Fantastic Fridays (Life's Tiny Delights)

We live in a fast-paced society.  Walking slows us down.  ~Robert Sweetgall

Above all, do not lose your desire to walk.  Every day I walk myself into a state of well-being and walk away from every illness.  I have walked myself into my best thoughts, and I know of no thought so burdensome that one cannot walk away from it.  ~Soren Kierkegaard

If you follow me on twitter, then it's no surprise to you that I love going on walks! Earlier this week, I sent out this tweet:

Spending time outside in nature is good both physically and mentally, which is why I talk frequently about Nature Deficit Disorder. Walking is my preferred way of spending time outside, and this week it was no exception! After a day at work sitting in a chair without moving while talking to clients, my legs are usually itching it get moving. I walk frequently with a few different friends, and it helps to process life, laugh, and get some fresh air. Walking is a wonderful activity to practice living in the present moment, being aware of sensations that are current. The practice of mindfulness hardly seems like a task!

The next time you're at the end of your rope and are ready to snap at your kids, or you're feeling a little sluggish, or having a hard time concentrating- slip on some shoes and find a place to walk! Your body and mind will thank you for it!

And of course I can't end a Friday post without some search terms. I've put links onto each of the terms so you can check the posts out! 

• Flourishing Counselor
• Love After Loss
• Tropical Oatmeal
• Cognitive Distortion Challenge
• define realistic beliefs

Now it's your turn!

Do you like walking? If so, what's your favorite walking routine (trails, streets, alone, with friends, music, no music, etc...)?

Fantastic Fridays (Life's Tiny Delights)

How glorious a greeting the sun gives the mountains!  ~John Muir

Climb the mountains and get their good tidings.  Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees.  The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.  ~John Muir

Every week as I get ready to post my "Life's Tiny Delights" post, I think about the ways that I've tried to develop mindfulness for the week. This week I had a lot on my mind, and it was incredibly difficult to stay in the present moment for more then a few minutes at a time. This week was challenging, but was also a good experience in forcing the practice of mindfulness. 

The thing I delighted in throughout the week? Mountains!

This brings happiness and relaxation to me immediately just looking at these pictures. Seriously- how beautiful are they? I so wish that I could spend every day looking at them, camping, and hiking in them. However, my life right now doesn't allow for that, so instead I develop thankfulness at the moments I do spend in them. 

This week was big on search hits on my blog. Here are a few of them:

• car accident mistaken identity
• binocular trick cognitive distortion
• ecuador women (this search term brings in a few people every week. Why are so many people searching this?)
• give someone else the reigns
• counselor wise words
• sense of control

Now it's your turn?
Do you have any fun plans for the weekend? Have you hiked a mountain? If so, which one(s)?

Fantastic Fridays (Life's Tiny Delights)

Then followed that beautiful season... Summer....
Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light; and the landscape
Lay as if new created in all the freshness of childhood.
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Summer is by far my favorite season. I long deeply for it all year, and my excitement grows throughout the spring. I think there's a beautiful magic and peacefulness to the summer: beautiful sunsets, the sun beating down and giving life to the world, the beautiful heat that hugs as we go about our days, fresh produce, swimming, vacations, long walks, traveling, and sitting outside with friends sipping drinks. Sounds wonderful, right. My tiny delights post is dedicated to my love of summer. Here are a few of my favorite tiny delights of summer:

Enjoying Nature

Rain

Sunshine

The Beach

Sunsets

Fireflies

And I'll leave you with a few of my favorite pictures:

Beautiful flowers in front of the Parthenon

Flowers and river

Sunset

Sunset and palm trees

The beach!

Garden

Beautiful Flowers

With moments like the ones above, how could I not love summer?

And of course, here are some search terms:

• Karolina Musngs (hmm...wonder what musngs are? :D )
• Changing Cognitive Distortions
• Coping Skills
• Greek Yogurt in Greece (one of my favorite parts of the summer!)
• How to: Beginner Counselor

Now it's your turn:

What are some of your favorite things about summer?

Fantastic Fridays (Life's Tiny Delights)

H2O:  two parts Heart and one part Obsession.  ~Author Unknown

I think I may be cheating just a little bit today, as I'm using one of the things from my Thankfulness Project Monday post for my tiny delight of the week: POOL TIME!

