Life is Hard, But So Very Beautiful!

Life is hard. Sometimes very hard. But it's amazingly beautiful as well. If you open your eyes, and your heart, you'll find there's beauty in just about everything. Many of those moments, words, or experiences that hold immense beauty to me, cannot be captured in an image or a photograph.
For instance, the sound of a child laughing.

Nonetheless, it's important to notice these moments, capture them mentally (and if you can, physically), and remember them when the "hard" in life is overwhelming. These are photos that are beautiful to me. Please feel free to share any images or thoughts of beauty you have! La Belle Vie!!

             

                                                                                                   

                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

                                                                                                                     

                                                                                                                   

Weekly Gratitude: Tiny Pleasures from Nature and Friendship

This past week busy, busy, busy! I hardly had a moment to rest. But it was a very productive week nonetheless.

As a part of my commitment to self-care I tried very hard to make a conscious effort to give myself some time to just chill and do things for my own enjoyment. Making time for myself made a world of difference in my mood and ability to cope. I certainly hope to make a commitment to this new habit that almost always go to the back burner.

This past week, there were three moments/experiences that stood out in my mind as moments to be thankful for.

1.) On Wednesday, I was beyond exhausted. I worked from 8:30-12:00 at my job, then met with a client for my internship, and then I had two hours to myself before I had to go back to work till 8:30 for my internship. I was soo tired, and soo not in the mood to go back for another shift. I decided to go for a bike ride for 40 minutes before I had to go back to work. It was my first of the season, and it was soo beautiful outside. I probably got half a mile from my house when I got a phone call from my internship. I let it go to voicemail as I really wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone. A few minutes later listen to the voicemail from one of my supervisors:

“Hi Nina, I just wanted to let you know that you don’t need to come in tonight if you don’t want to. We’re overstaffed”.

YES!! That is exactly what I needed to hear. I spent about an hour and a half out on the bike trail after that. It was so peaceful, so calm. The sound of the frogs croaking in the marsh, the birds chirping, the sound of the waves on the lake hitting the shore, seeing the flowers beginning to bloom, -it was all so unbelievably beautiful. I’m very grateful I got the night off. I needed it, and it was great.



2.) I’m thankful for Miss KathleenMae. She and I have never met, but have become “friends” through this little blogging world. We share a similar zest for life, and relate very well to each other in many ways. This past week, she wrote a post about me that was so sweet and kind. She discussed similar feelings about meeting new people on opposite sides of the world, yet cultivating a connection through these unique blogging communities. Blogging truly has enhanced my life in a way I never could have comprehended. I am thankful Kathleen has come into my life; for her kind words, her new friendship, and her comments of support.

3.) Finally, I am thankful for my boyfriend David who took me rock climbing yesterday. I’m a bit competitive, and consider myself fairly athletic, so I was really looking forward to it. I’ve only been once before, but it was nothing like the experience I had yesterday. First, I must say, I’m VERY afraid of heights! I really wasn’t sure how I was going to do it! It took me about fifteen minutes to feel comfortable on the wall and get past the height of it. I would climb ten feet and then go down; then fifteen feet, and then go down, then twenty, and so on. Eventually, my nerves calmed enough where I stopped feeling like I was about to cry.

Long story short, I did very well and I really enjoyed it. I chalk it up to my childhood years climbing trees. But the most wonderful part about it was that I wasn’t thinking about anything else the whole time. Even though it was physically exhausting, and I had to keep thinking about where I was going to move next, my mind was relaxed. There was a sense of clarity and calm that I have only experienced a few times my entire life. I’m someone who struggles constantly to be in the present moment. It’s so difficult for me. I’m always thinking about what I need to do next, how much time I have left of xyz, what things still need to get done, and so on, and so on. But for that hour and a half, I don’t think I thought about anything. It was wonderful. It was so needed. Ironically, I left feeling the same way I do after getting a massage.

So thank you David, for introducing me to something where I can shut down my mind and “just be”. I’m very excited to go again soon!!!

Weekly Gratitude: The Harder I Tried to Be Grateful, The Less I Was!

