What Does Your Mirror Tell You?
Masks are coming off. Zoom meetings are likely shifting back to in person.
We are beginning to change our thinking towards living with rather than isolating from. I can feel the change taking place and it feels so good.
A New Season Is Near
Spring is in the air. Birds are chirping as if to make sure we are paying attention. The weather teases us with a forty-degree day in February. My New Englander friends are smiling with the joy we collectively feel when the light starts to lengthen.
I take a big sigh at the happiness I saw in people yesterday in my business and on my walk. Relief. Hope. Happiness. It was an absolute pleasure.
If you are a New Englander reading this, February is a rough month for us northerners. From the first sound of a cardinal, the first sighting of a blue jay along with a day past thirty five degrees, we begin seeing the diehards in shorts and convertibles with their tops down.
There is something about coming out of hibernation that makes the spring ahead so much more welcomed. I love living in New England. The change of seasons is what makes my personal constitution spark. Being a New Englander is something I cherish, though, in my character. It is hardy; I have to work at positive thinking when the snow is piling up or the temperatures are so cold I can’t catch my breath.
Don’t get me wrong, I have really missed my few trips to Florida I used to take to my Grandparent’s home in Sarasota this year since my grandfather passed away. This is the first time I have stayed put in New England in the depths of winter ever.
The winter’s darkness and frigid temperatures wake up my insides.
But New England weather is a temptress. It gives me a day that is so rich with sunlight I pull out my bike and bundle up. I begin thinking of prepping my garden and cleaning my windows from the salty ocean air. Then I laugh at myself being lured into its web reminding me that it is not even mid February yet. Winter is far from over.
There Is Power In Our Surroundings
Beyond fresh air, the ocean air is something I am always grateful for. Ocean air and beach are what I have grown up with and I can’t imagine my living situation any other way. I live on the water and it is like a perpetual vacation spot. When I go for my daily walk or bike ride, it is along the waterfront and it never gets old.
As much as I speak of great skin care, easy skin care regimens, simpler routines, I do believe that great skin also comes from great mindset too. Movement, nature, healthy attitudes, smiling more, worrying less are also part of the way our skin looks back us with healthy reflection. You can spend hundreds of dollars on hope in a jar so that your image in the mirror looks back with the desired results, but having a positive outlook and shifting your thinking is also part of the equation.
When I am feeling low energy or with a negative vibe, if I can get myself up and outside even just for a quick deep breath, or even better, a walk or bike ride, it is an immediate course correction. Life looks brighter when I do this. I am happier and I smile with delight. Smiling is the best facelift. When I see someone smiling, I smile back. Smiling is contagious and at this point in the middle of winter, I’ll take whatever happiness I can get.
And just to add a shameless plug for a great new and fun item I just got in, take a look at these little mini mirrors that say fun things on them, like "OH SHIT," for example. Why didn’t I think of this?