A lot of people resist transition and therefore never allow themselves to enjoy who they are. Embrace the change, no matter what it is; once you do, you can learn about the new world you’re in and take advantage of it.

~ Nikki Giovanni

Happy December!!!

WHAT?! It’s already December?! Am I the only one who feels that way?

Probably not. So, although this installation of my blog will be primarily update-oriented, I’ll also offer a sprinkling of resources to help you navigate your holiday season with mindfulness and a spirit of resilience-building. 🙂

 

First, some ANNOUNCEMENTS:
(Sound the trumpets!)

    1. Babies – As of yesterday, I am 26 weeks pregnant. I’m almost to the third trimester! Whoo hoo!!! And holy moly, has this been a mystical experience thus far that is blowing my mind about

      baby bump’ing the Christmas tree

      as much as I thought it would! That being said, kiddo isn’t even here yet and I know it’s only going to keep blowing my mind with each remaining stage of pregnancy, delivery, and life outside the womb.  I tell you what, if ever there was a time to practice what I preach about self-care habits, now is it! Admittedly, due to news items #2 and #3 below, I’ve gotten off my preferred track. But that is life! And the beauty of resilience training (how I see “self-care’) is that it equips us to course-correct as we go, and not self-bash for our bumps in the road.

    2. Business – Along with the news of forthcoming Baby Plummer Taylor, my spouse and I began to ask ourselves some questions we’d asked before, but which were previously entirely theoretical. With the double pink lines on the little white stick, $H*T got real!! Haha! :-p (Can I get an “AMEN” from the parents out there?!)  

Long story short, two of our major questions were around how we were working and where we were living. Although we both enjoyed so much about living in Northern Virginia, we thought it best for both of us to invite in a little more stability and work-life balance, if possible. I’m serious when I say this – THANK GOD – options were there for both of us. My husband was offered a job by a Denver-based company known for both high quality work as well as supporting work-life balance for their employees. I was offered a job by a non-profit called The Mission Continues (TMC) that connects veterans to their communities through service and support projects, socials, and fellowships.

Therefore, I am now the City Impact Manager of Denver and Colorado Springs for TMC. I’ve been running my small business full-time for nearly 7 years now, though, so this definitely is a big transition. And my new J-O-B job at TMC is full-time and deserves my focus. As long as I feel it’s still responsible to do so, however, I’ll keep operating some elements of Semper Sarah on a case-by-case basis. For now, I am teaching my yoga classes at The Freyja Project on Mondays and Thursdays (and twice monthly volunteer teaching yoga classes at VFW Post-1 (FREE classes)), and can still deliver inspirational speeches,training, and workshops when requested and time allows me to deliver it at high quality, adjunct teach a course or two at Charleston Southern University again (because I loved it so much this fall!), and potentially run one wellness retreat in 2018.

 

  1. Big Moves – By now you’ve probably gathered where I’m going with this last item, but WE MOVED BACK TO COLORADO!!! It truly was a factor of blessing, serendipity, and trust that got us back here so swiftly. Two cross-country moves in one year (in 6 months, no less!) isn’t something I hope to do again, but we have no regrets for having tried out a few things in the DC area this summer then feeling confident that returning to Colorado was our best course. So, here we are! 🙂

 

Ok, now for those RESOURCES for you:

I’ve been told by readers, clients, and students that the below blogs or meditations are some of their favorites. I hope you find them helpful, as well.

  1. A list of yoga resources to keep you warm this winter * Some of which are FREE!
  2. Loving-kindness compassion meditation * Includes an audio recording
  3. Letting-go meditation
  4. A simple practice that involves writing yourself a short letter – “Dearest Body of Mine”
  5. This time of year, anything Logotherapy-oriented can be helpful.
  6. If you’re more academically inclined, you can find a link to my publication Bulletproofing the Brain in the journal Advances in Social Work.

 

Final resource to remind you of, is MY BOOK.

Here’s what I’ve recently been hearing about my book, which is available on Amazon.com. (Use smile.Amazon.com so you can give back to your favorite non-profit!)

“This book has helped me in my everyday life very much. I feel like after reading this book I have gained knowledge not only in the health aspect and leading a healthy lifestyle but also mentally. I have learned more about discipline which was my main area to focus on and have seen that having a better notion about having a healthy lifestyle and eating right, sleeping and drinking plenty of water can help lead to a big improvement in the daily chores and goals that you propose to yourself. I would recommend this book to many people and I am sure it will help them in their lives.”

“By far, the reading from this class has been my favorite from any class I have taken so far. Just Roll With It was so deep and personal, it always kept my attention, which is saying a lot when it comes to myself and books. Every chapter covered these components of life that you may not always consider, but they really affect every aspect of your health-the physical, mental, and emotional. Every chapter incorporates perfect stories to explain the focus of that chapter, and almost every week after I would read and do my discussion I would spend extra time reflecting and self evaluating how well my faith or resilience was (or whatever that chapter focused on).”

 

Please stay in touch over the holidays and the New Year.

Let me know what babies you’re metaphorically or literally birthing, how business and life is going for you, and what moves you may be contemplating for 2018. Sharing the journey makes it so much richer!