The Wise Woman Tradition

Author: Guest

The Wise Woman tradition is invisible. Without healers, without diseases, without cures, without certificates, without guarantees, it exists. It has no rules, no right answers, no promise of life eternal.

The Wise Woman tradition is invisible. Without healers, without diseases, without cures, without certificates, without guarantees, it exists. It has no rules, no right answers, no promise of life eternal. The Wise Woman tradition is a spiral of uniqueness, everchanging, like a woman, steeped in and rising out of the blood mysteries, the wisdom of womb-ones, the knowledge of those who hold their blood inside.

The Wise Woman tradition honors the ordinary and avoids the exotic, works simply and steers clear of complication, accepts failure, chaos, and the eternal void with humor instead of fear and dread. The Wise Woman tradition is compassionate and heart-centered. It honors the Earth. It is local and ecological and urges us to use our dooryard weeds instead of the latest miracle herb from far away.

The Wise Woman tradition maintains that health is best defined as flexibility and that deviations from normal (that is, problems) offer us an opportunity to reintegrate parts of ourselves that we have cast out, emerging healed/wholed/holy. Illness is understood as an integral part of life and self-growth, with healer, patient and nature as co-participants in the healing process.

This is in marked contrast to other traditions of healing. In the Scientific tradition the doctor is highly visible and the patient is reduced to a body part or a disease designation. In the Heroic or Holistic tradition, the healer is the one who knows the right way to do things and the patient must follow the rules in order to get well. Most so-called alternative medicine comes from Heroic traditions, which emphasize fasting, purification, colonic cleansing, rigid dietary rules, and the use of rare botanicals in complicated formulae. Metaphysical healing also is applied that way: It views illness as a failure rather than a natural and potentially constructive process.

The Wise Woman Tradition reminds us that wellness and illness are not polarities. They are part of the continuum of life. We are constantly renewing ourselves, cell by cell, second by second, every minute of our lives. Problems, by their very nature, can facilitate deep spiritual and symbolic renewal, leading us naturally into expanded, more complete ways of thinking about and experiencing ourselves.

The Wise Woman Tradition encourages us to work towards good health from the inside out. And to remember that our healing choices influence not only ourselves but the entire planet.

Women Accessories: BargainValueDeal

Author: Sara321

Women have always been considered as a fashion statement. And no doubt they do fulfill this criterion. Distinguished fashions and accessories mark different ages. Accessories are small tit bits but they turn out really like a blast if one uses them appropriately. I hope I don’t have to give you a lo Women have always been considered as a fashion statement. And no doubt they do fulfill this criterion. Distinguished fashions and accessories mark different ages. Accessories are small tit bits but they turn out really like a blast if one uses them appropriately. I hope I don’t have to give you a long debate on this one everyone is aware of this reality. Fashion changes over the years, decades but there is no time when you don’t have any fashion. Even wearing no accessory is also a fashion. Though I honestly don’t believe its ever going to happen. There is so many high tycoon celebrities recognized by their specific distinctive accessories. Actually it become like a trademark for them and if you see them without it you’ll feel something is really missing; accessories remained the key in every fashion era to express your overall sense style. Bentley was known as a trailblazer who used her clothing to express her personality and power. A museum is made in America to tell countries history through art, history, and science of textiles. This gave a chance to people to peek a glimpse into both history and fashion. Amazingly the museum staff learned that in upper-class circles in the late 19th century, it was inappropriate to wear sparkling jewels before noon. We all dress-up everyday and everyone knows how they want to project themselves on a particular occasion or in a specific dress, accessories are a foremost way to do that. Not a single outfit is complete without accessories. A touch of earrings, a necklace, few bracelets, a great purse or a colorful scarf, can execute fashionable wonders for an ensemble. Accessories also vary from season to season; like on a cold evening for most evening dresses, shawls are a must wear accessory then you can think of the options of ornate leather belts, silk scarves and cashmere pashmina shawls and flashy jewelry (http://www.bargainvaluedeals.com/jewelry-and-watches.php ). But casual outfits can be jazzed up with chunky neck, wrist, and ear jewelry. There are few among us who have an eye for accessorizing. It’s just like tasting cake batter and knowing that some vital ingredient is missing and then knowing the perfect "spice" to create the oomph-factor. Sometimes even a right hat or the right purse can make all the difference. You can play with innumerable combinations that suit you, but always keep a balance in the usage of fashion accessories. Most important fashion tip is not to accessorize more than one area of an outfit. Too many beaded necklaces can crowd an evening dress making it fussy instead of classy. And a jeweled neckline needs no further embellishment. When dressing, find your central focus. It can be your hair, or waist - accessorize that area. Lots of layers and chunky jewelry are the headlines for 2006 along with big bold strands of beads. Moreover wearing silver, gold or beaded necklaces they should also be layered. Those days are long gone when you wore one chain, now its three at a time but definitely they should not be of the same length. And in dresses you can safely stock your wardrobe this year with bursting confident colors, fabulous floral prints, eccentric beads and lace galore. Allow your outfits to stand out boldly. You can make the choice of accessories easy by determining a wide array of affordable items that can complete any fashion statement. You can find discount designer handbags and purses in leather, suede and nylon - and convenient canvas totes at a fraction of their original price on big sales. A bright collection of discount designer sunglasses will keep out those harmful UV rays to protect your beautiful eyes as well as give you a more stylish look. Furthermore women designer wallets offer stylish, durable support for your belongings. Scarves, headbands, anklets, even a single vulnerable flower add flamboyance to any look; diverse styles guarantee the perfect intonation. Small final accessory essentials will spin you accessorize the whole year round. Cosmetic bags, leather gloves, wool caps, suede ponchos and comfy slippers should also be considered for your collection. Then popular collection of brand name fragrances are available in abundance to add a sophisticated air to your fashion statement, it also gives an irresistibly romantic aura to your personality. People will scent your presence long before you arrive. You can enjoy wearing a hat to cover your lovely curly tendrils while breezing down the streets. There are few hints you can use to get the best accessories for you to bring out the best in you. Accessories if chosen correctly can change an outfit from dreary to fabulous in minutes. On the other hand inaccurate accessories can ruin your look. Try to go for accessories matching your outfit, not an outfit to match your accessories. Accessories should always be in harmony with the weight of your dress. For instance, if you are wearing a skirt or suit in a heavy fabric don’t put on sandals. Rings are always in, don’t wear too many at one time it will look gaudy. For office, wear only one ring on each hand. Choose the earrings that compliment the shape or bone structure of your face. While wearing glasses or sunglasses always limit the accessories around your face to two. Jewelry should match the style of clothes for instance if you are wearing pearl earrings, they are best worn with a dressy outfit and flashy, ornate earrings are best kept for festive, party events. Shoes and anklets are great accessory; one line is enough to explain shoes, that not a dress is complete without an appropriate matched shoe. Now for anklets every girl doesn’t wear it. But it adds a very trendy and individualistic look to you. It pampers and adorns your feet. Feet are among the most beautiful parts of a woman’s body, maybe now in modern age we don’t see much emphasize on feet a lot but in old ages it was a craze to try to maintain your feel as beautiful and moon-shaped as possible. Women with small feet were considered noble and aristocratic in ancient China. Anklets are lightweight and fancy decorations for the feet. There are so many with tiny charms that usually include symbols, like cats, hearts, star, and bells -- the variety is everlasting. Multicolored anklets woven from fibers or threads can give a great look with casual sandals or flip-flops. Whereas ankle bracelets made of fine-spun gold and silver make a beautiful tandem with fashion shoes, and look grand for formal events. Headbands should give your face an instant lift. All kinds of bands are available thick, thin, with patterns, crystals, and come in every imaginable color. Try to place the band according to the shape of your face so that it can tribute your face in the most effective way. If you find it difficult to place headband on your head then get a band with teeth inside or an elastic one. Flower in hair is a stroke of fashion not done by everyone but I am pretty sure everyone yearns to do that at least once in her lifetime. Besides this the most popular trend is barrettes, clips, and hairpins. Ponytails are always in; go for a hair band that is in contrast to your hair color that will stand out more. Today’s latest craze is of cell phones, yes of course everyone has one, and that’s why each one of us wants to possess a different kind of it. This high-fashion statement of cell phones will go a long way. But you can still manage to have your individuality in cells too by adding flashy dangling accessories or by having your own customized ring tones to your cell phone. After that you can also ask the company to decorate your set with crystals, there are companies who make changes on costumers inquiry and by the way there is actually a cell sold by a company which is all platinum and diamonds, But exactly I would say that’ll be too expensive. And I am sure you can innovate your mobile in your own way much inexpensively. All these little things portray whole sketch of your personality to the person you are meeting for the first time. And in the same way you can also get to know a lot of things about a person without uttering a single word by glancing at the choice of his accessories.

