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Living Wild and Precious

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Living Wild and Precious

Category Archives: savoring

30 Day Challenge Day 11: Extreme self care

19 Thursday Jul 2012

Posted by Carla in 30 Day Challenge, savoring

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extreme self care, indulging, simple indulgences

A walk.  Two visits to the grocery store, one rather impromptu, another a little more deliberate with the list (forgot soy milk the first time.)  Picking up a chocolate bar, one with candied ginger, on store visit #2.  Working with a lovely coaching client.  An hour of drawing while I listened to a class – and took notes too!  (My rebus is almost done – I’m going to save the reveal for tomorrow.)  Celebrating with a dear friend who just got her coaching certification.  Having tea and working on all kinds of computer and paper work with another dear friend.  Yay for working at coffee shops!  Buying figs and cherries at the grocery store.  Coming home from the grocery chilled from the over-air conditioning.  Filling the tub slowly while I sat on the porch and watched the rain during my ten minutes of quiet time.  Stepping out into the grass with the cat in my arms (he would be thrilled if he never put his paws on the ground and we just carried him from place to place) and putting my bare feet in the wet grass while raindrops dripped gently from the pine tree.  Coming back in the house and climbing into the tub with a glass of wine, the chocolate, a stack of inspirational reading, and a LUSH bubble bar.  Enjoying the bath alone for a while, then sharing the bubbles and chocolate and wine and lovely (and lively!) conversation with my sweetheart.  Being so grateful that he is the person who makes me laugh out loud the most.  Roasting hot dogs and red peppers under the broiler.  Having a summer “picnic” in the kitchen at 11 p.m.  Frozen mango bars.  Extreme self-care at its best. Simple indulgences are my favorite, and tiny extravagances, like these Duranta flowers coated with raindrops in the yard, make my heart smile the most.

What simple indulgences feel like extreme self-care to you?  What have you been putting off indulging in because you’re waiting to “deserve” it?  What do you deserve, just for being you?

30 Day Challenge: Day 9 – rewards?

17 Tuesday Jul 2012

Posted by Carla in 30 Day Challenge, creativity, savoring

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grass time, rewards, whimsical art

I’m typing this entry from my favorite coffee shop in New Orleans – Rue de la Course. I have all kinds of computer work to do, and so I’ve rewarded myself for sticking with this challenge by coming here to work – in fact I’m considering doing a tour of New Orleans coffee shops with wireless in the upcoming weeks – it really helps me keep focused when it’s just me, a computer, a table,  a glass of iced tea and a giant slice of almond buttercream cake! Yay!

So, here’s what’s going on with my whimsical cardinals.  Tomorrow I’ll do some tweaking of things I’m not quite happy with and then start on something new.  More birds?  Cats?  Abstracts?  Not sure.  But something with color.  I like using all the colors in the box!

And here’s my view during grass time today.  It’s impossible not to feel relaxed with this view!

So, how are you rewarding yourself?  I know that just completing the challenge each day is a reward, but how else are you treating yourself and taking care of yourself or doing something fun?

30 Day Challenge Day 4: Indulged

12 Thursday Jul 2012

Posted by Carla in 30 Day Challenge, creativity, savoring

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Tags

indulging, prioritizing something fun, self care, sketching

Blue sky this morning – first time in a few days.  This is the tree I sit under in the yard during my ten minute grass time.

And I indulged in more than the allotted time in my sketchbook today – I had a class on the phone and while I listened diligently and took nine pages of notes, I also produced this:

After the fall cypress swamp drawing I was ready for some green.  A snail on the palmettos from a photograph during one of my wordless walks.

It doesn’t have to be good.  It just feels great to do it.  In middle school I would doodle excessively in the margins of my notebooks, especially in history class.  Castles, eyes, girls, dresses, branches full of flowers, trees, cats —  and I still remember those lectures like they were yesterday.  I was happy to indulge and prioritize creative time for myself today.

30 Day Challenge – are you ready?

08 Sunday Jul 2012

Posted by Carla in 30 Day Challenge, making change, managing time, savoring

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

four day win, getting things done

Why is summer the perfect time to make a change you’ve been longing to make?  Because it’s already a more relaxed and quieter time.  Maybe they let you out of work an hour early on Fridays.  Or maybe the kids go to camp.  It’s a time to let loose a little, and try something you’ve been aching to try.  Something to take care of yourself better or something fun you never let yourself have time for.  Or something you’ve been wanting to clean up, go through, rework, rethink – what if you did something intentionally about that something for 30 days?  Don’t worry about vacation – if you have to you can pick up where you left off.

Isn’t it kind of strange that we always start our resolutions in the cold dark of January?  Why not make changes and try new ways of living better when the sun is out, the days are long, and anything seems possible?

My friend and fellow coach Stacey Shanks is starting up a 30 day Challenge project this month, and you can join in on her her Facebook page where she’ll be posting all kinds of goodness to help you stay on track.  I’ll be there, both as a participant and as one of the expert speakers she has lined up to inspire and support us.

So how am I doing with my challenge today?  All is well. (See my stickers?) Grass time was lovely, and my little pile of papers is practically gone – chipped away ten minutes at a time.  I’m making inroads on my big projects too, and taking time to play so that my body remembers that we’re in this for the long term and not going to just flame out in another week.  I’m remembering that summer’s for treats too! And for naps.  There’s always time for a little nap, especially on a rainy Sunday.

I hope you’ll consider joining the 30 day challenge. You can make it something small, something fun – something you’d love to do but just haven’t done yet.  Let me know in the comments about your challenge, or email me at carla@livingwildandprecious.com.  Come join us for summer fun and positive changes!

Little things . . .

29 Friday Jun 2012

Posted by Carla in savoring

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

moonlight picnic, savoring summer

I’m a fan of appreciating the little things, like this feather after a rainstorm at the swamp last week.  Now that it’s summer and the pace is slower, I’m finding something summery and fun to do or notice or savor every day.  Tonight it was a moonlight dinner/picnic in the yard.  Me and my sweetheart and our two cats – no picnic food for the cats but they showed up anyway! What are you doing to savor summer?

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Hi! I'm Carla and I'm so glad you've stopped by! Relax here a while and find out how to bring more wild and precious into your life. Pop over to the Blog tab to read what I've been up to lately, or check out the Happenings to see what's coming up on the calendar!
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