Last week I was challenged by my own coach to make a list of things I enjoy doing for fun. At first, I was taken aback by this. Fun? What's that? 

I had to sit there perplexed for a moment before my coach had me turn it into an exercise that helped me define what fun was to me today. 

I would like to share the exercise with you today in the hope it can help awaken your inner child and bring some fun back into your life. 

The first thing I would like you to do is to get a piece of paper. I feel like this is one of those exercises that need to be written down.

Define what the word fun means to you. This is important. Once you have a strong definition that is related to you, continue on with the exercise. 

Create 3 columns or sections and name them in this order:

• Things I have enjoyed for fun (Past)
• Things I do for fun now (Present)
• Things I would like to try for fun (Future)

I haven't shared yet about the first vacation I have taken in almost 5 years. It was the first vacation we took as a family with Baby Bloob, who just turned 4 on our vacation. That in itself is mindblowing to me. How is he 4 already?!

We decided to take a beach vacation. We planned it before gas skyrocketed in the United States so when that all came into play, we got a little nervous about driving and costs. We do own a hybrid car so thankfully we were able to make it work and make the trip from upstate New York to Nags Head, North Carolina without killing the bank account too much. 

Guys, when I say it was a magical place. I am not joking. We stayed at the John Yancey Oceanfront Inn in one of their Sea Building rooms. We had a slider door that walked right out onto the beach. We had a little private deck to sit and enjoy the view. When I tell you this was heaven, I am urging you to try it out for yourself.

It was also toddler heaven. He could play right off the deck in the sand. The afternoon provided a nice shade patch so he could play without the sun blaring down on him. 

Now as we go into this weekend I am focusing on getting stuff ready for our gardens for the summer. We had a random snowstorm that produced 8 inches of snow on Tuesday of this week but it all melted the next day. The grass is green. The flowers are coming up and I am 100% ready for warm days and cool nights. 

Every time I turn around someone is telling me that I am meant to write. That my words soothe and teach without being over the top. I never considered myself a writer. I never would have thought it would be an outlet that brings myself peace and joy. 

Yesterday I got a a call no one ever wants to get. A dear friend passed suddenly. I was sitting in a restaurant about to eat a late lunch. My appetite gone. Nowhere to go to let the tears flow. 

I quietly sat with my family with every kind of thought running through my mind. Desperately trying to find an answer that made sense. Desperately trying to find a way to blame myself for not being a better friend. Desperately grasping at anything to make myself feel balanced. 

I cried. I internally questioned everything. And then I did these 3 things that really helped:

I called someone who I felt safest with to talk to. This person is someone you can tell anything to, even if it feels silly and they do not judge. This person can be anyone- a friend, family member, colleague or mentor. It doesn't matter, as long as you feel safe. 

Meditating can help when grief hits. When you allow yourself to focus on your breath you can turn down the internal chatter. Being in stillness allows you to solely focus on your body and allows you to bring the stress and worry levels down, even if just for a little while. 

This one is important. When grief hits we get all the "should of" thoughts. I know this because I went through them last night. I also had to remind myself that nothing can change what "is" in the current moment. Giving yourself grace is the best option. Grief has so many layers. So many "should of's". So many stories. Do what makes you feel best. 

Grief is different for everyone. There are so many possibilities to help sooth your soul. I hope some of these I listed can help you. 

I miss my friend deeply. Now I need to be gentle with myself. 

Have a beautiful week, friends. 

If you are a woman (I am not necessarily not specifically working with men, but right now it seems like more women gravitate towards my work than men...) I would love to help you find joy in life again. 

When thinking about who my target market was, I realized she was a lot like me. She is ambitious, hardworking, raising kids, and feeling a little less like herself each day as she tried to do it all and be superhuman to everyone. She woke up one day and thought, "Omg, where did I go? I don't even recognize myself anymore". She was having a lot of success in her life but it wasn't lighting her up anymore. Her soul wasn't being fed like it should. 

So back to me.. The pandemic brought me closer to that breaking point and I finally started the work myself. I started a spiritual life coaching program that really took me deep into my own stuff to help prepare me to work with others. When I completed my program, I was finally ready to combine my yoga studies with my coaching studies, and the Zen Between the Chaos was born.

I will be offering life coaching with a twist.. I incorporate meditation, reiki, inquiry, and yoga into all of my sessions. We track events that happen in your everyday life and use the events to move forward in goals and dreams.

I will also be offering individual yoga sessions. My specialty is focusing on restorative and chair yoga modalities. I enjoy working with those who have bad knees and limited mobility. 

All of my sessions: coaching and yoga will be offered remotely. I will be able to serve anyone who can connect on Zoom or a phone call. 

I am really excited about this work and can't wait to share it with the world. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to me - hello@zenbetweenthechaos.com.

I will be headed out for my very first vacation since before Baby Bloob was born. We are headed out this weekend to the beach. It just also happens to be his 4th birthday this weekend. How is that even possible?

So my point with telling you that is, I might have some fun stories to tell when I get back and will most definitely have some fun Instagram stories to share if you want to follow along. 

I really truly appreciate all of you who have been reading this blog for years and those who are new and are giving me a whirl. I will be here more often blogging and I hope it brings you some joy. 

Have a wonderful weekend friends, I will see you back here next week (Maybe.. vacation and all..). I will update you all on the trip and look forward to connecting soon! MUAH!!

XoXo