embracing the grey

Two Questions & Lessons Learned

Do you ever think you’ve got it all together and then suddenly you don’t? What helps you to keep moving forward? I recently had an experience that stopped me in my tracks and gave me pause to think. As you may know, I’ve been doing my self-care work for the past two years. I was…

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The One Loop at a Time Theory of Self Care

What do you need right now? What do you need to feel well, to be well, to take care of yourself? What is the one, simple, next step you need to take? Not feeling well on a physical, emotional or mental level can be overwhelming and it can be difficult to know how to move…

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Chakra Colours for well being (and to lift your heart!)

I’m not a Chakra colour expert.  I was introduced to the idea of using the Chakra colours for well being by Louise Gale.  Louise has an online class called Chakra Colour Art Journal.  I took Louise’s class the summer I was waiting for my diagnosis of breast cancer.  I had rented a cottage by the…

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Notes to Self – with Love

How hard would it be for you to write yourself a love letter, a note of encouragement? I was surprised recently in my writing class.  Several of the participants struggled with this Invitation to Create from my latest book One Loop at a Time, The Creativity Workbook. “If you were writing yourself a love letter,…

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How to get unfrozen – One Loop at a Time

Sometimes we reach a point of not knowing how to get moving. Maybe we are in a spot of overwhelm, with too much coming at us. Maybe we are at a crossroads. Maybe we have been moving along freely and something happens that knocks the wind out of our sails. Maybe you can relate. Feeling…

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Choosing joy for 2018

January is a time of self reflection, a time of new beginnings. It is a time that I like to review and repurpose my self care goals for the coming year. The holidays are over and I’ve worked hard to choose meaningful gifts for friends and family, to cook delicious and interesting meals and to…

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I open my heart to the joy in this moment

Don’t you love it when you find a phrase or a piece of advice that totally resonates with where you are at the moment? To me that is a light bulb moment, where my heart gives a little leap and my mind says yes! I received a mantra from a very special person in my…

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Leaning into Joy

How do you find joy when the going is not easy? Why is it important to lean into joy, especially during difficult times? Recently I’ve had the opportunity to practice looking for joy when the world feels heavy. My first introduction to the idea of embracing moments of joy, even when times are tough was from…

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It's simple – really – a practical exercise to cut through the overwhelm

Do you struggle to get everything done in a day, to find time for yourself? How do you cut through the overwhelm? We all know self care is important, but how do you wade through the to-dos and make the time you need to re-charge? It can be simple – really. As I enter the…

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Joy Releasing Detail

Shapes of experience

Do you have a dream you’ve been waiting for? Thirty-nine years ago as a younger woman I visited Saltspring Island with a dream of becoming an artist and a writer.  I travelled the Gulf Islands, walked the beaches and sketched and wrote to my heart’s content.  I returned to my home in Ontario and life (graduate…

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Fall and Falling in Love

Fall feels to me kind of like falling in love.  It has the qualities of cocooning, discovering new pleasures and of sensuousness.  What does September and the beginning of fall mean to you?  For many it means new beginnings, getting back to familiar routines.  In the Northern hemisphere fall represents the return to cooler weather,…

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What feeds your soul?

Do you have a favourite song?  One of my favourites is What a Wonderful World.  I love the line “I see friends shaking hands, saying how do you do?  They’re really saying I love you.”  I’ve been reflecting lately on what brings me joy.  I’m sharing this with you today in hopes it will inspire…

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Wonder – and abundance, love and creativity

I’ve been reading The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks and it has me thinking – about wonder. The author talks about letting go of worry in order for abundance, love and creativity to come in. One idea from the book that really interests me is when we worry, what purpose does that worry serve, and…

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Your body hears what your mind says about it

  I’d always believed this at some level. However, it wasn’t until I was recovering from treatment for breast cancer that I really understood it at a deep level. I had been struggling with my scar. It wasn’t the tiny, beautiful scar I had imagined going in to surgery. I had some complications after surgery, plus…

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Tenacity, joy & abundance

There is this little grass-like plant that has been growing out of a tiny spot of moss near where the Halifax ferry docks. It has been growing and thriving here for months, through all kinds of weather. It keeps slowly growing. It makes me think of tenacity and opportunity, of making the best of a…

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