Hello Friends,

I hope this finds you well and safe wherever you are. The sun is shining here in Maine and the weather finally feels like it is turning. Stubborn ice is slowly giving way to the warming earth and I can feel the release of some of the tension I’ve been carrying around. Life has been full of contrast the last few weeks and I’ve been trying to approach unexpected hurdles with a better attitude. I tend to be a bit of a control freak about my schedule and plans; when these get interrupted I may look cool on the outside, but on the inside I am spiraling like a toddler who needs a nap.

Over the years I’ve gotten a lot better about being less reactionary to unwanted situations and going with the flow of life, instead of fighting it. This has taken a lot of practice and I am still a work in progress. But I’ve found that life is infinitely better if I can keep my thoughts in check and take a beat to assess what is really going on, versus what the hyper-anxious voice in my head is telling me. Yes, I am a joy and delight to be around when the unexpected happens.

When I start to feel overwhelmed by things happening around me, I try to take some time to refocus on my personal goals and general vision for my life - what I want to be, do and have. And how I want to feel in my life. Some might refer to this as the Law of Attraction, or faith, or being in the vortex. I think of it as giving myself a reminder that even if the present moment isn’t great, that it will pass. Good things happen all the time and I am not obligated to carry on in despair just because one area of my life is out of alignment.

Note - this isn’t about being happy all the time or ignoring glaring problems in life. Toxic positivity is just as bad as constant negativity.

When an unwanted situation comes up and there is an immediate action I can take to feel better, I take it. But if the problem is more in my head, like when I start to ruminate about all the things that could go wrong in life, I gently release the worry as much as I can. I get busy with other things and focus my attention on areas that bring me joy. Does this work every time? Absolutely not. Do I still carry around more anxiety than I want to at times? Heck yeah. But I am definitely able to keep a better perspective about what is happening and acknowledge that whatever the problem is, it’s a passing cloud in life and the sky isn’t actually falling. And, as an additional affirmation, I remind myself even if the sky did fall, I am incredibly resourceful and creative and could put it back together in some fashion. ;)

This Week’s Free Printable

All of this pontification about contrast and flowing with life rather than paddling upstream, as Abraham Hicks likes to say, inspired this week’s printable: A day planner that focuses on what you want in life, rather than all the to-dos, must-dos, should-dos that often weigh us down. In our quest to conquer our schedules we often forget about what really lights us up. So, I hope this printable helps you focus on your spark and light in life.

A Day Planner for Intentional Living - 2 PDFs

Along with making printables as a distraction from life, I’ve been enjoying a new channel on YouTube - Roaming Wild Rosie. If you have ever dreamed of escaping to the woods and living in a little cabin by yourself, you might like Rosie’s content. She recently purchased a little red cabin in the woods of Sweden and is fixing it up by herself. I found it was the perfect antidote to life at the moment.

I hope that your corner of the world is safe and you are able to take a moment and enjoy the approaching spring equinox and Ostara celebration. I’ll see you next week!