I have so many thoughts when I walk by this amazing tree …

It’s not fair! The poor kid only have COVID garage birthday parties his whole life!

I do love the public gesture of his tree, it’s a beautiful reminder of how much he is loved, appreciated and cared for and to never take a single moment for granted.

Every word he said whispers through the air forever. Every atom which for a while made up sweet Omar, carries on in the air, or fits into a plant or bird. Every touch on your skin lives on in the neurons of your brain. Most of the atoms which make us up were born in a star. That light exists in us all.

Why did he have to die? A better question is why were they given to us? What did we do to deserve their love and joy, the sweet moments we shared. All those moments are a gift. Their death isn’t a punishment. Beginnings and Endings are tied to Earth. But love is unending. Birth and Death are just doors we walk through.

It’s a special, spiritual place and I’m so thankful this tree has a special place in my ❤️.

On this special Mother’s Day as your oldest child graduates high school, this is my wish for you.

I wish you good cell reception so they can call you if they get lost; but know that this is their trip to travel.

I wish you a detective badge, because you have shown them how to find the magic in their own soul, helping them uncover their dreams. Who else are those dreams meant for if not them?

I wish you a stethoscope, so you may always remember to listen to your heart, grant yourself grace to feel all the feelings.

I wish you a tool box filled with a new compass, map, thermometer, north star, lighthouse, anchor, atlas, umbrella, rainboots, because you have shared all of your knowledge with them and given them all the tools they need to succeed.

I wish you a GPS that is armed with the right questions to help you know which way you’re headed.

The world is the radio, but you gave your child the tools to find their own frequency.

Sit back, relax and enjoy, you did a GREAT JOB mama. You’ve both got this!

Live deep and wide, get to know people, have conversations about things other than the weather or what you are binge watching. Live the width of your life; not just the length of it. Live deep like the ocean and not shallow, take deep breaths, and breathe slowly and walk slowly, notice things don’t numb, don’t hurry, don’t fill your life with busyness.

Deep in thought

Deep like the ocean

Deep down you know

Still but moving

Dreaming, ebbing and flowing

We don’t belong there we can just visit

Holding our breath long enough to be amazed. Sit in awe. Stop sinking or swimming and just float.

Curious, open, peace, ease

Beauty quiet

The wind and the water lift me up.

There is something unknown, intangible in the salt water that moves me like a song/rhythm.

Majestic and full of secrets just like me

In the beauty, stillness, joy and ease we can know ourselves a bit deeper.

Sitting in the sand quietly creating the life I imagine.

Distance has nothing to do with depth, but sometimes giving yourself some distance from the stresses of everyday life will make your life so rich and deep it’s worth every penny of your vacation savings.

Depth takes dimension, time, energy, reflection, connection, commitment and attention. Depth is the antidote of skimming the surface. The tip of the iceberg.

Easy and simple is often the opposite of difficult and important.

Slowness nurtures attention.

Speed shatters it.

A life of less will lead to more. If you live below your means, create less stress, less on your to-do list, own less possessions to take care of, and under-react to problems…

your life will be fuller, more expansive and more beautiful than you can possibly imagine.

I know what I want to do when I grow up ….

Live the island life 🏝️

Buy a boat

And take people on snorkeling 🤿 underwater photo excursions – whenever I feel like making some extra money

I would rather have 30 minutes of something wonderful, than a lifetime of nothing special. – Shelby from Steel Magnolias

A awe, adventure, art, abundance, alive, amusement

B bravery, beauty, balance, breath, bliss,

butterflies in your stomach, babies

C curiosity, compass for what matters, centered, calm, community, chills, consciousness, create, clarity, ceremony, connections, celebrate

D dance, dreams

E ecosystem, emotions, energy, explore, environmental, echo, enthusiasm, expansive, enticing, enlightenment, empowered

F feelings, fun, fulfillment, fascination, flow, flowers, forest

G genes, growth, grounded, game night, goosebumps, generosity, gratitude

H human, heart, heal, hope, homemade, handmade, harmony

I immune system, intelligence, imagine, invent, insight, intention, interactions, inspirational, impermanence

J joy

K kindness, knowledge

L love (energy, wifi, loves on), light

M micro biome, music, meaning, mind, mystical, magic, majestic, memories, mountains

Meditation – sit and feel which muscles relax and which ones still hug the bones

N neurophysiology, novelty, nourished

O outside, open, ocean

P peace, poetry, pottery, passion, present, pioneer, pride

Q quiet

R reading, reverence sharing stories, river, rhythm

S soul, social engagement, strength, science, service to others, spirituality, snowflake, sand dunes, sunshine, significant, strengthened

T transcendence (if the souls is not in the body where is the soul), tears, tools, transformative

U utility, understanding,

V Vegas nerve, vibrations, voice, vision, voyage, vast

W wonder, weather, wisdom, woodwork

X expand your view

Y yoga or meditation practice

Z

Live not just the length of my life, but live the width of it!

A privilege, expensive, full of possibilities and choices and potential. Long days, exhaustion, people who are stressed out and confused. It’s fun to run into people with different destinations/majors, but you really kinda stick to your own group- you cross paths in the quad or terminal, but you’re headed in different directions. It’s not a competition, you see others and wish them well on their journey.

✔️ Cafe La Cave takeout 💰

✔️ Beer feud with Michael 🍻

✔️ Live Music at Teddy’s with Angela, Stacey and Lisa 🎶

✔️ Brunch with Angela and Robin 🥂

✔️ Purdue Illinois game with Sean, Christina and Ryan 🏀

✔️ New Library Book 📚

✔️ Chase & Doug 🐶

✔️ Bingo with Robin (won a T-shirt)

✔️ Artist Date with Tammie 🎨

✔️ Delaney’s visitation

✔️ Aunt Jean and Uncle Bruce 🇺🇸

✔️ IQVIA 26 CBTs 💻

✔️ Writing Class & 12×12 🍀

✔️ CAPA tests x3 for work 💻

✔️ Mattress Fundraiser 😴

✔️ Jane Goodall 🌳

✔️ Bike Ride 🍻

✔️ 25th work Anniversary & Singo

✔️ Spring Break ☀️ 🛥️ 🌊

Vacation day – Groundhog Festival 🐀

Galentine’s Party 💐

Dallas – got to see Michelle, Jenn, Cassie & Sculpture Garden & Cowboys 🎁 🏈

Hair Appt & Manicure 💅

Street Scenes 🎭

Yoga, Coffee Outside ☀️

Watch the superbowl outside (55) 🔥 🏈

Bronco Oil Change 🚘

Chocolate (Heart felt) Yoga (Salt Cave) 🧘‍♀️ (I cried the whole time but I learned I just need quiet more than I need yoga)

Finished 16 performance reviews and a reorganization with 3 supervisors restructuring ✔️ 🖥️ 💻

Paint Gem art night with Robin

Algonquin to buy a camera 📷

Story Exploratory ✍️

Dolphin Disco video Game with Kristi at Park Street & Brunch at Teddy’s 🥂

Singo 🎶

Cat Eyes manicure 💅 🐈‍⬛ for metrics +🍀

Ripon Wisconsin for Conference 🏃‍♂️

Also just wanted to give myself a shout out that I’ve completed all of the meditations so far this year and it’s making me feel so good – new year new you in January and feel lighter in February. I have more progress to make on making movement a daily habit and eating more nutritiously, but I also want just a moment to celebrate all the hard work I have put in, in all areas of my life, and acknowledge all that I have done well. Yay Me!

I registered for 12×12 today (last day!)

And 90 minutes before the month ended, I passed my Florida boating license test!