it"s the RighT tImE . . .

A Time for Everything
	To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
	a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
	a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
	a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
	a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
	a time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
	a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
	a time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 Good Day FreeFunSeekers! AbouT cocoons . . . I personally, like to spend time by myself a lot--out in nature, reading, writing, journaling, and even praying and meditating. Some peeps in my life are bugged by this, and have asked me "WHAT'S WRONG?" when I have wanted quiet time or solitude, or just dAnA time. Like, it sometimes seemed like I should be doing what others wanted me to do . . . when I just wanted to BE (ME) with ME! Personally, I think DOing is totally OVERrated! I am a hu(wo)man BEing, not a hu(wo)man DOing . . . and so aRe yoU! So I've been talking about tImE a lot, and tImInG--it could be around anything! people changing, letting go of stuff like behaviors or relationships that don't work AT ALL! Or, it could also be bringing IN new habits, people, or rituals into our lives--like, for example, exercise, new friends, or even reading or writing in  a journal every day! Sometimes, other people expect us to be on their timelines . . . which can be annoying if we know it's not right for us. We can be pressured into stuff we aren't ready for, and then be mad or do things half-heartedly 'cuz we aren't listening to our hearts and guts! I don't know about you, but I love life! and I love learning! It's a YearNing! We are all in the process of BE-coming our BEst selves! It's all go(o)D, yo! Hearts!  ;) dana

bE aUthEnticaLLy You . . .

12.21.12

-     

  "Live life fully while you're here. 

Experience everything.

Take care of yourself and your friends.

Have fun, be crazy, be weird.

Go out and screw up!

You're going to anyway,

so you might as well enjoy the process.

Take the opportunity to learn from your mistakes:

find the cause of your problem and eliminate it.

Don't try to be perfect;

just be an excellent example of being human." 

- Anthony Robbins

 Hey pEEps!

Do you embrace and live fully in your craZiNeSS? Especially during the holiday season? One thing I loVE about the quote from AR is that he encourages us to be super goofy and fUn! 

That can be amazingly scary for us folks who worry a lot about what other people think about us. What I've learned in the last few years, is that if I am play-acting and trying to iMpReSS others about how awesome I am, and I am trying to be a certain way--I am not being truthful 'cuz when I'm trying, it's not me. When I'm me, I don't usually have to try (. . . well, unless I'm in a situation where I would normally do the whole people pleasing BS and I am consciously trying NOT to do it...)

Anyway, being hu(wo)man and ImPerFecKt is so awesome 'cuz I am not TRyIng so hard to control what everyone thinks of me (or what I make up @ what they think of me) aND (bonus) I can relax!

Totally takes the pressure off!

And I can do loving things for myself despite when I screw up---and I am more okay when other people screw up--I can be more loving to them! 

It's all good! 

Here's my new secret: (shhhhhhh . . . please tell EverYonE!)

peOplE

arE

dOing

aNd

BeIng

tHeir 

Best...

and sometimes their best totally sucks to us . . .

(believe me, I get it . . . I've been there!)

BUT ALSO CONSIDER THIS:

Don't you want other pEEpS

to ASSume

you

are always doing and being your bEsT?

So, I challenge you to

PAY IT FORWARD.

sOmEtImeS, (& . . . don't tell nE1 . . .) my best SUCKS! SUCKS HUGE! aND I don'T always know why! Sometimes, my best is to get my butt out of bed and gO pEE, pEEps---'cuz I'm sad, or mad, or SUpEr sTuCk! (but not very often, anymore thankfully . . . )

AnyWay, hope you get what I mEan. When have you given someone else a miss, and let them off the hook of your JUDGEMENT!? Let me know in the comments!

Love you and love EverYoNE!

;0) dAnA

wE aRe eXaCtLy wHeRe wE nEEd 2 bE . . .

Dear FunFreePps--

HAve you ever noticed that the right message from the Universe seems to arrive exactly when you need it? You can probably see the card I got this morning from one of my besties, Alana. I have been in a place, lately, that hasn't been--well, so Christmasey (if that's a word, but you know what I mean . . .).

