Friday Fire

I’ve been thinking a lot about energy this week. What gives and takes away my energy? How can I become attuned to energy dips more quickly before they spiral? You’ll probably notice that this week’s offerings are all connected to energy in some sense. May you find something here that lights you up as well. Here we go.

1. Earth meditation: If I’m honest, although I like Joe Dispenza’s work, I struggle with his meditations. And it’s purely superficial. His voice doesn’t resonate for me, and that’s key for me with guided meditations. But this week I took a chance on one of his meditations, which I thought was focused on self-healing but is really about connecting with Earth. I was shocked at how powerful I found this meditation. It’s the first time in a long time I’ve become emotional during a meditation, which for me is a sign that I’ve actually left my thinking mind. Word of caution: this is a longer meditation (25ish minutes).

2. Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen: Love him or hate him (and his views), my own take is that Jonathan Franzen is gifted at capturing the deeply buried longing for abandoned dreams, our fear of facing our darker emotions and the complexity of family enmeshment. I identify deeply with the humanness of his characters. I’m only half-way through this one, but I’m loving it so far.

3. This passage from Untethered Soul: I’ve written about Untethered Soul before, and I’ll probably write about it again. But when it comes to views to challenging misconceptions about energy, I find this passage the clearest and most succinct. Really sit with it and ask yourself how often you default to attributing your energy to external factors.

“What you’ll see, if you watch carefully, is that you have a phenomenal amount of energy inside of you. It doesn’t come from food and it doesn’t come from sleep. This energy is always available to you. At any moment you can draw upon it…The only reason you don’t feel this energy all the time is because you block it. You block it by closing your heart, by closing your mind, and by pulling yourself into a restrictive space inside.”

Michael Singer, Untethered Soul

4. Weekend hikes: That’s right, hikes, as in plural. This past weekend was abnormally warm (again), which still fuels my anxiety in ways I’m struggling to cope with. But it also afforded opportunities for adventures in the sun that felt rejuvenating. It’s a joy to hike in winter without wearing excessive layers, and without severe post-hike chills. We ventured into a popular trail where it proved challenging to capture the grandness of snow-clad mountain vistas without people in the way. Below is my best effort at a photo sans hikers. Standing in the (warm!) sun, half-donut in hand (excellent hike fuel, IMHO), taking in panoramic mountains with blue-sky backdrop was such a soul-fuelling experience. I followed it up with a less sunshine-y hike on Sunday that was no less joyous an experience. Fresh air, snow and mountains will always bring a smile to my face.

Ahhhhhhhh

May this weekend bring you energy of your own making, or at least challenge you to consider where you may be blocking your own energy with a closed heart or mind. Breathe deeply and find the courage to let go of whatever you’re seeking to protect. I’ll be right there in it with you. Happy weekend, y’all.

Friday Fire

Welcome to another Friday Fire, and it’s been a fiery week indeed. As in, it’s been very, very unseasonably warm. As nice as it is to have a 9 degree day in early February, the anxious part of me immediately goes to climate change and how this is something we probably shouldn’t celebrate. The non-anxious part of me tries to at least accept what is. It’s an internal battle, friends.

That said, much lit me up this week. Let’s get right to it.

1. Guests: We’ve had very few guests since settling into our little mountain town. I suppose a pandemic will do that. But this week, friends we hadn’t seen for over two years popped into town and stayed for a couple of days. What a delightful way to shake up a routine work week, and how nice it is to catch up on life in three dimensions instead of a laptop screen. Here’s hoping easing restrictions will mean more guests this Spring and Summer!

2. Daim cake: Our dear friends kindly brought us a Daim Cake from IKEA. I love guests who show up with dessert. They are my favorite kind of guests. I had never heard of Daim, and don’t recall ever seeing it at IKEA, although I also haven’t set foot in an IKEA in well over five years. It was a dream. Wafer-like layers, caramel, almond brittle, milk chocolate: how can one go wrong with that combination? The answer is that you cannot. If you live near an IKEA, pick up one of these bad boys.

3. More fresh air!: After lamenting my (self-created) lack of exposure to nature last week, I made up for it in spades this week. I had at least four walks and/or outdoor adventures, including a lengthy nature walk with our guests. I love seeing the mountains through visitor’s eyes, and found my energy and spirits much higher this week just by virtue of breathing in more fresh air. The moral of the story: nature really is restorative.

