FITNESS, WELLNESS, & MINDFULNESS BLOG

A few years ago in an interview, I was asked "What do you believe people are missing the most when it comes to a healthy lifestyle?” My answer was - and still is - “the ability to cultivate joy on a daily basis.” Make no mistake, I was speaking as much personally as I was collectively.

Dear friends and family, as we collectively experience the passing of 2020, it’s fair to say that this year has been like no other in our lifetime.

"'The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new." - Socrates

This week I turned 51, and here’s what I know - it is a gift to be alive and well! And my life is full of many gifts and blessings for which I am grateful. Therefore I always welcome and celebrate my birthday in some fashion, although every year that looks different.

How do we learn to find peace and clarity in those seasons of life that don't unfold as expected?

In 2012 I had a lumpectomy in my right breast. It was BENIGN. However, being diagnosed with a benign tumor doesn’t take the scary out of the word “tumor,” a word that will stop you in your tracks.

With Election Day upon us, many of us are feeling a heightened sense of stress, anxiety, and uncertainty. This experience cuts across party lines, as no one person has control over the outcome. And all of that uncertainty and ensuing stress can take a toll on our mental and physical health.

Although it’s still a month away, I'm already looking forward to that special day of the year when gratitude is front and center. And while celebrations will be smaller and many families will be apart, that doesn't mean gratitude has to dim its light.

The silver lining of being stuck at home during the COVID-19 is getting to cozy up with a good book, especially ones that will encourage you to think about the world from new perspectives. Reading has helped me get through this challenging time with greater gratitude and knowledge, so I'm sharing some of my favorite quarantine reads with you. My intent is that these books serve you as well as they have served me!

"... when things go back to normal..." Something I hear a lot. But there is no such thing, nor has there ever been. There is no "going back" in life unless you want to live a life of resistance and suffering - which I know you don't.

What do you do when certainty seems impossible to find? For many of us, the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have pulled the rug out from under our routines and left us with a sudden lack of structure. Certainty is in short supply these days for all of us. That is why creating daily rituals is more important than ever.

My friends, we are more than halfway through 2020 - which in and of itself feels a bit surreal - and this year has been unprecedented in so many ways. There have been missed celebrations, opportunities, and experiences we had hoped to have, and more time on our hands than ever before.

I hope this note finds you safe and healthy. Full disclosure, I've been meaning to write this for the last couple weeks, as May is Mental Health Awareness Month. But truth be told, life has been very challenging, confronting, and often I have felt lost and uncertain.