Tag: #inspiration

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Stacy Crep ~ Adventure Sister

Get back on the bike

December 2, 2018December 2, 2018 Emy Minzel

After taking some time to process big feelings. I imagined what I might say to a friend who is feeling down. Mostly I believe I would recommend to keep doing what they love and volunteering for things that call to your soul. Encouraging my friend to answer the calling to contribute to the greater good of the world around them. I would say simply, keep putting your energy where your heart feels guided.

It’s like I discovered a secret about myself that I should have known the whole time… finally seeing that I feel sad and anxious when I choose not to participate in all the glorious life there is to experience! Then I start eating all my feelings and… Blahhhh!!!! Not cool… just sayin’. (Who’s with me here?)

So, I have decided it’s just going to be best for me, to get back on the bike folks.

Do you find its best for you to keep moving when you feel a little derailed? I think we feel better when we get our heads back in the game and participate in expanding our life experiences. Having a few things that keep me excited about the future makes a huge difference for my outlook.

Truthfully, I am very curious to see what life has in store next! Until then I will keep following my inner compass. This is the advice I would give my friends so, I may as well try it myself. Below are some things that will help me keep making progress.

Writing: I have always enjoyed and learned that sharing my experiences, to help others, makes me happy. It allows me to organize and process my thoughts, feelings and emotions. I look forward to writing every day! I love to read other peoples stories too! Sharing our life lessons has helped build our Facebook page, while writing our books and blogs has led to building a soulful, adventurous community that makes me smile. Being an Adventure Sister has been a beautiful experience I will continue, because I love it!

Family Time: Spending time with family and friends is something that makes my heart sing and my soul smile. Lately, I am doing my best to enjoy each day when it is here. I am more aware of living in the now instead of constantly planning my next move. Slowing down to check-in with ourselves allows us to put priorities in order. Being fully present, when I am with family, is something I was not doing great at. I am now doing my best to put my phone down and be better at living in the moment. I know many of you can relate!

Volunteering and Community Organizing: After some time to contemplate and hibernate, I have realized, I’m missing the involvement in projects and organizations that have a bigger purpose. I really miss working towards a positive greater good. So, I will also continue to build a strong foundation that includes the friends I’ve made on the campaign trail. We are organizing gatherings that promote conversation and action to improve the community and our lives. I already have some exciting ideas floating around, I can’t wait to see where it goes from here! Do you like to volunteer? I’d love to know where!

Get back on the bike: The way I see it. Most everyone who’s ever been anyone was or is just a regular person. A person, just like you and I, determined to do what they knew they must. They followed their hearts and listen to their souls. Even when they’re told they can’t, shouldn’t or won’t succeed; they did it anyway. Successful people don’t quit when it gets hard or when they fall. They just get up, rub some dirt in it and keep going. I’m choosing to pick myself up, and keep doing what makes my heart flutter. I highly recommend you try too. It’s not anxiety, it’s excitement!

There are so many ideas and things I want to do that it just doesn’t even seem possible to do them all. But this doesn’t seem to stop me from trying… I have a ‘to do’ list, a ‘wish’ list, a ‘vision board’, travel goals, and many dreams that I try to work towards most every day. I have finally realized I have accomplished a whole lot from where I started so why slow down now?!

What are the things that bring out your passion for life? Do you have hobbies and interest that keep you fired up and excited to wake up tomorrow? Where are the destinations on your dream travel itinerary?

I would love to hear what makes your heart sing. What happened when you decided to ‘get back on the bike’?! Please, feel free to share your stories with me!

Wishing you an abundance of joy and blessings,

With love,

Emy Minzel ~ Adventure Sister

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Stacy Crep ~ Adventure Sister

Photo credit;Google images – http://thegoodthebadthequirky.blogspot.com/2013/01/getting-back-on-bike.html

Grieving life experiences

November 29, 2018November 29, 2018 Emy Minzel

Mourning doesn’t only happen when you lose a loved one.

