Earlier this month I was in Florida with my adult children, husband, and parents for a family trip. We had lots of activity and family time for days. It was great being together with everyone. After a week, one by one the kids flew back to their homes and to work. On the last evening before the rest of us left, my 31-year-old daughter and I slipped down the block from our rented cottage to a little wine bar neither of us had been to.

 

It was dark when we arrived about 8pm. A few years ago, this grand, southern home had been turned into a quaint business serving wine and appetizers. The towering live oaks in the large side yard were strung with lights that crisscrossed over our heads to light the dark night. We settled down at one of the many cozy spots scattered around the yard to chat and listen to a talented man play acoustic guitar.  He played and sang beautiful songs that drifted through the chilly night air. 

 

His audience was a bit sparse so he would pause between songs and talk to us and ask for requests. During one beautifully sung U2 song I had one of those “snapshot moments". For me, that is where I am overtaken with the beauty and perfection of this very moment. I was fully swept up in it.

 

When I lead my Holistic Life Coach training program, the group learns how to do a Gratitude Rampage. This process takes gratitude to a whole new level. A gratitude rampage is where you take something you are grateful for, which for me last week was sitting in the dark at this acoustic concert sipping wine next to my daughter, and think about all the things that had to be invented, created, learned, and shared for this exact moment to exist.

 

As I sat there in complete awe of this moment, I started looking around and thought about how this man had to learn the guitar decades ago to play this way, he also had to learn to sing so well. Someone else had to want to make a wine bar, and way back 100 years ago, someone built a gorgeous southern home and planted southern live oaks that would grow to a towering height over a century later…. all so I could be sitting here, fully taken by this moment. When doing a true gratitude rampage, this listing of things that had to take place could go on for hours, like all the things that had to be invented and discovered to make up each part of that guitar, that sound system, that house and its door knobs, etc.

 

Do you see why, when we start to cue into all this, that the only way to feel is the incredible magic of all of this? We are all standing on the shoulders of countless people that came before us who gave us the gifts of their inventions, wisdom, and bravery so we could experience this moment. Couple that with the incredible things that nature makes naturally, and dang, this experience of life we are having is truly amazing.

 

When we learn to live in a state of gratitude, our eyes open to the opportunities around us. We see the others who are struggling and we are aware enough to actually assist them. We notice when someone could use a helping hand, and actually pause to help them, not just hurry by hoping someone else will do it instead.

 

Being in a state of gratitude changes your pace in life. It doesn't necessarily change your busy schedule, or make your work easier, or your home life less hectic. But it does slow you down to notice, and in doing so, things naturally feel less stressful, hectic, chaotic.

 

The evening with my daughter under the stars was a beautiful evening. Walking back to the cottage where we were staying had us reminiscing about our night and our trip that was coming to a close. I am thankful we made the time for that little getaway on our final night. It was the perfect closing to time with family.

 

Where, in your life, can you slow down enough to notice the amazing string of events that had to take place for you to experience this moment the way it is? Allow yourself to sit with that for awhile. Then notice how the feeling of gratitude, and therefore thankfulness, grows inside of you. Do this often and I guarantee your life will change for the better.

 

This newsletter is packed with good stuff! Including how to FENG SHUI your front door space! (hint.. it's really important to your life energy!)

 

Namaste my friend.

 

Amy Machacek Shonka

Realtor, Platinum Team at Coldwell Banker

Coach/Teacher, Feng Shui Consultant

 

 

Are you on Instagram? Follow me for all things Feng Shui, Coaching, daily life and Real Estate!  @amyshonka 

Have you lost strength? Do you not feel and look as toned as you would like?

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Are you ready to release your “winter coat” of weight?

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When it comes to refreshing your home after a long winter of having windows closed combined with a lack of getting rid of accumulating items, a spring cleaning plan is just what you need!

 

1.Decide where you will start. I have clients consider two great options here. The first is the begin with the area of your home you spend the most time in. For some, this is their bedroom or the kitchen. You decide and focus just on that area. The other option is the area you and others see first when coming into your house. This might be the front entrance or the mud room.

2. Now get ready for the transformation! If at all possible, remove as much from the room as you are able. If it is the mudroom, remove all shoes, coats, bags, etc. Store them temporarily in a nearby space. Then begin cleaning this space. I like to start from the top of the room and work downward. I clean light fixtures, then walls, windows and doors, then furniture and built ins, and finally the floors.

3. Go back to the items that you have removed from this space and quickly sort through them. Donating or tossing shoes that no longer fit or are too worn out. With jackets and other items like that, wash all that need it and donate all that are possible, keeping just the ones you love, need and wear. Replace these items back into your fully refreshed room!

Then take this process to each room and area of your home. Over the course of a few days or a couple weeks, your home will feel fully refreshed.

Feng Shui

Front Door Energetic Reset

 

In Feng Shui, the front door the “mouth of qi”, meaning it's the place that the energy comes into your home. It is considered a very important area. With that said, the outside stoop, porch, or steps should be clean and tidy. If you have a rug outside the door, it should be in nice shape and clean. The windows should be cleaned as should the front door. Plants or flowers are an added bonus. Here is the key part of the front door space… even if you don't use this entrance, you should open the front door daily, or at least every couple of days, to keep fresh energy coming into your space. And, getting fresh air often into the home is great for reducing indoor air pollution. Take a half hour and go spruce yours up!

I first became a Realtor in 2006 and loved helping others with selling or buying the right home for them. I had bought the studio at the same time. Very quickly HeartWork Studio began growing so rapidly I had to make the decision to pause my real estate career. Then, years later, when I changed the studio business model and only teach 2 yoga classes a month, I was able to get back into real estate and love it! 

 

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