“Don’t Exist.” Live
I look at this quote every morning. Three powerful words. They make me question. They make me ponder. They make me Live. And I mean really LIVE. I look over my life periodically and reflect on where I am at. Am I living the life that I dream? The life that I had always imagined? Or am I living someone elses life?
It’s ignoring convention. Questioning the rules. Breaking the rules. Creating your own rules.
In our society the ‘right thing to do’ is to go to college, get a 9-5 job, date, get married, have kids, buy a house, buy a car, buy all these items that I have to work my a** off to afford. Yet, none of that made sense to me. I could buy a lot less. Work a lot less. And enjoy spending time with my friends and family. Thats what I wanted.
What I wanted more then anything was to experience joy, love and pure happiness. Ecstasy. The joy that brings you to tears. I wanted passion, adventure, excitement.
What are your goals? What drives you? For many it is the college, job, get married, and have kids. But, for those of us that don’t share these dreams, that life will slowly suffocate us. I have seen it happen to many friends and it hurts to watch. Many believe the lie that that life is the life to live. Yet, the only life you have to live is yours. Live life by your own terms, be true to yourself, and LIVE.
So, once I determined what was important to me I really started living. I set out to travel the world, open my eyes, meet new people, challenge myself, break thru my self imposed limits and feel the life rushing thru me. I traveled to 35 countries, climbed mountains, bungee jumped, sandboarded, lived in South Africa, lived in South Korea, learned basic Korean, learned basic Spanish, slept in airports, slept on beaches, spent many days seasick on boats, sailed around the world, slept in the nicest hotels, slept in places that still haunt me, ate meals that I swear are still in my intestines, got attacked my mosquitos (worse night ever, pure torture), experienced getting everything stolen in the middle of a foreign country and the peace that came from knowing I didn’t really need anything, made life long friends, pet a cheetah and worked just enough in all of that. 
I lived. I experienced love, happiness and the joy that brings you to tears.
Are you living the life you always imagined?
What?
I moved into my place over a month ago now, and I cannot sleep. My mind is racing, my notebooks are getting full, and I find myself walking in circles. I am so ADD right now that it is very hard to accomplish anything. I wake up at 3:30 and I make myself toast and jelly nearly every morning and can never fall back asleep. I am hitting the point of delirium. This is not like me at all.
So what does this have to do with a Naked Man with PB&J Sandwiches?
Last night my girlfriends, a couple of my neighbors and I were enjoying the beautiful night on our deck with a bottle of wine (ok yes it was 5 bottles). One of the neighbors is the guy that use to live in my condo. So, it comes out last night that while he was living in my place he would wake up at 3:30 in the morning and make PB&J sandwiches while in the nude. My other neighbors saw him nude a few too many times upon returning from a night out!
So, all the pieces start coming together now. He cant ever fall asleep, his mind races all the time, and he wakes up every morning at 3:30, makes himself PB&J and cant fall back asleep. I have picked up his energy! I would be eating PB&J too, but am allergic to peanut butter, so I just eat the toast with the jelly. Weird, huh?
The Power of Energy Imprints
Spaces retain energy imprints of their previous owners. It is always a wise idea to space clear your place before moving into it, because these imprints can be very powerful. I was being stubborn though and wanted to paint and decorate before I energetically cleared my space. I sure could have saved myself from many a sleepless night! Yet, I learned a valuable lesson in the power of energy imprints.
Read more about Space Clearing on Karen Kingstons website. Karen is an authority on space clearing and a truly amazing women. I had the opportunity to study with her in Bali and am so grateful for all that she taught me about the power of energy. Life changing.
I use the must have list a lot. When planning vacations, job searching, business planning, dating, and searching for places to live. It helps you to get at the core of what you want, find that which is for your highest good, and saves you from a lot of bad dates!
The Power of Intention:
“When you set an intention, when you commit, the entire universe conspires to make it happen.” - Sandy Forster
When we live with intention all else that doesn’t align with our purpose falls away. Making a list is a powerful tool to creating intention and manifesting change in our lives. It creates focus, clarity, and energy. I created a must have list for my new home and then forgot about it, yet it still created the space and the energy for me to find my dream home. I recently found my list and my new place has everything that was on my must have list, half of what was on my would be nice list, and a couple of the things on my gracious touches. I have met many people that do these lists, and they continue to do them because it is such a powerful tool and the evidence is very tangible.
The Three Categories:
Must Haves: This is where I put those things that I absolutely cannot live without. When I made my dream home list it included large outdoor space, location where I could walk to everything, a social building, easy parking, low taxes, low assessment…These are those things that are deal breakers if they are missing.
