Shake off Winter's Doldrums with Imbolc: Embracing the Light and Energy of the Upcoming Spring (with New Seasonal Journal Prompts)

Imbolc, also known as Brigid's Day, is the midway point between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox, when we welcome the return of light and the coming of spring. It begins the evening of February 1st and concludes the evening of February 2nd. 

The observance of Imbolc, (or St. Brigid's Day for Christians) is a lovely time to mentally transition from the darkness and indolence of deep winter to an energy of renewal and light. 

Here are some ideas for incorporating the spirit of Imbolc into your everyday, for when you're ready to shake off those winter doldrums.

1. Clean and declutter your home. Imbolc is a time of renewal and new beginnings, making it the perfect time to do a deep clean and declutter of your home. This will not only help clear out the old to make way for the new, but it will also create peaceful and harmonious energy in your home, hearth, and spirit.

2. Light candles. Imbolc is a time of returning light, so lighting candles is a simple way to welcome more light into your home. Consider using white or yellow candles to symbolize the return of the sun or choose candles in colors that align with your intentions for the season.

Enjoy a traditional candle-lit, Imbolc-inspired meal, like a hearty stew made with root vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, and turnip, which symbolize the emergence of new growth and renewal. Serve your stew with a side of crusty bread to represent the hearth and home and finish with warm, spiced apple or pear crisp to represent the return of the sun and the coming spring. 

3. Reflect on your goals and intentions. It's still winter and winter is a time of rest and reset; however, at Imbolc, you can begin to think about what you want to create or grow in the coming months. Take some time to think about your goals and intentions for the year ahead, and envision a plan for setting them into motion.  

4. Celebrate the natural world. Imbolc marks the gradual awakening of the natural world, the first signs of spring. Take a walk, observe the changes you see, and document those changes with photos, mental notes, or journaling as a way to connect with the season and the natural world. 

5. Practice self-care. Imbolc is a time of renewal and rejuvenation, so take this opportunity to practice self-care and nourish your mind, body, and spirit; whatever that looks like for you. 

Do you journal? Here are some Imbolc-themed prompts for you to consider.  

1. Think about the themes of Imbolc, such as new beginnings and rebirth. How do you want to grow and change in the coming year? What are your hopes and dreams for the future?

2. Consider the symbolism of the goddess (and Saint) Brigid and what she represents. Brigid is the goddess of fire, poetry and healing and Saint Brigid, the patron saint of poets, midwives, newborns, and smith crafts. How can you tap into her energy of creativity, inspiration, and healing in your own life? What kind of work or projects do you want to undertake in the coming year?

3. Take stock of your relationships and connections. Who are the people in your life who support and uplift you? How can you strengthen those connections and build new ones?

4. Think about the element of fire and how it relates to Imbolc. How can you use the energy of fire to ignite your passions, creativity, and motivation? What steps can you take to bring more fire and vitality into your life?

5. Consider the idea of balance and how it relates to your own life. Are there areas of your life where you feel out of balance? How can you bring more balance and harmony into your life?

Incorporating the energy of Imbolc into your everyday life can be a meaningful and fulfilling way to celebrate a season of renewal and new beginnings. Whether you reflect on the past year, set intentions for the future, or focus on relationships and balance, there are many ways to align yourself with the natural rhythms of the world around you. 

Imbolc is a time of transition, a time to honor the goddess Brigid and her energy of creativity, inspiration and healing. It is a time to take a deep breath and let go of what no longer serves you and to welcome in new beginnings. 

By taking the time to reflect and make intentional choices, you can make the most of the Imbolc season with renewed energy and peace of mind.

January Read-Watch-Do

 

Say what you will about winter, but I love the opportunity to rest and rejuvenate. 

It's the season when I have time to read and catch up on things I like to watch. And it's the perfect time to try a new hobby or plan for future activities, like summer travel. 

Here are our offerings for this month's read-watch-do. 

Read

In January, the A Lovely Life, Indeed Facebook community is reading The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama. 

From Amazon: 

In The Light We Carry, Michelle Obama opens a frank and honest dialogue with readers, considering the questions many of us wrestle with: 

• How do we build enduring and honest relationships? 
• How can we discover strength and community inside our differences? 
• What tools do we use to address feelings of self-doubt or helplessness? 
• What do we do when it all starts to feel like too much?

Drawing from her experiences as a mother, daughter, spouse, friend, and First Lady, she shares the habits and principles she has developed to successfully adapt to change and overcome various obstacles—the earned wisdom that helps her continue to “become.” She details her most valuable practices, like “starting kind,” “going high,” and assembling a “kitchen table” of trusted friends and mentors. 
 
