Let go

Sometimes you just have to let things go. This is something I'm working on, I always want to work things out, analyze them, plan them, get to the root of the situation, and I'm learning that sometimes it's best to just let go. We cannot control everything in life and the moment that we stop trying to is when the weight of the world that we thought we were carrying will suddenly be released. Because life is complex, tragedy happens, beauty abounds and we can't always know why. All we can do is accept what is, be who we are and let nature take its course.

"The mind can go in a thousand directions, but on this beautiful path, I walk in peace. With each beautiful step, the wind blows. With each step, a flower blooms."

-Thich Nhat Hanh

Art Inspiration: Mark Rothko

Mark Rothko, American Abstract Expressionist..

"Breathing in, I calm my body and mind. Breathing out, I smile. Dwelling in the present moment I know this is the only moment."

-Thich Nhat Hanh

Balancing act

I am constantly trying to find balance in life. I'm happiest when I have a good balance of all that's important to me. In my experience I have never benefited from a one track mind. For me that usually means making sure I don't get so bogged down with work or school that I don't have time to exercise or spend time with the people I love. I like to think of it simply as being healthy, making sure to feed my mind, body and soul. Because one never quite functions right without the other. So many of us get so focused on a goal in the future that we tend to sort of forgo the present to achieve it. I have had a startling revelation though, life is short, and life is the now, the present every day, don't miss it! Feed and exercise your mind, your body AND your soul on a daily basis and I've found that it only then will the balance come with surprising ease.

Dream big

"Dream" by D. Lane Taylor

I happen to be a twenty something girl trying to follow my dreams, and I have to be honest, it can be discouraging at times. In this day and age we're raised to dream big, to think we can be anything we want to be, to pursue the world. But I've found that often society puts an expiration date on that school of thought. It becomes less about fulfilling your dreams and more about receiving a paycheck, hopefully with benefits and total "security". Getting a job is more important than doing something you love. Dreaming isn't really practical once you hit a certain age and before we've even began our career we're supposed to start thinking about retirement. But I believe there is success in taking a little extra time to figure out what will make you happy on a daily basis so that they goal is not an early retirement. So here's to dreaming big and never giving up on what you most want to be when you grow up.

you get what you need

Life continues to baffle and amaze me. Just when you think you have things all planned out, or just when you've accepted the situation you're in, you can be hit with something completely unexpected. The good news is, its not always bad. And sometimes it can be the thing you never even knew that you needed the most. It can be some sort of connection that makes you realize that you are not alone in this world, you are far from it.