"I'm not gone! I'm right here!"

For those of you who are linked up with Body and Soul Chicago on Facebook, you already know about the sudden passing of my cousin John. John is a sweet, hilarious guy who although his age is 23, his personality is more like a child.

Notice that I'm not saying what John was, but what he is. He will give me a piece of his mind if I was to say it any other way.

I am honored that I was able to help my Aunt, Uncle, and cousins heal from their grief by talking to John even during his wake and funeral. It was beautiful to see the healing on both sides; as John was able to deliver important messages to his family, they were able to heal that much more quickly at the same time John was able to get more peace. Everybody wins, and I was blessed to be the woman in the middle, witness to all of it.

As my Aunt said, "John, you were always a good son," John screamed right back, "I am a good son! I'm not gone! I'm still here!"

During the funeral, John's stepmom spoke about his love of sunflowers. It shouldn't have surprised me that my husband brought home a sunflower cookie cake the same night I returned from his services. Of course it's John at work. When I asked if it was difficult to get my husband to do that, he laughed and said it was "so easy." Some of us are easier to reach than others. He gets a kick out of saying hi this way; it's like a game to him. He's declared sunflowers as his symbol, so he told me to expect to see them all the time now. Thanks John.

So here are the pearls of wisdom that I hope you can gather from my experience in losing the physical form of a dear cousin:

• Our loved ones are still around, still exist, but we just can't always see or hear them. Please talk about them in the present tense and speak with them. They are listening and they love to be honored.
• Don't dismiss those weird signs, like Aunt Sonia's favorite song on the radio just as you were thinking of her, or grandma's favorite ladybugs always crossing your path. This is a hello from heaven! It's your loved ones wanting to make you smile. Our logic wants to dismiss these "coincidences." Don't do that. Their love and continued connection with us is real.

Spiritual Amnesia

I really love Akashic records readings. Since I was a naturally gifted, 100% organic, all-natural psychic medium first, the Akashics initially seemed obsolete. But in my spiritual quest, I did manage to distinguish the different uses.

I am way too wordy today, so let me break it down as easily as possible:
Mediumship reading--everything but the kitchen sink. Late loved ones, angels, career, life's questions, relationships, etc.
Akashic reading--past life exploration and understanding to look for patterns: recurring themes, repeated choices, finding the root of traumas, etc.

A common theme that comes up in the Akashic records is what I like to call "spiritual amnesia." Hold on to your hats folks, because this one is a doozy.

God/Spirit/Creator was not kidding when she/he said we have free will. We have so many choices. No matter how important it is for us to be a teacher, marry that guy, or move to that place, no one can make us do it. Not God, not angels, no one but ourselves. Free will holds this universe together, and it means that our progress as a soul is completely up to us.

In Akashic readings, I have the privilege of revealing to people why their soul chose the heavy-hitting lessons that it has. Before we enter our life, we actually chose many of our big battles.

I want to have autism.
I want to help my dad.
I want to conquer my fear of failure.

We pick these battles to teach us the lessons our soul needs to learn. Then our guides and angels help us map out that reality on earth, serving up the challenges we asked for before this crazy ride got started. Once we get in the flow, we can pick up the gauntlet and run with it, or we can say ya know what, I know I picked this lesson but I don't feel like learning it. It's all up to us.

This is always so hard to tell people. Typically, I scrunch up my face, suck in a deep breath, and say something like, "I know this sounds like a sucker-punch to the gut, but you actually chose this ridiculousness." Surprisingly, no one has slapped me in the face yet. Take my word for it--it is really hard to tell someone that they chose to get cancer, marry an unsupportive guy, etc. Because then the finger-pointing goes right back in your own face.

Some people smile and chuckle. Man, I really am crazy. Just like I always thought. Other people look at me like I am completely bonkers. Why would I choose THIS?! You are some kind of cruel, mean lady.

Hence, this is what I call spiritual amnesia. On the other side, free of Earth's many challenges, we are so goal-oriented. So inspired. So wise and so willing to grow. It's like the first day of high school all the time. I'm going to get a 4.0. I'm going to run for class president. I'm going to ask that girl out. We have a lengthy list of accomplishments we'd like to see through all for the growth of ourselves. But when we make that list, we are in spirit form and it's like we've completely forgotten how absurdly difficult Earth life truly is. So when we get here, it's a huge palm-smack to the forehead. What in the world did I just do!?

