Recently, Angie Mozilo (@azmomofmanyhats on twitter and AZ Mom of Many Hats on Facebook) and I discussed this idea, as well as my book Live Inspired, on her Mom of Many Hats Radio Show.

You can click here to download our show on iTunes.

As Angie says,

Mom of Many Hats Radio is a place for moms to hear a loud and resounding “MOMS ARE IMPORTANT!” It is also a place for women who wear the mom badge to have a community that truly believes that they have value beyond simply the day to day tasks of “mommyhood.”

Our topic for this show was “Live Inspired and Feed Your Spirit” Talking with Angie is always a delight. With her kind spirit and soothing words, Angie is always perfect host and our conversation flowed effortlessly. I hope you’ll enjoy the show and be sure to check out Mom of Many Hats Radio every Friday at 5pm EST!

When I came across this behind-the-scenes video of Natalie Merchant sharing the meaning of her song “Wonder,” I sat silently, tears flooding my eyes, goose bumps covering my arms. Over the past few weeks, I have revisited this video and this song many times, contemplating the restorative power of Love, Patience, and Faith in my life.

May this song provide you with comfort. May it touch your spirit. May it allow Love, Patience, and Faith into your heart.

Wonder by Natalie Merchant

Doctors have come from distant cities
Just to see me
Stand over my bed disbelieving
What they’re seeing
They say, I must be one of the wonders
Of God’s own creation
And as far as they see they can offer
No explanation

Newspapers ask such intimate questions
They want confessions
Reach into my head and steal the glory
Of my story
They say, I must be one of the wonders
Of God’s own creation
And as far as they see they can offer
No explanation

I believe
Fate, fate smiled and and destiny
Laughed as she came to my cradle
“Know this child will be able”
And laughed as my body she lifted
“Know this child will be gifted
With love with patience and with faith
She’ll make her way”

People see me, I’m a challenge
To your balance, I’m over your heads
How I confound you
And astound you
To know and I must be one of the wonders
Of God’s own creation
And as far as you see you can offer
No explanation

I believe
Fate, fate smiled and and destiny
And as she came to my cradle
“Know this child will be able”
And laughed as she came to my mother
“Know this child will not suffer”
And laughed as my body she lifted
“Know this child will be gifted
With love with patience and with faith
She’ll make her way, make her way
Make her way, make her way”

“Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart.”
~Unknown

When I am centered, grounded, and am at peace, each day becomes an adventure. I take what life gives me and I’m able to roll with it. With my calm mind, I’m able to think through tasks better; I don’t take others’ actions personally; I easily see the blessings in each moment.  To be at peace is a beautiful feeling. Some days, I feel peaceful. On other days, when my heart feels troubled, simply Imagining Peace allows me to feel better.

What would peace look like for you? How would you navigate your days if you felt peace flowing? Would you react differently to the actions of others? Would you respond more patiently when things don’t go as planned?

Today, may you allow peace to envelop your spirit, despite what may be happening around you.

Wishing you Peace,

Michelle

Tonight, many of you who are in relationships will be dining with your dates, talking with your trueloves, and sharing smooches with your sweethearts. For the singletons, you might want to party with your peeps, fiesta with your friends, or even go to bed with a beautiful book.

Valentine’s Day isn’t always about professing your undying love to your main squeeze. Sometimes, it’s about acting like a goofball and pouring your heart and soul out to your favorite beverage, like I’ve done here!

I hope you’ll enjoy my love poem to coffee, titled: An Addicting Love.

*Giggle*

With mommying and wifing and writing and RunningMomsRocking, my mind overflows with to-do lists and plans. A large portion of my days is spent making sure that things run smoothly. I plan the work then I work the plan. And, more often than not, my efforts pay off: things get done, and they get done pretty darn well!

I also schedule in time to feed my mind, body, and spirit by exercising, spending time with family and friends, and going to church. While all of these activities promote positive well-being, I still find myself at near full-throttle because of my intense nature.

What is most enchanting to me are those delightful moments when my mind can rest, when I Get Lost in my own world: not checking my calendar, not wishing I had handled that latest parenting moment differently, not worrying about what the future may hold. When I Get Lost, am fully engaged and inspired by what’s in front of me, my spirit soars. Most recently, I’m able to Get Lost by doing puzzles with the kids, playing around with fun photo apps, and coming up with fun, creative ideas for our newest race. Time stands still and my heart is at peace.

How do you Get Lost? What activities are able to capture your attention so strongly and engage your spirit so fully that the outside world fades away and you Get Lost in your own enchanted world?  I’d love to hear your ideas!

Wishing you a beautiful day.

Now go on, Get Lost!

Yet, this Thanksgiving, it’s not about the vacation time, or yummy food, or a tradition-filled sports event. This Thanksgiving, my heart is overflowing with gratitude for all of the many blessings in my life. I am grateful for family and friends; health and healing.

Our family celebrated a new blessing recently. We celebrated the fact that Papi (Spanish for “daddy”) doesn’t have to travel anymore!

