Spring Flowers for YOU!

Do you cut or buy flowers just for you? Not because you are having a party or to give to someone else- just for your own enjoyment?
Flowers, especially scented ones -like my branches of first breath of spring (Lonicera fragrantissima in the video)-help you to become EMBODIED. Embodiment is being fully present to your senses- feeling good in your own skin. Do flowers light up your senses? Do you enjoy looking at them? Smelling them?  Touching their various textures? [Some of them taste good in salads or on cakes! Many of them are sounding boards for bees and bumblebees ;^) ]
Can you make it a practice to have a flowering plant or a vase of cut flowers in your room to see when you wake up and right before you go to sleep?   See if you don't enjoy having flowers just for you! You may discover that flowers in your room begin to influence how you feel about yourself! You may discover that flowers make you feel loved and beautiful....
Please leave a comment or email me  colleen412@gmail.com  your thoughts about cutting /buying flowers for yourself and the effect they have on you.
https://youtu.be/ajXzObDF3FA

Being Ageless

Age is just a number. Age is just a record of how many years you have been here on planet earth. Being ageless is about how you FEEL.  We all know people who are older (maybe in their 80s or 90s) who are so young at heart - so full of life that we forget or do not care how many birthdays they have celebrated. They are a joy to be around. We have also known younger people who are so set in their ways, so serious, ( maybe even so boring) that they drag our energy down.
The secret to being ageless is in your capacity for joy- for uplifting emotions. This does not mean that you are never sad or angry. It is about feeling your emotions and processing them in the moment - not dwelling on them and telling yourself stories to fuel  them. Being present in the moment allows you to appreciate what is good , what is beautiful right now.It is when you are distracted by your thoughts that you lose touch with the present and begin to dwell on the past or worry about the future.Very often in a not so positive mindset. Your emotions have a powerful effect on your health, your well being,  your appearance!
What are you doing to increase your capacity for joy, for happiness? Dancing to joyful music? Enjoying a sunrise or sunset? Hugging a friend or beloved? Wearing your favorite colors and admiring how you look when you catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror? Playing? Taking a nap? The list of small pleasures is endless.....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvdFyFlXC94&spfreload=10
Please leave a comment and share the small pleasures that make you  feel young at heart/ ageless.

Appreciate Beauty Everyday – The Foundation of Ageless Beauty Embodiment

Do you wake up in the morning and notice something beautiful right away ?The color of the sky- even in the dark – you may see stars, the moon, clouds, the tracery of trees, city lights....Do you have something beautiful in your room to look at first thing in the morning and the last thing at night?

Do you have a ritual to begin your morning? A beautiful mug or cup and saucer for your morning drink? Some time to yourself – to be quiet or to dance to music while plugged into your Mp3 player? To journal, meditate, knit, crochet, draw, color, look at pictures, cuddle a pet, go for a walk, watch the sunrise...?

Do you dress yourself in clothes that feel beautiful? Colors that you love? A ring or piece of jewelry you can look at and appreciate throughout the day?

Do you notice the beauty around you ? There is beauty wherever there is life. In nature- look out the window – even in the busiest city can you at least glimpse the sky? If not, look around you- can you see any beautiful objects? If not, can you add something beautiful to your surroundings (in addition to beautiful you!).

Beauty is not an “add-on” to life- it is what makes life worth living. Appreciating beauty feels good!

If you are new to my blog, please look at some of my earlier posts about Appreciating Beauty Everyday. You may get some ideas about adding Beauty to your life!

Here are some photos of what my world has been looking like this last week of February!The "Jack Frost" on my Garden Room windows is different every morning! And a video on today's topic -Appreciate Beauty Everyday.  http://youtu.be/e1qpVBWx_jM

I would love to hear how you feel about appreciating beauty.Please comment below or send me your reflections!