Good smelling germs.

When I decided to transition to making my own cleaning products, my husband was skeptical. He insisted that they would not work as well as the chemical shit storm (my words, not his) products. He also was unsure of the efficacy and kept stating the manta, “at least we will have good smelling germs..if nothing else.” Fast forward to present day and I sit here writing this post while glancing at my lovely husband as he cleans our kitchen counter with my “all purpose” cleaning spray. Ahh, the smell of sweet victory…and essential oils. Marriage is a compromise, what can I say. 

Why the switch? 

Honest answer: cost and health. It is exponentially cheaper to make your own products (Insert impressive data that I do not currently have here). Realistically, making something is almost always cheaper than buying it. Also, I find it rewarding to “upcycle” and reuse empty bottles. Maybe it’s the hippie in me, who knows. In terms of health, I started getting headaches while cleaning the bathroom. The smell of the strong chemicals made me nauseated and I had to open a window to finish the task. After delving into the deep dark interwebs, I realized that I no longer wanted to inhale the crud I was using to clean. 

How do you do it? 

You need 30 seconds, an empty spray bottle, and a few household items. 

ALL PURPOSE CLEANER RECIPE

1. Empty bottle 
2. 2 cups of distilled water (or tap water if you’re like me and simply not fancy or motivated to go buy distilled water) 
3. 1/4 cup distilled vinegar 
4. 15 drops of Essential oils of your liking (I used Doterra lavender and lemon but feel free to use what you have available) 

Mix everything into the container, shake it up, do a happy dance, spray shit around your house. Voila. 

BATHROOM SCRUB

1. Empty bottle (I see a trend here) 
2. 2 cups of water 
3. 2 tablespoons Dr Bronner’s Castile soap
4. 2 tablespoons of baking soda 

Mix, spray, relish in the joy of a fresh smelling toilet. 
Love and light 

Cheap (ish)/healthy (ish) overnight camping food prep

Hey there! We are headed to North Georgia for an overnight backpacking trip and I wanted to share what a typical day of eating looks like on the trail. We use a Jet Boil Flash Personal cooking system and the GSI Outdoors Bugaboo Backpacker Cookware Set. This food is from either Sam’s Club or Kroger. I will (sheepishly) admit that my husband does all of the grocery shopping and cooking. He finds a way to buy healthy food, without breaking the bank and I am eternally grateful.

This post is set up in the order we eat once we set up camp for 1 overnight trip: lunch, snacks, dinner, breakfast. I would love to hear what your favorite backcountry meals are…please share in the comments!

Lunch:

Starkist Tuna Creation packets and Dave’s Killer Bread. We got real creative with this one, folks.

Snacks:

I am the definition of “Hangry.” I have a high metabolism and eat every 2-3 hours. The people in my life know, all too well, what happens if I don’t snack and it is REAL UGLY. What that being said, we always have a cornucopia of deliciousness available.

1)Orchard blend crunch dried fruit

2) Organic Apples

3) Organic Peanuts

4) Annie’s Organic Cheddar Squares (my kryptonite)

5) Organic Fig Bars

6) Lara Bars

I realized the whole “organic” thing has been discussed ad nauseam. It feels a little slimy and very millennial of me to strive to eat non-GMO/organic whenever possible, but…it works for us. It works for our bodies and feels right. So, we go for it.

Dinner:

1) Organic chicken breast, cubed

2) 2 servings of Ramen Noodles (use 1/2 the seasoning packet)

3) 1 can green beans

4) organic, free range chicken eggs, scrambled

Cook all items separately and combine to enjoy a high energy dinner after a long day of adventure!

Drinks:

1)Starbucks Via Instant Coffee. This is the first time we have tried these, but I watched a Youtube video about various coffees people drank on the Appalachian Trail…and this was the winner.

2) My normal night time routine consists of Yogi Honey Lavender Stress Relief tea and I love a cup by the camp fire

3) Beer (not pictured, because I’m keeping it classy)…’merica!

4) Water…I will write a future blog post on how we filter and what system we use

Breakfast:

1)Organic Turkey Bacon

2) Organic, free range chicken eggs, scrambled

 

Love and Light to you and enjoy a fun-filled weekend!

