First Soul Sisters Saturday a Soulful Success!

Creative Souls,

I am sorry it took me so long to post. Our first event was amazing. We had a blast celebrating our Soulful Beautiful Selves! We scribbled out our stress, painted our our souls, created intention candles, expressed our inner outings in sacred circles, belly danced, did a little zumba and ate rainbow cake! 

For me it was a dream come true and just the beginning of the offerings of Soul Sisters Studio!

Watch this slideshow to see all the joy for yourself! I am trying to figure out how to share a larger version. I guess this is a start. You can also visit my Facebook page to see the full size version.

Special thanks to all the Soul Sisters who helped me pull this off!

Melissa Swindon and baby Jack- Registration Desk
Tameka Daymon-Cathey- Inner Outing Sacred Circle Wall
Rhonda St. Lawrence-Delgado- Intention Candles
Meghan Holbrook- Tribal Fusion Belly Dancing
Kayla Petway- Zumba
Sharyn Maysa Businelli - Massage Therapy

I also have to thank my mom for the refreshments donation and Dawn Rosado for making a MEGA Rainbow Cake!

Also, I can't forget Eve, Carlos and Margaret from CREATE. HERE.NOW Bridgeport, who believed in me and gave me a space to manifest my dream!!

Lots of Love!

Your Soul Sister Jennifer

Soul Sisters Saturday is Finally Here! Let's Celebrate!!

Good Morning Beautiful Souls! 

Today is the day! 

We are so excited to welcome you all to Soul Sisters Studio. Pretty soon we will heading over to the studio to add the final touches, light candles and turn on the music! 

Today's schedule of events: 

2:00 PM-5:00 PM Open Studio

Discover the Scribble Out Your Stress Wall, Paint Out Your Soul, Inner Outing Sacred Circle Wall, Soul Sisters Studio Book Collection, Poetry Wall and Soul Sister Sharyn will be providing 10-minute chair massages!  

2:30 PM Welcome- Jennifer 

3:00 Belly Dance Demo Break- Meghan

4:00 PM Zumba Dance Break- Kayla 

4:45 PM GiveAways/Thank you! 

5:00 PM Doors Close 

Location: Create.Here.Now Bridgeport, 1042 Broad Street, Bpt, CT- Entrance is on John Street. Look for the Soul Sisters Studio Sandwich Board Sign!

Important Regarding Parking- For $5 you can park directly across the street from the Studio in the John Street Garage. I highly recommend this! 

Inviting Our Creative Souls to Dance: Our 1st Official Soul Sister Studio Circle

Hello there beautiful souls!

I know it has been awhile but I have been diligently working at planning our Soul Sister Studio "PoP Up" event. My Soul Sisters and I got together in a circle last week to collaborate on ideas for the event and to make our own intention candles. We are so excited about the journey we are setting off on together and one day moving into a permanent space. With your support we know this will be possible.  

Soul Sister Saturday is going to be a fun event including intuitive painting, tribal fusion belly dance demos, make your own intention candles, sacred circle creative writing prompts and a boatload of books to explore on creativity, spirituality, health and healing. We also have a couple of surprises and some giveaways!

Today I have a blog post from my very talents sister Melissa, where she shares with you an inside glimpse into one of our circles and what you can expect. 

Last weekend Jennifer held a gathering of the Soul Sisters to create intention candles as a preparation circle for the upcoming Soul Sisters Studio pop up event in May. Its purpose not only served as a way for us to become familiar with creating the candles so we could better the experiences of the women attending the event but also so we as individuals could set our own personal intentions.

My intention for the circle was CREATE. I choose this intention simply because I want to add more creation into my life. Be it through relationships, writing, or in this case art. My candle theme presented itself after Jennifer had choose a card from the Earth Magic deck. Mine was Summer Solstice and Radiance. After reading the meaning the card: to be in nature. It confirmed for me that my intention of CREATE was perfect for this circle because where else but in nature does the most magnificent creation take place? It was from the meaning of this card that I gained my inspiration. 

