My people.  They come in different shapes and sizes, some are related some are not.  Some call me friend, some sister, one calls me lover [ha, ok he doesn’t really but that sounds cool], and two precious little souls call me momma.

I love deeply.  It’s what I do.  I fall in love with everything I do, and I fall hard.  I get into the weeds, learn the ins and outs.  I fail sometimes, sure, ok a lot? Whoops. But still, mostly I gather a deeper understanding of something.  I want to teach my kids to do this… to love deeply.  I’ll tell you this, no truer deeper love has ever come from my soul like the love I have for boys.  I chase that love, that deep profound love, and try to apply it wherever I can.  You look for that morsel that says “yes” deep inside, that touch of “this is right””this is what I should do”.  My love for them blows my mind and is the benchmark of all things in life.  I’ll sit on the couch as they play “let’s pile on mom” and I’ll snuggle and give lots of kisses and lots of hugs and lots of “I love yous”.  I’ll sit and stare as they play with one another.  There are no words to describe this other than the deepest most profound love.

You do not need to have kids to find this; but I do think that people need to find this.  Then you need to apply it to the things and PEOPLE that matter.  Your friends, your family, your barber and your yoga instructor (especially when they give you an extra minute of child’s pose) need to hear you love them, that they are tremendous professionals and wonderful human beings.   You should also pass that smile to the stranger on the street like my neighbor (and dear friend) Hannah does, because you never know how that person is feeling that day and how YOUR act of kindness can make a difference.  Life here would be so much better if we all just loved more, complained less and hugged more.  Like I said my kids are the starter that sparked my soul and started truly guiding my life.  No more bullshit, just huge chunks of love.

This post isn’t about anything in particular.  It’s just my two cents on life and the most powerful message I can give to anyone outside of “Love and Trust God” it’s truly simple but can be immensely painful but I promise you, you will never regret it:

Love Deeply

there is also this tidbit.  Mental health is a real issue and we need to stop hiding it and talk about it.  People need to talk about sadness, depression and addiction.  People need to take mental health days because they need a day submerged in a book or diving into netflix (or taking a 5 hour walk)… when someone knows they need a day, they need it. AND WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT IT and encourage it.  It’s not about medicating everyone, it’s about telling everyone it is ok to feel the way you feel, but let’s also help you find out why.  Let’s help you find help, if you are willing to seek it and let’s make sure that WE VOICE THIS to our politicians so they know how we feel about healthcare, mental wellness and family wellness.  We need to encourage more start-ups around family health, coping mechanisms and all-around wellbeing.  Yes it’s important to workout, eat right and take care of yourself BUT IT’S ALSO not as easy as just doing it for some and it can be overwhelming and seemingly impossible and expensive.

I need to figure out a way to make my stamp, and if we each do a little bit to make this world a little better… We’ll be forever reeping the benefits.  What better way to show our deep love…

Someday I’ll write a sensical blog, or even put together a cohesive set of what we can do – what you can do to even if it’s the smallest thing but today the homework is smile at a stranger, hug your life partner a little tighter for a second longer and send a text to a friend to just remind them you are thinking of them. God knows I think about mine everyday.  I’ll leave you with this picture of Michael saying “boo”:

[these pictures are all “throwbacks” to last year]

Ok this is what I’m really going to leave you with… I’m giving my sister deep hugs because she lost a friend yesterday, he left us too soon.  I love you Nicole, you are my other light and you are a tremendous person,  don’t you forget that.  I love you. I love you.

Because sometimes we will loose someone, someone too young, far to young… There is evil out there, and deep profound sadness but that just means your depth for love is also greater and we are here for you.

WE can do better by being better to ourselves, the planet and the universe.