Rest is the best remedy

So, prior to Christmas Eve, I was sick as a dog; in the bed for literally two days straight, attempting to recharge my body through resting, plenty of fluids and some quiet time. My body ached, it shivered from cold, was hot to the touch from fever; and I was overwhelmed with exhaustion.Thank goodness for my mother who was there taking care of me like she did when I was five years old and illness would befall me; serving up iced ginger ale to cool my temperature, orange juice, water, tea and a plate of steaming hot collared greens cooked with red potatoes. My mother is old school and is a firm believer in her home remedies; and rightly so. I ate that bowl of greens; slowly savoring them and remembering the familiarity of their taste over the years; it hadn't changed a bit. It was the only meal I had had for the day as I just didn't have the will or energy to eat much at all; however I had smelled those delicious greens cooking and was roused out of my slumber to make myself eat them when they were ready. I had enough energy to bathe, change my clothes, and come downstairs to enjoy some moments with my mother.

 

It was Christmas Eve and I felt sad that she was watching movies, listening to songs and remembering her previous holiday seasons all alone. It was a struggle as I felt quite lethargic and moving my body from one room to another was such a task. But when I emerged down the stairs, my mother's smile warmed me from inside out and gave me incentive to keep pushing if I was to shake this sickness. She hugged me and I served myself up some of her yummy greens. I literally felt some of my strength returning after the first serving, and as a matter of fact I even had a second serving! My body enjoyed and relished what it received; and thanked me for giving it some home cooked love. My mother and I watched a play together, we talked, laughed a little and shared some memories. I came over to her, hugged her and thanked her for taking such good care of me; she responded with love as she always does when she knows deep inside how much she means to me. I was oh so appreciative that night as I settled in to sleep off the remaining hold this sickness had on me.

 

The next morning I felt noticeably more energetic and got up to shower and wash my hair; feeling more refreshed than the day before. Mentally I knew I had to remember to take it easy even though I was beginning to feel better as I have a tendency to jump right back in the swing of things instead of slowly getting back into the grind. So that is what I did; I ate small servings of hearty soups, salad and lots of fluids. I emerged from my cocoon; which is what it felt like as I had kept my blinds closed and barely any light entered into my windows as I slept through the nights and most of the days prior to Christmas. I noticed my skin had a glow to it; perhaps all of the sweating caused an internal cleansing because I even felt a little lighter; not so weighed down. I felt ready to begin the day, but at a slower pace than usual. I had a beautiful day surrounded by love, which in turned surrounded me with the strength I needed to fuel my body and feel better. While I am still not fully out of the woods; I can at least see the light at the end of the tunnel. It's very hard for me to be unwell; but sometimes its during these times that I gain a new perspective; when I'm forced to slow down and rest. My mother said those very words; you need to just rest! I did just that and so much came to me; my mind was clearer, and my Spirit shined brightly through as my body played catch up.

End of year goodbyes; New year rise

December 2013 is finally upon us and boy did this year fly by! 2013 was an amazing year; a year of book releases, poems written, new friendships and connections, and seeing my life in a new light. Viewing my life in a new light has really helped me with seeing others in their own unique light as well. The ways in which I navigate through my life are mine and mine alone but it doesn't make them right for everyone else.

Forgiveness abounded in my heart as I reassessed relationships that I thought were okay in the state they were in but was sadly mistaken. For example; I haven't been as close to my older sister as I could have been over the years and I had been holding on to many grudges from the past. My mother, whom I love as dearly as life itself, but don't always agree with; shared some thoughts with me and I saw things through her light. It's not always easy to forgive, but doing it emptied my heart of resentment and unnecessary pain. Who needs to carry such things into a brand new year? Needless to say, I am very excited about what 2014 has in store for me, my family, loved ones and the writing adventures I will be going on. Not only do I feel undoubtedly excited about what's in store for my life; but I feel more prepared for it. I have an end of the year ritual that I follow and it's quite simple; I cleanse my home, life and mind of whatever is taking up unnecessary space. And as this physical cleansing takes place; an emotional and mental cleanse follows and helps me to have more peace within.

 I recently completed a photo project in which I framed and hung up black and white photographs of my family and friends in my living room; it felt great as I had been planning to do this for the longest time. Every nook and cranny in my home has been getting some extra attention; bookshelves, cupboards, under beds, closets and rooms all included. I also went through my journals, notebooks and other collections of mine to gauge where I am with my writing. There is always a sense of completion and a loud exhale from my lungs when I follow my end of year ritual. The best part of this ritual is opening up to welcome and receive the newness of the coming year. Spring cleaning is a wonderful process as well, but I can't wait until Spring arrives! Winter, although sunny where I am, is the best time to review, reassess and revive my spirit of "old" patterns, items, and ideas that helped me along in my life but are no longer needed.

So, what will all of this cleaning out and releasing prepare me for in the coming year? Well, I will have more clarity, less confusion, less clutter, and more space in my heart, mind and soul for what lies ahead. I started writing down affirmations, my goals and dreams for this unknown yet exciting time to come. I plan to utilize sage to cleanse out my living space and the stagnant energy that has collected over the year on the very last day of 2013, I will open the windows to my home and watch as the smoke floats through them. I will most definitely treasure the memories made, lessons learned, and I will remember what made me smile, laugh and even cry this year; because tears are extremely cleansing to the soul! May the ending of this year be the beginning of a most blissful year for this world and all it's inhabitants.

Plugging on!

So, I have really been out of the loop for the past week as I had one of the most detrimental things happen to me!!! My laptop died on me and I had no way to revive it due to a faulty wire. For those who may have thought something was terribly wrong, I didn't mean to alarm you...I'm happy, I'm safe, I'm loved and I'm going to keep on plugging on! Pun intended!! Needless to say, I haven't been able to accomplish much writing this past week with this minor, yet major inconvenience. Writing hasn't ceased completely for me as I still have my pens, paper, journals and more to keep me going, but it's different when I wake up in the middle of the night with a story burning on my mind and can't type it right away!

The good news is that where there's a will, there is always a way! As a matter of fact, I put in my order to receive a new cord this week and I am at the library typing this up and so I still have an outlet, maybe not at the middle of the night, but this works! Also, I have been coming up with all sorts of ideas, subjects, poems and more to share with my beloved audience, I have missed you! Look for me though this week, as I will still be in your midst with thoughtful posts on my blogs...I am currently working on a weekly self help blog for my readers as well as tweaking my parenting and music blog; basically showing them love by committing to adding at least 2 to 3 posts per week. I am looking forward to the challenge and I know it can be done, especially with all of the momentum I have been gaining lately. It won't be long!