We’re all so busy trying to “wow” other people.

When was the last time you ‘wowed’ yourself? Go ahead. Be amazing. It looks good on you!

Find 3-5 things that you can do TODAY that will move you closer to living your dream out loud & on purpose and then DO them. I dare you.

Instead of a “To-DO” list…let’s make it a TO-BE list….

Go on.

Be amazing.

Inspired,
*~* MsJayye *~*

AM workout + new music from MAXWELL = a very good morning.

I’m liking that new single - “Pretty Wings”. But Dude, it’s gonna take more than one single to erase the fact that you’ve been gone 8 years. Until we hear more? The jury’s still out.

Trying to capture my loose thoughts these days. Feels like spilled marbles, running all over the place. Much to be done but before the “doing” of it all, there needs to be clarity. So, that’s what I’m working towards: CLARITY.

Clarity takes strength too because “clear” ain’t always pretty. Nevertheless, it is not only wanted…it is appreciated.

Hoping the sun is shining in your part of the word & good music abounds as well.

Be bold ~ Be FEARLESS ~ Be You!

*~* MsJayye *~*

Well? How you ’splain that?

Spread your wings.

Soar!

*~* MsJayye *~*

You cannot get back to or maintain curvature without physical exercise. You can’t. That much is a give. What ISN’T a “given” is whether or not I’ll make it to the gym or at least do some kind of workout at home.

As I watched the clock move closer to 8:30am on Saturday, I reminded myself of a few things:
1. You can either continue to SAY you want to do/live/bet better…or…you can actually put in the work.
2. Exercise is like any other investment. Start slow and build from there. Start where you are and work up to where you want to be.
3. I.AM.WORTH.IT.

Earlier this month, I was jazzed because I found a few classes at my gym that I wanted to try. I added them to my calendar and sent myself a reminder so I could be ready to attend.

Um. See. What had happened was….

*Sigh*

After letting myself be distracted one too many days by the ‘day-to-day’, I hit the gym Saturday morning for an 8:30AM “Beginners” Pilates class.

Guess what?

The gym hit me back cause that “Beginners” class was NO joke. LOL

I mean, the good news is (1) I made it to the gym, to class and & I stayed and (2) I was the only student so I got one-on-one instruction. The bad news is (1) I was the only student so I had no one to hide behind. and more importantly, (2) apparently I needed the “Pre-Beginners” class. LOL

Maaaaaaaaan, Pilates is all about working & strengthening your core muscles (and yes, that’s deeper than trying to get ‘six-pack abs’).

Baby, let me tell YOU – my core muscles were HUMMING after that workout and they were NOT happy that I’ve tried to awaken them out of what has been a deep sleep.

Being the wise & all-knowing person that I am, I packed some other stuff thinking I’d hit the treadmill or other cardio machines after my class.

Ha!

I dragged my barefooted self out of the yoga studio into the locker room where I leaned against the bench (couldn’t even drag myself into a seated positon) while I tried to regulate my breathing. I rubbed my tummy and profusely murmured apologies and made promises that what I was doing was for our combined good and would get easier over time. I don’t really think my core was feeling me in the moment though.

Hopefully my on-call rotation this week won’t put a crimp in my workout schedule. I generally workout early mornings because it’s rare for things to just “come up” at 5am. But with a cell phone AND a pager glued to my hips for the next seven days? You just never know.

Think I’m going to do ‘meatless’ three times this week. That combined with getting in more exercise/movement and being steady with my water intake should coax the needle further “to the left, to the left”.

Losing “It”,
*~* MsJayye *~*

“Nothing we spend our lives struggling to take from this world has the power to grant us the one thing we long to possess above all else: our own true nature.”

Guy Finley

Be wise ~ Be fearless ~ Be free ~ Be YOU.

*~* MsJayye *~*

“If prayer is an intention that we announce to the universe in order to create a desired outcome, then our every thought is a prayer.”

What are YOU thinking?

Last night was….nothing…short…of….A-MAZ-ZING. (Yes, with TWO Z’s!)

If I close my eyes…just so….I can still see it, feel it…experience it. A-MAZ-ZING. (YES, TWO Z’s!!)

It still takes my breath away. *sigh*

I managed to tame the “jungle” also known as the desk in my home office.

Whoo-hoo! Go me!

Cleared it off. Stacked my “currently working on” items under my elephant paperweight. Lit a candle. Stirred up my diffuser and its ocean-scented reeds. Kicked back and enjoyed the view. LOL

I really like my desk although it could use a shelf or two…for convenience. Actually, they have a version that has built in shelve but I can’t justify that purchase - there’s nothing “wrong” with the one I have. And that is the ONLY reason for a replacement at this point. So, I’ll continue with my plans to have additional shelving added to the closet. That’s probably a better idea because it will keep “stuff” off the desk itself.

I am considering a wireless keyboard and mouse. Heck, I need to figure out my whole wireless network situation to be honest. I need to be MO-BILE. None of this being shackled to the spot. Oh no. That just won’t do. Let’s see if I can make all that happen before the end of May…it’s important to me but not important enough to trump some other tasks on the To-Do list.

Anywho, I am loving the fact that my desk is clean and organized. Next up in my office? Reinventing my bulletin board. All I need is some chocolate fabric, some cowrie shells, two small nails and some glue. Ah yes, another weekend project.

Clean desk might seem like a small victory to some and maybe it is but I gotta tell ya, from where I’m standing? It’s still SWEET.