Adding flavor to your 9 to 5.

The vast majority of the people work a typical 9am-5pm desk job. We wake up to a boisterous alarm clock, slovenly roll out of bed, and start the daily grind. We trudge to work in our cars and join the daily rat race.

That is a depressing description of a typical morning, but my fear is it is an accurate one. Day after day, we get up and go to work and get lost in a mundane routine. I have some strategies to help you open your eyes to the beauty of an average day. You have the ability to make average…extraordinary. The root of this concept is mindfulness:

Mindfulness is maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment. It is being conscious of the simple moments.

A typical day is filled with precious moments that are often overlooking by the blinders of auto-pilot that so many of us wear. Here are some tips on shifting your typical day into a day of beautiful awareness:

• Enjoy 6 mins of desk yoga. Connecting with your body and finding movement after hours of stagnate sitting is a blessing. Here is a link to a lovely video by my girl, Adriene
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAUf7aajBWE
• Get outside. Most jobs do not require being “office-bound” so slip outside for 5 minutes and get some fresh air. Listen to what you hear and take stock of the visual gifts in front of you.
• Enjoy your commute. I have become a lover of all things Podcast. I use my commute to learn new information about subjects that I typically would not be expose to (hoarding, clock-making, LSD…just a normal day).
  • some of my favorite Podcasts that can be found on any iPhone: S-town, This American Life, The Daily, Serial, TED Radio Hour
• Sneak in some yummy breathing. I am an advocate for the belly breath and taking moments throughout the day to engage in 2-3 breaths to center myself. I like to take deep breaths before I enter each patient’s room because it clears my head and allows me to be an active and engaged listener

Enjoying the small, beautiful moments is a great way to combat the “rut” feeling of doing the same thing each day. How do you find joy in your work routine?

Love and light.

Post-Chair yoga in the office

Enjoying the Healing Garden at work during lunch

My spirtual guide wears cargo pants.

Today started off like a typical Saturday in the Mauldin house. I crawled through a thick wall of bacon odor and made my green tea. We did a little yoga and then watched some European soccer until we formulated the offical weekend plans. The weather was gorgeous, so we decided to take the new Jeep for an off-roading adventure. God, I’m such a redneck (insert “hey yall’s” and denim shorts.) 

We headed to Raven cliff falls and Tray Mountain to explore two off-roading trails. The summit of Tray Mountain intersects with part of the Appalachian Trail. For those of you unfamiliar with the AT, it’s basically a 2,100 mile trail from Georgia to Maine. It’s a trail of self-discovery and typically consists of retirees and the post-college “finding myself” pack. It’s blissful and I would give anything to commit to hiking it. I digress. 

As we sat on the mountain summit, a greenish forrest dweller approached from the trail. Ahh, ’twas the green of a backpack and the stench of an AT thru-hiker. No sweeter smell, my friends. This gentle man approached our muddy vehicle and told us he was having some heart issues and wanted to know if we could help him into town. Being the healthcare providers we are, we said (in sync) “Yes!” 

Meet Zack from Oklahoma. A man on a mission to find himself again after an unexpected career change. It took us an hour to get into town from the summit and over that hour, we shared stories of serondipity, travel, compassion, wanderlust, and sustainability. I asked Zack if we could help him with his medical concerns or call anyone for him. He simply replied, “I trust everything will work out and I have no fear.” And there he went. He walked off into the distance leaving nothing but muddy boot prints and an irreplaceable message in our soul. Life isnt about knowing the answer to everything. It’s about trusting the process. It’s about faith that the stars align to keep you safe. It’s about letting go. 

In that one hour, I realized more than all the self-help books ever taught me. Letting go and surrending to what will be is the greatest gift we can give ourselves. 

Zack, may you get back on the trail and be safe. Thank you for shifting the trajectory of our day…maybe of our lives. We plan to repay the favor by helping spread some of that “Trail Magic” to others. 
Love and light. 

Eulogies, rock climbing, and book club.

