Search Results for: easy does it

Odds and Ends

by whoorl

colo

Happy Fourth of July, everyone! Today’s our last day in Colorado, and we are headed to Sedona tomorrow. I have to say, I’ve spent a decent amount of time in Colorado – childhood summers in Breckenridge and Estes Park, and time spent in Vail, Aspen, Denver, and Boulder, but this area is by far the most beautiful I’ve seen. The Sangre de Cristo mountains and the Collegiate Peaks are glorious, and the yellow valleys are really breathtaking. The little town we are staying in (Buena Vista, called “bu-nee” by the locals) has been a fun little place. We’ll definitely be back. Here are a few odds and ends for your Friday.

1. Some good baking hacks. Hate it when a piece of eggshell falls into the bowl!

2. Haha, moms on vacation. I’m sure you can relate.

3. 10 subconscious things you do when you aren’t being true to yourself. Good one.

4. Children’s hilariously inappropriate spelling mistakes.

5. A penny in your pants. Does this really work?

6. Finally, I love this quote. Great for those of us who waffle over decisions.

Make a decision and then make the decision right. Line up your Energy with it. In most cases, it doesn’t really matter what you decide. Just decide. There are endless options that would serve you enormously well, and all or any one of them is better than no decision. – Abraham

Happy holiday weekend!

Mindful Monday: Be The Lighthouse

by whoorl

I hope to make Mondays a time when I can write about what I’m reading, learning and experiencing in regards to spirituality and mindfulness. There’s much to discuss.

For the majority of my life, I didn’t really think much about spirituality. It’s not that I pushed it away, but just was consumed with the day-to-day grind. Last year, when I started feeling physically and emotionally unwell, I picked the book Mind Over Medicine by Lissa Rankin. I really credit that book with starting me on my journey. The book itself wasn’t super spiritual in nature, but it got the ball rolling, so to speak. I was fascinated by the notion that our minds and thoughts could make us physically ill, and I started wondering about our mind and thoughts in general. What are thoughts anyway? (Just thoughts.) And could something as simple as a thought truly change the way we perceive the world around us? (Hell yes.) And if that’s true, could we create the life we want by becoming more aware of our self-limiting thoughts and beliefs and making positive change through affirmations, mindfulness, and awareness? (Yep. But MAN it’s a constant practice.)

At some point, I just opened my heart to the possibilities of the universe. I pretty much declared that I was ready to receive what was out there for me – I was ready and willing to learn and most importantly, do my part to share with others. (Pre-2013 Sarah would be aghast at this woo-woo development.) And, you guys, that’s when things just started unfolding right in front of my eyes. Books, emails, quotes, random conversations…it was like the answers I had been searching for were all falling into my lap. Now, were these things always out there, right in my line of sight? Probably, but my narrow-minded scope of reality wasn’t allowing me to see.

So. I was taking it all in. Reading the books, attending the workshops, meeting with different practitioners in the fields of energy medicine, hypnotherapy, and holistic healing – really not knowing exactly what it would lead to, but just coming from a place of yes and checking it all out. Some of it was just plain over-the-top (um, hello, angelic clairvoyant healing), but most of it was very eye-opening. I was learning new ways of thinking and living that were definitely helping and healing me, but I wasn’t sure if that was supposed to be the end point. How could I help others with this information? Should I blog about it?

This past Saturday, I attended Gabby Bernstein’s Miracles Now book launch in LA. I’m a fan of Gabrielle’s for many reasons, but mainly because she’s a student of A Course in Miracles, and does a great job breaking down the lessons into manageable tools to apply to your daily life. (Have you read A Course? It’s no easy task.) The evening was a Kundalini yoga workshop followed with some Q&A, and she shared lots of advice from her book.

One thing she mentioned was to let the book guide you – when you have a question, just open the book to a random page and let it speak to you. As you can guess, I’m down with this kind of method – staying open to all possibilities. As I mentioned above, I’ve felt a little strange about my role in all of this in regards to this blog. Do I write about what I’ve learned? Will I turn people away? Will you think I’m cuckoo? Maybe. So I thought about all of this, and opened the book. This is what I saw.

bethelighthouse

Be the lighthouse. That’s it. My role is to be a lighthouse for someone. So, I will be here, hoping to share love and light with you guys, with the hopes of speaking to your heart. Even if it’s one person, I’m so good with that.

