today’s mantra: i will give love and accept love. 💜
i think every time a heart gets hurt it is given a choice to grow a layer, a callous, a prickly patch. we can either learn and forgive. or, we can build a layer of protection around our hearts. 💔 what do you do?
the holidays bring joy for certain. for many, the holidays also bring hurts to the surface. challenging family situations arise. loneliness can settle in for the course of a month or more. and the general hustle and bustle can send folks with anxiety into a state of “see you in 2022.”
how do you do during the holiday season? are you able to focus on the joyful happy moments? or do you experience a feeling of unrest or #anxiety or #depression during this time?
give yourself the gift of peace this season. hug yourself. high five yourself. love yourself! the time you take to nurture your soul during this season will emanate outwards in love towards those around you. ✨
remember what Buddy the Elf recommends: “The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.” can’t be stressed while humming a jolly tune! 🎄
gift yourself the gift of self love this month. find your happy spaces. do your self care to stay in a place of centeredness and peace. 🙏🏽
Busy, tired momma over here and it’s a Monday so I’ll make this quick.
Staying dedicated to this UC cause – it is a fun hobby. Focusing on the fun part. Building a side business outside of my regular job in addition to being a single mum is difficult! Doable, but difficult. I won’t give up on this one like I have on every other project I’ve attempted. 💪🏾
So, if you are reading this, tap the link under the photo if you are feeling jolly. Head on over to Etsy. For less than the price of a coffee, you can have one of my original postcards in your home. That would be rad!
Well, I hope you are having a swell day! Remember, take care of you first so you have energy for all of the other tasks this day will bring.
today’s mantra: the world is a better place with me in it.
have you found your purpose yet? it’s a magical thing when you reach a point where you feel whole, confident, loved, and full of purpose. i know what it’s like to flounder around full of insecurities and anxieties. and, when you are the parent, sprinkle a bit of mom guilt on top bc at this point if feels like we should know everything so we can pass the wisdom on to our kids, right?
reality = we are not perfect beings. we are allowed to have stages of floundering in life. sometimes we are strong. sometimes we are weak.
Our primary purpose in this life is to help others. And, if you can’t help them, at least don’t hurt them.
Dalai Lama, teacher of wisdom
during weak moments, i like to retreat to my cave of wonders, my creativity corner, my bedroom. (all the same place BTW.) crowds DO from time to time stress me out.
Frogan the Gizard (thx for the name kidz) here is ALWAYS scared of crowds. he runs away at the first sign of movement. he struggles with #socialanxiety . sometimes it is so bad that he sits in his closet in the dark. with the door closed. sometimes he is brave – he ventures out for shopping, food, or maybe a movie in a dark theatre where chance of being sighted is low.
Frogan is working on finding his purpose. He is awkwardly taking steps out of his literal and proverbial closets to come OUT. He makes baby steps forward, a couple backwards, and then forward again. and that’s progress!
When you dance, your purpose is not to get to a certain place on the floor. It’s to enjoy each step along the way.
Wayne Dyer, author
it took me some time to see my worth. i have spent years with #fear of #abandonment . i still struggle. but what has helped is hard work on myself, others believing in me, and, eventually, me believing in my worth to the world around me.
you have a purpose! have you found the calling that sparks joy within you? it will help lead you from your #dark #scary places.
. . . . . . would you like sparkly, uplifting #mentalhealthmail delivered to your post box?! 🦄✨ check out my links in the bio for info. . five dolla a month • original #art • support small biz • #GRLPWR • #womeninbusiness • #mentalhealthmatters • #singleparent
today’s mantra: i will work on my broken parts so i don’t continue to live my life in broken pieces.
the saying goes, “if you don’t heal what hurt you, you’ll bleed on those who never cut you.” i had never heard that saying prior to a few years after my divorce. it is one of the truest statements i’ve ever tried to conquer.
if you don’t heal what hurt you, you’ll bleed on those who never cut you.
unknown
how do we #love again once we have been hurt? i jumped right into #dating apps after my divorce. i swiped and swiped and swiped and dated and swiped. i was trying to cure the lonely with friendly voices. however, i hadn’t put in the work to heal. it took me years to figure that out. nearly close to a decade honestly.
and now? i know. and i am okay waiting in a space created for my healing. #divorce is a #trauma of the heart. if you have or are going through it, hugs to you. seek #therapy . seek out a good friend or two. try not to involve everyone in the details of your ups and downs – only trust the trusted. it is your #healing journey – make sure to involve the right support team.
If you carry joy in your heart, you can heal any moment.
Carlos Santana, singer songwriter
pain is real. it hurts. it can not only hurt us. it can affect our loved ones – for years – if we do not fix the broken parts inside us. we must put in the work on ourselves so we can more fully love others around us.
how are you doing on the #selflove work? are you putting in the time? invest in yourself and your future relationships. 🤍 #dothework
👉🏽 write down 10 things you love about who you are.