Ladies: Why Should Gift Baskets Be Your First Shopping Choice?

Author: Brian F Connors

Life can be a hassle with little opportunity to shop for the quality gifts that you need throughout the year. Find out about a shortcut that will make your life easier.
Life has proven that the celebration of a special event oftentimes means the giving of a gift to bestow blessings or honors upon another person living far or near. This exercise of mankind's tradition has brought about a source of joy to the half of the transaction known as the beneficiary. The beneficiary getting something nice with no effort or payment on their part is certainly an ideal situation to be envied by all.

But what about the gracious giver of the gift who shall henceforth be referred to in this article as the provider? This entity must engage in a determined thought process and take conscious action to bring about the whole execution of the plan. The provider can be faced with a multitude of obstacles during this procedure. Questions of what to give and how to get it into the hands of the beneficiary loom large for folk and many times on an annual basis. What is a smart and strategic way to surmount this hurdle?

The answer is gift baskets! Why? Gifts of this sort cover a multitude of themes one of which could instantly capture the excitement of the lucky beneficiary. The odds are in the provider's favor that there is one that would bring about a most joyous feeling of gratitude from the recipient no matter what age group or status. There are literally dozens of themes any of which could be the bulls-eye sought after by the searching provider.

Gift baskets provide gift solutions that focus on hobbies such as golf, gardening, movies, casino gambling, and even race cars. Is there a love for gourmet or Italian or spicy food? There are gift baskets for those as well. Need a way to express your happy thoughts for a birthday or a newborn baby or new neighbor? No problem with those categories either. Want to send a note of healing to an ailing friend? How about a romantic message with some flirty niceties? Gourmet chocolate? The list goes on and you're covered for pretty much whatever theme that you may be looking for.

Stage two of the process involves the delivery of the goods to the beneficiary. Does that mean going through the hassle of wrapping the thing up neatly and putting it in a box and later trekking down to the post office and standing in line before handing it over to be shipped? It might but it doesn't have to!

All that you need to do is find the right gift baskets source that will eliminate all of that unnecessary trouble and fuss for you. The simplest way is to go online to pick the right gift through a worthy gift basket enterprise and give them all of the specifics of who and where to send it and by when. Gotcha covered on the delivery side as well!

The old expression that life is too short certainly applies during these circumstances. Take this advice to heart and both sides of the gift giving equation would live a happier life.

A General List of Time Saving Tips For Work or Home

• The older the popcorn the more unpopped kernels you have. To revive your popcorn, cover it with water. Then pour the water off and place the kernels in the freezer for a couple of hours before popping. When you pop the corn you'll find it to be especially fluffy and with almost no unpopped kernels.
  
• Another freezer tip: Store batteries in the freezer to prolong their life. Wrap them so their ends do not touch each other and let them thaw for about an hour before you use them.
  
• Is your steam iron clogged with mineral deposits? A simple way to clean it is to steam straight vinegar in it for a few minutes then fill with water and steam again. Test iron on a towel before using.
  
• "Bulls Eye Eggs" are fried eggs that are perfectly round with the yolk in the center. This is easy if you use tuna cans (well washed, of course) that have had both ends removed. Simply place the can on the skillet and crack the egg into it. No more whites that run together or broken yolks.
  
• Do you know what your carpet looks like under the legs of a couch or other heavy piece of furniture when you move it? It leaves a very pronounced dent. Remove the dents by placing an ice cube or two in the dent and leave it overnight. In the morning the pile can be easily brushed up.
  
• Clean clogged spray paint can nozzles by replacing the nozzle on a can of WD-40 with the clogged nozzle and depressing it a couple of times. Then return both nozzles to their original cans.
  
• A great way to keep your jewelry separated is to line a drawer with plastic, flat fishing tackle boxes. You can get these in the sporting section of a store. For travel, small plastic pillboxes work great for earrings and chains.
  
• If you ever travel you know how alike suitcases can look. Once, I didn't even realize I had the wrong suitcase until I got home to unpack! Now I put a bright orange tape around the handles of my bags. I can spot them immediately regardless of look-alikes.
  