So here are the nuggets of wisdom that I've derived from this universal truth:

• Our struggles are self-inflicted. Do not look externally to lay fault for your pain.
• We are our own wisest teacher! We know exaclty what we need to do to be the perfect soul.
• Look past the pain to explore why you would choose this challenge. Discover the lesson learned from the pain and realize how conquering this obstacle makes you a better soul.

Easier said than done. Yes.

To Ponder

"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony."

Mahatma Ghandi

Being Me

I love The Happiness Project. This woman is so insightful, and I love how she's so thoroughly expressed what I've felt but haven't been eloquent enough to explain.

She has 12 personal commandments, the first of which is "Be Gretchen." Here's the excerpt I love:

"being Gretchen, and accepting my true likes and dislikes, also means that I have to face the fact that I will never visit a jazz club at midnight, or hang out in artists’ studios, or jet off to Paris for the weekend, or pack up to go fly-fishing on a spring dawn. I won’t be admired for my chic wardrobe or be appointed to a high government office. I love fortune cookies and refuse to try foie gras.

Now, you might think – “Well, okay, but why does that make you sad? You don’t want to visit a jazz club at midnight anyway, so why does it make you sad to know that you don’t want to do that? If you wanted to, of course you could.”

It makes me sad for two reasons. First, it makes me sad to realize my limitations. The world offers so much!--and I am too small to appreciate it. The joke in law school was: "The curse of Yale Law School is to try to die with your options open." Which means -- at some point, you have to pursue one option, which means foreclosing other options, and to try to avoid that is crazy. Similarly, to be Gretchen means to let go of all the things that I am not -- to acknowledge what I don't encompass.

But it also makes me sad because, in many ways, I wish I were different. One of my Secrets of Adulthood is “You can choose what you do, but you can’t choose what you like to do.” I have a lot of notions about what I wish I liked to do, of the subjects and occupations that I wish interested me. But it doesn’t matter what I wish I were like. I am Gretchen.

Once I realized this, I saw that this problem is quite more widespread. A person wants to teach high school, but wishes he wanted to be a banker. Or vice versa. A person has a service heart but doesn’t want to put it to use. Someone wants to be a stay-at-home mother but wishes she wanted to work; another person wants to work but wishes she wanted to be a stay-at-home mother. And it’s possible -- in fact quite easy -- to construct a life quite unrelated to our nature.

People judge us; we judge ourselves."

True, true, and true.

I've spent a lot of time wishing I loved to cook. Wouldn't life be grand if I loved to cook? I watch the Food Network and check out The Pioneer Woman's blog. It sounds fun. It looks fun. But it just isn't fun for me.

When I was living in Chicago and realizing that this city life was wearing on my nerves and just not good for my energy, it made me sad. I'd look at condos and apartments, watch people walking down the street, and I would chant to myself, "They love it here. I can love it here." But I just can't. I can't love the concrete everywhere and the lack of trees and the people stacked on top of each other. I love space more. I love nature more. But wouldn't it be fun if I did love it?

I think she says it best when she says, "The world offers so much!"

Only in Dreams

A friend of mine asked for my take on a dream she had and I thought the topic would make a great blog post.

I love that the kinds of experiences we've had with dreams are all so similar--the vivid dream, the kind of dream that felt important but you can't remember it, the nightmare, the one that seemed real, the one that was ridiculous, and the list goes on. For something that is so individual, there is so much commonality in our experiences.

In my very young life and earnest studies, I would not say I'm an expert, but here's what I do know: many of our dreams are very significant. By significant, I mean that there is something important within a dream: either guidance from angels or loved ones (or yourself), an important message we need to have, something.

Yes, some dreams are just mush as our heads and hearts sort out things while we sleep. But sleep is often our most tangible connection to the spirit realm. If you've had a dream about a loved one after they passed, chances are that is not just wishful thinking on your part. If you've woken up feeling like you were talking with an angel, you probably were. When we wake up with a clearer head or a decided plan of action after lots of indecision, that's because of the work that we've been doing in our sleep.