Palm Trees in the middle of a pool? Yes Please!

 Lounge Chairs so I can sit by the pool and read!

A pool overlooking a lake? I'll take some of that!

I've gotten to hang out at quite a few awesome pools over the last few weeks, and I have to say, I could get to used to this on a regular basis. It's pretty easy for me to live in the present moment while I'm by the water. I find it peaceful and relaxing to feel the sun hitting me, laying around without a care in the world, soaking up a good book, and cooling off in the water. The views don't hurt either. I'm actually thinking that we might be more mentally healthy people if we could do this more often. I'm trying to not only soak in my last bit of pool time, but the last few weeks of summer. This in itself is a good practice in mindfulness and living in the present moment, and I'm excited for the challenge!

And of course, here are a few fun search terms for the week:

• Papaya Counselor (haha...ummm. Why would someone search that? This was a post on how to cut up and prepare a papaya)
• Ecuadorian women (again, I wonder what was behind THAT search. You can click on the search term to see what post they found)
• A Bad Chapter In Your Life
• Coping Skills
• How to maintain emotional and physical wellness

What I'd like to know:

Do you enjoy going to the pool? If so- where's your favorite pool? Do you have any weekend plans?

Fantastic Fridays (Life's Tiny Delights)

Last week I chose a food item for my tiny delight of the week, so today I thought I'd share another food item. This is actually sort of a tiny delight for the summer, and for a long time to come I think. I've always loved eating peanut butter, but up until this summer I've just eaten plain or plain w/honey peanut butter. This summer, however, that all changed.

I'm a fan of chocolate, so when this Dark Chocolate peanut butter caught my eyes, I quickly picked it up and put it in my cart. Seriously, this stuff is delicious. They have a White Chocolate one that I would love to try! And, if you're looking to add a little zing to your peanut butter sandwich, this is a great way to do it! I had wanted to try almond butter for awhile, so when I found it I picked up a jar as well. Again, I was not disappointed. This stuff is delicious and healthy! I didn't end up making too many sandwiches with it, but i did eat it as a snack with animal crackers. Both of these changed up a very common meal and snack for me, and I felt good about the food choice I was making! 

Here are some search terms for you:

• Chicken Souvlaki (If you haven't tired it, you really need to. It's DELICIOUS!)
• Mistaken Identity Book Synopsis (check out the book. It's incredible.)
• Beauty of the Outdoors
• Not Facing Up To Things
• Wellness Wheel

Here's what I'd like to know:

What's your favorite type of Peanut Butter? What's the weirdest way you eat peanut butter?

Fantastic Fridays (Life's Tiny Delights)

"There are plenty of life's tiny delights for all of us."

-Jack Anthony

That was the quote that started this weekly post. When I read it, I realized that I was so busy getting everything done in my life that I forgot to look at the little tiny enjoyments throughout every single day. The development of mindfulness, awareness in the present moment, is important for health. 

Here's my tiny delight for the week:

Homemade Peach Jam!

A couple Saturdays ago my mom and I spent the day in the kitchen together making peach jams. I'd watched her make jam all the time growing up, but had no interest in learning. Now, many years later, I don't have access to her jam every meal, and I decided it was time that I learn how to do it for myself. While it certainly takes awhile, the actual process wasn't too hard at all, and jam tastes even better when i know I've made it myself! YUM:) It wasn't just the process of actually making the jam, though. It was also about spending time with someone who was important to me, and learning about something that she loves to do. All around, it was a great day! AND, I have many delicious jars of jam to enjoy and bring back the memories of that day!

I'm traveling at the moment, and scheduled this post early, so I won't be including search terms for the week. 

Have you ever made jam before?

What's one of your favorite things that a parent or grandparent has taught you?

Fantastic Fridays (Life's Tiny Delights)

It's Friday, which means it's time to disconnect from the stress of the week and enter into relaxation and self care time! I love writing my Life's Tiny Delights post, because it's started to force me into enjoying the tiny things in life throughout the week. But I guess that's the post of these posts anyways, so I'm happy it's working!

This has not only been a tiny delight for me this week, but throughout the entire summer: Fireflies (or lightning bugs...I use the words interchangeably!).

