Happy Anniversary to Me

Can you believe that it has been three years since my metamorphosis into my Goddess state began? Yes, it was April 14, 2008 when I had my lapband put in.

Results to date -97 lbs.
Yesterday, actual anniversary, was -96. C'mon Lucky -100!

The greatest victory since then is that my confidence in this "tool" never wavered and no regret to bring me down. How could it? Maintaining alone is a victory. And add the fact that it has only been in the last few months that I finally kicked up my activity level. My latest victory is that I am turning towards healthier nutritional intake, as well as, soul resuscitation of meditation. You could call it a body, spirit, and mind overhaul.

It seems that Shrek had it right. Life is like an onion. Sometimes it stinks, sometimes it can make you cry, but as you peel away each layer, you eventually get to the sweet center.

My layers are many - controlling over indulging, listening to my body's messages as to what is good and not (bread-like foods...definitely no-nos), starting to really move, and still some very personal thin layers that were and still are almost invisible to me.

Now, I sit here on the train, and enjoy my victories. I never thought my butterfly experience, or maybe my caterpillar time, would result in my becoming a Goddess of epic proportions.

I end this post grateful for what I have learned from my non-ideal body, happy to enjoy this ever-changing shape, and looking forward to a more beautiful me. NOT because of the weight loss, but because of all the lessons that come along with my butterfly living.

~Goddess Karena
[poetic license and added an 'a' for my middle name...sounds more exotic, don't you think?]

Modern Day Renaissance Woman

Picture Bob the Builder and I Dream of Jeannie's love child and you might just see my face. I know, what did she do now?!?

I went from an evening of being a divine woman which included sensual movement, soul touching meditation, and celebrating me to the next night filled with sawdust, splinters, and maybe the onset of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. All this to better understand me, who I am, and where I'm going.

Last night, I attended a clinic at Lowe's Hardware out East in preparation for my role as a volunteer with Habitat for Humanity's "Women's Build." We learned about worksite safety (very, very dangerous so it seems) and how to do framework.

When it was time for somebody to give the hammer a whirl, I was the first one up. My dad always taught me that it's better to get it over with then to sit with nervous anticipation. After banging a nail from all different angles, I got it in after 25 taps. Hmmm! Maybe Water Girl might be a better role for me. Nahhh!

As the night concluded a local news cameraman asked to interview me ]nd two other ladies. That was neat, but I only know one friend (hi Lisa) who has Verizon FIOS to tell me what was shown.

In the end, as I stated on camera, I was very excited to join this group of volunteers as the idea of women building a home and being a role model to my 13 year old son...what can be more empowering?

So get ready to open up your wallets friends, I'm looking for sponsors. We'll be talking soon.

NEXT WEEK on The New Adventures of Karen will be a clinic recap on roofing & siding. Stay tuned.

A.D.D. & Me

I grew up in a world where kids were either "full of energy" or "not motivated", Clean Freaks or Slops, kids who had "ants in their pants" or were "slow as molasses. Nowadays, those same children would be labeled with ADD, ADHD, OCD, ODD, SID, etc, etc, etc.

As a mother of an active boy, I kept one eye on him and the other on lots of parenting books and articles. In the end, it was ME! who in recent years was diagnosed with ADD.

The good news is over the years, unbeknownst to me, I created the ideal job that required juggling & multitasking where ADD is a great fits. It almost mimics the way I view a hyper-can't-sit-still kid or a never-looks-up-from-a-book kids. The first would make an awesome Emergency Room doctor; the second would be a great heart surgeon that requires hours of concentration.

Each and everyone of us has something that could be tweaked. Most important is to turn what some may label as a weakness into a strength. So the next time you see a somebody with a different way about them, try to see the flip side and celebrate the differences between all of us.

Post Script: for more insight of Me & ADD, check out the March 19 post when I was adjusting my prescription. Happy to say, my mild meds can eliminate the runaway train that sometimes exists and replace with a soothing choo choo train.

Toot-Toot! All aboard! Karen is here and perfect just the way she is.

What's In A Label?

As I began taking the weekly Yoga-Pilates-and-Belly-Dance session out East, I had a hard time using the word Goddess which is what the sessions are really called – Goddess Sessions. I implied it with my post “My Experience as a Goddess”, but you may note I glazed over it.

