Sun Goddess

Sandy Beach, Hawaii.

Well, it doesn't quite feel like summer here in North East Ohio, even though it's mid-July. However, the sun is still there, and she's kickin'! I don't know about you, but I'm a sun worshiper. Sure, I live in NEO, but I am convinced that I was an island girl in my past lives ... all of them. And I know that I will be living coastal again soon. It's my destiny. I feel it in my bones and every cell. I can't hear the word "California" without the mournful feeling that I left half my soul there and need to get her back asap.

Meanwhile, as I manifest California (I'm open to Hawaii too, just throwin' that out there) into my reality, I like to take advantage of the short but gorgeous summers here on the lake. I'm a firm believer in seizing opportunity, even if you aren't in your complete destiny yet. This whole ride needs to give me butterflies in my stomach. So, I often escape to the sandy (and rocky) shores of Lake Erie.

Water = Life, even lake water ...

I have a favorite spot that I discovered (thanks Mom!) after ... 9 years of living here? We just found it this year. Waterfall on one side, big body of water on the other, strip of sand in the middle. Paradise? Close! Probably as close as you can get in the midwest. Just when I thought I couldn't live here another second, something this beautiful popped up and gave me a little bit of relief. Isn't it nice when the universe does that for you? Gives you a little cushion ... a little "you've been good, here's a treat."?
Isn't she a pretty little treat?

My oasis, sanctuary, church, meditation room & sanity. Not a bad life for a log.

Same log, looking out to the lake. He picked a great spot to lay to rest. 

In this incredibly confusing and distracting time of social media, oversharing, chaos, corporate greed, video gaming, spending beyond our means (for things that will just end up in a landfill); it's imperative for our existence to delve into nature ... to sit, listen, release thoughts, cleanse the mind, forgive, forget, breathe and just simply BE. Be one with it. Feel yourself a part of it. Listen to the waves and allow them to pull the anger/hurt/resentment from your mind and visualize them washing away forever. Let go. Feel the sun pulsate through your veins. Nature has a life-force. Nature is a life-force. Sometimes we get so caught up in "having to do this" or "that" or "work" or "clean" (or anything that distracts us from what we really are) that we forget the most essential part of living. We don't have to wait for vacation to relax. We deserve to relax daily. Take 5 or 10 minutes even. My 2 kids are attached to my hip, but I take them. I want them to grow up immersed in this. 

There's a healing power to connecting to the earth that regrounds and recenters us. In life, there is nothing we HAVE to do, other than be HAPPY. And there's nothing more important to do, than be happy. It's the most essential thing to pass on. And sometimes, even a short skip to a special spot, a few times a week, can release the stress that binds us in this daily grind.

Man oh man, I do get distracted easily. I actually came to announce the unofficial  release of my sunscreen, arriving in just under 2 weeks from today! But, like I do, I got caught up in the eb and flow of my thoughts, which ran away with me! I've had so many people come to me asking which brand of sunscreen was the "best" or "safest" for their crunchygranola skin and their kid's skin too. So, I decided to take my recipe to the masses. It's probably no secret that conventional sunscreens are laden with problematic ingredients (not to mention the recent "news" on the dangers of the spray stuff!!!). I'm not here to knock anyone down, but you can read the long list of sunscreen ingredients and their effects on your body by clicking here to EWG's website. I always reference EWG for anything I put on my body or on my precious kids' bodies. After trying several brands of "natural sunscreen" for years, I found that I just didn't love that I couldn't rub them in nicely. Not to mention some still contained things that I was just not 100% comfortable with. So, coming soon (in "unscented" for tots; "dreamcicle" or "chillaxin" for us big kids), at an etsy shop (or pick up) near you ...