Destiny.

There are people who view destiny as waiting for things to happen. I don't. I think you need to work towards your destiny.

BUT...

I can tell you with 100% confidence, serendipity, fate, destiny ~ they have all revealed themselves to me this year and it has made me work harder to make my life be just that ~ MY LIFE.

Go forth and live YOUR life. 

And if you get a little nudge from the universe, say, "Thanks!"

Today is a big day if you're into numbers. 12-12-12. It is the first and last time we will see this in our lifetime ~ hmmm....destiny?

I was having a conversation with a friend of mine about optimism. 

I said, "I am a half-full girl." 

He said, "It doesn't matter; even if you were a half-empty girl, in the end, it is exactly the same thing." 

What? How could that be?

And then I saw THIS picture and suddenly it made sense.

Yeah. He's got it like that.

Just jump. In the end it's going to be exactly the right thing to do.

This is a difficult concept for so many of us to "get."

When someone we care about is about to do something that requires us to believe in THEM, we have no problem encouraging them. But, when it's our turn we don't always believe we're worth it.

Take today and believe in you.

YOU ARE WORTH IT.

I promise.

Welcome to the life of nearly everyone I know.

We start out with the best intentions of being able to do it all. And then reality hits and we realize there is no way in the world we can do it all.

This year I made the conscious decision to stop doing a lot of what I used to do. Amazingly, someone else can and will pick up what it was you believed only you could do. And perhaps they can even do it better than you. (I know, who wants to admit THAT?!)

A long time ago I went to a PTA luncheon where there were hundreds of involved parents. The keynote speaker said the following sentence and it has stayed with me all these years later, "Did it all. Died anyway."

It took me over ten years to embrace the importance of that sentence.
 
I no longer want to do it all. 

I want to do what I want to do because it fills me with joy, happiness and a sense of purpose. To quote a dear friend of mine, "It makes my heart happy." 

Choose what you can and want to do with your heart and let your head follow.

This took me too long to realize. It is my hope that by sharing this wisdom you won't take so long.

Do I still have moments of self-doubt? Of course I do. That's the thing about being human. At this point in my life I also can actually hear myself putting myself down and the voice in my head quickly jumps in and tells me to cut it out. (It might have to yell at me...)

Take some time today to love and respect yourself.

I promise you, you ARE worth it.

I have realized this year that family, kids, jobs, and assorted other responsibilities can render "you" unrecognizable to yourself.

I am phasing out of the part of my life where I am but a taxi driver and ATM. (It will happen to you too someday, I promise.) 

So...what next?

I stepped outside and looked at myself. And I reminded myself of who I was, what I wanted from life, and I started to plan how to make it all happen. I had the help of a fantastic therapist. I had the help of group therapy. I had the help of my tribe. 

I listened to that inner voice we all have - you know the one we squelch? It isn't always convenient to listen to that voice. I recommend you do.

Go ahead. Take the next 30 seconds and remember YOU.

Say, "Hello."

2012 has been an extraordinary year for me. (You may have gathered that in the three days I've been blogging...)

Yes, I have done an exhausting amount of self work. Nutritional overhaul, regular exercise, phsyco-Reiki - you have to experience this to fully understand it, but suffice it to say, psychological work combined with energy work REALLY clears your crap.

Along with my own work, a huge debt of thanks must go to my tribe; the women I have surrounded myself with. They are remarkable individuals with phenomenal gifts ~ talented, brilliant, compassionate, visionaries, funny, gifted, healers ~ you get the picture.

Look inside yourself and around yourself. Do you have people who uplift you in your life? Who "get" you when you're blue? Who you can call at 3am if you had a crisis? How excellent if you do! If you don't...go get some. It'll make your life that much sweeter.

July 2012 was the first time I saw this billboard. I was heading home on the Hudson River Line of Metro North and as I came out of the tunnel from Grand Central Station it came into view. The sun was setting behind it while a plane was passing the sun. It was, as "they" say, a moment.

THIS sign helped me start putting my life into perspective.

I am healthy. My kids are healthy, hilarious and honestly, great teenagers. I have worked at jobs that I love (and a few, not so much). I have amazing friends. 

I went back to college to finish the degree I started in 1979; at a school I didn't get accepted into at the time...I am thrilled to be graduating from Purchase College this year.

I have learned to trust myself and my instincts. It's not always pretty. It's not always easy. Many tears have been shed. I learned that crying will not kill you. (I raised toddlers, you would think this would be imprinted down to my core...)

While I was pondering gratitude Mary Chapin Carpenter was writing about it.

Listen and enjoy.

This is MY vision board - created in late October 2012.

As a young girl I filled more than one notebook with quotes and pictures and yearnings and all the angst-y stuff that goes along with being a teen. Because life is so comical, as a 51 year old I apparently am doing the same thing on poster board.

When you create a vision board you let the universe know what you want. You ask. You accept. Voila. I know, how crazy is that? But I am here to tell you it works.

I will be putting together a class called "Great Expectations: Creating your vision for 2013." 

YOU will create YOUR vision board. It will be on a 12" x 12" piece of paper for ease of displaying and framing. Only by being willing to accept everything the universe has to offer will you be able to see your dreams manifest themselves to fruition.

The class will be limited to 8 participants.

I can't wait to see what you dream of for yourself. Let's make it happen!

Once upon a time, I had an idea. 

It brewed and it festered in my head for quite a long time. And then, one morning while walking I *knew* I had to make it happen.

And so, with love, support, and blessings from MANY, I am delighted to introduce you to The Glass House Retreat (TGHR).

For the time being it will operate out of the Magic Basement (a great space in my home) and on the road. I will happily bring retreats to your location - we all need someone to help us detox once in a while; I can do that for you and up to seven other people.

My full intention is for TGHR to have its own location in the near future.

The goals of The Glass House Retreat are simple ~ Create your own inner magic. Find laughter and peace in the company of like-minded people. Explore what makes you joyful, happy and fulfilled.