Life is Good

On Friday, Dan and I got the keys to our rental. Since our house has not sold in the city, and we haven’t found anything to purchase in Parry Sound, we decided to find a rental to bridge our accommodations temporarily. 

We really lucked out and found a 4 bedroom home right in the town of Parry Sound, with a fenced in yard for the pugs. The house is currently for sale, but since the market is slow – we were able to rent it on a month to month basis. This is great for us since we didn't want to sign a lease and be committed to anything for the long term. The place is pretty sweet, asides from being right near train tracks (which everything seems to be in Parry Sound), it is totally furnished and all we needed to bring were our consumables and linens.

Monday Morning - Yoga Post-Run

The pugs are enjoying the new scenery. They really seem to love the backyard and want to spend their entire day out there. We have sliding doors which lead from the kitchen to the backyard, so I can blog and supervise the pugs at the same time.

Our weekend was pretty relaxed, for the first time in a long time Dan and I didn't have anything on our schedule. If I were in the city, I’d be finding so many things to do around the house or would have kept myself busy packing. It’s been three months since Dan and I lived together, so it was nice to connect again and not have to worry about only having a weekend to spend together.

Saturday we spent most of our time cleaning our rental, and picking up some supplies we needed. Afterwards, since my mind was so clear of thoughts and my place was tidy, I finally had free time to have a leisurely run.

Running since the marathon has been an ongoing battle for me. It’s been 9 months since the marathon and I haven’t fully committed to a running schedule. I've found every excuse in the book to not get out there. The past couple of weeks I've finally rekindled my passion – stayed tuned for a blog post on returning to running after a break.

On Sunday Dan and I went for a walk to enjoy the scenery. We live 5 minutes away from a marina and they have seaplanes there that take off throughout the day. We just sat and watched for an hour or so. This whole place is so leisurely and relaxed. It’s been awhile since I really kicked back and enjoyed the sights like I did last night. This mindset is really hard to get to, and I’m glad I am there once again.

My friend recently gave me a journal and the quote on the front is:

"In the midst of our lives, we must find the magic that makes our souls soar" 

I think I've found that magic.... 

Downtown Parry Sound Marina

Parry Sound is made up of these rocks - so gorgeous

The train bridge

The seaplane ready for take-off

Letting reality sink in - this is our new home!

Anyways, I’m off to enjoy the rest of my vacation before I start my new job next Tuesday. Daniel and myself along with some friends are going to a country festival this Thursday-Monday (Boots and Hearts) and we cannot wait. Stay tuned for another post about that.

Until then.... 

Enjoy life!

May Cause Miracles

I wanted to share with you all the current book I am reading:

Now - I've never been one for self help books, or reading for that matter. But this one is changing my life and the way I view things on a daily basis.

I was introduced to this read after talking to my Chiro during one of my adjustments (Hi Erica!!). I have always had a problem with stress and more importantly have always dealt with issues of self love. I continuously judge myself in a negative way and it influences how I think of others. I'm jealous, bitter and generally unhappy with myself.

I purchased this e-book about a month ago and am currently on day 9 of the 40 day program.

The way it works is each morning you are given a daily affirmation and reading. You are told to set reminders throughout the day to keep you focused on your affirmation. At noon you have your "Miracle Moment" where you can take a minute and reflect on your daily goal. During the evening you are assigned a task to work on in your journal which takes you deeper into developing and deconstructing your self change.

So far this book has helped me identify my fears in life and I can see why I act a certain way and view thing the way I do. This book is all about changing your life and living each day to its fullest, positively.

My current daily affirmation is "I am willing to let go of my self doubt. I surrender to self love."

Powerful words, right?

What I love about the author, Gabrielle Berstein is that she is young and relatable. She wrote the book in an appetizing way for the 20-30 year old age group. Plus she has a great sense of fashion! Check her out on her FB page.

If you are looking to live your life in a more positive way and centering yourself in a way you never thought possible. I highly recommend picking up this read.

Still Finding Balance..

Hi Everyone,

I just wanted to let you know that I have not disappeared! I'm still working on finding my balance and dealing with some minor wellness issues.

Please stay tuned for a post from me shortly.

In the meantime, let me leave you with these pug funnies...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is something about a pug that just makes me smile.

Finding Balance...

I know many of you can relate, finding balance in one's own life is a near impossible feat.

Over the past few months I've been trying my best to find balance and live my healthy lifestyle. Since the marathon (I use this term a lot) I've tried going back to the gym, taking spin classes, signing up for WW again, being more involved in the community and also trying to work more overtime. I feel like a fish out of water without my training schedule. I've come to realize I've lost my balance somewhere along the line.

I've decided to take up yoga again. This time it is a little different; I'm committing to a real yoga guru who does yoga out of her home. Her name is Lisa, from Lisa's Yoga.

 

This is her classroom. Beautiful, right?

Last night was my first class and words cannot describe how I felt when I had left. I walked in not knowing anyone and without any expectations. The room above was set-up with 10 foam pads we could put our yoga mats on. Some students were already laying on the ground with blankets provided by the studio. Everyone was already so relaxed and calm. We started off by doing some meditation and deep breathing, followed by some warrior poses and stretches.

To end the class, Lisa has us resume our corpse pose and as we all set into our deep relaxation she had shared the following story. This really struck a cord with me and I wanted to share it with you all.

The Story of the Butterfly

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly.
One day a small opening appeared.
He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours
as it struggled to squeeze its body through the tiny hole.
Then it stopped, as if it couldn’t go further.

So the man decided to help the butterfly.
He took a pair of scissors and
snipped off the remaining bits of cocoon.
The butterfly emerged easily but
it had a swollen body and shriveled wings.

The man continued to watch it,
expecting that any minute the wings would enlarge
and expand enough to support the body,
Neither happened!
In fact the butterfly spent the rest of its life
crawling around.
It was never able to fly.

What the man in his kindness
and haste did not understand:
The restricting cocoon and the struggle
required by the butterfly to get through the opening
was a way of forcing the fluid from the body
into the wings so that it would be ready
for flight once that was achieved.

Sometimes struggles are exactly
what we need in our lives.
Going through life with no obstacles would cripple us.
We will not be as strong as we could have been
and we would never fly.

 

This resonated with me the rest of the night. Sometimes it takes a story like that to really open your eyes to what is going on around you and to accept the challenges you are faced with.

Can you relate to this story?

What do you do to find balance in your life?