I rummaged through the tissue paper, stickers and magazine clippings before me and found what spoke to my intention and theme of being in nature. I choose colorful paper birds, the word CREATE formed from stickers and a background of printed leaf tissue paper. Now here is the tricky part for me; putting it all together so that it looks amazing. 

I have never thought of myself as an artist. To be honest I have butchered a few stick figures in my day and when your sister is a creative genius it can lead to the idea that nothing you glue, cut or paint will ever be as pleasing and beautiful as what someone else has done.

However, I always jump at the chance to attend one of Jennifer's circles because of the energy she and the other Soul Sisters bring into the room and into my life. It's the conversations and the sound of paper being torn or seeing a tube of bright yellow paint being smeared onto Styrofoam tray. 

It's when I realize that I am not thinking with my mind on where to place a little bird or a letter but with something much deeper. My very soul has showed up to dance in the moment. I become for those few hours a true....artist.

In the end I looked down at my finished candle. I had given life to not only my intention but to something that before I sat down at the table had not existed in this world. It is truly amazing because I created it. It's a little piece of me expressed into being. Every time I light my candle it will bring me back to the energy felt within the circle and to my intention; to ground myself in nature and most importantly to simply CREATE; adding life and beautiful energy not only my own life but into world.

I hope you will Join us on Saturday, May 4th where you can invite your creative soul to Dance!

~Your Soul Sister Melissa

Announcing: Soul Sisters Saturday- Save the Date-Sign Up Here!

Dear Beautiful Souls- I am so happy to announce the first Soul Sisters Saturday!

This event came from discussions with the Create.Here.Now folks on ways to bring more energy and excitement to my creative dream for an Expressive Arts Studio in Bridgeport.

Me and a circle of my seriously supportive Soul Sisters will be hosting a "POP UP" Soul Sisters Studio for Creative Health and Healing at the Create.Here.Now space in Downtown Bridgeport on Saturday, May 4th from 2:00-5:00 PM.

 

 

This event is designed as a gift to you which also enables me to share the vision of my creative dream.

My intention for this event is to inspire women who are looking for ways to feed their soul and better their own health and healing.

I am also inviting women who are ready to step into their gifts are looking for a studio space to host circles, classes and workshops.

The more women who attend the bigger our collective power to bring a permanent space to life in the near future. I hope you can come support me and I can intern support you in getting to your goals and dreams.

I couldn't be more trilled to have this opportunity to share my vision with you. My dream is coming true and I want you to be there to share it with me. Come see my journals and drawings come to life.

Bring a friend, your mom, aunt, sister, daughter, cousin and lets have some fun! 

We have lots of  expressive experientials and surprises planned to help you feed your soul!

Please support new vibrant energy birthing in Bridgeport!

Share with your friends and family.

~This is a free event~ Save the Date! ~More details coming soon~

Click on link to sign up here and receive email updates: http://eepurl.com/w93uL

Much love! Big Hug!

Your Soul Sister,

Jennifer

Calling all Soul Sisters-Step Into Your Magnificiance


Hi Beautiful Souls!

Most you know one of my dreams is to open up a creative health and healing studio for women.

A place where women can come together to GROW and CELEBRATE.

A space for you to retreat, find peace, RECONNECT TO YOUR SPIRIT and REVEAL YOUR MOST VIBRANT SELF. 

We as women need time to ourselves to rediscover our needs. We need to make sure we are taking time out of our busy schedules to nurture our 4 bodies- Emotional, Physical, Mental, and Spiritual.

Our families are depending on us to be happy healthy women!

An amazing thing happened and I have been presented with an opportunity to manifest my dream!


I have been chosen to share my vision as part of a very important initiative to turn vacant downtown Bridgeport buildings into VIBRANT creative businesses.

Next month I will be hosting a Soul Sisters Studio pop-up event in the CREATE.HERE.NOW space in downtown Bridgeport.