Would be Nice: These are those items that it would be great to have, but when it comes down to it you could live without it. On mine I had items such as garage parking, vintage character, radiant heating…
Gracious Touches: The items that are pure bonus, such as an Italian designer kitchen with an Aga stove…Or the spiritual, meditating, yoga practicing, fantastic cooking, wants to farm, super funny, down to earth, hot guy that happens to live nearby.
Making your list:
When you sit down and make your list, be sure to put a good amount of thought into it. Get to the core of what you are searching for. I originally had on my must haves 2 plus bedrooms. Yet, as I looked at it longer I realized that what I wanted was a social place. I didn’t want the alienation that often comes with living in a big city and living in a small space. I thought having a roommate would help that, but so would living in a social building with great neighbors. So, on my must haves it changed from a 2 bedroom place to a social building. I ended up actually getting a studio which I absolutely love. It is so much cheaper, and I live in an amazing building that entertains a lot.
Creating for your Highest Good:
At the top of every list, I write for the highest good of all concerned and then I circle it. Over my life I have come to realize that as much as I think I know what I want or what I need, in reality Spirit knows best and I need to trust that.
I have written about Mod Green Pod’s 100% organic prints before, cause I absolutely love them! So happy that they made the coordinating solids.
Q Collection started back in 2002, before being ‘green’ was considered a fad. It was one of the first collections that I came across where high style was combined with very strict environmental and health goals. Their primary goal is to eliminate all the toxic chemicals that are found in furniture that lead in poor indoor air quality. No formaldehyde, polyurethane, or fire retardants. Their furniture is not cheap though. Yet, if you can afford it, their pieces are truly heirloom quality. (If you ever work with me I pass on my designer discount too :), I charge hourly and that is one of the perks! )
If just 25% of U.S. families used 10 fewer plastic bags a month, we would save over 2.5 BILLION bags a year! Have you ever seen something like this? I was swimming on this beautiful clear beach in Bali. The sand was pure, there were no fish around - I was in heaven, as I am always scared about what is lurking beneath the water. Well, then I ran into this huge piece of garbage in the water,let’s just say there was some minor screaming involved. I know that I am partly responsible for all the garbage in our waterways, and that was a great reminder to me about how much damage we are doing.
Colori just brought Mythic Paint to Chicago. :) I couldn’t be happier to have this paint close by. A favorite of those that have environmental illnesses, allergies, and those looking for a greener option - Mythic Paint not only performs well, but also has minimal scent and cures fast. (For those of you with serious sensitivities, remember to always test small amounts first. A great idea is the jar test as we all react very differently to different products. I have learned this the hard way!)
Michelle, the owner of Colori, is amazing and if you are in Chicago she rocks at in home color consultations . Also, her window display is by INDO projects and is stunning don’t you think?
Environmental Working Group just came out with a new cell phone exposure guide. Be sure to check it out, they have a wealth of information. While, yes, I do still have a cell phone I believe that we should be very cautious as to how much we use our phone. Mine is one of the worst, so I am sure to limit my usage. When I was electrically hypersensitive I could not use mine at all. I would seriously go stupid for a while afterwards. I thought I was just odd. And I am a little odd. But regardless, studies do back this up and show that a two minute cell phone call can alter the natural electrical activity in a child’s brain for up to an hour.
Some things that I recommend to reduce your exposure are:
1. Get a headset. The Blue Tube headset that Dr. Mercola sells on his site, I find to be the best. Also, check out Dr. Mercola’s article on cell phone exposure. It is fascinating.
2. Do not sleep with your phone next to your head. I used to do this a lot in High School. The hours that I put in on my cell phone still astonish me. I must have a skull made of steel since I am still pretty smart. (at least I think so)
3. Turn off your cell phone. I have started doing this a lot lately. It is very liberating. My friends and family have been completely annoyed by it, but I am hoping that they will get used to it soon. They keep thinking I skipped the country!
4. Do not be afraid of using a cell phone. Yes, recent studies are pretty convincing that we need to be careful. Yet, I do think that it is unrealistic for many to completely stop using cell phones. The most important thing is to be mindful of your usage habits. Everything in moderation right? And when we are afraid of something, the fear can cause more problems on our bodies then the actual thing that we are afraid of (read Deadly Emotions by Don Colbert and check out EFT).
FLUF. Locally made in Toronto. Handprinted organic cotton and unbleached hemp fabrics. I just ordered a sample set for my studio and I love them! Water based dyes and fair labor - nearly perfect… Replace the soy based cushion inserts with wool, kapok or organic cotton and then we move beyond eco-friendly and we have a healthy pillow as well.
