Too Many to Count

So many blessings - too many to count.

It's been awhile since my last post.  In that time, we've celebrated two major holidays - Mother's Day and Father's Day.  Maybe these days were created by the greeting card companies like Hallmark, but to me, they are major.  We should honor the mothers and fathers in our lives every day, but life gets in the way.  We get busy, we forget to call.  At least these holidays make us pause and remember those who've played such major roles in our lives.  My mother and father are wonderful and I love them so much.  I am so grateful for all they've given me - my very existence, my childhood memories, and love.  And there's my in-laws, who did the same for my husband, the father of my own children.  Because of them, I have the most wonderful husband and my children have the most wonderful father and I have wonderful in-laws.  In my blessings, these are my greatest:  my parents, my in-laws, my husband and my children.  My children.  The gift that keeps on giving.  The lights of my life.  I hope each of these blessings realize how important they are to me.

And then there are the other blessings - my extended family.  Nieces, nephews, sisters and brothers-in law, aunts, uncles, and friends.  Each brings light and love into an already full existence.  My new job.  My co-workers.  I have a new co-worker who is going out of her way to help me be successful.  I try to thank her so she knows how much I appreciate her help.  My new bosses who have made me feel so welcome to the family that is their livelihood.

And as I sit here typing, I look at my garden and I'm thankful for the beauty that is my flowers and herbs.  The smell, the taste and the beauty.  I watch the water sparkling in the pool and I'm grateful for the blessing of the cool water on my skin on a hot day.  I look at my home and I'm grateful for the comfort and beauty that surrounds me.  A home filled with love and so much laughter.

And I'm grateful for a God that loves me and listens when I speak.  A God that reminds me that I am here to serve and that my job is to bring joy to this little corner of my world.  You see, in my younger days, I ruminated on "my purpose in life".  I wondered why others ran companies or became famous or did "great" things and I had no real definition of what it was that I was supposed to do.  And then one day, through prayer and meditation, I realized that greatness is not the same as fame or fortune.  That greatness is living to your own potential.  And that my greatness was in being myself and bringing my limitless joy and love to those around me.  What a blessing to realize that you are enough.  That doing what you love, and loving where you are, is the example you are supposed to set.  God whispered to me long ago that I am a healer. No, I do not lay hands on the sick and cure their illnesses, but I am a friend and a mother, a co-worker, a daughter - so many things.  And through each of these, I can lend an ear or a hand.  I can help to rebuild what has been broken.  I can offer a hug.  I can relax you through Reiki or through a facial.  I can bring you peace through my hands and my heart.  What greater blessing is there?

When life is at it's worst, remember to look at your blessings.  Look with new eyes.  House a mess?  You are blessed with stuff.  Horrible job?  You are blessed with a job and knowing that you want something else.  The blessing is in discovering there is something else and having the strength and fortitude to pursue other avenues.  An illness?  I don't know where this blessing will lie - it is for you to discover. 

Just remember to look for the blessings.  They are there.  Hidden in sorrow.  Hidden in overwhelming situations.  Right there in the joyful times - out in the open, right there for you to see.  Stop and smell the roses.  Even that ability is a blessing.  Enjoy it, savor it.  Keep it in your memory bank for the hard times.  Just look for your blessings.  They're there.  Everywhere.  Be thankful for them - all of them.  The big and the small.

The dreams that you wish....will come true

I got a job. As an esthetician. Goal realized?  Check!

Sometimes you dream a dream and it becomes a reality.  And a disappointment.  Sometimes you dream a dream and it becomes a reality - and it's everything you dreamed it would be.  I'm there.  I'm living one of my dreams.  I love my job.  I go to work each day excited about the opportunities ahead of me.  Anxious to see what the day will bring.  Of course, since I'm just starting out, my days consist of a lot of laundry (you wouldn't believe the amount of laundry generated in a spa) or cleaning up the backbar and helping co-workers break down or set up rooms.  But I'm there and I'm happy to be there.  And I'm grateful that every day brings me more joy and experience.

I've had so many dreams in my life.  My husband is one of them.  My children. Vacations.  Events.  A triathlon.  All these things rolled up into one beautiful dream - one fantastic life.  And now, at 53, a career dream.  I am proof that it's never too late to do something new.  You're never too old to dream. 

Who Wants to be a Millionaire....or maybe an Esthetician?

Flash back about 20 years.  I'm lying in a dark room.  There's music playing.  I'm lying on my back in a warm bed.  There's a woman there, applying lovely smelling potions to my face.  I am calm.  Happy.  She massages my arms and shoulders...my scalp...my ears.  And in this moment, this hour of luxury, I have an epiphany.  This is what I want to do with my life.  I want to give others this experience.  I want to live this atmosphere.  I want to breathe it in.  I find joy here.  I want to be an esthetician.

I'd had a facial before.  The room was cold.  The esthetician smelled of cigarettes.  I walked away none the better for the experience.  But this time, it was different.  I felt peace.  And comfort.  And joy.  And a calling.  For 20 years, this calling has been on the back burner.  I've wanted it.  I've dreamed of it.  But I was in a comfortable job and raising my family.  It just wasn't the time.

