is it ever too late to apologize?

"Apologize for mistakes. Apologize for unintentionally hurting someone -- profusely. But don't apologize for being who you are." -Danielle LaPorte

I am smitten by this quote.  I find it equal parts encouraging and validating with whipped cream and a cherry of truth on top.  It is the bomb. 

Apologize.  Sincerely.  Profusely.  Somehow, the word apology and all that it encompasses and entails has become watered down.  These days apologies come bound with a back hand slap and a hardcore responsibility shrug thrown in for good measure.  What if we really took the initiative to own our stuff?  To say, this is mine.  I own it and if I did it wrong, I apologize and I will do my doggone best to make it right.  When a necessary or overdue apology lingers, it inhibits real relationship, connectivity, love and growth.  These things simply cannot flourish unless forgiveness abounds.  

You see, a sincere and humble apology can begin the healing process. For a severed relationship.  For those who were affected.  For you.  

Sometimes our actions (that later warrant an apology) may be unintentional.  Other times, they may be maliciously intentional. Apologize either way because if it's your dung, you need to claim it before it gets super stinky or rapidly dispersed by the fan.  

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"Don't apologize for being who you are."  I'm loving that right now.  I'm living that right now and the wisdom of Dr. Seuss reminds me: the people who matter don't mind and the people who mind don't matter.  So profound.  So simple.  So true.  I gotta be me and you gotta be you.   Let's remember to ask forgiveness when we need to.  That is all.  xo

new years rulin's

Have you made any New Year's Resolutions?  If so, are ya keepin em?  I came across Woody Guthrie's "new year's rulin's" from 1943.  Click here to check 'em out.  His list makes me swoon over living a simple life.  Speaking of which, it is the end of the first week of the new year, and as I look at our family calendar, almost every night of the week is filled.  That ain't good so... something's gotta give!  This over-scheduling trend seems to happen to me at the start of every year.  Lots of good opportunities, connections, events and activities... all really good things in and of themselves, btdub, but a girl (or guy!) can't do it all, ya know. (note to self)...


So in the midst of revisiting commitments and obligations,  pondering and working towards goals for the year, getting used to the new normal that is life without Josh, getting back on a normal/post-holiday routine and letting go of the old and embracing the new, I am savoring the sweetness of everyday life.  Practicing intention and awareness.  Daily.  Not always getting it right, but continually learning as I go along and refusing to call it quits.  Being grateful everyday. Reminding myself that it is worth it and then choosing to walk in that reality.  I have been challenged and inspired by this quote:

"...give thanks for the life you already have, to find the life you've always wanted."                                                                                                                                               

                                                               -Ann Voskamp

A friend shared Ann Voskamp with me via Facebook and I am so glad she did!   Click here to visit Ann V's website. Each time I visit her site, I am challenged, uplifted and inspired.  I hope you find inspiration too.  FYI if the music on the website drives you nuts, you can turn it off just below the menu tabs near the  top of the page.  I enjoy the music for about 15 seconds and then I have to turn it off to concentrate on what I'm reading... but maybe it's just me.  I downloaded her app called "1000 Gifts" ... it is a really neat way to capture, chronicle and express gratitude for those special moments that pop into each day.  

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HAPPY NEW YEAR, DARLINS!!!!! 

XOXO ♥ Sharita

4 rooms

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"There is an Indian proverb or axiom that says that everyone is a house with four rooms: a physical, a mental, an emotional and a spiritual. Most of us tend to live in one room most of the time, but unless we go into every room every day, even if only to keep it aired, we are not a complete person.”  -Rumer Godden

Isn't that a lovely quote?  I fell for it just as soon as I read it.  To me, it encapsulates all that makes us uniquely human beings.  I have yet to see a tree ponder the absurd heat that we are experiencing weather, taxes, fitness goals or the right to bear arms.  Trees don't seem to worry about going bald each Fall, the circumference of their trunk, old age or the new Maple next door.  No we are the only ones created to encompass aspects of the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.  In our soul resides the simple and the complex.  (Mostly the simple... because I think we tend to make things too complex at times, but that's another blog post...)  We are part of the Divine paradigm, which (if you will open your heart to it) is really such a beautiful thing.  

Rumer Godden reminds me how important it is to live a balanced life full of simplicity, love, enjoyment, discipline and moderation.  It is so easy to become preoccupied obsessed with managing one aspect of life.  Whether it's extreme workouts and compulsive calorie counting, searching for self esteem through the pursuit of knowledge, acting and reacting like a fool about everything anybody says or does, or operating like a zealot with a list of rules for yourself and others, I have found that attempting to manage (READ: control) one aspect of life is not the way we're supposed to live.  Balance, which is found through maturity and discipline, is key.  In regards to the examples above, balance may mean that exercise and healthy choices are important, yet I can eat cake once in awhile.  It may also mean that I quench my thirst for knowledge without attaching self worth to the pursuit or that I respond rather than react and mind my business (not so much God's or anyone else's...).  

I believe God takes us on an an individual journey towards Balance to give us a glimpse of Paradise.  The route, experience and the expedition itself are designed for us to fully live in the encounters of every day while we nurture our souls and tend to the rooms of our heart.  We are designed to be whole because a fragmented life will not suffice.  You know it and so do I.  So today let's clean house or at very least open the windows to let in some fresh air.  

One of my favorite quotes

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." -Marianne Williamson

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