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The work is the prayer

Emy Minzel

“I pray every single moment of my life; not on my knees but with my work.”  Susan B. Anthony

This quote always makes my heart smile and my soul sing. One of my favorite things about my grandmother was that even though she was a good Catholic woman, she did not preach her faith to others, she lived it. She just lived her life as an excellent nurse, wife, mother, grandmother and wonderful caring friend whose life seemed to be her living prayer. She had a wonderful effect on her small town of 600 people over the 60+ years she lived there. She was even out delivering meals on wheels the day she passed away.

 

I admire others who change the world by just being themselves by following their hearts and offering compassion. I believe that even small acts of kindness can make a huge difference to everyone. The person who gives and the one who receives the kindness; are both blessed by the feeling of caring. In a world so big, we must not forget it is the little everyday actions that make up our lives and legacy. My goal is to live my faith; by exhibiting compassion, kindness, and inspiration so others will feel free to share their light as well.

If we all take a moment to share the light inside ourselves with others, it tends to have a chain reaction. It’s as if we take turns relighting the spirit we all hold inside. This is important because there are times in our lives that some candles burn brighter than others and we all need a little motivation (or fuel) to get your pilot lights glowing again.

My friend Stacy and I take turns firing each other up all the time! We hold space and love for each other on our hardest days because we know that life has its ups and downs. During the downs, we do our best to uplift and inspire each other with ideas and suggestions on how to pull ourselves out of these lower vibes.

This doesn’t have to be miraculous or extravagant action, simple things tend to work best. Stacy often will suggest a book, or a Kundalini Yoga set that helps me in just the way I need. We take turns fueling the creative light in each other and then go out and share it. We do this by sharing ourselves with the world through our stories of growth; writing of our life-lessons, the gatherings we hold, coming soon retreats and even in our careers!

I shortened the original quote “The work is the prayer” to inspire myself to keep moving forward with our goals. Our ‘work’ as the Adventure Sisters does not really feel like work at all! I can truthfully say that it feels more like a living prayer. It is what I have to offer the world. The higher power did not give us these skills or desires for without reason. We have them because they are our gifts to the world.

Stacy and I are very different in many ways, yet so perfectly in sync that we complement each other’s strengths and even benefit each other’s weak spots. It is no accident that we came together in this lifetime; we have work to do and we know it. This inner knowing, listening to our guidance and desires to help other women grow and become their best selves, is our way of sharing our light. We believe lighting up even just one person can indeed change the world for the better.

We know this is true because we’ve practiced with each other, our families and our communities with positive results! Sometimes this doesn’t always look like light or sunshine on a beautiful day. Somedays it’s quietly listening and caring through tough times. Such is life though, it is not all sunshine, glitter and rainbows.

We know in those moments of darkness or difficulties, that we tend to grow the most and in the most valuable ways. These times are just as precious as the good days. So, as you go about life, remember that every action can indeed be a light in the world. Even little things like smiling at a stranger in your way at the grocery store, instead of an exhausted sigh and eye roll as an example.

We all have the power to change our world by changing ourselves, our attitude and this also changes our lives. When I am much older and look back at my life, I would love to say I spent my days living my prayer. By following my inner guidance to make the world around me a little kinder and brighter, because of my efforts to spark the light of others.

The work is the prayer!

I’d love to hear what inspires you?! Please feel free to share!

Wishing you love and blessings,

Emy Minzel 

https://emyminzel.com

@EmyMinzel

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Free falling through fear

Emy Minzel

Fear of the unknown is something a lot of people have in common. When we are not certain of what the future holds in store for us, we worry that it could be bad instead of hoping for the best. This worry doesn’t help in any way, in fact, it hinders our attitude and squashes hope. If you think about it. How and what we think can affect the direction of our unknown path because our choices may be conservative instead of anticipative.

My life path has been altered recently and I feel am at a point where I need to choose what direction I am going to take. I believe that once I chose the path, I will focus all my time and energy there. I will not waste energy thinking about what could have happened had I chosen differently. Tormenting myself with unproven thinking or that I might have made the ‘wrong’ decision, would be the worst thing I could do to myself.

I believe in trusting my intuition, listening to my inner knowing and the feelings that guide my heart. When both paths call to me for different reasons, I recognize that one of them feels better than the other. Yet both pull me for very different reasons. I have been working on visualizing what I want my future to look like, as an experiment, to pull more information out of my subconscious mind. The inner me knows which path would be the best one to follow!

Quieting the worry in my mind is proving difficult and hindering me from hearing the guidance I so desperately seek. I think it is because of my fear of the unknown, that I am standing directly in my own way of the information and guidance I look for. I have been making lists of pros and cons. I have worried about every little thing that I could possibly think of and then again, maybe that’s just because that’s how I am.