I wish I could somehow have a lightning bug as a pet. These little guys are seriously some of my favorite animals. I love looking out my window at night and seeing what looks like glitter falling all over the field. It's absolutely breathtaking, and I can't help but stare every time I see it. I often think how pretty it would be to have them flying all over my bedroom as I fall asleep. But let's be honest. I'd have an infestation of bugs, and who would really like that? Lightning bugs not only look beautiful, but to me they signify the magic that comes along with summer, and because of that, these little bugs instantly bring a smile to my face.

Here are a few of the search terms that lead to my blog this week:

• Catastrophizing- how to deal with a person
• Components of child development
• Don't use words too big for the subject (SO important to remember this one!)
• Mediterranean Pizza (of course)
• Chobani yogurt (of course)
• Perfectionism black and white thinking (we all need a reminder on this one occasionally!)

Do you have any fun plans for the weekend? Do you have lightning bugs where you live? Do you like them, or do you find them annoying?

Fantastic Fridays (Life's Tiny Delights)

Happy Friday! I love Friday, because not only does it signal the end of another work week and the beginning of the weekend, but it also means another Life's Tiny Delights post! If you're new to my blog and want a little background info, you can click here. Without anymore hesitation, here's a tiny delight from my week:

Sorry for the lousy phone pictures. I was that creeper who got a massage, and as soon as the massage therapist left the room, I took a few pictures. My tiny delight for the week was a massage! If I could, I would get a massage once a week, but that would get pricey. Massages tend to force the practice of mindfulness, as you quiet your thoughts and focus very much on the present moment. I felt so relaxed and flexible after the massage, and I'm fairly certain I could've fallen asleep on the table if I had let myself. 

And of course, I couldn't end the post without a few search terms that brought people to my blog this week:

• Cognitive Distortions
• Black & White Thinking
• Chobani (lots of variations on chobani, health foods, Greece, and lactose intolerance)
• Mediterranean Pizza Recipe (This is consistently getting multiple hits a week now, which I'm pretty surprised about)
• Being a Fellow Traveler

The first 3 brought in a number of hits with different variations on key words. There wasn't anything funny this week though. Sorry about that!

Here's what I'd like to know:

Have you ever gotten a massage before? Do you like it, or feel like it's weird for a strange to rub your body?

What's the funniest search term someone has found your blog through?

Fantastic Fridays (Life's Tiny Delights)

Happy Friday! Because I was at the beach last Friday, my post was just a little different, and you can read it here.

"Sunsets are so beautiful that they almost seem as if we were looking through the gates of Heaven."

-John Lubbock

I got to see this beautiful sunset every single night while at the beach! Beautiful and breathtaking! I was definitely not experiencing any Nature Deficit Disorder this week! The sunset was actually a really great time to develop the practice of mindfulness, as the entire "sunset time" lasted for about an hour or so. In that hour, I tried to think of nothing that was going on except the very present moment I was living in, and it was really pretty easy to do. I feel like the sunset sort of envelops you into it, which makes it easier to focus only on that. It was beautiful... 

And of course, here are some search terms for the week:

• mediterranean pizza recipe (this gets at least a couple hits a week now)
• Can you wear contacts while flying (this has gotten at least one hit a week since I posted it...I definitely never expected the post to bring in much traffic after I hit "publish post")
• Challenging Cognitive Distortions
• Greek Yogurt Found in Greece (This is one of my favorite "fun" posts!)
• Therapist Burnout and Boundaries (VERY important!)
• Shoved on a plane (my post from yesterday!)
• loveinvest 2011 (not sure what this is about...)
• What Your Counselor Is Thinking

Ok, so no funny search terms for the week- except maybe the last one made me smile a bit. I actually haven't done a post called "What your counselor is thinking" but now I'm starting to think it would be interesting to write a post on that! What do you think?

Here's what I'd like to know:

Do you have any fun plans for the weekend?

Where have you seen your favorite sunset?

Have you ever wondered what your counselor is thinking?

Fantastic Fridays (Life's Tiny Delights)

“I have always loved the beach. The smell of the salty water, the wind in my face, the gentle roar of the waves all combine to create a sense of peace and calm.”