The Celebration Cake

It might be worth mentioning that the reason he doesn’t have to travel is that he has been laid off. These things in life happen and we decided that we’d be much happier if we chose to Welcome the Layoff! How very grateful we are to have him home each night.

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.  It turns what we have into enough, and more.  It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity.  It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.  Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.

~Melody Beattie

Today, may you see the blessings which exist all around you. May you be filled with more gratitude than your heart can hold.

~Michelle xoxo

Still feeling an internal pull, we find ourselves focusing on The Future. While we want to be responsible so that life runs smoothly, constantly hedging our actions to produce the most positive outcomes leaves us drained, worried, and filled with the anxiety of what we might overlook. Emboldened by letting go of The Past, we can now release the leash which pulls us to The Future. No longer living in anticipation of what may come, we feel lighter.

By letting The Past remain The Past and The Future remain The Future,
we allow ourselves the gift of This Moment.

And in This Moment, we are content. We are free. We are at peace.

What do you find in This Moment?

Why do you exercise?

Oh, how I love this word! Combining the shortened forms of endogenous (endo-) and morphine (-orphin), the word endorphin means “a morphine-like substance originating from within the body.” And, if I close one eye and squint just right endorphins kind of looks like dolphins—and any word that reminds me of those intelligent, gentle sea creatures is, quite frankly, a cool word. But, back to my point…

These brain chemicals, released during exercise, produce feelings of well-being, happiness, and euphoria. During my treadmill time, I often come up with exciting ideas, great plans, and thought-provoking insights. Immediately after I lift weights, I am often filled with a rush of happiness. At the end of my yoga classes, I’m overcome with a feeling of bliss. And these good feelings can last for quite a while. In fact, a study shows that after we exercise, we are in a better mood for up to 12 hours.

Like most people, I welcome these exercise-induced endorphin effects (try saying that three times fast!) And as a 34 year old who has struggled with depression for over 20 years, I crave those happy moments. Moments when my mind is focused, and I’m filled with energy, and I’m free. In my quest to determine my therapeutic level of exercise, I’ve come across encouraging research-based findings:

• The Mayo Clinic states that “doing 30 minutes or more of exercise a day, for three to five days a week can significantly improve depression symptoms.”

• A study by The Cooper Institute has shown that intensity or difficulty of exercise is a key factor in improving mild to moderate depression.

• The Harvard Medical School reports that “walking fast for about 35 minutes a day five times a week or 60 minutes a day three times a week had a significant influence on mild to moderate depression symptoms. Walking fast for only 15 minutes a day five times a week or doing stretching exercises three times a week did not help as much.”

I’ve known for quite some time that for my mental health, exercising consistently with a moderate-to-high level of intensity is just as important as taking those two white pills each morning. But to see in black and white the scientific findings showing that exercise improves mood fills me with hope. So the next time you’re feeling a bit blah, a tad troubled, or even downright depressed, think about those endorphins and remember that an instant pick-me-up is just movements away.

If you’d like some encouragement to get in motion, please come play with us at runningmomsrock.com as well as on our Facebook page: facebook.com/RunningMomsRock

Music is well said to be the speech of angels.

~Thomas Carlyle

Over the years, I’ve built up quite a bag-o-tricks for dealing with anxiety. Recently, listening to calming music has been my go-to self-soother. When I find myself overwhelmed, anxious, or stressed, I’ll turn on my iPod shuffle. This tiny piece of equipment only contains music. In fact, it only contains my Soothing Playlist, peaceful songs which have been proven to lower my heart rate within seconds. Free from the distractions of texts, phone calls, or social media apps, I’m able to tune out everything around me and focus on the music. Some days, I even tell my coworkers, “It’s just one of those days, y’all. If you see me walking around with my earbuds, just roll with it…”

My Soothing songs, with their meaningful lyrics, carefully chosen notes, purposeful pauses, and beautifully played instruments, have a way of bypassing my mind and landing smack-dab in the center of my soul. Fully enveloped in the songs’ essence, my anxiety melts.

Now, I’d like to hear from you:

Do you have any go-to anxiety busters?

I’ll share more of my anti-anxiety tricks in a future blog post and I’d love to share some of your ideas as well.

I’ll leave you with one of my current favorites: Something Beautiful by NeedToBreathe.

Enjoy!

As Lisa says, “Women today face more challenges than ever—accompanied by feelings of being overwhelmed and spread much too thin. More and more of us are raising our hands and speaking up, telling the truth about how we feel. And as we do, other women are saying, “Me, too! Oh, thank God I’m not the only one!”

C.S. Lewis shares similar sentiments in this quote: “Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, “What! You too? I thought I was the only one.”

Echoing the importance of friendship is a passage I found yesterday:

Today, how will you celebrate your friendships? How will you reach out to your community? How will you speak from the heart so that another human being will be able to say, “You too? I thought I was the only one.”

Live Inspired,

Michelle