Emy Minzel

I would like to introduce you to my Adventure Sister, Emy Minzel. She wrote todays blog post about some ideas she is passionate to share with you.

The overload of information we receive every day can feel overwhelming. We watch the news, read the papers, and surf the web taking into our subconscious an abundance of negativity every day. Even when we close our eyes at night the thoughts that keep us awake are usually cringe-worthy, disheartening and can lead us to feel helpless. This leads me to wonder, what can I do today that will help make this world a better place?

Start at home – Make sure to water your own grass, so you aren’t comparing ‘lawns’ with your neighbor. I am not actually speaking of grass, but using it as a metaphor for our closest relationships. The family, partners, and friends we spend our days with. If…

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I want to help!

November 21, 2018 emyminzel

There are so many ways to help better ourselves and our communities yet sometimes we have a hard time finding our perfect fit. What pulls at my heartstrings and makes me want to donate time and energy, may not be what drives you! Yet you should not let that stop you from finding a way to share your light with the world around us.

Lots of people want to spend their Thanksgiving donating time by preparing meals for those less fortunate. As much as this is on your mind, this time of year, these food shelves, homeless shelters, and community meal kitchens also need help the rest of the year.

So, when you are thinking of donating your time to these humanitarian causes on the holiday, please open your mind to the immense need beyond Christmas and Thanksgiving Day. There are 350 other days in the year in which your help is very much needed and appreciated!

The food shelf donations and volunteering – You can volunteer to sort and expedite at your local food shelf. All you need to do is call! You can also ask your friends and family to organize donation sites at work, school, church or other regular gathering spots! Did you know you can donate more than food, they will also accept nonperishables like diapers and toilet paper too. You can also always donate cash. Did you know that they can usually purchase more with your dollar than you can?

Diaper Drive – Speaking of diapers, there is a huge need at women’s shelters and food shelves. Diapers are expensive and often in high demand. Consider expanding your donations beyond food.

Tent City or Homeless shelter donations – More and more we see the homeless population growing around us. Mercy comes from regular folks like you and I, who expand our compassion by serving those less fortunate. We could take it upon ourselves to ask our friends, family or work for donations of water, hot food, blankets, winter jackets, boots, hats, gloves, socks, toothpaste and brushes etc… put these together in mercy baskets, then drive and deliver the goods to the souls in tent city to help them survive the winter in tents.

Not by these any of these sites? You can always dig around and use your detective skills to see if you have an invisible homeless population in your hometown. I am a big believer in supporting my local community. Often Churches take donations for homeless or low-income individuals in small town areas. All you must do is inquire and help.

Animal Rescue – there are so many great animal rescue organizations popping up all over the place. Lots of them have found that keeping pets in a foster home, where they are treated like a part of the family, has the best outcome for the health and demeanor of the pet. When the pet feels cared for, instead of locked in a cage, they act completely different and are more likely to be adopted into their forever home. Consider donating dishes, food, collars, toys and maybe even open your home to a pet in need. I have found fostering dogs has been a heart opening experience that changed me for the better. Animal shelters need volunteers and money too, I choose to support no-kill shelters.

Money – donations are always greatly appreciated. If you don’t have time or energy, you can still help by donating your dollars to those causes that are near and dear to your heart.

I like to donate to www.savetheboundarywaters.org and www.ruffstartrescue.org. Both organizations that I feel deeply passionate about.

Environmental Help – I would also like to support organizations that are helping families, firemen, animals and other victims of the California fires. I found this article interesting, so I will share the link.

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/11/california-camp-woolsey-wildfires-help-charity-donations.html

Do your research on who you want to donate to. Make sure they are reputable and responsible with your dollars, so you can be proud of your donation. There are many other options such as driving for Meals on Wheels and donating blood or plasma.

As a final point, I also believe that random acts of kindness are still a thing! Share your light as often as you can and watch how others do the same.

We are blessed to be here on this beautiful planet with plenty to be thankful for. I hope this has helped bring some ideas for you to share your light! I’m thankful for you, and I believe in you.

Namaste!

Wishing you an abundance of joy and blessings, this holiday and throughout the year!

With love,

Emy Minzel ~ Adventure Sister

https://emyminzel.com

@EmyMinzel

Follow the Adventure Sisters on Facebook!

https://www.facebook.com/BWCAdventureSisters

Stacy Crep ~ Adventure Sister

https://stacycrep.com

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Should have, could have, would have…

November 19, 2018November 19, 2018 emyminzel

Most people have times in which they think; “If I could do that over again, I would have done things differently.” However, this is only true because… you only know what you would do differently, after you’ve already done it! It was a learning experience.

I believe most of us do the best we can in the time and space we are given. If we were to attempt to repeat the same situation, of course we would do it differently, because we already had the experience of the first go around.

To beat ourselves up with should have/could have/would haves, is just plain self-abuse. You probably tell your friends in similar situations; “Hey! It’s okay. You did the best you could!” So why not yourself?!

We tend to be much harsher on ourselves when it comes to judgements.

Hindsight is 20/20 because of experience. When you know better, you do better, or hopefully try to anyway. As I age, I am trying to be a better friend to myself. Nobody is harder on me, than me. I bet many of you reading this are the same.

If I can think about, dwell on it or stew in it, you know I will. For days, hours, months even years if I think I should have done better, no matter what it is. The thing is, these feelings do have a purpose. We are supposed to learn from them!

So try to give yourself a break for doing the best you could in the time and space you were in. This is life, you live and learn.

I like to beat myself up about working so much through my daughter’s childhood. I tell myself “I should have/could have/would have done better if I had only known what I know now.”

I call BS on this train of thought.

First; she was my first child and is my only child. The only way I could have done better is to have had experience, which I did not. I love her more than myself or anyone on the planet, yet that does not replace the failings all parents go through at some point and time.

Second; I was single mother with a mortgage to pay and a child to feed. During those years (I missed out on) I was in no position to stay home with her as much as I would have liked too. Honestly, I was a very young mother who was not nearly as ‘woke’ or evolved as a more mature mother may be. So, to say I could have done better, most likely would not be true.

What I have learned from this experience is to enjoy every single second of the time I get to spend with her now. I try to make our moments together full of quality, since we do not have quantity. We are learning more about each other as we grow and age together. I am very much enjoying the woman my daughter has become, even if she grew up with a working mom.

My point is, what we do and experience in our lives, happens as it should. I believe our life experiences are divinely guided to teach us what we need to learn. The only way we can mess that up is to not learn from those experiences.

So, to those of us who like to get down on ourselves about things we could have, should have, and would have done differently, give yourself a break. Know that you most likely did the best you could in the time and space you were given.

I hope this blog has helped you in some way or given you a different perspective on self-doubt. You are doing your best and I believe in you!

Wishing you an abundance of joyful blessings!

With love,

Emy Minzel ~ Adventure Sister

https://emyminzel.com

@EmyMinzel

Follow the Adventure Sisters on Facebook!

https://www.facebook.com/BWCAdventureSisters

Stacy Crep ~ Adventure Sister

https://stacycrep.com

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Finding balance

November 16, 2018November 15, 2018 emyminzel

There has been a shift inside myself from internal growth and maintenance to external efforts to bring peace to the world around me. I have found many like-minded folks who do their best to be the change they wish to see. We volunteer, and we share our experiences filled with wisdoms we’ve learned in our own lives. Our hope is, to help others, by sharing our past challenges and what we would have done differently if we could do it again.

I have spent the last year focused on trying to bring harmony to my community. As you can imagine, it’s not an easy thing to do when others would rather argue and fight instead. I did feel, at times, like I was fighting too. This isn’t my natural personality. I am a lover not a fighter and I like to think I am an upbeat person. A little feisty, but full of kindness and caring, that I want to share with my community and see if I can make any difference at all.

Honestly, I am tired of the fight. I feel I can rest well though, knowing I did my best even if I did not get the outcome I was hoping for. It took a great amount of energy for me to campaign. So much so that I did not allow much time to do the simple things I enjoy or do my best caring for myself or family. The campaign was like a force of a tornado that scooped me up and had me running in circles with no way of knowing where I would end up. I trusted this experience as it has given me new perspective.