I feel really stressed and pressured by all of the expectations I put upon myself for the season (enter perfectionism ALERT)--decorating, shopping, wrapping, party-going, baking--and, not to mention everyday stuff like momming (another made up word) working, shoveling, teaching, washing, cooking, cleaning, entertaining . . .  and I'll stop there before I bore you too much with my story about my overwhelm.

So this morning I was relieved when I got to work; I opened a manila envelope with this message: 

YOU ARE

EXACTLY

WHERE YOU

SHOULD BE

YOU ARE DOING

EXACTLY

WHAT YOU SHOULD

BE DOING

I was relieved to get this reminder. The (not so) hidden message for me is this:

• Your best is good enough.
• You don't have to be perfect.
• You have enough time.
• All is well.
• Breathe.

During this time of year, I often get caught up in running around like a crazy person . . . but in the next couple of days, I am going to try to jUsT bE instead of dO. Try to enjoy the relationships I have, and be grateful for the time well-spent with those I love. The gifts don't mean so much, after all. What I want to give most is my presence--I think that's the best present of all. What will you give this Christmas?

Lots of Love!

Dana

mY bAbY gIrL . . . Happy birthday, Chloe!

ChloE's in HeLLo KiTTy Shirt!

Hey All!

I think you already know this, but one of my most important and favorite things to be in life is a

pRouD mOmmA!

aNd

today is mY

bAbY gIrL's bIrtHday!

December 19th, 2012

Dear Sweet Chloe,

Happy 9th birthday! When you were born, you had white hair and little tiny pink lips. You were so precious and beautiful, that we decided to name you "Chloe"--which means, "blooming flower." Max used to call you "Pinky" and "Ce Ce." I want to remind you what I totally love about you and what I believe makes you a very special girl:

• You are always thinking about other people’s feelings and you try to be kind when kids get teased or if they feel bad.
• You take very good care of yourself and your health.
• You have awesome dance moves and you are a great singer!
• You love doing crafts, making jewelry, and decorating rooms so they look cool.
• You love the water and swimming.
• You are willing and excited to try new things and go on adventures!
• You are forgiving and understanding.
• You are a great helper!
• You love animals so much!
• You are hilarious—especially when we make random videos on PhotoBooth!
• You love God and have lots of faith and spirit.

I am so so blessed to have you, Chloe the Great, in my life. I love you to the moon and back, and I am tickled to be your mom! It’s my favorite thing to be!

Love,

Momma

bE a LigHtHouSe . . .

"bE a LiGhtHoUse"

12.19.12.

Dear Friends,

In the wake of the school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, we are all saddened and shocked. We can't make sense of such a tragedy. As a teacher, I know firsthand how it has affected my own students, my colleagues & administrators, and the school district where I teach.

Kids are scared; parents are scared; and in light of even the finest security, tragedies like the violence at Sandy Hook School still occur. What can we do?

The video by Gabby Bernstein (above) may help shed some light on some action we can take, energetically, to rise to a higher frequency than the horrific events that took place last Friday.

Especially in light of the holiday season, the very least we can do is is pray, and hold a silent, meditative space to honor the anguish and the loss the families in Newtown, Connecticut, have experienced. 

This is everyone's tragedy, and a wake up call for coming together in community. How do you make sense of this event?

Let's get together . . .

Dana

I am So so sAd . . . .

Dear Ones,

Today was rough for me. Right now in my English class I'm teaching Dickens' A Christmas Carol--a classic tale of forgiveness, of facing shadows, of rebirth, and of redemption. 

In the backdrop of my day, I also had the news of the Sandy Hook School shooting looping on my computer live throughout my classes. I was teary for most of my day. I don't understand.

One of the things I have been stressing to my eighth grade kids is that there are always second chances, and there is always room for redemption and forgiveness. 

I still believe that, although in the wake of such tragedy, it's hard to feel that truth--but I suppose it's even more important to know in times when nothing makes sense at all.

