My latest artwork

I wish you could see the glitter and sequins! ...I guess they will just have to be left to your imagination.

The Brightest Star (2012)

The Universe loves me

Affirm: The Universe, at this very moment, is aligning to fulfill all my current desires. I need only believe it to be true, and it is so. Today, I believe.

Within this moment is a miracle

Within this moment is a miracle wherein all things are possible. I never imagined I would be who I am today, but that's just it - with every instant, the cells in our body are dying, being born, or changing. There is nothing stagnant. If I embrace this flow, I am bound to grow.

In each second, an entirely new you is present who therefore has infinite potential. Embrace who you really are now. And now. And now. Again, and again, and again. And enjoy. There is no one, in all the world, like you.

It's the little things

Yesterday, I was craving a good run. As I walked into the gym, I was greeted by a whole row of empty treadmills waiting there just for me.

Today, I went to Central Park, took off my shoes, laid down on the grass with no blanket, looked up at the leaves and the bright blue sky above me, and then fell asleep.

One of the best things about life is being able to enjoy all the little things. Lately, I try to remember that the amount of blessings I receive is directly proportionate to the amount I count. Have a beautiful rest of the weekend!

Today, I believe

Affirm: "The Light within me is creating miracles in my life here and now." (CG)

I am deserving

Today, I affirm: "I am connected to an unlimited source of abundance." (WD)

You are beautiful

If you are feeling a little insecure or down about yourself, try having a listen to Selena Gomez's song "Who Says" for some uplifting lyrics that will hopefully help you see how beautiful you really are, inside and out. Embrace yourself. Allow yourself to shine. We are all perfectly imperfect and gorgeous just as we are, right this very instant.

Sick? A clove a day keeps the doctor away

Several months ago, I started going through some major changes in my life. Although they were all ultimately good changes, they took a lot out of me emotionally and physically, so my immune system was compromised. I found myself getting sick....and then getting sick a second time....and then, yes, getting sick yet again. Not only were my defenses down in general, but I also work with children every day and am therefore exposed to a lot of germs! After a long time of feeling run down, someone recommended that I try garlic. I was skeptical, intrigued, and honestly somewhat desperate, so I did a little research.

Simply googling "garlic medicinal" will expose you to a wealth of information on the health benefits of taking garlic. Not only is it a natural antibiotic, but it is also said to prevent heart disease, cancer, and viral infections, such as the common cold. In fact, according to the New York Times, studies prove that garlic helps reduce instances of the common cold. I was sold. I mean, why not give it a go? After a bit more reading, I decided that I would try consuming fresh, raw garlic, as opposed to taking it in pill form, because apparently there's no easy way to decipher which supplements work and which don't.

The first day or so of taking the garlic, I was sweating and felt different in my body, like I could feel it coursing through my veins. However, after five days in a row of taking garlic once a day, I was no longer sweating, and I felt better than I had in months! I think that the garlic was really helping my body heal. It was like I had gained a new sense of energy. Since then, I have taken garlic about once a week for maintenance, and also whenever I feel run down or have been around people who are sick. I have not fallen ill at all in that time.

Now, hear me out. I know garlic is strong. It can upset one's stomach and also make you smell so that no one will want to speak with you (let alone kiss you). No one wants that. So, I figured out a way to circumvent those annoying side effects. Here's my routine:

1. In the morning, before eating, press about a tablespoon of organic garlic (a few raw, peeled cloves) into a spoon and let it sit for 14 minutes (makes the potency of allicin, one of the key components in garlic, stronger). 

2. Prepare a cup of ginger tea. 

3. After the 14 minutes, take a few sips of almond milk (to reduce the acidity in the stomach, since I have a sensitive one), pour honey over the garlic (to coat it), and then swallow the spoonful whole - no chewing or tasting! Just one gulp! (This is key if you don't want to smell like garlic.)

4. Drink water and some more almond milk. 

5. Drink the ginger tea and have a little breakfast shortly after. (Breakfast before ingesting the garlic is not as effective at keeping the garlic taste away.)

By following these five steps, my stomach doesn't hurt, and I find that I really don't smell of garlic at all. (Trust me, I've asked multiple people if they smell any garlic, and the answer is repeatedly a resounding, surprising, "No.")

I know it sounds intense, but I can honestly say that I am hooked and will never turn back. A little while after I started my garlic routine, my sister came down with a bug and was sick for a while. Out of sheer longing for health, she decided to give garlic a try. The next day I got a message from her saying, "Well, I guess we'll never know what really made me feel better, but I'll be taking the garlic again today." And, she's been taking it ever since. So, if you are daring, intrigued, or are ever in a desperate moment, definitely give garlic a try. I'm certainly convinced that the saying should be, "A clove a day keeps the doctor away!"

Emotional growth

Ever have one of those moments when you can feel an emotional growth spurt within you so strongly that it's as though something is actually coursing through your bones and forcing you to expand? It's painful, sometimes excruciatingly so, but afterwards there's just exhaustion and, of course, tearful gratitude. Then, things are never the same again. Okay, life, what's next? I'm ready.

Longing for fearlessness

Recently, I have been challenging myself to face some deeper fears that I possess. I have felt such determination to conquer them, yet I am finding that, as always, it is not easy. Time and again, I go back to the questions, "Why not live fearlessly? What am I really risking if I walk through these fears? What is the worst that could happen?"

Indeed, in pondering these questions, what is the worst that could happen? Would I find myself alone? No, I don't think so. Death? Well, as my father has reminded me at various times, "No one gets out of here alive." Will people not like me? Will people be upset with me? Perhaps, but then what does that mean? Maybe those people shouldn't be in my life anyway. Will I fail or make a mistake? Possibly, but then what does that mean? At least I tried and had an experience. Will I feel pain? It is painful to be hindered by the fear anyway, so better that the pain come from courage than from hiding out in safety. 

In all of the ways there is to look at fear, what always comes to the surface is that it is better to walk through it than to succumb to it. May I be a bit braver with each passing day. May I remember that there really is nothing to fear.