When it comes right down to it for me, my family and health are the most important things a girl can have. I have been putting both on the back burner for a long while and it’s time to get back to the truly important things in life. Truthfully, I do wonder if my efforts were worth it. At the end of the campaign I felt like I was pouring from an empty cup and now I have a chip in it as well. The chip signifies the crack caused by my lack of maintaining my personal life.

Looking back, this is not okay with me. I should have made it a priority to find balance between campaign life, work, family, health and personal spirit care much earlier. It is a human struggle, for most of us at some time in our lives, so I can’t beat myself up too bad about it. What I can do though, is acknowledge it and then make sure I do better going forward.

I am thankful for winter as the pace of life seems to settle down and the Holidays come around, naturally bringing family back into focus. This is a time to rest after a good effort and harvest of the summer time activities. It is the perfect time to re-fill my cup per say.

If you are wondering how does a girl refill her cup? I will share with you how I plan to do so… it may not be for everyone, of course, it is custom designed for me and what I feel I need. My hopes are, by sharing my version of self-care, you can also get some ideas of what may work for you.

Massage – lots of them! Massage is good for body, mind and spirit. It’s proven to reduce stress, muscle tension and increase serotonin levels. Who doesn’t need that?! Other modalities that do this are acupuncture, chiropractor visits and sound healing.

Eating healthy – I love to cook! Soup is one of my favorite meals to make, it allows me to get creative, while filling my tummy with vitamins and minerals my body needs. It’s important to get your veggies in everyday and I had not been doing my best lately. I like to use organic produce with lots of herbs and spices. Some day’s it takes me hours to make soup and I love the whole process. It is very grounding. From chopping, slicing, and singing in the kitchen, to the part where I let it simmer for an hour or more to marry. This brings me peace.

Nurture my spirit and body – Some people go to church, I tend to go outside or within. Walking in nature heals my spirit even in the winter. I will meditate wayyyyy more than I have been. Silencing my mind allows me to hear what Spirit and my own soul have to say. I will also go see my friends that do energy healing because sometimes you just need a little help.

Family and friends – Spending time with the people who love me unconditionally, is a great way to fill up my heart. I will take my husband on dates, I will go visit my daughter, and other friends and family who let me be just me.

Kids – I do not have little ones of my own, but I do have family with little people I enjoy and adore. I will make time to sit on the floor and read a book with my littlest family members to bring back simple perspective to my life. Children are full of wisdom if you truly listen.

Animals – My dog Gus is growing older and we can’t go out hiking in the cold winter, but we can go on car rides and other adventures. Spending time with my dog, lowers my heart rate and elevates my mood. My dog fills my heart with joy and reminds me to enjoy the ride of life.

Volunteer – I am a nurturer by nature. It makes me feel good to help others. I will find ways that let me do so that fit into my life and not let it overwhelm my time or energy.

Clean House – This pertains to my actual house that has been neglected for months as well as my internal house of intentions, emotions and feelings. I believe that the state of our outside world represents the inside of ourselves. As above, so below. I am going to clean out the closets, purge old things I no longer need and freshen up the paint. I am going to give love to the corners of the house and pick up the rugs where I may have taken short cuts to sweep issues under it. I will do that maintenance on the inside as well.

My intention is to share my life experience so that you know you are not alone in the struggle to find balance. I hope this blog helps you in some way. We are all in this great big world together and it’s important to practice kindness with others and yourself. Be gentle and understanding, we are all growing at our own pace and in our own ways.

Wishing you an abundance of joyful blessings!

With love,

Emy Minzel ~ Adventure Sister

https://emyminzel.com

@EmyMinzel

Follow the Adventure Sisters on Facebook!

https://www.facebook.com/BWCAdventureSisters

Stacy Crep ~ Adventure Sister

https://stacycrep.com

Photo Credit – Google copyright free photos –

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Whoa!

November 11, 2018 emyminzel

I used to watch Blossom, it was a television show back in the 90’s… way back when. Anyway, Joey was Blossom’s brother who always said “Whoa!” in a cute and funny way when he learned something that surprises him. Today, I am feeling a tiny bit blown away by the roller derby of feels I have going on after election day. Huge, determined, and powerful emotions, crashing into one another that are nothing alike.