“When we are able to recognize our own light, we become empowered to use it,” writes Michelle Obama. 

Our book club will meet to chat about this book on Thursday, February 23, 2023 at 7:00pm ET. Join our online community here for access to this and future events. 

Watch

I recently had the opportunity to see Stutz, a documentary made by the actor, Jonah Hill, about his psychiatrist, Phil Stutz. Through candid conversations about Hill's life, Stutz shares some of his visual models of therapy, which he has used throughout his 40+ year practice. 

Early on in the film, Hill shares that his intent is to spread Stutz's ideas and tools to as many people as possible and based on reviews, his ideas seem to resonate. The visual tools, which Stutz sketches on index cards, are easy to understand and remember. Here's the official trailer from Netflix. 

Have you seen Stutz? What were your key takeaways?

Do

I'm not a resolution setter, but I do set intentions for the new year. I love to cook and I often look for new recipes to try and hopefully, work in to our monthly rotation. As someone who is interested in health and longevity, I tend to gravitate towards Mediterranean (pescatarian) and vegetarian meals, so my DO for this month is to try 3 new recipes:

• One new fish-based meal
• One new vegetarian meal
• One new soup or stew

What would you like to add to your weekly or monthly meal rotation? Are you trying to eat more plant-based meals or meals that fit within your chosen parameters? I'd love to hear more in the comments. 

So that's it for January!

Read: The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama and then join us for book club on February 23rd in our Facebook community. 

Watch: Stutz on Netlix

Do: Try 3 new recipes this month to mix up your meal rotation. 

Nesting...Surviving Nature's Harshest

Finally, we seem to be seeing our way out of the Polar Vortex. While I understand that March will enter like a lion, I'm hoping it's a cub. I'm ready for Spring.  

When you work from home, you can marvel at the weather phenomena from the comfort of your pajama bottoms and a hot cup of coffee. My boots and jacket are near the door, but in the winter, I nest. 

I'm sure that we all nest in our way...hunkering down and making things comfortable in our homes for our body, mind and soul. 

What brings you comfort? What are your winter must-haves? 

In no particular order, here are mine...

1. A hot cuppa something. Wrapping my cold hands around a warm, steaming mug makes me smile. 

2. A warm blanket. We received a lovely afghan for our wedding that is never far from sight in the winter time. From Netflix binging on the couch to sneaking in a mid-afternoon nap, this is my go-to lap warmer.

3. A stash of favorite movies and streaming shows to watch. Sometimes I seek out movies set in far off tropical locations and escape New England winter, even if just for a couple of hours. 

4. Great soups. Some people think New Englanders have clam chowder running through their veins. In the winter time, it could be true, but a steaming pot of vegetable soup or stew is better than any restaurant offering on a cold, damp night.

5. Thick socks and warm boots or slippers are non-negotiable. Cold feet? Cold everything. 

6. Oversized sweaters that are big enough to layer as many long sleeves and thermals as you want underneath.

7. Warm fleece scarves. Like comfort food, warm scarves provide that extra layer of warmth and the softness of fleece is a welcomed bonus.

8. Baking. Whether it's cookies, brownies, pizza, bread or anything else your heart desires, baking not only sends an amazing aroma through the house, but it can also quell even the most carb-crazed sweet tooth. You can clean it up with recipe substitutions or go old-school and enjoy it in moderation. And heating up the oven makes for a toasty warm kitchen.

9. Red wine + homemade pizza for two = Perfect. Date. Night. 

10. Someplace to go. For those of us in the Northeast, winter can seem like an eternity...truly, a never-ending season. The remedy to cabin fever can be as simple as a weekend getaway to a B&B with a roaring fireplace or jacuzzi for two. Or it can be a vacation to someplace warm and tropical. Or you can embrace the season and go ice-skating or take a sleigh ride at a nearby farm. Hibernation be damned. 

Those are just some of the ways I nest in the winter. 

What are your favorites?

Until Spring, enjoy the stillness of Winter, in all of its teeth-chattering glory.

Ahora 20: Currently

Happy New Year!
As someone who has a genuine dislike ambiguity about the winter holidays, I am grateful to wake up on January 1st with all of that behind me and nothing but a fresh, clean year filled with opportunity. 

Here's what's happening ahora...now, in my world. 

Reading...

The Gratitude Diaries by Janice Kaplan. 
I loved reading Gretchen Rubin's The Happiness Project, so I thought this could be a great way to frame my year in gratitude. Kaplan organizes the year into seasons with themes like marriage and family, health, or money and finance. She is a proponent of the gratitude journal, and admittedly, I am enjoying the process of reflecting on my day by writing in my own gratitude journal. It's a quick and easy read and one of the most powerful takeaways is the power of perspective.

