Tag Archive for: magical living

Magical Moment: Mamas

Sweet Friend, it’s Mama’s Day on Sunday!

Have you done anything yet?

My brother, sister and I have for our own Mama, but I can’t say because she reads this newsletter!

Of course I have to promote and encourage you to send your Mom, and every Mama out there, my Mom’s Guide to Creating a Magical Life. It was made for this moment! Full of stories, exercises and ideas that encourage Moms to put themselves first for a change! One swipe of the keyboard and it can be in Mom’s mailbox by the weekend!

(Btw if you’re a grammar freak like me, I know the words Mom, Mama and Mother are not meant to be capitalized, but I do anyway because those words are too important not to! Agree?)

Many of you are Mamas, so what’s the plan for YOU this Sunday?

If you’re saying to yourself…

Oh, I’ll just wait and see what my hubby and kids come up with…

I encourage (beg) you to be a little more proactive than that!

Look, I love a plate of sticky, syrupy gluten-free pancakes in bed as much as the next Mama, but we’ve had a lot on our plate these days, and I don’t know about you (actually I think I do!) but I really need a break. If it takes a Hallmark holiday to get it, I’m going to claim it and milk it for all it’s worth ’cause come Monday, it’ll be back to three meals a day and lots of dishes.

So…the day is yours! What ‘cha thinking?

Hang on! Did I just hear you think, What would be fun for the kids?

No, Mama! What would be fun for you????

How about…

Sleeping till noon?

A morning movie in bed?

A quiet walk?

A family drive in the countryside with Bach streaming through the speakers?

A picnic lunch in a quiet park?

Your Day, Your Choice!

And for those of you that still need the reminder – Taking care of you is not selfish. The more you fill up your own cup, the more you have to share with others. Right?

Ok, this was a ball!!

I love this woman, Emily Aborn! She is a total dynamo! When she asked me to be on her podcast, I was beyond honored and excited!

I adored our conversation, and I know you will too!

There is a wonderful surprise for listeners – I created a brand new giveaway that you’re going to want to grab asap (especially these days!).

She Built This Podcast Interview

OK, Sweet Friend. Be well. Take good care of YOU. And please remember, I am here if you need support!

With love and blessings,

Kasey

Magical Moment: Good News

Hi Sweet Friend!

Last week I shared the newspaper article about my decision to give my books away to local moms.

Here is a quick video of the Magical Moment that followed as a result.

It totally made my heart sing, and I hope it does the same for you!

Book Giveaway Magical Moment

May your day be full of little moments of joy, peace, wellness, and of course, Magic.

Love and Blessings,

Kasey

Magical Moment: Can You Be Certain?

Photo by Matt Howard on Unsplash

Hey Sweet Friend,

I’ve been thinking a lot about you and wondering how you are.

How you’re adjusting to this “new normal.”

So much of this time reminds me of when our daughter, Andie was born so prematurely. That was a time full of so much uncertainty. It was scary, confusing and exhausting. Just like now.

There are times when I look back and wonder how I got through that period in our lives.

But the reality is, I just did. Because I didn’t have a choice.

The choice I did have, however, was how I showed up in the midst of the crisis. At first it wasn’t pretty – at all. But eventually I found my footing and started to recognize that there were practices I could put in place to support and sustain myself for the long journey ahead.

It’s the stuff I talk about all the time now. Creating structure in your days, making time for just you – ways to feed your soul and refill your depleted well – drinking lots of water, moving your body, sitting for a few quiet minutes and taking in some deep breaths.

So simple… yet a consistent daily practice is something certain we can rely on in the midst of times of uncertainty.

Lately, I’ve been thinking lots about all the moms at home with kids – juggling their work, making meals, teaching school and every other aspects of life falling on their shoulders right now. (Dads I know you’re out there doing your part, too!)

Climbing into bed last week, I had the idea that I wanted to somehow send my book, A Mom’s Guide to Creating a Magical Life to all the moms out there who needed a little something for themselves. A little gift and reminder that they matter and it’s ok to take a little time for themselves. But the post office was out of the question, so how would I get books to the people who need them most? I woke the next day and shared my idea with Lee. “I wish I could stand in our front yard and throw the books into the air and magically they’d land in the homes of all the moms who would benefit.”

From there the idea arrived that I could do this on a local level… put a whole bunch of books in a place where moms could come and take a copy.

The reporter who wrote an article when Preemie was first published kindly offered to write an article to help spread the word…

Local Author Offers Copies of Mindfulness Book for Free

Finally, it was quite a magical and powerful moment to sit side by side with my girl, Andie and listen to her answer questions written in asking about her experience as a former preemie.

An Interview With My Grown-Up Preemie Daughter

Much love,

Kasey

 

Getting Creative

For the longest time, I’ve held the belief that there are 3 key practices that are foundational to creating a Magical Life.

1. Movement

2. Meditation

3. Hydration/Nutrition

But lately, I’ve come to realize that there is a 4th necessary element that may be missing in many of our lives.

4. Creativity.

I made this discovery while working with many of my life-coaching clients. They were getting really deliberate and mindful about their daily movement and meditation, drinking water, eating healthy foods, but still, there seemed to be something missing.

And that missing element turned out to be an outlet for creativity.

I invite you to think about that and notice if and how you’re expressing yourself creatively.

Just like movement and meditation – if you’ve only got 5 minutes, spend 5 minutes.