At first, I was totally okay and thankful for the amazing experience to be a Candidate. This experience was a roller coaster of emotions, where all at once, I felt excited, terrified, empowered and heart-warmed. But now that it is over, and I did not win, after a very hard effort and sacrifice of time. I feel thankful, sad, angry, relieved, exhausted, blessed, confused, and just plain “WHOA!!!”

This has been one heckava adventure! I would not trade it for anything. I loved everything about it except how hard it was! Man! I am exhausted. I feel the tired deep down in my soul. Like pouring from an empty cup exhausted. It feels so good and so bad all at the same time. Seriously, I have called myself a walking contradiction before, but these feeling here… take the cake.

I want to be proud of myself for stepping up and taking the chance to be the change I wanted to see. I found out it was much harder than I thought it would be. I want to be proud of my work, but I also have this opposite feeling that I let a LOT of people down. People who I have gotten to know and really enjoy.

This opportunity to see the greatness in my community has changed me to my core. I am beyond a doubt in awe of how Central Minnesotans truly care about each other and our small-town way of life we love. I love how we support one another and even if we may not vote the same way, still manage to get allong. Quite nicely most the time.

I have learned that the people who scream the loudest do the least from the sidelines. I have learned quiet people have a whole lot to say. I found I love to and benefit from listening. This experience was raw, from the heart, listening to the families I share my grocery store and gas station with. The folks I talked to are no different than me, they want us all to get along too.

I saw for myself what I knew all along. We have far more in common than not. I think that our communities do need healing. They need to see that it is possible. Everyone who I met, wants it to be possible and needs it to be possible. We need each other to survive. Not only physically but emotionally and spiritually.

As a small business owner, I know the importance the support of my community means to me. I take my job very seriously and do the best I can every time, every client. Because I want the people I help to come back to me. This is what small business is all about, customer service. People remember the way you made them feel. Just like all folks, I have not been perfect, but I took those experiences as lessons and work to improve myself and the way I leave people feeling every day.

I’ve been feeling a lot of feels, but I had an epiphany of sorts. I wish to take my loss as a redirection of my priorities. Maybe, just maybe, there is a different way to do what I want to do? I have some ideas. I will do some research and see where this takes me. Until then, I choose to be thankful for this attempt to be the change I wish to see.

I will be thankful for each and every soul I came across in my political journey, as well as every experience that made me step outside of my comfort zone. I had been craving adventure and a political campaign offered me just that. I am still determined to experience all the adventure I can, even if it’s right in my backyard.

Do I recommend running for office for everyone? Nope. Do I recommend it to those who want to change their perception of the world? Yep. I think far differently of politicians now. This is not a position set up for those without motivation. You must have the funds, the time, purpose and drive that keeps you working your fool head off.

I will admit, I did and do still have an ulterior motive. I want to protect our water here in Minnesota, it is what makes us so great. It sustains our economy and environment plus our way of life. It is imperative to our future.

Yet, I am only me, there is only so much I can do. The majority of people in my district do not agree with my platform, so there must be another way to be the change I wish to see. I must work on this… I already have a plan. Will I run again? Maybe. But there is time to decide and a lot of life to live between then and now.

Until then, I will work to feel all my emotions that will lead me to more adventures and help define how I live my life. I could choose to be upset that things did not work out how I wished they would. But I trust that this journey was an important part of me getting to where I was meant to be.

Working through my roller derby of eclectic emotions is what the human experience is all about. You feel them, let them pass and acknowledge the ideas that come before and after them. That’s the meaty part. The conclusions and the epiphanies caused by the experience and adventure.

The journey happens in the now. I have been asking for lessons through Joy. I received an abundance of them. I must not allow this one loss to diminish my heart opening experience. It does have a purpose and I still have a purpose.

Let the next adventure begin!

Wishing you an abundance of joyful blessings,

Emy Minzel ~ Adventure Sister

https://emyminzel.com

EmyforHouse.com

@emyminzel

@EmyforHouse15A

Follow the Adventure Sisters on Facebook!

https://www.facebook.com/BWCAdventureSisters

Stacy Crep ~ Adventure Sister

https://stacycrep.com