Butterfly Balance Wellness Center

What's on YOUR Happy List?

A friend of mine shared this video, and I wanted to share it with all of you.

I love this perspective about happiness.

What's on YOUR happy list?  Please share in the comments below.

Note: Due to FTC guidelines, I am now required to disclose that if you click on a link in this post (or any other post or link on my blog) and purchase Young Living Essential Oils, books/products through Amazon.com or nutritional supplements through AIM Companies, that I will receive a small commission as a result of those purchases. Thank you for your support.

Art of Gratitude

I wanted to share about this really cool website that was brought to my attention recently: Art of Gratitude. It's a free site where you sign up to receive 30 days of gratitude emails. In the email is space for you to write down 3 things you are grateful for, and then you can upload it to your own private page on the Art of Gratitude website. I believe after 30 days you get the option to continue (I'm still in the initial 30 days).

I know that a regular Gratitude Practice is really important in shifting our energetic vibration. The more that we are grateful for, the easier it is for the Universe to want to gift us with more things to be grateful for! Receiving an email every day has been really fun, because it causes me to pause for a moment and sit and think about what I want to be grateful for in that moment. It's been a wonderful way to start my day and I highly recommend it!

And don't ever underestimate how gratitude can shift things. I've been struggling with some things the last week or two personally, and I received a message from someone that (to them) may have been so simple . . . but that sharing of gratitude towards me touched me very deeply and truly shifted things significantly. That goes on tomorrow's gratitude list. :)

I remember growing up and being reminded by my mom how important it was to say "thank you." Smart mom!

Note: Due to FTC guidelines, I am now required to disclose that if you click on a link in this post (or any other post or link on my blog) and purchase Young Living Essential Oils, books/products through Amazon.com or nutritional supplements through AIM Companies, that I will receive a small commission as a result of those purchases. Thank you for your support.

New Client Referral Program!

To show my gratitude for your referrals, I am pleased to offer a new referral program! 

For every new client that gives your name as a referral, you will receive your choice of a $10 Starbucks gift card or a $20 credit towards your next session with me! 

There is no limit to how many referral gifts you may receive, and if you choose session credits and have more than one, those can be combined in the same session.

I truly appreciate being a part of your wellness care, and the trust that you show in referring people to me!

 

 

 

Note: Due to FTC guidelines, I am now required to disclose that if you click on a link in this post (or any other post or link on my blog) and purchase Young Living Essential Oils, books/products through Amazon.com or nutritional supplements through AIM Companies, that I will receive a small commission as a result of those purchases. Thank you for your support.

Free Community Thanksgiving Meal!

I wanted to share an announcement from Tuxedos and Tennis Shoes Catering about their annual free community Thanksgiving meal for those in the West Seattle area who are interested:

Join us for a Free Community Thanksgiving Meal at the Hall at Fauntleroy in West Seattle [9131 California Avenue SW]on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 22th from 12 noon to 3:00 PM.  All are welcome for a traditional turkey dinner with all the trimmings prepared by Tuxedos and Tennis Shoes Catering Executive Chef Michael Chase.    This is the 14th year that Tuxedos and Tennis Shoes owners Meg and David Haggerty and David Meckstroth have hosted this wonderful dinner.  They are joined by a wonderful group of volunteers who help greet our welcome guests and serve dinner.

We will gladly accept donations for desserts.  They can be dropped off at the Hall the day before Thanksgiving between 10 and 4 or on Thanksgiving Day after 10 AM.

My husband and I have attended this for the past several years, as our family is 3,000 miles away. The meal is free and absolutely fabulous and I truly appreciate their generosity in offering this each year to the community. All are welcome, from people who are homeless and/or hungry to those who simply do not want to be alone for Thanksgiving. If you're looking for a place to be with others and have an enjoyable meal, do consider it. They usually have a table set up where you can donate some winter clothing as well for those who need them.  No reservations are necessary - just show up!

 

Note: Due to FTC guidelines, I am now required to disclose that if you click on a link in this post (or any other post or link on my blog) and purchase Young Living Essential Oils, books/products through Amazon.com or nutritional supplements through AIM Companies, that I will receive a small commission as a result of those purchases. Thank you for your support.

Reframing and Reconnecting

I've just returned from a vacation in New York City, which is my birthplace and the area in which I lived until I moved to Seattle in 2004. I don't believe I've talked a lot about it here on my website, but the events of 9/11/01 were a huge catalyst in my moving away. I was in Manhattan that day, and being as energy sensitive as I am, I took on a lot of the negative energy of that time from those around me, and my own experiential trauma. As you might imagine, this was a difficult time for me.

I have done a lot of work with Health Kinesiology in dealing with the stressors of the days' events, as well as just living in New York City in general. I try to return to New York once a year or so to visit with friends and family, and in the past it has triggered those same feelings, and it was difficult again.

This visit was profoundly different, for which I am very grateful. I've spent a lot of time dwelling on the stress of New York (physically, mentally and energetically) in the past. But this time I decided I would fill my calendar with things that bring me joy. I used to work across the street from Central Park and found serenity on its winding paths. I enjoy the quiet and museum-quality art of St. Patrick's Cathedral. The United Nations' meditation room is a very special place of quiet and peace. And, of course, surrounding myself with loved ones that I have missed visiting with. I realized that through Health Kinesiology corrections I was finally ready to reframe my experiences and reconnect with the things I truly loved about New York City, finally finding peace and the ability to move on.

Is there something you would like to reframe and reconnect with? I would love to work with you towards those goals, knowing from personal experience how it's helped me.

 

Gratitude for Beginnings

While I've been in business since early this year, it was my pleasure to host my official Open House this past Thursday. Many thanks to those of you who came and/or supported me via email, phone and in person.

 
I am grateful to be doing work that really resonates with me and brings me joy, and it is my joy to share it with all of you. If any of you could not make the open house but want to know more about Health Kinesiology and the other work that I do, feel free to contact me. I'd be happy to chat with you one-on-one. I believe so much in the power of the work I'm facilitating and am looking forward to sharing it with you.

My Open House may be over, but the Grand Opening sale is still in effect.  Book a 90 minute session between now and July 15 and you will receive a gift certificate for another free session - which can be used by you or shared with someone else. Curious about what I'm doing and enjoy a special price? Share the offer with your partner or friend and get two sessions for the price of one for a limited time!

Ode to Joy

I've been thinking a lot about the concept of joy today. And certainly not because I'm having a particularly joyful day. :)

I'll admit that a lot of what I do in life does not come under the category of "joy." It's more like a series of obligations and tasks that make me want to drag my feet, rather than kicking up my heels and dancing about.

Last Saturday I spent about 5 hours lost in concentration, working on something that brought me great joy. That time passed with the snap of a finger - I didn't even realize it had been that long (and was grateful that the people monitoring that "2 hour parking zone" were not paying attention either).

Why is it so hard to find joy? Actually, after typing that, I realized that the real question is: why is it so hard to SEE joy?  There's really joy all around us if we shift our attitude, isn't there?

Life is really too short to dwell on drudgery and later on regrets for what wasn't experienced in our lifetime.

What is one thing you can see as joyful today?

 

 

Changes

A lot of our suffering is resistance to the life of feeling. If you surrender, you are surrendering to what is really going on. This is just to notice that nothing beyond your life is more important than your life. -- John Tarrant

My husband lost his job on Monday. Changes, indeed!

The layoff was totally unexpected, and when he called me mid-day, I spent the rest of the day pretty much hyperventilating and having a panic attack. Fortunately I got myself together, remembered some acupressure points for stress which one could do while hiding in the work bathroom, and nobody at work had any idea anything was going on with me (so they told me on Tuesday when I told them our news). We've been through this before, when he was laid off in August 2001, and would then be out of work for 18 months. Things were very hard during that time, but somehow it all came together. So I know we can do it.