--Anonymous

Hello from the beach! This week I've been blogging to you from the beach, which is why my posts have been a bit scarce. I'm taking my own advice and getting some time out in nature, and getting some good self-care. Needless to say, the beach, sand, waves, palm trees, and pool have been my tiny (...actually it's been pretty big) delight of the week. Developing mindfulness meant for me that I was trying to engage all my senses in the experiences, whether I was sitting in a chair, walking on the beach, standing in the surf, or  feeling the sun pound down on my shoulders. It's been fantastic! 

Since I'm writing this post a bit early to free up my schedule, I can't actually give funny search terms for the week, so I'm going to leave it at that!

What I'd like to know:

What's your favorite beach to go to, and what's your favorite thing about a beach vacation?

Nature Deficit Disorder & The Beauty of Outdoors

"Climb the mountains and get their good tidings.  Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees.  The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves." 

~John Muir

I got to spend my Wednesday night out in this! Absolutely beautiful:)

It is agreed upon that contact with nature increases mental health and holds many psychological benefits. Nature is SO healthy to be in, yet in our culture today, we often spend very little time in it. We get up, get ready & go to work or school, participate in other activities, clean, do homework, pay bills, go to bed, and do it again tomorrow. There are days I get so busy that I forget to even look at the scenery as I drive past it! This certainly isn't healthy!

When I was growing up I was expected to spend most of my summers outside playing, making up games, and being creative. I loved it, and still look back at those summers as some of the best times of my life! Not only is nature psychologically healthy and can lead to a decrease in stress, but it allows children to engage in imaginary play, and helps them to develop creativity. Computer and video games, and watching TV, don't lead to these things. I fear that many children today are lacking this.

Within the last few years, the psychological community has started to recognize the extreme importance of spending time outside. Besides what I've already mentioned (stress relief & creativity/imaginary play development), it creates a situation where physical activity will likely happen. Walking, running, biking, hiking, playing sports, and swimming can all occur outside. Being outside in nature helps us to slow our thoughts, and live life in the present moment. This is where the development of mindfulness comes into play!

Go outside sometime in the next week! Sit outside and read a book, lay out in the sun (use sunscreen!) and take some deep breaths, play a game with your kids, or talk a long walk with your significant other. Notice what changes when you step outside, and enjoy the physical, mental, and psychological benefits of it!

Here are a few resources on "Nature Deficit Disorder"
Video on The Movement to Overcome Nature Deficit Disorder
Article: No More Nature Deficit Disorder

What I'd like to know:
What was your favorite activity to do outside when you were a kid? Do you struggle to spend time outdoors now, or do you take the time to enjoy nature?


**Confession: This is a repeat post from something I posted at the very beginning of this blog (in Dec 2010). Due to it being a different season (and the fact that I'm sure none of you were reading back then), I'm posting it again with a few things added into it!

Fantastic Fridays (Life's Tiny Delights)

Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.

-Robert Brault

I have to admit that I REALLY look forward to my Friday posts all week. It's not because I think they're amazing or anything like that, but because it's starting to change how I view my entire week! And that's the goal, isn't it? To get the background on my Friday posts, you can click here.

With the start of spring, my tiny delight for the week has been: SUNSHINE! After a long week of rain, it was nice to feel the sun beating down on me once again (and catch a few days at the pool). I sometimes get so focused on my life and responsibilities that I miss what's going on around me. So this week, it was all about focusing on the sunshine. Here are a few pictures I snapped throughout the week:

Pretty, isn't it? I definitely don't feel like I get enough days of sun a year, but this week instead of grumbling about that fact, I chose to be happy for the time I did have to see the sun!

And for a little Friday Fun, here are some of the searches people did to find my blog:

• how to deal with catastrophizing
• chobani for my diet/chobani for lactose intolerance (this seems to get lots of hits a week...)
• identity perfectionism
• morning oatmeal with chocolate and peanut butter (i hope this person tried it and Loved it!)
• counseling encyclopedia- cognitive distortion

Have a great start to the weekend, and enjoy the sunshine:)

What I'd like to know:

Do you prefer sunny or overcast days?

Do you have any fun plans for this holiday weekend?