I cannot imagine the horror the teachers and the innocent babies faced as the gunman wielded his terror throughout the classrooms on Friday. As a teacher and a mother, I feel the PROTECTOR come out in me whenever I feel my own children (including my students, actually) threatened . . . and I know from the bottom of my heart-- that I would ABSOLUTELY risk my own life in order to save the lives of my own kids (I love you Chloe & Max!) and the children whom I am so honored to teach. 

Today, the names of the children who died were released.

***********************************************************************************

The victims are 12 girls, eight boys and six adult women. The victims, police said, were shot up close, multiple times.

The following is a list (as released by police) of the victims in Friday's shooting spree on the campus of Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown.

• Charlotte Bacon, 2/22/06
• Daniel Barden, 9/25/05
• Rachel Davino, 7/17/83
• Olivia Engel, 7/18/06
• Josephine Gay, 12/11/05
• Ana M. Marquez-Greene, 04/04/06
• Dylan Hockley, 3/8/06
• Dawn Hochsprung, 06/28/65
• Madeleine F. Hsu, 7/10/06
• Catherine V. Hubbard, 6/08/06
• Chase Kowalski, 10/31/05
• Jesse Lewis, 6/30/06
• James Mattioli , 3/22/06
• Grace McDonnell, 12/04/05
• Anne Marie Murphy, 07/25/60
• Emilie Parker, 5/12/06
• Jack Pinto, 5/06/06
• Noah Pozner, 11/20/06
• Caroline Previdi, 9/07/06
• Jessica Rekos, 5/10/06
• Avielle Richman, 10/17/06
• Lauren Rousseau, 6/82
• Mary Sherlach, 2/11/56
• Victoria Soto, 11/04/85
• Benjamin Wheeler, 9/12/06
• Allison N. Wyatt, 7/03/06

I can only believe that these babies are soaring as angels of peace, and their testimonies of life will speak to the people whose lives they touched.

God Bless Us,

Dana

U r LoVe . . .

LoVe mY mOrNinG cOffee...

tHanKs sUpeRbArisTa CLaRe! 

“Love yourself—accept yourself—
forgive yourself—and be good to yourself, 

because without you the rest of us
are without a source of 
many wonderful things.”

 ~Leo F. Buscaglia 

Hey ffps:

Where's the love? LOOK IN THE MIRROR!

GuEsS wHaT? The LoVe is in you! I used to think that the love I needed was going to come from someone or something outside myself (and it very often does, and that's a huge bOnUs!), but when I want to feel love, I have to remember that I have to love me first!

A really super smart person and amazing mentor (thanks, Mastin!) once told me that if something's missing in my life, it's missing 'cuz I am NOT GIVING IT TO MYSELF . . . and, at first, that knowing this totally sucks because it means that we have to STOP complaining about everybody else not giving us what we need, and figure out how to give it to ourselves . . . which is actually un-sucky, and powerful in a cool way...

FYI: just want you to know that at first, this idea really bugged me, 'cuz it meant that I was in charge (and I had to stop blaming others for me!). At the same time, the good news is that I AM IN CHARGE . . . of ME! And, why would we want to give up our sUpErPoWerS, anyway? 

. . . which leads me back to us being in charge of our own stories and our own

 hApPiNeSs.

Here's a couple of cool grownup bloggers--Marc & Angel--

who have some ideaS about wHeRe 2 bEgIn:

30 tHinGs to Start dOinG fOr YoU!

What do you do for you? Leave an idea and we'll see you on the bLoG comments! 

ALL is WELL!

Chopra: How to LoVe yourSelf mOre!

cHecK it Out!

Loveys!

;) Dana

goT sIgN? (continued . . . )

"The peaceful warrior's way is not about invulnerability,

but absolute vulnerability--

to the world, to life, and to the Presence you felt.

All along I've shown you by example

that a warrior's life is not about imagined perfection or victory;

it is about love.

Love is a warrior's sword; wherever it cuts, it gives life, not death." 

- Dan Millman

HeY aLL!