Fast forward almost 20 years later.  I lost my job.  In the devastation that comes with losing something that you've worked hard for over a 32 year period, came an excitement for what lie ahead.  I would finally go to school and become what I'd dreamed.  But then came a job offer to do the same job that I'd always done.  Out of fear, I accepted.  Fear and my belief that things happen for a reason - that my path included this new job.  So I took it.  But I also continued my journey to becoming what I'd wanted to be - an esthetician.  I signed up for school.  I loved school.  When I did my first facial, I felt the joy I'd coveted.  And it went on.  Each facial, each body treatment, each service to a client, brought me new relationships.  I met people who needed what I had to give - an hour of relaxation and touch.  An hour of solitude and the gift of my attention.  I loved it.  All of it.

Sure, I'd love to be a millionaire too.  As an esthetician, I will never achieve that status unless I win the lottery - which has nothing to do with esthetics!  But I can tell you, that being a millionaire has never been my calling.  I am so happy that I've followed my heart.  Listen closely when your heart speaks.  Keep dreaming.  Keep dreaming.

How My House Lost Weight

a.k.a.  What I've cleaned so far in my quest to simplify and what I've learned in the process.

Decluttering your closets and cupboards feels good!  Really good!  Decluttering your closets and cupboards can be slightly embarrassing.  Or really embarrassing!  I have a few more to do (3 cupboards) but other than that, the purging has been going smoothly.

While cleaning a cupboard the other day, I actually found a bag of sugar that was hard.  Like a brick.  A 5 pound brick.  I must have bought it for Christmas cookie baking and tucked it into the wrong cupboard and forgot about it.  Embarrassing!  Sometimes I think silly thoughts like..."What if I die tomorrow and someone has to go through these drawers and closets and they find something like that brick of sugar?  Or that bag of candy in the bottom of my closet that I bought for Christmas and forgot to put out? What will they think of me?  Will they wonder out loud "Why does she have 6 cans of expired cannelloni beans in here?"

But back to what I've learned.  I've learned that with decluttering, I'm not so overwhelmed by the stuff hidden behind the doors.  I've learned that by decluttering the physical things, it begins to open  up my mind to decluttering the mental things.  I've learned that I don't need more "stuff".  I've learned that it makes me freer to do the things I want to do and that it alleviates the guilt with doing the things I want to do when I'm not worried about the messes that I haven't attended to.  I've learned that I have too much "stuff".  I've learned to look at things with a critical eye to determine if it stays or goes and I've learned that sometimes it's easier than I thought to determine that it goes.And I've learned that when it's all been cleaned and organized and accounted for, that life is just easier.

In addition, I've taken the clutter out of my eating.  I'm eating more simply.  It makes cooking easier, the grocery bill smaller, and the food more healthy.

I'm almost done with the physical, house decluttering and look forward to the next phase.  The mental decluttering.  But I'll let you in on a little secret...when you begin the physical decluttering, the mental decluttering starts without any effort.  And that, my friends, is freeing.

When all is said and done, and I lift the weight of of all of this clutter from my shoulders, it will accelerate my journey to concentrate on lifting the weight from my physical being.  Wow.  I think I've had an epiphany of sorts.  I'm encouraged by my progress.

Total weight loss from decluttering:  Probably about 100 pounds of garbage bags filled with stuff - including 5 pounds of brick hard sugar. 

Have a wonderful, simple, uncomplicated day. 

“The greatest step towards a life of simplicity is to learn to let go."  Steve Maraboli

I have a plan...

Counting calories.  That's the plan.  I've spent the last several weeks trying to determine the best path for me on my quest for a normal, comfortable weight.  I pondered the whole "cookie/dozen cookies" conundrum.  I looked at my eating habits.  I tried to pinpoint my weaknesses.  I don't have an answer.  After all that pondering, I just don't have an answer.  So I've decided to count calories.  I downloaded an app, MyFitnessPal on my phone.  And I'm counting.  One meal at a time.  I've been trying to ramp up the exercise -starting slow. One walk at a time.  I  don't always get 'er done, but I've started.  And we all know that sometimes, that's the hardest part.  Just getting up off the sofa, and taking those first steps - rain, shine, sleet, snow.  Letting go of excuses and realizing that the end result DOES justify the means.

And I know, in the back of my mind, where my dreams lay, waiting to be realized, that with persevance and some determination, one of these days I'll step on the scale and see a number that doesn't fill me with dread.  And I'll wake up in the moring and know that I will exercise because that is what I do.

I have it in me.  I know I do.

Harper Grace

Last night I finally got to meet the new addition to our family.  Harper Grace.  She was born six weeks ago to my nephew and his fiancee - a wonderful couple that I love very much.  It is no secret to my family and friends that I love babies and I'd looked forward all week to finally getting the chance to meet her.