What do these three things have in common? Nothing. I just wanted to get your attention. Hello, hi. The first part of the title is the true purpose of this piece. On Monday, April 10th, my husband’s sweet grandmother passed away at the age of 105. Conceptualize that age. She was born before the Titanic sank and preceded the invention of the car. Her eulogy was sweet, sincere, and perfect. It encompassed a love of bridge, church, and chocolate. Perhaps it was the deliciously blue sky as a backdrop or the songs of a robin, but the eulogy truly stuck my soul. On the drive home, I thought to myself,

What will my Eulogy say?

Morbid? Maybe. Hear me out. If you died tomorrow, what would you want your loved ones to say? Would you want your love of Chinese take-out and romance novels to be the focus? Perhaps you want your philanthropic hobbies discussed and a few sentences about the animals you rescued?

In the early part of my life, I put a lot of my self worth into achievement.

I am worthy because I made all A’s/got the dream job/etc

As I’ve leaned into my late twenties, I’ve learned that my self worth is built from my compassion, humor, positivity, and kindness. I want to be known for the type of person I was, not necessarily my achievements. This concept permeated into my workplace today and I posed the question to my colleagues. One of the psychologists at work told me that writing your eulogy is a true psychological strategy for motivating patients. It forces the patient to focus on the main priorities in life and identify your purpose and passion.

I ask you this question:

If you wrote your eulogy tomorrow, what would you want it to say?

I am humbled that sweet grandma lived to be 105 years old and I can’t comprehend the knowledge and sage wisdom she accumulated. Each day is truly a gift and I am going to spend it working towards becoming the woman I want to hear about when I’m listening on the other side of the clouds (in many, many, many years from now).

Be present, be kind, be the light.

Natural beauty 

DIY: Stop a Panic Attack.

Everyone (from my Starbucks barista to my family) knows that I am the queen of anxiety. I started having panic attacks in nursing school, but my overzealous brain told me that it was something physical. My brain interpreted these strange moments of adrenaline to be a deviating physical aliment such as a rupturing aortic aneurysm or a heart attack. It was a combination of knowing too much about the medical field and deep dark dives into google that led me to believe my pounding heart was the end. Fortunately, nursing school also exposed me to this concept called anxiety (typically common among the wealthy suburbanites that do not have real things to worry about). I kid, I kid. Fast forward a few years and a few hundred dollars in therapy and I arrive at the present day…with an arsenal to defend against the dreaded anxiety attack. I am humbled by many late nights spent surfing Amazon for self-help books and streaming TED talks on Youtube. I have developed a few successful tips that can help you get through a panic attack after years of self-study.

• Engage your 5 senses.
  • what do you see? Name 2 items you see.
  • what do you hear? Name 2 times you hear.
  • what do you feel? Name 2 items you feel.
  • what do you smell? Name 2 items you smell.
• Belly Breathe
  • the core of calm lives in our bellies
  • inhale for 1-2-3-4, hold it 1-2-3-4, exhale 1-2-3-4
  • when you inhale, feel your belly pushing out as if you were preparing to sing a high note in chorus (shout out to middle school chorus and the awkward pubescent moments of doom and acne)
• pick your manta
  • “I’ve been through this before and I survived/thrived”
  • “Let it go”
  • “I am calm and compassionate”
• Seek gratitude
  • in the midst of panic, finding something you are grateful for is a challenge, but it makes all the difference
  • say one thing in your mind that you are grateful for
  • the shift from fear/panic to gratitude is a powerful and beautiful moment

Panic used to make me feel spaced out and strange. I would feel dizzy and disconnected. By focusing on my senses, I would feel grounded and connected to the earth. Sometimes, I would smell peppermint oil to really jolt me back in the present moment. Mantras work well for me also because it stops the continuous negative thought pattered and replaces it with something positive. Our brain has this miraculous area called the limbic system. It has allowed us to survive for thousands of years and outrun tigers /prevent us from burning our houses down etc. It is a bad ass emergency system. Unfortunately, we live in a state that has the limbic system switched to “on” most of the time, resulting in hypervigilance. This explains why you might be in line at Target and the next thing you know, you are sweating and feel a desire to run out of the store. Thanks, sympathetic nervous system. By utilizing the techniques listed above, we can counteract this overstimulated response system and begin to engage our parasympathetic nervous system. I fondly refer to it as the chill the f*** out system. Our brain is phenomenal, but we can still manipulate it to halt panic and allow space for a more calming energy. You have the power to trick your brain with your body.

