This week has been a truly amazing start to the month of May after spending April falling off of many of my wagons.  Not only have I edited several more chapters of my novel, and am closing in fast on the halfway point, I’ve also kicked my exercise routine into high gear. 

I danced three nights instead of two this week, and hiked over five miles today with a couple of very seasoned hiking friends.  (Not only have they successfully hiked Mount Whitney, but they recently hiked the Grand Canyon, all the way to the bottom!  I am quite impressed!)  As an added bonus, we got to see whales and sea lions frolicking in the waves on an absolutely perfect, Southern California day at Malibu Beach!  I also kept up with the 30 day squat challenge…until today.  I made the decision to give myself a second rest day in light of all of the increases in activity.  In the last four days, alone, I’ve been to the gym, done 135 squats, danced three nights in a row and hiked between 5 and 6 miles on the beach.  I think my knees deserve a day to recover, don’t you???

My Vitamin D meter is also maxed out after about 5 hours of beach sun, sand and sea.  Of course, by the time I made it home and hydrated some more, I was ready for a nap.  As my neighbors were, once again, having a party, albeit a much quieter one than past parties, I opted for my bedroom which does not have a window facing their house.  The kitties were more than happy to join me for a little early evening snooze! 

All in all, I have no complaints about my first Mother’s Day without my daughter.  (not counting one when she was young and, somehow, her father ended up with her on Mother’s Day weekend, but that’s ancient history).  She got to spend the day with a friend doing something she enjoyed, and I got to spend my day with friends, doing something I enjoyed, and getting to know a couple of really great people even better!  Does it get any better?

Sitting here now, my brain is chasing itself in circles, much like a dog chasing its tail.  I have so many thoughts running through, and so much to be grateful for, yet so much I want to achieve this month.  I hope it will provide me with the necessary motivation to buckle down and get those things done which will further my goals and aspirations.  Just looking back at this week, I realize that I did not miss a single day of posting in this blog.  As a rule, thus far, I tend to miss at least one day for one reason or another.  I also managed at least a couple of hours of editing, along with several other tasks which needed attention this week, and  (drumroll please) made another trip out to the local farm for ingredients, and made my third huge bowl of gazpacho in the last 3 weeks!  Although a bowl is lasting me longer than it did the first week, I am happy to have something healthy and easy to grab in the house, and, if I don’t manage to burn myself out on it, plan to continue making a bowl whenever I run out.  The latest batch took an extra day before the herbs really got into the veggies, and I’m not entirely sure why, but as it currently tastes quite delicious, I’m not going to complain.

I’ve set the bar for the rest of May pretty high, but my energy is feeling wonderful, and I truly believe that with such amazing momentum which seems to be building daily, anything is possible!  I even came up with the tentative colors for my website!  Now, if I could just come up with a title that doesn’t make me yawn with boredom, I’ll be golden!!

Happy Mother’s Day to whoever it might apply to, including those dad’s who have been mom’s and dads to their kids, to the aunts and friends and others who helped shape at least one young person, who were there for at least one child.  This is, to me, a day for all who care about children in a maternal way.

My gratitudes tonight are:
1. I am grateful for the momentum with which May is beginning.
2. I am grateful for friends who push me, kick my butt and encourage me to do as much as I am able…and maybe just a little more.
3. I am grateful for friendship.  We can really never get enough of it!  (I don’t mean quantity, but quality here)
4. I am grateful for the love that keeps growing and spreading around me.  I believe that the world is already changing for the better, though only a small portion of humanity has yet to connect with that energy.
5. I am grateful for the changes which have, in some cases, been forced upon me, and in others, have been my own choices.  Everything combines to make a much tastier stew as time goes on.

Love and light.