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Filling Up Your Self-love Tank

How are you filling up your self-love tank?

Taking a month off from writing my blog was about self-love through inaction. But how can you actively fill up your self-love tank?

The last month has been a time of reflection, healing, and slow integration into my local community. So it was a perfect time to focus on self-care.

Since February is referred to as the month of love, I wanted to start this blog with how I spent my afternoon on Valentine’s Day.

First, I visited the Coast to Coast Impressionism Exhibit in the Blowing Rock Art and History Museum. For at least a year, I’ve wanted to see it. What do you think stopped me? Conversely, why do you think I went on a holiday about love? How did you spend Valentine’s Day?

HOW I FELT DURING MY VISIT

I felt connected to the locations as I slowly wandered through this exhibit. The western scenes brought me back to my years in Colorado, including the many weekend trips to visit my parents, who had moved to La Garita, Colorado, from Polk County, Florida.

The eastern scenes are closely related to my current area in North Carolina. And the still life paintings transported me to fond memories of painting in oils during my thirties in West Orange County, Florida.

My heart expanded throughout my wanderings, including the history exhibit and photography winners on the second floor. There wasn’t a bit of sadness. Instead, I felt gratitude and appreciation for my decision to feed my soul. I thought, “This is one way of filling up your self-love tank.”

Looking at all the beautiful art made me thirsty and hungry. Since it was a little after 4 pm on Valentine’s Day, my options were limited. I had noticed a neon ‘OPEN’ sign at Six Pence Pub just as I turned the corner off Main Street toward my favorite parking area. The thought of authentically British Fish and Chips had been on my mind for weeks.

The staff was attentive and helpful before their busy time ahead. My Guinness Black and Tan was fantastic, and the array of Royal Doulton Toby mugs before me kept me busy trying to identify them. Of course, I recognized Churchill but had no idea it was explicitly the #9 Churchill Bulldog jug of the year for 1992.

But it was King Henry VIII and his six wives that required opening up a Google search. I only missed two.

Which Toby Mug caught your attention first?

WHAT ELSE STANDS OUT IN FEBRUARY?

I’m the queen of self-discovery through online personality tests. Besides being entertaining, the results explain why I like them so much! I digress.

When I took Strengths Finder 2.0 in 2009, I discovered my strengths: Learner, Harmony, Input, Connectedness, and Relator.

  • Yes, I love learning new things, including reading all the texts in the museum. (Learner)
  • Looking at the Toby mugs lined up before me, I smiled. (Harmony)
  • Researching facts about the Toby mugs makes my day! (Input)
  •  Please let me know your thoughts on this blog in the comments or signup for my newsletter. (Connectedness)
  • Socializing is important to me, even if social media is currently my primary method. Follow me, and I’ll follow you! (Relator)

Therefore, it’s not surprising that I signed up for three online courses last month. The first one I’m delving into is The Complete Guide to Smartphone Photography. Once before, I signed up for a similar approach that was deeply into social media sharing. However, I quit within a few weeks. Why? Because I kept comparing my results to the other 10,000 people in the course!

Using Portrait and Noir

One of the assignments involved using each of the possibilities of my iPhone native camera application. I found the Noir filter while using the Portrait mode. Do you ever use filters on your Smartphone?

I can’t end with a colorless photo. Spring bulbs are blooming everywhere in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Sunny daffodils catch my attention as I drive on familiar roads. Their cheerfulness is welcome after a dreary, wet winter. And almost no snow at my elevation.

But the Iris reticulata I planted last fall have popped up, releasing their cheerful colors. Although they are small and not so easy to spot, I imagine the bulbs multiplying over the next few years to offer a field of blue and purple on the hillside beside my driveway.

How are you filling up your self-love tank? I’d love to hear about it in the comments.

With love and compassion,
Dawn

Intention Lays the Groundwork

When working on my 2023 Vision Board, intention lays the groundwork. Do you find it challenging to create a Vision Board? I have. Although I have attempted to make a vision board three times, I completed my first this week.

A Definition Might Help

A Vision Board is a collage of images and words representing a person’s wishes or goals used to inspire or motivate.

You might have noticed the absence of the word intention from the definition. That’s because most people see a vision board as a manifestation tool filled with the things they want to have.

For instance, this year, you might want to manifest a Maserati MC20. Then you might download this photo of your desire and place it on your board. I’ve seen many vision boards with similar objects. But this particular photo from Maserati is unique. Putting the sports car in the clouds makes it look like the butterfly doors are wings. The creator is appealing to the feeling of flying. That’s priceless advertising. But is it useful on a vision board? Yes and no. Such a specific physical thing might not work in your favor.

