Do you ever just look around at your life and think, “Damn, I am one lucky bastard.” I am a huge fan of gratitude and appreciation and self love…thought it’s not always easy to remember the “self” part. The love part is easy. But my entire world, each corner of my Universe shines so much more brightly when I focus on appreciation and gratitude.

My life, all these trips around the sun (45 plus!), has been a series of crazy, joyful, heart breaking, beautiful messes. And since we’re being honest, I know I am not alone in reflecting on my past and feeling all kinds of feels.  The feeling that hits me the hardest, and most often, is amazement.

Look at your life through the eyes of a child. Imagine how the places you’ve gone, the things you’ve done, the lessons you’ve mastered – imagine what that would seem like to a being who is just starting out. I bet they would be wide eyed, confused, and fascinated.  What would it feel like if you approached your life with that same sense of awe and wonder, every day?

Sounds crazy, right? I’ve come to recognize that because I am sooooo sensitive to the energies of others, I do a few things, and they are annoying as all hell. First, I accept the other person’s mood or energy as my own. Yep. As if. How lame is that? Where is the intention there – I just accept it as if I own it. Oops.

I also then start to project. I make up the narrative to fit the situation, or to justify. So that means, I’m all up in my head and I’m being REACTIVE. Oops.

Then I’ll start to compare my life, my current situation, to others. And here we go…hello, pity party! Well, well, well…that escalated quickly, didn’t it?

If I get out of my head and drop that energy back into my heart, I immediately can tell I’m not leading with the right engine. My head is where “what if” and “why not” and past and future reside. My heart space is where peace, gratitude, and all right, all right, all right live.

Some of you may know that I picked up and moved cross country this summer and I can tell you quite honestly – MOVING SUCKS.  I don’t care how spiritual you are, how often you thank the golden unicorn and light candles, moving is one of the most uncomfortable situations ever.  But, with a hope and promise and some down right sass, I did it. And it’s been a series of wake up calls, each and every day. Not just because I have a new zip code, new roommate, new pets, and new sights to see.  Because I have to figure out who I am, in this new environment. Everything changed…now did I change? Am I resisting change?

Who could you be, who would you be, if you just knew, just believed EVERYTHING is always working out in your favor? If you could seriously blink your eyes, like Samantha on Bewitched, and wake up tomorrow, doing what you want, where you want, with who you want…what does it look like? How do you feel? Who are you?

I am here to champion you, the dreamers, the believers, the non-conformists.  I am a cheerleader for anyone who wants to experience life at it’s fullest.  There have been days when I was everyone else’s champion, and not one for myself. I let pity, fear, pride take up too many moments. And the silly thing is, I always know the way back to self…it’s literally two minutes of gratitude!

If I spend even a few moments reflecting on all that I have in my life, all the enormous possibilities of things I haven’t even discovered yet – if I just breathe and feel fresh air on my face, see a message from a dear friend, watch the dog clamoring after one of those pesky squirrels in the yard, I step away from all the bullshit that is bouncing around in my head. The shoulds, should nots , wish I hads, what was I thinking, how could I do that… all of those self-defeating thoughts drop away, and I’m quickly back to self.

Who am I? Who could I be? I’ll tell ya – I’m a mama, an author, a channel, a goof ball, an optimist, a coffee addict, an adventurer, a wanderer, a lover. I’m so much more than any thought I may have. Because thoughts are temporary, as are feelings, you should consider how much you wanna double down on that thought.  Your thoughts have a way of almost magically creating speed bumps and road blocks.

When you feel those thoughts and feelings starting to creep in – do a quick appreciation break. Appreciate your body, your skin, your clothes, your coffee, your smile, your wit, your silly, and keep going. Get on a roll and just start to remind yourself of every freakin’ awesome thing in your corner of the world. I bet if you started and gave yourself permission to go on a gratitude rampage, you’d have a hard time stopping. And when you finally did stop, you’d be smiling.

Who could you be? Who will you be? Who are you? ALL possibilities exist at the same time, darling. Look to your past, only for evidence of how rad your life is. Think on the future, only for excitement of what’s coming. Live in your now to claim your power. Appreciate who you are, what you have, and who you are becoming.  Isn’t it one helluva ride?!

Thanks for riding with my, you gorgeous, sparkly being you!