4. Donuts!: Our town has what I consider a severe lack of donuts. So far, I’ve seen one bakery with donuts, and they look sad. Some time last week, I decided to Google donuts in our neighboring mountain town and found all sorts of reviews and comments about a pop-up donut business called Frankie D’s Donuts. They don’t make donuts daily, so imagine the good fortune of finding their website one day prior to their next pre-order day. I decided to give it a go, and I’m glad I did. The chocolate donut has the best chocolate coating I’ve had on a donut, and the maple glazed donut wasn’t cloyingly sweet. And for a yeasted donut (full disclosure: I am usually team cake donut all the way), the texture of the donut itself was pretty damn good. They are pricey but they are made in small batches by locals and sometimes that comes with a higher price tag. Bonus points: tips are donated directly to the local SPCA. If I can help animals and eat donuts, I am a happy camper. I’m extra excited for the apple fritter, which we are saving for Saturday morning breakfast. Hallelujah for access to decent donuts, even if it’s only every once in a while!

With that, let’s ease into the weekend. I plan to soak in as much sunshine as I can, and to let go of the tension I’ve been carrying (or at least get to the real root of where it’s coming from). May you find time and space for whatever feels necessary to you right now. Happy weekend, y’all!

Friday Fire

Well, we’ve found ourselves at Friday once again. This week was full of ups and downs in my world. Sunday and Monday I was plagued with epic tiredness and what felt like the onset of a sore throat that never quite materialized. Was it COVID? Was it a cold? Was it nothing at all? I shall never know. I am simply grateful it only lasted two days and then my energy returned.

What lit me up this week? Well, the list has turned out very short, my friends. I spent precious little time outside breathing in the fresh, crisp air of winter and surrounding myself with nature, and I admit that it took its toll on my overall zest for life. But, speaking of zest, top of my list this week is my lemon cake (referenced last week) and you really do need to hear about it, so let’s waste no further time. Here’s what lit me up this week:

1. A monumentally successful lemon cake experiment: I have a lengthy history of grand baking visions that turn out…well, decidedly less grand. But my triple-layer lemon raspberry cake was truly epic. If you need a celebration cake for lemon lovers in your life, let me point you towards the following combination (and be prepared for a novel about a damn cake):

• This cake recipe with the following modifications: swap butter for shortening, reduce lemon extract to 1 teaspoon (but trust me, don’t eliminate it completely. No amount of lemon zest and juice is going to give you quite enough lemon flavor without messing with the texture), and reduce buttermilk by 1/3 of a cup and replace with freshly squeezed lemon juice. Lastly, bake in 3 9″ layers instead of 2. Bam.
• Standard lemon simple syrup recipe (I used this one): Brush each (cooled) cake layer generously with simple syrup. Don’t be shy. It’s essential both for lemon flavour and to keep the cake moist because you’ll be storing this cake in the fridge.
• One batch of lemon curd: I used an Anna Olson recipe that I can’t seem to find online but it yields about 1 1/4 cups of curd. I used this filling between the top two cake layers. I didn’t need a buttercream dam because the curd is very thick (but still spreadable).
• Raspberry buttercream: My bad, I didn’t measure at all when I made the raspberry puree/jam. I dumped frozen raspberries into a small pan and added a couple tablespoons of sugar, cooked it down, and strained out the seeds. I let it cool. I creamed 6 tbsp of salted butter with 1.5 cups of powdered sugar and added the cooled raspberry puree. It created the most vibrant, beet-coloured buttercream I’ve ever seen with an amazing tartness. I used this between the bottom two cake layers.
• Whipped cream & cream cheese “frosting”: I coated the outside of the cake in this sturdy whipped cream frosting. Don’t skip on the cream of tartar. It majorly helps this cream stay stable for days. I use less powdered sugar (more like half a cup) and more creamed cheese (1.5 bricks vs. 1) and then folded in the zest of one lemon, a couple tablespoons of lemon simple syrup and probably a quarter cup of lemon curd. I would call this ‘lemon scented’ whipped frosting. It’s light and heavenly. Coat your cake liberally and you won’t regret it. Store in the fridge. It lasts for days. You’re welcome.

2. Family moving closer: Last year, I lived 6.5 hours from my parents. In September, we closed that gap considerably and got down to about 1.5 hours. Now my parents have decided to move and we’re 20 minutes apart. I’ve seen them more in the last three weeks than the last five years. We can have family dinners on the regular. They can go to my favourite natural food stores on the first Tuesday of every month for the 10% discount so I don’t have to make a special trip on a specific day. It’s an all around win, friends. Now if I could just get my brother to remember how much better the western half of the country is than the eastern half…#goals.

3. Home-made Oreo candy cane bark: I swear I don’t just make and eat sweets. I mean, to be fair, I do eat a lot of sweets for a grown-ass woman, but it’s not all I do. Here’s how this came to be. I had a bag of ground up candy canes (i.e. candy cane dust) burning a hole on my pantry shelf. It needed to go. I also had a package of Oreos that felt like it’d been open forever (and yet, somehow and worryingly, was not at all stale). To top it off, we bought a 1kg bag of milk chocolate chips that is taking me an eternity to make my way through. The solution: bark loaded with chopped oreos and candy can dust. It took five minutes to make. What are you waiting for?

With that, my weekend is officially on. I, for one, am going to find myself some outdoor time and peace of mind this weekend. May you find whatever it is you’re looking for right now. Happy weekend, y’all.

Friday Fire

Welcome to yet another Friday Fire, and the final Friday of January. We are moving at warp speed towards longer and warmer days. I always find that stepping into February, although still winter, makes Spring feel infinitely closer simply by virtue of the change in month. This week’s post will be short and sweet, because we have family staying with us this weekend and I still have cleaning and cooking to do.

Here’s what lit me up this week:

1. Flash’s gotcha day anniversary: One year ago today we brought our little Flash into our home and hearts. He’s not so little (over 6 kilos) and not so young (they estimate 10), but he’s a bundle of love and joy in our lives. Other than his relentless desire to attack our other cat (which means one year later we are still living with baby gates separating them), he is a dream cat. He’s had a myriad of relatively minor health issues since we adopted him, yet he takes pills like a champ, tolerates frequent drives to the vet where they are often poking around at his butt and, most importantly, allows me to pick him up pretty much whenever I want to (which is often). We love him so much.

I mean, look at that face and those whiskers!

2. Patient Baking: I am what I consider a frantic baker. I move at warp speed even when I don’t need to. As a result, I lack patience for most multi-phased baking endeavours. If I have to make different components over a series of days, I usually cross that recipe off my list. But this weekend we’re celebrating Flash’s Gotcha Day, a belated birthday celebration and a moving day celebration, so I had to pull out all the stops. I spent three days making a three-layer lemon raspberry cake that necessitated a lengthy list of homemade components: lemon sponge, lemon simple syrup, lemon curd, raspberry jam to be used in raspberry buttercream, and a lemon whipped cream cheese frosting. The cake is now complete and is currently setting in my fridge. While I can’t say if it is delicious yet (I’ll report back next week), I can say that it’s the first time I’ve taken my sweet time making and assembling a cake, and I actually enjoyed it.

3. Sunshine cresting the mountain behind our house in the afternoons: Phew, that was a mouthful. Our complex backs onto a (very small) mountain, and in the winter the sun never quite rises above that mountain as it makes its way west. On even the sunniest days, we get zero direct sunlight. This week, as our days slooooooowly get longer, I noticed sun patches appearing on our floors (correction: Flash actually discovered them first and rapidly claimed them as sleeping spots). It’s ever so brief, maybe a half hour in total, but nevertheless I say hallelujah! Spring is coming, friends. It truly is.

4. Crockpot vegetable stew: Winter is the season for stews and slow cooker meals, but since I stopped eating meat I’ve struggled with both stews and slow cooker meals. Until this week. I cobbled together a bunch of recipes and made a fairly decent and hearty vegetable stew. The secret: tamari and red wine vinegar. A little of both give the depth normally associated with chicken or beef broths without harming any of our animal friends. Plus, it’s just a joy to walk away from your dinner at 9am and not look at it again until dinner time. Slow cookers are a dream.

That’s all for this week, friends. May your weekend be full of a little bit of extra light, and as many pockets of joy and ease as your heart desires. Catch you all next week.

Friday Fire

Do you ever have one of those weeks when you feel like you are your own worst enemy? That’s the kind of week I’ve had. I have blocked my own energy quite nicely, leaving me feeling tired and less-than-optimistic. I’ve been able to see it clearly, and occasionally lift myself out of it, and then in other moments I’ve just allowed myself to stew in it. What a delight. Nonetheless, I’ve found pockets of lightness and joy. Here’s what lit me up this week:

1. Increasing strength: I’ve had little interest in venturing outside this past week, so I’ve been focused on at-home workouts and increasing my weight and reps for various exercises. It’s been a delight to experience a sharp increase in strength, to feel as though I am finally reclaiming the physical power that I let (sharply) fall off some time around last Spring. For me, gaining physical strength is a reminder of my overall strength and the human capacity to be more. For any of you who have plateaued or let your investment in strength slide, may this be a nudge to push yourself ever-so-gently in a way that feels right for you.

2. Reading: I’ve been powering through books at lightening speed (for me at least). The one-click purchase of digital downloads is a game charger. It’s not good for my pocket book, but at least my heart and soul are benefiting. Since my Kindle arrived, I’ve read three books and am half-way through another two. That may not sound like a lot, but I’m fairly confident that it’s more books than I read in the entirety of 2021. For those interested, I am currently reading Hanya Yanagihara’s To Paradise–I am about 120 pages in and I am loving it so far. I also recommend one of her other novels, A Little Life, although I will warn you it is, in parts, intensely uncomfortable and emotionally heavy.

3. Yellowjackets: I won’t even pretend that I have unique taste in streaming choices. I basically check out whatever is trending/whatever people are talking about. I almost dismissed Yellowjackets because someone described it as like “I Know What You Did Last Summer”, which I don’t really remember in any detail except thinking it was a terrible movie. Still, we were desperate for a new show so we binged this in mere days. Partly, we burned through it so fast because my streaming subscription was close to expiry, but mostly it was because we (mistakenly) thought it was a limited series that would be resolved fully by the end. While we didn’t get resolution at the end of the season, we ended up loving it. I will say I had to cover my eyes for extended periods, as I absolutely cannot tolerate blood, gore, or excessive violence. I also had a nightmare about the show, which I couldn’t remember after waking other than knowing it was supremely disturbing. So I guess watch at your own risk if you’re sensitive to such things. Clearly it’s not good for me to watch either, but I still eagerly await Season 2. We can’t always make the healthiest of choices, right?

4. Return of date night: We took a break from date nights in December, partly because Omicron was sweeping through town and we didn’t want to risk being sick over Christmas, and partly because we have so much food in the house over the holidays we tend not to go out much anyway. Last Saturday we had our first date night out in at least a month, if not slightly longer. What a joy it was to be out amongst the living, in real clothes with washed hair, sharing plates of deliciousness and sipping on one too many cocktails (which for me these days means two cocktails). Though I regretted the second cocktail immensely after the fact, in the moment it was a wonderful evening and a reminder to carve out dedicated time and space with those who matter in your life.

With that, let us step into a fresh week and a weekend that (hopefully) creates space for rest and rejuvenation. May you find light and ease in whatever you choose to do, and may you be your own friend instead of enemy. That is certainly my goal for this weekend. Happy weekend, y’all.

Friday Fire

Hello and welcome to this week’s Friday Fire. Who else feels like they are still shaking themselves awake in this not-so-new year? Is it just me? However you find yourself this very moment, at this mid-point in January, let’s all just take a deep and grounding breath.

This week, I found myself cursing the warmer temps for melting the delightfully grippy snow and leaving heaping mounds of soft and slippery slushy snow in its wake. I spent too much energy wanting things to be other than they are, and finding myself tired and irritable as a result. Acceptance of what is continues to be an area of focus for me, and there is nothing like weather patterns to remind me to keep at it. Life is too short to drain our own energy over snow conditions, isn’t it?

In terms of what lit me up, I have a sweetly eclectic mix this week, from the light to the not-so-light. Find what resonates for you, leave what doesn’t.

1. Giant chocolate cookies: Each Christmas, I find myself with a hefty number of leftover peppermint candies, and no desire to actually eat them on their own. But baked into gargantuan chocolate cookies, that’s an entirely different matter, isn’t it? This week, I baked up a half-batch of this recipe, creating five absolutely beastly chocolate cookies stuffed with chunks of Andes Peppermint Crunch, Hershey’s Candy Cane Kisses, and standard chocolate chips. These cookies are not for the faint of heart, but they are for chocolate mint lovers with a high tolerance for sugar. Enjoy at your own risk, but rest assured that they freeze incredibly well so you don’t have to eat them all right away. (Also, resist the urge to overbake these, as they really are divine when just set).

2. Belated mini Christmas celebration: My partner’s boss came down with COVID over the holidays, so we ended up cancelling my parents’ planned visit for the New Years’ weekend. I was a bit bummed as we had the best little stocking for them, and were looking forward to a bonus festive weekend. But, fate wanted us to see each other. I’ll spare the long story as to why, but they needed to drop some stuff off for us this past weekend. Despite only having an hour to visit (while donning masks inside, just to be extra safe because yet another of my partner’s coworkers had come down with COVID) we managed to turn on the tree (yes, it’s still up), and open stockings. I was gifted much delectable chocolate (see below), and we got to see my parents open their gifts, which is always more fun than going it alone. It was a short yet lovely visit and the perfect way to wrap up the holiday season.

3. Chocaramellows: As noted above, my stocking was flush with all sorts of chocolate treats, which truly is my favourite kind of stocking. One such treat was a giant sleeve of Chocaramellows. It’s not the easiest to roll off the tongue, but are they ever delicious! They are perfect little pucks of marshmallow topped with a thick layer of caramel and then coated in a thin shell of milk chocolate. They are two-bite wonders, and you need to order them immediately. At first, I thought the package size was excessive (I think there were 14 or so in the sleeve), but as I’ve been burning through them at top speed I realize the package size is, in fact, perfect.

4. Cloud Cuckoo Land: I broke down and bought an e-reader over the holidays when I could no longer stomach the thought of the trees I was killing with conventional books. To be fair, I’m sure the production of e-readers is equally, if not more, environmentally harmful. I’m not sure there’s a great approach in the end. Regardless, it’s brought back my love of reading. My first purchase was the new(ish) Anthony Doerr novel, “Cloud Cuckoo Land”. Don’t let the title throw you off, this is such an engrossing storyline, full of characters who will spark strong reactions and prose that creates powerful imagery. The way the story was pieced together reminded me of one of my other favourite authors (David Mitchell). It was the kind of book that you don’t want to finish reading because you know you’ll be sad it’s over (and I was). If you were a fan of “All The Light We Cannot See”, or any novel that spans eras and connects multiple characters and storylines, this book might be a great new addition to your library (whether digital or otherwise).

That’s all for this week, friends. May your weekend bring you a delightful assortment of things to light you up, and the patience and grace to accept that which doesn’t. Happy weekend, y’all.

Friday Fire

Welcome to the first Friday Fire of 2022! My hope is that you are all easing into 2022 with grace and renewed energy, and 100% free from the pressure to set wildly ambitious goals for yourself just because the calendar turned to a new year. If you want to set a wildly ambitious goal, may it be because it truly fires you up.

I’m coming off a multi-week hiatus where I did my best to relax (not always successful), tried to bask in holiday lights and magic (also not always successful) and generally tried to stay warm amidst a deep freeze and an uncooperative furnace (repaired now, thankfully). Since we last regrouped, here are some of the things that lit me up.

1. Paws for Hope: For any pet lovers out there, and only if you have the means, my hope is that you will consider donating to this organization. They provide emergency and veterinary care for pets whose owners lack the resources to cover costs, and in doing so help keep pet owners from having to make the heartbreaking decision to surrender their pets. As a proud cat mom of two, I cannot imagine having to deny my pet critical care or having to let go of my pet. Their donations dropped 40% last year, and that means they are able to support fewer pets and owners. If you’d like to donate, you can visit the main site linked above, or with this direct link.

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2. The Fudgery Reopening: I know, from saving animals to…chocolate. But in my world, the reopening of my beloved local fudge and chocolate shop (juuuuust prior to Christmas and after a far-too-lengthy renovation) is a definite high note. Santa was able to sneak some of my favorites into my stocking and I just feel more at ease knowing I can get my hands on a milk chocolate snail any damn time I please.

