Category: Note to Self

on This New Year’s Day 2021

Posted by Debra | Jan 1, 2021 | Coronavirus Diaries, Life Lessons, Loving My Life, Note to Self, on Writing

“We spend January 1st walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be...

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Note to Self: on Thanksgiving 2020

Posted by Debra | Nov 29, 2020 | From the Kitchen, Loving My Life, Note to Self

As I was going to put the turkey breast in the oven this past Thursday, I turned to John and said...

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“There is a harmony in autumn, and a luster in i

“There is a harmony in autumn, and a luster in its sky, which through the summer is not heard or seen, as if it could not be, as if it had not been!” --Percy Bysshe Shelley

Ahhhh! A return to my favorite season: autumn. This is my Harvest Angel, a sacred reminder that doing the work will always result in a rich harvest. We just have to have faith that planting seeds – whether it be seeds of our desires and dreams – or seeds of change – are possible. We just have to keep hope alive by nurturing those seeds we want to plant.

Trust me. I know this feels hard. Especially in our current times. But what better inspiration than the shifting of seasons to help us settle in and use this time to dig into what we want, begin planting those seeds, and holding onto hope?

Happy 1st Day of Autumn!

#love #soultending #autumn #signsoffall #lifecoach #quotes

“This is the day we pay homage to all those who

“This is the day we pay homage to all those who didn’t come home. This is not Veterans Day, it’s not a celebration, it is a day of solemn contemplation over the cost of freedom.” --Tamra Bolton

#memorialday #freedom #ilovetheusa

These yellow daffodils are a symbol of faith, hope

These yellow daffodils are a symbol of faith, hope, and love.

Our first fall in this house, I gifted John a dozen of these King Alfred Daffodils. I say “gifted” because at the time I planted them, I didn’t know when – or even if – I would live here. So, as an act of love, I wanted his first spring to have something beautiful blooming in his yard. Because beautiful blooms – especially in the grey, colder days of spring – bring a sense of hope.

Now, in order to have these cheery yellow spring blooms, you have to plant them in October. You take a bulb that looks a lot like garlic or a shallot, you dig a hole, and just trust nature to do the work. Most of the time, Mother Nature cooperates, but there is always the chance that the bulb is a bit of a dud. Or that a greedy little squirrel or chipmunk will come along and dig up the tasty bulb for a snack. You plant with zero guarantee and just have faith.

Love requires faith. And, let me tell you, it was a huge leap of faith to so drastically change my life. To sell my house and move away from Texas after living within the same county for more than forty years. To trust in love despite being (more than a bit) afraid of commitment and heartbreak.

So, every time I see these happy yellow blooms, the current me is so grateful for the 2010 ME for acting out of love, taking a leap of faith, and planting a ray of hope.

The day 1 prompt of #AprilLove2021 with @susannahconway is #yellow

#love #soultending #faith #signsofspring #daffodils #springflowers

“When we approach our life - especially our perc

“When we approach our life - especially our perceived failures - with an attitude of curiosity rather than self-flagellation - it opens the path to compassion and grace.” ( A quote from my January Newsletter.)

Yesterday marked a big change in my work life: I sent out my first MONTHLY newsletter. This is the 11th year I’ve tended subscribers from “Debra Smouse, Life Coach”. I wrote weekly newsletters for the first five years and then a bi-weekly one up until last year. To be honest, every marketing guru I know would tell me that I need to email my list MORE often than less often. Especially with everyone’s “reach” on social media becoming less and less each day due to algorithms. But filling people’s inbox just because I should doesn’t feel integrous.

I’d rather send one longer, juicy email filled with lots of goodies rather than bombard people’s in-boxes more often with less. I want to connect more deeply than just on the surface. So, the newsletter was twice as long. But hopefully twice as helpful. To make it more cohesive, I decided to go with a THEME for each month. And the theme I chose for January is Curiosity. Which helps you be open to a Sense of Wonder.

I shared a story about following a thread of curiosity and counting squirrels during one of my walks in the park. When I told this guy how cute he was, he posed for me. Clearly squirrels understand English 😉

As part of the theme of curiosity, I gathered some favorite quotes on the subject. And wanted to share them with you here.

What about you? What can you choose to be curious about in this month? And when do you follow your gut rather than listen to the “experts”?

#love #soultending #lifecoach #curiosity #quotes #RealTalk

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