Lent – Livingleen

Good Morning Lovers!

We’re one day closer to the weekend and with Ash Wednesday behind us, as well as the lunar new year (also know as the Chinese New Year), its time for some changes. The priest at our new church described a 1-1-1 plan for Lent in his homily yesterday evening and I was intrigued: one sin, one positive and one give up. First, pick one sin to focus on during this 40 day fast/time of reflection. Try to create a greater personal awareness around why you’re committing it and what you can do to work on it. Second, choose one positive activity to add into your routine, and lastly pick one vice and try to avoid it.

For me, I am working on my quick emotional reactions – I can’t necessarily denote the ‘sin’ but can point to vices that include but might not be limited to pride, envy, wrath, and avarice – I’m excited to continue exploring how I can better respond to what life throws my way. Phil and I are both giving up processed sugar which I am super excited about because it gives me an excuse to take a break from the sweets and get creative with dessert options! However, what I think I’m most excited about is the addition of my positive activity…Thursday Thoughts!!!!! Obviously this blog is my thoughts, but this post, each week, will be more of a reflection on the greater lessons of yoga, life, etc..Today is a reflection on my experiences on the cliff across from campus on Hawaii. While completing yoga training in the jungle there were these cliffs where we could go sit and watch the Pacific in our free time. It was in moments there I was reminded of the perfect beauty that is mother nature. From awe striking sunrises to afternoons watching whales, waves and sea turtles every moment renewed this natural connection I’d somehow lost.

We’re all a part of something so much greater than ourselves and everything that surrounds us is a gift for which to be grateful. Remember to be present and appreciative for each moment in time because there truly won’t be another like it again.

’til next time, keep smiling! 🙂

Happy Hump Day Folks! While I may have had a wonderful weekend, it certainly didn’t take me until today to fully recover, but close, haha!! The start of my week has been busy busy busy between work, another snow storm, mother/daughter night @ the Philadelphia Flower Show and water damage issues in my apartment (yes, again!). I did manage to squeeze 30 minutes of exercise before we kicked things off Saturday & I was so grateful for the boost in energy! We had a wonderful weekend: Authentic Irish music, a fun filled parade, dancing, green cocktails and general awesomeness! It was so much fun to catch up with my best friend from college! As soon as we get together, its like we’ve spent no time apart…the only thing that’s different is we can’t quite ‘hang’ the way we used to… nor do we want to, haha!

This weekend really reminded me the importance of family, tradition and lasting friendships! Life pulls us all in a million directions, sometimes its hard to remember where we come from and what is truly most important. Since today is the Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent for Catholics, that reminder couldn’t have come at a better time!

The traditional purpose of Lent is to prepare for Christ’s resurrection through things like prayer, atonement and self-denial (giving up guilty pleasures, poor behaviors, and various other indulgences). I always use this time to work on being the best version of myself: I try to practice more patience, skip snacking & drinking during the week, as well as making my best effort not to curse.

Whether you are a practicing Christian or not, take this time before the start of spring, to make one positive change in your life.