All this, much ado about nothing, has led me to feel like giving up. I just do not know which path to take! So here I stand. One foot on each, but not going anywhere. Do you know what is the most uncomfortable feeling to me? Stagnation! Not making progress and stuck in limbo spinning my wheels but going anywhere. This feeling is much like slow and persistent torment for this girl.

But you know what? I believe that was exactly the purpose of this divinely guided exercise. I have finally gotten to the point where I am willing to surrender to my Creator. I am ready to relinquish the control, that I don’t have anyway, and free fall into the trust of the Higher Power.

Of course, I have free will and I am not planning on quitting my job or responsibilities. However, when it comes to my dreams and goals, I surrender these different paths to the heavens and trust that I will know what I need to make the best decision when the time is right. Maybe I am just feeling stuck because it is just not time yet. Maybe this is a period of reflection, rest and recuperation that is for my greatest good?

Instead of wasting time and energy on what I do not know, I am choosing to focus on what I do and let the Universe take care of the rest. Trusting the unknown and letting go of fear, is not easy for me, but it is what I must do for my own good. Living in fear, worrying about what is not even here yet, is damaging to my spirit and my approach to life. Which is just not me! Normally, I am full of hutzpah!

I am brave and a bold dreamer who does not take no for an answer. This bravery does not mean I am not scared, it means I do it anyway. So why is it that this phase in my life is any different? It is not. It means that I must trust life to get me where I am supposed to go because that is what has always happened. Most of my fears in the past have been unfounded and only served to inhibit me from expressing my true self. Not cool man.

After this self-realization has hit me, I am determined to let go of my fear of anything at all. I am going to wake up every morning knowing that I am a divine expression of spirit and that my actions are always guided for my highest and greatest good. If by chance I fall on my face… so what?! It wouldn’t be the first time and was probably for my greatest good as well. I will get up, rub some dirt in it and try again in a different way.

I am choosing to trust myself and my inner guidance while allowing a free fall into the arms of my wonderful unknown future. The only way to do so is to let go of my fears and allow the guidance I seek to seep in. Fear urges us to put up a wall and resist change but Trust opens doors and facilitates growth. I don’t need Spirit to tell me that! I just need to allow myself to trust fall into the future and know that it will be even more magical than I could ever imagine. And so, it is.

Does this ring true to you? I’d love to hear how you defeat your fears!

Wishing you love and blessings,

Emy Minzel 

https://emyminzel.com

@EmyMinzel

*photo credit – Barefoot Five

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Promises, promises…

Emy Minzel

Have you ever started a diet or exercise routine, vowing to buckle down and get in shape? Then, only a week or two later, you’ve had enough and just throw in the towel altogether. I am willing to bet most people have done such a thing once or twice in their lifetime. Why is it that some of us just have the willpower to make these changes stick and others don’t?! Sure, some of it has to do with habits, addictions, laziness and genetics, but what I believe it all boils down to is… self-love.

Recently I started another 40-day Kundalini Kriya practice. I got to day 4 and decided I really didn’t want to do it today. Then came day 5 and 6, with no effort to begin again and this got me thinking. “Why is it so easy to break promises to myself? Why is okay to let myself down when I would not do that to someone else?” It was as if I heard my angels talking to me; because after asking these questions the answer seemed so simple yet jarring. I heard. “Love yourself.”

It doesn’t even have to be health related. It can be that you are sick of your job. Everyday you come home burnt out, frustrated and angrily telling yourself. “I need a new job!”  You truly want to look for another one but are just not able to get yourself to make the move you desire. So, you keep suffering, because the devil you know is better than the unknown right?

Again, I think this self-sabotaging behavior is just about the lack of self-love. Because you don’t know how to love yourself, or care deeply about your own wellbeing and all that entails, you can’t foster your own happiness. Like they say, the struggle is real. Maybe it’s based on the way I was raised. The biggest role models in my life have always been care-takers who have followed this same pattern.

My grandmother and mother worked very hard daily, taking care of others, with little time for themselves. Always putting other’s needs before their own. It was what they were taught to do and expected of them. Now that I am older and willing to look within, I see myself doing the very same thing. I believe this lack of knowledge, or examples on how to love myself fully, is what subconciously lays beneath the surface of my failures.

It’s time to break this cycle and keep promises made to myself. Some of us are better at self-care than others. When I say self-love, I mean all that encompasses caring for yourself; mind, body and spirit. Even financial wellness habits are included in what’s for, or not for our greatest and highest good. It is a lot to deal with everyday when you look at it all entails while still tending to lifes demands.

Yet, it all comes down to Self-love. Period. I feel this self-awareness is coming to me for a reason. When it feels as if life is consistently kicking me in the face, it’s because I’m just not listening to the whispers of wisdom, I know I hold deep down inside. It is divine guidance demanding me to ‘level-up’ for my own good. Yesterday I restarted a 40-day practice of Nabhi Kriya, along with other dietary and behavior changes as a promise to me.

