Fill your holes

It happens.  We lose something or perhaps we miss out on something. Friendships can end, projects are not always approved, cakes don't always rise.  With each loss, stop and reflect on the light you wish could fill that hole.  Perhaps a lost friend means a closer relationship with existing mates or a flopped cake means you are allowed to eat the imperfect bits.  How could this wrinkle in your soul turn into a smile in your heart? Imagine away...

Save yourself by helping others

"Only if we understand, can we care.
 Only if we care, we will help.
 Only if we help, we shall be saved."

                                  Jane Goodall

La vie et une carnivale

Carnivals.  The music, the smells, the people laughing and playing and staring in wonder. You are meandering through a crowd, on your way to grab mini doughnuts, when you spot through a break in the sea of people - a fun house.  The mirrors, the spinning ground, the startling figures that pop out at you when you least expect it. The heart is racing, you are smiling.

Stress can be like a carnival ride.  We often don't notice its underlying effects because we are so busy attempting to manage it as best we can to make it through the ride to the other side. But stress can affect our organs, our mind, our spirit.

What do you do to de-stress?

Sleep deep

Cats and dogs may be able to get by on just a few naps throughout the day, but we need continuous, uninterrupted sleep.  This is where our mind and body heals from the stresses of the day.  During this time, some people grind their teeth or experience night sweats as the brain spins tales of an alternate reality.  Be gentle with yourself.  Avoid caffeinated beverages afternoon 12 noon, resist naps, get to bed early and wind down before heading to the land of nod.  Meditate, read or stretch.

What do you do to ensure a restful sleep?

We are part of a braid of countless strands

"We cannot live only for ourselves.  A thousand fibers connect us with our fellowmen; and along those fibers, as sympathetic threads, our actions run as causes, and they come back to us as effects."

Herman Melville from the compiled book of quotes, Good Person.