Tag: #lifelessons

Oh no! Your flights canceled…

January 30, 2019March 22, 2026 Emy Minzel

On my way home from a Retreat in Florida. I had some delays getting to my destination when it was time to go home. My connecting flight home was canceled which left me stranded in Chicago at the airport. The airline I was using said they couldn’t get me home until the next day or maybe not until Friday! It was Monday morning and I want to get home.

What was funny is that I had been thinking on the way to Florida, instead of complaining about the length of my travel, I need to focus on saying to God/The Universe “What a blessing that I get to travel all day!”

As the Universe/God does, it gave me more of just what I had asking for. Silly me. I guess I need to be much more specific when manifesting thoughts. I really did want to get home to my fabulous husband and my wonderful life. But as life does, sometimes your plans get changed for you.

I had spent the whole weekend practicing to raise our vibrations and vowing to hold myself accountable for the energy I bring into the world. Vowing to trust in divine timing and bringing my “best self” to circumstances that may not be so happy. So, I figured, this was my test from the Universe to see how I would handle this exact situation and change of plans.

Sure, I could be mad, plenty of other travelers were! I could even complain to everyone I saw or make a ruckus. Yet it would not change the fact that the flight was canceled due to the weather and the workers at the airport are not responsible for that.

My husband decided to purchase me another ticket from a different airline, that was based in Minnesota; so, we were fairly certain they would get me home. Yet it wasn’t scheduled to leave until later that night and it was still morning. The weather cleared up, but I had another 7 hours to wait before I could check back in for my 6:00 flight. I worked to do my best to keep my thoughts positive and my hopes high. I was not happy about having to purchase another ticket though, not cool. Yet, I knew I had to keep my thoughts positive.

I was working on trusting that this delay was for my greatest good. I decided I was going to just embrace the fate of my long wait and hunkered down to write. I now had the whole day to work from the airport! Time to take deep breathes and bring peace to my spirit. After all, I love having time to write uninterrupted! Although, I would prefer more comfortable seating. I decided to write for a couple hours and had to take a bathroom break. As I walked past the ticketing counter, I thought to myself…

“Maybe I should just try and ask if this new airline happens to have a flight going back to Minneapolis any earlier? The worst they could say is no.” I told myself.

Guess what?! The ticketing agent was not only very kind and helpful but got me on a flight that was leaving in just an hour! “OH JOY!” I was so happy I almost cried. It felt like such a weight was lifted off my shoulders; that I was going to get home soon. After all, there is no place like home and I really wanted to get there.

This event just confirmed what I already knew. It is my job to take responsibility for my attitude and my words; even in times of stress and confusion. I can choose to work myself up in anger, or better, I can choose to just work! I decided to seize the day and write about all I had learned about myself this weekend. While the Universe gave me the opportunity to practice my new/refreshed knowledge. So, I figured, I would share my synchronistic Monday morning lesson from the Universe with you too.

I have learned to trust what happens on my journey through life.

I have learned that I am okay in my own skin; even when my experience isn’t matching my expectations.

I have learned the energy I bring makes all the difference to myself and my situation.

I have learned to be more specific when manifesting travel!

I have even learned I will now take direct flights because they are worth it to me and I am worth it!

There are a lot of things that go through your mind when derailed from your path, but it’s up to us to rise above any negative thoughts.

I mean really…. The Universe/God just has a sense of humor in the way it sends it messages sometimes, doesn’t it? Today, I did do my best to keep a smile in my heart while I trusted the wait. I held onto hope that the Universe/God would get me home to see my husband very soon.

And it did. All I had to do was ask!

Wishing safe and timely travels adventurers!!! Keep your chin up and you let your light shine while you trust divine timing!

With love,

Emy Minzel ~ I am love.

*Photo taken in Orlando, Florida

Grieving life experiences

November 29, 2018March 22, 2026 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 a friend, she mentioned I may be grieving to process my emotions. She was 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 She 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 breakup 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 ~

If you need help please reach out to:

suicidepreventionlifeline.org

1-800-273-8255

Finding balance

November 16, 2018November 15, 2018 Emy Minzel

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://www.facebook.com/BWCAdventureSisters

Follow the Adventure Sisters on Facebook!

Stacy Crep ~ Adventure Sister

https://stacycrep.com

Photo Credit – Google copyright free photos –

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1&biw=1708&bih=790&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=f7ztW9a5H6au5wKB5ILoBQ&q=google+images+copyright+free%2C+balance&oq=google+images+copyright+free%2C+balance&gs_l=img.3…11390.13782..14079…0.0..0.89.712.9……0….1..gws-wiz-img…….0i30j0i8i30j0i24.FD4Ri0S9GZs#imgdii=iXY7pioIiZQQTM:&imgrc=KpW6qkm2FgHOiM:

I have learned what is important to me.

