Freely Blooming

1. Do what you love and love what you do.

2. Accept growth and the natural process of letting relationships go.

3. Cherish the moments you have - you only get so many birthdays when you’re in the same state, you only get so many quiet nights at home, you only get so many hours with your parents, you only remember what you cherish. You keep what has created you.

4. Love this world. Love this Earth. Take care of it and be kind. We need everyone to love this world and to care about the future of this Earth that has loved us too.

5. Stop counting minutes and hours - let the days pass (even if they pass quickly). The moments you’ve created and the moments you now cherish won’t need a timestamp. They just need a place in your heart and have now are represented in you.

Bloom freely,

Feeling so much love for the world tonight.

Please cherish the moments that you have that are filled with so much good. We get caught up in how things don’t turn out “our way.” We have the “my way or the highway” mentality. It takes a little growth to realize that our way is not always the right way. It takes a lot for a society to grasp the ideology that we’ve all been wrong before, and we were once wrong together.

But what happens once we’ve accepted this reality we’ve created for ourselves is much greater than what we could have planned if things had gone our way. I think sometimes you just have to let go of what you want to control. As I have been using this method in my everyday life - I’ve noticed it has decreased immense amounts of stress. But there is an important distinction in detaching and accepting uncertainty.

It is so easy to be detached. It’s easier to feel nothing at all than to invest everything in your soul to be disappointed. Too often I am living through my detachment - too drowned by what “needs to be done.” And while yes - I am letting go of things I no longer need to “control” - I’m not getting the full experience of living deeply.

Our lives carry much worth. It’s about time we realize and embrace the honor it is to be alive. To be alive! To be healthy. In simplest terms we live as some of the most advanced, comprehensive multicellular organisms - our hearts beat and we have lungs to breathe - we already have all we really need. Imagine what others may endure in their lifetimes.

Life does not need to be as challenging as we all make it seem. Life is meant for living. So live your life, the way you want to, enjoy the ride and maybe take a few trips to Disneyland when you’re feeling blue.

Thankful for you and the world -

Bloom freely

The failed friendships, the unsettled relationships, the life you let go of to grow.

That is exactly what you need to be reminded of - the life you let go of to grow. We imagine and build a life out of looking back on how “good” things could have been. It only appears “good” because it was simple enough for you to think through and rationalize about after the matter. We spend and waste time wishing for a blissful life where the known factors diminish our fears of what could be. But we should not wish for the ease simply to have knowledge.

The unknown could very well be exciting, enchanting, and allow your life to be better than “good.” Better than the failed friendships, the unsettled relationships, and the life you have already seen. The unknown is a chance to explore, to grow, to learn. This really should be one of the best feelings humans can experience. The norm could allow the curiosity to serve as a positive factor in the equation for our perfect lives.

We crave a life that always looks better when we look back. But I’m here to let you know that the craving is natural - but you don’t need to feed into it. It’s almost as if you’re having immense cravings for terrible junk food that is cheap and easy to access but you have the healthiest superfood available in your home and it’s just better for you. You have the greatest amount of good in comparison to the craving - so why are you looking back to something you don’t need when you have built a life that allows you access to what is best for you?

Looking back could possibly give you hope that what is left behind can change. That you can have the best of both worlds where your past becomes your future. I’m not here to tell you you can’t turn life back around and make the change, but I’m here to tell you that that’s not the point of life. It’s not about sitting, waiting, wishing, and hoping - it’s about doing. Sitting stagnant does not promote growth and does not allow you to share your brilliant ideas with this world. “Not doing” won’t get you to where you want to be. If you stay where you are - you stick around the same terrible friendships, the same failed relationships, and become part of a life that outgrows you.

So we are here, reflecting on the big picture that life is about growth. Life is about change, and life is about letting go. I think it’s almost a myth when we use the phrase, “you want what you can’t have” because you can have what you want in this world. You just don’t need to look back to get it. Because in the simplest terms - you never had it in the past because whatever you were doing was not working. You must let go of your old methods and make changes and grow and soon enough you’ll find that what your wants and needs will also change with you. You must grant yourself the freedom you so deserve to grow and learn. And that is why you will never want something you can’t have - because by then you’ll have something much better.

Bloom freely and keep doing better,

Be excited.

Life without you will be different, it will be hard and all I feel right now is heartache. Heartache that I didn’t get to say goodbye, that I couldn’t be there for you more, that I didn’t get those last few moments to cherish your beautiful soul. In life, it isn’t easy to find people who understand you - who just love you unconditionally like animals do. Animals of all sorts have special capabilities to simply heal you. Maybe they don’t speak your language - but the human-animal connection shared is enough in saying it all. These animals soon become parts of your families and you create special memories. You know that whenever you come home, there’s always someone who will be there with you when you need. I’ve never had a more loyal friend. I can’t describe the feeling of this loss. I grew up with this wonderful dog and suddenly she’s gone. I think back to the first time we met, to the silly puppy days, to training, to simply loving you even though you misbehaved so much - only because you wanted love. That is what I love about you - that you were always willing to give love and you were always so so kind. When I think about it, I should hold more qualities like this wonderful dog of mine. I should be more loving, more peaceful. I should forgive more often and simply forget about things I don’t need to worry about. I should rest and take more naps. I should always be hungry for good food. I should always enjoy going outside for a walk. I should always love seeing my family. I should cherish my world and be so so happy for all that I receive.

