I just have to use up what I have. I already paid for this. I deserve it, I’ve had a bad day. This food will comfort my soul. I only live once. I can’t live life without it… and the list goes on…
All the beautifully packaged and tied-with-a-bow excuses we allow our minds to use as a playground.
I had every excuse in the book to justify why I guzzled booze on the daily, and abused my body with toxic crap. I was “justified” or so I thought.
I fed my fear with sugar, and my low self worth with whiskey. I believed in nothing, I had zero self esteem, and darkness covered me like a weighted blanket. I refused to speak about the elephant in the room, and I almost let the lies become the truth.
The power is inside you. Only you have control over what you will continue to tolerate, and what you will change for a better life. Why would we wait? Grace is new every morning.
To excuse, or not to excuse? That is the question.
I know waking up and seeking joy on purpose isn’t always easy. Obstacles are thrown at you all day. Meteor showers of other people’s crap will rain down upon you and make you question if your path is right or crooked.
You will never have control over others’ opinions, ideas, or thoughts… the solution is to create your own. Do what works best for you. Seek out blessings, harvest joy and happiness, and work to become your greatest self.
The world wants you to compete. It wants you to swim in waters of fear. It wants to slowly inflict hate, and it wants you to carry burdens that have already been lifted from you.
Today… find joy in the simple. Find one thing that makes you smile. Do one kind thing today for someone, and above all wake up and be present for yourself.
Drink more water. Put something good in your body, and give thanks for what it carries you through.
It’s a beautiful, abnormally warm morning here in the Northeast. My legs move as I ask them to, my heart beats fast, and my lungs gracefully take me around all the turns and hills of these roads and my life. It’s simple today.
Wake up and pour yourself a cup of gratefulness. Drink it down and go!
Need More Peace? Write Your Way to Christmas Calm. The Holidays can feel like you’re going non-stop. But the introvert in you is screaming… no, actually whispering politely, hoping to be heard.
Once a upon a time… this crazy girl from a little farm town had a dream. A dream of telling, sharing, and using her personal story to help others overcome their personal struggles and travel down a road to their own personal greatness.
She dreamed of using her words to describe and tell her tale of how alcohol nearly broke her, food addiction shamed her, and low self-worth almost crippled her into further darkness.
She found a love of running. She found joy. And she finally found a way to feel completely loved and open to endless possibilities.
As I type this my heart is full. The tears of happiness to see my blog name, and my Facebook support group that is filled with beautiful people come alive with my logo is unreal to me.
I am so grateful to my nephews, George Yurkovitch, and Jacob Scully. To George for putting my ideas to paper with his amazing artistic talent… and to Jacob for making it come to life with his graphic design talent.
This logo is deeply personal. It’s a beautiful reflection of how this girl crushed her demons, and ran through all the broken pieces to reach her destiny.
I am forever grateful for all of my friends and family who have supported my journey… dream your biggest dreams…don’t let this world tell you you can’t… and never forget: “YOU MUST RUN BEFORE YOU FLY.”
As the holidays draw closer with each passing day, most of us continue life as normal. We trim our trees, wrap gifts, bake cookies, and celebrate the true meaning of the season…
But what about those who are struggling? I want to talk about this because so many of us at this very moment are in a space of mental entrapment.
One of us on this very day wakes… and struggles with not taking a drink. One of us has lost a loved one, a pet, or is mourning someone who is still alive.
One of us is facing a job loss. A father is struggling to feed his family. A veteran is struggling to tie their own shoes.
A woman is closet eating in shame, and another is carefully applying makeup to hide the bruises.
Somewhere a child is feeling the brutal effects of a bully. The narcissist continues to gaslight, and still the world turns without a missed beat.
Feeling or creating joy through chaos and trial is tough. It’s a daily challenge to not let these things define us emotionally or physically. But all is not a lost cause…
Wake up and pray for someone even if you don’t know them.
Go visit a veteran. Smile, listen to their truths and tie their shoes if they need it.
Take a walk with a friend, and listen. Don’t assume, don’t judge, don’t react… just be the ears they are desperately trying to find.
Donate to your local women’s shelter. If they are there… believe me when I say… it took courage beyond measure to get there.
Send a card of encouragement to a friend, and cut the ties of those people, places, and things whose only agenda is derailing yours…
The greatest gift you can give yourself this year is the gift of helping someone.
Not everyone faces the same lot in life. I don’t know the reasons why… but I do know this. Kindness goes a long way. Small things add up to big things, and the sum of it all = greater human decency.
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Wishing you peace, comfort and joy this holiday season from Run Before You Fly.