Last week I started writing this "Weekly Gratitude", post to keep my spirits up as my life quickly got crazy, to keep my mind focused on what matters most, and hopefully (both fingers crossed!) help myself let go a little and relax!  But all week I ended up struggling to figure out what I have to be grateful for, or at least that were worthy enough to write about. The harder I tried, the less I felt grateful. Writing this post became more of a chore that needed to be done perfectly, rather than a tool to help me reflect and relax a little. As I whined about this post to a friend, he said, "Nina, just be thankful that you're even able to juggle your schedule right now". Isn't that the truth...

So here's the rundown on my crazy life (of course this is subjective) that I keep mentioning. As of last Monday, I’m in the last stretch of my internship for my MS in mental health counseling. I have to complete 600 hours in two 10-week quarters, or 30 hours a week. And if I don’t complete the 300 hours in the first ten weeks, I fail and have to start back at zero! No pressure, no pressure. Thankfully, I can count hours during my three-week break, which makes the second quarter a little less daunting. On top of this, I have class to coincide with the internship.
And then, there’s work, work. Roughly 20-25 hours a week. What do I do you ask? I take care of babies! Love, Love, LOVE IT! But that doesn’t mean there aren’t moments when I want to pull my hair out!



Currently, I’m juggling fours family:



Family 1: Two girls, not quite 2.5 and 6 months.

Family 2: Two girls, 3.5 and 18 months.



My new additions….



Family 3: Twin boys, 11 months.

Family 4: Twins, boy and a girl, 20 months.





To all of you mothers out there:



WHAT YOU DO IS WORK! IT IS THE HARDEST JOB IN THE WORLD! YOU DESERVE A SIX-FIGURE SALARY!

So yes, I am thankful that I am able to juggle my schedule right now. However, I’m also thankful that I’m even in school and that I’ve been able to remain self-employed, with a flexible schedule while in school. To top it off, I’m thankful that not only are my families AMAZING and flexible with my schedule, their kids are WONDERFUL and a joy to care for!



Additionally, this week I am thankful for the following:



♦     That Saturday, my one day off, Mother Nature was good to me, and gave me a beautiful, sunny, 75-degree day, in a week full of cold and rain (it was 35 in Minnesota today. What?!). That’s really all I wanted on Saturday, and I got it, so I can’t complain there.



♦    I am also thankful for Readability , one of the coolest apps ever! If you love to read, you will love this!! Do you constantly bookmark articles, blogs, etc. on your phone/computer to read later but hate the clutter it creates? You need to download this! It takes anything you want saved, formats it more clearly so you can read it without all the advertisements and junk, and saves it for you in the app, or computer. My FAVORITE part however, is that it sinks with not only my computer and my phone, but it send everything to my Kindle as well. LOVE! I’m sure I’m the last person to start using these kinds of helpful utilities, but I am SO excited I had to mention it!



♦      Finally, I must thank cravesadventure,one of my followers, for reminding me of how lucky I am to have my hearing. I posted a video in the post Music is What Feelings Sound Like: A Beautiful Video of Music Changing the Mind of Old Man about the power of music and essentially how amazing and magical it can be. cravesadventure commented and stated, “After reading your post I am grateful and thankful for my hearing”. I’m embarrassed that I never thought of it that way. But yes, considering how important music is in my life, and that I can’t imagine a life without it, I too am immensely thankful for my hearing!



May you have a week of small pleasures and enjoyment that leave you thankful for each moment in your life.

Source: veronicascornucopia.com via Madelene on Pinterest

Music is What Feelings Sound Like: A Beautiful Video of Music Changing the Mind of Old Man

The function of music is to release us from the

tyranny of conscious thought

~Sir Thomas Beecham

Music has always touched me in an emotional way. The musical gene runs in my family, and run through my blood. Music has simply always had a way with me. I feel it, and comprehend it in a way I cannot express fully with words; it's just natural, I just get it. It’s not my many years of classical piano training. It’s something more. Music has the ability to reach me deep within my mind and soul.  Frankly, I cannot image a world without music. Life without any artistic expression would simply be dark.  

9 Ways to Positively Influence Your Health and Happiness [A Reblog courtesy of Always Well Within]

Sandra Pawula, author of Always Well Within wrote a wonderful article today about the power of positivity, and the impact optimism and consciously practicing positivity can have on your life, your emotions, your relationships, your health and your happiness. Sandra offers so many wonderful links, quotes, and inspirational words, that I had to share her post for others to read. Her blog is truly wonderful, and one I highly recommend visiting frequently. Enjoy!