Just Be

Oh good morning gorgeous people! Here’s our mug for today. I have piles of mugs. It drives my children nuts because I don’t have matches, I try to stick with blues and whites but I get these gorgeous gifts all the time and I love a good mug I also like a good goblet for wine. This one is “be yourself, be unique, be true, be honest, be humble, and be happy.

This mug was phenomenal because about 2011 or 2012 I came up with an idea and approached the local Starbucks. I was driving down Bell Blvd and it was a gloomy winter day, and I thought “Oh my God how can I just like bring sunshine?” because sunshine makes me happy and I can’t be alone on that.

And so I went in there and we collaborated, and we created I think was a 12 or 14 day “Find your sunshine plan”. They handed out little programs and plans and people could come in for classes and then we did stuff in Starbucks, and everyday we did something, but it was “BE” contagious and that’s where that came from. Or “be yourself” and so then when this gift, from a gorgeous girl, was given to me, it just was so special and so sweet and ironically, we named our dog Bea. B.E.A. I love it “be yourself”. Believe. OK you got a little bit of a crazy from me at the moment.

Today is Thirsty Thursday. First off, the name didn’t come from me. I gotta tell ya, I gotta tell ya, Thirsty Thursday came from TIHC, the gang over there. They did a fun little thing on Thursday nights, so I scooped it from them. And we are talking about drinks, hydration, because it’s a big part of where we’re at. The idea of these videos and this get together is not for shaming and it’s not for judging, I’m not going anywhere near that. It’s just for maybe information and most importantly community and support. So whatever you feel you need and you wanna take from it.

So a lot of people right now during Corona do not wanna change things do not want to challenge themselves and they’ve been advised not to, and that’s OK if that works for you. It’s going on while and it may go on for a little bit longer. And maybe you might be finding that some of your routines and habits that you did pre-Corona, they fell into this life and now maybe, I find anyways, I’m looking at some uglies. I’m looking at habits and routines and I’m kind of going, “Why am I doing that?” “Why am I eating this?” “Why am I drinking that?” Those are my go to’s because let’s be honest, we’re in a community, we’re in a life of numbing ourselves. And we’re in a life of comforting ourselves and huge comforts our drinks and our foods.

So when we have to get quiet, which is the beautiful thing that Corona has brought from a lot of us, that quiet is uncomfortable and when Glennon Doyle says “we can do hard things”, we’re not talking about, you know, digging a hole in the backyard, we’re talking about going deep. We’re talking about thinking about why we do things, thinking about the decisions we have made in the past, and not harboring on them, but acknowledging maybe where what I talked about yesterday, where we need forgiveness, so we need to allow forgiveness, and we need to allow to be open for change.

And you know there’s piles stuff, that inward work, it’s hard. So one of the things that goes with are habits and routines, and so Thirsty Thursday is about giving you options and maybe other ways to look at things. And remember, please remember, that you’re never alone. So even though you may be thinking some way or you may be doing something, and you might be going, “holy shit” how did I end up blah blah blah blah blah, and guarantee you you’re not, and it’s also why I am becoming such a crazy person about sharing stories. Sharing honest, truthful, real stories. Because I believe that connects me to you, and you to me, and out and about.

We have a commonality amongst all of us, and whether it all comes down to love, self love, and everything that kind of goes from that or coming backwards from fear – there’s that common space and I think it allows each of us to be seen and to be heard and to maybe step into our bravery.

So here’s some brave talk. I wanted to throw out a thought to you. Hydration is a huge component it affects so many things, let’s start with your face, your hair, all that “surfacy” stuff – hydration, feeling fresh. Number 2, and if you aren’t sure where your hydration or dehydration is look at your pee, we got a lot of colour going, and a lot of smell, there’s a really good chance you’re dehydrated. And I remember if you’re at that point you’re already well dehydrated by 48 hours in minimum.

The other part about hydration is that it can make you feel hungry, when you’re not really hungry, which, these are not new things for you guys to know, but sometimes the only reason I’m mentioning this is so you have a reminder. The other thing is we can get mindless with water, and we don’t always like it, so fancy it up whatever way you need to and also try to count how much you’re having.

I’m a big believer in having that big glass or a big mug beside my bed, so before I get out of bed in the morning, I make sure that that baby is done, so I get that in me. I totally get peeing all night too. I’ve had four babies and am almost 50. I get it! Cut yourself off but that doesn’t mean that between 7:00 AM and 7:00 PM we can’t be drinking and getting what you need to get in you.

The other thing is about this whole group and conversation, and what I initially spoke to was my drive and desire in life, is reducing inflammation in my body so I then can share it with other people, because again I know I’m not alone. And inflammation can be so painful in a variety of ways in your body and for me, it’s in my muscles. And so, I have to really find that balance of what I consuming – my hydration level is huge because if I’m dehydrated I get more sore. My movement, how much cardio I do, how much strength I do. All of that, and then of course my quality of food.

