Masha

What if You Gave Thanks Throughout the Day

Hello wonderful you,

“Gratefulness is a knowing awareness that we are the recipients of goodness.” Robert Emmons

We’ve all heard of keeping a gratitude journal and write 3-5 things at the end of day that we’re grateful for and that’s a good practice but, to be honest, this practice doesn’t always feel satisfying to me. But…

What if we were to give thanks for the little things that show up throughout the day, how would that change us, what in us would it change.

What if we started to be grateful for the little things and say it, declare it in the moment so it’s a part of our days. You don’t really have to do anything, just notice and give thanks.

I’m so grateful to be able to sit and have lunch peacefully.

I’m so grateful that I can go food shopping by myself.

What if you gave thanks for your job and said ‘thank you’ when on your way every day. What feeling would that give you?

What if you gave thanks for the medication that is helping you feel better, for the haircut, for the socks keeping your feet warm, how would that change your experience in the days?

How would your days unfold, with gratitude sown into them?

Giving thanks throughout the day has opened me up to finding more wonder and delight in the everyday little things, like having a moment to indulge in a cup of coffee. Giving thanks makes me aware of what I’m doing, I smell the aroma of the coffee, I think of all the people it took for me to be able to have this and I am grateful for them. I become aware of the cup, my favorite to sip coffee from, I love the colors of the cup and I love the way the coffee feels in my mouth, one sip at a time, this all makes me so happy and giving thanks tunes me into the happiness this one simple act makes me feel. And, let me just say that I am not perfect, there are days that I don’t even think of gratitude, that I totally forget. And then it’s always a joy when I catch myself and realize that oh, I haven’t paid attention. I haven’t been present; I haven’t let the universe know how I feel.

Finding the little things in the day to be grateful for, makes me more aware of kindness to myself and to others. I’ve become more aware of my surroundings and the little things that make up my days and matter in my life. I find also that I’m more joyful and respectful of the things that surround me. This daily gratitude of the simple things has made me more appreciative of what I have and less wasteful. I notice the blessings that are mine.

Gratitude is a divine act that aligns you with universal good.

My invitation for you today – Have you noticed that the more you complain the more you have things to complain about? That’s how it works with gratitude also, the more you’re grateful, the more things will come into your life to be grateful for. Start with one thing, be present and notice one thing in your day, one ordinary thing that is meaningful and you can say you’re grateful for it.

Well, that’s it for today. I hope this blog post serves you and inspires you. Leave a comment love to hear from you.

Wishing you a happy, bright and blessed week ahead ✴︎

Masha xo

March 26, 2023

Masha2 Comments

I Really Need More Hours in the Day for all I Love to do

Hello wonderful you,

Playing in my art journal makes me so happy, it’s like I’m playing in a field of endless possibilities. Every time I finish a page I feel more open, loose, more in touch with my intuition, more connected with my whole being. I’m like a kid in a candy store for the first time, and I can feel my inner child so overjoyed, she’s making summersaults all over LOL.

If you’ve been following me, you know that I recently started an art journal for the very first time, (my previous blog post) I’m so excited and happy to create art, I love it so much and there is so much I want to learn, that I hardly know where to begin or what direction to go in and my problem is that I have no patience, I want to learn it all NOW.

This watercolor was inspired by the fabulous artist Prachi of color.me.water

I was inspired to make shapes by the wonderful Amy Maricle of the Mindful Art Studio

The thing is that I haven’t figured out yet how to make time for art and fit it into my daily routine. It’s like the days are just flying by and before I know it, the day is gone and l feel stressed, anxious and unorganized.

There just isn’t enough hours in the day LOL and if you have a suggestion, please let me know. Oh and I forgot, along with everything else, I want a daily nap time too 🙂

It hit me a couple of days ago that, in the meantime, while I’m inside the beginning of change and growth, figuring out how to steady myself here and create a new routine, I have to remember to be patient and give myself grace, yes, mostly give myself grace. I know that eventually I will find my way to a new routine that will prosper me.

My invitation for you today – When you’re in the beginning, in that unknown place of new beginnings, it takes time to find your way, to steady yourself. It is here while in this yet unknown place that, I’m inviting you to remember to be patient and give yourself grace, lots of grace. Eventually, you will find your way.

^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^

And now, a few delightful things that I found:

Happy colors at https://www.instagram.com/lynn_giunta/

A book I’ve been waiting on just got released, here

Well, that’s it for today. I hope this blog post serves you and inspires you. Leave a comment love to hear from you.

Wishing you a happy, bright and blessed week ahead ✴︎

Masha xo

March 5, 2023

MashaLeave a comment

My Very First Art Journal and How I Finally Got Started

Hello wonderful you,

I can’t even tell you for how long I’ve wanted to start an art journal but, fear of messing up, of not being good enough and overwhelm kept me at bay.

