The Shadow and the Shimmer

Today is a very special day! It is my darling dearest boyfriend's 30th birthday! We kicked off the day with a super vigorous team cleanup of the apartment. I love the feeling of balance and harmony that comes with cleaning...it really set the tone for a super-charged, inspiring day! Next up, I left the birthday boy home alone for an hour while I went to my Ayurveda consultation. This is something I have been interested in for a long time. After a sluggish winter, I feel like I need to boost my health, and this was a great starting place. Unsurprisingly, she confirmed that my nervous system is overwhelmed (yep!) due to poorly managed stress/working too hard/worrying too much/thinking too much.... That's me! I definitely feel like there is a disconnect between my mind and my heart; and this is what I need to work on balancing. Without further ado, here are my main assignments for the next 6 weeks: 1. DIET: first of all, it has to change! My Dosha is almost equal pa...

Hi Everybody and happy Thursday! It's a beautiful, sunny day! It's DAY 3 of my no-booze March, and I'm feeling great and super-motivated. Over the past few years, I've been really interested in learning about alcohol use, abuse and addiction. I've always been a fairly regular drinker with an insatiable appetite for cider and wine. I wanted to know: what is the correlation between what I FEEL and what I DO ? How often (and not always consciously) am I turning to alcohol to soothe an emotional or psychological problem? How can I incorporate more efficient and healthy ways of coping with daily stresses? Side note before proceeding : Alcoholism is a serious, potentially fatal disease. I am not a doctor and do not suggest that people with serious addictions can simply read a book and be cured. Professional intervention and treatment are critical and irreplaceable. OK, now, having said that, let's jump into the books that have really helped me over the year...

Yesterday was a catastrophic day. Migraines, anxiety, 37 minute delay on train home in subarctic weather. Not many fun things happened! Although yesterday roughed me up, today, I'm sleepily getting back on the 'ol high horse. Misery doesn't suit me too well. Despite being a HSP (highly sensitive person for those who don't know, and YES , it's a real thing!!!) , I never let the negative stick around too long. Today- I am going to kick back my "attitude of gratitude" with 3 things that are great today: 1. It's John Francis Bongiovi, Jr's 54th Birthday Today Happy Birthday BABY! My love affair with BJ started when my Aunt Donna sent me the 7800° Fahrenheit album for Christmas. It was probably 1992. From there, I grew my Bon Jovi tape collection. I had Bon Jovi books, I WROTE Bon Jovi books and I even hosted the infamous "Bon Jovi Party" when my mother refused to let 9-year-old-me go to the Bell Centre to see his life concert. This...

It's March, and I'm giving up booze for 31 days!  I am putting down the bottle for the entire month. Here are the main reasons why: 1. It feels really nice (emotionally/physically/spiritually) to not have alcohol in your system. Moods regulate, skin and hair rejuvenate, sleep improves. 2. I like the challenge. I've always been a pretty regular drinker, so it is a bit of a test to go a month without a glass of wine or pint of cider 3. It helps me get into my Zen zone. Let's face it, hangovers are not that uplifting. Bloating, anxiety and dehydration associated with too much alcohol are some of the things I'm happy to leave in February. I'm ready to ditch late night wine sessions for late night meditation sessions and bubble baths. 4. I know I'll eat better and workout more. Alcohol has got to be the world's biggest saboteur. A few pints of beer later; the gym is a distant rumination and I'm covered in honey garlic chicken wing sauce (that actu...

February 29, 2016 "Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it"- Buddha Dear Universe, Today is the first day of my online journaling. If you count all the times I've started random blogs and shut them down within a few weeks, it's not really the beginning. I've had an on-again off-again relationship with writing my entire life. Some creative fiction, but mainly, I like to write about my own personal experiences. I'm a self-diagnosed self-help junkie. I have spent the better part of the last 8 years devouring books about spirituality, Eastern religion and philosophy, psychoanalysis, dream interpretation, astrology...the list goes on. Despite my interest in all things Zen, I am a bit of a paradox. If you mixed 75% Bridget Jones with 25% Chelsea Handler; you'd get pretty close to my personality. I'm full of contradiction. I'm the girl who is promoting the benefits of meditation while smoking a cig...