It never occurred to me that I would mourn the loss of the election. I don’t mean that I am morning the loss itself. I am okay that I did not ‘win’. I am very proud of myself for overcoming my fears, being brave, putting my hat in the ring and making a strong run. Yet after the election day came and went, my life as I had been living it, abruptly came to a halt.

It feels like losing a close relationship that I had been in for over 8 months. I very much enjoyed the work, the learning, the events, but most of all the people who I spent a great deal of time with. After the election it was like my job was terminated and I sat wondering “What do I do now?!”

It was during a soulful conversation with my Adventure Sister, Stacy, that she mentioned I may be grieving to process my emotions. Stacy is a hospice nurse, so she knows a thing or two about how grieving may look.

Five stages of grief are; Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance

As thankful as I am for this whole experience, I still spent the week of Thanksgiving in a fog of sadness. The week before that I was bargaining, debating and trying to convince myself of the reasons why I would or would not run again. These weeks after the election have me following the same pattern and stages of the grief process.

When Stacy mentioned her observation, the light in my head said “ding!” I knew she was on to something. We traded Reiki energy healing, and this seemed to help me push through some of these emotions. Yet still I feel a slightly depressed.

Mourning can happen when you move, lose a job, end a friendship, suffer great financial loss or break up in a relationship and most commonly after a death. I feel like I had a break up of sorts. For me, the experiences of being a candidate were much like having a relationship with my community, that I love so much, that just seemed to end.

The experiences as a candidate were life changing, uplifting and heart opening. Very much like a new romance or job that you thought was ‘the one’ yet finding out that nope… it was not. I feel extremely sad that it is over. I did not expect this emotional conflict that has shook up my soul. I certainly didn’t expect this much emotion over all!

I believe I am going through this grieving process because of perceived loss of the relationships, the activity and the job in which I truly felt was a part of my purpose. But most of all, I believe I am mourning the derailment of my path.

It has me second guessing “Is this really my purpose or an adventure meant to lead me someplace I don’t see yet?”

The logical part of my brain says, “You are not alone, many others tried very hard and still lost as well. You ran because your soul guided you to this and you wanted too! It was a life experience not a destination. You did your best and most of all you enjoyed the journey. The purpose of life, is to enjoy the journey, learn and grow. You should feel blessed to have this amazing experience!”

I know deep down I am blessed. It is not over. And I must keep, keeping on!

I still have so much to accomplish. I know I must get back in the ring because I still have the desire in my soul to help my community in some way. Maybe it isn’t in the way I thought it might be? That is okay too.

I also know it is fine to take some time to heal myself; mind, body and spirit. I will fight the sadness that sometimes slips into my mind by working to replace those thoughts with thankfulness.

I know that my life is great! I am blessed with a wonderful family and career I love. But for some reason I feel there is more for me to do. Maybe it is the uncertainty of my path that keeps me searching for the next adventure? I believe we don’t escape any huge life experience without learning some lessons.

Maybe this feeling is part of the learning process as well? I’m hoping these emotions may guide me to where I can make a positive difference in myself and my community. I must be thankful for the whole experience, beginning to end.

Maybe that is another lesson? To just be thankful for it all. Before you know it, it may be gone. Be grateful for the experience, the love, the relationships, the fear, the uncomfortable parts, the scary parts, the adventure of it all, the whole time you showed up to experience life! Be thankful.

How do “you” get back in the ring after a loss? What are the things you do to help you feel better on ‘down’ days? Please feel free to share your experiences and advice so that it may help others know they are not alone!

To all the souls who struggle for a smile once in a while; I see you and I love you.

*Photo taken in Tofte, MN on Lake Superior

Wishing you joy, love and blessings,

With love,

Emy Minzel ~ Adventure Sister

Follow the Adventure Sisters on Facebook!

Stacy Crep ~ Adventure Sister

If you need help please reach out to:

suicidepreventionlifeline.org

1-800-273-8255

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

I want to help!

November 21, 2018 Emy Minzel

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.

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

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Stacy Crep ~ Adventure Sister

Whoa!

November 11, 2018 Emy Minzel

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

EmyforHouse.com

@emyminzel

@EmyforHouse15A

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Stacy Crep ~ Adventure Sister