"I, take you, to be my lawfully wedded lucky-wishbone,
my little baby, best-friend, and fellow bandit,
whom I solemnly swear
to love and to cherish,
from this day forward,
for better, and most especially worse,
to fill your heart full of hell yes
when that’s what you need most,
to kiss you so damn hard it starts a
hurricane on the other side of the earth.
Our love will be bare-knuckled,
bloodied, baby, brazen like a street brawl.
Our love will be a wildfire I’ll reignite
every morning at dawn. I
vow to stand by you, at your side
like a loaded sidearm slung to a brown leather gun-belt
and screw till death do us part, I would drag
myself through all seven hells to find you
then air-lift you out like it were nothin’
but some B-grade, two star, 90s action film.
But I digress–
I now commit myself to you,
the very same way a star might commit
to a constellation– I am but one
small strand of your collective brilliance,
but I promise to you now,
that has always been,
and will always be, enough.
Because you see, for me it’s not “I do”
for me it always was.”
"1 .Let her wear her red lipstick. It makes her feel beautiful and sexy at the same time. Respect it as well, don’t you dare smudge it. But when you get behind closed doors, don’t stop her from painting a masterpiece on your skin with her lips.
2. Don’t let her go to sleep without hearing your voice.
3. Flowers are never ever a bad idea, even when you don’t have a reason for giving them.
4. Wash her hair in the shower. You have no idea how relaxing it is.
5. Reassure her you love her. She’ll always worry about you leaving, you’ll learn why.
6. She’ll talk about her past when she’s ready, don’t push it.
7. Telling her she’s beautiful never hurts.
8. Give in sometimes even when you shouldn’t. She’s fought her whole life, it’s the last thing she wants to do.
9. Get drunk and stay in. She’ll spend most of her time confessing how much she loves you, and the rest of the night showing you.
10. She likes when you rub her back, but don’t touch her feet.
11. When she shaves her legs insist on feeling them.
12. She likes to talk about books, and loves when you write poetry about the color of her hair.
13. She hates to repeat herself, so listen closely.
14. Tell her stories about when you first fell for her, she loves to hear them.
15. Let her know when you’re having a bad day, not only will she appreciate the warning, she’ll do all she can to make it better.
16. When you count your blessings, count her twice. You really are so lucky to have her in your life.”
1. Who you are now is not who you will be in 10 years. It is okay to be somebody new 10 minutes from now. We are always learning. We are always growing. If you realized 10 seconds ago that you don’t like who you are, shed your skin, retry, replant yourself in good soil.
2. Cleaning is instant therapy. When your brain is muddy, take a shower, wash your hands, change your clothes. Spend 15 minutes straightening your living room. When you are angry, scrub things. I know it’s crazy but it works instantly.
3. Forgive someone’s debt if it’s under 50 dollars, forgive the small things, give a little time to yourself and forgive the big things too. Forgiveness isn’t about the other person, it’s about you. That being said - if someone ever hurts you in a way that would make me cry to know, you get out of there, my love. You just get up and go.
4. Gum karma is real and if you spit out a piece in public expect to find some on your shoe in the future. Same goes for insults and harsh judgement, too.
5. Do what you love and the money will follow.
6. Live your life with an open palm and give as much as you can and as often. At some point in your life, someone will lend you 50 bucks when you’re down on your luck. Remember how that feels. Remember to give that back.
7. Always wear clean underwear. You’ll thank me later.
8. There is a difference between being kind and being passive and there are those who cannot see that difference. They will try to walk all over you. Never bend your knees for those who do.
9. Have faith. Have faith in god or people or yourself or science or in luck or in all of the above. Faith is what keeps us going, faith is what keeps us strong.
10. Pay your bills on time whenever you can, although money is nothing. Remind yourself that.
11. Do not forget you were once ignorant of all you know now. Be patient of anyone who hasn’t had the education you have. Speak at the level of the person you are with - it’s not playing dumb, it’s being considerate. There’s no reason to make them feel uncomfortable. Plus then when someone starts going off about their superior IQ, you can cut them to pieces and watch their face when you do.
12. You are the best person in the room for one particular thing, and that’s confidence. You are the worst person in the room for another thing, and that’s humility. Use both carefully.
13. Never make fun of someone’s beliefs or superstitions, let your kid keep their imaginary friend and let your best buddy believe in knocking on wood. We all have security blankets. Don’t take away someone else’s.
14. Try to learn something new every day.
15. The worse you look, the more likely you are to run into someone you know so instead of feeling awkward, learn to be confident in sweats while talking to your friends.
16. Never go to bed angry, it will ruin your sleep and make tomorrow even harder. Find a way to relax. Don’t let today get to your head.
17. Think before you speak. When someone says something, mull over their words before answering. This is called listening, it is different than hearing.
18. What keeps love beautiful is that there’s risk involved. If he breaks your heart and it doesn’t hurt, it wasn’t love in the first place.
19. Never let someone else determine who you are or how happy. You are too strong to be torn apart.
20. I love you, even when we are fighting, even when I am fast asleep. Don’t doubt it for an instant. You are my everything.
”
— Life lessons my mother has taught me from the side of her hospital bed (part 2/2 of a series) /// r.i.d (via inkskinned)
Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.
Remember everyone is fighting their own battle, and everyone is trying their best. Learn to forgive other people and set yourself free.
2. Meditate daily.
Meditation is a beautiful way to still your mind — giving you a break from circling thoughts, worries and anxieties. Start with two minutes a day and build your way up to longer sittings.
