Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Co-Manifesting a Juicer

I love the power of co-manifestation and the law of attraction. To those who are wondering, co-manifestation means that I set my intention into the Universe, and then surrender it to the will of the Divine for the highest good of all concerned.  I trust that however my intention manifests in my life, if at all, it is exactly what is meant to be.  I adore experiencing the magic and miracles.

My amazing Intuitive Eating/Business Coach, Dr. Dorie, www.drdorie.com, set the intention to manifest beautiful shoes for herself. A few days later she was taking out her trash, and there was a shoe box sitting on top of her neighbor's garbage.  Inside the box, were amazing shoes that fit her perfectly.  A co-manifesting Cinderella Story! Hey, if the shoe fits...WEAR IT!:)

Here is my own testament to the power of co-manifestation. I buy a Green Lemonade from the health food store on my block EVERY DAY.  This has been going on for about a year now.  (It was my lingering Starbucks habit transformed into a "healthier" addiction.)  Sometimes, I buy two of them.  To be totally candid about this habit, a large Green Lemonade (kale, lemon, celery, apple, ginger) is about 9 dollars.  You do the Math. (actually, I already did it: one Green Lemonade a day = 3, 249 dollars)

Ben and I realized that it was only logical to buy our own juicer, right?  I mean, we would start saving mega bucks almost immediately if we invested in this contraption. So, I started setting the intention to manifest a juicer.  I looked on-line, Consumer Reports, Cragislist, etc.  They all seemed a bit pricey to me.  So that is when I changed my intention:

"I am co-manifesting a free juicer, if it be for the highest good of all concerned."

Soon after my shift of intention, I invited two of my amazing friends, Susan and Sandra, over for snacks and socializing. Susan was carrying a large brown box.  What was it?  A juicer!  I kid you not.  She brought the juicer for my other friend Sandra. 

"That is is crazy!" I said.  "I am co-manifesting a juicer too! I am sure this is a sign that it's on it's way!"

One week later: I receive an Facebook message from Sandra: "I've used this juicer once and I really don't think I'm going to make a habit of it.  Would you like it? I'd be happy to drop it off this week."

Co-manifesting a free juicer...CHECK!

Co-manifesting amazing friends who are willing to be uber generous...CHECK!

Co-manifesting a life lived in total gratitude and awe...CHECK!

Hey, if the juicer fits...

Saturday, July 10, 2010

You Changed My Life

CHALLENGE:  Pick ONE PERSON who has changed my life.  Hmmm...This amazing opportunity was given to me by Pattie McBride and her incredible company, Butterfly Nautilus.  The mission is truly amazing.  The company makes beautiful charms that read, "You changed a life".  A customer sends the charm to someone who changed their life, and also posts the story on the Butterfly Nautilus Website!!

For me, the challenge was picking one person.  SOOOO many people in my life are angels to me who have radically changed my life for the better.  Soon however, a name came to me, of person who has positively changed my life multiple times.  She is the fabulous Coriann Bright, my very dear friend, and owner of Bright Living: Home Organization and Design.  www.brightlivingnow.com



Rewind to my freshman year in college, the year I met Miss Bright.  My first year dorm roomie (we will call her Abby) was a force to be reckoned with, and I tried very hard to see the goodness within her harsh exterior.  However, this proved quite a challenge.  Abby called me a bitch for seemingly no reason, punched a hole in our wall fracturing multiple bones in  her hand, tried to sleep with my first college boyfriend, and was addicted to cocaine.  Whew!  Meanwhile, our room was an absolute pigsty because neither of us cared much about keeping it clean and our messed up relationship and negativity was dripping from the walls.

Yet, I continued to try to make this living arrangement work.  I definitely chose the "martyr" mentality.  I was known to exclaim, "Well if I don't live with Abby, who will?"  I didn't want to foist her on anyone else.  However, things became pretty personal when I got her a job at the same gift basket store where I was working.  She slept with the boss's brother, and we were both immediately fired.

I continued to live with Abby, to the chagrin of my loved ones.  It was a bit of a co-dependent relationship.  Rather depressed myself, I tried to focus my attention  on someone else's problems. I egotisically thought I could "save" her.  It was a rather abusive situation.