3. The best Christmas gift: Did you ever get a gift that you really, really wanted but weren’t sure you would actually get? I’m not sure I’ve had that experience since I was a kid, but this year changed that. I had been eyeing (read: obsessively begging for) polar bear photos from a local photographer for months leading up to Christmas. I wasn’t sure if my partner would end up buying one because there were so many polar bear photos to choose from and I worried he might worry about picking the “wrong one”. To be fair, he did worry about picking the wrong one, but he picked one anyway and it’s absolutely perfect, so much so that the second I unwrapped it I (unexpectedly) burst into tears! It’s a momma bear with her two little cubs snuggled up to her and it absolutely melts my heart. It is now in my direct line of sight in my office and it makes me so happy every time I look at it. The moral of the story: if you know that a gift will make someone’s day, just get it for them. You will not regret it.

That’s all for this week. May your weekend be full of whatever you most want to experience.

Holiday Fire

Well, we have somehow arrived at the final Friday Fire of 2021. With Christmas and NYE falling on the next two Fridays, it feels like the right time to wrap up this year with a special Holiday Fire. And today is a bit different, because we’re going to acknowledge that the holidays are not magical for everyone.

This time of year there is so much pressure to be joyful and jolly, to give and show gratitude, to visit with friends and family, to curate the perfect holiday home, or to bake and cook the most delicious of holiday delicacies. Is it any wonder so many of us feel frenzied and tired? Is it any wonder that so many of us who may not have the urge to do these things at all, whether it’s because they don’t celebrate Christmas or they aren’t feeling it this year, might feel ashamed, excluded or even lonelier?

No matter where you may be on the holiday spirit spectrum, you may need to hear that there is nothing wrong with you. Give yourself permission to feel what you feel, and show up during this season in a way that meets your needs. In short, do you and trust that it’s enough.

In recognition of the vast range of experiences this time of year, I am choosing to share a list of things that I find energizing regardless of season and whether I’m joyful or not. May you find something here that brings you greater peace, joy or energy even if only for a brief period of time.

1. Dance party for one: I’ve written about this before and I will probably write about it again. If you want an instant energy boost, get up and dance, preferably alone so you can embrace how silly you might look. This works particularly well if you love music. If this isn’t your jam, see below.

2. Giving or asking: For those of you who have lots to give, the act of giving through time or financial resources can be such an energizer. I have a tendency this time of year to seek out animal rescue organizations because that’s my jam, but find whatever avenues are meaningful for you and consider small ways to give. Not all of us are in a position to give with time or resources, and to you I offer asking for support, help, time or financial resources. We can hold a lot of shame and guilt around asking for help, and yet our fear of the reaction is often far worse than reality, and the relief and joy that we feel when someone can help us out can be so very beautiful. Asking for help can look like calling a friend and saying you need someone to talk to, or reaching out to community organizations to see what programs and services are available. The key is the reaching out. We all need help and support in one way or another. Consider making this the year you ask for what you need.

3. Small indulgences: Small indulgences can be a beautiful thing, whether it’s buying yourself something small that you’ve been putting off or baking yourself an elaborate dessert. Indulgence gets a bad reputation, but I believe there is a difference between mindfully indulging and over-indulgence. That line is different for all of us, but my hunch is that you know where your personal line is. Treating yourself to small and mindful indulgences can show you that you are there for yourself. They can bring you temporary joy and–let’s be honest–most of us can use a bit of extra joy after the last couple of years.

4. Movement and air: Fresh air and movement are going to boost heart rate and circulation, and release endorphins. I find it doubly satisfying if movement and fresh air occur amongst nature. Try it without headphones. Listen to the sounds around you, breathe deeply, stop and examine what you see around you. If it’s insanely cold where you are (as it is here today…-30 celsius…yikes!), get moving inside in a way that you love (or at least don’t hate!). I have been exercising for decades and I promise you most days I don’t feel like it until I get going, and I rarely regret after I feel the corresponding energy and mood boost. Simply the act of standing up and inhaling and exhaling deeply from belly will earn you quick results.

5. Meeting yourself where you’re at: Often, we beat ourselves up when we aren’t feeling great about the state of things. When we’re down around the holidays and it seems like everything around us is all ‘joyful’ and ‘jolly’, it can make us feel like we should just be able to get into the holiday spirit. Should is a dangerous word. Should is founded in guilt, in denial of how you truly feel. Better to meet yourself where you’re at, feel what you’re feeling, accept it, and (hopefully by virtue of that) let it pass through you. Get curious: What am I feeling? Where do I feel it in my body? What happened that might have contributed to this? After you’ve sat with your feelings for a bit, you may be able to ask yourself what is one way that I can bring myself comfort right now? Notice that’s very different from asking how you can get happy or get over your feelings. Comfort is accepting where you’re at and working to calm your nervous system and bring it back to a more neutral space. When you’re down, neutral is a god damn dream.