Because I am so much in my head all the time and have an obsession with understanding everything about everything, my number one question is why. Why do our loved ones talk to us in our sleep? Why do angels prefer that our minds are in a sleep state for communication?

From personal experience and also from asking the culprits, here's what I've gathered:

1. Our minds are in a much more relaxed state when we are sleeping. We are much more "open." The part of our brain that is actively working to separate concrete/real world matter fromm intuition/guidance is taking a break; therefore, it's must easier for us to be receptive to guidance and messages. Any medium will tell you that if you're not careful, it's hard to get a good night's sleep! My personal remedy has been lots of intentions and meditations before bed asking for rest and no disturbance from the spirit realm. Archangel Michael is great for this.

2. Our loved ones/angels want to communicate with us in a way that is gentle for us. Phsyical manifestation from someone who's crossed over can be scary and jarring. If grandma just appeared on the couch because she wanted to tell you that you should take that job offer, would you get the message? Probably not. You would probably be too stunned/alarmed/confused to hear anything she was saying.

3. The logistics of physical manifestation for our loved ones and angels is difficult. It requires them to amass a great deal of energy. Also, apparently it's not as simple as just willing it to happen. I've had loved ones on the other side explain to me that they just "don't know how" or "don't get it." Evidently, there's no manual over there that tells them how to physically appear to us.

For all of these reasons, it's best to not discount a dream. If it felt important, if it seemed significant, if it had that quality to it that felt like it was a message, then it was. And if you want to talk to grandma, your dog Fluffy, or your guardian angel, invite them into your dreams just before bed. Their love makes them always willing to help us.

How Have I Not Done This Before?

Yesterday's post made me slap myself on the forehead--how have I not talked about reiki before? Um, HELLO Brittany!

I heart reiki. For a little reiki 101, this info is taken from my website:

Reiki (pronounced RAY-key) is an energy-based practice originating in Tibet. Rei means miraculous, spiritual, universal, and ki means life-force; thus, reiki is the miraculous, spiritual, universal life force. Reiki energy is around us every day. A reiki practitioner has been attuned so that she is a channel of this pure, benevolent energy. Reiki practitioners treat clients by sending healing reiki energy through their hands in order to clear the body of negative energy.

It works on a mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual level.

Reiki is used to help cancer patients, fatigue, stress, anxiety, insomnia, depression, migranes, arthritis, and the list goes on.

When you get a reiki treatment, the most common reaction is to get extremely sleepy. The reiki practitioner's hands will feel anything from slightly warm to burning hot as the energy channels through. It's a very relaxing, calming experience, and it induces a great meditative state. Everyone always feels calm, peaceful, and content after a treatment.

Here's further explanation about it from my reiki master Bernadette:

"Reiki is a deeply relaxing and revitalizing therapy that stimulates the human energy field to encourage enhanced, integrated functioning of the body’s natural healing systems.

Reiki is a form of touch therapy that the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health classifies as “biofield therapy” or “energy medicine.” Because of its simplicity and fast, dramatic results, documented in increasing numbers of research studies, Reiki is one of the fastest growing complementary modalities in the world. Reiki is now used not only by individuals but also in hundreds of hospitals, nursing homes, hospices and spas throughout the United States.

During a 60-minute Reiki treatment, the client lies fully clothed on a massage table. Unlike massage, there is no manipulation of muscles or tissue. The Reiki practitioner gently places their hands on areas along the endocrine system, major organs, and the chakras, on the front and back of the body. Special emphasis is determined by the focus of the treatment (see below). The client often feels warmth from the practitioner’s hands, and after the treatment, clients generally feel a sense of deep relaxation, peace, calmness and greater clarity of mind."

If you have any questions about reiki, ask away! I love to talk about it.

Are You Blocking Your Own Progress?

I had a profound learning experience with a reiki client the other day. Of course I want to protect the client, so for the sake of an smooth-reading post, let's call the client Sam.

Sam hopped up onto the massage table, settling in for a reiki session. I went through my intentions, protections, and symbols, and then began the treatment at the top of Sam's head.

Without thinking, I just immediately blurted out, "Why aren't you accepting the reiki?"

I could feel Sam's energy distinctly pushing back on mine. Instead of my hands immediately getting iron-hot, they stayed cool.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Sam asked. I know what she's thinking. I came over here, I'm laying down, I'm paying you, what do you mean I'm not accepting the reiki?