I promise to prove my love to myself as consistantly as I try to prove my love for others. I promise to love myself enough to say no to what insults my inner wisdom. I promise to grab my self-care habits by the lapel and remind them I am not F’ng around with this gift of life I’ve been blessed with. I am worthy of my own love and care. I know I’m good at it!

It’s up to me and only me to keep these promises to myself. I hold the power, the passion and the determination to keep these promises. I must not rely on others for my own accountability or understanding. Even though it is nice to feel supported; when it comes down to it… it’s still all up to me. Every promise to change can only come from within and the resolve to love myself fully for my greatest good.

I promise to remind myself of all of this, when I want to quit.

To everyone struggling to practice self-love, break habits and make hard changes, I see you. I love you. You are not alone. We got this.

Wishing you love and blessings,

Emy Minzel

https://emyminzel.com

@EmyMinzel

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Service IS Joy!

Emy Minzel

I slept and dreamt that life was joy.

I awoke and saw that life is service.

I acted and behold, service was joy. 

Rabindranath Tagore, Indian poet

 

It took me a long time to realize just how important being of service is to me. I always liked to help others, and still do what I can, to “make myself useful” as my mom likes to say. Yet for a long while, I did not understand the overall effect acts of service had on my psyche. I have since learned it feels good to be helpful, appreciated and even needed. Although it can sometimes feel like work, the influence volunteering has on me is quite magical. I no longer think of it as effort but as an opportunity to bring joy into my life and those of others!

When I volunteer for something that touches my heart, I usually get to meet new people and make new friends at the same time. This helps me to get to know others in my community who are also doing their best to better the town we share. When I see so many others, taking time out of their lives, to be part of the effort required to make our community so great; it brings me hope for the future. It’s a wonderful reminder that there are lots of people like you and me who still care about our neighbors and do our best to spread joy.

When I give my time and join my neighbors who have the same intentions as I do; the results can be heartwarming and encouraging. I was recently elected to the board of our local Friends of the Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge Committee. I am so excited about the opportunity to be part of this program. ‘The Friends’ have started a Young Naturalist program that provides the children, from our local Elementary schools, the opportunity to learn through outdoor field trips and provide educational information at the Refuge, that’s a lot of fun for them!

I love this program so much, because I believe that getting children excited about nature is how we ensure they care about the environment when they grow up.  To have this opportunity to make a real tangible effort that affects the children and other folks that enjoy the Refuge is exciting! The environment and protecting it is one of my true passions in life. Children are the future and I truly hope they care about the environment as much as I do when they grow up!

I think it is extremely important to have natural spaces that are free for our communities to enjoy. I first started going to the Wildlife Refuge several years ago; because it was full of beautiful hiking trails where I love to take my dogs for a walk. The trails are well maintained and safe, thanks to the funding they receive and the hard work of The Refuge employees and volunteers. Volunteering for an organization that is so near and dear to my heart and echoes the core of my beliefs really fires me up.

I try hard to make sure I am doing my best to bring good ideas, help where I am able, and put my skills to use. ‘The Friends’ Committee does much more beyond youth education. It also includes several subcommittees that have different purposes. I am on the Advocacy Committee which involves talking to Legislators and asking that they ensure our local Refuge will get the funding it needs to be maintained. Pretty sure I can do that!

I believe when you want to change the world you need to start in your own back yard… Volunteering and making a difference in my direct community is pretty darn cool in my mind. We often forget that politics are not just in our State Capitals or Washington D.C. Politics can happen in our towns, schools and even our parks. Being active in your community is the planting of seeds where the grassroots grow. We forget that politics is just putting our beliefs into action. It’s easy, fun and nothing to be afraid of!

Volunteering in other areas of the community has been an excellent opportunity to see the good in the world. We are all different but that’s what makes us so great! When you put us together for a good cause, great suggestions inspire miraculous action and happenings that truly do bring joy to each other and the community we share. How cool is that?!

I also Volunteer at a local animal rescue when I can. It has been a life changing experience that I enjoy and always has me going back for more!

What is your favorite volunteering experience? I’d love to hear what moves your heart!

Wishing you love and blessings,

Emy Minzel

https://emyminzel.com

@EmyMinzel

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My best friend Gus ~

Emy Minzel

Just days ago my dog Gus, my best friend passed away.  He was a lovable looking bulldog with a brown spot on his eye and hilarious personality.  The moment I saw his face on the Humane Society’s website, nearly eleven years ago, I just knew he was supposed to be in my life. He had been surrendered because his former owners did not have time for him, and he ended up spending too much time in the kennel. When I saw his picture, I immediately sent an email to my husband, who wasn’t even my husband at the time.

I said. “If you help me get this dog it will count as my Birthday, Valentine’s day, Anniversary, and all the other presents for this year! Pretty please?!” I just knew he was supposed to be my dog!

