I woke up yesterday to a Southern Snowfall in TN. It truly is beautiful although it wreaks havoc here in the South. I grew up in the North so I’m no stranger to those little white flakes that fly through the air with a beauty that is magical yet wreaks craziness on the ground. What I love about snow in the South is that it requires a mandatory slow-down for everyone. I mean…we got an inch and everything closes down. My Northern friends are laughing but here we seem to get a layer of ice under that lovely white blanket. Partner that will winding roads and Tennessee hills and you’ve got a recipe for disaster. SO we HAVE TO SLOW DOWN….in everything. In today’s society, we are racing at a ridiculous pace. I often tell people I am just trying to keep up with my own life. Sad but true. There’s always something that needs my attention..family,household chores, my music career and right now added to that is college audition process/paperwork and a wedding to plan! It takes discipline and intention for me to put on the brakes and breathe. I’m not always good at it but I’m learning. Because when I don’t slow down regularly, I pay for it eventually with my health and sanity. The best thing about yesterday’s slow down was everyone’s work schedule cancelled, rehearsals were cancelled and we had a wonderful family dinner together and played a game for hours. We laughed so hard that we cried at times and it was wonderful. (FYI-the game is Awkward Family Photos and it is a blast with teens and adults. And no I’m not getting paid to say that just love the game!) We had hot chocolate and cookies that I had stashed in the freezer for such a spontaneous moment as this. It was wonderful!!! As a mom who has a child graduating high school and going off to college, one graduating college, getting married and moving away…I will forever remember this mandatory slow down. It was a gift from an unexpected snowfall. And I received it with a grateful heart. When is the last time you slowed down? What would it mean to your family or marriage or personal health to slow down for a breather? If it snows in your neck of the woods…I hope you will. And the next time you are baking cookies…stash a few in the freezer for an unexpected family moment. You’ll be glad you did! Remember to like,share and comment. I love to hear from you.
Southern Snow Day= Mandatory slow down
Marriage & Branding
Last night I was the featured vocalist at a regional Christian Women in Media event where I heard Mila Grigg from Moda Image Consulting speak on personal branding. Now branding is a hot topic in this age of digital media. What others think of your company or your product makes a difference in your company’s success. I’ve heard many people speak on branding over the years but this one resonated deeply with me. It got me thinking about marriage. I know you are thinking, “huh?” but stay with me. Mila said that you don’t own your brand, your customer does and what they say about you when you leave the room IS your brand. So let’s translate that to your marriage relationship. What if your marriage “brand” directly correlates to your relational success? What is your brand there? Would your spouse say you are kind, generous, loving, joyful, forgiving in your marriage or would the residue that remains when you leave the room be frustration, anger, bitterness, annoyance or sorrow? IF the way we carry ourselves within what we do for a living can truly make or break us, wouldn’t that same principle apply to our relationships? Specifically our marriages?
It nailed me. Too often the fragrance I leave in the room is not one that truly resonates with who I want to be as a wife. Juggling my family, career, volunteering at church, planning 2 weddings ( my daughter’s & my sister’s), being head of a local high school music board, running a household ie: laundry,cooking ,cleaning….can leave me frazzled, if not kept in balance. When it is out of balance it spills over into my marriage. Not pretty…Ugh.
Marriage isn’t easy. It takes intentional investment to maintain and grow a rich relationship. What do you want to be known for in life? More specifically, what do you want to be known for in your marriage? I can tell you, what you are known for in your peripheral relationships can be way different than those close to you at home. You should ask your spouse or your kids. They’ll tell you the hard truth. They are the ones who see the good, bad and the ugly and love you anyway. At home the real branding emerges. So what is your marriage brand? Is it what you want to be known for? If not, how might you change that today? Something to think about.
Would love to hear from you if you want to comment below. And yes I’m open to the good, bad and the ugly because it matters. Please feel free to like, share this post too. 🙂
What yoga taught me about life
A few months ago I started taking a Yoga class at our local recreation center. I’ve always avoided yoga. Just thought it wasn’t for me. As I am aging, however, I’ve noticed my joints are stiffer and I’m just not as flexible as I used to be. Thus the need for much more stretching. Several of my friends have started yoga and they found great health benefits from it.
The other reason….
For several years now I’ve tried with doctors and nutritionists to lose weight. It has been a frustrating process. The verdict? I’m way overstressed. Really? What do I have to be stressed about. I’m happily married, 2 great kids. I think just the balance of life, raising kids, working, building a career as an artist, running my own entertainment company oh and…cooking, cleaning, laundry, volunteering at school & church. I guess I do have a lot on my plate! Taking Yoga has been great exercise for me but also a great opportunity for me to be mindful of self-care. Something we women seem to forget about too easily. Between working,caring for our families and our homes, volunteering, we can be overloaded on a daily basis. Taking the time to be in class was a huge shift for me to slow down for my health’s sake. Our instructor is a lovely, gentle woman who reminds us to take things slowly and listen to our bodies via what hurts and what does not. We will make progress as we continue. Hurting ourselves to prove something doesn’t accomplish anything. First class, I was reminded of this all important lesson though, not just in yoga but in life. It’s this: “IT’S OKAY TO BE WHERE YOU ARE. Be gentle with yourself, not allowing your ego or judgement to come in play. There are no Yoga police.” Hmm…although I’ve heard that in a million ways over the years, I’ve never adopted it for myself. Learning to stop judging myself, especially as I am aging has been an eye opener. Life changes and we change. Life gets crazy sometimes and everything we always did may not get done this week, month or even this year. Focus on what is important.
LIFE can be challenging…..give yourself a break. Done is better than perfect. Mistakes are okay. It means you are trying. Give your best to everything you do and forget about comparison. Truly, it just delays progress. You have to start from somewhere and where you currently are… is just fine. 🙂
Reflections on Mid-Life
Mid-Life….I have been avoiding that term for a long time but truth is at 49 years of age, I’m probably more than mid-life! Although my plan is to be around a LONG time heheheh! 🙂 My kids are growing older…I have a sophomore in high school and a sophomore in college. My nest is emptying….my husband and I are looking at empty nest cars (ya know..thinking about the day when I’ll be trading in the mom-van but not quite there yet) and dreaming about traveling. Of course, that will be AFTER all those college bills are paid! Never-the-less….we are looking forward to new adventures in the next few years. It’s bittersweet though. We love family life and traveling with our kids and having their friends in & out of our house. Albeit, I’ll have to do a post on budget mindedly feeding all those friends this past summer… Especially those growing teenage boys, YIKES!
But I digress….I find mid-life interesting to say the least! Growing older in my physical body, while my mind feels so young. I know my 60 year old friends are rolling their eyes about now but truly in the 40’s wow…things start to not work like they used to! I used to see everything near and far. Now I can’t see in front of my nose without readers (sigh)… Cue “We’ve Only Just Begun” by the Carpenter’s. I recently heard someone say that in your 40’s you long for the body from your 30’s that you loathed in your 20’s! After childbirth….yeah I’m right there with them! Crazy how time changes our perspective, does it not?
The “working” title of my upcoming CD is called Love and Life but I’m thinking it’s time to add “mid” to that title. Really changes the whole perspective….what do you think?
Speaking of perspective……Wherever you are now, how has your perspective changed? What are you appreciating now that you once took for granted, perhaps? Would love to hear from you. Leave your comments below…..
