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A Starfish Story

Sometimes you just need one person who believes in you, your heart, your intentions and your dreams to help you keep moving forward when everyone else is telling you all the reasons you shouldn’t. My person has been my Adventure Sister and soul sister Stacy. From the moment we met Stacy has helped me come out of my shell, not only by going on adventures, but growing together in a mind, body, spirit kind of way.

I feel more confident in who I am, because I had a mentor to show me how to fully embrace who I was as a person, to love my mind, body and quirky spirit. She celebrated the attributes I once thought of as negative like ‘stubbornness’ and helped me reframe this to ‘persistent or determined’, which led to setting goals, and then achieving them.

Stacy consistently encouraged me to level up in all areas of my life, she Yoda’d me or coached me through self-esteem issues that were keeping me from being brave enough to be authentically me. She encouraged me to remember who I really am inside, what do I really believe? What do I really stand for? Do your actions match? She asked me hard questions, called me out and encouraged me to be authentic in her own kind way.

Adventure Sister Stacy and I have a strong soul connection, like sisters we have special relationships. She taught me that what’s more important than having someone else believe in you; was that I must believe in myself. Very big sister like advice, I am sure I have heard it many times in many ways. She was an example of what it looked like to own your uniqueness and passions to make them feel like they were the best part of your magical charm. Which is, of course, true!

I have wanted to write a book for a very long time but never had the confidence to try, I would tell Stacy about my dream of being an author for years. It took Stacy suggesting we write a book together before I was brave enough to try. I thought that I needed someone to hold my hand to hold me accountable to go through with it. The moment we decide to write a book together, we set a goal of 3-5 pages per week. Every week, we surpassed this goal swiftly.

The first book “Lessons through Joy” was written in about four months. Our other stories flowed so freely, we continued to write and write some more. We ended up with enough chapters to fill a three-book trilogy. I was doubting myself, looking for approval from others instead of just believing in my own abilities. When I put effort into it I found out there was nothing to be fearful of, only my own doubts kept me idle.

It has been a wonderful literary adventure with my dear friend, we have had the most amazing journey just to get where we are today. Our three book proposals are almost complete and will be ready for submission to publishing companies by the end of the month. We are both full of excitement and anticipation for what the future may hold, yet we know whatever happens will be as it should. We feel blessed to be going through this amazing journey together.

When I learned how to believe in myself fully I realized that no matter what happens I will be okay. If we sell a few books or if we sell a few million books… I know that I will be proud of myself for trying. I will be happy that I found the confidence to attempt a shot at making my dream reality, instead of being too scared to give it a go. That’s what I know. Stacy does too.

It was my sister Stacy that encouraged me to run for State House of Representatives when the opportunity arrived. She reminded me to believe in myself, she reminded me to own my authentic self by putting my political passion to work in real and tangible ways. “The Universe gave you this gift of opportunity, don’t you want to go down the path to see where it leads?” Leaving it to sound like an adventure, because she knows I love adventures.

This, my friends, is how my soul sister Yoda’s me into being a more confident, goal setting, dream chasing, adventurer… because that is authentically me. Stacy was the person who believed in me, encouraged me, and helped me when I was a starfish beached on the shore. She saw that being stuck in the sand was not where I was supposed to be, she kindly nurtured our friendship and led by example what it means to be the change you wish to see in the world.

I feel blessed to have such a great person in my life that I get to call my friend. For more Yoda like wisdom, follow Adventure Sister Stacy Crep’s blog too! Please feel free to follow her at stacycrep.com she is an amazing person.

 

Wishing you an abundance of joyful blessings,

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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Trust

They say we should “Let go and let God” Trusting God/The Universe/Dharma or Spirit (same to me) sounds so easy! They say we must release any thought of control, to trust life will all turn out roses. Yet we know from experience that life situations are not full of roses rather sometimes feels like an overgrown garden full of raspberry thorns, stinging nettles. Making the garden of life difficult to travers, sometimes painful and annoying as all hell. Or maybe that’s just me…

Why oh, why do we have to go through difficult times as often as they seem to come? Or do we make our own difficult days by not trusting our path??? We are told to let go and trust that God/The Higher Power has it handled. Everything you experience has a purpose for your greater good. You just may not be aware of yet.