I am not the victim. I am the lighthouse.

Since writing about my struggles, I’ve had a lot of people reach out about their personal challenges, and one thing comes up again and again.

“Do/did you ever get a little angry that most of the people around you are just living their life well and any way they please?”

I think anyone who is dealing with pain – whether it be emotional or physical, has asked this question. I know I have – in fact, last fall and winter, when I was really feeling like complete crap, I found myself asking that question over and over. Every afternoon, I would sit in my car in Wito’s school pickup line and watch all the moms congregate and chat. They all looked healthy and happy, and I would feel so angry and upset that I was in so much pain. Why the anxiety and physical discomfort? Why me, God? What did I do to deserve this struggle? Everyone else looks SO HAPPY. It’s not fair. It’s simply not fair.

Wow. SOMEONE was playing the victim card big time. Wowza.

I have two things to say about this.

First off, we are ALL struggling. Most of those moms I watched in the parking lot? They are fighting a battle too. And they might have been looking at me thinking the same thing I thought about them. I know lots of you mentioned that you thought my life was just peachy keen, not knowing that I had been struggling so much. We all struggle. Keep that in mind in your day-to-day interactions.

Secondly, playing the victim, whether outwardly or just in your head, is no way to live. I promise you. Feeling self-pity due to an illness or being wronged or a shitty childhood or a specific trauma DOES NOT SERVE YOU. At all. Not a bit. Holding onto negativity and stewing in resentment is slowly killing you. It’s not helping you at all. It’s not making things better or right or punishing the person or thing that hurt you. You are just hurting yourself. You are. Yes, you are causing your own pain. Right now. Big time.

As Queen Elsa would say, LET IT GO. Let it go, peeps.

Oh, I know what you’re thinking. “Sure, Sarah. I’ll just let decades of resentment release right now. Oh, it’s gone! Look at it floating away! I’m freeeeeeeeee as a biiiirrrrd. I’m totally cool with cancer/being raped/emotional abuse!” *huge eye roll*

It’s not easy. In fact, it might the be the biggest challenge you’ll ever face, but you can change the way you view your circumstances. You are not your thoughts. You are not your thoughts. You are a radiant, energy-filled, intuitive, happy being that is currently being controlled by your negative thoughts. Your bitterness, anxiety, sadness, fear etc…it’s all a loop, circling in your brain, not allowing you to see what’s really in front of you.

What if you make the choice to see things differently? What if you could start to see the separation between your true self and your thoughts? How do you this? Well, you seek out help. Whether it be a doctor or a therapist or a spiritual leader or a book or a friend. You reach out, make a connection, and start your journey.

When I am feeling stuck in fear and victimhood, I address it in several different ways.

1. Practice gratitude. (“Uggggghhhh, I’m so sick of hearing about gratitude.” Hey, I hear you over there.) Do you know why people keep telling you to practice gratitude? Because it works. And it’s cumulative, I promise you. It slowly changes your mental framework over time. Every day, think of what you have. Are you sitting in a structure that is providing you shelter? Pretty cool. Are you reading this on a laptop? Kind of amazing. Is there one person in the world who loves and cares for you? You’ve hit the jackpot. More than one person? You are such a blessed individual. Truly. Be thankful, but most of all, be thankful that you are on this planet. You were given a life. A LIFE. To live. Happily.

2. Practice meditation. (You don’t need to be all buddha on the mountaintop with this. 5-10 minutes a day. Hey, 1 minute is better than nothing.) You know, it’s sad, but most people will never be able to separate their thoughts from true inner self. They will live their entire lives in their head, letting their thoughts run the show. I will address this phenomenon of your “inner roommate” soon (because it’s fascinating to me), but the gist is – if you were to imagine that all of your thoughts were being said to you by an external person, you would think that person was CRAZY. Seriously, you would be running for the hills, screaming. So WHY do you give those thoughts the time of day when they pass through your brain? Why do you engage them and let them take over? Maybe because, I don’t know…it’s always been that way?  Well, it doesn’t have to be. By quieting your mind and being still, you will start to witness your own thoughts, and learn to not engage them and let them pass right through. A thought is just that. A thought. It’s not a fact. It’s not true. I think Headspace is the best way for beginners to start meditating. I wrote about it here.

