The Joy of Living Life!

I DID IT AGAIN. Sorry. I can't believe it's been a whole month since I have posted anything. I'm not sure why that is. I guess life happened. I have been scrambling here and there for what feels like forever (really just 2 weeks).
So, now I have a minute to breathe and reflect. I have been up and down mood wise (no surprise there), but it feels different now for some reason. I think it's a combination of things. For one, I am practicing what I talk about. And guess what? It works for me, too! I am not so different after all. I am learning how to balance exercise with normal eating (you know, letting my body tell me when I'm full or hungry). I recognize that, while in the past, over-exercising was an issue, I have the tools now to walk myself through those thoughts and change my behavior. It's scary. It makes me mad sometimes. Sometimes I want to do things the easy way and not have to be aware so much. And yet, here I am. Eating normally, with no conditions. Here I am, exercising when I feel like it and having fun, NOT because I feel like I have to compensate. I am also noticing my thoughts and focusing on the ones that made me feel GOOD. I've noticed that the more I think about the thoughts that make me feel good, the more natural and consistent these thoughts become. And when that happens, soon it starts becoming part of what I know and believe about myself. And let me tell you something. I absolutely LOVE feeling good about myself. And you know what? I have every right to have those feelings! Now, I am not saying that I am perfect or invincible or above anyone else. I just really like feeling good about myself. You should too. With every negative thought you have about yourself, there is the exact opposite thought, too. I am shifting my focus from the negative thoughts and focusing on the positive- what is here and now. I'm going to continue doing and thinking things that make me feel that deep, satisfying joy of living life. I'll let you know how it goes.

Shine on and ignore normal.

I've been wondering what it means to be considered "normal". Do any of you dear readers know? I don't. I don't believe in normal. I think it's a myth that everyone tries so hard to obtain, but it always seems juuuust out of reach. In high school I really wanted to fit in and be considered "normal". It took a lot of mistakes made and an emotional roller coaster (plus time) for me to start to realize that there is no such thing as normal. There are millions of people walking around this earth, each individually experiencing life differently as it flows by. It's like taking one piece of a puzzle and expecting the rest of the pieces to fit in that one piece. It's freeing, no longer worrying about doing only whats normal. 
The strive for normalcy is an easy trap to fall into, though. It's easier to do what everyone else is doing rather than stopping for a minute and taking a truly unbiased look around. It's hard because it means being vulnerable to ourselves and others.(Y'all know how i feel being vulnerable, right? Gah). Now, I want to clarify. Don't buck the system just to buck the system. I'm referring to not being afraid to let the inner self shine through, dazzling the world with your rays of joy and abundance. To do what ever it is you truly enjoy doing; that thing that gets you up in the morning and puts an ear-to-ear grin on your face when you think about it. I don't need to apologize for the fact that I'm pretty not-normal. My experiences have taught me that something I thought very important today, I'll have forgotten about tomorrow.So, forget the piddly stuff. (Nay-sayers qualify as piddly stuff). Wanna be a farmer? Awesome. Embrace the earth we depend on. Wanna be a painter? Grab a canvas and tell me your life story. Wanna be a stay at home mom/writer/yoga enthusiast? Hey, me too! What ever is your passion, embrace it. Big or small, they are equally important. Don't let a case of the normies get ya down!