Hi JBD’ers. Part of me felt I should make more time to further expand this blog post, but the deeper part within me, the inner voice, said just type it out. Feel it, write it, publish it. It’s what you are reading. An unedited stream of consciousness on the late evening of a total lunar eclipse.

At a significantly young age, I knew I wasn’t part of a crowd. I consistently had visions of the future, I somehow innately knew there was beautiful truth in a statement I had heard my Dad mention time and again: “When the student is ready the teacher will appear.”  While there are many examples to share, the past 12 months (and even, actually, 12 weeks) I’ve especially known this to be true. I’ve welcomed the teacher in and want to share a few lessons with you.

Forgiveness. It is connected to EVERYTHING. Almost a year ago, during a time when I was struggling to release lingering bits of sadness, anger and fear from a past relationship, I walked into my first acupuncture appointment. The wonderful acupuncturist is someone I still see on a regular basis, and a poem she shared with me after one of our first sessions popped into my memory today. This simple mantra was one I said aloud each day, for 21 days, after receiving it from her. I remember standing alone on an Icelandic glacier, reciting the poem five times on the final, 21st day, feeling the release, letting it all go:

The spirit within me forgives the spirit within you (insert name of person you want to forgive). The spirit within (insert name of person you want to forgive) forgives the spirit within me. All is well between us now. We are both forgiven.

This brings me to Synchronized Guidance. I’ve learned that when I surrender to myself, to the universe, even to the loud crowds of people on the New York City subway, things just feel lighter. I wrote about going through a health scare, recently, on this blog. The entire experience brought me back to the present moment, like wow. It inspired a desire for change, mostly subtle, but all significant. I had been traveling so much for my day job, I was not fully tuned into my well-being. The shake up brought me right back to what is important. I am grateful for it because it woke me up. It lead me back to a daily practice of yoga and meditation. Whatever it is for you, surrender and embrace. When you do, you’ll feel the synchronicity of life circle you.

Just how you choose to move about your day directly echoes your Inner Voice. Listen to that voice. I have a hunch it’s one of kindness. It’s one of compassion. It’s one that is a big believer in “letting it go.”  It believes in YOU.

Image Credit: Jenny Graham

Quote found via Bee Bosnak

Open your heart. Realign. Change. Be still. Be you.

Cheers to making the most of this October.

Image Credit: Jenny Graham

What have you read lately? Between New York City subways rides and all of my jet-setting travel, I breeze through a new book every week or so. The past two weeks I have read two stellar tomes. So good they must be shared with you!

What I Was Doing While You Were Breeding by Kristin Newman made me feel like I was right there with her, as she candidly recounts her global escapades, all of which are sly, sexy, hilarious, truthful, spirited and full of adventure. Time columnist Joel Stein said of the book: “If Mark Twain was a woman and he had actually done things in the countries he traveled to, he would have been a lot more pleasant. He also would have written this book instead of The Innocents Abroad. This book is so good that, of the many I have blurbed, this is the only one I read.”

Subliminal: How Your Unconscious Mind Rules Your Behavior by Leonard Mlodinow unravels the complexities of the subliminal mind by showing us an exploration of our evolutionary heritage. He explains, “If you really want to understand the social world, if you really want to understand yourself and others, and, beyond that, if you really want to overcome many of the obstacles that prevent you from living your fullest, richest life, you need to understand the influence of the subliminal world that is hidden within each of us.”

And, just for kicks and a peek, the image above is from an easy read…Loren Hope’s new Look Book. Enjoy.

The woman who follows the crowd will usually go no further than the crowd. The woman who walks alone is likely to find herself in places no one has been before.

Image via this link and quote via this link.

Image found here.