AND NOW...INTRODUCING MY MOM! THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMAN IN THE UNIVERSE...I AM NOT EVEN KIDDING (#BOAW2015)

The Beauty of a Woman…

I was having such a hard time with this.

My mom, Joan Kennedy, the most beautiful woman I know--inside, outside, all sides. Protector, confidant, mentor, teacher, cheerleader, friend. When she would come for school visits at St. John the Baptist, I could barely contain myself. My mother was coming to SCHOOL! Everyone would bask in her awesomeness.

I felt the same way in high school--I know! I never "hated" my mom, or thought she was "lame"--okay, maybe she really didn't "understand" how much I loved that boy, but she sure knew how to help me get on with my life:

"Put on your sunglasses and clean out your drawers--make room for good things in your life."

I am still excited to introduce her to new friends or colleagues. "This," I say with reverence, "is my mom, Joan Kennedy."

I know I am only scratching at the surface of this, I feel words can't describe it all, but a picture, well that's worth thousands of those.

the beauty of a woman

sharing wisdom

laughing

loving

A tiny snippet of her life--at 92 she continues to share her wisdom and laugh, she is a motivational speaker, seminar/workshop leader, and an author. I love her like crazy and I hope to grow up to be just like her.
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Beauty of a Woman

SANCTUARY! WHY WE NEED IT AND HOW TO KEEP IT.

I was crabby.Crabby, crabby, crabby. Like not talking crabby and snapping at people (family people) when I did talk. And totally in my head. Yuck.

Why was I crabby? Work. 'Nuff said. Luckily, my husband called me on it. He said, "This isn't work, this is our home and it's supposed to be a sanctuary. This is where we go to leave all the crap behind. This is where people love you." Okay, first he said, "What the hell?" Then he said the cool stuff.

Aaaah, I brought all the crap from work and pretty much placed it on the kitchen table and said, "Here, eat this." Not good.

Now, I'm a pretty happy gal, but when things bother me, they REALLY bother me, yet it so wasn't fair to my family to be bitchy with them when they weren't the fracking problem, plus being crabby and bitchy and unhappy SUCKS. The question was though, how was I going to leave my work drama at work?

So, I've been experimenting with some decompression stuff. Such as:

• Listening to a book on CD during my commute home
• Essential oils*
• Be intentional--before walking through front door: this is my sanctuary, and I will not shit where I eat.
• Think about the day and then set it aside.
• Florence and the Machine, because, Shake It Out.

When I leave work at work and give myself over to being my best me for my family and friends, it's not just better for them it's better for me too. It feels good to not be mired in my head with crap. It feels good to smile and listen and laugh.

*Essential oils are my first choice for most things: colds, bug bites, can't fall asleep, need to wake up, have to speak in front of 50 people...anything. So, it's funny that I didn't think of using them in my car a long time ago. I'm making caromas (did you see what I did there?) hangy doo-dad thingies (I'm working on a name) Here are some pictures:

It's definitely a prototype! but I like that I can pull the corks off the magnates to add more essential oils. Right now we are enjoying the scents of Peppermint and Lemon Young Living Essential Oils. Plus, just looking at it reminds me to leave the crap behind.
How about you, what's you're decompression trick(s)?