Monday Inspiration: November 2, 2015

By: Gabriela Yareliz

On Sunday, the NYC Marathon sliced my neighborhood in half. I kept wondering how I would make it to the other side. Then, when I needed to cross, the runners were gone and so were the barricades. Isn’t that how we spend most of our time? Worrying about things that will run their course and resolve themselves even before we need to deal with them?

November. Guys, I hope you have your beards and mustaches ready. The month famous for (men’s) lack of shaving is officially here.

It’s a new week. New hopes. Eyes filled with glitter, pure glitter.

October is now octover. It’s gone. What a month. November is a new month filled with promise; thirty days of promise, to be exact.

This month will bring something different to all of us; new beginnings, difficult decisions, endings, continuations, inspiration, more work, rest, love, heartbreak, cold weather and scarves. Lots of scarves. And eggnog. Where the heck are they stashing the eggnog in this city?!

There will be tear-filled eyes, hope-filled eyes, surprised eyes (with arched eyebrows, of course), secretive eyes, humble eyes, grateful eyes, bored eyes– stolen glances. The whole package. Because that is life, right?

No matter what happens or where you go, the key ingredient is determination. Never forget God is in control. He sits on His throne.

November is diabetes awareness month. It’s a chronic illness that affects a disproportionate amount of Hispanics, and I think every time November rolls around, I mention it. So there you have it. It’s important we take care of ourselves.

As usual, here is your Buzzfeed-esque, curated inspiration board of the week. I hope that this week you find something that makes you smile, or something that expands your perspective, or something that triggers a good memory. Or maybe, something that inspires you to future action.

Life, it’s short, so make sure you are living it.

Happy Monday!

xoxo.

“She did not want to move, or to speak. She wanted to rest, to lean, to dream. She felt very tired.” Virginia Woolf, The Years

“Everybody has a home team: It’s the people you call when you get a flat tire or when something terrible happens. It’s the people who, near or far, know everything that’s wrong with you and love you anyways. These are the ones who tell you their secrets, who get themselves a glass of water without asking when they’re at your house. These are the people who cry when you cry. These are your people, your middle-of-the-night, no-matter-what people.”

Bittersweet, Shauna Niequist

“Hold on, dear heart, hold on for the one who will see you, and know you. Who will love you with a love that is familiar; because our hearts have known too many strangers who have tried to call our hearts a pitstop, when it is a home, waiting for someone to find their way to a place that is safe.”

T.B. LaBerge // Things I’m still learning at 25 

“Thankfully, it is God’s grip on me- not my feeble grip on Him- that keeps me safe in the fold of His love.”

Diana Stone, She Reads Truth

“Dear, I realize you’re upset because it seems everything is ending, but when will you realize there will be a beautiful new beginning?”

‘advice given to me by my grandma’ by: (mauulibu)

“Love is not affectionate feeling, but a steady wish for the loved person’s ultimate good as far as it can be obtained.”

 C.S. Lewis  

“Find my hand in the darkness and if we cannot find the light, we will make our own.” Tyler Knott Gregson

[Images from Tumblr]

You

By: Gabriela Yareliz

You are a warm southern night, a barefoot stroll under strong magnolias.

You are a strange rain that takes me by surprise.

You are a soft palm branch rustle, coaxing me to unwind.

You are a moon full of light; you reveal a path unknown and act as guide.

You are a sparkling orange river that waltzes with the sleepy sun.

You are a kaleidoscope of raindrops, where I see myself in each one.

You are the heart I drew on my mirror, while painting with fingerprint and steam.

You are the purple ribbon of tea that colors my blood with dreams.

You are a warm southern night, a barefoot stroll under strong magnolias.

Reflections Before Bedtime #45

By: Gabriela Yareliz

When confronted with the topic of failure, Thomas A. Edison could have said many things. Aren’t his many journals of “failed” attempts at the lightbulb the ones that fill the Smithsonian Museum of American History?

