Shedding Baggage and Layering Confidence

Last week I attended a virtual yoga class and something incredible was said to me as we prepared to begin the session, Fall is a time for shedding things that no longer serve you. A time to discard baggage so you can bloom in the Spring. I realized in that moment I’ve been carrying a few emotional things for far too long and it was time to let them go. I believe the change of the seasons is a chance for us to develop and grow into higher versions of ourselves. Fall is when leaves drop and turn into warm golden tones. Fall is when the days shift to cooler and shorter. It’s a time to start moving indoors and harvest for the Winter. As I look to nature to draw inspiration I am reminded that Fall is also the time to evaluate what I need to clear out of my life to make room for growth in the future.

Turning Setbacks into Comebacks

Ever been knocked down hard and you didn’t even see it coming? Well, I have! Actually it happened at the beginning of this year and I’m not even referring to COVID-19. This year didn’t really start off the way I imagined, not that anything ever really turns out how we expect it to. For the past two years I’ve worked on building a life full of purpose. It’s been the wildest ride of my life. When you want to create a mission based life, it requires digging down pretty deep. The more I stepped into the person I wanted to be — the further away from a relationship I stepped. I started drawing boundaries and those boundaries were discarded by someone extremely close to me. It was hard. I never thought that would be the case, but there it was. I had to make a choice be true to the person God created me to be or conform to what someone else wanted me to be.

Transformation is an Inside Job

Transformation is an inside job. You can have, be or do anything in life. Often people think if I had a better home, or relationship or life I’d be a better person or at least a happier person... I know I did... But happiness can’t come from exterior circumstances. True joy is a process that starts from the inside. I learned this over the past three years of my life. Two years ago to this month I had my very first psychiatrist visit after a series of panic attacks that wouldn’t subside. I remember walking into that office and wanting answers to many questions I had about what I was feeling.

Cultivating Life Like a Garden

Last Spring I started gardening again. I attempted gardening a few years back on my patio and the result was a graveyard of 18 massacred plants including french lavender, aloe (two aloes) and many forms of cactus. I thought I sucked at gardening and vowed to not attempt again. Right after COVID-19 hit I ended up in a very transitional place. I stayed at a friend’s home and took care of their garden for a few months while they were out of state. COVID-19 changed my life plans just as I know it did for many of you. My friend’s home gave me the space to take my time and figure it out. After years of subscribing to Martha Stewart Living and pouring over articles about roses, gardens and how to tend to soil I started putting into practice what I learned. When I left there in July I had successfully made two climbing roses bloom that hadn’t in two years and another five bushes bloom. I grew morning glories and ivy from seeds, cultivated gladiolus, lilies and hibiscus. For someone who just a few years prior killed even aloe, this was a massive success. Then, it hit me… if I can make a garden bloom with consistent watering and consistent attention… I could make my life bloom, too.

Life Purpose, Style, Petite Style, Lifestyle, Inspiration, fashionCrystal LowyAugust 30, 2020Life Purpose, Life Lessons, Summer Style, Style 26, Yellow, Loafers, Tan, Leather, BowsComment

When Problems Become Overwhelming

Anxiety and Mental Health, Healthy, Inspiration, Life Purpose, Lifestyle, Petite Style, Self Care, StyleCrystal LowyJune 28, 2020Anxiety, Mental Health, Self Care, Style 29, FlowersComment