• Carry return address stickers in your planner. Whenever you need to fill out a form it's simple. This is especially good when you drop off film. Put an extra sticker on your roll of film in case it gets separated from the envelope.
  
• Take advantage of seasonal holiday clearances to stock a gift box. Often items included in a particular holiday clearance are suitable for any gift-giving occasion. When you keep a gift box stocked with gifts you always have them on hand, which saves you both time and money!
  
• To change a burned out light bulb, take the corrugated cardboard sleeve from the new bulb and place it over the old bulb to unscrew it. No more burned fingers or risk of broken bulbs.
  
• Don't scrub burned on food. Simply sprinkle the pan liberally with baking soda, add enough water to moisten and let it sit over night. The next day the burned on mess will wash right off.
  
• The easiest way to soften rock-hard brown sugar is to put a slice of fresh apple in the bag.
  
• Remove an adhesive bandage without pain. Soak a cotton ball with baby oil and dab it on the sticky parts of the bandage. In about 10 minutes, the adhesive will be softened and the bandage will lift right off.
  
• It's strawberry season. To transport your strawberries (or other easily bruised fruit) from store to home without squashing them, put them in a plastic bag, trap some air in the bag and tie it shut. This forms an air pocket around the fruit so they can't fall between the other items in the grocery bag.

Copyright © 1999 - 2001 Susie Glennan

Susie Glennan has been happily married since 1982, is mom to 3 teenagers, and is a Home Maker, Nurturer, Teacher, Author, Professional Speaker, Toastmaster, President of The Busy Woman, Inc., DBA - The Busy Woman's Daily Planner®. She teaches time management seminars, offers FREE consultations with your order, and will help you set up a schedule that's right for you. 800-848-7715 ­ www.thebusywoman.com

5 Tips for WAHM's

So you thought working at home would be an easy thing? Sometimes it's just like working outside the home, or even worse. Along with your full time job as domestic goddess, you are now a CEO of your own company. Here are a few tips for keeping your family as priority while reaching your business goals:

1 - Prioritize. Get your Day Planner and set aside all the time you want to spend with your family. Mark out your daughter's soccer schedule, evenings out with your husband and all other family appointments like doctor visits. When you have someone calling for an appointment for your services or to book a home party, you will have all your "business" time in front of you.

2 - Delegate. Discover what you can and can't live with when it comes to housework. Do you hate dirty dishes hanging out overnight? Can you live with dust? Does it really bug you to have toys all over the floor? Once you have established that, delegate responsibilities to the family. Kids as young as 18 months can help out. My oldest daughter LOVED to help feed the dog at that age. She would bring his bowl to where we kept the food and help scoop it into the bowl. Children can also learn to empty the dryer or put toys in a basket. While they are this young it will require you to help a bit, but as they get older your investment will have paid off. Also employ hubby to help out too!

3 - Automate. Technology is a wonderful thing. Use email forms, voicemail, or ipods to your advantage. Let the voicemail get your business call if little Suzie is screaming her head off and you can't take time to devote to your customers. Do not let technology overtake your free time. Machines are there to help you do your tasks, not to make more time for more tasks.

4 - Re-evaluate. Every once in a while (I recommend every 3 months), look at what you are doing and redo things as needed. Your son may have earned his next karate belt and now his classes are on a different day. Change your calendar to reflect this. Update your voicemail or email responses to reflect your new schedule.

5 - Enjoy. You are a WAHM (Work at home mom) for a reason- to be there for your kids. So whether they are in school or you are home schooling, set side time to go to the park, take in a movie, or just goof off at home. Resist the temptation to do business on family time.

Author Cara Sonnier (admin@thedessertbox.com) and her husband Eddie along with their 2 children live in southern Louisiana. She is a home schooling mom and owner of The Dessert Box http://www.thedessertbox.com/

Do Women Make Better Investors Than Men? By Mika Hamilton

Being involved with a company that trains people how to actively trade in the stock market. I have seen thousands of both men and women start off down the road to prosperity through various types of investing. Approximately eighty percent of our clients are male. But I’d wager that eighty percent of the most successful investors, are women.

Based on this experience, I began to wonder why is it that women tend to be better investors than men. I thought about it over and over, and I could not ignore the facts. Women make more successful investors than men.

But why? I think it comes down to three simple words: EGO, EGO, EGO. The one thing that most men have in common is a macho ego.

Men tend to let their egos make their decisions for them. They hold when they should sell. They buy in for fear of missing out on that one big opportunity. The refuse to ask questions or to ask for help in fear of looking silly.

In other words, men are more interested in looking strong, knowledgeable or successful than they are in making money.

They invest not to get the best deal out of the market but invest so that they look good (or not look bad).

Women on the other hand, are much more likely to ask questions until they fully understand what they are learning, and they are usually more interested in the goal, (in this case making money) than they are in impressing the people around them.

Usually when people think of investing, they think of taking chances and risks. But the truth is that investing has much more to do with emotional intelligence than most people realize. Emotional intelligence is the ability to think objectively about a situation and not get too emotionally involved in it. Women, in general, possess a high emotional intelligence.

This quality makes women great investors. Rather than investing according to what will make them look good, women will invest according to a plan—not according to what mood they are in or whether they will be “right” or “wrong".

Investing is not about being right or wrong. It’s about making money. Women are able to put their egos aside in ways men have trouble doing. This ability to set their ego aside makes women great investors.

Need proof? Ask yourself this: if a man and a woman are lost on a trip, who is more likely to stop and ask for directions? Women are more likely to ask investment questions until they completely understand the concepts. Men, on the other hand, can be too afraid to ask the necessary questions because he may look bad doing so.
Women tend to come to investing with a mind to learn. And when they learn, they execute solid plans. Men can be heard saying they “know that a company is good”, whereas women can usually tell you why the company is good.

As more and more women turn to investing, I think we will see this trend of women outperforming men. A woman’s ability to put her ego aside already gives her the upper hand in investment strategy.

And because women on average still get paid less than men (a situation that needs to change--pronto!), women can use their inherent advantages to invest more and work less. So men can go out, work hard, and earn a lot of money, whereas women can invest more, work less, and earn a lot more money.

About Author

Mika Hamilton is editor and founder of the Global Investment Institute. http://www.women.global-investment-institute.com An organisation setup to aid people in the pursuit of a better lifestyle through investing and wealth planning.

