Selfless vs. Health

Watched Selfless with Ryan Reynolds tonight with my older boys, great movie. Ryan def has my vote for sexiest man alive. Made me think how the only way to be selfless is to take care of yourself first. You can't give towards others unless you are in good health: physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, & financially. Seriously, if you want to love others unconditionally or be unconditionally loved you have to understand that you can't take anything personally. You can't be offended, everyone in life has a journey & we must choose to accept that. Otherwise, you are not emotionally or mentally healthy to be selfless. Selfless acts require sacrifice of judgmental thoughts. You physically or financially can't help someone unless you are strong enough in that realm. You get my drift, right.....choose health by choosing to love yourself as you love others. Take time out alone to get grounded with the beauty of the earth, to revive the soul, revel in God's adoration over you. Read to nourish the mind, feed your thoughts, find mentors that are examples of what you crave to be. Seek counsel as you reflect on emotions because emotions are temporary, they can misguide you. Make your beliefs & faith strong so you will be steadfast and not tossed by the wind or waves. Eat nutritious so the body and mind won't be weak. Stay fit so that you may be able to always do what you love. Work, so the finances are available to not just survive yet, to live successfully!

Found this floating around in my computer....

Running out the door with lunchbox, duffle bag, chai, and hair brush or purse, as you notice your child's book-bag or the clothes that need dry cleaning still in the hall. You dare not have the time for that second trip to the car so, you stuff your mouth with your the purse or duffle bag strap and with the extra pinky grab the bag or clothes. Dumping everything in the car you buckle up and remind any sidekicks(traveling passengers) to do the same, because you know what happens when you forget to buckle....flashback to to 1984 when seat-belts weren't that popular and cops had their own tv show, dad slammed on the breaks and you flew from the back of the baby blue Monte Carlo to the front. Needless to say, you encourage safety first(by buckling up) from lessons learned. Fast forward to here and now, by the time you drop the kids off or the dog at the vet, you rush to work or back to the house to clean up from the tornado that happened when the kids awoke that morning. Day moves on, you grow tired and maybe you feel as if the you have no more thread that can be unraveled from this quilt called life. Does any of this sound familiar? Are you working non-stop, giving your all to find out that you have to do it all over again the next day? Having a sense that there are not enough hours in the day, chaos, and feelings of fatigue and overwhelming worries.
Many of us are born into different situations, life challenges appear as the single mom, stay at home mom, working mother, or you might be the newlywed, student slammed with studies and tests, perhaps you chose a demanding career with out children...the point is, no matter your status quo or life goals, every lifestyle has its stressors. 
I too have been there, I lived on that doorstep for years. I allowed and even welcomed the stress to hang out in my everyday routine. The beauty of it all is that we have the power to change it. If I, a single mother of four rambunctious amazing children, that ran a business, went to school and worked a second or third job(ALL at the same time), learned the secret to sanity....would you be interested in hearing it? I know your saying: "Duh, Kara!" 
Its really simple; keep it simple. Get back to the basics of who you are, what you love to do, and make yourself a priority. You are fearfully and wonderfully made, there is no second chance for this life, you must discover your worth now. That means to take time out for yourself, wether it be 10 minutes in the day or a whole day for yourself to get away and be alone. As a Christian I believe what the Bible says in caring for your body as a temple, as a Yogi I believe we must slow down. Women, I've noticed especially, run themselves into the dirt or I say the ditch because they get stuck. Go, go, go, always on the go, never taking time out to breath and see their value. Yoga can slow you down and remind you that you need to care for yourself first in order to provide care for anyone else. The only way to be excellent at anything is to make sure you are excellent first: mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Be mindful today, just as if you were in a fire, you can not save someone burning if you are on fire, make sure the scene is safe first or the fire is out THEN you can help and get the person to safety. Be healthy, inside and out, so that you can love, care, provide, cherish, and help others to do the same. If you say, "I don't have time!" Get over that fear in your mind, stop saying I can't and start asking "HOW can I make this happen?" MAKE time, your life is worth it. 

Ways to love you:
Yoga, daily walks, healthy eating, girls night out, read a book, meditate, exercise, paint, do something that you enjoy.

Deep Waters

There is this deep aching within that is only comforted when I am alone, on my knees, and crying out to God. Perhaps I started this blog post off a bit too intense, let me try this again....The end of 2014 and most of 2015 sucked, it was absolute hell. You see it started with this book. I took my words and put them into action. I put a book of my writings together with photographs from amazing local artist and published it. During this process, I lost everything. By everything I mean, where I was living, all my belongings, my family, my children(which are my heart), my jobs, you get the picture. Sometimes, let's be honest, any time we go after the things we love or pursue passions we encounter adversity. It's like the ultimate test, the universe or God is testing us to see if we really want what we set out to do or attain. The beautiful piece of this puzzle(if you walk far enough into these uncharted waters), that I believe to be one of life's most treasured lessons, is this attitude of gratitude that takes over your soul. It's as if you take on a new mindset, your eyes unveil the limitless potential that surrounds you. You notice how blessed you are, how lovely others can be, and you try to take it all in yet, breathing is all you are capable of. Losing everything was the best thing that ever happened to me. It showed me how to work harder, how to love deeper, how to see others as God does, and how to cherish the moments that are right here and now. This unforgettable season in my life has made me a better version of me. I am stronger and more grateful than I ever knew possible. I will say there were moments I was angry at God, I couldn't comprehend why I had to feel the pain I felt or still do at times. This school of hard knocks unlocked the mystery of a victim transforming into a victor.
Back to the crying out to God, from a quiet place, seeking His face, longing for His heart to be one with mine....this is my comfort, this is my song, He's carried me, and never given up on me. What I've seen is miracle after miracle and God teaching me that I am not alone. I am in awe of His mercy and His goodness. I step into the deep waters, I jump, the risk surpasses any comfort. Fear is false evidence appearing real and not worth living in because perfect love cast out fear. Dare to live out loud, to open up the flood gates and be consumed with purpose.

P.S.
Just feel prompted to add this:
If you are faced with unkindness, know that every harsh word spoken towards or against you is from pain and has no power over you unless you give it power.