My idea for this event is to introduce my vision for the Soul Sisters Collective and Studio to women of all ages in the Bridgeport area (This includes you Stratford/Trumbull/Fairfield!)

I also view this event as an opportunity to collaborate with you on what types classes/workshops/circles you are interested in.

I want to leave your Soul-Full!

I need to know if you are feeling stuck, depressed, anxious or just strait up stressed out and tired.

I want to know what your health and healing goals are. I want to know if you have a creative dream.

I am looking for Soul Sisters to collaborate with and women who want to embrace their inner Goddess and ignite the creative flame inside!

Do you teach dance, Yoga or another fitness class?

Are you a massage therapist, energy healer?

Do you teach Soul Singing? Use vibration/music for healing?

Do you have an idea/message/creative gift you would like to share with women to help them create celebrate their most Soulful Beautiful Selves?

Please reach out to me and JOIN MY MAILING LIST ;), I want to make sure you are part of the conversation. Plus- I really need your help!



A Poem for My Graduate School Journal-
Inspiration for the Soul Sisters Collective and Studio

Timing IS Everything!

I have always thought of myself as a late bloomer.

I got my first period late. I got my boobs late. I finished college late.

What I realize now is maybe I am not as much a late bloomer as a slow one.

I understand now it is not about when you bloom but more importantly how you bloom.

I am definitely not one of those people who things come to easily. I have to work and work hard.

Most difficulties I have experienced along the way, were usually because of my own self-limited thoughts and feelings about myself.


Even all my the false starts and perceived disappointments in my life have opened me up just a little more.

I have done my best to actively learn from my mistakes and gain meaning from the lesson.

I am not going to lie, old habits and patterns are really hard to break. If your intention is to grow, be stronger, healthier and find balance you will get there. I promise.

Everyday just do the work, continue to pursue and seek. Continue to learn and reach out to other women and mentors.

BECAUSE ONE DAY YOU WILL GET IT RIGHT.

You will have grown and blossomed into the women you knew you could be.

Timing IS Everything. Be patient. Do what you can today and leave the rest up to the universe. It is waiting to hear your call.

For today just take notice- what intentions have you been watering the soil of your life with?

Sometimes There Are Paths and Sometimes You Have to Make Your Own

Last weekend my house was surrounded by 3 to 5ft of snow. I have never seen anything like it and when we went out to shovel, I was amazed by the walls of snow. For a minute it looked like it would take days to dig out and our poor bulldog Thomas had no where to do his business until we shoveled out a area for him. We quickly bundled up and got our tools in hand; me a shovel, my husband a snow blower and got to work.

Luckily, hours earlier, I had observed one of our neighbor's technique to removing such large amounts of snow. He would use the shovel to push and pull down the top foot and a half and then use the blower on the bottom half. He used this technique over and over until he cleared his whole driveway and out into the street. Teaming up with my husband, I pushed and pulled the top half of the snow down and he blew it into huge 6 ft piles in our yard. Together we cleared the driveway in no time at all.

Later that day, I realized I was going to run out of pull ups.Our roads were still not plowed and our city was in a state of an emergency. They told us it could be days until they got to us.  I am potty training my son, but he still needs them at night, so right away I called my babysitter who lives around the corner because I knew she had some.  I headed out on the foot path on our street created by other neighbors. As I walked along, I used the steps that were there before me until I got to a point where I noticed there were no more tracks. The snow was up to my thighs but I decided to just keep going. It was really hard work to make my way, but I figured I need the workout anyway. I took breaks to catch my breath and used a broom stick a neighbor gave me to help keep me steady.

