Good morning my sweet friends!
Things are really starting to look up again, last week was hard but I rode it through, lots of lounging on the couch, quiet time, time spent with my bestie, time spent in my bed, oh it was lovely.
My muse, wonderful spirit that she is, wasn’t too happy. “Dear Dominee, wouldn’t it be great if you got this finished? Sweet Dominee, look at your to-do list… it’s growing. Dominee, you really should get that done. Oooh, Domineeeeeeeee, I have a wonderful new project for you, go do it now…” To which I firmly and sweetly replied:
“Hush. I’m watching a movie.”
I didn’t allow myself to feel bad for taking time off for me. Of course, I love my business but I have to love myself as well. Take care of myself and my business prospers in the end. That’s my little secret. (Free business advice from me. Hm, I really love how I run my business, I should talk about that more shouldn’t I?)
Anywhoo that all brings us to this week’s card from the Oracle of Shadows and Light by Lucy Cavendish. The card that I picked this week is Amara the Menehune who represents Aloha Healing.
Amara appears to tell you to slow down and enjoy life fully.
Amara the Menehune represents all of the things that come to mind when you think of Hawaii. She is warm and sensual and sweet. She is laughter, dolphins, tropical breezes, and sweet fruits. Amara reminds us not to rush but to slow down and take the time to be fully present in everything that we are doing. Amara reminds you to connect deeply, work passionately, relax fully, sleep soundly, laugh loudly… put yourself completely in the moment of everything that you are doing.
This is a time to let go of guilt. Invite the energy of Hawaii into your life. Allow yourself to make the time to do the things that nurture you. Stop feeling like you always have to be rushing or busy, stop believing that feeling stressed out is a good thing because it means you’re being active. Go outside and let the sun shine on you and relax.
When you’re busy do you struggle with being fully present in all of your feelings? Do you ever find yourself brushing aside happiness and enjoyment in the quest to get things done? What is your favorite way to relax?
I think we all struggle with that to some point. I know I have. In my quest to be Super Wife/Mom, I have always put myself last, so is it any wonder others did, too?!
I love that card, but then again, I love all things Hawaiian. I lived there for 3 years and I felt more at home there than I have anywhere in my life. The islands spoke to me, to my soul, and it is my greatest wish to live there again. It's funny, my personal life wasn't the happiest there, but my soul was grounded like it never has been before.
What a beautiful post, Dominee – I love this message!
I enjoy having lots to do in a way, but there's a fine line between busy and frantic. When I'm busy, I'm productive. When I'm frantic and have too much going on (usually because I've over-committed myself), I feel pulled in a million directions, and for me at least, it makes it hard to focus on anything enough to do it and do it right. These are the times when I do kindof what you did: I step away.
I take a "techie break"; I step away from social media for anywhere from a few days to a full week. I cut myself some slack, and give myself only one thing to get done that day. Anything I do on top of that is a bonus. I think, as you said, it actually HELPS me and my business rather than be detrimental.
But like everyone, I catch myself putting off the things I know I should be doing for myself, to nurture MY soul and MY needs, in order to do things for others. I think, as women, we all tend to do this from time to time.
As an artist, I know how important taking care of myself and giving myself down time to connect with my spirit is. I do this through yoga, meditation, playing with my pets, & oddly enough even exercise :) When I don't do this things, I feel off-balance and ultimately I'm working alot but not actually producing anything.
Great post, as always!
Thank you so much for this today. I really needed to hear it. Self-care is something I'm really working on this summer. I don't brush away happiness or enjoyment, I just don't allow myself the space to have them. I am a human doing, not being. That's the major source of my struggle. Your words are helping, especially the journaling class. Bless you. Have a wonderful weekend.
Thank you Trece! I'm glad that you are enjoying the journaling course, I'm loving the feedback for it. I'm extending the offer for anyone to send me the answers to one or two prompts for me to post on my blog as a sort of guest-post thing so if you're interested let me know!
Thank you for your input Candace! I also do better when I am being pushed to do multiple things at once. I work so much harder when I'm busy and it is a hard line to balance.
I definitely think that there is a connection between being women and giving of ourselves a little bit too much. We're nurturers and sometimes we forget to nurture ourselves. It's something we all need to work on!
Thank you GIn! <3
Oooo, I am so envious of you getting to live there. It truly seems like a magical place and I WILL visit there one day. Hopefully you get to go back someday. You should always be able to have that feeling of being grounded and right where you are supposed to be.