Then came the mid year opportunity to change roommates.  I decided not to apply for a new placement based on my misguided savior/martyr complex.  Around that same time, on a normal afternoon at Whittier College, I walked into my dorm room, to find all of my items (clothes, bedding, phone, etc) GONE.  Abby was sitting on the floor laughing maniacally. My assumption was that in a cocaine-induced frenzy, she had tossed all my belonging out the window, or sold them. 

Abby  looked at me with the hatred that I was oh so used to seeing. "It was your STUPID friends," she said.  Just then I looked down the hall and there were Cori and Katie, two of my closest amigas.

"We moved you out Cora.  Katie's old roomie just left and you can live with her," Cori said.

I think I cried. I know I'm crying right now.  I later found out that they called residential life pretending to be me and made this whole scheme happen. It was an intervention!! An intervention that literally saved my life.  Truly, I was reborn after I moved in with Katie.  My depression lightened, my living environment was incredible, and I learned what it means to choose my own family.  I also learned the importance of standing up for myself and being my own advocate, even when I am  nervous about possibly hurting someone else's feelings.

Coriann and Katie are my angels.  They picked me up off a ragged and dangerous path, dusted me off with hope, love, and some Clorox wipes, and put me back down in the dorm room of my dreams!:)

Yet, I tell you Coriann has changed my life a second time!! This time she swooped with her company Bright Living Now www.brightlivingnow.com and taught Ben and I incredible apartment design skills and organization strategies.  Our last apartment was a bit of disaster.  We hid it well, but it was still frightening.  Our new apartment is our dream home thanks to Coriann.  She also taught, while she transformed our apartment.  We both learned so much about keeping our apartment simple, classy, and with little or no clutter.  She taught us amazing strategies that we continue to use.  It is true! When we de-cluttered our home,  our lives elavated to a whole new level of quality.

Check out the before and after pix:


 Bedroom: BEFORE


Bedroom: After

Kitchen: BEFORE


Kitchen: AFTER

Coriann, you have positively impacted my life over and over again.  As a designer, an organizer, an advocate, a wise guide, and as a soul friend.  Thank you for teaching me that I deserve the most incredible and loving living environment,  that I can and should stand up for myself and my needs, and most importantly, that family is truly who we choose in our lives.  Thank you for being my sister.

Friday, July 02, 2010

I Love My Body


This image was HUGE and on the side of a building close to Time Square.  It was a VERY large advertisement for Victoria's Secret and next to the picture, were the words: I LOVE MY BODY...

My business, Sexy Soul Wellness, promotes the message, Love Your Body, Own Your Power, Live Your Dreams.  I noticed the words, I LOVE MY BODY first, and I started feeling really excited.  I thought for a minute that Victoria's Secret was actually promoting loving our bodies, our REAL womanly bodies, not some photo shopped, FAKE idea of a woman's body.  Well, I was very wrong.

The picture next to the words speaks for itself.  Victoria's Secret is trying to appeal to a woman's sense of  confidence and self-worth, and at the same time totally slamming any female (99.9% of us) who does not fit this supermodel image.

I could go on and on about how this new Victoria's Secret Ad Campaign makes my skin crawl, however I am reminded of Mother Teresa's quote:


"I was once asked why I don't participate in anti-war demonstrations. I said that I will never do that, but as soon as you have a pro-peace rally, I'll be there."
 
The energy that is created when one or more people are gathered in the name of what we support instead of what we oppose, is so incredibly strong!  So with Mother Teresa's blessing,  I suggest we all have Pro-Body Rallies...let's all get out on the street and love our bodies!  Let's start a revolution of women...and men who accept and feel gratitude, even admiration, for the skin we are in, whatever our size and shape.

Let's throw a Pro-Body PARTY for the fact that we are all uniquely beautiful beings, and shout it from the mountain tops that we will NOT, I repeat, will NOT let Victoria's Secret and most of the current fashion industry define the standard of beauty.  Let's define our own standard...that standard, is me, it's you, it's every Human Being on this planet...no Photo Shop required.

The National Organization of Women's Annual Conference is this weekend in Boston.  It's theme?  "Loving Our Bodies.  Changing the World."


I know the day is coming when THIS is the poster that I see on the side of a Times Square building.  I feel it deep within my soul that my daughters and grandaughters will celebrate their unique amazing beauty, free of the unhealthy and unattainable current standard.

Who's with me?  Pro-Body Rally and PARTY, here I come...Loving our Bodies, Changing the World.