, connection, joy, love, freedom, passion, purpose and a sense of belonging…

Each moment is precious. Each moment is sacred. Even the most mundane tasks can be accomplished with a sense of grace and gratitude. When we delay our happiness we fall under the false notion that our time here on earth is limitless – that our happiness is ‘out there’ somewhere waiting for us in the future. But as Henry James reminds us: ‘The right time is any time that one is still lucky as to have…LIVE!”

Soul Strolls

It’s a wee bit drizzly here in Melbourne today, but I managed to capture these pretty white Jasmine flowers whilst out strolling yesterday. These smell wonderful in the evening, like nature’s pure-fume. Delightful.

Soul Food

With the cooler weather I tend to turn to comforting foods, such as stews and soups. Which is why I made this delicious Chunky Chickpea & Sweet Potato Soup. It’s healthy, healing and tastes delicious! I hope it warms your tum 🙂

Soul Music

I think this song is pretty fitting for today’s post – I hope you’ll all be rocking out to it as much as I just did. Go on – I dare ya! 😉

Soul Sisters

Today I am sharing Nina’s post Life Is Good When There Is Love. She embodies this weeks Soulful Sunday’s post with grace and gratitude. Live. Be in the moment. Love. Find the magic in the simple. Head over and have a read!

Wishing you all a simple yet extraordinary Sunday!

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