October 19, 2018March 22, 2026 Emy Minzel

I have learned what is important in life to me, after learning some lessons the hard way. Losing friendships and failed relationships have taught me a lot about what is important as I travel through life. I have taken for granted, very important people in my life, only to regret it after it was too late to do anything. Losing my grandparents within a month of each other was a giant slap to my ego. I learned some major life lesson’s the hard way, for a few years after that.

The saying “You don’t know what you got until it’s gone.” Had significant meaning to me after these tragic events. I did not get to tell my grandmother, to her face, how much I truly looked up to her and that I believed she was a real-life hero. I did not get to thank her for her the love and kindness that helped shape who I had become. As a writer, I am much more comfortable writing out my feelings then expressing them with my voice. Yet, these experiences have taught me I must use ‘my voice’ when it is important for me to do so.

It is important, that I let the people I love, know just how much I love them and why. Many people in the world are sensitive, self-conscious and really do wonder if they are truly loved. I spent time, running circles in my own head, when I was younger wondering what made me worthy of love? Did just being born mean that I was entitled to love? I had a long and difficult journey, in my youth, learning just how to love myself. Learning how to give myself the respect and significance, I often gave freely to others, yet didn’t feel worthy of myself. In time, I found what I was looking for. Me. I was there all along.

I am grateful I have learned to love my perfectly imperfect self. That was because I also learned how to love others unconditionally first. I learned that nobody is perfect, and I should not expect myself to be either. I learned that I love other people’s imperfects just as much as I love the things they are really great at. My daughter is sometimes too shy to come out of her shell. When I see her acting this way I think; “I wish she knew just how wonderful she truly is. She is so smart, kind, witty, generous and has a heart of gold. I wish she could see herself as I see her.” I often wonder what others see when they see me. Do you?

I have learned what matters and is important to me; is that I let others know the wonderful qualities I see they possess. I have learned to appreciate my own mother, so much more, after the death of my grandparents. I am an only child, like my daughter. I learned what it felt like to have your one and only child move out and grow up. Never once, when I was younger and moving out on my own, did I even think of my mom’s feelings about the situation. I was so excited to be moving on with my life that I didn’t even realize she was also beginning a new journey herself.

Learning to appreciate the experiences of my elders, like my mother, is also important to me. I would much rather learn some lessons through the experiences of others, especially if they are difficult ones. Learning that with age comes wisdom, was a turning point for me. I started to reach out to others more experienced then I. Life experiences are meant to be shared; sometimes they help you and other times you can use your experiences to help others.

Another value that is important to me is connection. To feel heard, to be appreciated for who I truly am. I have learned to always try my hardest to be ‘authentically me.’ I have learned that when I’m not me, when I try to fit in and follow the heard, life gets more difficult. It became of utmost importance to me, to listen to my heart and the callings of my soul. It was difficult at times, but I never felt more purposeful in my life then when I started to truly be me. Quirky humor, type ‘A’ personality, Nature loving hippie chick, who really wanted to let my light shine.

I wanted that light to shine in a way that helped others the same way I had learned from the strong women in my life. I wanted to pay it forward and decided that if I wanted to change the world, I had better work on myself first. So, I did. I started looking within for the answers instead of searching for external direction. I figured out that nobody knew what I needed, to feel fulfilled, but me. I just had to ask myself the hard questions and hold myself accountable for the changes I wished to see.

It became important to me to practice kindness. To share my love for life, the planet and for others in a way that felt good and healthy. I started by gardening organic produce. Working to learn about and implementing Permaculture practices around my home. I wanted to nurture the Earth as she nurtured me. I learned to respect my mother’s opinion instead of rolling my eyes like a teenager. I learned that my young daughter had more wisdom then she led on. I learned I was also full of wisdom I could chose to use as well.

I learned that my husband’s commitment to me was the foundation I depend on to be brave enough to shine my light in the political arena. Without him offering a safe place to fall, I would have not felt comfortable enough to put myself ‘out there.’ I have learned to not take this very special relationship for granted. I have learned to be better at keeping up relationships by taking responsibility for contacting my friends and family instead of waiting for the phone to ring. I do this because my relationships are important to me.

People are important to me; my family, friends, community and the strangers (friends) I do not know yet revolving on this planet around me. We are all connected on this big old Globe. I see that we have so much more in common then we could ever have in differences. I work to shine my light to promote peace, community and working together.

This is me. I have learned that it is okay to be as me, as I can be, while loving others for who they truly are as well. Warts and all. I truly believe most people are good in their souls, they just have to choose to foster the good and utilize it. I do my best to do the same. It is connection that is most important to me, not money or power. It is the divine spark of life within that connects us all that I like to promote in myself and others. This is what I find most important.

Empowering others to be as authentic as possible to themselves is what powers me to be and do better every day. The good in me, sees the good in you!

What is most important to you?

Wishing you an abundance of joyful blessings,

Emy Minzel ~