I haven’t accepted the fact that you’re gone and I don’t know when that day will come. I don’t want to accept the fact that you won’t be there for more birthdays and Christmases. I don’t want to accept that I can’t take you on walks you love to go on or play tug’o war with you with a sock you stole from the shoes in the house. I don’t want to accept that I won’t ever come home to the loud sound of your tail wagging and hitting the fridge door because you’re so excited. Or that you won’t stay by the front door when we’re home alone to be on guard and let me know when someone’s walking by. I won’t forget feeding you dog food with a spoon when you were feeling a little sick or that huge silly cone you had to wear on your head. How much you loved ice and limes and how skilled you were at sneaking around “dog-proof gates.”

I hope you find that space where you breathe happiness. In and out. A space where your worries are handled. Where you think about things you care for not because someone told you it was important. Where you stop counting the minutes and seconds because time no longer matters.

I rang in the new year with a better than “average” day. I spent time with the people I love and had moments of pure relaxation. Indulging in caramel popcorn from Disneyland and watching Gilmore Girls with my mom. I didn’t worry about things that needed to be done, and I didn’t care that my skin wasn’t on my side. I wasn’t worried that my nails weren’t perfect. Wasn’t worried that a friend of 7 years and I haven’t spoken for months. I worried about people who needed some help. I gave advice to my best friend. I was reminded what true friends do and who true friends are and how I should be treated. There were many mini lessons today - like in the documentary I watched on Western food consumption, or how the water at the creek on our hike was freezing, and how extra long pajama pants can be fun.

The lack I feel from not having a traditional holiday experience this year, along with what feels like a shorter vacation from my education has left me feeling unmotivated. As though I hadn’t reached all my goals and visions for these few weeks. But I think I’ve gained much more by not following the extensive plans and to do tasks I made for myself. Surely a little stress has been gained, but I have also indirectly given myself me time. Time to binge-watch my favorite youtubers, my favorite show on netflix, eat too many ghiradelli chocolates, and spend too much time painting my nails. Time to drink three cups of tea in a day and to wrap presents and to write cards to loved ones.

All is well and all will be done. Have a little faith, the world does amazing things. Happy 2016.

Bloom freely,

Listen back to old voicemails - let them take you back in time.

Embrace the old feelings, the rush of a little sadness. Take a moment to recognize the charm of the memories.

Let the tears flow if they need to.

Write and share your thoughts on the little snippets of memories you have.

Let go of those feelings, don’t let them hurt you any longer. Don’t allow them to have any power over you. Choose when you think about those old voicemails.

Fall back in love with the greatness that surrounds your life everyday and continue to wish others well.

Just keep loving no matter how much it hurts right now.

Bloom freely,

Three power words that are resonating deeply with me on this beautiful day. Let us have and keep our inner intentions and allow the truest form of those passions show in our work. Let our lives be simple - let our lives flow freely. And finally, let us recharge, let us have a clear vision of a path, let us make decisions based on our hearts desires and not be clouded by outside influences.

Love sent your way, happy December.

Bloom freely,

It is so easy to get caught up in our crazy world, be influenced by stresses of others, and forget how we truly feel and what we actually think. Often times it’s challenging to find that hour in the day to dedicate to yourself. Personally, everything is meticulously planned - an hour a day is “hard to find.” I simply just don’t plan for it. So that is a goal I am making, a me hour. A time that isn’t an hour of distracting myself by immersing into the latest episode of Scandal, being glued to my computer screen, scrolling through my Instagram feed for the 20th time in the day, or even watching Youtube baking videos.

Eventually me hours can inspire me days. Today I’m celebrating myself. For some reason I’m always stressed about something. Taking one thing at a time, so as one thing is accomplished, the next arrives to be conquered. We all need to slow down. Something I’m working on myself. Today is a day for naps, planning, organizing, Netflix in bed, green tea, a trip to the salon, smelling the roses from my love, and packing for an adventure this weekend. All things that make me happy and excited to experience life again.

I don’t have me hours or me days often enough. But when I have those sparing moments, I begin noticing what I really want in the present. I want to meditate more, I want to practice yoga, I want to build a healthier lifestyle for myself. One that includes minimal stress, more rest, and a happy body. So today I’ve already accomplished plenty of goal-making.

Here’s to a happy Wednesday, happy goal making everybody.

Love always & bloom freely,