Live like you are dying

 Begin with the end in mind.  I always seem to stumble back to the idea that we all have an expiration date and no-one knows when that time may be. Ultimately, we all have a limited time here on earth.  I have always had this perspective, but it has been reinforced in the past few

Are you decaying or improving?

It’s 6:20 am on the Sunday morning of Memorial Day weekend and our smoke alarms start to go off, going from the chirp (indicate needing a battery replacement), to a full on scream to let us know there may be a fire present. You have all been there and know that it is impossible to

Fill Your Cup

It’s all too easy to wake up, my feet hitting the floor, scroll through notifications on my phone, respond to messages and herein begins the monkey brain of reactivity, putting out fires and my life living me, instead of me living my life.  From here, my day is a day of reaction instead of intention.

A Trip to the Grocery Store and a Hug from a Stranger

My typical trip to the grocery store looks a little something like this: I have my list of items, go as fast as I possibly can through the store and find the fastest possible checkout line. Sometimes I’ll even put a podcast on during that time. Lately however, I have been intentional about focusing on

The Breakup

Dear Defeat, You have been a frequent visitor of mine over the past 40 years. A visitor that I’ve welcomed in, that I have offered a comfy seat, as well as a meal. At times you’ve shown up in my life as discouragement because I didn’t meet my expectations. Because, as a perfectionist, I could

Language

I have to bring my mom to the airport. I have to clean my house. I have to do my paperwork. I have to get my project done. I have to lose this weight. I have to stay away from sugar. I have to drink more water. I should exercise more. I could have done

Are you feeding your soul or starving it?

Do you run your life according to a checklist, a to do list? Do you listen to what your heart desires? Or do you fill all of the space up with noise, music, TV, podcasts, other people and being so busy you don’t have to hear that one small voice? Most of us have defining

Ask Better Questions

For years I asked myself questions that had me focusing on my limited belief system of not being good enough. Questions like: Why does everything have to be a struggle? Why do I keep falling short? Why does everyone seem to manage their life better than me? You see, these questions drove my focus for

What’s driving you?

Do you ever wonder why your goals, dreams and intentions are seemingly impossible to achieve? Why is it that when you set out to accomplish something , before you know it, you feel as though you have been hijacked by something you can’t put your finger on? Or you convince yourself you can’t do it

La Belle Vie TJ2

I was motivated and compelled to start this blog after seeing my best friend, Jennifer O’Brien Leach, go through the lowest of lows in her life. She seemingly brought the best version of herself to each day she had in the last few months of her life.

Jennifer was always full of life, laughter and optimism. She had her struggles, but never let them weigh her down or detract from pouring love into everyone she spent time with. She continually had a desire to make the best of what life had dealt her. To infuse even her lowest, darkest moments with a sense of love, humor and lightness.