Garden of Life

Good day, Sweet Pea. I hope your Monday is off to a great start for a super, amazing week. :-) 

I shared a list awhile back called 10 Things About Me and thought it was apropos to add more to the list relating to my life's current happenings. Grab your favorite beverage, sit back, kick your feet up, and sit a spell with me, if you will. We can plant some beautiful seeds together.

1) I struggle with my self-worth on a daily hourly basis. I remember having this internal conflict as a child, especially in my teen years, and it continues on into adulthood. The difference between now and then is that I now KNOW my worth even though I may doubt or question it at times. You know what's truly ironic? My name, Amanda, means "worthy of love."

2) You know how we have soul mates and soul places? Well, my sweet pup, Bella, is my dog soul mate. I knew the moment that I met her in the animal rescue center that she is my (dog) soul companion and would always have my heart. I love both of my pups and have always bonded well with animals but we share something I've never felt with any other furry (or feathered) creature before.

3) I have the heart of a nomadic wanderer so that my middle name should be Wanderlust. I love to travel and I (rarely) feel the need to visit the same place twice. Once I've visited a location, I can mark it off the list. I would rather visit a new place next then to go back to the same place all over again. If I do go back, often, my second trip is never as good as my first because I am no longer seeing the location through first-timer eyes.

4) I have several themes that have been reoccurring for me lately. One of them I shared recently on finding balance and another is on being seen. I love the synchronicity of these messages such as this morning receiving my Your Daily Gift and what was todays note? You are seen. A fluke? I think not.

5) Lately, I've felt like I'm on the verge of something big. I mean HUGE. It's like I'm right there nearing the edge and can almost see the threshold. The edge is a bit hazy but it becoming a bit clearer and when I can distinctly see the border it will be time to leap. Bravely leap. Into the unfamiliar and unknown. But this I know for sure, it will be good. Amazing.

So tell me, what seeds are you currently planting in your garden of life?

Hugs,

10 Things About Me

Back in January when I first started blogging I wrote a 10 Things You Don't Know About Me post. After listening to Susannah Conway's audio on the World's Biggest Summit (Day 15), I felt inspired to add more info about me that you may not know.

P.S. Can you hear Julie Andrews singing Getting to Know You? LOL.

1) I sound so un-American by saying that I don’t like peanut butter, chicken wings, or beer. Sorry! My favorites are Italian food, Coke, and cupcakes. Vanilla cupcakes, not chocolate. I happen to be a cupcake connoisseur. :-)

2) Since writing my first “About Me” post, I now enjoy listening to country music. Yup, I fought it for so many years but now it’s my go-to music. My current favorites are Lady Antebellum, Taylor Swift, Jason Aldean, The Band Perry, and Brad Paisley. I guess I can’t deny my southern roots!

3) I’ve been cutting down on my television watching but when I do have a veg out night you’ll usually find me watching Family Guy, 2 Broke Girls, Wizards of Waverly Place on Disney (I might be reverting to a preteen!), Good Luck Charlie and Step It Up (Yup, both on Disney!), or chick-flicks on LMN (Lifetime Movie Network). Oh and sometimes Teen Mom on MTV. Sad. Very Sad.

4) Besides my son, my pups Olive and Bella bring me the most joy in life. Really, dogs are the epitome of what love is. If I leave for 10 minutes or 3 weeks they are just as excited to see me. They continuously teach me what unconditional love truly is.

5) While my son, he teaches me about tolerance. Okay, and patience too! But really, in so many ways we are so very different and he teaches me how to accept people for who they are not for who I want them to be.

6) I previously mentioned my love of travel. Unfortunately I was unable to make it to Kripalu with my girlfriend this past year (hopefully next year!) but I was able to attend The Creative Connection in St Paul, MN (which I had never been to). The last few years I’ve made a point of taking a family trip with my son and a solo, personal trip each year. Last year my trip was to India and this year to my first women’s/art/craft/awesomeness event at TCC.

Recently I pasted a U.S. map in my art journal to get a feel on how many states I’ve traveled to. I’ve been to half the states! This doesn’t include my out-of-country trips I fantasize about. I think I need a new piggy bank…

7) I don’t really care much for cooking (hence my frequent trips to Mickie D’s) although I can cook. God bless the inventor of crock pots! I really do love baking and of course I love eating what I create. One of my simple pleasures is taking my items to work and getting a little ego boost as I listen to the sugar induced replies of ecstasy.

8) I was born and raised here in Panama City although I spent 4 years away in the U.S. Navy. College money baby! It was one of the best things I’ve ever done and I’m eternally grateful for the opportunity and experience. I was mostly at NAS Oceana in Virginia Beach, VA if any of you live in that area. Shout out to my VA BCH peeps!

9) My creative stirrings were squelched back in school when an art teacher told me I didn't know when to stop. Now I have the opposite problem of not taking it that one step further past my comfort zone. Be very careful of the comments you make especially to an impressionable child.

I do my best artwork in the midnight to 2 a.m. area. The problem with this is that I have to be at work at 7 a.m. I think the reason I have a creative explosion during this time is because I'm so exhausted that my inner critic has long gone to sleep. I then have the freedom to create fearlessly. As mentioned before, my day job doesn't allow me to be a night owl (except sometimes on weekends) so eventually I need to learn how to put my inner critic in it's place.

10) I have the fleeting thought that even if I find my soul mate I might just be too independent and self-sufficient to be in a relationship with them. Other times I realize that if they are truly my soul mate then they will appreciate that about me.

I think that's all the "me" I'm willing to hand over for now. Have a wonderful evening!

XOXO,