leave room for yourself

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your joys, your hopes, your dreams

those moments that make your heart flutter

the activities that set your soul free

leave room for yourself to 

enjoy

explore

learn

evolve

and grow

kiss your life 

daily

because

it is a good life

really

too often we lose ourselves

in our job

title

or family role

enjoy the many hats you wear

just remember to change into 

your favorite cap often

smile

laugh

giggle

do what you love

always 

always 

always

leave room for yourself.  

being the right partner

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Recently, I discovered Paul Newman's letter to his wife on their wedding day: “ Happiness in marriage is not something that just happens. A good marriage must be created. In the Art of Marriage, the little things are the big things. It is never being too old to hold hands. It is remembering to say ‘I love you’ at least once a day. It is never going to sleep angry. It is at no time taking the other for granted; the courtship should not end with the honeymoon; it should continue through all the years. It is having a mutual sense of values and common objectives. It is standing together facing the world. It is forming a circle of love that gathers in the whole family. It is doing things for each other, not in the attitude of duty or sacrifice, but in the spirit of joy. It is speaking words of appreciation and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways. It is not expecting the husband to wear a halo or the wife to have the wings of an angel. It is not looking for perfection in each other. It is cultivating flexibility, patience, understanding and a sense of humor. It is having the capacity to forgive and forget. It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow. It is finding room for things of the spirit. It is a common search for the good and the beautiful. It is establishing a relationship in which the independence is equal, dependence is mutual and obligation is reciprocal. It is not only marrying the right partner, it is being the right partner."

food, folks & fun...

Hey yall!  Still reveling in the joy of the holiday season... and gearing up for the new year! So excited!!! A tad disappointed that we are not riding around on hovercrafts like I thought we would be when I was a little girl... still excited nonetheless!


Today I was thinking about how sweet life is and how grateful I am... for love, joy, my family and friends.  I am also grateful for each one of you.  I cherish your visits, comments and support.  It makes my heart swell and feel a genuine connection to each one of you.  Thank you for cheering me on, laughing with me, crying with me and loving what I do in this corner of the world enough to keep coming back over and over again.  You know we're pretty much besties now, right? Right.  


I do hope your holiday has been full of merryjoylove, good times with the people you love and  delish eats.  The post below is an oldie but goodie that captured the essence of a perfect summer day... It makes me think of all the great things about the holidays.  Enjoy! And please check out a few of my favorite blogs...




Food, folks and fun... Remember that old school McDonald's jingle? 


As I was trying to summarize my feelings on the way home late last night, those four words came to mind.  Then I started singing a bunch of vintage Mickey D's tunes.  


Remember the MoonMan driving the car singing, "It's Mac toniiiiiiiiight!" 

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I briefly attempted to sing the song with all the McDonald's food items... "... a cheeseburger, a Happy Meal, tasty golden french fries... and to drink a Coca Cola, diet coke or orange drink..." Lyrically speaking, it was pretty much an epic fail.  Not to worry, lack of lyrics has yet to deter me so I proceeded to have the time of my life humming, singing and making up words.  I was working with a tough crowd though.  No one in the car was moved to join in the reverie.  The driver was giving me the side eye and the other passenger was fast asleep.  I proceeded with my concerto nonetheless...


Now where was I?  






Yes... the plot for the story of yesterday... Food, folks and fun. I decided to rearrange the order of the words.  Even though it doesn't sound as catchy, fun, folks and food would be more apt.  Yesterday was one of those days where all the ingredients meshed perfectly.  You know those sweet memories where everything about every moment is special?  That perfectly describes yesterday. 


An entire day of leisure, good times with friends and fam.  


So fun. So edifying.  So long overdue.  


Swimming til sun drunk, water concerts, noodle cars and bikes, girl talk, guy talk, good eats, carefree conversation, watching kids romp for hours, holding hands, inside jokes, kindred spirits, divine connections, and lots of laughter culminating with fabulous fireworks lighting up the sky.  


I hope your holiday was just as enjoyable and sweet.  




These are a few of my favorite blogs...


1.  Annie's Eats
First of all, Annie is cute as a button.  Literally.  She can throw down in the kitch as evidenced by her delish recipes.  I have tried many of them.  Our favvvvv is this brazilian shrimp soup.  My fam DEVOURS it.  I really appreciate the fact that all her recipes are *truly* all natural, homemade goodness with minimal ingredients that I can actually pronounce.  Her recipes run a balanced gamut from healthy to decadent.  I can get my veggies in and occasionally have a sweet treat.  Annie is also an excellent and detailed teacher.  I've always felt a connection to her... I don't know if it's because my mom's given name is Annie or what, but for me that connection has intensified since we both had a loved one pass away Thanksgiving week of this year...  Do yourself a favor and pop over to her site ASAP!  You'll love Annie and her eats!!! She has her best recipes up for the entire year and it is drool-worthy.  




2.  Meal Planning 101
Another good-eats blog.  I lurve the tag line for this blog: this ain't your boring ol' meat and potatoes kinda meal planning.  My fav thing about this blog:  ethnic food.  Fabbbb Indian food and crock pot friendly recipes that are savory.  Second fav thing about this blog:  weekly menus with a printable grocery list.  Yes, you just read that right.  Weekly menus with a printable grocery list.  With 46 weeks of meal plans, your days of  writing out a grocery list could potentially be over, ya know? Third fav things about this blog, which is really synonymous with my fav thing: Chicken Tikka Masala... my absolute favorite dish of ALL time.  




I hope you find some good eats for your belly!  I'm over here singing the Golden Girls theme about cha because I love ya!!! 




XOXO ♥ Sharita

Throwback Thursday: Remember when you were going to change the world?

Today I had the awesome pleasure of having lunch with a longtime friend who is truly a kindred spirit.  Although we hadn't seen each other face to face in several years, we share a deep connection that was forged and developed during a very special season in life.  This type of connection can never fade for it transcends all we know and converges at the very depths of who we are as individuals.  I was SO happy to see her again.  I was excited and I was expecting a time of truthful, inspiring and dynamic interaction...  cause that's how we roll.  She still looks EXACTLY the way I remember her...  lovely and radiant on the outside and within.  What I adore most about this meeting is our time of encouragement and fellowship.  We discover that our journeys are parallel in a variety of ways and really, this is no surprise.  We have been through the fire... gone to hell and back and here we are... still standing with a steady and deep resolve to live a life overflowing with joy, hope and authentic purpose. Deep calls unto deep as memories, declarations and reminders of sacred callings, hopes and dreams flood the surface.  Time feels suspended as I remember when... 
May you too be reminded of the hopes, callings and dreams of long ago for today is the due date of yesteryear.  

What's "Above the Fray" Anyway?

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Above the Fray is a lifestyle, an attitude, a state of mind.  It is the decision to live life on a higher plain where I am learning how to honor the truths within my heart and live every day with intention and joy. To live Above the Fray is not a one time decision.  It is a lifelong commitment...  a journey of sorts where the state of my heart, thoughts and feelings (the aspects of me that no one can see) are growing and evolving in dynamic ways.  While the individual lessons are always different, the core element of the lessons remains the same: rise above it all and soar towards the horizon of your destiny.  For me, right now, it's all about moving forward despite failures and setbacks, loving others, letting go when necessary, holding onto hope, having a grateful heart and counting my blessings, not judging (myself or others), trusting the process and living one moment at a time.  In a nutshell, it's about celebrating life each day because every lesson, failure, opportunity or setback is just another stroke of the brush that is crafting this life into a beautiful and brilliant masterpiece.  Am I a finished work of art today?  No, not yet, but one day...