I was always comfortable being a strong woman, an outspoken woman, a woman-who-thinks-outside-of-the-box, an emotional woman, funny woman, flirty woman, juicy woman, smart woman, and even a “good woman” which still makes me think I should be looking up at a big, manly farmer with straw sticking out of his mouth. The description of Goddess never was a word that I could use to describe me.

This has changed as I found a definition that I’m comfortable with. In fact, this is now a term that I think every woman should embrace. Give me some feedback if you find anything contradictory or blasphemous if you were to hear me refer to myself as a Goddess. Knowing me and connecting the similarities of this definition add up to only one thing…I am a Goddess.

Defining a Goddess…

*A woman that is in the process of learning to know, accept and love herself on all levels: mind, body, and spirit.

*A woman who, because she focused on a personal growth and self-awareness, experiences a life increasingly filled with peace, joy, passion, and fun.

*A woman that understands that she has an unlimited capacity to make her life anything she wants.

*A woman who is inspired to give to those around her out of her sense of gratitude and abundance.

Just wait until I do my Goddess portrait…there will be no doubt...Flora's got nothing on me!

Law of Attraction in Action...Take Two

PREREQUISITE READING: Today’s Previous Post

Now that you understand what I have latched on to, like a dog with a bone I might add, wait until you hear how my life has changed. I get what I want - what I truly want. It may come across very childlike or spoiled, but I prefer to think it is an acquired skill to ‘get what you want’ at no expense to anybody else.

Last week at Hyacinth (above photo), I walked around the shop and saw that some of the furniture pieces that displayed the many wares had SOLD signs attached to them. The owner, Tina, has some great little breakfronts, credenzas, tables, stools, etc. I noticed a big round mirror had a SOLD sign on it. I looked down and saw an old style dark wood three-drawer table/cabinet. There was an identical one only a foot or so away. It was only when I stepped back that I realized the mirror was part of a six-drawer vanity table. I loved it and was sorry to see a piece like that go. Now if you are a true Butterfly Living follower, you’ll remember that I am in the market for a vanity.

After weeks of staking out this shop, Tina, a Feng Shui expert, and I have had many talks about positive energy, Law of Attraction (as I refer to myself and Logan as students of the Law of Attraction.) I said to her that if the woman who bought this changes her mind, I’d like to be #2 on the list. She replied, "Sure, but the woman was very interested." I looked at her and said, “She’ll change her mind, and then it’s mine.”

Yesterday, when I popped in, I started to look at other pieces and noticed the SOLD sign was missing. I looked at her and said, “She’s not taking it, is she?” She said, “No, and you said that would happen.” So for $80…I got me a new (to me) vintage vanity. This was my greatest LoA act so far. I asked, believed, and received just what I wanted. (Psst! Isn't it nice?)

One more little piece of proof that I’d like to share. Getting fit, losing weight, exercising…that can benefit with LoA too. Here I learned that each time we attempt to lose weight, change our eating habits, or increase our activity after years of ups and downs, there are very deep rooted doubts that the Universe/God/Angels catch on to and thereby, cancel out a positive thought. So, instead of saying, “I’m going to lose weight”, as that’s been said often before, you say “I’m in the PROCESS of losing weight.” That is believable even to that nagging voice inside your head. Plus, by eliminating the hows & whats of the plan, just visualize your ideal weight, size, figure, etc. I tried that by simply stating, “I am a Size10 and weigh 130 lbs.” Guess what?!? I now find myself with a bottle of water in my hand, asking for a Skinny Latte at Starbucks, and passing on fresh baklava sitting 3ft from my desk. You ask me “Why?”Because that’s what a size 10 does. I unconsciously hypnotized myself with that one statement. Let's add the WalkWalkJog and some belly-dancing/yoga/pilates and you have yourself a Size 10 in the making.

Okay, ye non-believers, let’s see where I am in six months. Do you except that challenge? When you see a trimmer, richer, more peaceful Karen…then you will agree. In fact, I’ll repost this entire post and give you an update on all areas in a nutshell. So, come back online on September 27th and get ready to start yelling,

I believe! I believe! I believe!

Because lucky me, I already do.