For at least two years now, I bought supplies, journals, watched You Tube videos. I started teaching myself how to draw leaves and flowers (something I always wanted to learn) but I couldn’t get started with an art journal, I was afraid of messing up and not being good enough and there is so much I want to learn that it felt huge and overwhelming. So I kept on pushing it off, I’ll do it tomorrow, I’m tired right now, I have to cook, I have to do laundry, I have to…I have to…I have to…and then somehow it was at least two years later.

I love Anne Lamotte’s quote “shitty first draft.” You can’t be afraid of having a shitty first anything, no matter how overwhelming it may feel, that’s how you learn and grow. Everyone has to start someplace and no one starts at 100, you have to start at zero and step by step you get to 100.

And then it hit me, I got the idea of having a notebook solely dedicated to play, to messing up, to not being good enough. YES!!! This is what I need, a place where I can be messy and starry and totally imperfect, my very own playground where I can have the freedom to unleash my imagination, play with color and shapes and create collage and splash watercolor and words on the pages.

So, I decided that I need a journal solely dedicated to giving myself permission to mess up, to not be perfect, to play. I had to stop thinking of this art journal as this sacred space of perfection that was unreachable.

And so, one day I got brave and I started. I have this journal I bought from Ali Edwards for my ‘One Little Word’ course I’m doing with her for the year and it’s the perfect play place. I’ve been decorating in my daily planner/journal some days with stickers and some drawings of leaves but, it’s not like having a dedicated art journal. I’m in love with watercolor, with experimenting with mixed media art and collage and stamping, there is just something about it that is so inviting, so delicious it makes my heart sing and my art journal is the perfect place.

Giving myself space in the day to self-express to do something that is playful and fun, that connects me with my inner being, is bringing me so much joy.

Everyone should have a notebook that you can write whatever in it, draw whatever in it, just play in it. A notebook, a sketchbook, a journal, whatever you’re most comfortable with, large or small doesn’t matter, what matters is that this notebook is your permission slip, your playground, your very own space to mess up, to not be perfect, to just be yourself, a place to brain dump, no judgement here, no holding back here, no nothing here, all is a go, an all is good here notebook.

My invitation for you today – get a notebook that is strictly for messing up, for not being perfect and start, whatever your project, whatever you want to learn, make it fun and just start.

Well, that’s it for today. I hope this blog post serves you and inspires you. Leave a comment love to hear from you.

Wishing you a happy, bright and blessed week ahead ✴︎

Masha xo

February 12, 2023

Masha14 Comments

I’m Exhausted

Hello wonderful you,

I haven’t been publishing my blog regularly because I haven’t been able to focus on thinking and writing what I want to share. For the last few weeks the IC condition I have has been acting up, I can’t sleep, I feel exhausted all the time, stressed and overwhelmed and upset.

The thing is, to write I need to have the right mindset, I need to be able to focus, I can’t just sit down and say OK now I’m writing and write something that will be inspiring and a benefit to the reader and so what’s happening is that, not being able to write is making me feel like I’m letting myself down. At the beginning of the year I set the intention to publish my blog every other week. Keeping my word to myself is very important to me and so not being able to, is really stressing me out.

About three years ago I was diagnosed with IC (interstitial cystitis) and let me tell you this condition is no joke. Anyone living with a chronic condition knows how it can take over your life and when that happens, I find that for me, the best thing I can do is to let go of everything, not put all that pressure on me and just go with the flow of things. Getting upset and stressed out only makes things worse, it’s not healthy for me, nor is it helping anything. My philosophy on this subject however, is not always as easy and simple as all that, sometimes I fall back into an old habit that doesn’t serve me, without even realizing it.

It’s funny how you may think that you did all that inner work and you conquered a certain habit but, the thing is that, old habits die hard, they return at any moment like out of nowhere, and they take a hold of you and you don’t even realize that you’re back in it, doing/feeling/allowing an old habit to take control over you again and you’re back in a whirlwind of emotions, stressing and all.

When I was telling my son how I feel so stressed and overwhelmed and so exhausted from not sleeping well and my body not feeling well, and I can’t think straight and write anything, it’s like my mind is blank and this really upsets me, he said, why don’t you write about this? you can title it, exhausted LOL and just like that I realized that I’m holding on to wanting to honor an intention I set, which is a good thing, but, sometimes life happens and I just need to let go of putting all that pressure on me and give myself grace. The best I can do is pay attention to my body, rest and stay calm and just go with the flow. WOW!!!

Let go and go with the flow.

My invitation for you today – when you’re going through a difficult time, if you can, find someone you can trust and talk to them, they just may say something that will make a difference for you. And if you’re like me, remind yourself that stressing out won’t help anything, the best thing you can do is give yourself some grace, let go and go with the flow. Also, seek professional help if you need.