Fantastic Fridays (Life's Tiny Delights)

Because this post series is new, I'll post this again from last Friday: "Do you remember last week's post on my Life's Tiny Delights/ Fantastic Friday? If not, click on the link and check it out. I still haven't found a title that I like, so please be patient as I try to figure this out. If you have suggestions, I'd love to hear them! The link above will give some background to this little "holiday" on my blog, and trying to develop a practice of mindfulness in my life."


All caught up to speed now? Here's one of the tiny delights in my life right now:

RAIN (sorry no picture to go along with this post)!

Let the rain kiss you.  Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops.  Let the rain sing you a lullaby.  ~Langston Hughes

I think it's rained for almost the entire last week. I decided early on in the week, after looking at the forecast for the next few days, that I was going to delight in the rain. Normally I would grumble (ok- a few little grumbles have accidently snuck out throughout the week..I'm not perfect...) A LOT about the weather, but this week I tried to enjoy it and find the beauty and delight in it. Can I share a secret- I enjoyed the days much more focusing on the positives with it then when I was complaining! I guess this blog is forcing me to be a little more healthy too:) 

Here are some of the search terms people typed in that led them to my blog:

• challenging cognitive distortions
• changing cognitive distortions (I guess it was a big week for searching this term)
• chobani does not affect lactose intolerance
• misconceptions of grief
• there are plenty of life's tiny delights (hey...isn't that what this post is all about? :D )

Looking at my stats, cognitive distortions, grief, and chobani seemed to be the hot items on my blog this week. 

Here's what I'd like to know from you:

What is one of your current tiny delights?

Do you like the rain, does it frustrate you, or a mix of both?

Any fun plans for the weekend? 

Fantastic Fridays (Life's Tiny Delights)

Do you remember last week's post on my Life's Tiny Delights/ Fantastic Friday? If not, click on the link and check it out. I still haven't found a title that I like, so please be patient as I try to figure this out. If you have suggestions, I'd love to hear them! The link above will give some background to this little "holiday" on my blog, and trying to develop a practice of mindfulness in my life.

With that being said, here's something I'm loving right now:

I'm pretty sure this is one of the most colorful and decadent platters of dessert I've ever eaten off of. Seriously- how amazing does this look? While eating, I tried to be very present in the moment, and notice the tastes and textures while I was eating it. YUM! 

Search terms are always interesting & fun to see (at least I love looking at them on other blogs!), so here are some from the last week: 

• "It's not about me" Boundaries (excellent search by the way. You can read it here)
• Chobani lactose intolerance
• Could you wear contacts while flying a jet? (yes- I'm a professional in this area:) This came from my post last week on health & safety while flying). 
• Grandma health
• Mediterranean Pizza Ingredients (you can find this recipe under the "recipe" tab above)

It seems like this is a pretty wide range of random searches, doesn't it? 

Now here's a few things I'd like to know from you:

What would you like to see in a lighthearted Friday post?

Do you have any fun plans for the weekend?

Thankfulness Project Monday

Blessings are oftentimes not valued till they are gone.--Thomas Fuller

It's Monday, which means another post of some of my blessings and things I'm thankful for over this past week! It's been a hectic week with an unexpected trip thrown in, so it's good to get back to my regular life and posting schedule! You can read my previous Thankfulness Project Post here (you can get background information to my Thankfulness Project from this link as well). 

So, with that being said, here are a few of the things that I'm thankful for over the past week:

• Doing Things That "Scare" Me: You'll have to click on the link to read my entire post based around this quote by Eleanor Roosevelt. Because of everything going on in Greece right now (google news "Greece" and you can read what's going on if you're interested!), it was neat to be able to stand there in person and get to see part of the country's history playing out. What a neat experience!
• Fantastic Fridays/ Life's Tiny Delights: While I'm trying to work on my title for my Friday posts, you can read this past Friday's post at the link above to get the background on this if you're interested! I feel thankful that I've started the practice of bookending my week with my Thankfulness Project posts on Monday and my Life's Tiny Delights post on Fridays. I don't think that we're often mindful enough of our blessings and the joys we've been given, and life quickly passes us by. I think it's a crucial practice to develop in the process of increasing wellness and mental health. 
• My Health: I spent this weekend at a nursing home (post to come on this soon!), which naturally lead to me being around a lot of people who can no longer live their life the way they used to. I'm so thankful that I'm healthy and strong enough to be independent and take care of my life. Again, I feel like we often take this for granted (I know I do!), and that's unfortunate. While I complain sometimes about unloading my dishwasher or having to dust (to give 2 examples!), I also realize that I have the ability to do these things for myself, and ultimately I'm so thankful for that. This weekend put that in perspective for me. 
• Social Support: We each struggle with things, whether big or small, in our daily living. Life can be hard enough on it's own, and it's wonderful when we have friends to help carry the burden and support us through whatever pain, suffering, or frustration that we experience. Due to the events of this weekend (again, the nursing home), I've felt so thankful to have a number of people there for me, supporting & encouraging along the way. We all need to feel like we're being cheered on at certain points in life, don't we? :)
• Yoga: I've had a lot of neck and back pain that has turned into bad headaches or migraines over the last 10-12 days, and yoga has done a good job of relieving some of that pain. Not only physical wellness, but it helps with mental wellness as well! I look forward very much to my yoga days, and I'm thankful that at this point I have the opportunity and ability to take these classes! 

Ok, enough with me now! What I'd like to know from you:

How was your weekend? What are your blessings from the last week?

Fantastic, Fun Fridays

Ok, so the title is a work in progress. How about we put that behind us for a moment (but if you have suggestions, feel free to send them my way!), ok? So, let's be honest. By the time Friday rolls around, most of us don't want to read a heavy or heady post...we're looking for something fun. In that vain, I'm trying to develop a regular theme for my Friday's post. I'm still trying to decide all that I want to include. However, over the last few weeks, I've slowly added my "life's tiny delights"posts on Fridays, and I'm trying to think about how I want to expand this. Anything you'd like to see on Fridays.

To recap, here are some of my Life's Tiny Delights Friday Posts:

• Life's Tiny Delights: Enjoying Nature
• Life's Tiny Delights: Froyo
• Life's Tiny Delights: An Intro

Ok, now that you have a little history on the development of life's tiny delights, and growing the practice of mindfulness from moment, let's move on to a current tiny delight of mine. 

As we're busy with our to do lists and worries in life, we forget to look around and enjoy the things we are seeing in the present moment. As I was walking quickly down a street last week, I saw this little tomato plant out of the corner of my eye. I did a double take, and decided to stop and enjoy the scene. It's quaint, isn't it? I stood there and imagined different activities I could do there (coffee with friends, reading a book, or blogging to name a few!), and I found myself feeling incredibly relaxed and peaceful. 

Everyone loves looking at the fun search terms that brought people to their blog...right? I certainly love seeing what others post. I think it's also interesting to see the reoccurring subjects that regularly bring people to the blog. That being said, here are a few funny phrases that people searched and found my blog:

• chobani and activia in the same day too much (hmmm...I wonder what they were experiencing that lead them to type that...?)
• i am a fellow traveler (leading me to think...a fellow traveler in what?)
• tips for surviving the holiday lights (why do we need to survive holiday lights? Is there a chance for attack? Are they a danger? :) I'm pretty sure google took that as holiday fights...a post I did during the Christmas season. 
• identifying cognitive distortions list. (this is a very common keyword search. If you haven't read those posts yet, check them out!). 

Alright, that's all for this Friday.

Now here's what I'd like to know from you: What's the funniest keyword that has been searched on your blog this week? What would you like to see as part of a light & fun Friday post? 

Life's Tiny Delights: Enjoying Nature

God writes the gospel not in the Bible alone, but on trees and flowers and clouds and stars.  ~Author unknown, commonly attributed to Martin Luther

From time to time I like to focus on some of life's tiny delights. You can read my latest posts on this here and here. Because it's Spring, and I've been spending a lot of time outdoors, much of what I've seen include the signs of warmer weather- green grass, birds, and beautiful flowers. I could take picture after picture of flowers, but I try to limit myself. Remember that with life's tiny delights, it's about being mindful of all the little joys we have in life, not just the big events? Doing this will allow us to enjoy the moment to moment life that we've been given, and to be much healthier overall. So, that being said, here is my favorite little delight at the moment. Enjoy!