Edison once said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” 

Someone wisely pointed out that if Edison had failed or believed his attempts too audacious, naïve or tiresome to continue, we’d all be sitting in the dark.

Trying is a risk. It takes vision, humility and determination. Trying will sometimes cost you a lot. Yet somehow, as you keep trying, you keep growing. And in the end, you may very well find yourself standing in light.

Monday Inspiration: October 26, 2015

By: Gabriela Yareliz

A happy Monday eve to you.

Where are you going this week? I took a walk today. The neighborhood smells like leaves and bonfires. I forgot what sweet therapy walking is for the soul. I think this week it’ll be time to take the camera out for a spin to document the autumn splendor. I started this evening at the golden hour, and it was charming.

The holidays are quickly approaching. Thanksgiving is just weeks away, and Christmas is right around the corner after that. These days, the weather warms up and then returns to frostiness. We are all confused and carrying layers of jackets around.

This week, the goal is to be “anxious for nothing,” as scripture says, but instead to take all things to God in prayer. I am going to try extra hard. I need to take more things to God in prayer, instead of trying to handle them myself.

I hope that this week brings you much success, satisfaction and joy. I hope you smell the leaves and have some s’mores at some point.

It looks like a full moon tonight. Monday, lend us some magic.

“The time for speaking seldom arrives, the time for being never departs.”

George MacDonald

“It simply isn’t an adventure worth telling if there aren’t any dragons.”

J.R.R. Tolkien

“Sometimes,’ said Pooh, ‘the smallest things take up the most room in your heart.”

A.A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh

“If we look at ourselves only through our mortal eyes, we may not see ourselves as good enough. But our Heavenly Father sees us as who we truly are and who we can become.”

Dieter F. Uchtdorf

“There is nothing I would not do for those who are really my friends. I have no notion of loving people by halves, it is not my nature.”

Jane Austen

NYC Struggle: *Nicole Richie for laughs*

Have a beautiful week.

[Images from Tumblr]

Friday Glee: October 23, 2015

By: Gabriela Yareliz

This hellish little week had to be over at some point, right? I hope you accomplished everything on your list (I am very much a list person; maybe you have another way you tackle your tasks).

It’s time for some self care. If you are a woman, then maybe this means making sure your eyebrows are done, your hair is clean, maybe paint your nails a luscious fall color– I don’t know. Do whatever you do that makes you relax, and spend some time in deep reflection. I spent 60% of the week feeling like I had gotten run over by a truck. I am being honest. I feel much better now.

What have we learned this week? What brought us down? What has a “to-be-continued” sign on it?

Whatever. It’s the weekend. Don’t think too much. Just unwind. Rest. Eat something hearty. Bask in some sunshine. Listen to a good story. Be human.

Xoxo.

“I am not a ‘human doing’ but a ‘human being.’ I matter simply because I was made in the image of the unmade maker, and I am loved by Love.”

Jon Foreman

“I’m tired of people romanticizing overexertion. Exhausted is not the new chic, coffee (though a delicious necessity) is not a food group, and running on fumes is not admirable. Why do we hold pedestals for sleepless nights, breakdowns, and inner turmoil? Are those really things to aspire to? Self-care. Balance. The ability to know when your body, mind, and spirit need to take a step back. Those are things we should admire. We have to stop blurring the line between ‘commitment’ and self-endangerment because too many people are burning out before they have a chance to truly shine.”

my opinion on the way we envision hard work and the way we should live life {runningmandz} (viakvtes)

“Re-create yourselves: and let this be your best creation.”

Friedrich Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra

 “…the thing with October is, I think, it somehow gets in your very blood. Unapologetically. Almost ruthlessly.”

Anne Sexton, from A Self-Portrait In Letters 

The photo above reminds me of a place where pancakes are sold. Sunlight streams in; friendly people say hello to each other outside as they get out of their trucks; joy, sheer joy. And a hashbrown casserole, of course.

