Life Lesson From The Garden II: You Can't Cover Weeds With Cedar Mulch

Happy Monday!

It's so lovely to see a beautiful garden; one that has been cared for and maintained.  Beautiful, bright vivid colors of blooms contrasted with lush shades of green and dark brown earth.

However, no matter how nice your garden is, you will always get weeds. Vigilant gardeners regularly survey their gardens and pull weeds out from the root.

One major mistake is to attempt to cover the earth with mulch without pulling weeds or laying landscape cloth. If you miss these important steps it you will have weeds growing through your mulch and you will have to constantly move the mulch aside.

Removing the weeds and laying landscape cloth then adding soil and mulch will greatly reduce weeds although I am amazed to see the odd weed poke through.

This is like life, the more you anticipate and prepare, the more successful you will be. Although there are no 100% guarantees, your chances for success are higher.

Measure twice, cut once.

Live On Purpose!

Everyday Is an Occasion

Happy Monday!

In the Era I was raised in, certain things were reserved for special occasions or specific days; the Special Living Room, certain dinnerware, special meals, specific clothes and shoes, trips to the park, gifts, etc.

I'm glad times have changed. Special Living Rooms have become family rooms and home offices, fine china is hardly purchased and gifts are now bought regularly, not just for birthdays and Christmas.

For me this shift in perspective is about Living on Purpose; being intentional and realizing that every day is  privilege and a gift. Now, I'm not suggesting that you wear your party dress to the corner store, this is more about attitude.

Stop saving get togethers for the weekend, how about a Tuesday night? Start buying flowers just because! Monday night dinner by candlelight, drinking juice from a wine glass or skipping out on one night of extra curricula activities and have a picnic in the family room or better yet at the lake in your comfy vehicle or at a picnic  table when the weather is better!

MAKE EVERYDAY AN OCCASION!

Life is too short, Live on Purpose today!

Happy-sad

Happy Monday!

Have you've even been Happy-Sad. That's a time when you are happy despite sad circumstances in your life.

You're sad when you're children have left home for good but happy to come home to a beautifully clean home.

You're happy that you're no longer in school but your sad because you no longer have an achievement to aim for.

That's all Happy-Sad; experiencing both emotions almost simultaneously.

The next time that you're in that Happy-sad moment hang on to the Happy if you can; picture it, feel it, embody it so that you can recall that Happy memory in times of sadness, it will feed your soul.

Live On Purpose!

The Revelation

One evening I was watching one of my favorite shows on HGTV and enjoying it. I was thinking of how great it was that they were living their dream doing renos on T.V. and hosting a home and garden show. Then it occurred to me; while I was watching them, I wasn't living my dream.

Just think of it, spending that hour watching them got me no further to my dream, maybe even a little behind. After all, was I going to  buy that house? Spend $50,000 to renovate or redecorate like that? Buy, sell & flip homes like that while I was watching that show?

Nope.

Shows are great for ideas but also great time wasters. As we idealize others lives while ours are slipping away into time.

Anything  worth anything is hard work....kind of like what they are doing on T.V.

It's time to turn off the T.V. and begin to live your dream a day at a time.

Happy Monday!

💡Have you created a Vision Board for your life? Life Matters can help you do it!

Send me an email at Info@mylifematters.ca so you can get started Living Your Dream!

Celebrate You This Mother's Day

Special occasions like Mother's Day can be wonderful and stressful all at the same time.

Celebrations bring expectations. These expectations come from us, the media,  family and friends. Sometimes others just don't get it,  they are busy or they simply don't regard the event as we do.

I would like to encourage you to celebrate yourself. Don't wait for someone else if nothing seems to be happening. You need to know your value and worth irrespective of those in your life.

By the way,  do you notice that for Father's Day, men are encouraged to take the day for themselves by fishing, golfing or watching T.V. while women are encouraged to spend the day with their children;  is that for real or is it my imagination?

Do what makes YOU happy and let the family know that you're not available if that is what you want.

Make it a Happy Mother's Day, you're the Best!🌹

The Great Breakfast Adventure

About a month ago I mentioned my Breakfast Adventure; become a breakfast critique once a month and check out someplace new.

Spring is here! Go alone with a great book or headphones & good tunes or just people watch....bring a friend or two, whatever brings you joy.

Start out at daybreak or go for brunch! Breakfast is one of the most affordable meals; usually under $10 gives you a hearty breakfast with refillable coffee.

Off Beaten Track;  Loraine's Piks:
George Street Diner, Toronto
Cookie Crumble, Kleinburg
Dundas Street Grill, Toronto
The Red Onion, Caledon

Going Through Transition!

Have you ever had a difficult season in your life that totally wrecks your sleeping schedule. Have you found yourself waking up at all hours of the night thinking....thinking....thinking😕

I look at these times as periods in transition. Transition is about change but I'm talking about the transition that you experience when you are in labour. During this time the pain is the most intense. Unlike the earlier stages of labour when the pain is minutes apart,  when you are in transition the pain has no reprieve and it is layered; this is when your uterus is contracting the most; just before the baby is born.

I've learned during these times in my life to go with the rhythm of your body. Instead of fighting with yourself because you can't sleep; move with it. Plan for those times by placing a good book beside you, watch an uplifting T.V. program or movie even bake a cake...when you plan  for it, your body and mind begins to relax instead of struggle because of the lack off sleep countdown. That happens when you wake up in the middle of the night and begin to count how many hours you have until it's time to get up.

By your beside place your books, computer,  nightlight, maybe even a thermos of hot chocolate and a cookie.

If you have constant insomnia,  you should see your health professional but if it is specifically related to an event in your life, accept it as  unique time and acknowkedge that your body is naturally responding to the psysiological impact of the circumstance.

Give yourself permission to go through this season with its changes; ups and downs. By doing this, you will place less stress on your mind and body.

After this season you will discover much about yourself and the world; how your body responds to crisis,  what are your support systems, what makes you feel better in challenging times...what's on T.V.  at 3am.

The good news is, it will pass and, as with transition in labour,  it will birth something new.