Along the way, I would see neighbors who would caution me to take my time and others encourage me to keep going. I took one deep step after another until finally I got to my destination and plopped onto my butt for a rest. I felt relief when I was greeted by my babysitter, a big smile on her face as she handed me the bag of pull ups. On my way back home, I could see an easier way using some walking paths and a plowed street. When I returned home I felt accomplish in a small way. I had a taste of what it might be like for a frontier man/woman except without wolves and bears. :)

That night, I had a thought about my short journey around the corner. I realized that when we have a goal or dream in life there are paths that have been pre-made for us making the journey a little easier. Sometimes there are no paths and we have to make them ourselves, which is much harder.  We get tired, we may want to give up and turn around but if we keep going we can come upon those pre-made paths again. It just reminded me how important it is to keep you head up, listen to your inner voice, use the tools your are given along the way and  take encouragement from strangers. Find pre-laid paths when you can but also don't be afraid to work hard, sweat, let your heart race,  feel the blood pumping through your body and make your own paths. Give yourself the gift of accomplishment that comes from striving beyond your comfort zone because that my friends is where the magic happens! Plus, the paths you make can be used again and will make the journey a little easier for someone else.

Today I Showed Up for my Creative Dream.

Today I am reminded of a poem by Dawna Markova.


I will not die an unlived life
I will not live in fear
of falling or catching fire.
I choose to inhabit my days,
to allow my living to open me,
to make me less afraid,
more accessible,
to loosen my heart 
until it becomes a wing,
a torch, a promise.
I choose to risk my significance;
to live so that which came to me as seed
goes to the next as blossom
and that which came to me as blossom,
goes on as fruit.



10 years ago a sketch came to life in my journal and today I showed up for it. 
Even though it scared the sh*t out of me, I just showed up. 
Even though I have no idea what will come next, I just showed up.
I am proud that I was brave enough to share my vision and put it into the world 
in a more tangible way. 
Even if nothing comes of it, at least I was part of the conversation. 

Stay tuned to see what happens next. 

Devotion: Get Your A** Off the Couch and Create

I woke up early this morning wanting to share my experience so far this year with my word of the year- DEVOTION. I choose this word knowing I longed to be more devoted to my art.

I am so easily distracted and derailed, I thought is it time I become more committed. I don't want to let weeks, months, or even years go by sitting on my couch watching the 20th season of Real Housewives instead of painting.

Every week at work, I bump into one of my colleagues who is also an artist. Every time he sees me he says, "Jennifer, what are you working on?" My answer is usually nothing really, I am so busy, I have a three year old, a husband, a house and a full-time job. When I  return the question, he then proceeds to tell me about all the time he has been spending painting and working on putting together shows. I usually walk away, inspired but disgruntled, mumbling under my breath that it is so much easier for a man to just go off to his studio and create. I have responsibilities which include cooking meals, cleaning up, caring for my son and spending time with my husband, oh yeah, and I would like to workout too!

For a women to create she has to come to terms with fears of not being a good mother/wife and get over the guilt. This struggle is depicted soulfully in documentary Who Does She Think She Is. I keep reminding myself...

I AM NOT SELFISH BECAUSE I HAVE THE URGE TO CREATE AND EXPRESS MYSELF. 

Choosing DEVOTION as my word of the year, allowed me start meditating/thinking about my time and what I devote it to. Last week in San Francisco, I woke up really early and started to write down really how I spend my time. I realized, the first obvious place to find time to create is to just cut out TV.  If I did that,  I would get plenty of time back to focus on my art. TV is a bad habit I picked up in my home growing up. After my mom got remarried it seemed that the TV was always on. Before that my mother would usually play music, which allowed more space to create and play.

My husband too likes to watch TV and when I get home from work it is usually on.  The TV is what he uses to relax after a long day. I find that I get sucked in after dinner/bath-time and spend the rest of my night on the couch thinking about all the things I want to do but I am not. It is a really bad habit, I have to break.

Awareness is the first step to change.

Having a tangible understanding what I devote my time to, gives me power to make decisions based on what my priorities are and what truly brings me Joy. I can tell you this- TV does not bring me Joy. I'd rather sit with my son in the kitchen and play with play dough or build a car wash out of blocks for his Hot wheels.

