The Mainstays IRL Vol. 5

LYW Mainstays | It’s been a choppy week of full of meetings and celebrations that have left me feeling a little sluggish. How about you? Celebrations in the middle of the week with a few days preparing for them and then a few more days getting things back to normal takes a lot out of me! I tailored much of the week around the kids’ schedules knowing that Halloween and parent-teacher conferences take place in the same week, 🤔😕 and it meant that my work was slowed this week. I felt impatient, at times, and at other times, the grace that comes with pacing myself.
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Here’s what the Mainstays looked like this week:
Movement. An autumn afternoon run with August (a dream come true!), Long morning walk to listen to my body; short @barre3 workouts.
Rest. Stopping to watch sunrises and sunsets, sitting through “chatty” meditations, writing before bed to take the load off, laying low to honor my cycle.
Nourishment. Meals around the table with music, warm cereals in the morning, one-pot wonders of chicken and vegetables, Still loving @moonjuice lazy green broth in the afternoons. 
Nature. Noticing the smells in the air, leaving the windows open (it’s California 🌞) to listen to the crickets, changing out the water for the flowers on my work desk, sitting in the sunshine to warm me up.
Relationships. Committing to fair but difficult conversations with John, advocating for Sawyer, praising August’s hard work & having fun doing homework with him, writing for help on grant writing and research proposals; finding strength and feeling pride from my efforts. 
Spirit. Conversations with a mentor on “spiritual bypasses,” putting up mis abuelos and Stanford on the ofrenda, ritualizing my work, finding guidance from Spirit.
Expression. Reading the words of @clarissapinkolaestes — feeling remembered, fortified and found, all at once; carving pumpkins, dressing up as a shadow for Halloween (see Story), getting ready to write boatloads.
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Happy Friday, dear! Hasta pronto! #liveyourwell