A "not so" Manic Monday

Happy Monday to you....
I am trying to slow down and get organized. Lately, I have been flying by the seat of my pants and I think that has made my hectic schedule even more insane. No more. Chaos ends today-and sanity begins. With this in mind, I knew I needed to be in nature - to absorb nature. Fortunately, the weather was simply - perfectly-beautiful today. I knew that I wanted to take my boys on a hike when I picked them up from school. I adore hikes. When hiking I feel so at peace and so alive and energized. The three of us meandered through the woods this afternoon and it was delightful. We admired the green moss growing on a fallen log, picked up leaves, and listened to the wind. It was a fabulous afternoon with the boys.

I am also starting Oprah's 10-week online class for Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose." I am very excited about the book, the class and my new personal goals. I have committed to making 2008 a year of real (and deep) personal growth. For me this year is about discovering my life's purpose. I was just telling my sister today that I have spent my life being very focused ( I thought) and orderly. My life plan was as follows: get married by 25, have first child by 28, earn my Ph.D. by 30, have second child by 30, and become a professor. Interestingly, I achieved all of my goals, give or take a year. The problem is that I never imagined life after 30. Yet, here I am. At 35, I am a wife to a wonderful man, a mother to two incredible boys, and a professor. But there is so much more to me than those three identities. Most days I feel as if I am on the cusp of amazing self-discovery. The feeling is so intense I can taste my new awareness, new sense of self, and purpose. I think scrapbooking has been a very important part of my self discovery process. I have always been a creative being and scrapbooking allowed me to reconnect with that part of myself. A part that had been lost for awhile. Scrapbooking has really given me a vehicle for reconnecting to a very important part of myself - a very spiritual part of myself.

No matter where you are, who you are, I am sending you a HUG FULL OF LOVE. Take a peak at some of my pages and I hope they inspire you to create meaningful pages of your own.

Peace,
W-