You might even say you intend to feel carefree while driving down an empty highway. This concept differs from stating, “I want a Maserati MC20 this year.” It leaves more wiggle room.

Taking a Different Viewpoint

Using intention lays the groundwork; how about a picture of being in the clouds to evoke your sense of freedom? Or a photo of a winding road that disappears into the distance.

What do you feel as you drive down this curving road?

I have my left gloved hand solidly holding the steering wheel, my right hand effortlessly shifting up and down, my left foot syncing the clutch, and my right foot moving from the accelerator to the brake pedal as the torque of each curve sways my body like an extension of the engineered angle of the roadbed.

Why is this so vivid for me? I confess. When I was a freshman in college, my father bought me a Datsun 2000 sportscar. I enjoyed the hell out of that car, taking the winding roads from home to school and back. Being seventeen with five forward gears at your command is a special thrill.

Do I Want a Sportscar this Year?

No, thank you. Been there, done that.

What Do I Want?

I am focusing on building my community in my newish location, unfolding how I will improve the world through creative self-discovery, and allowing my body to heal.

That sounds like a lot. But anything is possible when you co-create with God, the Universe, Spirit, or whatever describes the higher power you connect with.

Creating Your Vision Board

As you read at the beginning, I am not an expert at creating vision boards. But I have found someone who has finally given me the tools to create a successful vision board – Colette Baron-Reid. As with most of life, pay attention when something or someone drops into your life unexpectedly. It might be just the path you were meant to walk down.

The Heavens Support This

The New Moon in Aquarius has begun. The exact time is January 21st at 3:55 pm ET (USA). That’s January 22nd at 7:53 am in Australia.

And three retrograding plants will soon be direct, Mercury (communication), Mars (action), and Uranus (awakening). Coupled with Chiron (the Wounded Healer) in Aires, there is an exciting potential for breakthroughs, movement, and real progress.

It’s a perfect astrological setup to launch a vision board to honor and utilize your unique talents for the greater good. But even without a vision board, you can make a difference in your life and the world with your loving intention.

With love and compassion,
Dawn

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Look Back or Gaze Forward

Is it better to look back or gaze forward? Which path will bring you to the pinnacle of your life purpose?

Look Back with Wisdom

In my life, I looked back with self-judgment and loathing, never understanding the concept of:

  • Taking a bird’s eye view
  • Determining the errors
  • Understanding the why
  • Imagining alternative behaviors
  • Embracing love and compassion

This simple plan of reviewing with acceptance is the essence of learning from our past choices.

Here is an example from my life.

  • My marriage ended in divorce.
  • The relationship was based on looking for a self-love substitute.
  • Why did I engage in self-destructive behavior?
  • If I knew then what I know now.
  • My choices were necessary for me.

Of course, this is a significant life event. Yet the simplicity of this process breaks it down into digestible bites, releasing the nutrients within.

When I understood the complexity and depth of my suffering, it was much easier to give myself a break. So it’s easier to give others a break, which results in a kinder existence for everyone.

What was the timeline for this example?

a more direct pathThe marriage lasted twenty-three years. Since I didn’t engage in looking back with wisdom, I repeated my behaviors over another twenty-four years. Over the last year, several aha moments resulted in true love and compassion for myself. That’s a total of forty-eight years.

My hope for you is a more direct path toward self-understanding.

Yet, I’ve smiled through it all. The difference today is my smile is filled with joy rather than merely a lifelong coping mechanism.

Gaze Forward with Hope

Before, I used lists and control to examine the past year.

In contrast, my previous twelve months were spent feeling rather than analyzing, which resulted in a culmination of healing that needs no examination. Furthermore, the lists for the coming year also come from feelings.

First, I made a short list of when I feel joy; being in nature, creating, learning, and sharing.

Second, I allowed ideas to flow. These became the core of my New Year plan.

  • I love my body with exercise and nutritious foods
  • Write from my heart
  • Take a chance on painting again
  • Explore my local community
  • Contemplate a physical gift for the world

Third, the first action steps emerged.

The Best Part is

Rather than a list of must-do projects, I have broad ideas that can morph into festive activities by checking in through a daily morning meditative practice.

It’s not about whether it is better to look back or gaze forward. Instead, it’s about exploring within to find your joyful uniqueness. This is the basis for a happy life.

With love and compassion,
Dawn