Elements For A Healthier Life Magazine Issue 08 | December 2016 | Page 8

In the rush to get the end-of-year stuff completed at home and in the office, holiday shopping finished and wrapped up, and attend the various gatherings we are invited to - remember to breathe. Personally, I’ve been mentally consumed with the thought that, “I don’t have enough time.” But the truth is, yes I do, and so do you. Take a deep breath and consider your list of priorities. If you’re putting yourself, your health, and your well-being at the top of that list, everything else is just stuff.

For this month’s issue I dug into my photo archives for winter pictures. I kept coming back to this photograph, but more importantly the one I used in the closing kept talking to me. My intuition made it clear that they were both important for this issue.

When I came across this image, it reminded me of a kayak trip I took a month ago. As I approached each ‘rapid’, I reminded myself to go with the flow, to not fight the current, and to let my boat take me through it. In the hustle and bustle of this month, I have gotten caught up in the “stuff” of the holidays, the “stuff” of those people who have passed on, the “stuff” of not having enough time, money, sleep, food, or supplies.

After I cleaned off my desk yesterday and put highlighters in the center pencil drawer, I attempted to get up and was quickly stopped. In my hurry, I wasn’t paying any attention to my actions. My hair is long enough that when I closed the drawer, I’d shut a handful of hair in it. Ouch. I laughed, and thought, “Slow down, Cynthia. You’re not in the flow of things.”

My intention is simple for 2017, yet, very complex. Self-Love. That’s my focus. And I get the sneaking suspicion that this theme will be carried into the magazine. How do we care for Self? Heck, are we taking care of Self? Are we listening to our own answers or are we seeking what we already know is true from outside sources (like a friend, a boss, social media, etcetera)? What can you do - in this very moment - that is loving to Self. Do that thing. Please. Thank you.

Life is an amazing adventure;

it was never intended to be lived in gray-scale.