Being Real....

The world has become a crazy place and every day 2020 seems more like a scene out of the 1984 novel or some crazy far reaching sci-fi book. It's been heavy stuff. While there are a lot of things that need to be done and addressed it's very, very important that we also keep up with our spiritual, mental and emotional health. Especially during the pandemic, those parts of our health directly affect our physical well being. We have to carefully guard what we are constantly in taking. I dread seeing the news (which I do NOT consider a reliable or even truthful most of the time source of information) because it's a constant stream of negativity and hate. I even dread getting on social media now (especially twitter) because there are literally hundreds of people now who have no understand of basic human kindness. They get on social media to spread hate, to bully and harass and tear people down. I can't imagine how miserable and devoid of love one’s life must be to do that and worse to get some kind of high or enjoyment from it. I only pray they somehow experience real love and kindness and walk away from that kind of toxic lifestyle. And 2020, I never know from one day to the next what the new major, tragic or bizarre headline might be. So sometimes I have to just step away and go to my safe place. No news, no social media nothing. Sometimes I need to not know what’s going on in the world for a few days.

Because of the journey with Lyme disease and it taking me over ten years just to get to where I am in my health journey, I have to fiercely guard my health. Sometimes that guard means saying no to people when I want to say yes. But I know what a yes can sometimes cost me, so I have to be careful where I put my energy. One of the best ways all of us can help the world is to make sure we stay healthy and safe so that we can use our voice to advocate for causes we are passionate about.

One amazing way to do that is to create your own safe place, a special place you go to when it all gets a little too much, as it often does. For me that is a few things, prayer and meditation is huge for me now, yoga to keep my body in check and all things Christmas! So when things get too much, too hard, too dark, I retreat to recharge so I can live to fight another day. Prayer gets all the crazy clutter in my heart and on my heart out so I can release the weight of it. Meditation clears my head so that no matter what is going on around me I stay at peace and in love to extend that love to those around me. And Christmas has been my safe place all my life. No matter how terrible life got somehow at Christmas it was different. Everything felt more loving, more magical, more possible. So I celebrate Christmas all year long.

I go much more obsessively into it when I'm struggling. I dive all in for Christmas movies, planning fun holiday date days and making and finding vintage decor, anything Christmas. It keeps me level and happy despite the harshness of the world we all now live in. It also reminds me that no matter how dark the world may seem, there is always light if you look for it, always beauty if you choose to see it. So for me I choose hope, joy, peace, love, light, forgiveness and happiness because that is how I can stay able to help others, to fight for others, to fight for change. I hope this helps someone somehow and that you will find true balance in your life. It’s just me sharing from my heart. I hope you all know how much you matter and how much you are loved.

Oh and MERRY CHRISTMAS IN JULY!!!

Be honest, Be real, Be you

Bobbie De Leon