My plea to bust Gus out of the shelter worked! It was the best present my husband has gotten me to this day. I still remember his big butt wiggle when I met him. It’s the same one he reserved only for me until this day. Gus was a character with lots of quirks. He liked me the best and would often show clear disappointment; with a heavy sigh and a huff, when my husband walked through the door without me.

We also called him the ‘fun police’ because, if our other dogs got a little too excited, Gus didn’t like that and would try to subdue them. This was not his best quality, but it was truly him. He was also very cantankerous and did not like to listen all the time. He ran away every chance he could when he was a younger lad. We joked that Gus even had ‘street cred’ considering my husband had to pick him up from the back of a police cruiser after a neighborhood jaunt/jailbreak (depending on who you ask.) many years ago.

When our Labrador Jack was alive, we would try to play catch with them both. But Gus liked to turn it into a football game instead. With full-on headbutting tackles on his brother Jack, who was just trying to catch the ball like a retriever is supposed to do. So, we didn’t let Gus play catch too much and that was fine with him, he liked to chew tennis balls like they were bubble gum anyway.

The word Bubble Gum always made his ears square up and his head tilt to the side. It was my favorite way to take a good picture of him. Gus was a ham that loved the ladies and babies. We would call him LL Cool G. Because ladies love the cool G, much like LL Cool J but in handsome dog form. He just had an “I don’t give a crap” bad boy attitude that had me wrapped around his paw from day one. He was a legend in his own mind and mine too.

We had a bond that I am not able to explain. I have had other dogs that I’ve loved as well but Gus and I were just different somehow. I feel safe saying this because I’ve even joked with my husband “I’m pretty sure Gus and I are in love”. We just ‘got’ each other. There was a connection that was like no other. I feel like we bonded on a soul level.

When he got into trouble, I always had his back, even if I knew he was not innocent. When he wanted his way, I gave it to him because I could, and he was my dog to spoil if I wanted. This was not always good, and my family didn’t always agree with me, but it didn’t stop me. Gus was hard to love sometimes but this only made me love him even more.

He was my best friend and I believe he was sent to me as a gift from the heavens. It certain felt like a blessing to both of us when we came together. There are so many things I will miss about him. From the way he could look at me and I would know exactly what he was asking of me. To the way I could raise my eyebrow at him, and he would know just what I wanted him to do… yet he would take his sweet slow time doing it!

Did you ever have a pet who would look at you with judgment?! Gus would do this too. After eleven years of friendship, we had developed a language all our own. He was so human-like with his expressions, I swear some days he was sending me telepathic communications. Or maybe this type of communication happens after a decade of dedication to each other? I am not sure. But I am certain we were in love.

I know some of you are thinking how can you be in love with a dog? There is nothing weird about it at all. To me being ‘in love’ is just love in action and feeling in your heart. Like when you fall in love with an infant, you just fall head over heels ‘in love’ to your core. It just happened like that with me and Gus. My love never stopped or even once wavered. I made him a priority in my life.

If you know me, you know that I would often say “This is Gus, he’s my best friend.” And I always meant it. During my best days and worst days, Gus was there for me even when even my people friends or family could not be. Gus was always great company.

But, isn’t that what a good dog does? Befriending their humans and burrowing themselves deeply into your heart, so that they will be with you even after they leave? I have lost many dogs in my life and each one of them will always have a spot in my heart until it is no longer beating. My heart is swelling with so much gratitude for the opportunity I had to be his human. Yet the swelling of gratitude is so much, that I literally feel my heart breaking open as the pain of sadness settles in for all I will miss.

I am blessed to have had his love and his company. Being sad and immensely grateful to experience Gus in my life is a bizarre feeling, but it makes so much sense. Gus was getting old, and to be honest, I worried about when and how he would pass for a while now. Death is part of the cycle of life that none of us get to escape.

I just have to say. The blessing of time spent with my best friend Gus is worth the pain of heartbreak. I know it won’t end any time soon, with all the ugly crying, swollen eyes, puffy face, raw running nose, and literal heartache yet to come. I gladly suffer this pain of loss for the blessings he brought to me during our life together. This I know to be true.

I also know that my best friend Gus provided a great deal of joy to myself and others who knew him. Yet “I “ got to be the lucky one to be his momma. I’m going to miss him so hard. I will never get over him because he is part of me. I was blessed to be the one! I am grateful for that. You never know when the Universe sends you gifts like this, but you sure know when they are taken away.

Sending love and a reminder to count your blessings. Time goes by so fast and like molasses; all at the same time.

Hold your loved one’s close today and your fur babies too.

*Photo credit – Franny Buturian-Larson took this picture of Gus during a campaign shoot because, he is adorable.

Wishing you love and blessings,

Emy Minzel

https://emyminzel.com

@EmyMinzel