You are a warrior goddess/defender of the good/captain fantastic/super human….just if you needed a reminder.

Love and light.

Plot twist.

Blogging fell from my pocket and got lost within the junk drawer of life over these past two months. I love writing and sharing ideas with my readers, but I’ve gravitated away from this creative outlet. After diving inward and working through the kinks, I’ve decided to revamp the content of my blog. I’m humbled by my readers and I hope you continue to find a space to cultivate new ideas with me. This blog is taking a sharp left and will start to evolve….because, well…I’ve evolved. I want this platform to be a genuine expression of what works for me and what does not. I’ll be sharing my tales as I continue on this adventure of self-discovery and I would be honored to have you join me. Lean in, grab a cup of tea, and let’s wade through the sludge together!

New/continued content:

Minimalism 

Yoga 

Meditation 

Self-improvement 

Mindfulness 

Organization 

De-cluttering 

Repurposing 

Stress management 

Stay tuned! New blog posts every week!

Love and light. 

This little free library inspired me to start writing again ❤

Perfectly Happy.

External circumstances impact your happiness for a short period of time. However, internal circumstances are the sustaining practice to achieving and maintaining happiness. This revelation is a relatively new concept for me.

In my first few decades of life, I created a correlation between success and happiness. If I achieved my tangible goals, happiness would naturally fall into place. This relationship was not as strongly correlated as I once imagined. It began in my early 20’s when I was working towards a career in healthcare.

Once I get into nursing school, everything will be perfect.

I got into nursing school and it was difficult. I assumed it was just a period of growth and put my happiness towards the next goal.

I will get accepted into a Master’s Program and I will become a Family Nurse Practitioner and my life will be perfectly happy.

Fast forward a few years: I graduated with honors with my MSN and landed a job immediately.

THIS HAS TO BE THE POINT WHEN EVERYTHING IS PERFECT AND I’VE ACHIEVED ULTIMATE HAPPINESS?!

As the dust settled and I felt my feet become grounded with the earth, I realized what I was missing. Accomplishing goals is a beautiful process, but the perfect life is not waiting for you at the finish line. The perfectly happy life was in the journey, in the small moments of self-discovery and love. I feel as if I put my head down to barreled through to the end and I missed most of the adventure along the way.

These past few months have opened my eyes towards the intrinsic nature of happiness. It is what we seek and create in our soul and mind. Happiness might be impacted by external results for a short time, but it is sustained by the inner journey.

Meditation has given me the opportunity to reflect back on my experiences and realize that I did miss out on small moments because of a focused vision on the end goal. I have learned to be more mindful and stop to raise my gaze to the world around me. The old adage is true: Happiness is the journey, not the destination.

I realized that I am having the time of my life RIGHT NOW. It’s not next year when we get a house or when we have our first child. It’s raw, it’s real, it’s here now. I think life becomes more enchanting when we stop focusing on the finish line, breathe, and look to our left and right.

Do you think you can create your own happiness by becoming more mindful and tending to your soul? Let me know in the comments.

Love and Light.

My afternoon meditation corner on this cozy day.

Fresh.

2017. A fresh start. A clean slate. Cough Cough, insert inspiring Pinterest quote here.

All jokes aside, I put this blog on the back burner as I transitioned to a new career and it feels like time to begin again. My creative mind was itching for an outlet and I have missed the meditative feeling of pen to paper. Rather…fingers to keyboard.

Speaking of meditation, I want to share a quick update with you all. I transitioned from a nurse to nurse practitioner three months ago and it has been a trying experience. I am experiencing the “from novice to expert” phenomenon and it is exhausting. Exhaustingly beautiful, but exhausting nonetheless. These past three months have left me feeling vulnerable, strong, proud, embarrassed and everything in between. However, personal growth is an intimate evolution of the self and I have been leaning on meditation to cushion the path.