Yesterday I wrote the story about my favorite ring . . . (for a bit of background, read the post below!). Even though I didn't know it at the time, my ring has Celtic rune on it that means spiritual warrior, and a strong  symbol of protection. DO you have special symbols that have spoken to you in your life? The symbolic rune"Algiz" serves as a mirror for Spiritual Warrior, the one whose battle is always with the self. Here's a bit more about it:

*
Algiz:“Al-jiz”

Literally: “Elk”
Esoteric: Protection, Higher Self

PSI: divinity, higher self, the state of listening
Energy: protective teaching force, the divine plan, 

Mundane: protection, safety, spirituality

Divinations: Connection with the gods, awakening, higher life, protection.

* from RuneSecrets.com

When I look back at my life, I realize that this symbol has been with me for a lot longer than I was aware-- for example, I have been drawn to this image in art I have chosen for my home . . . 

in gifts I have received from family and friends . . .

 and I see this rune in many everyday sightings, like, for example in leaves and trees . . .

I even keep a special token with this rune in my pocket each day . . .

About my ring . . .  I had the necklace made into a ring, and then months later, when I had yet another challenge, I decided to have my jeweler add the ruby "heart" to the ring, surrounded by gold--, and the three white diamonds to symbolize my magical number, three--and the love among Chloe, Max, and me. Last year, the ring's final transformation was adding 9 (3+3+3) sapphires around the symbol, three of which were placed above the head of the figure, at the crown chakra.

I truly believe the Universe speaks to us quietly in powerful symbols and patterns that surround us everyday--and one of our highest callings is to pay attention to them and learn from them. For me this means staying conscious, present, and aware so that I can benefit from these quiet messages.

Do you have a symbol that has found you and has worked magic in your life? Leave a comment and tell your story behind your special symbol!

Have a beautiful day!

Love, 

Dana

lOve Is the tRuE kEy . . .

"love is the key"

(notice "the" also looks like "true")

siDeWaLk eTchiNg by cHLoE

12.06.12.

hEy fUn & fRee PeePsies!

So, one week my daughter had a doctor's appointment (she's diabetic) about 1/2 hour away from home. We left an hour before her appointment, and since her blood sugar had been running high for the morning, she was really thirsty. I forgot to put a water bottle in the car, so I knew I had to pull over and get Chloe some water...she really couldn't wait the 25 minutes or so before we got to our destination.

I pulled into the parking lot of a little bistro 'cuz there was no street parking, and the only space available was one that read "NO PARKING ALLOWED." Now, when you are a parent, you sometimes have to look at the risks in a situation and decide what is more important; in my case, I would have rather gotten a parking ticket than kept Chloe from getting the water she needed (do you get what I mean?)

Anyway, as we were rushing out of the car to the bistro to get water, two big-haired, blinged-out women wearing high-heels came out of a hair salon (I think I sound a bit judgmental here, don't you? oOps! I do it, too!). 

The taller brunette looked at me in kind of a snotty way, pointed to the sign and shook her finger at me, 

"You're not supposed to park here. Don't you see the sign?"

The momma bear came out in me, and although I don't think I sounded too rude, I for sure was very short and to the point. I looked at her straight in the eye and said, 

"I understand that, thank you very much. My daughter is diabetic and she needs water." 

I took my daughter's hand and started to quickly walk away. The brunette looked surprised, and softened a bit and said, "Oh. Do you need some help?"

"No thank you."

We got a super big drink of water in the little bistro, and then walked back across the street to the NO PARKING (scary!) ZONE.

Guess what? The two women were waiting in their black Ford Escalade until we got back (maybe to make sure we didn't get a ticket? Maybe to see if things were okay? I'll never know . . . ). As we got into the car, the brunette waved to us, smiled, and gave us the thumbs up, and we gave her the double thumbs up back.

*               *                *               *               *               *               *

Hmmnnnnn . . . guess we never know what people are up to when they do stuff WE don't think they should do . . . maybe it's not really our place to judge, huh? Has this ever happened to you? It's kind of humbling, eh? Let me know in the comments! Tell us everything!

LoVinG it aLL!