Law of Attraction in A-C-T-I-O-N

Since reading a series of Law of Attraction (LoA) books by different authors, I am amazed that I have not read any inconsistencies between the different writers. All of them share the obvious foundation as being Ask, Believe, and Receive. I resisted reading The Secret for a bit, simply because the sample on my Kindle did nothing more than give similar quotes from different people through the years. It was only when I finally hit BUY on my electronic reader that I fully understood, THAT was the book. Again and again throughout hundreds and thousands of years, were quotes sharing the same message, in biblical terms, “Ask and ye shall receive.”

Knowing my Faith, as with many, can have moments of doubt, which I accept as a human trait and as well as a sign of intelligence, I become concerned that I might read something that shakes it. The opposite has happened. Understanding my Faith means that I have to believe in the unseen and know that it is so in my heart. With gratitude, my core belief has been renewed. And now, I will share how that has happened.

Years ago, Kerry, had touched on her spiritual side and explored it similar to me. Through magazines, books, little shops, understanding relics and symbols of different cultures and religions, both of us were searching for an answer at similar stages in our lives. I’m not saying “what is the answer to life?” answer. I’ve always thought the words ‘life’ and ‘live’ are so closely connected that my answer for the reason of life which for me it to live each day in whatever form that brings goodness and contentment to you and those around you. That is the fiber to how I make decisions and move through and over hurdles.

It was after looking through a LoA book that Kerry gave me one holiday that I was given the exercises that I needed to follow to fully understand the magic in me. I began keeping a Today’s Proof Journal as well as an Abundance Journal. [More on that another day.]

I began with one or two things a day. Easy things that I always knew worked out for me such as getting a great parking spot or getting a perfect seat at the swim meets close to friends. Remember there would be hundreds of cars and people at the respective places and that was over a 1 in 300 shot of that happening.

Two big examples cemented my belief that Ask, Receive, Believe were indeed an actual power.

The first was driving down Northern State after talking with two men about how this parkway connected to Veteran’s Highway. Neither gentleman knew. I relied on my instinct which believed at some point they either crossed or became the same road. As I was driving, I said out loud, “I just wish I knew I was headed in the right direction”, when suddenly an overhead traffic board said TRAFFIC CONDITIONS GOOD TO 454 which I knew to be Veteran’s Highway. I looked up at the car’s ceiling and said, “Thank you.” I went on a bit and then said, “I wonder how much longer.” Again, a sign popped up on the side of the road 5 MILES TO 454 / 3 MILES TO 495. This time, with an even broader smile, I said, “Thank you.” It was when I was driving down 454 and did not recognize the street that I said out loud for a third time, “I’ll feel better when I see the airport signs.” You know where I’m headed now, don’t’ you? Of course, the first of many airport signs appeared with the airplane symbol pointing me in the right direction. The timing was unbelievable for each of the three prompts. Not ironic. Not a coincidence. It was LoA in action.

The second was what I believe to be even more uncanny, if that is at all possible. I had told my partner, Jen, at work that I need matches for incense that I had at home. Being a non-smoker, I never thought to ask a shop keeper for some. Within five minutes, we were walking to the local Church downtown to attend a quick mass and receive ashes for Ash Wednesday. As we walked out our revolving doors, on the middle of the big cement promenade was a brand new, never been opened, book of matches. She looked at me and said, “You are kidding me?!?” I admit that I smirked at her as I bent down to get this gift. It was only later when I shared the story with Logan that he pointed out the underside said THANK YOU on it. A side note, when we walked in the crowded, tiny chapel five minutes late, there were no seats. I hadn't expected one, but I did expect I'd be offered a seat. Sure enough, as I stood behind a gentleman, when it was time to sit, he turned to me and offered me his chair. I smiled and shook my head 'no.' Who needed a seat - not me. I just needed to know it was there if I needed it.

And that is when my belief took flight. Now…get ready for the next post. (I can only do so many words on a blog entry.) TO BE CONTINUED…

Post Script: "It Is Time" Blog Post

The very day that I said I would let the writing take over and time would tell how my words got out there, my words got out there. Jessimina shared my blog via her blog and this might just have opened up the door to be a "read (past tense) author" to some.

It's a start.