Double Portion Inspiration

In a recent blog post I shared about my menopause journey and 5 tips for the men in our lives. Here's the  link  in case you missed it. One of the side effects that I didn't mention is weight gain. It can be such a big part of the menopause journey that it needed its own post. If you're between the ages of 45-55 (average age range for menopause), you might have noticed weight gain in your mid-section. You may also find maintaining your weight is much harder than it used to be. I started looking into the correlation between menopause and weight gain after gaining 10 pounds in 3 months. At first I thought the weight gain was due to COVID. Late night eating, less active days and cooking new recipes can wreck anyone's weight loss plans. Couple that with menopause and it's a horrible duo in any woman's life. Just know that it's not just your body going through changes.  Women are more likely to gain excess belly weight, especially deep inside the belly, as they g...

The thoughts twirling in my head on any given day in 2020 are random. As I try to process the amount of information and news to stay informed it can lead to anxious thoughts and nervousness. Sometimes the largest battle in our life isn't happening externally (outside world) it's happening internally (inside us). Our smiles and normal demeanor can hide the true feelings rattling around in our brain. We mask (no pun intended) how we really feel thinking no one has the time to truly listen.  WHO wants to hear us complain?  I hear people say reach out to someone if you are struggling, but honestly most often that someone is too captivated with their own day to day living. How do we stop the self defeating and anxious thoughts? What do we do after we've reached out to someone and we feel the same way? With each passing day in 2020, there is more and more to frighten us. I'm learning (not there yet) to sit still. This might be the hardest part of my day, sitting still.  I si...

I recognize that many talented professionals are transitioning due to the pandemic. As I read through my social media outlets it's been endless with layoff announcements. We are now a community.  My 2 month furlough also transitioned into a separation from Fossil Group after 12.5 years of service. I am convinced that all the diverse skills and experiences, will now be a catalyst for greater. As someone told me, " you didn't lose your job, they lost you ." Each of you have incredible value that you provided to your company or organization for many years. Don't hold any bitterness against them . This layoff was due to an unprecedented turn of events. It had nothing to do with your performance or worth . I want you to know, there is life after a layoff . The time has come to springboard into your next chapter.  No experience, pain, relationship, accomplishment or trial you face is a wasted experience. It's all interconnected to make you the stronger. Don'...

The ground underneath us is MOVING. Can you feel it? This is truly the year of TRANSITION . If you feel that you are not grounded or you are unsettled in your spirit, that is a normal. Be patient with yourself through this process. While you are being patient, STRAP on because this ride through 2020 will continue to have turbulence. We've become so accustomed to our norms and when they are shattered we feel a roller coaster of emotions. If you are experiencing self defeating thoughts, a sad heart, confusion, anger, sadness, etc. it is a part of being in a world that's constantly evolving. We must learn how to sit in the seat of uncertainty . We also have to teach our children how to sit in the seat of uncertainty. I was reminded on Sunday that GOD is my anchor when life feels like a merry go round. This is the moment to wrap your life in the arms of God's security. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into Go...

Many times we limit our ability to be provided for by only the paycheck earned with a job or side hustle. We narrow our focus to only look at money in a bank account as a gauge of provision. God can provide beyond our wildest desires. I am on a mission to grow a " victory garden" . Victory gardens were grown during the recession as a way to sustain families. My victory garden is being grown to commemorate the chaotic year of 2020. I forever want to remember this moment in history. I've researched, watched YouTube videos and went to purchase the items needed, but really didn't want to make the investment yet . Yesterday, I started out for my morning run and a miracle was right in front of me. My neighbor was THROWING AWAY 2 bags of unused potting soil and variety of clay pots. Many of the pots had the tags on them. He had never used them. It's exactly what I needed to start my victory garden. PROVISION IN POTS Now it may seem trivial to get this excit...

How are you navigating these uncertain times? Does your heart constantly feel sad? Are you feeling that life is out of control? Are you extremely tired? Have you lacked motivation to get out of bed? Are you having restless nights of sleep? Are you experiencing heart palpitations? Are you walking through grief? If you are anything like the majority of Americans and me, you've had shifts in your mood and emotions on a daily basis. Keeping up with the ever evolving COVID19 updates, being a caregiver, learning the new "rules" to go back to work, being unemployed, loss of a loved one or even dealing with small children while working from home can add to our anxiety levels. Did you know that 1 in 5 Americans suffer with mental illness?  I found a great  resource to help me research a local therapist in my own area. Mental health matters . If you've been feeling like you are having some tough days because of isolation reach out to someone for a virtu...

Can you believe this was the advice that I gave to a small business owner facing a large hurdle? JUST DON'T CARE ! There are moments in our life that we handle with great care and concern. There are other times when we have to release and surrender away the worry and anxiety. I noticed very quickly that I was spending a large potion of time digesting the fast pace news stories regarding the pandemic. The virus was changing and mutating so quickly the guidelines given seemed obsolete before they were released to the public. We were bracing for a storm that had no "time of arrival". I JUST DON'T CARE ! I am intentional to protect myself and others while I am out in public. I will act as a respectful citizen, but I don't have to hang on every negative news story to feel safe. Psalm 91:11 reminds me that angels have charge over my life. I realized that ingesting all that information was becoming a source of anxiety. When you are faced with situations and e...

Is it over yet?  Has this all been a bad dream?  Will I wake up and life will return to normal?  Will I be able to go to the mall again? NOPE, not a bad dream. This is REALITY!  It's been a rolling change but we have entered a brand new way of living. 2020 has ushered in a new era. A new level of sensitivity to frailty. It has also expanded our level of understanding how connected we are as a globe. It's not us vs them. It doesn't matter if you are a parent in Spain, Bangladesh or the U.S., you are trying to figure out the best way to protect your family from COVID19. I'm adapting to this "new world" by learning breathing exercises to help cope with stress. I notice that certain conversations, social media post or news stories can start my heart beating faster. In my head I think that I'm calm. My outward demeanor is relaxed and tranquil.  My inward body tells a much different story. Lessons From A Retainer Unfortunately, I had to star...

It's been 8 weeks. Eight weeks of a solitude think tank for me. Eight weeks of being at home. Eight weeks of seeing my world quickly evolve. I don't think any experiences in our life are wasted. I believe it serves a higher purpose. I've heard many people say that God is trying to tell us something. Well, He certainly has my attention. The collective breath of humanity will persevere through this moment. Some people will come out stronger, some battered, some with scars and there will be some still wondering what the heck is going on. What are you learning through this process? What life lessons will you take away from this moment in history? I truly believe in the midst of this chaos God will provide clarity .  Clarity to know who God is. Clarity to know how strong we are in Him. Clarity to know our families more intimately. Clarity to know all the "busyness" of life is actually quite distracting. Clarity to understand what matters most....

As I write this, it's Easter. For the first time on Easter, I've attended church and experienced communion on FaceBook Live. It was nice to gather in my own home with not only my physical family but also my church family. It's been quite a long time that I've dressed for church without wearing Spanx. 😁 There was a beautiful garden and an empty tomb. There was a prophecy declared (Isaiah 53) and prophecy fulfilled. But there was also weeping, sadness, confusion, doubt, fear and grieving on that first Easter Sunday. Mary Magdalene came and found an empty tomb. It was reason to celebrate yet she was confused wondering what happened to the missing body of Jesus. And they said to her, " Woman, why are you weeping ?" ~ John 20:13 NASB Why was Mary weeping? The empty tomb was a sign of a promise fulfilled. In light of all of the emotions that day, the disciples and Mary forgot the promise that Jesus gave about his death but also his resurrection . ...

The sound of this global pandemic is SILENCE .  Sports Arenas - Silent Restaurants - Silent Schools - Silent Church Buildings - Silent Parks - Silent Playgrounds - Silent Barber Shops - Silent Libraries - Silent There is a wave of SILENCE sweeping across our world. I truly believe this "GLOBAL PAUSE" has been provided for a reason. As my dear sister told me, we are having a Ctrl-Alt-Delete moment. It's time to hit the RESET button on our lives. When you stop and think about it, we are grieving . I am hoping the word grief helps me understand my MOOD swings. One moment I am fully confident and the next I feel other emotions like sadness and anger. Grief looks different for all of us. But grief will always bring out raw emotions. That's why I keep saying to myself - be PATIENT. We could be grieving the liberty of going to work. We could be grieving the freedom of dropping our children at daycare. We could be grieving the liberty of go...

I wasn't created for this. Feeling isolated from the world is a humbling experience. From the moment I was conceived, I had another human with me. God knew my limitations by providing an identical twin sister to always be by my side. In 2020, celebrating anniversaries, birthdays & graduations all looks different because of quarantine guidelines. As the number of days increase for the "shelter in place" mandate, we miss the liberties of "normal". HOW many of us are desperate for a hair cut or just hair color? We will ALL soon be embracing our gray hairs. What is NORMAL these days, is the ability to feel a myriad of emotions from fright, fear, anxiety, confusion, anger, discouragement, and loneliness. Don't try and push those feelings away. Don't suppress them. Be honest about how you feel. Although feelings are NOT facts , they ARE there for a reason. Not dealing with the reality of our feelings can lead to us pushing them down. Negative fe...

Our world is changing right before our eyes. We are now, more than ever, aware of the fragility of our world. The systems that we've put our security in are collapsing around us. Our grocery stores shelves are empty, malls are closed, sports are shut down, churches & synagogues are closed, schools are closed and our financial investments are plummeting in value. In all candidness, I have been discouraged . What about you? The sound of this virus has been SILENCE . Main avenues through downtown are empty. Broadway is empty, libraries and movie theaters are empty. The sound of silence and the unknown leaves us feeling more vulnerable than ever. I am learning like many of you, to keep my social media time to a minimum and watch the news only when necessary. I'm learning how to plug into the blessings that are all around me as our world goes through a GLOBAL PAUSE . We've asked for more time to get things done - now we have it. We've asked for more time with our...

LIFE as we know it has changed. Many of us are experiencing disruptions to our normal activity due to the coronavirus. We are all bracing for impact not knowing what to expect. One reality for many people is working remotely. I've worked from home for almost 2 decades. Although I travel often, when I am home I work from my home office. The ability to have a fast WIFI connection and a laptop ensures your capacity to work remotely, no matter where you are. Please realize, not every job has the flexibility to work remotely. I wanted to share a few tips to make this new reality work. Create A Space It is important for you to have a space within your home designated for you to work. It can be a dining room table or a desk in a guest bedroom. You won't have all the features of an office environment like a high quality color printer, water cooler or yummy expresso machine but you CAN make this work.  Dress for the Occassion Just because you are working from home ...