Womens Health - Pregnancy Nutrition Is For All Women Of Child Bearing Age By Frank Keller

During pregnancy your nutrition needs are going to increase. Even before becoming pregnant it is a good idea to make every effort to start eating healthy and taking a women’s multivitamin. A prenatal multivitamin is a better choice during pregnancy.

Let’s start with the recommended daily intake of food during pregnancy.

DURING PREGNANCY :

7 or more Fruits and Vegetables (3 fruits/4 vegetables)
Fruits and Vegetables high in vitamin C are the best. These include strawberries, melons, oranges, papaya, tomatoes, peppers, greens, and broccoli.

9 or more Whole Grain Products
A fortified breakfast cereal containing iron and folic acid is the best way to start each day. Enriched bread, rice, pasta, and any whole grain product are your other choices.

4 or more dairy products
Low-fat milk or non-fat milk, yogurt, and cheese are the obvious choices.

60 grams of protein (two or more 2-3 ounce portions of lean meat)
Other sources of protein include eggs, nuts, dried beans, and peas. Do not eat undercooked or uncooked meat or fish. (NO SUSHI) Do not eat deli luncheon meats

PREGNANCY NUTRITION FACTS

Fish
Some fish are higher in mercury content than others. Mercury can cause problems with your growing baby’s brain and nervous system. Fish to avoid completely: sharkswordfishking mackerelgolden snapper white snapper

Fish eating limitations: Limit your intake of fish to 12 ounces a weekLimit your intake of white tuna or tuna steak to 6 ounces a week Safest fish to eat:shrimpsalmoncatfish light tuna

Weight

Calorie intake should only be increased by 300 a day during pregnancy for the average woman.Weight gain should be around 28-40 pounds for women that are underweight at pregnancy.Women that are overweight at pregnancy should gain only 15-25 pounds.Weight gain should be around 2-4 pounds the first trimester and 3-4 pounds a month for the remaining time.Excess weight gain is hard to lose after pregnancy because your body’s fat increases up to one third during pregnancy.Breast feeding burns 500 or more calories per day making it easier to lose weight.Consult your health care provider for your specific healthy weight gain.

Vitamins and Minerals

Check the RDA chart for your needs during pregnancy.

Folic Acid is a special concern because a deficiency can lead to neural tube birth defects. Your multivitamin should contain 400 mcg of folic acid. Birth defects happen before you even know you’re pregnant so always take a multivitamin with folic acid during child bearing age.

Vitamin C taken in doses over 500 mg/d can lead to your baby being born dependent on large quantities of vitamin C.

Iron is also of special concern because the average American diet does not provide enough iron during pregnancy. If your prenatal multivitamin does not contain enough iron your doctor will prescribe an additional supplement. Iron is needed for you and the baby to have healthy teeth, bones, and blood.

Water is often overlooked during pregnancy but it is vital for you and your baby. It carries the nutrients from your body to the baby and it helps prevent constipation, hemorrhoids, swelling and urinary tract infection. A minimum of 6 eight ounce glasses a day is required. Juice can count toward your 6 glasses but be careful of the added calories. Any drink containing caffeine actually reduces the fluid in your body and cannot count towards your 6 glasses.

Calcium is needed by you and the baby for strong teeth and bones. During pregnancy you need 1,000 mg/d and 1,300 mg/d if you are less than 18 years old.

Alcohol Consumption

There is no safe time or amount of alcohol to consume during pregnancy. No alcohol is the only way to insure the health of your baby. Alcohol you drink goes to your baby through the umbilical cord. Alcohol affects the baby’s growth, the baby’s brain, and can cause birth defects. These effects will remain with your unborn child for his/her entire life. FASD (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders) is the name given to anyone affected by their mother’s alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Problems learning, memory retention, and hearing are just a few things that alcohol can do to your child.

Caffeine

Caffeine in large quantities can lead to low weight babies. It also reduces the amount of vital water in your body. Although not yet proven, some studies suggest that it may harm the fetus. While not as dangerous as alcohol it should still be avoided.

Diabetics

Diabetics can have perfectly normal babies like every other woman. There are a just a few things you need to be careful of.

1. Keep your blood sugar under control for a minimum of 3 months before becoming pregnant.

2. Make sure you get enough folic acid at all times during your child bearing years (400 mcg/d).

3. Don’t let your blood sugar get too high during pregnancy. This can lead to birth defects or your baby having blood sugar level problems

Ways To Control Morning Sickness

*Eat 6 small meals instead of 3 large ones
*Don’t go without eating for long periods of time
*Don’t drink fluids with your meals
*Don’t eat greasy, spicy, or fried foods
*Avoid unpleasant smells
*Don’t get over tired.

About Author

Hello, my name is Frank Keller and I am the owner of the Women’s Health Supplements website. Don’t be fooled by the name, we are not another vitamin retailer. From artificial sweeteners and bottled water to pregnancy nutrition every word is written to help you make an informed decision. Please visit us at http://www.womens-health-supplements.net

Safety Tips For Women! By Marie Clare

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Are you an insecure woman then boost your self esteem By soma

If you are an insecure women having low self-esteem,no confidence then Stop right now.try to work on yourself,build in confidence,increase your self-esteem so that you could survive with your head held high in this MAN-DOMINATING world.there is no time to sob,envy what other woman has achieved but shred all your fears and trod the spider that has woven web of negative thoughts in your mind.

If you want to bring confidence in yourself then first try to love yourself,to know yourself.trust on yourself and work on your abilities.bookish knowledge won't help you until and unless you help yourself.take a glance at those successful women,they are so confident and glamorous.They did not achieve success in one single leap but all
these were after a long hard work confidence and proper calculation.they earned this success by assembling the different events of their life.they learnt from their struggle and perseverance.in todays world with loads of pressure to juggle every aspects of life in a brief period of time really seems to be tough.but few women are there who manage their family life and business life prudently.

From the time immemorial women has been taking active part in the different field ,some women sacrificed their life for their country,some women claimed their position in scientific research
etc.hats off those women who fuel their potentiality and ignite he flame of achievement and produce themselves as an examples for other women.women with low self-esteem,open your eyes
wide ,groom yourself properly,spark your energy,leave back your veil of shyness,go out and meet with people and you will find a change in yourself.its time for the women to wake up ,value
yourself and whatever barrier come in your way never give up.

Women and Estate Planning: The Need to Be Nontraditional

By Pat McHugh Lambert, Esq.

I am now getting to the age where I have more friends working on their second marriage than their first. Some of those still in their first marriages often have in-laws or grandchildren living with them. And I can’t tell you how many families I know where the wife is the primary bread winner and the husband the primary caregiver. With the mixture and matches that come with families in this modern world, it is becoming almost unusual to find a traditional family. .