So some of the things that I focus on with keeping my inflammation down is that I have ginger in my water and if I’m not getting enough ginger, I will put it in my juicer, which I highly recommend. I bought myself a juicer on Boxing Day and it has been wonderful. I also actually turmeric and lemon. So you can have those, keep them in chunks if you’re going to cut them up and put them in your water, and just keep adding water to them all day. If you have any questions about that feel free to just message below because everybody’s got the same questions. It’s not a pain in the butt to be messaging.

Secondly, I challenge you, if you’re up for it, to look at your routines. So I’m a coffee lover, hot, black and strong is how I like it, all my kids can tell you that as well, how does your Mom like her coffee. I got to the point in my life that I was drinking coffee before bed, and I would fall asleep with like a cup on my side table. Something wrong with that. So, it took me awhile to really work on changing my habits and changing my ways and reducing how much coffee is in my system. It worked against me, it almost clobbered me.

So I’m to the point where I really now can listen to my body. I have about 2 cups a day and that’s it and that’s the way that works, but that’s been over 8 years that it’s taken me to get to that place. So if you feel like you’re drinking a little and you’re feeling your stomachs getting little turney or you’re feeling a little shittier after third cup or fourth cup, maybe challenge yourself and really be cognitive of what you are actually drinking. The same can go for evening drinks but we’ll talk about that another time. I’ll leave that with you.

And then the last bit that I wanted to just kind of put out there, when we’re looking at changing our ways, one of the big things, which I keep kind of talking about, I don’t really need to talk about it ’cause you’re living it, is this looming intensity that’s happening with the Corona and there’s so much unknown. There’s the stresses of what we do know and we’re living within the moment, and then even that whole other thing, if you have children in your house, that’s a whole other thing of how you try to keep things in check whether they are little or big kids, there’s emotions and there’s mental health. And you gotta take care yourself, and then you have to be aware of what’s happening with those guys as well, and so be really, really kind with yourself. Don’t overdo it with any of this stuff these are just ideas, but one of my big life savers has been meditation.

The first time that I meditated, look at me, I’m like a really good meditator, like really relaxed, but the first time that I meditated was 2008. I went to a weekend workshop, and the man, his name is Robin Sharma, he put me through, with me 100 people, and I meditated and I was kinda like out for an hour. I couldn’t believe it was just like “Oh my God, I have a busy mind, and I’m like this all the time, there’s no way that that just happened!” Well it didn’t happen again for another five years. Couldn’t figure out how to do it. Couldn’t settle myself down.

But over the years since that, basically 2012 and forward, it’s become very powerful to me, very powerfully. It’s become a point that I created. I get up early in the morning, I get my coffee, I come and sit in this room quietly. I put on my diffuser, maybe put on a candle. I’ve basically robbed throughout the house to create this room the way that I wanted. And yeah, I get into a space. I think is a really tough thing to do like through an audio. I used to do it through an audio. Find them, they’re all over YouTube, they’re on Spotify. Grab some music if you need that, and just settle yourself down.

Here the thing, my big point of advice if you’re not already into it, is to not overthink anything. So, you could be thinking about the groceries, you can think about the floors, you could be thinking about what it feels fantastic, and what feels gross. It is OK but you just allow those thoughts to come, and then say, “alright thanks very much, head on out”. Like you literally talk to them, and say “thank you but not right now, right now it’s just about me and it’s good thoughts and stuff”.

You know but my most favorite. I got two. One, when you’re just sitting there, closing your eyes and sitting really comfortably, whatever that looks like. I find I love to have my legs crossed, not everybody agrees with that, but I like to have my legs crossed ’cause it’s comfortable for me. So one, I go into a conversation of “I am”, so I just keep repeating “I am”. “I am.” And through that I’m breathing through my nose, maybe sometimes out from my mouth or in and out of my nose, doesn’t really matter. And just allowing yourself to slow yourself down, and when you say “I am”, you can say anything that comes with it – you’re in your own space but you’re in an empowered space right? So you can say anything and who you really are: I am strong. I am beautiful. I am funny. I am fantastic. I am loving. And you can go on. And you can repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat. There’s no right or wrong.

And the other one that if you want to just kind of concentrate and you’re a numbers kinda girl – what you can do is you can throw it like this. You could throw one hand on your chest, on one hand on your belly. And what you do is you count breaths in and you let breathes out. So you just keep trying to expand and take in as much as you can, and let out as much as you can. So it looks something like this. So you’re nice and relaxed and you’re chill and you’re just going to breathe in for – breathe in one, two, three, four. Hold it. And let it out – one, two, three, four. Yeah, that’s it.

And just go through that ups and downs and breathe. It’s powerful. Sitting is hard. Don’t let anybody take any differently. But I encourage you to step into it. This is the perfect time. The perfect time. Just get quiet, set your alarm if you need to. Get your coffee made the night before, and get up come sit, and relax, and breathe, and tell yourself who you are.