And what a joy it was!  She's beautiful.  And perfect.  Content.  Happy.  What is it about a new baby that reminds you of the joys of life?  The excitement of looking upon the innocence and curiosity of a newborn.  I held her tiny hands in my large ones and marveled at the beauty of her tiny fingers, wrapped around mine.  I languished in the smell of her babyness - the smell of lotion, Dreft, and baby sleep.  The joy of watching her see the world and all the new people in it.  How great is our God that in one little 9 pound bundle, he could give me a gift that made my heart swell with such love and appreciation of the life we've all been given?  There is something so protective that overwhelms me and makes me want her world to be a blessed one - full of the happiness of childhood and adventures to come.  There will be heartache in her future and I wish that were not so, but I know that with every little heartache will come lessons in love and life.  And that it will continue, through all of her life.  Even when she's 53.

I know that for the next while, when the pressures of life start to overwhelm me, when the fear of the unknown starts to creep in, I'll remember Harper Grace.  The joy and excitement of all that is new will carry me through.  I will remember that no matter what our age, or stage in life, that there is something new to see, to feel, to experience.  Like her, I will try to look at the world as new - as something to learn from.  I will try to focus my eyes differently to see things in a new way.  And to take those lessons and move on. I will remember that each day, is, in it's own right, a rebirth.  A chance to start again.  I will remember all of that thanks to one little 9 pound bundle.  Our little Harper Grace.

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams.  Live the life you have imagined.  -  Thoreau

Skin Care and My Love of Vitamin C

As an esthetician, I'm often asked by clients how to combat aging skin.  Although nothing will stop the aging process, you can slow the process and enhance the quality of your skin.  The following will help to keep aging skin (or young skin) looking and feeling healthy.

A Healthy Diet:  There is no substitute for a healthy diet.  Eating a diet high in vitamin boosting fruits and vegetables is the first key to healthier skin.  In addition, healthy fats, fish, and plenty of water are shown to prevent wrinkles.   Eating healthy provides the body with nutrients to encourage healthy skin from the inside out.

Exercise:  Regular exercise is key to maintaining healthy circulation and blood flow to all body parts, including your skin!  Adequate blood flow provides nutrients and hydration to skin.  If exercising outside, remember to wear sunscreen!

A good skin care Regimen.  Keeping skin clean and moisturized are crucial to maintaining healthy skin.  While eating well and exercising work on your skin from the inside, using products that promote your skins health are key to working on your skin from the outside.  Skin should be washed each night before bed to remove the make-up and toxins that build up during the day.  It should be washed again in the morning to prepare for the day ahead and to remove sweat and debris that forms on the skin during sleep.

The following skin care basics should be in everyone's regimen:

 1)  A gentle skin cleanser.  A skin cleanser should leave your skin feeling clean but not dry.  Oily skin can tolerate, and often requires, an oil free cleanser, but skin should still not feel dry after using.  Over-drying the skin can be counterproductive and cause the oil glands to overproduce oil that has been stripped in cleansing.  Dry skin should be cleansed using a gentle cream or milk cleanser.  I've found a gentle milk cleanser to work best on most combinations skin.  I currently use an organic, vitamin C milk cleanser on my face that I am very happy with.

2)  Eye Cream.  The skin around the eyes is the thinnest on the body and will be the first to show age.  Eye creams should be used every morning after cleansing.  Eye creams are more gentle than an overall moisturizer and are specifically targeted for the skin around the eye.  Eye creams should be age appropriate.  A 20 year old will not have the same skin composition that a 50 year old will have.  Using a cream that provides too much or too little will contradict the results you are trying to achieve.

3)  Serum.  I am a strong proponent of serum - especially a good vitamin C serum.  Vitamin C is full of antioxidants when used in skin care.  When applied to the skin, vitamin C lotion has been shown to protect the skin from harmful rays of the sun, lessen brown spots caused by sun damage and boost the production of collagen.  There are several different serums on the market and you should research which one works best for you, but in my opinion, you get the best bang for your buck from a good vitamin C serum.  I've noticed definite changes in the look of my skin when using vitamin C serum.

4)  Moisturizer.  Moisturizer is the "icing on the cake".  A good moisturizer should make your skin feel soft without feeling greasy or oily.  As with eye cream, moisturizers should be age appropriate.  A moisturizer made for young skin (that tends to be more hydrated and oily) should not be used on older skin that may be dryer.

There are several other steps that can be added to a skin care regimen but the above are the basic steps that should be included in every routine.  I currently use the Clinique eye roller every morning to reduce puffiness around my eyes.  I use a regenerating serum at night under a moisturizer specifically targeting for nighttime and a gentle exfoliater twice a week.  Although I struggle with weight and getting enough water, I try to make sure that I get plenty of fruits and vegetables in my diet.  I also take several supplements, including vitamin C, to promote health from the inside.

If you are trying to find products that suit your skin, make appointments at your local cosmetic counters of department stores such as Macys or cosmetic specific stores like Sephora.  Have your skin cleaned and moisturized by a product line and wear it for a day.  See how your skin feels.  If you like the way it feels, the products may be right for you.  If you do not like the feel, try another line or another series from that particular line.  Most lines carry products for skin that include oily, dry and combination.  Don't be afraid to shop at these stores for the products as they do allow returns for products that don't work.  Just make sure you return it within a few days and not when the bottles are empty!