Yesterday I was with sitting in my backyard with my daughter after the majority of the day was overcast and rainy, enjoying the few hours of sunshine in the afternoon.  There was this little breeze that just barley touched my skin and would occasionally give me goose bumps.  My daughter was splashing in our pool and laughing, and it was just one of those picture perfect moments that you read about in a book.

It occurred to me then that most people plan all year for that awesome family vacation…that moment when you are doing nothing but enjoying time.  You aren’t rushing from one place or activity to the next and you can just be.  These moments are precious because they feel so rare; and I swear time is just flying by so quickly, and all you want is to just have a few of those moments where things fall into place.

More often than not, our house is usually a little quieter; but recently we’ve have a string of things happening that have shaken things up and all of sudden I’m not appreciating those small moments.  It made me think about how often I let these moment slip through my fingers, taking for granted this time that I have been gifted.

So, my thought was that everyone should establish some kind of “breakroom” in their house, a dedicated space that you go that gives that “moment.”  I’m not talking about in front of the TV, I’m talking about a place where you aren’t distracted by everything else going on and can just be.  At our house, I think that’s the backyard. When I sit back outside, there’s this weight that gets lifted from my shoulders and I feel more at ease, you know?

Do you have a place where you can “be” in your house?  Would you share that below?

I was scrolling through Twitter the other day and happened upon a post of someone (honestly can’t remember who), a woman, criticizing the star of Wonder Woman, Gal Gadot.  She basically said that she was excited for a female superhero movie, but couldn’t understand why they had to pick Gal as the lead because she was “too sexy.”

I’m going to let that soak for a moment.

This comment stuck with me for awhile.  Not just because the generally nastiness of the comment (because I mean, come on), but also because I wasn’t really surprised in the first place to read something like this.  I feel a little remorseful that it didn’t shock me at all to read that ridiculous criticism.  In a way, I was kind of expecting that there might be some people out there that always have something negative to say.

What I wanted to ask the woman on Twitter was why she felt that another woman had to be judged by her looks alone?  If you were criticizing her performance of the iconic character that might have been something, but really the comment was just plain hostile.  When did women begin to just tear each other down this way?

I think we have enough battles to fight than to worry about battling each other, you know?  There are jokes about how a woman is “Wonder Woman” simply because she does it all, or has it all.  She’s working, she’s taking care of her family, she’s volunteering in her community and at night she struggles to life what feels like the weight of the world off her shoulders before she goes to sleep.  I’m pretty sure that some of you can understand what I’m talking about here.

So, in the spirit of positivity and supporting a fellow woman, I’d like to take a moment and lift my glass (at this time in the morning, more like my coffee mug) to every woman out there that is struggling, who has been “slapped” with any kind of criticism.  Know that you are not alone and while you may not have the awesome tiara or the Lasso of Truth….you are amazing.  Say it with me, “I am amazing.”

Have you ever encountered something like this?

It’s the beginning of June and the kickoff of summer fun – I’ve been devouring different blog posts/news articles about suggestions for summer reading lists.  I think it’s a little funny because I love reading all year, but the best suggestions, or even the most popular time for discussing books, seems to be in the summer.  You know?  What makes the summer months more appealing for grabbing a good book?

I think for the month of June, in between some new releases from some favorite authors of mine, I’m going to be looking for a good memoir and maybe a good classic to re-read.  I haven’t read a good memoir in awhile, and it might be because I’m a little picky about the author, but I think you also have to be in the mood for a memoir.  I’ve been reading about mindfulness and finances lately and I think I’d like a little break from that.

So, if you have some suggestions for the best memoir you have ever read, or maybe a great suggestion for a classic that you re-read that changed your life – would you let me know?  I was reading a post by Anne at Modern Miss Darcy, and I’ve got to tell you, I’m now looking for the audio book called, “As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of the Princess Bride.” Anne says that the audio book brings back the original actors as they talk about the experience of making that movie.  So for all this awesomeness I say….

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30 Day Mindfulness Check-In:

I got myself a journal to try to keep track of things, but my goal to begin is really just to start my day by making myself aware of all the things I’m grateful for.  I’m looking to add positive thoughts about other things later, but we’ll see how this goes. Are you joining me for this challenge?