Mamas! It's time to celebrate

Dear Mamas, 

What leads you to your most beautiful and best experiences? As a mother, partner, health-care practitioner and woman - I've been in the navigation of all the ways of giving for some time now, something I love (hence the profession). I've also confronted all the shadows of being a nurturer too. 

How do you not forget yourself in the fullness of life and all it asks of you? How do we not forget ourselves in the never-ending needs of those around us?

Mother's Day is a wonderful day to practice not-forgetting yourself, to practice celebrating yourself and your life. What are the things that delight you? Can you dare to ask for what you desire? 

1) Make Mother's Day your day to do exactly what it is that you want to do. What you've been secretly craving to do. What your heart yearns for in the quiet moments in between one busy moment to the next.

2) Begin your day with a calm and regulated nervous system. What tools create this for you? Some of mine are: waking early to drink a glass of water and greet the sunrise...taking a walk by myself (with the dog)... Qi Gong shaking with friends and/or sitting quietly with tea. Make a list of your own. Take the time and do it. 

3) What lights you up? Do you really really want those Beyonce tickets and can you find a way to leave the kids at home and go with some friends? At a community building workshop I took ages ago we were encouraged to 'reserve the right to make outrageous requests,' with the explicit agreement that others could 'reserve the right to say no'. It really freed up conversation when things were spoken out loud and you could trust that someone else could hold their boundaries clearly (and often times they'd say Yes!). Make a list of the outrageous (which are likely not so unreasonable). Prioritize this!

4) Repeat this truth as needed: I am responsible for my own happiness. I am responsible for my own happiness. I am responsible for my own happiness. No blaming, no shaming - just radical self responsibility. 

5) Ask for what you'd like from your people - simply and clearly. 

6) If those people get grumpy or provoked by your ideas and choices - let them. Do it anyway, with delight, gratitude and love for yourself. If they are not up to collaboration or co-creating with you, create what you want for yourself. Be in good relationship with you.

7) Pour unconditional love into your life. Enjoy, appreciate, don't sweat the small stuff and keep your eye on the prize. Happy, joyous and free is a spiritual practice.Our children, our families, our communities need to see us acknowledging ourselves, taking care of ourselves, taking responsibility for our lives, our thoughts and our words. Happy, joyous and free is a spiritual practice that radiates out to everyone and its a beauty filled model for your children. 

Thank you to all the Mamas.

Happy Mother’s Day!