Give yourself a time out; 🔆to rejuvenate, 🔆to reconnect with nature and your authentic self, 🔆to discover the forest, the shoreline or the view and linger safely wrapped in the healing power of nature, 🔆to be fully present and ponder the awe of you and everything around you, 🔆to explore your purpose in all of this universal magic, 🔆to enjoy a sense of peacefulness and calm, 🔆to exhale the busyness of your human life, 🔆to observe how absolutely amazing the natural world, you and life is, And, 🔆to be your authentic self and fall in love with who you really are.
Peace comes from those moments that have no price tag. The moments that allow us to refuel and remember who we are and why we’re here.
Every day you leave a trail of footprints behind you. You may not see them, but others will.
This trail is created by your acts of kindness, the forgiveness you offer, the wisdom you share, the compassion you show and the love you give freely.
These footprints become the roadmap your children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, friends, community and others will follow.
As we walk upon the impressions of those who came before us, let’s walk gently and be mindful of how we take care of, repair or change the course of the path, so those who follow us have a solid foundation to walk on.
When we’re young, we can’t fully anticipate the changes we’ll go through during our lives. Changes in the world, our priorities, our bodies, our attitudes, our beliefs, our tastes or, how our life experiences will shape us. We’ll stumble, fall, learn, grow and we’ll change.
Ten year-old you could never have comprehended the needs and priorities of the 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, year old you.
So rather than worrying about which path you “think” you should take, instead be mindful of outcomes such as good health, acquiring wisdom, being a good human and a good steward of the planet. Then, take the path that appears.
You can still cultivate your big dreams, recognizing the route to those dreams, may NOT be down the road you expected.
We all grow into who we’re meant to be. How we get there, is not as important as how we live and love along the way.
Toni O’Keeffe ~🌹❤️ ~ art work created by Nino Chakvetadze
See these two perfect, little souls? They might be destined to be the best of friends and love each for the rest of their lives, until somebody tells them not to.
We’re born as loving, kind, compassionate beings. We come into the world wired for authentic soul-to-soul connections and a natural curiously about our differences, we’re not born to fear them.
Society teaches us how to judge, hate, fear, shun and mock others. But, that’s not who we are. We’re born to be better than that, so, let’s BE better than that.
Wanna’ feel better? 🔹Turn off your devices. 🔹Drink a glass of water. 🔹Take a walk or a bike ride in the woods or around the block. 🔹Pet a dog or play with a cat. 🔹Listen to your favourite tunes. 🔹Plant something. 🔹Eat an apple. 🔹Smile at a stranger and watch them smile back. 🔹Have a conversation with a 4 year old or an 84 year old. Ask them what matters. 🔹Be silly, do something that will make you laugh, snort or giggle. 🔹 Have a tea party. 🔹 Have some soup. 🔹Go sit next to the ocean. 🔹Get some fresh air. 🔹Be mindful of all the things you’re grateful for. 🔹Make art, music, poetry, or cupcakes. 🔹Hug something.
Wanna’ feel better? Count your blessings and lean into the good stuff. It’s all around you.
The same awesome power that created the sun, the stars, the moon, the oceans, forests, flowers, music, art, puppies and everything you love, also created you! Whoa! I’d say, that makes you pretty big deal.
Have an absolutely wonderful day being your absolutely wonderful self 🌟 Toni 🌹❤️
Have you ever been so peacefully lost in a moment, enjoying whatever you’re doing, that no other thought or thing can reach you? Completely present, engaging all of your senses? This is what mindfulness looks like. This is how we’re meant to live, one thought, one step, one moment, one beautiful breath at a time.
Most of our adult lives we’re on a quest to feel whole and happy.
As we wait for happiness to arrive, some of us fill the empty spaces with busyness, distractions, temporary highs, unfulfilling relationships, toxic substances, material possessions and the debt that often comes with the “stuff” we bring into our lives. But still, the emptiness remains.
As children we intuitively lived mindfully. We knew how to laugh, how to play and what made us happy. Happiness and fulfilment arrived when we exercised our curiosity, explored our environment, created adventures, made art, made music, made mud, splashed in puddles, ran barefoot through the grass, played in a forest or a creek, took risks and knew we’d be okay even if we fell.
There’s a child who lives in each of us waiting to come out and play, hungry to make a little mud.
Even amidst the frenzied noise of a world in constant turmoil, we can still CHOOSE to be playful and happy, even if we get a little bit messy.
That whimsy child in you may just be lost beneath the clutter, the distractions, the busyness, the possessions, the stress, too much information, self doubt and responsibility.
Today’s a good day to set that perfect, playful, child free and reclaim your “happy.” To let go and jump, skip, slide, soar, sing, surf, run, ride, sail, paddle, peddle, splash or swim, right past anything blocking your path to happiness. Now, go make some mud.
Stop worrying about the people and stuff you can’t control. Take hold of the day ( or the stick) and run towards the things that bring you joy, not the things and people that bring you chaos or bring you down.
Once upon a time, there was a family of 7.2 billion people running around their little blue village trying to change each other and beat each other up. No one really knew why.
Each new generation picked up where the generation before had left off, mocking, shunning, shaming, judging and attacking their family for their different beliefs, social status, gender, sexual orientation, alliances, traditions, looks and well, just about anything.
While they could have been building a beautiful village together and caring for one another, instead, they wasted time blowing things up, destroying the village, hurting each other, even going to war with each other over their differences.
Then one day a group of children within the village decided “this is dumb” we’re not playing like this anymore. And they didn’t, and over a few generations the family began to heal.
They still had disagreements, but now they worked through them with curiosity and without judgment or causing each other significant harm.
Soon the family began to realize they were supposed to be different. It was their differences that made them stronger, healthier and collectively wiser. They saw that when they lifted each other up, and listen to each other‘s perspectives, they achieved more together then they did apart.
No, they did not all live “happily ever after”, but they did survive and live “better ever after.”
That’s it. The End~
**I don’t want to look like you, be like you, think like you, have the same hopes, dreams or goals as you. Those things belong to you, those things are a part of your journey.
The only thing we should be the same at, is accepting and loving each other as we are; and, embracing the notion that; ~we’re supposed to be different, it’s our differences that give us our collective strength and collective beauty.
I’m gonna’ love your beautiful, messy, weird, little, soul, just the way it is and, love my own weird, messy, little soul the same way.
The Whimsey Angel 