NURTURE YOUR MILESTONE

Today marks one full year of being OFF the sauce. I am now successfully able to drink alcoholic beverages only on occassion and only in moderation. YAY!!!

If you have given up an unhealthy habit or stuck with a healthy one, I salute you.

I raise my faux tot (O'douls) to your milestone, CHEERS!!!

Namaste.

I HEART SATURDAYS

Nurture wishes Lacey a very Happy Birthday and hope she and her cousin enjoyed their first Spa experience today. We always love first timers at Nurture. Another 'new to the Nurture Neighborhood' couple, Rhonda & Jay, made their way to us today. What a delight the two of them were, they brightened our day. They have one of those unbelievable romantic love stories. Rhonda & Jay were junior high through high school sweethearts, parted ways, then reunited thirty years later. Doesn't that give you goose bumps. Life has a way of bringing people that are meant to be together back to eachother. Mine and the Hubs story is similar, but on a much smaller scale. We were friends in high school, parted ways, then both moved back to our home town within a few weeks of eachother. We picked back up where we left off as just friends and shortly after realized we were crazy about eachother, and have been happily trucking along ever since.

The Nurture Neighborhood never ceases to amaze me. It is funny how I leave work feeling as though I was the one getting pampered all day, simply because I had the opportunity to meet such wonderful new people. It is just as wonderful to see familiar faces as well. I was able to take a few moments between treatments to catch up with a friend from way back in the day, Jeannie. She is as beautiful as always and shares the same classic style and genuine spirit as her mom.

Now, I am off to assess the havoc wreaked on my personal style. Contrary to popular belief, sitting under a steamer all day does not do wonders for a curly head of hair.

Namaste.

NURTURE YOUR TANK

After a task filled Friday that felt like a Monday, I am settling in this evening ashamed of the unusual gas glutton I was today. If you do not live in a small Big City, then you do not have the luxury of "going green" by walking everywhere. Which means, small town gals, like myself, have to be more conscious of how we spend our gas money. Driving a hybrid is an environmental plus and for those who think that the extra cost of going hybrid will never equal the amount saved on gas, remember to look into a tax credit . But I digress.

For some reason, today was one of those days that I needed a post it note duct taped to my forehead to remember all of my errands. I am beginning to think I need one of those dash board notepads, circa not even sure they make them anymore, but my Stepdad seems to have an endless supply. Yeah one of those or maybe it's time to add Gingko Biloba to my daily supplements. We all have those days, or at least it makes me feel better to think so anyway.

However, when I happen to be on my toes I utilize a few quick tips to keep my gas guzzling to a minimum...

*Pen your To Do list in the geographical order of stops to be made
*Hit all your stops on the right side of the road
*Then when you head back home, hit the places on your left
*Park in the first available space (may tack on a few extra steps, which is a bonus)
*Get all the way back home only to realize you forgot that key ingredient needed for tonight's dinner, no need to run back to the store, just check out All Recipes for common kitchen substitutes
*Brown bag it to lunch & save on driving back & forth (work, home, work, home)
*When it's time to fill up or top 'er off, cruise Gas Buddy before cruising the streets to find the lowest gas prices in your area

The moral of the story today is Gingko for the think tank and think before burning your gas tank. Happy conscious cruising to all.

Namaste

NURTURE YOUR DOWNTIME

As we all know and some may be even painfully aware, yesterday was Tax Day. Maybe you are relieved that it is over or maybe you are well on your way to next month's payroll taxes, either way I find Pop's perspective the most interesting. My dad is a CPA, and while I always thought he lived for April 16th, it seems I have been wrong all along.

Poor Pops was moping around the house today wondering what to do with all this new found time on his hands. After months of working nights and weekends on top of his regular schedule, he was at a loss for what to do with himself once tax season came to an end. Of course he pulled it together, ran errands, and hit some golf balls at the driving range, but I am left pondering...does our work consume all of us in this same way?

Tonight's episode of Thirty Rock hit on the same chord, as Liz Lemons struggled with what to do on her 'human resource leave' from the office. When she let go and embraced the opposite extreme, it uh, did not turn out to be quite what she thought.

Again, I am brought back to Moderation and the Middle Way. I expend a lot of heart, energy, and time in my work and take plenty of pride in it. My work fulfills me and gives me purpose, but I also have to take my time to myself or I will fizzle and burn out. I happen to be one of those people that requires downtime as much as food and water to function. But lately, I have noticed that not everybody takes their time to themselves, time to regroup and refuel.

We are constantly bombarded with deadlines, e-mails, appointments, etc. We are go, go, go so much it's no wonder we do not know what to do when the stress of work momentarily subsides. My hope is that we can all find joy in a little time to ourselves, even if it was forced upon us by bidding farewell to Tax Season or just a scheduled day off. The next time you stumble upon some free time, revel in it.

*Turn off your cell
*Put off checking your e-mail (one day couldn't hurt)
*Write down your brilliant biz idea then put it aside (perfect it the next day)
*Relax with that Restorative Yoga session you have been wanting to check out
*Hit the driving range
*Finish the latest read you have been working on for weeks
*Take a walk & soak up nature's Spring pallete
*Have yourself a mid-afternoon bubble bath (nothing wrong with that)
*Catch up with an old friend over lunch or phone convo (sans facebook chat)
*Turn your online albums into a scrapbook or actual photo album (remember those)
*Indulge in ME time (there is always time for work, work, work, just not today)

Cheers to Nurturing ourselves, each other, and the world around us.

Namaste.