[Images from Tumblr]

Surprised?

I wrote this a year and a half ago, when I was still in professional school. I never published it. These feelings that were left in a draft post came back today through another experience. So, today is the day I hit the publish button. 

By: Gabriela Yareliz

Something I have always disliked is when I walk into a room and people look at me and think–oh, she is tiny, nice, cute (take your pick), and they are thinking this with the intention of taking advantage of me. They have their own little agendas. They have plans for me. Little do they know, I have plans for myself and plans for them if they cross mine.

I mean, cute is nice, but not the impression you want to give off when you are there to fight for something or persuade.

I walk in trying to behave as an adult and show I am a professional, and I get these looks as if I were wearing a Mickey Mouse ears and eating cotton candy.

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I went in to fight something the other day, and the person opposite of me had a look; it was one of those looks that says: “Ha. I am gonna put this one in my pocket and eat her alive.” I was not amused.

It was quite the adversarial process (as one could reasonably assume it would be, with an extra pinch of obnoxiousness). That day, I did my thing. I know that when I left, I left the person in a daze. I wasn’t what the person had expected.

difashionista.blogspot.com

I found out I won my little battle.

I guess, there may not come a day when I can control how people underestimate me or what they think of me. What I can control is the impression I leave with them. I will keep surprising them.

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*mic drop*

Monday Inspiration: October 19, 2015

By: Gabriela Yareliz

It’s time for another week. It will bring its ups, downs and standstills.

Sometimes, time seems to go fast and slow and then disappear altogether. It’s cold here now; winter coats, heater drying contact lenses and ear pain. Ahhh… A taste of winter for the soul. This weekend, I had a lovely visit from a good friend, and it was nice to drink a steaming hot chocolate on the cold, windy ferry. Winter.

The cold allows us to appreciate warmth. I have a feeling the cold is here to stay, and soon our leggings and tights will be a permanent fixture in our wardrobes. A second skin, if you will.

I hope you accomplish all of your heart’s desires for this week. Stay warm.

Let’s rock.

“In the long run, the sharpest weapon of all is a kind and gentle spirit.”

Anne Frank, The Diary of Anne Frank 

“I like it when somebody gets excited about something. It’s nice.”

J.D. Salinger // The Catcher in the Rye

“I enjoy the simple things, talking deeply for hours, going on random adventures, looking at the stars, dancing to the music, living my life.”

Expherience

“You don’t find peace until you love somebody else.”

Ben Rector in his song “Note to Self”

“Who God has called you to be is the you that you’ve been wanting to be all along.”

J.S.

“To love means loving the unlovable. To forgive means pardoning the unpardonable. Faith means believing the unbelievable. Hope means hoping when everything seems hopeless.”

G.K. Chesterton

[Images from Tumblr]

Sunday Girl: October 18, 2015

By: Gabriela Yareliz

Figure out what it is you want and fight, fight, fight for it. Maybe, a lot of things in life are about seeing how far we are willing to go for something. There is no guarantee we will get it or even come close; and perhaps, along the journey, things will change and others become clearer. The key is to keep fighting and trying to get closer to what it is that gives you peace, hope, love and joy. And if you arrive in the most unconventional of ways, then so be it. It’s life, not a recipe, after all.

Reflections Before Bedtime #44

By: Gabriela Yareliz

Sometimes, I forget my life is just beginning. I forget that I am a perfectionist and that truly, I don’t have everything figured out, and that is okay. It’s when I remind myself of this that my breathing turns normal, and I realize my ponytail is so tight my younger self would have been proud (I had a thing for tight ponytails and tight shoes). It’s good to let your hair down at the end of the day and dream; dream of what you will work for tomorrow to hold. Don’t let others define you, complete you or set the rules for you.

Don’t look at yourself through a distorted lens; see yourself in a vision framed by hope and the perseverence that will make dreams come true.

[Image from Tumblr]