And with that, it’s a wrap on 2021. May your year close in a way that brings you closure or comfort, and at least a glimmer of hope for the year ahead. Catch y’all in 2022.

Friday Fire

Happy mid-December everyone! It’s that point where everyone I’m talking to starts a conversation with “Can you believe we’re only [insert however many days it is til Christmas] days til Christmas?”. I should also note most are doing so with a wild panic in their eyes. Personally, I’m in a zen place with the holidays and I hold a deep desire for everyone who’s in a holiday panic to find their way to a more relaxed state. I also know that I have zero control over it. As the proverb says, I’m caught between a rock and a hard place on that front.

Alas, the week for me has been one of the most energizing in some time. I have so much that has lit me up. Let’s take a look!

1. Figuring out how to send an HTML email from gmail: Look, I am not tech savvy. Not only am I not tech savvy, but I have a generally low desire to learn how technology works. I am a traitor to my generation. Imagine my shock and utter excitement when I was successfully able to create a customized banner (!!!) and decipher the many blocks that gmail puts in place to limit HTML functionality (why gmail, why????). Thank you to those on this vast internet who spelled out the steps such that I, a techno-phobe, could successfully understand and follow them. There really is something so wonderful about working through a challenge on your own! If there’s something you’ve been avoiding because you just don’t know how to do it, let this be your invitation to give it a whirl.

2. Launching a new offering: I did it! I launched a new offering, and even started promoting it (see above). No one has registered yet, which normally would have me really doubting myself, but I am committed to this idea and willing to bang on doors to drum up some business. Putting yourself out there is never easy, but I’ve spent years talking myself out of good ideas and at a certain point I just had to dip my toe in the water. Let this be another invitation to you (two in one post!): if you’ve been dragging your feet on an idea, listening to your inner critic or shutting yourself down, dust that idea off right now and see if you can bring it to life again.

3. Starting Christmas baking: There’s only two of us in our household, or at least only two of us allowed to consume sweets, so I have a small but reliable repertoire of holiday baking favourites. I knocked out two this week. The first is a variation on the very common pecan snowballs. For the most part, my recipe is similar to what you’ll find online, the most notable difference being a smaller ratio of sugar in the dough (2 tbsp sugar to one cup flour and 1/2 cup butter) and the other variation being a lower baking temperature than most recipes I’ve seen (325 vs. 350). I think it makes all the difference so give it a whirl. Also TOAST YOUR NUTS PEOPLE! I also baked my famous (in this house) chocolate peppermint sandwich cookies, using this rollout chocolate cookie as the base and with a self-created crushed candy cane and peppermint extract buttercream (it’s the bees knees, y’all!). If you bake for the holidays but haven’t started yet, what are you waiting for!?!?

4. Baking It! I am a fan of any holiday baking challenge. I watch them all. But Baking It! is hands down my new favourite. If you want to know what’s been missing from any other Food Network baking challenge, it’s Maya Rudolph and Andy Samberg. I love them with all my heart. Also there are grandmas as judges. I mean, come on!

5. Getting back into a daily intention practice: I left journalling behind at some point early in 2021 when I sank into the depths of despair and anxiety. Whomp. That felt like a heavy line, didn’t it? At any rate, I have been dabbling with my own simplified intention practice. Each morning I reflect on two things (yes, just TWO!): “Today, I am ________.” and “With intention, I _________.” It helps me set an emotional tone for the day and an intention for how it will manifest. It’s much more straightforward than past approaches which had so. many. components. At the end of the day, I have a slightly more robust reflective practice. Anyone out there interested in such things? I’ve dabbled with the thought of creating a journal of sorts, but what works as a practice is so different for everyone. I guess my invitation (a third invitation, if you’re counting), is to find what works for you and get into a practice. It’s such a positive way to start a day.