Eating...
A lot of soups and stews. We're even having one today, especially good after last night's snow. Tis the season. What's your favorite broth based soup or stew? 

Ali's recipe from Gimme Some Oven for a 20-minute Moroccan Chickpea Soup may make it into our winter rotation. Doesn't this look good?

Drinking... 
More water and tea. I'm making an honest effort to drink less coffee and more water and tea, and ultimately, tea with no sweetener. Here are a few of my favorites.

Planning...

My vision and intent for 2017. I did a vision board at the end of 2016, and it has already started working. Crazy! Ask and you shall receive. Want to make your own? Start here. 

Watching...
Like most in my social media circle, I am watching and loving This is Us. It's well written, relatable, and heartfelt. The musical score is pretty good too. 

Listening to...
My standard Pandora channels: Jack Johnson, Spanish Guitar, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Jimmy Buffett, and French Cafe Radio. And my podcasts:  Side Hustle School and Happier with Gretchen Rubin. 

Any recommendations?

Trying...
A light box. This one has low/medium/high settings and you can set it for 15, 30, and 45 minutes. Who knows whether it works, but for me, like others do with the salt lamp, it's worth trying. And speaking of salt lamps, any recommendations on size? Does it work for you?

So that's about it. It's winter, but it is pretty. 

What's happening ahora, now, in your world? 

Are you a Word of the Year person? Please share your 2017 word and inspire me. 

On this Winter Solstice

Wishing you peace, love, and joy this holiday season...today and always. 

Best Loaded Veggie Soup Ever

I love veggies. 
My husband loves meat. 
We compromise with this soup, and we both come out winners. 

I say this is the easiest soup ever because you load it with what you love and what you have on hand. You can buy ingredients, and that's fine, or you can go with what you have. 
Here's what's in this mix. 

Best Loaded Veggie Soup Ever

1 pound of lean ground beef
4 cloves of garlic, sliced or minced
2 medium onions, diced
1 green pepper, diced
3 cans of fire roasted tomatoes, in their juice
1 can of red kidney beans
1 can of black beans
1 can of baby peas
1 box of mushrooms, diced
1 head of cabbage, julienned
1 small eggplant, peeled and diced
2 small summer squash, diced
2 boxes of beef stock
Salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning to taste

Brown the beef with the garlic, onion, and pepper. Add the tomatoes, beans, and stock. Add other veggies and allow to cook well. 

Serve with grated cheese, a dollop of sour cream, or croutons. 

You can throw in sausage, pasta, rice, potatoes, and whatever you want to make it yours. Using prepared beef stock gives it the taste of an all-day simmer. This is doable after work and it will freeze well for meal prep days. 

Enjoy!

Ahora 10: March

It's March, Daylight Savings Time began this past weekend, and Spring is about two weeks away. Here in New England, it's been a LONG winter. People are ready to see grass again, begin planning for spring and summer gardens, and get outside in air that doesn't hurt their face. 

Source

Here's what's trending in my world these days. 

Loving...

• Coaching with Beachbody. I never would have thought I would love coaching as much as I do. I feel like I am making a real difference in people's lives. There is mutual support and accountability. I love sharing my experience with others and watching them make incredible progress. It's the Starfish story in action...making a difference, one starfish at a time. 

• Want to join me as a participant or as a coach yourself? Message me at krod0519@gmail.com for more information or join one of my free accountability challenges here. Right now, there are two. I have a water challenge and a 5k/10k accountability group, as well as the Shakeology-based challenge packs. Make a difference in your own life, or in someone else's. 

Reading...

• The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho This has been on my list for a while now and it does not disappoint. 

Drinking...

• Water. I am participating in my own water challenge group and trying to get in all of my ounces. 

• Shakeology. I love my morning shake. I have developed some great recipes and I feel great. It's my own version of spring cleaning. 

Trying...

• French Pressed coffee. Thanks to Steph at Life According to Steph and a lingering what-if in my own head, I finally gave in and bought this Bodum French Press coffee maker. I'm hoping that it's fabulous and it's something I can bring to Spain. 
• In the meantime, thanks to Epicurious (and some tips from Steph) I can make the perfect cup. 

Source

Watching...

• Dexter. I finally made it past season four and have about a season and a half left. It's dark, it's twisted, and I love it. 
• Scandal. I think they jumped the shark a bit with this season's opener, but I will stick it out for the rest of this season.   
• Food Network. Like most, I have my favorites. Some people watch sports or the news or reality television; I watch cooking shows, like The Barefoot Contessa, Chopped, and The Kitchen. 