* Put pen to paper and write – make a list of all the places in the world you’d love to visit

* Work on a jigsaw or crossword puzzle

* Pick up a few containers of play dough

* Doodle in a notepad

* Plant some flowers

* Open a tray of watercolor paints

* Pick up a coloring book

* Strum a guitar, play a keyboard, bang a bongo

* Play with yarn and knitting needles

* Make a fairy house in the nook of a tree

* Try a new recipe

Your turn…

*

*

*

…and then notice.

Notice what happens and how do you feel when you start getting deliberate about bringing creativity into your life. Perhaps this new practice ignites something that may have been dormant within you for a while.

I can’t wait to hear if discovering creative outlets that feed your soul, creates more Magic in your life!

Ask Yourself: What Do You Need

When our daughter was little, there were times when she was so out of sorts, I felt helpless in helping her.

One day, I opened up to a friend and shared this with her. In return, she offered the suggestion of asking our girl the simple question – What do you need?

That question became my magical go-to.

I remember the numerous times I knelt down, put my hands on her bony shoulders, and asked her, What do you need?

Often, she didn’t know, but the fact that I cared to ask and listen, seem to be exactly what she needed.

I offer this to you today, because so often, many of us find ourselves in times of uncertainty and feeling out of sorts.

This is an opportunity to ask ourselves this very question– What do I need?

And in response, just listen.

Let your voice from within tell you what you need.

Maybe you’ll hear:

Rest.

A bath.

A good cry.

A long walk.

The cup of tea with a friend.

A turkey sandwich with lots of cranberry.

A romantic comedy.

A night out belly up to the bar with with a salted margarita.

A pillow to punch and get all my anger out.

What do you need?

Your turn.

Ask yourself – What do I need?

Write down the first things you just heard.

And let the Magic begin!

Why I Wake Early

Years ago, a dear friend introduced me to the gorgeous poetry of Mary Oliver.

Although I adore so many of her poems, one in particular provided inspiration then, and has done so for many years since.

And this beautiful spring morning was no exception. My hubby and I were both awake at 5:45. “How about a walk?” I asked.

And to my surprise and delight, he agreed to leave his mountain bike at home, and join me in the woods on foot.

We walked much further than we’d intended, arriving at the waterfall several miles from our house.

It was a magical morning.

 

 

Thank you, Mary Oliver for the inspiration…

Why I Wake Early

Hello, sun in my face.
Hello, you who make the morning
and spread it over the fields
and into the faces of the tulips
and the nodding morning glories,
and into the windows of, even, the
miserable and crotchety–

best preacher that ever was,
dear star, that just happens
to be where you are in the universe
to keep us from ever-darkness,
to ease us with warm touching,
to hold us in the great hands of light–
good morning, good morning, good morning.

Watch, now, how I start the day
in happiness, in kindness.

Here’s to hoping you find inspiration and magic in your day.

My “What’s Next” has Arrived!

 

A few years back I wrote a post about the time of transition our family was experiencing. The kids had moved to a new school and were gone for longer parts of the day, and I really wasn’t sure what I was supposed to be doing with my days. A dear friend advised me to take some time for myself and not worry about the What’s Next. “It will come when you’re ready,” she had said. And she was right. For the past several years I have “refilled” my well, taking really good care of myself and spending my days doing things I love to do. And then, last year, around February, an idea popped into my head. And that idea soon became a seed, and that seed began to germinate and eventually spout.

And today, I’m so happy to announce that that little seed is now a full blossom, ready to greet the world.

My idea was about Magic. That there is so much Magic in our lives if we’re only able to see it.

So I hope you’ll join me on this journey and discover the wondrous possibility of Magic in your life.

Here’s an excerpt of that original blog post that led to this moment. What I love so much is how my friend’s advice was so perfect. That sometimes we want to rush the process of what we’re supposed to be doing, but in trusting that everything happens in perfect timing, we

Walking through the woods thinking about transition and where I am in my life right now, the same question kept running through my mind… What’s next?…  What’s next?… What’s next?  I walked in rhythm to that chant until I hardly recognized it was there. I walked on until I emerged from the woods and saw a friend out in her garden.  I sat down on her stonewall and found my chant spilling out into formed words.  “I don’t know what’s next,” I told her, explaining how straight out of college I’d started teaching in Boston.  How just months after Tucker’s birth I’d started after-school creative writing workshops, and how upon moving to New Hampshire, I’d thrown myself into the process of writing, publishing and promoting a book.  And now, I had no idea what was next.

Picking up a few of the hydrangea she’d just cut, my friend paused.  “I guess I’m using this time in my life to refill my well,” she said.  Her words seemed to float in the air, enveloping me in their simplicity.

“You’re allowed to do that?” I asked, both of us laughing and sighing simultaneously.

The rest of my walk home brought a new theme song; the What’s Next song, replaced by the Refilling My Well song.  And that new music washed over me like a joyous symphony.

I’m just discovering what refilling my well looks like, but I’m pretty sure that in between making breakfasts, packing lunches, washing soccer uniforms, gluing letters on poster board projects and driving back and forth to school and soccer games, it involves lots more long walks, yoga classes, hand-written letters to old friends, wandering through garden and vintage shops, meditating on my yoga mat, diving into the stack of books piled on my bedside table and filling the pages of my black and white composition notebooks with new thoughts, stories and observations.  What I also see in that “Refilling My Well Picture” is a more present, centered me, ready to meet and welcome my children back into our home, the place that waits for them as they move further and further out into the world.

This blog has been a place I’ve so loved meeting you every week for the past couple of years, but I feel it’s now time to close my computer for a while and allow those fresh story and writing ideas to emerge as I begin this well-filling process.  I will so miss our connection, but as heavy as my heart feels, I know for now, that this is the right decision.