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unicorn city news update
recently, i ordered a postcard box from Etsy to shop comps – it was cute enough but sort of underwhelming. the products were dollar store products – no probs bc it served it’s purpose. when i tackle a box subscription, i want to ensure to deliver quality cuteness. the package i ordered was magical in it’s own way…
also, i ordered a diff original watercolor art postcard – love this one. the message was typed on a typewriter. framed it on my desk.
i made another couple postcards to have sent my way as testers. it is almost time to get the December postcard sent out. very much excited about that! trying to decide what message to send.
The biggest adventure you can take is to live the life of your dreams.
Oprah Winfrey, inspirationalist
NEWS!!! an e-calendar has been born! some work friends showed me the ways of the e-calendar this Fall. i was VERY MUCH a paper planner sort of person. but now, not so much! i have begun to live de-cluttering my space by going with electronic bots on the good notes app vs a million baby yellow post its everywhere. #iykyk
the calendar is cute and evolving! i love it of course bc all of my little unicorn city characters are in there as stickers. i added original quotes by Claudius T. Sprout as well as mental health quotes. Here is a link if you would like to check it out! I am working on the 2022 calendar. Testing mode…every day i think up a new think to improve it.
the e-cal has a habit tracker for each week. last week the habit i wanted to improve on was walking 30 min daily. i have walked 6 of the 7 days and am about to pop out on walk 7 of 7! it feels good to be doing good things. hopefully my efforts help others some day – for now they are helping me lol!
what is something you dream of doing? are you doing it? if not, what holds you back? take one step today in the direction of your dreams…you’ll be that much closer.
today’s mantra: i will find myself as i lose myself.
isn’t getting lost the best? just driving down an unfamiliar road with a full tank of gas with a little cash in the ole pocket…sounds lovely…
Some journeys lead us far from home. Some adventures lead us to our destiny.
C. S. Lewis, author
we previously talked about creating space for ourselves even in busy moments…getting lost is the same sort of concept but different also. let’s get purposefully lost. let’s create space in our schedules for nothingness. meditating. sitting. driving down an unfamiliar road.
👉🏽 get lost today. whether it is by spending some time connecting to your third eye or by breathing deeply of a new forest path – go get lost.
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the unicorn city news update
little by little i am making progress on my goals for the unicorn city. i fully tested the recycled postcard look and design – even sent out my first batch in that style. it was cool but lacking the vibrance of the color postcards i have been testing. after asking friends, fam, and social media folks, colorful postcards win by a 100% margin. so many possibilities for design!!! so, buh bye brown paper look! annnnddd cue MORE RAINBOWS! 🌈
i started the #13dayzofgratitood series on insta…it is visually becoming A LOT. i planned to add a character per day…we shall see how it turns out. it is serving it’s purpose of keeping me drawing, getting us past the black friday anxiety fest, and a way of expressing gratitood this week.
my one goal right now is to build a postcard subscription service. there is a crafter’s fair coming up soon…i registered for my seller’s permit last week! that was a fun step in a more business-y direction.
my pile of postcard misprints is LARGE. my printer and i have become better friends – we understand each other a bit better than we did a month ago. i have learned that home printing is spendy – ink, errors, etc. i have learned that I want to work towards sending my designs to an actual printing service while also having the ability to print some glossy cards at home.
Success is not final; failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts.
Winston Churchill
i have sold a few subscriptions so far which really has given me hope and drive to continue! i really love this project – so much love to spread. the drawing and writing is a form of meditation for me. i feel like A.A. Milne writing for his son. i feel like i am writing reminders and support for my children and myself as i spend time on the designs.
the unicorn city is alive and well! hopefully you feel it’s arms giving you a big hug wherever you are. 💜
today’s mantra: i will share good energy and receive good energy in return. 🙏🏽
the flow that we send out into the world comes back to us in full force and then some. have you felt it before? one little #raok can trigger SO MUCH GOOD! ✨
Be kind whenever possible. It’s always possible.
The 14th Dalai Lama, spiritual leader
can you feel down in the dumps if you are helping another hooman? well, yes, BUT performing a random act of kindness may be just the ticket to add a bit of sparkle to your day as well as someone else’s! 🤍
👉🏽 today’s challenge = test the theory. smile big and say hello! buy coffee for the person behind you in line. write a lunch note for your kids. send a sweet, no response needed love text. share how it goes?? would love to hear.
No act of kindness – no matter how small – is ever wasted.