3. Practice being the lighthouse. Use your circumstances to help others. I feel my happiest when I’m doing something of service. When I receive a comment, email or hug after writing a post like this, it feels me with elation that someone relates to what I’m saying, and that it might helpful. I want to help, and I think we all want to help and love each other. The world needs you to be a lighthouse. Reach out to a friend or a stranger. Spread your love.

4. Practice affirmations. You can counteract all of that negative self-talk with positive affirmations. Tell your brain what’s up. You create your reality. Louise Hay is the master of affirmations, and I highly recommend her books, The Power is Within You and 21 Days to Master Affirmations.

5. Practice opening your mind to new ways of thinking. Read a book. Look at this list. And this one. Don’t think too much, just pick a book, and go with it. It might be exactly what you need. It’s funny how the universe just works that way sometimes.

6. Practice kindness to others AND yourself. This is a lifelong journey we’re on – learning the entire way. We all make mistakes, and sometimes our mistakes are our greatest teachers. I still berate myself over my shortcomings (A common one is “why am I still allowing myself to focus on the fearful thoughts? I know that I am causing my own pain, but I can’t stop, therefore I must be a bad person and not worthy.” RINSE AND REPEAT.), but the truth of the matter is that I am growing and succeeding every day. Just stepping back and noticing my thought patterns is a step in the right direction. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Keep your chin up. Focus on the here and now, and the fact that you are growing as a kinder, wiser, more empathetic person every day.

Most importantly, there is one common thread in all of the above tips. Practice. Practice, practice, practice. Like anything else, you will not see any benefits if you don’t practice regularly. You can’t read a book, nod your head in agreement, and go right back to your old habits. You have to forge forward with your new knowledge and utilize it every day. Trust me, I struggle. We all have bad days. The physical pain thing still gets me all worked up, but when it does, I make the conscious decision to practice one of the above 6 things. You’ve just got to commit.

Make the commitment. This is it, you guys. Make it happen. I’ll be here to support you every step of the way.

Spring Makeup For The Win

by whoorl

spring

It’s time to put on our Spring game faces, ladies. This look is easy and fresh and rosy and lovely, and here’s how to do it.

Face

Even out the complexion with tinted moisturizer, foundation or BB/CC cream. I used Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation in #52 on the forehead, nose, and around mouth.

Apply concealer underneath eyes and anywhere else needed. I used Clinique Airbrush Concealer in Neutral Fair.

Eyes

Use neutral browns and/or bronzes on the eyes. My very favorite eye palette in the world is LORAC Pro Palette. I used Cream over the entire lid and Taupe in my crease with my MAC #217 brush. I’m telling you right now – the LORAC palette and the #217 brush are must-haves. Then I lined my top lash line with Laura Mercier pencil in Brown Copper. Curl lashes and apply two coats of mascara. My favorite this year is CoverGirl Clump Crusher – it’s actually taken over the top spot from my beloved They’re Real Mascara by Benefit. Finish up with the brows – I use Benefit Gimme Brow in Medium/Deep.

Cheeks

Since I don’t have much color, I prefer to use a bit of bronzer on my forehead, nose, chin, and neck. Benefit Hoola is a great bronzer that doesn’t look orange, as well as NARS Laguna. Love them both. Now for the real kicker. A pop of bright pink on the apples of the cheeks gives that springtime flush. Let me tell you – flushed pink cheeks are my secret weapon. Without them, I can look a bit blahhhhhh. (Especially lately.) I am obsessed with Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Amused. It’s my favorite all-time blush, followed by NARS Desire, Illamasqua Cream Blusher in Promise, and Make Up for Ever HD Blush in 225. What can I say? I like blush.