Nevertheless, we women often view estate planning in a traditional way. Traditionally, the husband alone met with the attorney to do the estate planning while the wife was relegated to taking care of non-financial matters. Many husbands and their attorneys often felt that wives needed protection from themselves in the event the husband were to die first. Such a traditional approach often caused great financial and emotional burdens on the wife. For example, it was not unusual for a husband to have a Will that stated that all of his assets would be kept in trust after his death to be used for the benefit of his wife during her lifetime. The Will might say that the wife would receive all of the income earned from investing the assets in the trust. Many Wills were silent as to what would happen if the wife needed more than the income that was being generated. Our office had a case where the husband died, many years later the trust is worth $700,000, the income per year is approximately $35,000, but the surviving wife who is now 80 years old wants to go into an assisted living facility that will cost $60,000 per year. Since the trust does not allow the trustee to use some of the principal, she is not be able to receive those additional funds even though using some of the principal would not fully deplete the trust. In other cases, the husband did grant some flexibility to the trustee to take care of his wife but she would be forced to call a friend, relative or financial institution serving as trustee every time she needed funds. Even though the trustee was doing what he felt was a good job, my concern is that having to ask for money could very well hurt the women’s emotional well being.

A wife should not only be involved in the estate planning process, but she should be involved in the financial process during the couple's joint lives. The wife should be acquainted with the professional advisors, including the estate planning attorney, certified public accountant and financial and insurance advisors so that she is not forced to deal with strangers if the husband dies first. She should review financial records and have a general understanding of the family's finances. There are many publications and courses that can help improve someone's knowledge of finances. We try to insist that when we are doing estate planning for married couples that both spouses are present at meetings and at the time the documents are reviewed and signed. In dealing with second marriages, particularly with children from both marriages, it is often advisable for each spouse to have a separate attorney doing his or her planning. If the wife is not comfortable with the estate planning attorney or any other advisor, she should insist that such professional be replaced with someone who she is comfortable with.

We generally recommend that unless there are serious issues concerning a spouse's ability to manage funds that he or she be involved in the decision-making process after the husband dies. For example, we have often named the surviving spouse and a financial institution as trustees for the surviving spouse and granted great flexibility to the trustees. In most cases, we allow the surviving spouse to change the financial institution so that if the bank or trust company is not being cooperative, he or she can pick someone who he or she feels comfortable with. On the other hand, the funds would be professionally managed and protected by the institution. This can be an excellent combination to satisfy a spouse's desire that the money be protected for the benefit of the surviving spouse and allow the spouse to be involved in the process of managing the trust.

Certainly, we women need to take responsibility for protecting ourselves, our spouses and our families when it comes to financial planning. This is a place where we can no longer rest on tradition.

Women's Health: Menopause and Leg Cramps

By Cathy Taylor

Menopause occurs when the levels of estrogen and progesterone become less and menstruation stops completely for over a year. Among the common symptoms of menopause are irregular periods and hot flashes, mood swings, irritability, sleep disturbances, vaginal dryness and urinary tract problems. Menopausal women may also suffer stomach pains and leg cramps and some may suffer more, as compared to others, in terms of sleeplessness.


Menopause and Leg Cramps

Leg cramp pain during menopause can come on suddenly. It can be a shooting, sharp pain that can disturb your sleep, or wake you up. This pain may linger and make the area sore for almost 24 hours.


Menopause and Leg Cramps: The Occurrence

Women going through menopause have to deal with other symptoms as well. There are some pointers to keep in mind for avoiding and treating leg cramps so that you can tackle this problem. If you get leg cramps and feel a sudden pain in your leg, often at night, it can be attributed to a muscle or group of muscles suddenly tightening.

Most leg cramps occur in calf muscles, but cramps in your thigh or in your foot are also possible. Older women are more prone to leg cramps and other contributing factors can be lack of physical exercise, an imbalance of minerals, problems with blood circulation apart from menopause.

For those of you that experience the problem of leg cramps only on certain occasions during menopause, you should consult with your doctor regarding the medications you are taking, as leg cramps may be a side effect of certain medicines.

Leg cramps during menopause do not cause any serious damage, so are not an alarming issue. However, they can disturb your sleep. For most women, leg cramps occur for a short while and usually go away quite suddenly.


Menopause and Leg Cramps: Treatments

Many women report that massaging or stretching the leg helps when they get a cramp. It is good to consult with your doctor, check your bone density and bring yourself up to date with your daily calcium supplements. Leg cramps can also be treated with continuous intake of calcium/magnesium supplements. Other complimentary therapies include drinking a couple of glasses of tonic water and soaking in a peppermint oil bath. A tincture of St. John's wort is reported to also be helpful.


Menopause and Leg Cramps: Insomnia

Menopause and leg cramps have further been linked with sleep disorders like the Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) and Periodic Limb Movement Disorder (PLMD). The RLS and PLMD can disturb sleep in menopausal women and result in more problems like insomnia. RLS usually occurs before sleep sets in and causes calf discomfort and restlessness in the legs, which gets relief in a short time if you move around a bit.

PLMD, however, can cause excessive sleepiness and both conditions are more common in older women going through menopause. The sensations experienced during RLS are not very painful, but more toward discomfort and akin to being anxious. The subsequent leg cramps and creepy crawly feeling is felt deep in the legs, and often occurs when you lie in bed and may cause stress, if not treated in a timely manner.

Visit Cathy at http://www.everythingmenopause.com

The Power of Aromatherapy on Menopause

By Cathy Taylor

Aromatherapy is typically associated with complementary and alternative medicine. It uses essential oils and other scented compounds from plants for the purpose of affecting a person's mood or health.

Aromatherapy can be used to heal symptoms of physical, psychological and emotional discomfort when women move into the perimenopause and menopause years. This phase of life can represent more than half of their adult life if she lives to be 80 years old. So, we need all the menopause relief we can get!

Menopause is typically defined as the time when a woman's menstrual cycle stops for at least 12 months. But what about the years leading up to that final stopping point? There are many reported symptoms of what physicians now refer to as perimenopause that can begin as early as 30 for some women, but typically starts after 45.

Symptoms seem to vary in degree based on numerous other factors in a woman's life including diet, sleep and exercise habits, emotional well-being, relationships, as well as other psychological factors. Things such as irritability, anxiety, memory lapses, or mood swings, night sweats and hot flashes are commonly reported - all due to the hormonal shifts happening because of our biological clocks changing.