3. See the world as awe-inspiring.
Imagine if you woke up this morning and saw the world around you for the first time. You would be absolutely amazed, fascinated and excited. Start seeing the world through fresh eyes and notice all the magic and beauty you may be missing.
4. Let go of things you can’t control.
When the bus is late, the queue is long or the café runs out of your favorite salad, take a deep breath and let it wash over you like water off a duck’s back. Don’t allow external events to steal your inner peace and joy. Master the art of letting go.
5. Experience the flow of things you love.
When you’re completely focused on doing something you truly love, you lose your sense of ego and time. It may be through dancing, cooking, writing, running, building, painting or something unique to you. Make this experience of “flow” a part of your weekly schedule.
6. Be more present.
When you worry about things going wrong in advance of them happening, you’re creating your own private hell in an otherwise peaceful and beautiful present moment.
Try bringing yourself back to the present moment throughout the day by noticing the sense of your body in your chair, the touch of the fabric against your skin or the gentle sensation of air on your face.
7. Spend time in nature.
Nature can have a calming effect and reminds us to slow down, take deep breaths and soak up the present moment. So make time for more bush walks, beach trips, picnics in the park and reading by the river.
8. Take up yoga.
Yoga is a beautiful way to align your body and soul — this in turn can increase your sense of wholeness and inner peace. It’s also the kind of exercise you can do anywhere, without equipment, once you’ve learned a few simple moves.
9. Spend time alone with yourself.
You need time alone to catch up on updates from the person you really need to stay in touch with — yourself. Spend time alone unpacking your worries and anxieties, and getting back in touch with your deepest desires and dreams. Schedule weekly or monthly solo dates in your yearly planner.
10. Keep an inspiration file.
Some days, you wake up feeling incredibly motivated and inspired to achieve your dreams. Other days, you wake up and the motivation has completely vanished.
That’s why it’s so useful to keep an inspiration file filled with your favorite quotes, stories and words of wisdom when your soul needs a boost. You can use a physical scrapbook or an album on your phone.
11. Practice gratitude.
There is a reason gratitude is being promoted everywhere lately — it’s one of life’s sweet shortcuts to happiness. By focusing your attention on all of the beautiful things and simple joys in life, you will notice and attract more and more of them.
12. Give without strings attached.
Giving and receiving are one in truth. When you give to someone with no strings attached — whether it be a physical gift, a compliment or your time — you are nourished as well as the receiver.
13. Embrace uncertainty.
Uncertainty is a natural part of life and an inevitable factor in making big life changes. Learn to embrace it, and know that you will always be okay at every moment in your journey, even if you can’t quite see the road to the finish line yet.
14. Write a soul journal.
Writing a soul journal is a bit like keeping a traditional journal, except that you ask your soul tough questions and seek guidance on things you’re struggling with. The key is to write your stream-of-consciousness without self-censoring. You may be amazed by the wisdom residing deep within you.
15. Replenish your well.
Life can feel so busy and fast-paced — before you know it, you’re running on empty. You don’t serve the world by burning yourself out. Take breaks. Schedule a day off for fun and laughter. Book a holiday. Don’t always cut short your lunch break.
16. Compare less.
Mark Twain once said, “Comparison is the death of joy”. Life would be pretty boring if every restaurant was the same, every romantic partner was the same, or every day was the same. Accept when things are not as you expected and appreciate that it makes life interesting.
17. Make time for friendship.
One of the top five regrets of the dying is not spending enough time with friends. Create a weekly or monthly ritual with your friends, like dinner at a local restaurant, trivia night or morning yoga session.
18. Trust yourself.
So often we make mistakes and bad decisions in life because we’ve ignored the inner voice of guidance inside of us. Trust your intuition. Your soul knows what is right for you.
19. Commit to living a life true to you.
When you live, work, date, play, eat, drink, create, dance, travel and dream in ways that feel right with your soul, you come alive, and the whole world benefits.
20. Be gentle on yourself.
You are perfect and complete exactly as you are. Even when you are striving to improve and grow, you are complete and worthy of self-love.
As the Buddhist saying goes,
We are all perfect as we are, and we could all use a little work.
————————
This is a guest post from Elyse Gorman from NotesOnBliss.com. She is currently running Beautiful Life Bootcamp eCourse which I highly recommend to anyone who’s looking to welcome more inner peace, joy, and happiness into their life.
On another note, I am launching Happiness Planner, a planner that focuses on what makes you happy. The Planner will be dated seasonally - Summer, Fall (Autumn), Winter, and Spring. This is because I believe that self-reflection should be done periodically. Having 4 planners throughout the year, you will see the change and improvement in yourself from 3 months ago every time you start a new planner.
Please sign up to receive updates and be notified when it’s available.
Sometimes we need to stop and say “Thank you for loving me.”
It is such a simple thing to say yet it carries so much weight, whether it is with a spouse while you both read your books or it’s with a friend who has been with you through thick and thin or it is to a family member who has loved you from the start.
Those words, that thought, the action of saying it to them with purpose and truth can mean the world to them. Because after all, they mean enough for you to say “Thank you for loving me.”
"I interviewed a woman who is terminally ill. ‘So,’ I tried to delicately ask, ‘What is it like to wake up every morning and know that you are dying?’ ‘Well,’ she responded, ‘What is it like to wake up every morning and pretend that you are not?’”
— did not think I would appreciate life so much more just by reading one tiny paragraph (via sammyjorickey)
