Slow Quiet Nights – I Love It

What are you doing this evening?

It’s 9:47pm on a Wednesday night. What am I doing…..

Well, in this very moment, I’m in a yoga position. Reclining hero pose if we wanna be exact. I just broke free now, my knees were hurting.

The kids are sleeping and I just wasted some time on the internet reading about some conspiracy theories. Then I decided to do some bedtime stuff, and now I’m doing some moderate yoga.

Once I’m done writing/answering this I’m going to curl up in my bed and continue to read Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets. I’ve never read Harry Potter before but I’m channeling my fall spirit and my best friend has loved Harry Potter for as long as I have known her. So I guess I’m reading it for her too.

Anywho, this is what I do most evenings. And I love it. Sometimes I drink some bedtime tea too but I already brushed my teeth. Our neighbor gave us some pumpkin cookies that I would love to indulge in right now but I’ll wait to eat with my tea in the morning.

Good night beautiful humans.

“… focusing on what’s good in our lives and being thankful for the things we have.”

What positive emotion do you feel most often?

I feel like, my answer is gratitude.

There’s just so much to be grateful for. And even in those hard times/moments there shines that silver lining. It’s that silver lining that gives you hope and encouragement.

Gratitude carrie’s me through the dark valleys. It gifts me with perseverance.

For that, I’m grateful.

Am I Fulfilling My Purpose?

What are you curious about?

There is so much I’m curious about. I mean, I’m curious about everything and nothing really makes sense to me.

Our very existence makes me curious. Like how is any of this even possible. The fact that we live on a planet surrounded by other planets and stars is just strange and insane to me. Even my daughters recognize how much of trip living is. One of my daughters always says, “is any of this even real, it feels like I’m in a dream”.

I’m curious about the details of life and everything’s purpose. It’s amazing… all the connections. I also wonder why certain things are certain things. An example would be why are the planets round and circular and not square or triangle. Why is fire orange and red and not pink and purple? My daughters taught me to wonder about things like that.

Our programming also keeps me curious. Some days I’m like who am I really without this programming and conditioning. Is everything just a coping mechanism? I don’t know, I think a ton. But I enjoy it in a way. I enjoy thinking about stuff I don’t know and getting lost in wonder. I am curious if we really will get all the answers one day.

People who have had near death experiences day say we will. And I do believe in God. That’s something I am curious about.

I’m glad we don’t have all the answers though in this life. This life experience wouldn’t be that great if we knew everything. There’s joy to be found in search and discovery.

Stay curious friends, always. We are all in this together.

Give A Golden Kiwi

Write about a random act of kindness you’ve done for someone.

Here’s a random one.

Not to long ago I was at the grocery store doing you know, the weekly shopping.

The golden kiwis were on sale so I put 4 or 5 little cartons of kiwi in the grocery cart.

At check out an older lady and her husband were standing behind me. Probably in their 60s. She points to the kiwis and says, “oh wow, what kind of kiwis are those? I’ve never seen them before.” I said, “oh my goodness they are golden kiwi, they are soooo good. I had never tried these before either until my stepmom introduced them to me.”

She then says, “I’ll have to get them next time. We love fruit.”

After I finished paying for my groceries I handed her a carton of golden kiwis with a smile and said, “Here. Take these.”

She had the most surprised look on her face. I can still see it in my head. Maybe it had been awhile since a human has surprised her. She kept saying, “are you sure?” And I said, “Yes, yes! Absolutely! Enjoy!”

She was so thankful. It made me feel so good too. I truly hope she and her husband enjoyed the fruit!

Keeping My Retainer

List 10 things you know to be absolutely certain.

I’m just going to say the first things that come to mind because I’m working on answering these writing prompts in 5 mins or less.

* took longer than 5 mins *

1. The best bread for a grilled cheese is on sour dough.

2. You can grow so much through just reading.

3. I am very blessed.

4. Space is crazy.

5. Connections are everywhere.

6. I overthink too much and have been stuck on this number for like 5 minutes.

7. The media is mind controlling.

8. Breathing exercises and cold showers do help with anxiety.

9. There’s so much I don’t.

10. If I stop wearing my retainer my teeth will go crooked.

I Love My Hubby, But……

What bothers you and why?

The first thing that comes to mind is….

being rushed.

My husband always rushes me when we need or want to go somewhere. I can’t stand it. He will start the car sometimes while I am barely even ready!

He is always in a hurry though. I find myself saying often, “do we have an appointment somewhere? Did I miss something? Why are we rushing?”

I don’t know that this behavior will ever really change but I have accepted that’s how he is. Luckily I am able to get ready super fast. And when I get in the car I’m usually angry.

