Freedom: It's Riley Friday!

At 14 1/2 months, Riley's focus in life is exploring. She wants to meet every new person, read (a few pages of) new books, check out the dirt, grass, trees, flowers...  she is in constant motion. A whirlwind of activity. She is learning about the world around her at break neck speed and seems to be a sponge, soaking up all that is fresh, new, different and exciting.

She resists confinement or constraints of any sort. She'll flit in for a hug for all of 15 nanoseconds, then she's off doing something else. At a recent family celebration, this photo of Riley was taken as she explored every nook and cranny of the courtyard where we were gathered. She was surrounded by cousins, aunts and uncles and people wanting to love on her but several times, she went darting across the way as if to say "Wheeeee! You can't catch me! Don't tell me what to do! I want to do my own thing, at my own pace, in my own way."

And you, dear reader, how often have you felt that way in your life time? In your work? With your commitments and responsibilities? Today?

"Wheeeee! You can't catch me! Don't tell me what to do! I want to do my own thing, at my own pace, in my own way."

And yet, how many times do you listen to that inner voice?

Do you agree and say "yes, let's break free from the mold/tradition/expectations for a change!"

OR do you allow convention/responsibility/shoulds to take over and instead squelch that inner voice that is crying out for a taste of freedom

Remember, you have the power to choose. Just follow in Riley's footsteps and see where it takes you.

Dr. Seuss: It's Riley Friday!

As you might imagine, with a toddler in the house, we are getting to know Dr. Seuss very well these days! His creative characters and topsy turvy tongue twisters are a delight to read for both Riley and her parents!

If you want to learn more about Dr. Seuss, visit Seusville! You'll smile the whole time you're on the site!

Here are some of our favorite Dr. Seuss-isms! :) #11, #16 and #21 are my personal favorites. What are yours?

[Via: 30 Dr. Seuss Quotes to Live By]

SPARKLE: It's Riley Friday!

Dear Great Aunt Dorothy,

Mommy is sad because you went to Heaven today but she's also been telling me stories about you and laughing a lot. I only met you once but I will grow up knowing your legacy. Here's what I know to be true about you...

- You were not a tired person. You were an INSPIRED one.

- You had a strong faith in and love for God.

- You were very, very funny and laughed all the time.

- You loved your family dearly.

- You had a beautiful soprano voice and shared your gift with the world freely.

- You had many, many friends and everyone who knew you loved you.

Mommy says that you SPARKLED. Just being in your presence, you had a joie de vivre, a twinkle in your eye, a zest for life. You were filled with light and you lit up a room simply with your presence. You were lively and vivacious and filled with delight at Life's gifts.

Those are all the things that I want to be when I grow up. I want to live inspired and love deeply and I want to SPARKLE, like you. Mommy says that it was your attitude that made you who you were. She said you had some hard times in life but you chose to overcome those adversities with grace and gratitude for the good and the abundance that you did have in your life.

Thank you, Great Aunt Dorothy, for being such a wonderful role model for how I want to live my life.

Love, Riley

PRESENCE: It's Riley Friday!

This week, Riley is reminding me of the importance of presence. She's been whiny and cranky (perhaps another new tooth?) again and only settles in when I give her my full attention.

My complete, undivided attention.

Like this photo to the left, when she was barely a month old.

When was the last time you gave someone the present of presence?

Really, truly BE-ing 100% committed to sharing that moment, experience or conversation?

Children have a way of demanding that with you. I'll be honest that sometimes I find it annoying. But it's when my agenda involves preparing dinner, answering a client phone call and cleaning up the dishes - all at the same time.

And she's hanging on to my leg saying "Mama! Me! Me! Me! I want you to be with Me! Nothing else matters right now! Just me! And You! And Us spending time together!" (yes, that's what I've interpreted her clingy pleading wails to mean)

And when I can detach myself from my "to do" list and my "shoulds" and "expectations" about what I think ought to be happening at that moment and turn my full attention to her, that is when the magic happens. She says new words. We read gobs of books. She finds a new toy to play with and her face lights up.

I invite you, dear reader, to consider with whom you'd like to create magic. Go give them (and yourself) the gift of presence, and prepare to be wowed!

REST: It's Riley Friday!

Babies are truth tellers. When they are happy, they wiggle, giggle and drool. When they are frustrated, they whine, throw things and make faces. It is very clear what a baby is thinking and feeling. You may not always know why (case in point, Riley's been whining for two days now and I've been so frustrated that I couldn't figure out why until just now I discovered a monster molar breaking through... sorry baby!) but they make their emotions known. It's Crystal Clear.

Same is true for a tired baby. Tired babies yawn, rub their eyes, stumble when walking and get cranky. Most parents I know respond as quickly as they can to a tired baby and let the baby sleep in a crib, carseat or sling. We don't force the child to stay awake or to play more or to push through their experience. As soon as the baby signals they are tired, they usually get put to bed. Then, when baby wakes up from their nap, they're ready to go!

Take time to rest when they are tired. What a novel concept!

And adults don't do this ... why?

Most grown ups I know are really, really tired. Entrepreneurs. Working Professionals. Caring for Children. Caring for Parents. Real Sandwich Generation Issues. Community Volunteers. Graduate Students. Home Owners. Pet Lovers. They are burning the candle at both ends and their idea of "rest" is zoning out to TV late at night or sitting on the bleachers watching their kid in a sporting event.

What are the benefits that come from pushing through the pain and ignoring the body's request for rest and renewal? Hmmm... let's see... inefficiency, lack of focus, disorganization... and oh yeah, poor health. Yay! Sign me up! <Not!>

You know the phrase Work Hard, Play Hard? I think we should amend it to Work Well, Play Well, Rest Well! Seriously! If we spent 1/3 of our lives working, 1/3 playing and 1/3 resting, the world would be a much happier place! It's one of the primary reasons that I lead retreats.

To teach people how to slow down. How to say no to external demands and how to say yes to their inner voice that is asking, begging, pleading for nurturing, love, acceptance and R-E-S-T.

Do you do this? If not, why not?

Tomorrow, I'll be teaming up with Geralyn Russell and Gay Webster-Sachs for a one day women's retreat, Adventures in Self Discovery.  If you can't join us but are still interested in learning how to take better care of yourself, perhaps take a peek at my new blog post over at Capital Regional Medical Center's Daily Waddle. It's a post that offers some self care questions for moms and moms-to-be but of course anyone can benefit from some self-care, self-love and self-acceptance, can't they?

Listen to the babies. They are oh so wise. They are in synch with their bodies and with the rhythm of life. We have much to learn from them. (Thank you, sweet Riley... I think I'll go take a nap now!)

Wishing you a weekend filled with rest, rest and more rest.