Looking forward to having you back.

This week I love:

– Spending time laughing out loud with my parents. Being older makes that so much easier. And more fun.

- Going out to a dance by myself to prove that I don’t always have to have a date to have fun. And it turns out I had a blast!

- Coming back from vacation. As great as tropical paradise can be, the real gift is when you are so excited about starting a new life, you can’t wait to get back :)

Good luck with everything you are going through and need to go through!

Always a bit sad to see when there’s a hiatus (your website is one of my first internet visit of the day!) but I think *everyone* in the Bonzai community always fully supports any breaks or re-thinks of the blog and how it fits in.

Man…crazy year all around it seems. I, too, am in transition. Hard to say if I’m in a better place than last year or not. Strange, I know. In some ways MUCH better…but I’m not exactly in a comfortable situation right now so things are always simmering at a fairly tense level.

So, let’s ramp up this positivity-train a bit:
1. Being able to quickly get off the highway and have someone take over driving when I was about to have a panic attack (driving anxiety…blahhhh…such a hard one to tackle).
2. Finally making a BIG and I mean *BIG* life decision. Still might be a year or two off and I honestly have no idea how it will transpire but I’ve made the decision to take the leap. So scary…like…soooo scary…but will be completely and totally worth it in the end (man, do I wish I had a crystal ball to see how I’ll pull this life change off!)
3. Noticing synchronicities.
4. Having the ENTIRE house to myself (except the pup of course!) for a WHOLE week! Starting Sunday…man…will that be nice or what??
5. My doggie testing negative for Lyme after having had a level of 76 (!) awhile back (Over 30 is considered high and should be treated…76 was a year AFTER she had been treated!) Phew.
6. Gua-sha. Seriously. Do it. ahhhhmmaaazing. Granted, I still am having good days and bad days but even a slight big of relief is MAJOR for a chronic pain sufferer. (On a not-so-love note: Trying to do it on myself when I couldn’t get to the practitioner—uhhh..bruise much?)
7. Cleaning. Organizing. It is so funny–all my life I thought I was the “messy” one of our family. I was always labelled as such. Now, as 31-year old, visiting my parents, I realize it wasn’t me! I’m actually pretty darn organized and tidy : )
8. Finding a new fruit and just having a ball playing with the name for the 2-hour car ride after picking some! Jostaberry! Seriously..say it and see if you don’t light up : )
9. Heat wave FINALLY breaking. That was a toughie.
10. Pinterest…this is really a love/hate..but man, what a pleasurable guilty pleasure.
11. TV shows for the younger set that I still enjoy–still love those teen shows. Need a big of mindless entertainment every once in awhile.
12. Coconut flour flatbread (that’s inexpensive AND low-cal). Totally addicted.
13. Finding coconut flour and garbanzo flour for about HALF the price!
14. New exercise videos that I SWEAR I’m starting tomorrow. The anticipation is half the fun, right?
15. Minor online shopping. I have always been pretty anti-online shopping. I am not much of a consumer but I prefer the visceral experience of being in a store and seeing, touching, trying on the item. But finally biting the bullet for a few Amazon items has made the past few weeks like Christmas!
16. Getting a crappy massage. Seriously. Started out with a tip envelope ON THE FACE CRADLE! What a way to start out an hour of relaxation. Went downhill from there…but–then talking with the owner and finding a space that I can rent per hour if I want to treat some clients AND being offered a free massage to make up for this one. Love that. What a sweet person.
17. Getting 2 drawers for my clothes. Man, I love folding and putting things away vertically so you can just flip through them like a card catalog. So visually pleasing. I am happy each and every time I open the drawer.

Small things in life, I tell ya. It doesn’t take much : )

That being said, I recently heard about “dry drowning” and it absolutely terrified me! So now I feel that any extra safety measure is worth it in my eyes….oy…such a process finding the right balance of safety and just livin’ life. : )

This week I’m happy for sweet dog snuggles and movers.