"Hold on a minute," I asked and regrouped. This session was a bust at this rate. "If you don't mind, Sam, I'd like to psychically ask what is going on here."

Sam shrugged her shoulders, "Sure."

Here's a great example of why it's nice to be a psychic medium reiki master; it can really come in handy at times like this.

I got a lot of information, but in summation, Sam was hurting deep inside and was punishing herself. In her past (both this life and other lifetimes), she let down other people that she felt responsible for. Even to this day, she carries around the guilt for the wrongs she feels she has committed. Because of this guilt, when reiki energy comes her way, her inner mantra is I don't deserve to heal. I deserve to suffer. I don't want this help because I don't deserve to feel good.

After I shared this information with Sam, I improvised and said, "Okay, Sam, why don't we try this. Say this mantra both out loud and to yourself:
I deserve healing in my life.
I deserve this reiki.
I want help."

After about 15 seconds of this mantra being repeated both out loud and in her head, my hands became hot and the reiki began to flow.

Talk about a Eureka moment! So here's what I learned from this reiki treatment:

1. Once again, the power of the mind is incredible. Who knows what blocks we have locked away in our heads, sabotaging us even as we try to improve? What other mantras have we stashed away in our psyche, preventing us from being our best? This whole experience has made me even more excited for hypnotherapy.

2. Every one of my reiki clients needs to say this mantra before we begin.

To Ponder

"The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift."

Albert Einstein

The Simplest Things

Last weekend I had the pleasure of participating in a holistic fair in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Most clients wanted Akashic readings, and a few just wanted the original. One reading was really enlightening, so I thought I would share it with you.

A woman wanted to connect with a man named "Jimmy." That's all she told me about him, just that she wanted to see if I could get in touch with Jimmy. The first thing I heard loud and clear was, "I love ya, kiddo," which I relayed to her.

Here's case in point how I know this is real. I don't say "love ya," I say love you. His voice was also distinctly male, a deep voice but soft at the same time. I also don't usually add the word "kiddo" to my declarations either.

This was all this woman needed to hear. She began sobbing, saying "that's him, that's him" over and over again. The reading continued and I let her know how he felt about different situations that were going on right now.

But here's the two lessons I learned from this reading that I think can really help anyone:

1. Many people are so, so scared that their loved ones are gone forever. Truly, they are not. Some are around us all the time, others take a look in now and then to see how we're doing, but they are not gone forever. As I see in reading after reading, they are much more at peace with this change in relationship status than we are. While we feel a longing, they do not; they get to see us whenever we want! We are the ones that struggle with their passing. Talk with your loved ones. Invite them to help you. They are listening and they will help as much as they can. Think of their passing as a change in the logistics of your relationship, not the end of it.

2. Another thing that came up in this woman's reading was that she felt immensely guilty for not being there at this man's passing. He seriously did not care at all. Here's roughly what he said: "What could you have said to me in that situation? I love you? I'm sorry? I'll never forget you? These are things I already know." It's just not important to them like it's important to us. If you've been holding on to this sadness, it's okay to let it go.

What I've noticed in my hundreds (maybe pushing a thousand now?) of readings as a medium is that when a person crosses over, only love remains. Most everything else falls away.

4 Movies that I will Watch Anytime (in no particular order)

Sixteen Candles
I Heart Huckabees
When Harry Met Sally
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

How to Shield and Clear Your Energy

Recurring themes always come up in readings, and shielding and clearing is a common one. When I first began my new age spiritual education, honestly, the idea of shielding and clearing sounded a little silly; but as I've mulled over the concept, it really makes sense. Here's the basic logic:

1. We are all made of energy.
2. Energy is not fixed and flows within us and around us.
3. When you spend time around someone or talking with them, you are participating in an energy exchange; therefore, it's easy to imagine that you can transfer and absorb energy with others.

Native American rituals and traditions, as well as beliefs and practices in many Asian religions clear energy, so it's not just some new-agey mumbo jumbo.

And we've all seen it happen. You arrive at work in a peaceful mood, but then a coworker arrives complaining about their bad weekend and crazy traffic, and after talking with them you don't feel as calm as before. Or you're having a bad day, but after 30 minutes of talking with your bubbly friend on the phone, you feel lighter.