The Gray Area… is the place between black and white. It’s the place where truths are discovered, hurts are healed, tears are wiped, and love wins.
It’s the place that tore me apart, made me whole, begged me to stop and forced me to go.
It’s the place where hatred was laid to rest, forgiveness was born. Where the glistening of the pavement, and the sounds of my feet hitting it… set me free.
It’s the place where dreams are made, wishes come true, and miracles do exist.
Yes… I love color. I love all things beautiful and bright… but may we never forget the simplistic value of what we learn in between the black and white.
She took a trip deep inside her. She didn’t pack much for this day trip. She wasn’t staying long… her past asked her to sit, pull up a chair, and stay awhile.
She smiled softly with an all knowing that the overthinkers, the overwhelmers, the doubters, all the cunning games of her mind would soon enter the room for a visit too.
She allowed them all to sit and one by one she gave them an opportunity to pitch their deal of opportunity to her… if she chose to stay.
As she got up to leave they spoke quickly and desperately, asking why she was leaving so soon.
“I’m a transient guest today,” she answered.
“I respect what you have taught me. I acknowledge the things I cannot change, and I will never give up and allow you to hijack the contentedness that I cultivated from the cracks of light that you barely let in.”
My past is impermanent, my presence is joy, and my future is whatever I want it to be… and so is yours.
Know that the places we must visit from time to time are necessary. That sometimes to “become” we must “unbecome” first. That the dark places deep within us are often softer, and kinder than we think.
The greatest of your strengths are often built from the aftermath. Settle for nothing less than what brings you warmth, brilliance, and passion.
“Shut the door on your way out,” the past screamed… and with her eyes she spoke:
“Think twice about inviting me next time… good day.”
So you get up today and you say to yourself… ah S*#%, it’s just another Tuesday. You think about all the crap you did or didn’t do right yesterday. You punish yourself for the failed efforts of both personal and professional goals.
You let the television, the false promises of society, and the stigmas that have been branded into us for years take the lead role in your play of life.
I didn’t want to face reality. I didn’t want to stop guzzling whisky, I didn’t want to eat kale and superfoods. I wanted pity… I wanted comfort food, and I wanted to hide in my deep dark abyss of self loathing.
Get up… get dressed…. and get out of your own way. It’s not “just another Tuesday.”
Today can be the day of renewal, of starting over if you must, of making a list of crap you’re not tolerating and sticking to it.
Today is a day of uprooting all the nonsense, of reaching out for help, and finally putting you first.
Take special care today to forgive yourself. Know you are given grace each morning, and that small steps of determination will always win over large leaps of fear and uncertainty.
“Beautiful girl, you can do hard things.”
You’re damn right I can…#RUNBEFOREYOUFLY
#tuesdays #yesyouabsolutelycan
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So much of what of what I write about comes from the experiences, trials, and uneasy places I have visited within myself since I was a little girl.
We are constantly being told be grateful, be thankful, count your blessings etc.
But what if you feel that life makes it impossible to do so?
I can promise you that life will always bring trials and experiences of unfathomable circumstances. I know in my own self-discovery that many painful days where I begged for answers of clarity… have always ended with “Be still… have faith… and find a way to seek thankfulness… even still.”
Blessings come in all forms. And even in the times where we think they are not present… seek to find something exhibited in your day… guiding you to simplicity and contentment.
As we enter this Thanksgiving holiday, let us all remember that some of us will face challenges of unknown severity.
One of us will we be faced with difficult family dynamics. One of us will shake with anxiety of not picking up a drink.
One of us will feel alone, afraid or not worthy of receiving grace. One of us will have just awoke from years of self inflicted wounds. One of us will still feel the unbearable pain of the absence of a loved one who is gone.
Be kind to yourself, and allow for adjustments. Search for the thankfulness in simply showing up for yourself… with a willingness to try, and to want better.
Blue skies are a gift to be thankful for. A warm smile is a gift to be thankful for. A text saying “I’m here for you…” is a reason to be thankful.
Transformation is a continuous remodeling of the self.
For me to continue to gain self love, and move with an energized spirit… I know the work is never done.
The open road this morning makes me feel alive. It’s a space where all the cares, ideas, and negativity dripped on me from the day before can be pounded away with each release of my foot.
How good does it feel… when we can move with fluidity… all the while showing toxic people, damaging thoughts, and dream squashers that our joy, our drive and belief in the goodness of others and ourselves will continue to triumph?
It feels damn good…
Continue to transform today. Get up and get after it. There’s work to be done!