Your time is valuable. If you want to accomplish a goal in your life but believe you don't have time for it, ask yourself these questions about your DEVOTION:

• Who/What do you love?
• Who/What are you loyal to? 
• Who/What do you have enthusiasm? 

These are the first steps. My next goal- evaluate my DEVOTION to chocolate and pizza.  Maybe if I do that I can finally lose these last 10 pounds!

Today I am the Guest Blogger over at Inner Alignment Mandalas

I am really excited about the Winter Harmony series that Jill Marie and Michelle are doing over at Inner Alignment Mandalas.

Mostly, I feel honored to be a part of this wonderful group of women that have shared their secrets to harmonizing with winter.

Today is my turn, I am a guest blogger and I would love for you to check out my contribution and read all about how I am harmonizing with winter this year.

www.InnerAlignmentMandalas.blogspot.com.

2012 Closing Ceremony : Part 2- My First Word of the Year

Word of the Year ATC

Going into 2012 I was looking for a new way to create and find meaning in the year. In one of our conversations Michelle suggested I choose a Word of the Year. Instead of coming up with a new year’s resolution, that I would just break or forget about, choosing a word instead sets a theme for the year. She suggested utilizing the “Your Word of the Year Discover Tool” developed by Christine Kane.

I called together a couple of my Soul Sisters, my two best friends and sister to pick our Word of the Year. We gathered early on a Saturday morning for a Creativity Circle and Tea. Together we set our intentions, choose our words and created Artist Trading Cards (ATC), something tangible we could use as a prompt for the year ahead. The word I choose was BUILD.  I wanted to continue to build the foundation for my creative dream. I had the vision, I had the education, and I had the life experience. I wanted to build my business knowledge, rebuild my relationship with my art (painting) and build a support system of like-minded women. I would BUILD my year with blocks of experience, love, nurturing and support.

OPENED MY MIND

One of the first emails I got after I set my word of the year was from my favorite artist/author SARK . She was promoting the Women on Purpose Spiritual Business Boot camp hosted by Sage Lavine.  I signed up for this free teleconference series. I was exposed to 30 women who have creatived heart centered businesses. They talked about discovering your passion, setting your vision, branding, marketing, and money management. I know have a beautiful journal filled with tons of insights, tips and inspiration.

CONNECTED TO MY SPIRIT

Next, I signed up for BIG a FEARLESS® Painting workshop at Dirty Footprints Studio.  This six week online painting workshop was an amazing experience. I set up a studio space in the basement and my husband put up a wall for me to create my BIG paintings. The intention behind this painting process is to connect to your intuition. It is about what happens in the process not the final product.  The artwork that came out of this year is some of my most vibrant. I have always understood the healing power of my art. My natural way of creating has always been from this inner place and it is probably why I had a hard time when I first took college level art classes. I didn’t want to spend hours painting peppers, still life or landscapes. I wanted to paint from my internal world and connect to something deeper. This knowing is how I ended up with an undergraduate degree in Art Therapy instead of Art Education.

Sample of my artwork from 2012

It was through this beautiful community Connie created on her website, that I discovered my Painting Tribe and a circle of Creative Women Souls just like me.

STRENGTHENING MY BODY

During this past year I got a personal trainer to help me get in better shape. The first one didn’t work out like I wanted so I tried a studio 20 minutes away from my house called Tuff Girl Fitness at Bodyology. I had been following Christa Doran’s post on Facebook for more than a year. Her message was inspiring and every post was filled with passion and determination.

Right away when I walked into her studio, music blasting she was yelling loudly at the women in her class. Motivating them not to give up, reminding them how strong and beautiful they are. I fell in love with her right away. The energy she creates at her studio is pure magic. I finished up my year going to 2 classes a week, addicted to the way she would tweak me while I was working my ass off in her class, sweaty and lifting weight I never thought I would do. I got stronger and stronger, not just in my body but in my mind to. I would leave her studio every night feeling like I could do or accomplish anything I put my mind to.