This experience is especially magnified for people are empathetic people. Empaths can very easily absorb the experiences and emotions of others, and at a heightened level this is even a psychic gift which allows us to actually feel how it is to be someone else. Many caregivers like nurses, teachers, social workers, and counselors are extremely empathic people who really need protection.

Clearing Your Space
1. Burn sage. It's easily bought online or in-store. It can get smoky, so if you are easily irritated, try another method.
2. Use Tibetan bells, chimes, or a singing bowl. Personally, I have a beautiful singing bowl that I bought while on a trip in Portland, Oregon. These too can be found online. These bells, bowls, and chimes reverberate a vibrational level that moves and clears energy. Many meditation and yoga sessions begin with a chime, bowl, or gong to clear the air.
3. Keep live plants in your home. Plants have beautiful energy and also work well in windows to keep bad energy out. A plant by your head while you are sleeping can even help you have better rest.
4. Crystals throughout your house will help keep the energy clear and the vibration of your space high.
5. Ask angels, guides, Jesus, Krishna, whoever you want, to help you clear your space of any old or negative energy.

Shielding Yourself
1. Wear silk. Silk is made up of light and is great for keeping you from absorbing energy around you, as well as keeping your energy contained.
2. Wear or carry crystals. Lots of crystals can easily go in a pocket or purse, or jewelry is great as well, especially around your neck and ears. As for what crystal would be best for you, check out my blog post on crystals.
3. Complete a meditation for protection.
3. Ask for protection. Anyone will do--loved ones who've passed on, angels, guides, Jesus, Buddha, anyone you'd like. All of these energies truly enjoy helping us be the best person possible and will help in any way they can.

The Final Countdown

This title makes me chuckle. I love the TV show Arrested Development when GOB does his magic shows . . . Will Arnett? Arrested Development? Bueller? Anyone?*Cough* Anyway . . .

I was checking Facebook status messages today and noticed all of the countdowns going on:
"3 weeks until our vacation!"
"5 days until the big interview!"
"2 months until the big shopping trip!"
"4 hours until my blind date!"

I've even seen blogs and websites where people will count down to the births of their children, vacations, birthdays, holidays, pretty much any event that you may mark on your calendar.

We spend so much of our time counting down to significant events, marking the passage of time with this stuff. And I'm not just pointing fingers--when I was a high school English teacher, I was just as guilty as anyone else. I was constantly stressed and always counting down to something less stressful, except my list of countdowns was much.more.depressing. My mental countdowns were something like this:
"17 more weeks of school!"
"3 weeks until spring break!"
"2 days until Saturday!"
"4 hours until the end of the day!"
"20 minutes until the end of this class period!"

It was sad. So so sad. Especially by my third year of teaching, I became cognizant of these countdowns. Living in the present was becoming pretty unbearable, and I cheered myself up with the thought that the present would soon be over. But that is no way to live mon amie.

There's something to be said for counting down to a hugely exciting event like getting married, becoming a parent, a homeowner, etc. But what's more important is the thought process behind it--is the countdown from excitement? Or a form of escapism to a happy moment, rescuing you from the present?

I'm happy to report that currently I am not counting down to anything . . . but only time will tell if this is a successful effort to live in the present or if there's just not anything too spectacular going on right now. You have the right to put me in check if I put up a Facebook status regarding timelines! Or even worse, if I install a countdown clicker on my blog declaring "2 days until my couch arrives" and other such silliness. Please, call me out.

God is on the Interwebs

I debated on my title for this post because I have considerable issues with the word "God." What to call such a being? God, Creator, Spirit, Energy, I don't know, nothing seems quite right. But that's for another post, isn't it.

So I was taking care of some very serious stuff today--IRS forms and credit card forms for business and whatnot, very necessary but what I consider to be very scary stuff. It's just all so official. What does a teacher know about running a business?

I just got off the phone from one of these oh-so-official calls and decided to check out a website that a friend sent to me. It's called The Happiness Project. Considering my stress level right now with a weird flu bug plus this business stuff, I thought I could use it.

Lo and behold, what is today's post all about on The Happiness Project? Baby steps. Putting things into small, easy-to- manage, do-able action steps for today, knowing that they will build into the big plan for tomorrow.

