Mojo Monday ~ I Want (p.s. Happy 4th Birthday to Mojo Monday)

I Want. I have not always been really good about expressing what I want.  It is also difficult to express what I want when it effects other people and I start to feel like I am asking something of others.  I tend to be a bit independent in taking care of myself. For example this weekend I really wanted our house to be less messy (our almost 8 year old twins had things and toys strewn and lying about in multiple ares of the house.)  I also wasn't feeling so inclined to do all the picking up and cleaning myself.  It wasn't so easy for me to mention to my hubby on Saturday night that it would be nice if the house could get straightened up.  It is difficult for me to explain to people who seem content in a less than neat house, how residing in chaos can make me physically start to feel all tense.  But my speaking up let my hubby know to be on board with kicking things into gear on Sunday and everyone helped out to make the house more organized and clean again. Ahhhh...soo nice.  Especially because my energy is seriously lagging.  My get up and go went somewhere else and I hadn't found her once I got home from grocery shopping and put everything away this morning.

This idea of contemplating I Want was in part inspired by a post I saw weeks ago by artist and writer Kelly Rae Roberts.  Back on February 5th she shared a very sweet lists of wants in this post.

Dream Big In the Moonlight

(Signed/ Matted Print Available Here)

I made the above with True in mind, (a new little something for his new room in our new house) but I'm inspired to consider my own dreams as of late.........

I want to have a picnic or two. And read a book in the green summer grass.

I want to make a memory book, printing off photos regularly and documenting more of our everyday life. 

I want to stay authentic in business, making choices that continued to be tuned into my vision, mission, truth. 

I want to trust the journey and the abundance that exists at every turn (it's the small things).

I want to go to NYC and wander the streets with John.

I want to walk around my new hood, make new friends, put up a new little library.

I want to have more dinner parties. 

I want to make more collaborative paintings with True. 

I want to make more paintings for kids. 

I want to gather on the coast with new friends, old friends, and eat candy. 

I want to be still. 

Take it all in. 

Celebrate. 

Be grateful. 

I kept this particular post open on my iPhone and I visited it now and again.  There was such a sweetness and simplicity to her wishes that resonated with me. I have been asking myself, what do I want? Here are some of my thoughts.

I want to feel more relaxed.

I want to play with my children and hang with the family more.

I want to have less commitments.

I want less pressure and fewer deadlines.  

I want to spend more time gardening and hanging out in our yards.

I want to cuddle my 17 year old cat Bandito more.

I want to throw the Frisbee for 11 year old Shanti more too.

I want to paint more. 

I want to gently ease back into being in love with my book project.

I want to feel excited about the book and fleshing out a colorful vision for it.

I want more creative time.

I want more quality time with friends, not necessarily more quantity.

I want to say Yes to things that make my heart sing.

I want to say No to things that don't light me up.

I always want to hear great music.

What about you?  What do you want?  Did anything that Kelly Rae or I shared inspire you or resonate with you?

 P.S. May 1st is Mojo Mondays 4th Birthday.  Here is a little something to honor this special day.

May 1st is "The Day of Ironic Insight" according to the book The Secret Language of Birthdays by Gary Goldschneider and Joost Elffers.  While Mojo Monday is not a person it has had a life of its own for the past 4 years.  It was a bit entertaining to read about the predicted attributes of those born on May 1st, for that is the birthday of Mojo Monday back in 2010.  

Here are some more of the descriptions listed for those born May 1st:

"[They] have a talent for watching what goes on around them and communicating their ideas on what they see to others.  Their capacity to express these observations, which most frequently deal with people, is generally either verbal or written, but rarely both."

"...they also show an active interest in the events of the world around them.  Even the shyest take a stand within the family, business or social group of which they are a member.  Those born on this day are not everyone's cup of tea, nor do they particularly seek to please others.  They are, however, respected for their honesty and though outspoken on issues of importance to them are nonetheless venusian in their love of harmony and beauty."

Mojo Monday ~ Write A Letter to Your Future Self

The following is an e-mail from the past, composed 6 years, 11 months and 23 days ago, on April 18, 2007. It is being delivered from the past through FutureMe.org.  

(It was delivered via email to me on April 10, 2014, my 45th birthday.)

Dear FutureMe,

Happy Birthday Michelle! You are 45 today - wow!

Did you forget about this message? You wrote it 7 years ago. I am sure that a lot has happened in 7 years. I hope that you find yourself in a good and happy place in your life.