Then I look at him and say, “you should be happy I can get ready so fast and I am not high maintenance.” Then he smiles and says, “one of the reasons why I married you.” And then gives a cute wink. Then I give him a smirk like, “yeah yeah…” It’s so hard to stay mad at him for long.

But you know what ends up happening sometimes? I end up saying, “I don’t know if I unplugged the straightener?” Then he gets all mad at me that he has to turn around because I HAVE to check. And I really do! I HAVE to make sure it’s unplugged! It’s annoying! These days I literally say outload, “the straightener is unplugged.” And if it’s not the straightener it’s the oven or the stove.

That has happened more than once.

However, now when he rushes me, before he pulls out of the drive way he says, “Marie go make everything is unplugged.”

So we are making progress. Haha!

Most Random Dinner Party

If you could host a dinner and anyone you invite was sure to come, who would you invite?

I would invite the musical artist FKJ to play in the background. He would play the piano and the saxophone to really create the whole ambiance. His wife would come too because she has a few great songs too that I would encourage her to sing.

I would invite Akaine Kramarik. She is an incredible painter/artist who’s been having visions since she was 3 or 4. She painted The Prince Of Peace. Check out her story! I would invite her family too because I would love to hear how her visions and paintings shaped them.

I would invite Jim Carrey too. I love his insight and I know he would be making all of us laugh too. I know many think he’s weird, but I don’t.

I would also invite some cirque du soleil folks. There would be a show to entertain the guests.

I would invite Penn and Teller to perform a magical act. Penns an atheist so it would be super interesting to have him sit at the same table with Akaine. I would love to hear them talk to one another.

I would invite of course all family and friends. It would be an incredible party.

I’d probably also ask my closet family members and friends who they would want me to invite and I’d just invite them. Like I know my mom would want me to invite Donny Osmond. And a girlfriend of mine would definitely want Russel Brand.

I’d probably invite the Kardashians too. They are like a guilty pleasure. They just know how to have a good time. And their kids could play with my kids.

I asked my husband who we should invite and he said, “Marie I don’t know….. invite Donald Trump.”

Overall this would be the most random ass dinner party. But could you imagine….

Relationships, Perspective, Confidence

What do you think gets better with age?

I try to imagine my children asking me this question.

If I am speaking for myself I will say, I believe certain relationships get better. You don’t always know which ones will get better but the ones that do are very special.

Your perspective also gets better. Little things won’t get to you as much. And you indulge in more simple pleasures like taking the time to really watch the sunset.

Your confidence/mentality gets better. You care less and less what others think. You do what you want to do, what you gotta do….FOR YOU.

Namast’ay In Bed

What time do you go to bed and wake up currently?

On an average, I am in bed between 9 and 10:30pm.

The kids are usually all asleep by 830 and then my husband and I do our bed time routines and then we are snug in our bed. And once we lay in bed, that’s it. It’s that pleasurable *sigh* that comes with laying in your bed after a long day. And you officially shut down.

Honestly, I love being in bed early. It amazes me that I use to stay up so late! In my early twenties you didn’t leave your house to go out until 11pm. Not interest in that anymore, at all.

I love being all snug in my blanket next to my hubby.

As for waking up, it’s on average between 6 and 7am. That’s not by choice either. The kids wake us up.

Truthfully my sleep is so chopped up and has been for years. But that’s the life of having littles.

But I can most definitely appreciate good sleep.

“Anyone Who Can Read Can Learn How To Read Deeply And Thus Live More Fully” – Norman Cousins

What strategies do you use to increase comfort in your daily life?

I try to ready everyday. I stick to personal growth type categories or memoirs. Anything that will serve me and the people around me in a great way.

I’m currently reading a book about men and women and relationships by John Gray, Ph.D. It’s really good. I have a few friends that I’ve already suggested this specific book to because they are having trouble in their relationships but honestly I don’t know if they’ll take my suggestion. So much insight out there, it’s mind boggling to me how there’s little eagerness to just try to understand why people are the way the are. But we are getting off topic now.

I read for joy but I also read to develop myself to “increase comfort in my daily life.”

There’s a book that I recommend. It’s called,

Read & Grow Rich’ How the hidden power of reading can make you richer in all areas of your life

Challenging yourself to learn something new everyday whether it be about yourself, family, a friend, nature, a specific subject, whatever….

The knowledge you acquire cannot be taken away. And stacking knowledge in the mind body and spirit will lead to more comfort living.

Can’t recommend this strategy enough. Reading will change your life.

P.s. if it’s hard for you to sit still and read, try an audio book. Listen to the audio book while you drive places.

Have a wonderful day friends!