Once upon a time there was a girl who despised hearts…
Oh those small, seemingly inconsequential moments over time… I now think of them in relation to positivity and resiliency. Back then, it was allowing individuals and my own choices to strip me of my joy before ultimately leaving me with little left. Admittedly, I had gotten to a pretty dark place over the years and, as the famous line of a song goes, “comfortably numb”.
I remember so clearly the feeling of being “ok” if I never were to open my eyes into this world again. Despite the weight of shame and guilt [and all sorts of other heavy hitter negative feelings], I made a choice that I never wanted to experience that feeling again of being in such a dark place and began taking baby steps into my future.
My awareness surge was a pretty intense experience – painful as hell, but worth the ride! Through mindfulness practices I began to see love everywhere and in everyone. It was no longer just during my “time on the mat”. Rather, I incorporated these techniques into my activities of daily life and would find ways to add a little extra.
One of those ways was rediscovering my love of cooking from scratch- in particular the chopping of vegetables. I was cutting carrots one day and decided to have a little fun with shapes. 5 cuts was all it took and I brought my first heart shaped carrot into the world. They’ve been littering my dishes ever since!