Trusting what the Universe has in store for us is much easier when life is on the upswing. When we are falling in love, growing family, finding that perfect job, or going on vacation. Trusting life’s path is not so easy when we are going through challenging transitional times. Like losing a job, changing careers, graduating college with enormous dept, divorce.

Sometimes we even end up making difficult choices like having to choose between paying the mortgage or buying a lifesaving prescription; buying food or paying the light bill… When we experience mentally challenging growing pains, and ecstatically wonderful life events all of these encounters help us become who we are meant to be.

Trust; is giving up belief you have any control. Spirit has everything working the way it is meant to for our greatest and highest good.

I will liken it to when your child gets their driver’s license, they are excited beyond measure to get the keys to the car and the yearning to go anywhere at all. You know as a parent that you’ve raised a good, level headed, smart kid who knows how to drive and is responsible to come home when they say they will. Yet you are still scared when you see them pull out of the driveway.

It is because we know in our hearts that no matter how good your kid is, the world out numbers them. How do we trust the big fat scary world to hold our baby safe for us? The news tells me scary stories day after day, it can be easy to get caught up in the constant programming of fear on television. Sometimes we make ourselves insane with worry and that is no way to live. It’s no wonder why we get so scared of everything!

On the days I feel like the worried parent of a new driver because I just can’t predict what is going to happen next. Those are the days is seemingly the most important to let go and let God; breath in trust, exhale fear. Worry and fear only keep your energy down, stressing you out for no good reason in the here and now. Stealing joy from today and that’s no good.

Trusting in a Higher Power/God means to really believe that today and the future will be okay until proven otherwise. Put one foot in front of the other, put your garden gloves on and get to work thinning the weeds until you find the flowers again while being thankful for my blessing of having a garden at all.

Trust tests us even when we get what we have been asking for! We tend to question our good fortune skeptically. Is this really meant for me? Do I deserve this?  Should I sabotage this because I am scared to accept this opportunity? Deep stuff circles in the ocean of our minds all because we are fearful of trusting our path.

Those days that test your trust, with situations that make you think “is this really for my greatest good???”

If it feels bad don’t do it. If makes your heart sing get to it! Remember enjoy it and trust it, let go and let God.

Wishing you an abundance of joyful blessings,

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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In mid-pursuit of Dreams, Goals, and Aspirations!

I have a wide range of interests that keep me busy, my day job is rewarding and makes me feel purposeful, yet I still feel pushed by Spirit to do more. I have been writing books with my Adventure Sister Stacy with the hope and purpose of helping others grow, and learn, in ways that are helpful in everyday life. We would like to use our series of books to promote the importance of working together while encouraging our differences, in sisterhood, family, friendship, and in all areas of life while caring for each other and the planet.

We have been pursuing this goal for several years and we are smack dab in the middle of working hard for no ‘reward’ except the reward is that it feels right to our souls. It is the heartfelt passion and our will to help the greater good with our writing that keeps our project moving forward, one baby step after another. We are determined to make it happen.

I also have dreams of traveling the globe far and wide, gaining experiences of other places and cultures while writing about it on my hobby farm that will rescue farm animals, bees, chickens, cows, donkey, goats, you name it. I dream that this farm will be fully functioning while being surrounded by a magnificent permaculture food oasis for my family complete with a Walipini for winter gardening. You’re probably thinking “You’re nuts girl! Do you know how much work that is?!”

Yes, I do. I am aware of the insanity that drives me forward, it is my crazy creative life that keeps me dreaming these goals. I feel the pull to add in a little mix of corporate to my creative goals, I have been moved to explore the political world feeling the need to stand up to the injustices I see and now I am considering a run to represent my local district. Because why wouldn’t you add more work on top of the work you already have?!