Besides in the ‘war on clutter’, the battle to reclaim your space & your peace? There is no such thing as a “small” victory.

Breathing easy,
*~* MsJayye *~*

…still a li’l salty that a certain online photo thingy wouldn’t let me size the pic I wanted to include with this post….

*~* QUOTABLE *~*

“Don’t agonize - ORGANIZE.” ~ Florynce Kennedy

“When there is too much, something is missing.” ~ Hasidic Saying

I think there are too many blogs in my Google Reader. Ok…I KNOW there are too many. Let the pruning begin!

My manager’s on vacay next week. So, in addition to being on-call, I also have the honor of handling her calls/emails. Oh joy. LOL

Please say it ain’t so! I mean, I get the “business” of “reality” shows. But seriously – a ‘reality’ show about LAYOFFS?!? Yeah, you can thank the geniuses at Faux News for that one. Don’t believe me? Ha! I don’t blame you.

*SIGH*

Heard any good music lately? Let a sistah know. Much appreciated.

• Tomorrow is “Good Friday”. Since we have the day off (Shhhhh, I didn’t tell my fam), it is “Really Really Good Friday”. I’m soooo looking forward to a day off.

• Did I mention that I gave up sodas and fast food for Lent? Did I mention that on Saturdays, I have the most intense cravings for a Mt. Dew? Did I mention that I have fought it off each and every time? Yea me!

• I challenged myself in February to “go meatless” once a week. Well, last month I upped that challenge to twice a month. (This week, I’m doing three days.)

• While trying to monitor/regulate my blood sugar, I’ve been cooking more and having a ball trying out some new recipes. I think I made at least one new dish every week in March. Gonna try to bet that record this month.

• Seriously – what is up with folks calling 911 for food emergencies?!?! First the woman and her issue with the fast-food restaurant and now some woman calls because a Chinese restaurant tried to skrimp on the shrimp. *SMDH*

• I let my nails grow out for a change. Actually put some color on them this week. Purple. Of course. LOL “Pronto Purple” to be exact.

• Now that my nails have grown out, I started wearing my rings again. Don’t like how they look when my nails are nubby. Probably the first time I’ve worn my rings in over a year. What a waste of jewelry.

• Pulling my rings out reminds me that I have two bracelets that I haven’t worn in an even longer period of time. Need to have them repaired and cleaned and then lace my wrists once again.

• I need a watch. A really nice watch.

• I brought a set of drinking glasses about a month ago. Washed & dried them then stuck them in the cabinet. Guess what? I don’t like them. LOL

• I need a new moisturizer. Might not hurt to find a new lotion/body oil too.

• I found a couple of very nice summer dresses but…even though they come in my size…I don’t want to BUY them in my size. KWIM? LOL

• Finished my “9 things” challenge for March and for the quarter. In total, I donated/tossed over 850 items. Whoo hoo! Here’s to the next 850. Space, glorious space!

• Finished another book…”We Take this Man”. I kinda lost interest in it at the end. Not sure if I was bored by it, it became a bit much or what. At any rate, I can now go back to “Jezebel” which is what I was reading BEFORE I got this book. I need to get “Jezebel” and “The Shack” out of the way before I get my copy of JD Mason’s “That Ol’ Devil Ain’t No Friend of Mine”. LOVE HER.

• Sometimes I’m amazed by how freely people share their personal business with me. Sometimes I’m amazed by WHAT they share. LOL

• That piece I was asked to submit to an anthology last year has been chasing me ever since. I didn’t write it…you know me, Ms. Procrastination herself. I needed to write it. Still do. But I didn’t think I was ready to go THERE just yet. Funny how I thought the act of NOT writing it would save me but no such luck. The theme has been making its way into my other writing, into my journal entries. Situations keep showing up that require me to not only acknowledge it but to deal with it. It’s uncomfortable but nothing that can’t be overcome.

• I shared a draft of a poem with one of my writers’ groups & a writer/friend threatened to hit me over the head and kidnap my muse. Ironically, I feel the same about his muse.

• “Bacon Salt”. For real? Someone created and sells “Bacon Salt”. Why? Because “everything should taste like bacon”. It comes in four flavors – original, natural, hickory, and peppered. Not to worry – it’s calorie and fat-free, vegetarian and kosher.

• Two weeks ago, I went up to visit Princess So Fabulous and the crew. While at BigBro#4’s house, I also got to spend some time with BigBro#5 (who lives in that same area) AND…BigBro#3 who was in town from Chi-town. Funny how growing up I didn’t think they looked like but you can definitely see the resemblance now. LOL

• I can’t believe it but my nephew (um…one of my nephew’s cause there’s a boatload of them scamps!) is going to be a daddy again. I need to call them and check on how Little Miss A feels about having a “baby” in the house. And to see how her mother is going to act with two kids and all the darn pics they took of Little Miss A. Whoo-whee we gots lots and lots of pictures of that little cutie. Prolly ain’t even no more film in the whole state.

• I am about 4 pounds shy of my first weight-loss goal. It wasn’t a huge drop in weight but it is extremely significant to me. Go MsJayy!

• Ever have one of those days (or nights…or weeks…or months…) where someone occupied so much time and space in your mind that on the first of the month, you wanted to send them a bill for rent? Bwwaaaaaahhhhhaaaaaaa! *S-I-G-H*

Enjoy your weekend!
*~* MsJayy *~*