LESSON LEARNED

Although I didn’t get to all the goals I had written down in my journal, I made leaps and bounds in my belief in myself and what I have to offer. 2012 was year full of me letting go of my insecurities and all the ways I blocked myself from being the women I know I am. My favorite book of the year was “This Time I Dance” by Tama J. Kieves. The message I needed to get this year was I don’t have to be perfect. I am good enough, I need to practice every day. I had to let go of this mindset that you have to be an instant master to pursue your dreams but that is not the case. “If you wait for your skill before you dare anything, you will only wait and ache.” That is exactly what I have been doing. I have been learning, growing but not acting for fear of failing and not  being good enough. So I leave 2012 behind knowing with my whole heart that “Genius does not often arrive as genius, but as imperfection tolerated and transformed by love, focus, and devotion”.

I am grateful for every Soul Sister who has crossed my path this last year. I am truly blessed to know you, learn from you and experience your gifts. Thank you for being brave role models for me to aspire to. Your devotion to your passions has given me permission to pour love and devotion into mine!  

2012 Closing Ceremony- Part 1



So I am about 3 and a half weeks late not bad considering my record. I am a procrastinator. I am a master of getting caught in my head, thinking about all the things I need and want to do and letting it all just slip away with time. At the end of 2011, I decided enough was enough. I was done avoiding and I decided I would address the hurdles that came up on my path one by one. First thing was to finish my master’s degree. I started my degree in Experiential Health and Healing in Winter 2003. For two years, I attending every lecture, participated in every hands on workshop, read every book and then some. I built beautiful relationships with my cohort sisters and grew immensely.  Here is what I didn’t do: finish my internship, hand in my papers and final project. For 5 years, I let this big incomplete on my record weigh on my mind. In that time, I got married, bought a house, changed jobs, climbed the corporate later, traveled and coordinated Medical Education Programs and had a son. Even with all those other accomplishments, I knew I had to finish what I started and get back to my creative dream.

I called my program coordinator and set up a meeting to convince the director of school that I deserved a 2^nd chance to finish what I started. I explained to them all I learned and how I wanted to apply my lessons. I had a creative dream to open a creativity and healing space for women and girls and I wanted to pursue it. In fact, it was this creative dream that lead me to the program at The Graduate Institute in the first place. They reviewed my journals and my final project plans and gave me 4 months to complete my assignments. Finally, I had a deadline I was determined to stick to.



During the time leading up to this decision, I met Michelle Geoffroy, an Artist blogger from Illinois. I stumbled upon her searching the terms “studio for creative healing”, which was the name of the business I was working on for my final project. I read her blog the Creative Healing Studio and sent her an email telling her how much I enjoyed her artwork and posts. I asked if she would be willing to speak to me about her journey. She agreed and we had our first phone call of many. Michelle and I were Soul Sisters from the start. We talked about everything from books to workshops. We talked about our families and our dreams, how to balance them and still do the work we are called to pursue. She impressed me with her artwork, her Soul Work, her insights and her ability to balance that with a husband and 5 boys.



Final Project Cover Created 2011 JAK Google Word Cloud Created 2011 from Final Project Copy



After I shared my story with her, she offered to help coach me through finishing my assignments. We spoke bi-weekly and her prompting and guidance helped me without a doubt stay focused and get to my goal. With Michelle’s support I was able to tackle my biggest obstacle. My biggest fear was I wasn’t a good writer, I was not going to be able to express clearly all I had learned. If it has to do with art supplies I don’t have any problem, but words were not so easy for me. I was not a writer but to get to my goal I had to change this attitude and become one. I completed a couple of short term papers and my 80 final project, a book with artwork. I worked hour upon hour, dreading up old memories, reliving and facing my mistakes, and acknowledging all my accomplishments. For me it was painful facing the blank white, there was discomfort and I had to really push myself to stay focus and keep writing and creating. What came out was “Manifestation of a Creative Dream- How One Drawing Led Me On a Spiritual Journey to Heal Myself and Create a Space to Inspire Other Souls to do the Same".  What unveale itself is my discomfort was a story of healing. The beautiful lesson from finishing my final project was getting a bird’s eye view of the past 10 years of my life and seeing how every good and bad experience shaped me. I faced my pains, acknowledged them, healed them and walked out the other side bathed in a rainbow of possibitly.