Source

Pining for...

• The first pedicure of spring and a new pair of flip flops. 
• New spring recipes to try. 
• Tulips.
• My first in-person yoga class. 
• Outside walks.

One of my happy places. 

Well, that's about it. 

What's happening ahora in your world?

Ice Castles at Loon Mountain...a Winter Wonderland Date Night

Anyone who knows me knows that I am not a fan of winter. I think snow is beautiful in pictures, but the multiple layers of warm clothing, the treacherous driving and walking, and the perpetual snow clean-up has me pining for more temperate places to call home. 

Nevertheless, I try to find something fun to do in the long New England winter, and this fit the bill. Ice Castles, at Loon Mountain in New Hampshire's White Mountains, was the setting for a very fun weekend away with friends. 

Between the picturesque main street  and the onset of another snowy evening, Mother Nature helped to set the scene for a New England winter wonderland. 

Dinner and laughs first. 

Ice Castles are a collection of ice caves, sculptures, archways and tunnels made of snow and ice. Colored lights are embedded within each piece and flicker on and off, set to music, such as songs popular from movies, like Frozen. 

The idea for Ice Castles was born from the mind of a dad who built an ice rink in his back yard, after moving his family from sunny California to snowy Utah. The rink evolved to include a slide, cave and tower that his children called the Ice Castle. Ice Castles have two New England locations at Loon and Stratton Mountains, as well as one in Minnesota and one in Utah.  

The displays are built by fusing icicles together. There is no internal sub structure within the ice. They create a lattice and spray it with water to solidify, thicken, and grow each piece. 

My throne...

Wait...are we taking a selfie or is someone else taking it? Who knows?

For this weekend anyway, winter wasn't so bad. We shared plenty of laughs, good drinks and good food. And we took in the sites of the White Mountains' version of a winter wonderland. 

The view from our hotel room.

We made our fair share of memories with great friends...memories that will last long after the ice of these castles melts away. 

Have you been to Ice Castles, or something similar? If you live in a place where you experience a cold, snowy winter, how do you pass the time?

Ahora 9: What's Trending in February

Greetings from the snow belt. 

A walk before the snow really started to pile up. 

My town had another snow day today (Monday), as another 14 inches of snow fell on top of the three feet that was already there. 

Two more back-to-back snow days this week. 

Awesome.

And so I won't.

Here's what's trending in my world these days. 

Reading...

• I am still working through The Compound Effect, by Darren Hardy, but have also added these gems, thanks to some local blogger friends. 
• Kerry, from Till Then, Smile Often, read The Power of 100, by Shaun King, and her review prompted me to some ORGs myself... Outrageously Ridiculous Goals. 
• And Candace, from Lucky Scarf, sang the praises of You are a Badass by Jen Sincero. The writer's in-your-face attitude is exactly what I need to provide the fire I need to proceed with those ORGs. 

Launching...

• My Beachbody website
• My new Facebook page dedicated to making a difference in the lives of others' health and wellness...please like, share, and comment. 

Still thinking about...

• How to migrate over to WordPress seamlessly
• My non-existent media kit 
• A fitness challenge I can achieve this spring
• Finishing Starting two online classes I elected to take this spring

Drinking...

• Shakeology. I feel so much better when I start my day with a shake. I am so happy to be back on track. My craving for simple sugar carbs have subsided and I am not as hungry between meals. Winning. 

Eating...

• Both my husband and I are participating in the 21-Day Fix, so we're eating cleaner, less processed food, and less sugar. We're eating balanced, well portioned meals. We're not cutting anything out, but trying to eat less junk. One day at a time. 

Watching...

• Scandal is back from its winter hiatus. Based on the premiere, I think it's going to be a scary season, but bring it! #TeamFitz all the way.
• Beachbody workout videos. It's amazing how your body recognizes patterns in movement and struggles with new patterns. Today, I did the Total Body Cardio Fix. It was a challenge. Mixing up the routine, clearly, has measurable results. 

• My New England Patriots' win in Super Bowl XLIX. 

Source

• This great story about Stephen Jepson and the importance of play. 

Well, that's about it. 

What's happening ahora in your world?

Sunday Inspiration

We are bracing for the snowpocolypse (or snowmaggedon, depending on your source) around here this week. 

Source

And so, I am forcing myself to be mindful of the potential for good things that winter can bring. 

If you are not a fan of winter, how do you cope with the long, cold, snowy months that winter brings?