It’s never going to be “easy”

I’ve heard the old cliche of life being about the journey and not the destination too often to count. You probably have to. Still, when I started practicing yoga back in the fall of 2016, I did focus on the end. In the months (almost year) since starting a regular practice (at least 2x a week) I’ve changed. I’m still a goal oriented person, still driven by my dreams and encouraged at each stop on my journey. But I’m more interested in appreciating where I am and how I’ve grown then by trying to meet my admittedly impossible standards.

Be mindful

Listening to the instructions of the teacher forces me to get out of my own head. Instead of thinking “I can’t I don’t I won’t,” I focus on the instructors words and follow along. I know this sounds simple. As a writer, I spend A LOT of time lost in my thoughts. And as much as I’m a positive person, negative thoughts can enter and cloud my outlook. By really focusing on the voice guiding me, I’m more aware of my abilities than my weaknesses. I’ve carried this over into my regular life too. Instead of focusing on what’s going wrong, I appreciate what is going right.

My practice is unique to me

Comparison is the killer of joy. Looking at someone else and comparing your life and choices to theirs is the surest way to kill your own spark. I know this. We all know this. And yet still, we judge, we compare. I’ve made a lot of progress on my journey. My flexibility and strength has definitely increased. But not in ways that are necessarily equal to those of someone on the same path. And that’s okay.

That’s a lesson I’ve been working hard to learn and understand. I think I’ve taken every step that I’ve needed to in my life. There are times I’m impatient to hurry ahead. Moments I want to end quickly. Experiences I’d rather not have had.

But in the end, I’ve NEEDED everything that has come my way. It’s so easy to look at another author and compare their career to my own. I’ve come to appreciate what I didn’t know I needed to know. I think every step has led me to the point where I should be.

And I hope to keep learning and growing as a yogi, an author, and a person.

Namaste.

I’m tempted to ask how your summer is going. Here in the Midwest an unexpected heatwave has gripped us in July temperatures as Autumn began. I love summer, don’t get me wrong. But I’m ready for my turtlenecks and leggings and constant hot coffee.

I’ll restrain myself.

Instead, I’m delighted to share the link to an anthology available for free. Autumn Equinox features short stories (or in my case a novella) from several of the Kindle Press authors. This is the latest, and last, installment in a year-long series of anthologies, all available for free. Check it out here and download your copy today.

I’ve contributed a follow-up story to the couple featured in my Kindle Scout winning selection, Tiny Island Summer. If you’ve read my True North series, you know that I’ve sprinkled in updates about my featured characters in each story. I wrapped up everyone’s story (at least in my mind) except for Ben and Darcy.

Another Bay concludes the series by refocusing on a pair that suffers from miscommunication and misunderstanding. Can they listen to what the other isn’t saying and find their way back together? Or will Darcy be moving on from Madeline Island for good?

 

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When I started my first job, I was stressed out. Unbelievably, undeniably, every un you can think of stressed. I was living on my own in a new city, I had bills to pay, and I worked a job that I loved that was very demanding. Long hours during the workweek combined with a lot of weekend time took a toll on me.

I met my now-husband three weeks into the job. I think if we hadn’t met then, we probably wouldn’t have met for years because I didn’t have the time to go out and find a social life. He introduced me to his friends (some of whom I stole to become my friends), he showed me around the city, and he made me prioritize what I wanted out of my life at a time when I REALLY needed to learn that perspective.

Enter adult tap dancing…

I first took tap as a five year old and then on a whim in college signed up again. I love tap dancing. It plays into my love of old movie musicals and that for a long time growing up I thought entering show biz was as easy as it looked in Holiday Inn.

I signed up for lessons through the park district and for two years, I’d leave work early once a week to shuffle off to Buffalo. And we had yearly recitals. Like on stage, in front of an audience (of mostly the parents of the children in the other classes), with costumes and music. And it was fabulous (and my friends came).

Besides spending time with the people I care about, that time to spend doing something I really love is restorative to me. I took a break from tap when I started my life as a stay at home mom and then picked it back up. I’m on a break again at the moment, but know, love, and value that anytime I need to, I can resume. Hobbies are important. Time to unwind and let yourself go into something you love is important.

So if you get a chance to perform in a dance recital, I hope you do!

PS Did you know the heroine of my sweet romance, Tidal Patterns (Golden Shores 1), is a tap dancer? Check out her story here.