6. Dance: I am no dancer in the sense that my rhythm is questionable and I have zero formal training. But I’ll tell you, I love to dance. And this week I’ve been turning my cooking, baking and cleaning sessions into dance parties. If you find yourself in a moment of low energy, might I suggest one of the best ways to exponentially boost your energy is to throw on a song that you love with all your heart and just give it (without a care in the world for how ridiculous you might look…and if you happen to care a bit too much about how you look, just close your blinds). You’re welcome.

That’s all, my lovelies. I plan to spend my weekend finding small pockets of holiday joy, swirling in ideas for my new offering, and generally resting. May you find a mix of things that fills your soul and leaves you energized. Happy weekend, y’all.

Friday Fire

Once again, a few weeks seem to have fallen into the ether. I am back today, and it is December and we are barrelling towards Christmas in a way that feels both too fast and too slow. Because I missed a few weeks, I have quite a backlog of things that lit me up, so let’s not waste any time. Here we go!

1. Only Murders in the Building: I got in on a one-month for $1.99 deal on Disney+, and honestly this show was the main draw for me. I love Steve Martin with all my heart, and find him and Martin Short just a delightful duo to watch. This is such a quirky little show and we absolutely loved it. I can’t say the rest of Disney+ wowed me, but I will resubscribe when season 2 of this gem comes out.

2. Panache peppermint ice cream bars: I am so angry that we get so few holiday ice cream options in Canada. It’s one time of the year when I wish I had access to US grocery stores. Sigh. Imagine my surprise when we stumbled across decent grocery store brand holiday ice cream bars. I won’t lie, the peppermint ice cream needs more peppermint, but it’s still decent, and the chocolate coating was the most surprising because it was actually good. Maybe this isn’t the most glowing recommendation, but amidst a freezer section lacking in festive knockouts, these are the best thing I’ve found. For western Canadians, you can find these at Safeway or IGA.

3. Peppermint Bark: Let’s keep riding the peppermint train.It is PEPPERMINT BARK season! This is yet another confection that has proven hard to find or insanely expensive where we live. So this year we didn’t mess around. Back in November, we ordered two boxes of Purdy’s Peppermint Bark and called it a day. It’s not quite as good as the Godiva Peppermint Bark we used to buy, but I believe Godiva stopped making it in Canada and also it was infinitely more expensive. Get on the peppermint bark train, people. Even if you aren’t a holiday fanatic, it’s just damn tasty.

4. Successful program pilot: Part of the reason I’ve been radio silent for so much of November was that I was co-facilitating a new leadership program. It was a pretty big deal as it’s the first open-enrolment program I’ve been involved in. It was both deeply energizing and utterly exhausting experience. In particular, I absolutely adored coaching the program participants. I am continually amazed by the passion, resilience and energy that humans can put into their development. I am so, so glad that I did not listen to my inner critic when I was first approached about this project, because she so rudely wanted to tell me that I was not the right person for this when I most definitely was. Let that be a lesson to all of you, too: your inner critic is often very, very wrong.

5. 2nd Cat Victory: Our OGOC (original orange cat) has never paid any attention to Christmas decor, including the Christmas tree and ornaments. But last January we adopted Flash, who is generally a bit more rambunctious, energetic and curious. I have seen so many Instagram cat videos of cats scaling trees, knocking them over, and obliterating precious ornaments that I didn’t know what to expect with dear Flashy. Thankfully, he has shown only moderate curiosity in the tree. He batted relentlessly at one ornament that was hung a tad too low, so we’ve decided to hang fragile ornaments only near the top of the tree and to keep the bottom two feet of the tree ornament free. It’s a small price to pay, and we’re so thrilled that our second cat is equally indifferent about Christmas decor.

6. New inspiration: I’ve been thinking long and hard about 2022, particularly with respect to my business. I’m so excited to be dreaming up a couple of different offerings for the coming year to help individuals reconnect to themselves in service of their lives and careers. The last couple of years have been so difficult and so traumatic for many of us, and I truly feel that it’s caused many of us to lose sight of our essence and what we want for ourselves. I know I have needed more space to consciously stay connected and true to me, and I also know how difficult it can feel to do so with intent and energy. It’s time to share some of my practices with others. It’s both terrifying and exciting.

Phew! Told you I had a backlog! With that, I leave you to your weekend. May you find warmth, love and peaceful energy no matter where you are or what you are doing. Happy weekend, y’all!