Blog Post Title One

Dear Friends,

 I write this because I care. I care about your time on the planet, your quality of energy, enthusiasm and joy. Because, “We do not get to where we want to be in isolation.” It takes a village. We need to be reminded and educated along the journey, to:

“Be Here Now”

Ram Dass said this best.

Coming back to the present moment helps when we are stuck, challenged, hurting and in need of care ~ from ourselves or others. Heart-focused breathing is the momentary stress counterbalance.

The effects of living our lives, effects us on a cellular level beyond effecting our mind, physiology and emotions. We are mammals and biological beings having an emotional and spiritual existence. What this means for us as aging individuals and as people trying to heal their injuries and disease processes is that nutrition, overcoming inflammatory processes and mindset tools are at the root of successful healing.

As far as our minds and emotions, well ‘never mind’ them. Joking, I’m joking, in part. Some of our mind can be ignored when it puts us into fight, flight or freeze mode. Then tended to with brain hacks that help us overcome our emergency brake pulling, habit de-railing and negative patterns that impact our state of mind, our joy levels.

Truly, nutrition for your brain, resiliency for your spirit and mindset to live by are the trio that I put into action for myself and my clients. I learned these three mental, emotional and spiritual lessons over the last 48 years - since I was 4, where my earliest memories take me.

I used to beat myself often. That I was a bad person, not worthy and that, ‘I was’ my emotions. I was confused about so many areas of life that I thought were the cause of my pain and suffering. Luckily, I am open to options, read and study often and want to get to the bottom line quickly. I have searched for experts and ask others who I think have a leg-up, about whatever is bothering me. Listening, I absorb their wisdom, trying on what is available right then. Often, I am trying their advice many times over when I did not get the lesson or success the first time. I give myself the permission to be the recovering perfectionist, make mistakes, stumble and fall. I know now that this gives me resiliency and confidence. The wisdom to chart the future.

Listen… hear this… YOU ARE NOT YOUR EMOTIONS. Your emotions are a by-product of your lifestyle, your circumstances, your conditioning, the company you keep, your habits and your belief systems. You decide the story that is going on in your head and you have the ability to change it.

Sometimes when I ask someone if they want help with the problem they are presenting, ~ Ask for consent first, no one wants cross talk or unsolicited advice. ~ I often hear: “She won’t be interested, she is very science oriented.” Or that, “This person is religious and probably won’t believe it.” “This person won’t believe it unless her doctor tells her to do it.” I hear you. That person is not open. They are not ready for healing or change. They are stuck in the muck of the past. We have all been there. We have all needed a rant or a vent to hear the pieces that were subconscious to us until then. The help of others to witness and name what we are going through.

I hope that you are safe, secure and loved. I hope that you are working down your joy list ~ as often as possible to remember who you divinely are. It is hard to remember that person sometimes as the years have gone and time is flying. They are out there. They are inside of you. You are them.

Your health is a star of possibility. What point are you working on right now? Where do you want to focus next: Relationships, movement, joy, nutrition, lifestyle, career, self-actualization, family life and children or your spiritual connection?

Thank you when I see you for the first time. Or again. For reminding me of who I am. For sure I will be passionate when we meet. Maybe it will be loudly that day, maybe internally. Passion is the charge that keeps me alive. I hope you too. What are you passionate about

"Parenting Full Circle: Living, Loving, and Letting Your Offspring Soar"

As she washes her face in our shared bathroom, I feel a wash of grief come over me. I know the sensation of grief well, from the last few years as my mother’s body and brain gave out on her. There was no one else who could help. I had to become her caretaker at a much earlier age in her life than any of us imagined.

I feel the sensation of tears start to well up. The contraction in my body as I try to hold back what I am feeling, not to let a small sob escape as I realize how much I will miss her. Her skin care routine has expanded since one of her best friends took over and outlined what she wanted her to do twice a day. I envision her adult self in the future, caring for herself and wonder how she will be on her own. How life will have ups and downs, how she will fare, if she will call me or not. Our children, all children grow into themselves. Their hormones stabilize, they find them selves in society, their interests, voices and life partners. As I watch her drop some serum on her forehead, each cheek and her chin, I wonder how she will have grown in a few years and what her adult self look like.

My best friend makes fun of me with all this anticipatory thinking. I am not living in the moment and have already started crying over her leaving – a year in advance. Some of it is her knowing what she wants and proclamations that she is off to college next year, that she does not need a break to travel, a semester in a local college or a few months to simply live and work as burgeoning adult. It is not surprising as she has been declaring her will to leave home since she was about 9 and recognized her name on pick-up trucks. When I would ask her what she was thinking about, she would tell me that she was going to move out and get her own apartment, a big ole pick-up truck and as I called it, “A rock n roll lifestyle.” So I know her imagination is probably going wild right now. That currently her mind is full of so many thoughts and plans that I have no idea of. She’s pretty independent and busy with friends, school, work and working out, so while I see and know her, there is much going on that is hers and hers alone. Occasionally glimpses come out in sweet moments of openness and just like me, she holds much back to help me feel safe and not worry as she knows I will do. 

This is the complex aspect of parenting… showing up, caretaking, educating. Conversely, allowing our children to blossom and not smother or lawn-mower parent them as Julie Lythcott-Haims writes about in her book, How to Raise An Adult. A book I found so much value in as my daughter was in middle-school.

I try not to fuss too much over her and let her have agency, resilience and responsibility in her life. Holding my tongue on advice-giving has become a past-time sport. Occasionally I get a fowl call or even a time-out on the playing field from her. I know that females and adolescent girls need to feel safe to vent at home and emotionally release the pressure valve of being women in our society. Therefore, she catches me watching her often and observing in the last few months of living together before she goes into the world to flourish, thrive, do amazing things and make a difference in our world. Hopefully I will often get phone calls of connection, help and advice. She has my genes so I wonder as my father once put it, “Now I know not to worry about you when you don’t call and worry when you do call.”

 Parenting is like running a marathon while simultaneously watching from the stands at the same time. You are so excited to do it, watching yourself succeed and fail on the parenting rollercoaster.  You begin to sense that you must start strong and find your cadence because there will be hills, peaks and valleys. At some point you start to get really tired and the journey is rough with lots of pushing through, feelings like I’ve got this, moments of joy, bless, euphoria and sometimes fear. Then the finish line is in sight and you feel like it is about to be over and that you do not want it to be over. You have to let go of your off-spring. They are meant to life their full lives, find themselves, the world and explore with all of the great lessons and love you have taught them over the years.

 She comes to give me a kiss, looks me in the eyes as I have insisted we do as soon as she started to leave the house without me and drive on her own. I know she will be fine. I cannot wait to hear of her adventures, of which professor challenges her, of which she thinks needs to get their act together. I want to know about her joys, her fears and her desires. For this is life.

Sheila Griffith

Blog Post Title Three

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.

Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.

Blog Post Title Four

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.

Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.