About 75% of all women experience hot flashes, night sweats, weight gain, an increase in cholesterol levels, decreased libido which may last for years; as well as long-term effects that can include vaginal dryness and urinary problems.

Fortunately, these unpleasant symptoms can be prevented, reduced and relieved by:

• Finding the right diet, eliminating sugar and caffeine
• Getting the right kind of sleep
• Performing stress relief practices such as meditation
• Drinking plenty of water (at least 64 oz per day)
• Taking high-grade nutritional supplements
• Possibly supplementing bioidentical hormones
• Regular exercise, and
• Adopting some complementary therapies such as yoga, tai chi, spa therapy or holistic aromatherapy

This is a time in life when achieving balance is critical to a woman's health. All of these things will also help to reduce the risk of age-related diseases such as cardiovascular disease, breast cancer, osteoporosis and diabetes.

For a list of detailed menopause symptoms please visit http://www.everythingmenopause.com/menopausesymptoms.htm

To read more about How to Conquer Menopause, go to http://www.howtoconquermeonpause.com/

Aromatherapy has been practiced for over 2,000 years and uses distilled essences obtained for the leaf, stem, flower, fruit peel, bark and/or root of a tree.

When the essential oils release their aromatic molecules into the air they not only carry a pleasant fragrance to the olfactory bulb in your nose, they also cause a response from the limbic system of the brain. This area of our brain works in conjunction with the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus region to regulate a person's hormonal activity.

These scents can trigger the production of hormones that govern your appetite, body temperature, insulin production, overall metabolism, as well as stress levels and sex drive.

Essential oils can positively affect all of these functions through your sense of smell which is your most complex and sensitive sense. For example, your sense of smell is over 10,000 times more sensitive than taste and researchers have shown that aroma can cause a brain reaction.

Stress, anxiety and psychosomatic-induced problems are particularly helped by aromatherapy. Other symptoms such as muscular and rheumatic pains, digestive disorders, PMS and postnatal depression are also highly improved by these aromatic scents.

Essential oils are very concentrated and their properties are potent. They contain molecules small enough to enter your skin. These oils need to be diluted with a carrier oil (except lavender and tea tree) before applying directly on the skin. You can also use a vaporizer, spray; put them in a bath, cold or hot compress, or use in a perfume. Essential oils are also fantastic in a massage.

Some recommended essential oils for menopausal women:

Bergamot: uplifts mood and reduces anxiety and depression

Chamomile: calming effect; eases tension, anxiety and headaches.

Geranium: balances hormones and reduces stress

Juniper: regulates period and relieves water retention

Rose: relieves pre-menopause and post-menopause symptoms

Ylang Ylang: aphrodisiac that relaxes the nervous system

Sandalwood: promotes vaginal secretions and stimulates sex hormones

Lavender: fantastic sedative properties that aid in sleep

Jasmine: euphoric and eases tension and anxiety

Frankincense: helps psychosomatic problems and anxiety

Clary Sage: eases hot flashes and night sweats as well as PMS

ESSENTIAL OIL	RESULTS
Bergamot	Uplifts mood and reduces anxiety and depression
Chamomile	Calming effect, eases tension, anxiety and headaches
Geranium	Balances hormones and reduces stress
Juniper	Regulates period and relieves water retention
Rose	Relieves pre-menopause and post-menopause symptoms
Ylang Ylang	Aphrodisiac that relaxes the nervous system
Sandalwood	Promotes vaginal secretions and stimulates sex hormones
Lavender	Fantastic sedative properties that aid in sleep
Jasmine	Euphoric and eases tension and anxiety
Frankincense	Helps psychosomatic problems and anxiety
Clary Sage	Eases hot flashes and night sweats as well as PMS

Visit Cathy at http://www.everythingmenopause.com

Join the National Association of Baby Boomer Women!

Empowering Women to Live Their Passions

The National Association of Baby Boomer Women is the only association devoted to addressing issues concerning 38 million of the healthiest, wealthiest, and best educated generation of women to ever hit midlife, baby boomer women.

NABBW is dedicated to:

*Empowering women to explore their passions and live life to the fullest.
*Connecting, encouraging, and supporting baby boomer women.

NABBW promises:

*A membership package that includes information on self-improvement skills, free legal and financial advice using e-mail, exclusive member discounts on a variety of products and services, easy ways to connect with other boomer women, and MORE.

*A sense of belonging to a creative, powerful, encouraging group of women that will leave you feeling refreshed, revived, and renewed.

*Access to information from an enthusiastic, energetic, wise, and warm panel of experts who have written books, founded Web sites, and coached women on the many topics, including women's health, empty nest, finding purpose at midlife, eldercare, menopause, domestic violence, creating joy, fearless aging, baby boomer humor, legal and financial addvice, travel and more!

Check us out and JOIN today!

For more information, please visit: http://www.boomerwomenspeak.com

Contact Information:
Dotsie Bregel

dots@boomerwomenspeak.com

Baby branding

News flash from the land of flamboyant parenting: Those wacky New Zealand parents who wanted to name their baby boy "4real" (but were foiled by a New Zealand law prohibiting names beginning with numbers) have now settled on a more familiar moniker. Superman, as he will be called in official contexts, will still go by 4real in the home.

I'll admit, I'm one of those people who like weird names, but this level of weirdness verges on abuse. What happens when the kid's grown out of the superhero stage or when instant messenger handles like 4real are really embarrassing? It suggests that baby naming officials -- in New Zealand at least -- have their work cut out for them. They told the BBC that they had recently rejected the names Satan and Adolf Hitler.

A recent Wall Street Journal article (covered here) made much about the new culture of naming in which anxious parents read dozens of books and even hire professional naming consultants to help them "brand" unique children. Of course, parents who misuse their naming power are not a new phenomenon. My father's cousin's last name was Butts; was there any excuse for the parents naming the baby boy Harry? And what justifies the teen mother I knew who, at the height of the local crack crisis, decided to name her baby after its father's source of income: L.A.Money? Now that corporate branding has saturated our culture, don't be surprised if more doting parents name their kids after a soon to be released operating system?

My inexpert opinion is that the current preoccupation with baby naming mirrors our cultural obsession with personal expression in a time when our individual sense of political power is on the wane. In an ideal world, having a baby expresses faith in the future -- a faith many parents so conscious of food additives and melting ice caps may not have. In naming a baby you get to engage in a massive act of pure parental projection -- perhaps for the last time.

