Women's Life Link Be Well, Be Happy, Be YOU!

From the moment I knew you were inside my womb, I dreamed of how beautiful you would be, how smart, and how loving to the world around you. Your first cry marked the beginning of your incredible journey of life in a world that isn't always kind or loving back. So with the amazing joy I felt at that instant, a fear also gripped my heart. I was afraid of losing you. Every mother feels this bittersweet tug of war in her spirit. I also feared that I would somehow not be a good mother to you, that I would monumentally screw up your life in some obscure way.

Being a woman, who is smack in the middle between structured and unstructured, I tend to see both sides of the to schedule or not to schedule debate. And depending on where you fall on this scale of either beautiful chaos or rigid order, you likely are gazing at the proverbial green grass on the other side. The unstructured woman will long for the day when she actually feels caught up and able to find her sofa, dinner table, and bedroom floor. Where the rigid perfectionist dreams of having time to just enjoy her life, to take off and just do something fun. Well, ladies, you can learn from each other. With a few tricks taken from both extremes, you can find balance and get things d

So the Australian Open tennis tournament is on in Melbourne at the moment, and watching the Australians play and compete got me thinking... We have this thing in Australia called the ‘Tall Poppy Syndrome’. Mind you, I think it’s in other places around the globe, but this is my experience of it here. It’s a rather ugly scenario where Australians like to chop down those around them who are standing taller or achieving more than they are, so that everyone appears to be on the same level, average -not making any one look less!

The other day my friend, D, gave me a really cool stainless steel coffee cup that has a detachable plastic sleeve on it. It also came with a dry erase marker. It appeals to my artistic, whimsical self, as well as my coffee side. On Sunday, I decided I would write something inspirational on the cup and think on it throughout the day. I decided on "Do"

So, after reading my post last week.... maybe you think, “Yes. I need some help in this whole fashion image area. But where the heck do I start??” A lot of women I come across feel that way. They know their wardrobe needs some TLC, but short of stripping all the mannequins in the store.... many women don’t really know how to put together a “look”. But before you even step foot in a store and spend your hard-earned money, you need to have a plan. An idea. An inspiration!

Here's the deal... In a perfect world and body, short-term inflammation is a normal immune system response that helps fight infection , rescues body systems during trauma, and eases allergic responses (grandma's yummy chicken soup simmering on the stove). Chronic inflammation, on the other hand, happens when the body does not turn off the production of normal pro-inflammatory cells that are needed in those temporary situations (the pot bowls over, starts a fire, and keeps burning until someone puts it out).

I don’t mind saying I have the best sex life ever. Probably better than anyone else’s. I know that sounds egotistical, but that is how content I am, with where I am, in that area in my life. I’ve achieved the pinnacle of success in that area of my life. But not before I swam through a lot of dry flavorless valleys. Actually I wasn’t swimming; I was pretending to doggy paddle and really drowning.

I had an epiphany the other day, and I have been unable to shake it, so I thought I might share it with you.

I've ridden a roller-coaster my entire life, fitting in nowhere, not even in my own home. Of course, by chance when I did, I’d find some way to mess it up. This life never allowed me to like myself or believe I deserved others to like me either. I’d moved out on my own by 16 and was expelled from school just before graduation. My life displayed a pattern: abusive relationships, drug abuse, eating disorders, and other self-destructive tendencies that I never once thought of as problems. I really had no idea who I was. I simply lived my life the best way I knew how.

I've been thinking about how humbled I am by the fact that I am surrounded by such amazing women on the new author panel. These women have many other things they could do with their precious time but have chosen to give me and this magazine a slice of that time. It's an honor...really.

Ladies, let’s talk about image. Yea, that’s right, the clothes you are wearing right this minute. Do they really speak to who you are? One of my favorite silly eCards read something like this... “Just curious... what part of that outfit made you look in the mirror and say, 'YES. This is how I choose to represent myself today.’?” I feel like saying this every time I walk into a mall. I don’t, of course, in fear of being beat over the head with a bedazzled fanny pack.

I always felt like something was missing. Like I hadn’t achieved what I wanted to achieve and even perhaps that time had passed me by. A very good friend of mine convinced me otherwise. I am talking about a University degree. I finished high school, back in 1988, and commenced a Bachelor of Business majoring in Accounting. I spent the next 6 months of my life wondering what I was doing. I only chose Accounting because a friend of mine had, and I didn’t know what else to do. Suffice to say I quit not long after that and headed into the work force, which I totally enjoyed.

I have this screen saver on my computer that displays various color ribbons flying about. The first time it appeared I was ecstatic! You see, for years I've visualized very similar colorful ribbons whenever I prayed, meditated, or visualized something I wanted to manifest into my life. The ribbons represent to me all of my emotions, compassion, healing, wishes, and dreams going out into the universe to gather and execute all that needs to happen to make my desires come to pass.

When we look into the eyes of another surely we are looking at the soul of the one standing directly in front of us – or are we? It is difficult for many to get past the physical to gaze any further. We have become a visual society, judging according to our cultural beliefs. We perceive the outside to be an extension of the inside, whether it is health or beauty.

You know that cliche that says you don't know what you have until it's gone? Well, recently I realized it applies to not only losing the good, serving things in your life but to the icky, shit hole ones too. I've been a chronic migraine and daily headache sufferer for over 13 years, and now...I'm not. What I'm about to share with you could change your life forever, so please read through this post. As to the cliche reference, well...allow me to explain: