The Last Post of an Era

If you have been a reader of my blog for a little while, you may know that a renovation has been imminent. An ongoing process that has lasted five years in which I was terrified and hopeful that I would finally have a beautiful new site. And that wish is about to be realized.

What went wrong you may ask? Why has it taken so long? A simplified answer is lack of confidence and miscommunications. We are not ready for change until we are. While brave enough to blog, I was always small and that felt safe. I published consistently but never grew my audience. But my talent grew and I knew that to be true.

When I finally chose to medicate my anxieties, my world opened up. And many of the things that I thought were impossibilities began to feel like possibilities. And a new blog where I can play, create, and connect with people started to sound like more fun than felt scary.

But towards the end here, it’s felt hard. I didn’t dare to hope for a completion. My hope had been dashed so many times, I had given up on it. And I kept translating the incompletion and set backs as a sign that I was unworthy to have this happen. Always applying my not enoughs.

Bottom line is that this blog is about to change it’s look. It’s about to morph into a new entity. All of the content will d=still be here. 9 years of my writing and my life will be contained within, it will just look shinier.

Welcome to my growth. And stay tuned. My blog is here for me to remember myself when I forget who I am. And it is here for you if you need a little jolt of wisdom and positivity in your day of life.

Interested in reading my future thoughts on Creative Soul Living?

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The Not Enoughs

I visited my therapist today and we spoke a lot about “The Not Enoughs”. I have a very intimate long-running relationship with them. And they show up a lot in my life and claim jurisdiction on everything from the way I feel about my body to my creative work. Perpetually harassing me with their proclaimed truthful judgments, I forever fall short.

My therapist asked how I was doing with my body image today. I said the Not Enoughs have been in there stomping around. I tried some of my Summer clothing on this past week and declared myself a failure because nothing fit. They suggest that the Noom plan I’m on isn’t cutting it and I should quit already. That’s what they always suggest and it’s never helpful so I declined.

The TNE’s are outside in the garden pointing out the unplanted plants and the unweeded beds. They are wearing white gloves in the bedroom shaking their heads. And they are in my craft room wondering loudly why my creative business endeavors are languishing in there.

The question my therapist posed is how would I define myself if I didn’t have the Not Enoughs hanging around like a cloak of doom. What would it take for me to let them go and define myself otherwise. What would it take to be safe enough to be enough? How can I stop nurturing the familiar wound and embrace thoughts of better more fulfilled living.

That is a very good question.

Interested in reading my future thoughts on Creative Soul Living?

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And as always, thank you for your visit.

Joy is my Word of the Year for 2021

I realize that I have not declared my word of the year for 2021. Even before the ball dropped for this year, I knew it was going to be Joy. We had so much distress and sadness in 2020 that I just knew Joy was all I wanted to focus on.

The Psychologies magazine said, “Joy is more consistent and is cultivated internally. It comes when you make peace with who you are, why you are and how you are, whereas happiness tends to be externally triggered and is based on other people, things, places, thoughts and events.”

Joy can be sparked by happiness but it’s through acceptance and gratitude that we can live joyfully. Everywhere I go, I bring my laughter with me. I feel it’s my gift the world. And there are times when I can feel people are unwilling to accept it. But mostly, they embrace the opportunity to laugh. I spend more time with those people.

My husband says, “If you’re not having fun, you’re not doing it right.” With belly laughs on top to spare, I wholeheartedly agree.

Interested in reading my future thoughts on Creative Soul Living?

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I love community, soulful candid conversation, and being in touch.

And as always, thank you for your visit.

100 Days of Shalagh 2021 : Days 61 through 80

I am officially 80 percent complete with this year’s 100 Day Project. It started much earlier this Pandemic afflicted year and I appreciated that immensely. I was given a reason to be purposeful and remember how wonderful creating daily feels. And I won’t be dragging my art supplies off to my vacation unless I want to.

Self-trust is developed with any habit and discipline. That is an immense gift to give oneself. To know you are capable of making your decisions in ways that serve and benefit you is a lovely feeling.

If you want to see the previous installments of this project,

To see the beginning of the project, Days 1-20, go here.

To see Days 21 through 40, go here.

To see Days 41 through 60, go here.

19 more days and counting! See you at the end.

Interested in reading my future thoughts on Creative Soul Living?

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I love community, soulful candid conversation, and being in touch.

And as always, thank you for your visit.

Ruminating on the Wrongs in My Life

Searching for that indisputable unshakeable truth that l am the shit verses I am shit.

I have been paying attention to the very wrongest things.

So easy to stay in the judgment pit and ruminate on the wrongs in my life, my house, and my body especially.

Caught up in what’s wrong with me, there’s no way to move on. And then I keep making the same choices based on the hiccup of knowing I am worthless.

But to see the infinite possibilities and opportunities and to feel worthy of those, that’s living. The kind of living that for some of us takes a miraculous faith to move towards, forwards especially for those who have never been shown this option, never considered our worthiness for a hopeful way of life .

If it were a given I would end up successful, what would I do differently? Maybe I’d just do what made me happy because I’d already know it was going to be successful.

Interested in reading my future thoughts on Creative Soul Living?

Enter your name into the subscription box in the sidebar to the right and subscribe to my bi-weekly posts via your emailbox.

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I love community, soulful candid conversation, and being in touch.

And as always, thank you for your visit.