During my spare time I refinish and repurpose old décor that can be brought to life and funkdified into something wonderful. I have a whole basement workshop full of half finished projects I would like to complete so I could sell them in a small boutique for extra travel money. Also, I create random pieces of art when called to do so. Did you see that?! Squirrel!

Is it possible to be a State Representative, Therapist, Author, Sanctuary Farmer, Permaculture enthusiast and Artist all at the same time? What keeps me holding on to these dreams while some of them have nothing to do with the other? Could I possibly find the time, money, and energy to pursue all of them? Would Spirit give me the desire to do all these things if it weren’t possible?

It would be possible to write and have a farm sanctuary that would be a dream come true. Yet like most people I still have a day job that pays the bills and we all know that’s just a little important if you like to eat. Like I said, I enjoy my ‘job’ it doesn’t feel like work because I find it rewarding. Yet I still aspire to do so much more, to live more sustainably in a way that supports my inner truth. Would I still be able to give my family and friends the time and attention they need to keep healthy happy relationships in the pursuit of my truth?

What goals are truly attainable? And which goals should I pull my energy from? I believe time is the most precious commodity humans are given, so I would like to put my ambitions into the things that will have the best outcome for my highest and greatest good. I am human and do not know what the future will bring, but I do know what I would like my future to look like. Goals, dreams and aspirations are good to have right?!

My husband is not on board with my hobby farm dreams unless he is guaranteed not to have to do any of the work. I understand this because these are not his dreams, they are mine, and it would not be fair to push them on to him and take up his time that is also his commodity to do with as he pleases. He still loves me, encourages me, and supports me in pursuit of my goals, and that’s what matters. I also realize I cannot achieve these goals alone.

Do I take the dreams and goals I can accomplish by myself and run with them? Do I then sacrifice the rest of my goals to the boulevard of broken dreams where what if’s live forever? Or… do I get to work recruiting the help I need? Did you know I hate to ask for help? Insert exasperated sign here. The self-imposed drama I tell you! Stacy just reminded me that the more I believe my dreams will come true the more likely they will be manifested! I know she is right. I must insist and persist, if I want them to exist!

I believe in manifestation, yet lately I feel that maybe I am trying to manifest too much??? Is that even possible to have too many dreams? I call BS on that thought. We are only on this planet for a short time, there is only so much we can accomplish that’s why what we chose to spend our time doing should be purposeful and meaningful. I believe we should pursue the things that bring us joy, contentment, and purpose that will fill our souls with resolve to persevere because it is your dream and you must.

To live in my integrity while it feels like I am chasing squirrels I will call on the spirit of my Dogs to see me through to fruition. Dogs are a great representative of dedication to what you love, they are steadfast in what they believe in and that is usually you. They are consistent, persistent, and insistent every day as reliable as the sun. If my dogs can believe in me so wholly and my families support is consistent, why can’t I believe in myself the same way?

These dreams are a way to support myself through living with purpose, to live in integrity with my beliefs feels vital at this point in my life. I believe the things that call to my soul and tug at my feelings, are my callings, they should at the very minimum be pursued until I clearly see that path isn’t for me. To know that I could fail but keep my hopes up that I will not. I see that Billy goat portage in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area is once again a poignant lesson in my life.

Billy goat portage was hard, very difficult for both of the Adventure Sisters, we did not anticipate the physical, and mental challenges that it gave us that day. We had brought so much stuff that we had to travel this difficult path six times to bring all our gear to the next portage. The Billy goat portage path taught me I am capable of doing way more then I think I can. It taught me that by keeping my head down in pursuit of just making it to the end, watching my footing and being careful not to trip up, I made it to the other side just fine. Having to travel that same obstacle six times makes me laugh in the comparison of persistence and dedication most goals and dreams require.

When Stacy and I got to the five-star campsite we were exhausted and starving we would spend the next five days nurturing our beaten and battered bodies while basking in the sun and floating in the lake, enjoying each other’s company and eating very well because we carried a ton of food in! It was the most rewarding vacation full of pride in our accomplishments, the teamwork built our trust and proved to us both we could rely on each other when it was difficult.