So maybe that's why the state gets involved in such matters -- like protecting a child from disease, maybe the idea is that communities need to protect children from names that might hurt them in the future.

-- Carol Lloyd

How can churches serve sex offenders?

What do you do if a convicted sex offender wants to worship at your church? Or, for that matter, if a member of your congregation is accused of a sex crime? For many church directors, it's a question that can divide the community. According to the Associated Press, several Unitarian Universalists have joined with the New England Adolescent Research Institute to create an online course to help churches set guidelines for what to do if this happens -- the hope being that if a set of guidelines is already in place, it'll be easier for churches to deal with situations as they arise.

The course is called "Balancing Acts" and is available free online. (Though it was created by Unitarian Universalists, its guidelines are applicable to other denominations.) It suggests that churches first determine how much of a risk the person could pose to children if he or she were allowed to participate in religious activities. After that has been discussed, there are several options churches can take to limit the person's access to kids while still allowing him or her the chance to worship. Using what's called a "limited access agreement," the church and the suspect or convict can make arrangements so that the person is always escorted while in church, or is allowed to attend only adult services or make one-on-one appointments with a minister. As for the kids, the course suggests that the church make sure that they're accompanied by at least two adults, and that they are in open spaces whenever possible.

Balancing Acts' methods are far from perfect -- there's no guarantee that just having a policy in place is going to prevent a congregation from splitting when a suspected or convicted sex offender tries to worship. But as senior pastor Carl Wilfrid told the AP, "it's certainly a good idea for congregations to start thinking and talking about these issues."

Meatheads

Today's New York Times Styles piece on women who eat red meat on a first date as a "strategy" to lure men into their carnivorous maws (a conceit so odious that it makes me think of that exchange in "Grease" in which someone tells Rizzo to bite the weenie and she replies, "With relish!") quotes Martha Flach as saying that she eats steak and burgers on dates because red meat sends the message that she is, in her words, "unpretentious and down to earth and unneurotic" and "that I'm not obsessed with my weight even though I'm thin, and I don't have any food issues."

OK. So for those of you following along: Selecting a food to eat on a date because you have calculated that ordering it (provided that you are thin) will give the impression that you do not have food issues? That's a food issue. A great indication that you do not have food issues (regardless of your weight) would be if you looked at a menu and said, "Mmm. That looks good. I'll have that."

Yeah. This whole story is about people who -- after years of eschewing "food" in an effort to appear "dainty" -- now worry that if they don't order red meat, their dates will think them "wimpy, insipid, childish ... vapid and uninteresting." So, writes Allen Salkin, they now order rib-eye to make "a declarative statement, something along the lines of 'I am woman, hear me chew.'"

How about "I am woman, watch me ralph all over this ludicrous piece that takes as its base the assumption that women spend their lives performing some market-tested version of femininity designed to land them a man on false pretenses."

-- Rebecca Traister

A World of Difference from BlogHer 07 to Vegas

TGIF and that I'm back at my desk! Last Friday I was at BlogHer's "World of Difference" conference on the Navy Pier. Four days later, I hit OC in time to drive to Vegas for a Sustainable Furniture Show. Talk about a world of difference.

I have about 150 business cards and 1000 ideas to unpack on how to join these two worlds together (the Sustainable part, not Vegas)

The common denominator is the World of Difference theme. At BlogHer I met so many interesting, opininated women - diversity was expected not challenged. The more diverse (or niched) their blog, the more often they found an audience of people just like them. I loved the new cards. Often I was handed both a "biz" card and a personality card. The first revealed their role in work and the second their role in the world. Liz Henry's was one of those people. I know I have her little purple headed card around here somewhere. It didn't make it into the shot above that I took at the airport.

At the Sustainable Furniture Show I saw diversity at work again in design and options and ways of thinking that can help combat Climate Change. I was there as part of Channel Logic's crew who put on the show. Like in any big shift of thinking, it's the smaller companies who are moving the fastest and offer the freshest ideas.

Henri Philippe is an example of this new movement. His beach-flavored furniture is made of recycled lumber from old Brazilian homes and barns. The rainbowed colors are reformed and made into patio or sand or garden furniture that quietly say, "Beer me." He smartly made a "bar" part of his booth, offering coffee in the morning and cocktails in the afternoon (my kind of guy).

Henri is a colorful as his furniture. He's an expat from France, who now lives in Brazil and also grows boutique organic, free trade coffee that he hires locals to harvest and hand roast. (had to take a bag of that home) Next time you need coffee to start your day or a chair to end it in, consider buying something from Henri that is Sustainable and comes with a samba inside.

It's exciting to be a part of both worlds and SO refreshing to have individual expression taking a front seat again. I'll have many more of my opinions later after I collect my thoughts.

It was great putting faces on all the people I've emailed or talked to in the last 6 months. Virtual is good, but nothing beats a face-to-face.

Roundup: Virtual wives, non-ironic feminism and more

"The Science of Insulting Women." Melissa Lafsky, over at the New York Times' Freakonomics blog, alerted us to her post today about a pair of psychologists who have set out to answer what motivates men to insult women in romantic relationships. Their study, which was published last month, showed that men who frequently insulted their partners were also more likely to engage in "negative mate retention" strategies (like extreme possessiveness or keeping their partner under constant surveillance). The researchers concluded that hurling insults at their partner is a small part of a larger strategy to keep her around. Not to worry, guys: Next, they're looking into why women engage in the same behavior.

Is it cheating when the other woman is your virtual wife? Today, the Wall Street Journal discovers that people -- even married people -- are using the Internet for cyber sex. That probably isn't news to anyone who's managed to find their way here, but the article proves to be quite the entertaining freak show. Meet Ric Hoogestraat, a married man who is maintaining a separate virtual marriage in Second Life. Here's a choice quote from Hoogestraat's real life wife: "You try to talk to [your husband] or bring them a drink, and they'll be having sex with a cartoon."

This just in: Andy Samberg is a feminist in the non-ironic sense. The comedian confirmed that when he wore that much-commented-on National Organization of Women T-shirt to the Spike TV Awards, it was "totally sincere" and "a little wink" to everyone in his home town of Berkeley, Calif. This means we can continue to enjoy his moments of glory amid "Saturday Night Live's" extended death throes.

"Octogenarian Eager to See Killer Hubby." Here's a weird one: A man who "bludgeoned" his grandmother and great-aunt to death 30 years ago has been released into his 88-year-old wife's open arms. He wasn't actually jailed for those murders (he was found not guilty by reason of insanity and spent six years in a mental institution) but, instead, for two counts of first-degree sexual assault on a 12-year-old girl and later for a parole violation.