Aesop, Greek fabulist
your light is needed in the world! 💡 wherever you are, you are important and wanted and loved. never underestimate your power to share goodness. 🌈
today’s mantra: i am who i am and i love my imprint on the world around me.
don’t doubt you…EVER! you are unique. your stamp on the world is NEEDED. step up to your role in this day. do not let fear of failure get in your way – you need failure to clear the path towards your future successes!
Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than YOU!
Dr. Suess, poet
BE DIFFERENT. that is one part of our mission on this page = to give hoomans support in their own uniqueness. strangeness. weirdness. differentness. BE YOU!
i decided to start #13dayzofgratitood to highlight the season of gratitude and get us PAST the shopping hubbub of Black Friday, Small Biz Sat, etc etc. 🙏🏽
i am happy to find zen and calm with you through the next 13 days! #namaste
👉🏽 what will you do to put your unique stamp on your day today?
today’s mantra: i am the curator of my own emotional health today.
do you agree? do you think the actions we take can boost our happy hormones thus lifting us from wherever we are? i think so…i also believe that research proves that our brain chemical makeup can be elevated by certain activities.
SO! YAY, right? we become the catalysts of change in channeling our moods, anxieties, and tendencies.
look at luna here. she LOVES pets but has a ton of anxiety keeping her from the thing she loves most.
do we do this??? build a situation up in our minds so it is HUGE. then, the situation happens. after it is over, we are like “oh, that wasn’t so bad!”. i don’t know about you but this happens for me all the time. 🤪
what are you doing for your #mentalhealth today? remember to create space for you – pause in conversations, stop to acknowledge breath, or have a 5 min clear your head walk. #findspace
Love yourself first, and everything else falls in line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world.
Lucille Ball, actress
sending out postcards from #sanfrancisco today! I am so excited to be printing postcard number 1 of the 12 month series!!! i have people signed up now for annual subscriptions (YAY AND TYSM!) so i am committed to this project for the next twelve months. I AM SO EXCITED!
comments on the blog are coming in as well as Etsy orders…it is just so fun. sending off the batch of postcards today to a pile of names who have been friends and supporters through years of trying different projects lol. i am so grateful for all of the folks who have been so supportive. 🙏🏽
today’s mantra: i am an instrument in a great universal symphony.
first – GAGA. hero.
next – music. the rhythm of our heart beating us into this world is how our existence began. from there, music has been selected for us until we grow old enough to select the tunes ourselves.
music is our friend on all the days…it builds us up, holds us when we are low, and sways with us on the in between days.
I think if you have a passion for what you do then there are no limitations on how long or how much you can accomplish.
Tony Bennett,singer
who are your artists? who do you love?
my mood tunes : @ladygaga @elleking @johnnycash @ginwigmore @dorothy @andreabocelliofficial @official_enya @milesdavis @louisarmstrongofficial #mozart and southern gospel with @alisonkrauss on Sundays.
remember the Oscars in 2019 when Lady Gaga won for her performance of Shallow in the movie #astarisborn ? she spoke of a discipline for passion and reaching for our dreams. her love, passion, and drive to promote #mentalhealthawareness inspired me then and inspires me now. ✨ she challenged EVERYONE to follow their passions…are we listening to her advice??
If you have a dream, fight for it. There’s a discipline for passion. And it’s not about how many times you get rejected or you fall down or you’re beaten up. It’s about how many times you stand up and are brave and you keep on going.
Lady Gaga, singer songwriter
YOU are a part of a symphony. YOU matter. sometimes our part is a smaller background role to fill in while someone else takes the spotlight. sometimes our role is to hit the gong once at the peak moment…are we ready? sometimes our role is to perform the solo and stand in the spotlight…are we practicing for that moment when it becomes our time to shine? are we humble enough to fade back when our solo is over and then play the background music again quietly grateful to be following our passion in any form? we are all a part of the universal symphony…
anyways! MUSIC! SELF LOVE! DREAMS! you do you my friends. walk to that weird beat of yours. YOU ARE AMAZING!!! #evenifyoudontfeelamazing #yougotthis
today’s mantra: i will release the wants of my ego to accept the gifts of the present moment. 🙏🏽
go go go. do do do. want want want. doesn’t this method and mentality add so much stress to our routines?
peace. presence. acceptance. ahhhhh…isn’t that better?
when we release control and ego to the universe and accept the destiny of horizons, we will find peace. the monsters in our mind will rest. they will not be fed with the busy thoughts of our racing anxieties.
The moment you become aware of the ego in you, it is strictly speaking no longer the ego but an old, conditioned mind pattern. Ego implies unawareness. Awareness and ego cannot coexist.
Eckhart Tolle, spiritual teacher & author
how are you doing today? are you feeling the pressure of home, family, and work responsibilities? create space in your day today for your mental health. 🙏🏽 breath is space. a podcast is space. exercise is space. remember to find space for YOU today.
be well! don’t forget to find your space today. xx
the unicorn city 