I have a team around me that will do the same, so I feel I must pursue each one of these squirrely dreams until the sucker really truly gets too far up the tree and away from me. If it does get away I will then know it wasn’t my path, keep going on the journey where the doors open, there is no need to break them down the ones meant for me will be ajar.

So here I go again chasing garden squirrels today too, excuse me while I go start my petunia seeds! I love to play in the dirt in the middle of a Minnesota winter. It brings me joy.

Be consistent, Be persistent, Be insistent ~ Congressman John Lewis

 

Ambition is the path to success. Persistence is the vehicle you arrive in. – Senator Bill Bradley

Wishing you an abundance of joyful blessings,

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

*Disclaimer ~ the photograph used in this blog I found many years ago on the internet and do not know who to give photo credit to. If by chance it is you I would gladly add your name to the photo that moved my soul.

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Life in Limbo

Do you ever have times in life when some of your plates are up in the air and all you are doing is waiting for days or weeks, even months for them to come down, so you can rearrange them in the organized chaos you know and love? In between the juggling there can be times in life when some of your plates may go rouge and God seems to switch them out on you, taking some away or giving you more. I am talking about when life hands you opportunities or plot twists and there you sit waiting in suspense in the gray area of uncertainty until it becomes clear.

You may feel strongly about taking a new job but uneasy about it because its completely different then what you’ve done before. Maybe the benefits and hours are amazing, but you must move your whole family to a new town and that’s a big deal. Maybe you’ve decided to have children, and now every month that comes and goes has new meaning, nothing happens until it happens and then you know! The in between of life can be uncomfortable, exciting, nerve racking even thrilling, it’s like the suspense part of a good movie when you just don’t know what is going to happen next!

I feel that way now, I have many interests that peek my fancy, and I put energy into the things I feel passionate about. Lately I have embarked on a literary journey with my Adventure Sister Stacy, we just submitted three book proposals to our editor for a series we have been working on for several years. Even though we have come far in this undertaking, we still have a way to go before we get published. The waiting in the in between of uncertainty is exciting and nerve racking all at the same time. There’s a lot of “what if’s” running around in my head right now!

I tend to have an extreme range of scenarios when it comes to my what if’s some of them great some of them not. I try to remind myself to release the uncertainty to God and I trust that whatever happens is for my highest and greatest good. It sounds so easy to trust my path, but doubt is a slippery sucker that likes to creep in through cracks of my hope. Yet I still choose to hold on to faith I am expecting the best and know that I will be okay no matter what happens.

I felt moved to get involved in environmental activism, by getting more involved in politics. So, I took a small step of caucusing a couple weeks ago to submit a resolution to lawmakers asking them to save the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in Minnesota from impending toxic mining. This urge led me to people who saw my passion for politics and encouraged me to do more. They urged me to do something I never thought I would consider which is to run for a District House of Representative seat in MN to represent my community. This is not a done deal, or solid decision yet, I am doing my research, finding out more and putting myself in the pool of my political community to find out if I would be able to get the help and build the team I would need to run.

I am following the signs set before me like breadcrumbs sent from God, I trust my intuition takes me to places I feel my soul being pulled. The last few months life has been handing me opportunity after opportunity to learn, grow, help myself and others. I am feeling extremely blessed just to have the chance to participate in either of these big things. Being a published author or running to be a State Legislator representing my community and environment would be fabulous experiences.

I feel I already have a beautiful life, the waiting shouldn’t be hard, but somedays it gives me anxiety.  I choose to see these plates up in the air as positive anyway they come down. They’ve given me experiences I would not have if I didn’t follow my intuition. I am blessed to have had these encounters at all, I am able to trust God either way the juggling act commences, I know he would not give me more than I can handle or lead me this far for no reason. My journey is just that, a journey, I am meant to embrace the in betweenness to see this time as the waves of life’s limbo moving me forward. It is quite thrilling ride!

I am so thankful for you, the readers sharing this journey with me, I wish you the best while traveling and trusting in your path.

Wishing you an abundance of joyful blessings,

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