Expansion

Hey Party People,

What has 2020 meant to you? It's been a year NO ONE could have predicted or was ready for. How many of you have grown throughout this year, allowed your life to slow down, or had to completely stop and figure out wtf you were doing?

It’s been a year that has pushed our limits but has also shown us some of the most beautiful things – at least I think so. If you don’t agree that’s ok but it's in the hardest times that we grow the most. It’s CRAP when you’re in it, but if you can take lessons from the challenges you faced and truly learn through this year, I believe, no I know, we come out of this a better version of ourselves. If instead you gave up, stopped living, and reverted into a little cocoon and said F*ck it, 2020 is a wash, guess what… 2021 isn’t going to be any better. In fact, it might even feel worst because you’ve dug yourself into a deep deep hole this entire year.

There is one month left in 2020, ONE MONTH. What are you going to do with the remaining days, continue to wallow, or are you going to stand back up and live your life? The choice is up to you.

I wrote something this past August that I want to share with you. It’s a little poetic, it’s a little bit a metaphor. It's about the place of expansion. The place where growth happens. The space that 2020 set up camp.

Expansion is something that both happens to you and something that happens within you.

When we decide to change or grow or make any kind of major decision we are expanding. We are expanding into a space of the unknown.

A space where you don’t know what to expect. You don’t know what you are going to experience. It’s like trekking through an overgrown forest searching for a path.

From the outside looking in, before you begin your journey it looks scary. It looks ominous. The trees are overgrown. There are hanging vines intertwined shrinking any kind of possible entry. Its dark and foreboding, where light seems to be non-existent.  

What could possibly be lurking behind that veil? Behind that curtain of darkness… Your ego sets off sirens alerting you of danger and all of the what if’s creep in pulling you away from entry, attempting to keep you safe in the lifeboat you’re on.

You can hear soft whispers from behind the veil saying to stay away, it's not safe. When looking in you swear you can see slithering snakes and pairs of yellow beetie eyes starring out at you, daring you to come closer.

Everything inside of you is telling you to stay, but something else is calling you to go forward. Your mind is telling you no, but your heart is calling you in.

Its time to leap or time to turn back. Which do you choose?

The route back home that is comfortable and safe, but also limited and defined

OR

Do you draw on your courage and walk on with your head held high into the limitless space of foreboding expansion?

The choice is yours….

----------------------------------

When you are ready to choose the unknown, to choose possibilities, and to choose your potential, take that first step, for it is that first step that is not only the hardest but the most important,

As you detach from the life you know, slowly and carefully move towards the green depths of the ominous forest, one step at a time, and as you get near the dark green veil the shadows begin to dissipate and light creeps in, illuminating your entry.

You’ve made it to the start of your journey, the place of expansion.

The rest is up to you…

Our lives are up to us and only we have the power to choose. So what is your choice? Do you choose you, or have you given up on yourself? 2020 is not over so stop acting like it. Your life is not over, because if you are reading this you are still here and you still matter. Your dreams are not over, they might just have to look a little different.

Take that first step and keep taking those steps and lean into that uncomfortable place of expansion. What’s on the other side will be something beautiful, I can guarantee it.      

As always here’s your party jam for the week!

          YouTube – Smile – Katy Perry

          Spotify - Smile – Katy Perry

With Gratitude,

-S

P.S. A dear dear friend of mine started an amazing tradition called First Christmas in Canada. Her goal is to support newcomer families who are experiencing their first-ever Christmas in Calgary and to ensure they experience what Christmas really all about.

This year First Christmas in Canada is sponsoring 4 families from Eritrea, Vietnam, and Colombia.

Below is a list of specific items needed this year. They also need turkeys and sleds. Gift cards from Superstore, Canadian Tire, and Walmart are also welcome! If you are interested in supporting a family or have some of the items below please reach out and I will connect you with a woman whose heart is one of the biggest I’ve ever known!

Moms: purses, body care products, fragrances, watches, jewellery, scarfs, gloves, hair care products, nail care, products

Dads: Gloves, scarfs, tools sets, shaving kits, personal care products, wallets, flashlights.

Gifts for Home: blenders, kitchen utensils, cutlery, pots and pans, kitchen towels, plates, napkin holders, serving plates, glasses, towels, cutting boards, trays, lamps, juice extractors, rice makers, sandwich makers, toasters.

Ideas for kids:

mittens, gloves, purses, puzzles, books, dolls, art kits, kitchen toys, action figures, remote control cars, bags, princess dress, shopping cart, sports balls and equipment (eg. soccer, basketball, tennis) , journals, colouring books, do it yourself jewellery kits, crafts, art sets, journal, all about notebooks, table games, top games.