Dana

fuN is so SuPer fUn!

hey funfreefluffyfolk!

yeah . . . i called you "fluffy"!

So, i was going to write a top ten list of FUN today (with my daughter...), but something else grabbed my attention tonight.

You know what is super FUN to me? Doing random nice things for people when they don't expect it . . . (and not taking credit for it, either!...) like, as in, doing it anonymously!

Have you ever been the receiver of a R.A.K. (random act of kindness)? It's kind of weird, cuz' we're not used to people doing nice stuff without asking for credit or for anything in return. BUT, i think it's human nature to be super kind and loving to others . . .

Yesterday, I was going to DQ to get my son, Max, a burger. There was a whole crew of workers digging in the street and they looked sweaty and SUPER gROsS. 

Guess what? I bought them all 20 oz. Mello Yellos and dropped them off at the curb (they had no idea who i was, but they were psyched!)

It felt sososososososo good! Giving feels amazing!

It's beautiful to be kind;

 it fills up your hEaRt SpaCe and puts out super amazing pOsItIvE eNeRgY!

ffPS: I dare you to do a random act of kindness! 

Leave me a comment and let me know how it goes...

Love X 3,

;) dana

ChoOsE LoVe, nOt fEaR . . .

beCominG funfreeME: InstaLLaTiOn V
12.03.12.

Hello funfreePeople--

TOP SECRET INFO-- NOT!  I am a guest blogger TODAY on THE DAILY LOVE website--a huge deal for us and our message! Check out my posting at Dana's Debut and leave a comment for feedback on the guest blog. That would be amazing! Thanks, and lots of love! ;) dana

One thing I have learned in the past year is that I can either choose to live in love--to be love--, or live from a place of fear, which leads me to one of my personal codes of truth: 

I am lOvE!
I face and release my fEaR.

We really have only two choices: WE CAN LIVE IN LOVE, OR WE CAN LIVE IN FEAR.

That's basically it.

And, when others act in unloving ways toward us, we still have a choice to respond in love from our higher self, or react from a place of ego. Our loving actions need not depend on outside influences & need not serve to "reward" others for being kind to us.

When we live from a place of love, we pay it forward and the Universe responds by showing us love . . . 

Story: There was a time in my life when I was so craving LoVe--maybe I felt unLovAble or I was not LovIng myself very much. I went for a walk around amazing Lake Harriet--a spiritual spot for me since my early twenties! I saw hearts everywhere--in leaves, clovers, in shadows, on sidewalk chalk by the secret troll house, in the clouds. It was like the Universe was whispering to me, reminding me that love is EVERYWHERE! Take a look at this picture I took on my walk:

Note: look carefully in the upper left. . . the heart is IN THE LIGHT, not in the shadow,of course. AND: notice the bonus upside down butterfly, too! 

Light does not exist without shadow, just as love does not exist without fear. The idea is not to cast out fears or deny their existence, but to embrace them--only then can we bring in light and love so the fears can ultimately be released and healed.

_________________________________________________________________

"Go to your fears,

sit with them,

stare at them.

Your fears are your friend,

their only job is to show you undeveloped parts of yourself that you need to cultivate to live a happy life. The more you do the things you're most afraid of doing the more life opens up.

Embrace your fears

and your fears will embrace you."

- Jackson Kiddard

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Coming from a place of fear is painful; I'm always wondering when the ball is going to drop, or someone will FIND out about _______ (fill in the blank), or catch me screwing up. For me, this pattern of pain became so intolerable, that I had to let go, LEAP, & learn to accept myself . . . which is a moment-by-moment process for me, sometimes.

What I know now is that I am Love, and so are we ALL.

How do you choose love over fear? Let me know in the comments!

;0)    dana

BTW: Tomorrow @Gabrielle Bernstein is leading a FREE course on How to Create What You Want in 2013. Anyone, anywhere can attend. When you pre-order her new book, May Cause Miracles, you're automatically enrolled in the course. Plus you get bonus meditations & her audiobook intro!http://gabbyb.tv/free-december-group-coaching