At the time of writing this letter you were still feeling some insecurities about some aspects of your life. There were little worries about your marriage. Some hurts and frustrations that you are planning and hoping to work through. Next week you will be meeting with a therapist for the first time in your life. You are nervous about it and also have great hopes. You are hoping that it helps you work through some of your anger and frustration in regards to the relationship with your husband and also with your mother. Oh how cliche that sounds. The archetypal mother-daughter conflicted relationship.

I have had moments of doubt about my marriage making it for the long haul. Sitting here now though and really contemplating the future I see clearly that I want this marriage to work. That is what I envision in my future. I want to know that 7 years from now when I receive this email that my husband will still be by my side. That we will be raising our children together and growing old together. I want our relationship to be solid, loving and fun. I want us to celebrate our 11th wedding anniversary this June together.

Not only have you aged but so has everyone else. Your husband is going to be 52 years old in May. And your twin daughters - wow they will be 8 years old in May. Just thinking about such a passage of time in connection with your loved ones brings tears to your eyes.

There are also the fur-kids to consider. Hopefully both are still with the family. Our furry friends just don't live long enough. The cat will be 17 years old and the dog will be 11. I hope they are still with us. Just thinking of them passing is hard to imagine.

There are also my siblings and my parents. What changes have taken place in our family during this time frame. I know from experience how the unexpected can happen. I've already lost two brothers and a fiance in my past.

Are you still working at the same job? You had a good job back then with a great organization. I also know that you are capable of more. You have a lot of creative talents and you can write. I am hoping that you have moved in the direction of putting your creative talents to work and are making a living in that area. You have entered into the world of digital design recently. You love to play with images. Finding the right combination of writing and design would be perfect.

Here are some of my wishes for you in the future.

I hope that you have learned to be more relaxed. 
I hope that you are more accepting of yourself and your imperfections. 
I hope that you are comfortable with your body. 
I hope that you are having lots of fun in your life. 
I hope that you have a great relationship with your husband. 
I hope that you and your daughters are so very close and love spending time together. 
I hope that your daughters are happy, healthy and loving life. 
I hope that your parents are still alive and that you have a healthy and close relationship with them. 
I hope you are doing things you love professionally. 
I hope that you have a close circle of friends and that you still spend time with them. 
I hope you have found effective ways to take good care of you. 
I hope you have learned to express your needs to others. 
I hope your hair looks good -tee hee. 
I hope you are happy - most of the time.

I was surprised when I received the letter above.  It was nearly 7 years ago when I wrote it and my memory of doing so really didn't come back until I was reading it.  It moved me to tears.  I loved seeing how my focus was on my relationships, my marriage, my children and my family.  

When I wrote the letter my daughters were just about to turn one years old.  They are now seven and will turn eight years old in May. My husband and I will be celebrating our 11th wedding anniversary in June. 

I am still at the same job and just had my 10th anniversary at the end of March.  Yet I have made strides with my art and my writing.  Back in 2007 I hadn't even heard of the Cosmic Cowgirls.  It wasn't until October of 2008 that I attended the Bountiful Conference they put on in Healdsburg, California.  Being a part of this tribe has let to me writing Mojo Monday posts for nearly four years now.  That it turn led to my column in Cosmic Cowgirls Magazine which launched in early 2011 and has been going strong for three years.  I have yet to make a living with my writing and art, and I don't know if I will get there, but I will keep on doing what I love.




I am considering writing myself another letter with futureme.org.  I think sending one to myself five years from now on my 50th birthday sounds about right.  When I contemplate what might go into such a letter I realize just how much can happen in five years.  I grow emotional considering my wishes and hopes for what my life will encompass when I am fifty years old.  There is something powerful in stating your hopes and intentions for your future self. 

Will you write yourself a letter?  Would you want to send it a year from now, five years, or maybe ten years or longer?

Share a little bit about what you are hoping and imagining for your future self in the comments.  

Revolutionary Love Stories

Come read my latest article called
Revolutionary Love Stories
in Cosmic Cowgirls Magazine

Love. Peace. Equality. Justice.

I am longing for more revolutionary love stories.  I want to hear more good stories about love, peace, equality and justice blossoming on our planet.  I am longing for revolutions that bring about changes to our world in such a way that there is love between all people.  I desire revolutions for peace that spread across all the lands.  I want revolutions of equality between all people, no matter their gender, race, culture, sexual orientation or chosen faith.  It is also time for a revolution of justice; true justice for all. To quote John Lennon, some may say I’m a dreamer, but I do know that I am not the only one.

Image found on deviantart.com by Valentina White

Do my revolutionary ideas and desires about letting love rule seem unreasonable to you?  Do you doubt that we can create a world of love, peace, and equality? What do you think stands in the way of reaching such goals?  

Come read the entire article over at Cosmic Cowgirls Magazine.