We're actually in a much better financial position than we were then (although still not comfortable enough to go down to a one paycheck family). I sat with it a lot, thinking about why I panicked so much, and how I could go forward with my thinking on this. Okay, worst case scenario would be that we starve to death, living on the street. Will that happen? Of course not. We have family and friends who can help if we needed it, and I don't even anticipate needing to call on those favors for quite some time. He's got 2 months of severance pay coming, plus some unused vacation paid out, and then his unemployment insurance should pay his share of our common living expenses. We've needed to cut back on things like eating out, so now we've got some incentive to do so, that's all. The more I pay my own credit card bills with my own saved money (from cutting back), the lower they get and the lower the minimum payment will be, if I have to resort to paying only minimums to get by.

I think part of what panicked me initially was the fact that in 3 weeks I'm flying to Minnesota and Wisconsin for another HK class, followed by a mentoring retreat with an old, dear friend. This trip is going to cost me a small fortune, and I didn't really have it to begin with, but I decided it was an investment in me and worth doing. So now I'm feeling a little (okay, a lot) less sure about that decision and spending the money. But the plane ticket is nonrefundable anyway, and I figured okay, let's just do it. I had planned on going back to Minnesota several times in the next year for continuing classes. I think I had posted about that, and how I was willing to go into debt for it because it would be working towards a career change.

So now I don't now what will happen with that, giving the layoff, but I don't have to make that decision right now. And if I decide to go back in November/December (as originally planned) for the next class, it doesn't mean I have to commit to going back in January/February or so for the next one. One day at a time, as they say. After all, he could find an amazing job next week. Who really knows what the Universe has in store for us.

Of course, I've got a MegaMillions ticket burning a hole in my pocket (up to $325 million now) for a drawing tonight - winning that would be good too. :)

I'm almost a little surprised at how quickly I made peace with this. He seems to have too. We're not going to panic (anymore) and will see where this takes us. The good news is that he's no longer working at a job that had a stress level that was detrimental to him (in my opinion). He's got time to breathe and regroup. It'll all be as it's supposed to be.

All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well. – Dame Julian of Norwich

Survivor's Guilt

I had no idea that one could have survivor's guilt for owning an air conditioner. But yes, it's possible. :)

Seattle is recovering from record high temperatures. It had never been over 100 degrees before last week, when it hit 103 (or 104, depending on who you ask) last Wednesday. And the temps were between 80 and 100 for a long period of time. That doesn't sound very bad, except for the fact that I read that 85% of Seattle residents don't own air conditioners. And most of our public transportation does not have it as well. That was driven home when I got stuck in afternoon Mariner game traffic for an hour on a bus with no a/c, the temp outside being over 100 degrees, and no breeze in the bus because it wasn't moving due to traffic. Not fun.

I would come into work each day, and all my coworkers were getting kinda crazy as the week went on. Nobody was sleeping, and were sharing war stories about what high temperature it was in their house, what tricks they had to staying cool (my favorite was the wet t-shirt in the freezer), and how sleep-deprived and miserable they were all. Then they'd turn to me and say "so, how are you holding up." That's when I would look down, as if ashamed, and admit that we have air conditioning. We were lucky that the house we rent happened to come with one unit in the livingroom and one in the bedroom. It's been a godsend, let me tell you. I didn't want to gloat about having a/c, and I tried to keep it to myself, because I felt so incredibly guilty.

It was funny, actually, how guilty one could make themselves feel for having an air conditioner while the rest of the city suffered. It was interesting to live such a simple life that week, though. Since so many restaurants didn't even have a/c, we became hermits. It was really too hot to go wandering the streets any long distance, so we stayed at home. Cancelled plans. Decided to actually eat food we had in the house instead of going out to eat or buying something more *fun*. And I realized that I liked living this slowed-down, simple life.

I want to incorporate more of that in my day-to-day living. Today I'm enjoying some below-normal temperatures. It's overcast and 66 right now and I'm loving every minute of it. Time to stop feeling guilty and get outside and seize the day!