Wow, I really needed to hear that.

Hence, God is on the Interwebs. Maybe a more approachable way to think of it is that Divine Guidance is all around us.

I think we've all had an experience like that. After another crappy day at work, we open a newspaper to find an ad declaring "Today's the day that enough is enough. It's time to quit." Or you're thinking that maybe it's finally time to get working out again, and a friend tells you they're going to start taking a spinning class, want to join?

Coincidence? Messages? Based on personal experience and informational relays, I believe in the latter. Now how exactly that all works, I don't know; but I'm okay with that.

The (Anti) Climatic Conclusion to My Ghost Situation

A few people emailed/texted/called asking for updates on the odd activity going on around my new place, so I thought I would update here.

I had several lamp and unusual noise experiences since my last post, so I got over my apprehension about directly communicating with the energy and one day just third-eyed the situation. The lights and stair movement was coming from a woman named something like Doris/Delores who used to live here. She is a kind of cranky set-in-her-ways type, and honestly it seems that she is annoyed that I am a medium. Apparently, she likes to go around undetected, so she's not too keen on me being energetically/psychically sensitive.

So I put my Tibetan Singing Bowl to good use and cleared the entire place of any old energy. Wow! What a difference. All is well again, and I felt such a difference afterwards that I think I will clear my place about once a month.

How to Pick the Right Crystals

This is another topic that when I was first introduced I was a bit doubtful. Realllyyyy? Crystals? That heal? What can I say, I am stubborn and a skeptic.

But the basic logic makes sense to me now: crystals are an element of the earth and emit energy just like plants, animals, and everything else on earth does. The energy would also be different depending on the composition of the material, hence different crystals for different purposes.

The kind of crystals you want and how you want to use them is totally up to you and everyone is a little different. Here is a good website to check out as well, and for books I recommend Crystal Therapy by Doreen Virtue.

Here are the most popular crystals that truly anyone could use:

Clear Quartz (clear)--
clears energy, enhances spiritual awareness, this is an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink crystal.

Amethyst (purple)--
connected to the crown chakra. Calming, protective, good for meditation and for increasing psychic abilities. It's my favorite.

Rose Quartz (pink)--
connected to the heart chakra and all things love: self love, love for others, etc. Helps with emotional healing.

Citrine (yellow to golden brown)--
Attracts abundance, heals old patterns, increases self esteem.

Obsidian (color varies)--
A truly excellent protection crystal. I learned about this crystal from Archangel Michael; he actually advised someone to use it for shielding during a reading. Afterwards, I looked it up, and sure enough obsidian has a long history of protecting people from the dark arts and evil.

I Have a New Website to Watch

This woman is awesome. The farm life, homeschooling, photography, baking . . . she is a wonder. And I marvel at how blessed she is--she is obviously living up to her highest possibilities.

www.thepioneerwoman.com

Okay, okay, and I also have some blog envy.

To Ponder

"The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature."
~Anne Frank

I Go Out Walkin'

How gorgeous the weather has been! Fall is my favorite season of the year, and September, October, November, and December are my favorite months. The fall chill seems to have come a bit early, but I am not complaining!

My new neighborhood is idyllic for walking. It is quiet mid-day, with the exception of crickets and the occasional barking dog. Beautiful, mature oak trees line the sidewalk with shade, and the grass is a brilliant green.

I could walk for miles and miles. It gives me the chance for my mind to wander all while enjoying the beauty of nature. Rocky is the perfect companion and trots along sniffing all the way.

When I have let myself be clouded with worry, these walks get out of hand. My internal monologue ends up being a to-do list and a litany of worries. But today I had a rare moment of clarity, remembering the power of the mind. I immediately began my affirming meditations instead:
"I establish my divine presence on this planet."
"I accomplish my divine purpose on this planet."
"I will not let my insecurities and fears keep me from following divine guidance."

It's so important to be self-aware of our internal monologues. We can be our own divine cheerleader, or we can carry our concerns around like a heavy weight. Before you knew it, my internal monologue was uplifting and almost just as effective as a full meditation session.

I hope you are also enjoying the gorgeous autumn season. Next on my fall list is to get thyself to an apple orchard and make some pumpkin-flavored baked goods.