Lips

I applied Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Honey as a base, followed by a dab of a neutral-pink gloss. The one I used for this look is LORAC You Rock, but I also love Rock and Roll, both from the LORAC Rockin’ Red Hot Lip Gloss Gift Set. Other favorites are LipFusion Lip Plump in Sugar and Dior Addict Lip Polish in Fresh.

There you have it – only takes about 5 minutes and you’re good to go. Happy Spring!

Thank You

by whoorl

god

I’ve said it here, and I’ve said it there, but I want to say it one more time. Thank you for all of your incredible messages of support and love this week. I feel it. I actually, physically feel your love and light in my body. (It’s like a constant internal humming vibration, just in case you were wondering. For reals.)

I know it’s lengthy, but the following passage hits it out of the park for me. When I received my diagnosis last September, this book was the first book I picked up, and I really believe Dr. Rankin’s words set me on my path. She opened my eyes to a whole new way of thinking, and I am forever grateful. So, enjoy. Or don’t. I’m flexible. I’ll be back with a makeup tutorial or something equally easy breezy in a jiffy.

Dear Human,

I hate to break it to you, but you are not in control of your life. This is not meant to frighten you. On the contrary, it’s meant to liberate you. Do not worry. You’re not at the mercy of a random, chaotic universe flouncing you around like a yo-yo on a string. This is not a dangerous world always threatening to hurt you. No, dear. You live in a purposeful universe, in which every moment is infused with meaning and richness. You may not understand the meaning right away. You may feel victimized. Life might seem unfair. But when you look back, you will see that it all makes sense, that even times of tragedy were filled with purpose, that your soul grew even as you grieved.

I know you yearn for certainty. You want guarantees. You long for forever. But you forget that by guarding against uncertainty, you close yourself off to possibility. When you don’t know what the future holds, ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE. This invites mystery. Awe and wonder might be yours. Within the uncertainty lies potential.

Yet it also holds the threat of loss, and this is why you fear it. I know you think you can’t handle losing what you cherish, so you cling to the illusion of control. But the reality is that life is impermanent. Even this very moment will be gone one second from now. Yet loss need not be something to resist or fear. Fearing loss only wastes your energy, because you can’t prevent it, no matter how much you cling. While nobody wants to lose that which you hold dear, if you shift your perspective, you’ll see that loss can initiate you. It can separate your life into two parts- life before the loss; life after. When you let loss initiate you, it strengthens you. Your soul walks through a doorway, and the doorway is one way. When loss initiates you, what you gain is permanent.

I know it feels safer to try to control your life. Of course you cherish that which you love. You crave stability, security, and certainty. You long to protect what you don’t want to lose. You grasp it with both hands and pull it to your chest. But what you grasp is made of sand. It slips through your fingers no matter how you grip it.

I understand that this thought is intolerable. You think you can’t handle losing what matters to you. But you sell yourself short, dear human. You’ve forgotten your capacity for infinite change. The way you cling to the illusion of certainty limits you. You stagnate. You resist change, and yet change is inevitable. How do you expect to be happy when you’re always resisting what is? Why can’t you just be with what is? Accept what is happening right now. Accept what happened in the past. Accept that you can’t predict or control the future. Accept this moment and pay no attention to any other moment other than RIGHT NOW. In this moment, you will find peace.

As long as you need certainty, you won’t take risks, and joy requires risk. You have to risk your heart. You must risk loss. Because you are human, you’ll be asked to stand in a rush of love so potent that you can barely breath; yet, in that moment, you will be crushed with how vulnerable you are, because nothing you can do will guarantee that you can keep that which leaves you so vulnerable. To stand there and experience love that deeply without pushing it away or grasping it to you is WHY YOU ARE HERE. To learn to be that vulnerable, that brave, to leave your heart that open is the ultimate life test. This test is pass/fail. You can’t do it halfway. The minute you armor against that vulnerability, you lose the joy. It’s your choice- your path to follow. Nobody will judge you either way. No one cares whether you pass or fail the test. You have free will, and just like the birds don’t mind and the forest doesn’t judge, you can do as you please.