Well, that’s it for today. I hope this blog post serves you and inspires you. Leave a comment love to hear from you.

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And now, a few delightful things that I’ve found delightful:

A little message from self care xpress, here

Love this, roasted cauliflower steaks, I’ll have to modify it a bit but, yummmm, here

If you want to encourage a little minimalism at home, read this, here

Wishing you a happy, bright and blessed week ahead ✴︎

Masha xo

January 29, 2023

Masha6 Comments

The Word that Chose Me for 2023

Hello friend,

Happy New Year. I hope you’re having an awesome 2023 start.

Do you have a word for the year?

A few years ago I started a new ritual, I chose a word for the year to have as a guide and to keep me focused and support me. Then after a couple of years words started to choose me. With some words at first I didn’t think they were the right word but, they all turned out to be exactly what I needed that year.

The word that chose me for 2023 is OPEN – as soon as I realized it, unlike my words in previous years, I felt an immediate connection to it, and I right away got the feeling of – expansiveness – openness – spaciousness – not on the outside of me but, on the inside of me, it’s as if a wall has crumbled from around me and I can feel myself – O – P – E – N.

Because of that immediate feeling I decided not to look up the meaning of the word in the dictionary as I usually like to do. I don’t want to enclose it inside restrictions with set definitions that may create barriers. Maybe at some point later in the year I will but, not now. I want the word to have the freedom to evolve and reveal itself organically.

OPEN is the perfect word for this year and to be honest, I have been kind of closed up, settled in my ways, not open to new possibilities. I haven’t moved myself outside my comfort zone. I want to change all that, actually no, I need to change all that and OPEN is inviting me to spread my wings, open to new ideas and possibilities I haven’t even thought of yet. To go beyond fear, open new doors, to change the old that doesn’t serve me any more and create new thoughts and new habits, ones that will grow me.

Having a word for the year has become a powerful tool that helps me throughout the year. The word brings meaning, focus, joy and shines a light on my dreams and goals. It also acts as a gentle reminder that brings me back into focus when I lose myself.

Thank you universe for this wonderful magical gift – OPEN.

My invitation for you today – A word for the year is a magical thing. If you haven’t chosen a word yet it’s not too late, you don’t even have to choose one now in January, you can chose one anytime during the year. But, open yourself up to it, find a word that embodies your vision for yourself for 2023, one that can support you and honor you, a word that empowers you in your everyday. I wrote about how to get a word and what to do with it, you can check it out here.

Well, that’s it for today. I hope this blog post serves you and inspires you. Leave a comment love to hear from you.

Wishing you a happy, bright and blessed week ahead ✴︎

Masha xo

January 8, 2023

Masha8 Comments

3 Changes that will Nourish You in 2023

Hello friends!!!

WOW! can you believe it? it’s the last day of 2022. I didn’t intend to write anything until next year because I’m taking a break, but, since it’s the end of the year and in the spirit of the season, I couldn’t not share with you these 3 changes that have made my life a lot easier, brighter, richer and happier and I hope they will make a difference for you as well.

So let me get right to it, here are my 3 things:

Saying NO – This one brave act has made my life healthier, feel better, a lot happier, a lot less stressful, and a lot more self confident. Saying ‘no’ to what I don’t want has given me the space to say ‘yes’ to what I do want. It has freed me to have time to do more of what I love, and to honor my needs.

Sticking to promises I made to myself – At the beginning of this year I made a promise not to let myself down, to stay committed to my promises to myself, and I did. I can’t even tell you how wonderful it feels to having stuck to my promise. It makes me feel empowered, more in control of my life and I gotta say, I’m so proud of myself. I did it!!!

My morning practice – I really believe that how you start your day so the rest will follow. I’m not perfect and I don’t get to it every day, but, for the most part I do and those days always turn out to be so much more richer and harmonious. My intention for 2023 is to continue with this morning practice and let it continue to be a part of my morning ritual. You can read about it here.

My invitation for you today – Make 2023 the year of YOU. Do more of what makes you happy. Make time for play. Look for joy in your everyday. Love yourself a little more each day. Rest when you need to. Say no to things you don’t want to do so you can have the space to say yes to what you do want, for what makes you happy. And a gentle reminder – no matter where you are on your journey – YOU are good enough. YOU are worthy. YOU deserve and – YOU ARE AMAZING!!!

Nourishing yourself is the most important change you can make in 2023. As you step into this new year, keep in mind that the relationship that is most important, is the one you have with yourself.

Well, that’s it for this year. As always, I hope this blog post serves you and inspires you. Leave a comment love to hear from you.

And a big THANK YOU to all of you for being here, for your comments, support and good wishes throughout the year, I really appreciate you always ❤️

Wishing you a Bright, Happy and Blessed New Year!!! 🎉 May all your wishes come true. ✴︎

Masha xo