Mediation makes me feel powerfully calm. It also makes me feel incredibly humbled by my brain’s ability to juggle 80,000 thoughts a day (real number…it’s worth a google). It gives me the awareness to recognize my chaotic mind, say hello, and continue about my day. If you have been following my blog, you know that an anxious mind is my natural default setting. I use meditation, not to “fix” my brain, but to acknowledge and support my mental journey.

Insight Timer is an iPhone App that offers thousands of FREE guided mediations. I am currently participating in a 365 day challenge with a million of my closest friends! The app allows people from all over the world to come together (in a virtual sense) and unite with a common goal: mindfulness. Each day, I sit on my yoga mat and meditate. It might be for 3 minutes or for 40 minutes. There is no right way to meditate. The only “right” thing is to show up for yourself and give yourself the peace of mind you deserve. Meditation can be finding awareness in the breath and enjoying 3 deep inhale/exhales.

I challenge you to begin with just 3 deep breaths in the morning at the edge of the bed. How did it change the way you greet the day? Did you feel more grounded and controlled?

Meditation is not a solution for everyone. Just the thought of sitting down with your thoughts for 30 seconds scares people. If you feel that way, then you really should embrace meditation! 🙂 For some, all of this sounds like complete bull. I sound like a liberal millennial who should lay off the incense. And…that is ok. This has worked for me, but it does not work for everyone. My hope is that one person who is struggling with an anxious mind will find this article and give this strategy a try.

It feels good to be back. I want to share my light with the world and this currently feels like the platform…so…stay tuned!

Love and Light.

Serendipity.

Do you seek out joy or wait for good things to happen to you? The concept of serendipity tells us that pleasant things appear spontaneously. Well, I like to think you can create your own serendipity with a little bit of luck and effort.

My schedule has been aggressively busy over the past month. I started a new job that tugs on every essence of my being; in a good, yet time-consuming way. “Busy” is a commonality among most humans. The challenges shift among people, but most days involve school/job/spouse/family/children/housework or any combination of the stressors. When life is busy, do you stop engaging in self-care? Do you stop taking precious moments to yourself to seek out beauty?

When I am at my busiest, I find that I thrive at self-care and my calming practices. I have to budget my time, which forces me to schedule times of relaxation. My commute to work has evolved into a delicate time of reflection and relaxation. I must drive every morning, so why not create a sacred experience. My car smells of strong coffee and emits soothing sounds of my favorite musician, Trevor Hall. I also have a portable essential oil diffusor for the dashboard. So, with a little bit of effort, a daily commute has unfolded into my sacred Sara time.

Another way I squeeze beauty into my day is tea time. I have a Keurig in my office at work and I brew a cup of tea after I round on my patients. Although a small gesture, the smell of loose-leaf tea makes charting a lot more pleasant. It also brought a sense of community to my work space. I’ve met other staff members through this spontaneous love of tea. Now, I bring tea to our weekly team meeting. One small action has become a new habit that reminds our coworkers to slow down and enjoy a delicious drink. I truly believe everyone can benefit from more mindfulness in the workplace.

My daily yoga practice has been a grounding force during this wild month. Somedays, I practice for an hour and its a sweaty, sublime practice. Other days, I lay in bed in Savasana and call it yoga. It’s about creating a balance, right? After a long day at the hospital, getting on my mat and releasing the tension feels like a true gift. Even if it’s a five minute practice, it’s five minutes of healing bliss. Create a serendipitous moment by getting on the mat and engaging in a delightful flow.

As I reread this, I realize how a lot of this sounds like “first world problems.” Oh, I’m too busy from my JOB that allows me to provide and never have any financial worries. Oh, I’m just so stressed from being at work that I have to drink $10 tea from Teavana out of my Keurig. That is not my intention. My intention is that we are all busy and all have our own struggles. In that busyness, we often forget to slow down and create magic in our everyday lives. We forget to create or embrace serendipity. We forget about the importance in the small moments.

How do you celebrate small moments when life is moving fast? Share with me 🙂

Love and light.

Yoga.

Tea time.