Charges in sex trafficking case. Nine Guatemalans have been charged with selling women and girls into sex work in the U.S. Robert Schoch, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement special agent, said: ''These young women were enticed into coming to this country by promises of the American dream only to arrive and discover that what awaited was a nightmare."

LIVING LIFE AS A SPIRITED WOMAN: MAKING TIME FOR CREATIVITY

by Cathryn Hrudicka

Every day, I read at least one article, blog or excerpt from a book about creativity and innovation. It seems like a topic of the time we live in, and it has always been a priority focus in my life.

We often think of creativity as an ephemeral quality that belongs mainly to artists and inventors, but I have always believed that it is an inherent quality in human beings, something we’re born with.

I don’t believe there are ordinary people, only people who have let themselves blend in. Some people just seem to have more access to their creativity than others, and are able to be effective at using it to manifest new artworks, inventions, products, services or other expressions in the world.

Allowing one’s self to experience the full potency of one’s own creativity is indeed a powerful experience; it is the one thing that never fails to make me feel “empowered.” When other things in life have gone wrong, and I’ve felt discouraged, I could always count on the vibrancy of my imagination to carry me through. It’s like having a magical friend who’s always there for you, able to help you perceive a dark day differently, and to help you find a new way to do things so they will work out better next time. It’s like carrying around a bag of sunshine inside!

So how do I access my own creativity? It’s something I have to stop and think about, because it comes so automatically to me. We all get stuck in ruts, especially when we’re busy, overloaded with work and the stimuli of modern life. In the early years of my career, it occurred to me that I was becoming a “workaholic,” spending most of my time developing my expertise and trying to prove—to myself, as much as others—that I was highly competent and could produce the results demanded in the workplace. I would often work many more than eight hours a day, until I realized my life was way out of balance. It was time to shake things up and rekindle the flame of my inner artist, which had languished for too long.

Like any other skill or ability, we need to make time in our lives to be creative and to nurture our gifts, which we develop further by choice. We may be born with a particular talent, but unless we make time to keep learning about it, we will get stuck on a plateau. I felt that was happening to me, because I wasn’t taking enough time to sing, play my instruments, write poetry, draw, paint, or develop any of the other creative skills that came easily to me as a small child—maybe too easily. A wise person once said that the hardest gifts to value are those that you take most for granted.

To find your gifts, you have to step back until you can see yourself from a different perspective. You do not necessarily have to make a drastic move, such as abruptly quitting your job or moving to another location.

To live more creatively, you have to make a commitment to yourself to do it in small, regular, ongoing steps, every day, rather than thinking only in large, black and white pictures. We tend to do too much “either—or” thinking, i.e. “I’ll tell my boss to shove it, I’ll hit the road, and I’ll write the next Great American Novel, make the bestseller list, and be a star, and I’ll never have to work again.” It’s either that, or we tend to think of ourselves as a “failure,” locked into a job that holds little meaning for us, where we overwork and don’t do our artwork for years, or whatever truly gives us joy and touches our heart.

Fortunately, a growing number of people are rebelling against this mindset and are not waiting until “retirement” to rediscover those precious inner talents. Leading the rebellion are women—Spirited Women—everywhere, especially in the Western World, where a combination of affluence, education, feminism, a yearning for a more balance life, and an openness to self-discovery has led us to take strategic risks and set out on new paths toward our long-deferred inner dreams.

Often, the inner voyage to rediscover one’s spirit and hidden talents starts with a vacation, a weekend retreat or a workshop—such as the fabulous Spirited Woman Workshops, created by Nancy Mills—which we give to ourselves as a treat, much like going to a spa on a rainy day. We invest in our self for a few hours, or a day—and then, the trick becomes: How do I continue this joyful ride and keep it going after the workshop or retreat is over? How do I make that commitment to my own creativity, on a daily basis, in my regular life?

Every Spirited Woman must ultimately answer those questions for herself, but here are a few simple steps anyone can take anywhere, right now:

• If you are sitting at a computer, get up and go for a short walk—if you are not able to go outside, walk through your office building or home, and take a different path than usual. Take a different elevator, a different hallway, or walk past a different department—vary your routine.

• Look and listen attentively as you walk. Notice anything different than you noticed before. Use all your senses, and take deeper breaths. Notice all the sights, colors, sounds and smells around you. Carry a notebook or journal with you and take a few minutes to jot down some of your sensory observations. The main idea is to shake up your routine, be in the present, and notice new things, using all of your senses.

• Say hello and engage in a short conversation with at least one new person a day, if possible, or three to five new people a week. Don’t just choose them for business networking reasons. Try to notice more people who are different than those you would normally talk to—people of all different ages, genders, racial and ethnic backgrounds. Say hello to as many different kinds of people as possible, and enjoy talking with them, even if it only lasts for a minute. Find at least one quality about each of them that you especially appreciate, and write it down in your journal. Notice the range and tone of their voices, and if they have an accent. Write down any details like this that you notice.

• Do at least one thing a day to vary your schedule or routine—if you normally boot up your computer and check your email first thing in the morning, do something else instead for 15-30 minutes, such as standing up and doing simple stretches, listening to music, or taking a short stroll outside. If you can’t leave your desk, close your eyes for a few minutes and listen to all the sounds around you. Take ten deep breaths before you open your eyes, and then write down some of the sounds you heard.

I’ll bet when go on to a more routine task, you’ll have a slightly shifted perspective, and it will seem like a more joyful task to you than before. You may find yourself feeling strangely energized or at least, lighter, like a burden has been taken from your shoulders.

If you repeat the relatively non-threatening exercises above for a week or two, I guarantee you will start experiencing a subtle shift in your perception of your environment. Who knows, it could lead to other things, like taking a half hour every other night to do something creative that you’ve been avoiding or haven’t enjoyed for awhile, instead of just turning on the television.

You might read a chapter of a new book, do a simple doodle drawing, or make up a song about something happening to you, even if it feels really silly! Whatever comes naturally to you in your half-hour daily “retreat” is where you should start.

If you add up three or four nights a week where you spend a half hour on your inner self, you’ll eventually add hours of creativity to your life that you didn’t think you had. It’s time for a joyful reunion with your inner Spirited Woman, a gift you can give yourself every day or evening, wherever you are, no matter what else is going on in your life!