Of heartstings and housekeeping...

Today is indescribable. The seasons changed overnight; for the first time in months, I woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of rain pouring on the roof. There’s a weird electricity on the air, as if something big is coming, some change is waiting just around the bend, some spark of dawning is just waiting to be lit.

Big changes are happening…they’ve been happening slowly, but this past week, they’ve seem to all come at once. I’ve been cleaning house, both metaphorically and literally; taking some time to take stock over where I am in this, my 30th year, and where I would like to be.

Why is it that we can allow some people to just keep tugging on our heartstrings, though we know that they’re never going to just give up and be the kind of friend we need them to be? Why do I find the need to hang on to relationships with people who are so outwardly condescending and patronizing that it physically pains me? If, when I finish a conversation with someone, I feel like I have my back up and am on the defensive, feeling like less of a person for having talked to them, is this really a person that I need to have in my life?

Shieldmaiden Challenge

 For many of us, our own perceptions of ourselves form bars and cages around us; how we feel about our bodies, our weight, size and health make us doubt our own value as women and human beings. The Shieldmaiden Challenge is about freeing yourself from the cages you've created. It's not about losing weight; it's about setting your own personal goal for health and working at your own pace to become the strongest Shieldmaiden you can be.