The photo to the right shows me, Griffin and Doug having a blast during our weekend camping adventure.

We were at the Cove Creek campground in Pisgah National Forest. The campground featured lush forests, with the most beautiful views of the mountains, and cascading waterfalls that made for VERY refreshing dips, given that temperatures soared into the 90′s.

We also contended with torrential downpours for almost a full day of our 3-day adventure, and I marveled that Griffin didn’t complain once (although Doug and I shared thoughts of escape if it rained one minute more).

Griffin says that his favorite thing to do is play video games, so I was especially surprised that he never once mentioned that he was bored or wished he could be reunited with his beloved screen sooner.

What I’ve noticed is that if I offer up opportunities to “unplug” he happily takes them. He eschewed any camps for the summer, so I’ve been thinking of lots of ways for us to connect and enjoy his “down” time together.

Last year I wrote an ezine about my family’s Summer Bucket List – all the activities I want to be sure we don’t miss, and a reader (Hi, Lisa!) recently reminded me of it:

I’m guilty of saving emails for-ev-er, but sometimes it’s good because I found your e-zine from last year about your summer bucket list; my family is doing their own for 2013 and yours just made me smile. Not quite warm enough in upstate NY to jump in any body of water yet but looking forward to it on our list as well…

When I realized that what I really want — when my son is out of school and eschewing any camps — is to have fun and make memories with my family and friends, the “Summer Bucket List” idea was born.

I’m going to use this list to make sure that, even though we’re mostly at home, we make the most out of our summer. And so we’ll know at the end of it that we did everything we set out to do.

In no particular order, here are the things that make up my family’s summer bucket list this year:

  1. Go camping (check!)
  2. Eat body weight in S’Mores (check!)
  3. Watch at least one sunset from start to finish
  4. Go berry picking
  5. Make blueberry pancakes for dinner
  6. Go fishing
  7. Knock off work early on a weekday and watch a matinee in the movie theater
  8. Have a picnic at the park while listening to live music (Asheville hosts an awesome Shindig on the Green.)
  9. Visit Griffin’s cousins in Tennessee
  10. Play tag with neighborhood kids
  11. Set up a Lemonade Stand
  12. Go swimming in waterholes
  13. Go to an amusement park or carnival
  14. Go to an Asheville Tourists (local baseball team) game
  15. Make homemade ice cream
  16. Have a sprinkler party
  17. Watch fireworks
  18. Read from a novel every day.

I finished A Tale for the Time Being last week and it was AMAZING! Other books on my list: The Round House, The First Rule of Swimming, Above All Things, The Sound of Broken Glass, Sweet Tooth.

(Other books I’ve recently read and LOVED, if you’re looking for recommendations: Running the Rift, Half-Blood Blues, and The Middlesteins.)

What’s on your Summer Bucket List? I’d love to hear! Please share!

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How to trust yourself

by Stacey on June 11, 2013

trust and courage

One of the questions I’ve received from participants in my Courage Building Boot Camp is: “How can I be courageous if I always doubt myself? How do I learn to trust myself?”

There are probably 100 different answers to that question, but I want to suggest one simple thing – start trusting in yourself. 

How do you do that? Start by making small commitments to yourself. And then start keeping them.

Need a suggestion for where to start? How about with the daily practice of meditation?

How do you do that? Make a commitment to yourself that the first thing you do when you wake up tomorrow is set your timer for 10 minutes (you could set your wake-up alarm for 10 minutes earlier if you’ve been saying you don’t have the time).

Then sit and pay attention to your breath. Then, each time your attention wanders, nudge it gently back to your breath. 

That’s it. 

Faith, trust and confidence in ourselves are essential if we want to live courageously. So when we doubt ourselves, it is really important to invest a little bit of time in learning to trust ourselves. 

Making and keeping small commitments to ourselves is one powerful way to do that.

We are learning to trust ourselves again, and at the same time we are flexing our commitment muscle. It actually also takes a certain amount of courage just to sit still and notice the fluctuations of our own minds for ten minutes. So as well as building trust in yourself, every morning (or evening) as you sit, you are toning your courage muscles too.

This may seem a small thing in the face of the despair we can feel when we have no confidence in ourselves. But in my experience the road back is via one small step after the other.

I know you can do it, and I’m right there, walking right beside you!

If you liked this post, I think you’ll enjoy the free weekly Special Delivery eZine. Just sign up here and it will be delivered to your inbox every Tuesday!

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Are you “should-ing” on yourself?

June 4, 2013

The other day I was in conversation with one of my clients. “I’m frustrated,” she said. “I thought I would be further along by now. Everyone else is out there doing important things. What’s wrong with me?” Have you ever felt this way? Like you “should” know your purpose by now… Or you “should” be [...]

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Last Postcard from Easy World

May 28, 2013

So many of my clients and readers have resonated with the Easy World concepts I’ve shared in the last couple of weeks, from the fabulous book, Choosing Easy World: A Guide to Opting Out of Struggle and Strife and Living in the Amazing Realm Where Everything Is Easy by Julia Rogers Hamrick. This week I’m [...]

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How to Get to Easy World (and stay there)

May 21, 2013

Last week Griffin used sandpaper to remove his graffitied insult to one of his classmates from a wooden box on his school playground. After he was done he said, “I’m glad I get to erase my mistake. I just want to put this behind me.”   I really think he has learned from his mistake, [...]

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How to Go from Unhinged to Unflappable (Your Ticket to Easy World Inside)

May 14, 2013

My worst-ever moment as a mom happened last week. I learned that my son, Griffin, was involved in 2 incidents of bullying other students at his school. In one incident, Griffin (a 2nd grader) had written a note and asked a 1st grader if he could read it. When he couldn’t, Griffin and his best [...]

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10 Health Habits They Don’t Teach In Medical School by Dr. Lissa Rankin

May 7, 2013

The photo to the right is from Griffin’s 8th Birthday Party at his school. Each one of his classmates shared their “appreciations” for him, like “I appreciate that you have a kind heart.” And “I appreciate that you always make me laugh.” Over the weekend he had a few of his best friends over for [...]

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Scientific Proof You Can Heal Yourself: An Interview With Dr. Lissa Rankin

April 30, 2013

The photo to the right is me with two of my favorite people, Desiree Adaway and Ericka Hines, taken after a fabulous night of dinner and conversation in my home. One of my favorite quotes is from MFK Fisher and goes something like, “There is a communion of more than our bodies when bread is [...]

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The 4 Habits That Sink Marriages (+ the ones that saved mine)

April 23, 2013

Have you ever been surprised when a couple you knew got divorced? More than a decade ago I was separated for a short time from my husband, Doug, and all of my friends were surprised. It’s extremely hard to predict which relationships will end in divorce, but bad marriages almost always exhibit what psychologist Dr. [...]

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How to Get the Life (and Sex) You Want (+ my “Pleasure Play List” – songs not included!)

April 16, 2013

Last week I hosted a VERY special call for my Inner Circle. Women’s health and vitality expert Evelyn Resh and I shared specific strategies for how to incorporate more pleasure into our daily lives – and how pleasure is actually a super power that will fuel success in all areas of your life! We also dove deep [...]

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