But as a doctor who has been at the bedside of a lot of dying people, I can vouch for the fact that the dying rarely regret not having enough control over their lives. They regret that they didn’t risk more. They regret not loving enough and not opening their hearts all the way so that love spills out like a broken coconut. They regret love unspoken, ways in which they held back, the armor they wore in order to protect themselves from the vulnerability of love. They regret failing to forgive those who hurt them. They regret not making compassion their #1 value. And in those final moments, when they feel the pain of how much their desire for control led them to sacrifice the opportunity to truly love, they find that the person who needs the most compassion is themselves.

Dear human, don’t be one of those people who dies with regret. It’s not too late. There’s still time. It’s your choice. Instead, you can be one of those people who dies with a wide open heart, with no love left unexpressed, with a heart fully spent from loving expansively, with a litany of people who will be initiated by the loss of you. You can be God consciousness in human form and love all the way, all the time. Your heart is this capacious. Why don’t you know this about yourself, darling? You bumble around, thinking you’re the one human who’s heart isn’t big enough to love like this. But it is. I promise. You have no idea how massively you can love.

I know life is hard. Life hurts. You’ve suffered deeply. You’ve lost so much already. You can wallow in the pain, or you can shift everything in an instant. Today can be the first day of the rest of your life. We are boundless beings, connected to each other, infused with spirit, bonded by the suffering we all share, and liberated by the choice we can make, right here, right now, to wake up from the illusion that we must control life.

Take forth these 4 truths and allow them to free you:

1. It’s not a dangerous world. You live in a purposeful universe.

2. Uncertainty is not something to resist; it’s the gateway to possibility.

3. Loss is a natural part of life and can initiate you.

4. We are all ONE, and you are never alone.

So go forth, dear human, and fear not. You are loved. You are enough. And finally, in this present moment, you are FREE.

image: Jules Olitski

Odds and Ends

by whoorl

yellow

1. After decades of declaring green my favorite color, I think yellow has taken over the top spot. What does it all mean, people?! Do you have a favorite? And does anyone really love brown the best?

2. I just watched Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday featuring Rob Bell and was really digging what he had to say. Have you read Bell’s latest book? Starting it this weekend.

3. OMG. This is exactly what bedtime with Wita is like. EXACTLY.

4. What do you think about this “adventure playground?” Also, honestly, I just skimmed that article because this is kind of how I feel right now.

5. I love Martha Beck something fierce. Heed her advice, worrywarts. (#2 and #6 are my downfalls.)

6. Soon you will be able to see who’s viewing who on Facebook. (Which basically means psssst stop looking at your ex-boyfriend’s profile. Like, right now.)

Is Your iPhone Not Ringing? This Could Be Why

by whoorl

iphone not ringing

I’m not a tech blogger, but I (FINALLY) figured out something last night that had been driving me crazy for the past several months. I thought it was just me, but after posting on my Facebook page, it seems many of you are/were having the same problem.

So, your iPhone. Does it ring when someone calls? No? Maybe only occasionally? What about text alerts? Do you pick up your phone only to see 10 missed text messages and calls? How can that be? It’s sitting within 5 feet of you! Must been crappy reception, right?

Well, that’s what I thought. For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why my phone was only ringing a small percentage of the time. Little did I know that my Do Not Disturb feature was turned on – basically only allowing my list of “favorites” to audibly ring on my phone.

How do you know if the Do Not Disturb feature is turned on?

Look at your lock screen. (You can see mine in the above image.) Do you see that little moon icon on the top bar? Yep, it’s on. And muting your calls.

So, how do you turn that damn thing off? Two easy ways. First off, you can access the Do Not Disturb menu in Settings. Make sure to turn the manual slider to “off.” (Also you can see how mine was set to allow call from “favorites.” That’s why my iPhone was still ringing part of the time!)

The second way (and probably how I turned mine on in the first place) is to swipe up from the bottom while on your home screen, and the menu below will pop up. See that moon icon? Be sure it’s turned off.

dnd

There you have it. Now your iPhone can ring again and all will be right with the world. (On the flip side, though, if you only want to be alerted when your “favorites” call, then by all means keep it on!)