Google Word Cloud Created 2011 from Final Project Copy



When I finished, a huge weight lifted off my mind, I had accomplished something big in my life. I could tackle 2012 head on with purpose and intention. I knew one thing, all the work I did was not going to go to waste. It was time to start to focus on getting rid of my blocks and focus on steps needed to open my creative health & healing studio.



Are you Aware of Joy-Stealers in Your Life?

joy [ joy ]  

1. great happiness: feelings of great happiness or pleasure, especially of an elevated or spiritual kind

2. something that brings happiness: a pleasurable aspect of something or source of happiness

3. enjoy something: to delight in something

Synonyms: happiness, delight, pleasure, enjoyment, bliss, ecstasy, elation, joyfulness, thrill, gladness, exultation, rapture.

A couple of weeks ago I was participating in an online FEARLESS PAINTING® workshop given by Connie Hozvika at Dirty Footprints Studio. Our first assignment was to paint from a place of Joy. What followed was me painting like my three year old does. I painted and threw so much paint on to the paper, the tape holding it to the wall finally quit and fell to the ground. I thought “this painting is done” but felt compelled to continue to smear and smudge. I added more layers of florescent colors using my hands and when I thought it was finished, I added the word Joy.

The amazing aspect of process painting is how focusing attention on the concept of Joy expresses itself from your intuition. For me as I painted, thoughts and memories emerged about people, places and things that bring me Joy but also that steal my Joy. I was reminded of my son and how easily he finds and expresses Joy. His natural curiosity leads him to Joy. A puddle leads him to Joy. A new goofy hat leads him to Joy. When he is feeling Joyful you can see it in his face, he dances, he sings, and he will say Thank you. Three year olds are the perfect example of what living from a place of Joy looks like.

One Saturday on our way into Target, my son insisted on wearing his new Donald Duck themed Mickey Mouse Ears. He wasn't going to let my husband steal his Joy.When my husband asked him to take off the hat because people might laugh at him, he got visibly upset, turned around and got out of the car on my side proclaiming to me “daddy is stupid”.  I couldn’t help but chuckle at his clarity but then I told him it wasn’t a nice thing to say about daddy, though I did agree with him in this instance maybe daddy was being a little close-minded. In all fairness to my husband, it wasn’t his intent to steal Michael's Joy but to protect him from ridicule.

I had a realization in that moment, that if my son was not harming himself or anyone else, if something brought him Joy I would support it. Now, I know that may be easier said than done, but I think it is best to protect his Joyful spirit as long as I possibly can. I will at least be aware of Joy- Stealers well-meaning or not, including myself. I now understand how years and years of Joy-Stealing can lead us to be unhappy, unfulfilled adults. 

Recently I stopped at a rest stop to get gas and a coffee. On my way out, I saw a rack of colorful winter hats from Peru. At the very top of the stand, on a mannequin head was a rainbow stripped hat. Instantly I lit up, but I thought maybe it is too bright, too colorful. I quickly recognized and quieted the Joy-Stealing voice inside my head. I decided to buy it because it delighted me, it made me smile and I just knew it belonged to me.

So many of us have become disconnected to what truly brings us Joy. As adults we have years and years of instances of someone or something stealing our Joy. Maybe it was our parents, our teachers, a crappy boss or job, an energy draining relationship or probably our own inner critic.

So I am wondering, can you remember a time when your Joy was stolen?

But more importantly can you remember a moment when you reclaimed your Joy?