What are your tiny delights right now? How do you try to be mindfully aware of nature around you?

When Tomorrow Comes...

I'm sorry for my lack of post yesterday. I did have a post up on Wednesday (a delicious pizza recipe!), but blogger hasn't completely restored everything yet, I guess. If that post has vanished forever, I'll repost...it's too good to NOT share it!

I found this quote today, and I thought it was great, and just knew that I had to pass it along?

"This is the beginning of a new day. You have been given this day to 

use as you will. You can waste it or use it for good. What you do today 

is important because you are exchanging a day of your life for it. When 

tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever; in its place is something 

that you have left behind...let it be something good."  

 -  Author Unknown 

I wonder how our choices in the day would be different if we started every day with this thought, with the awareness that we have been given this day, and that we have the choice to use it for good, or let it waste away. Anyways, I know you all aren't probably going to want to read a long post on a Friday night, so I'm leaving it at this. Just a little something to mull over. 

A few questions:

What might be different if you were mindfully aware of this quote?

What topics would you like to see discussed on this blog?

Do you have any fun plans for the weekend?

FROYO: Life's Tiny Delights

Remember my post last month on Life's Tiny Delights? If you're too lazy to check the post out (hey- I don't blame you- It's FRIDAY!), I'll really quickly summarize: We get busy in life, and tend to look forward to the "big things" in life. All the while, we miss all the tiny joys in life. What if we took note of the little delights in life, became mindful of them, and took joy in these things as well.

After reading for the last few months about the frozen yogurt experiences of many blog writers, I finally had the chance to try it out for myself last weekend. Trust me, I thought of very little else the entire day leading up to the event:) The yogurt place I went to had at least 20 different flavors of yogurt and sorbet from which to choose. After filling my cup up with watermelon sorbet with a little cake batter on the side, I walked over to a long row of toppings, plus a salad bar like counter full of fresh cut up fruit. If I could eat this every day, I absolutely would.

Yup- that's fresh strawberries, pineapple, kiwi, and mango, along with brownies, cookie dough chunks, and coconut flakes. And of course topped with sprinkles. Because everything is better with sprinkles.
While the person I was with inhaled their froyo, I took my time, mindfully savoring every bite as a tiny delight in life. It was delicious.

To Yoga, Or Not To Yoga

Well, despite a weekend of productivity, I am once again behind in the work that I need to get done. Because of that, my post will be short and sweet:)

One of my goals around the new year was to try a new type of fitness activity. I've done pilates for a number of years, and have always been intrigued by yoga. In January I found a free weekly yoga class in the area, and decided to check it out. I think I fell in love that first class. Ok...it was more like a love-hate relationship.

You see, yoga class comes at the end of a stressful day, and for that reason, I really love it. I love knowing that at the end of it, I get to go and spend an hour relaxing and moving my body. That's the love part.

Now comes the hate: I've only taken yoga from one person, but i feel like my yoga teacher holds poses for FOREVER. At least it seems forever. The first 10-15 seconds the pose feels good, and after that I'm pretty sure the thought in my head goes something like this: AGHHHHHH....MAKE IT END. Yes, by the end of the pose I'm a shaking mess.

I can tell that I'm getting stronger, and I love feeling how my breaths move with the motions of my own body. There's something calming about that. I've also noticed that when I can't shut off my mind, I really struggle to hold the poses, and each minute seems to drag by. When I can focus on my breathing and body movement, the time just flies by.

I guess this reminds me a bit of life as a whole. I think because we are so busy, and often looking for the next "big thing" (hmm...this is reminding me a little of the post on life's tiny delights), we tend to miss a lot of little moments along the way. The whole idea of mindfulness is bringing our awareness back to the present. This is what yoga forces me to do. I hope through the practice of yoga I can continue to work on applying this to daily life as well.

In case you were wondering- my favorite poses at the moment are the warrior poses. They're fabulous and I can incorporate some of the principles of pilates from it. I think the two compliment each other nicely. So, that's my incredibly scattered and chaotic thoughts on my introduction to yoga.

Do you do yoga on a regular basis? If not, what makes you hesitant to try it? If you do, what have your experiences been, and what's your favorite pose?