Metamorphosis

I started a doodle today, just thinking about the transformations that all of us go through.  Every day, every second we are always making decisions that are changing our lives.  Every day we are making choices that will make us better or worse.  Those decisions are up to us to make.  Sometimes, our choices transform us right away and sometimes it takes time.  Like a butterfly, the cocoon isn't going to break open when we think we're ready; it'll happen when it is meant to happen.  "Be patient and trust the journey" has become my new mantra.  Just believe it and you will receive it!

Health: It's such a journey.  And I know there are always going to be highs and lows and in-betweens. It's the same story again as my first round.  I lost a few pounds and have gained them back by the second week.  Well, I'm ignoring the scale and what it says.  I know I haven't been pushing as hard with the workouts with my pulled hamstring, but I know I'm going to my limits.  I also can tell that I'm getting results because my pants to my underwear are beginning to feel loose.
Besides from the physical, my anxiety over getting a career going made me have a tiny panic attack.  My heart started to pound and my tummy got all rumbly.  I was just trying to clean up when this wave of feeling completely inadequate and "am I making the wrong decision" hit me. I just had to stop myself and go take a minute to meditate.  I laid down, put on my meditation eye pillow, and spent 8 minutes doing a body scan meditation (just checking in with the feelings throughout all the different parts of your body).  I was able to pull myself back together, refocus, and continue on with my day.  That anxiety still tries to creep back in; it wasn't a one and done type fix.  It's an every day, every thought decision to change negative self-talk to positive.

Relationships: So you know how I said I was having some forgiveness issues; well this morning I was hit smack in the face with it.  I was reading about what it means to really forgive.  Even though I keep saying that I have forgiven and given a second chance, I've been harboring bitterness, trying to control current behavior, and constantly bringing up the past.  This is what I mean when I'm trying to walk that delicate line between forgiveness and letting myself get walked all over.  There was also a section of the book that broke down forgiveness and reconciliation and the differences between the two.  It's going to be a long road, but I'm ready to start walking that road.  I don't want to be in the prison of un-forgiveness anymore. I don't want it weighing me or my thoughts down anymore.

Career:  Have you ever just got it in your head that you need something and you need it to happen NOW!  That's how I felt this week about jobs.  I'm tired of applying and I found one that I was really hopeful for; however, I called yesterday and they said they were calling candidates that day.  No call.  I held out hope that maybe today I'd hear something.  Still no.  I'm trying to trust God through all of this; he'll direct my paths and He knows exactly what I need and when.  I just have to be patient enough to let life happen.  On my webinar for my awesome coaching job (yes I love it and I wish so much that I could be helping more people all the time), I was reminded that this is a journey.  I just have to keep sharing my journey and helping people.

Creepy!

hahaha- Youtube hates me.  Really, I look up guided meditations and I see a video for "Best of Josh Hutcherson." It sure knows how to distract me! It didn't help that the guided meditation was completely boring.  I guess I am so used to Renee's meditations of imagery.  She takes you to a place and helps you feel calm and centered in that spot.  She also seems to say exactly what you need to hear at the moment.  For example: "Breath in love, breath out jealousy.  Breath in hope, breath out fear.  Feel the soft strength of the rock beneath you and how centered you are on it.  You are looking up at the night sky and you see a shooting star.  There are many of them now and they start to fall on you.  Bringing light and happiness to you as they embrace you.  Take in that light and breath it out into the world, sharing your light with the world."  It is hard to go from something like that to: "Breath in fully, breath out fully."  The sound of the waves was really working for the guy leading the meditation.  He also sounded like he was trying way to hard.  There was something forced in his voice. Renee's meditations just seem to flow straight from her mind and are genuine; not rehearsed.   A few other yoga related things:  so excited that a studio is giving free demos of aerial yoga soon and I am anxious to start making my Samatahiti video once I get all the components.  Once I get the video together, it shall be on here!

I figured I should follow up my post about peeling.  IF I HAD KNOWN THIS BEFORE, I think I'd be a much happier person at this point in my life.  I feel like one giant itch.  Between peeling scabs and peeling sunburn, all I do is scratch.   Here are some useful sunburn remedies that are all natural.  I will say, I did rub two aloe "leaves" on my legs and it helped a bit.  I wish I'd known the vinegar one though!  The linked article has natural remedies for other summer time complaints (bug bites, tick prevention, etc.).

1. Vinegar – Surprisingly this came out as the number one remedy for burning, itching sunburn. Use either white or apple cider vinegar they both seem to work equally well, spray it on or apply it with a cotton ball and let dry. It takes away the itching and burning and helps your burn not to peel quite as much.
2. Aloe – No sunburn list would be complete without Aloe on the list. Long known for its healing properties this is the remedy that most of us are familiar with. Simply apply aloe juice, gel, or direct from the plant and leave it.
3. Tea or tea bags – Tea will reduce the burning as well has help your burn fade a bit faster than it otherwise would.While many people suggest applying tea bags directly to the burn if you have a large burn this could be a bit difficult. You can brew your tea let it cool and use a rag to apply the tea directly to your skin. Use this remedy two to three times daily till the pain stops and the redness fades. Especially good on severe burns.
4. Ice – Removes the burn and pulls the heat out of your skin, ice will also help to reduce any swelling that might occur from severe burns. Best if combined with other remedies. You can use ice cubes, ice packs or put a wet towel in the freezer and let it freeze.
5. Mustard – while this might sound a bit gross, and truthfully it is the first time I had heard of it many people swear by it. Smear the burn area with mustard and let it dry. Remove by washing it off, it takes away the sting and will prevent blistering from occurring.

*Note: I am becoming slightly concerned with how crazy intelligent our technology is getting.  Really, my desktop just asked me: "See What Bing Knows About Stephenie?"  Creepy.  I think technology is getting smarter and people are growing dumber.  This was honestly in a health pamphlet that was sent to the office.  Really?  Pregnancy is a fact of life.  NO WAY!  I didn't know that!  I can't believe we populated a whole planet to almost over population without pregnancy being a fact of life.  I get what the writer was going for, but it makes me want to die reading redundant statements of just pure idiocy.  My internet can tell me exactly what I want to find without even asking for it; however, there are human beings that the phrase "Pregnancy is a fact of life" is enlightening.  No, it really isn't.  And with the modern woman and growing concerns of over population, more and more couples are choosing to keep pregnancy from being a fact of their lives.  My neighbor and I were joking about babies being a game changer.  I met a guy with a "Game Over" shirt with a married couple on the front.  I thought, heck, add a pregnancy belly to that image and it would be accurate.  That is at least the way I feel at this moment. 

Second spooky thing of the day.  Guys who hit on you in front of their wives.  I thought, silly me, when I quit working at a hardware store, I'd have to stop fielding weird requests.  I got asked today if I wanted to be a sugar mama - with the guys wife sitting right next to him.  I've had marriage proposals and requests to spank with a paint stick, but this is just a new level of creepy.  I know the man was completely kidding, but I wonder how that makes his wife feel.  To hear him ask another woman to take care of him.  How rude?  And to put me in a situation dealing with that -  I don't need to be brought into any other relationship. 

PS: After I wrote last night's blog, my neighbor really did stop by and ask for a cup of sugar.  It had me chuckling for a time since I had only put it in my title as a joke.  Life is funny sometimes.