Happy Monday beautiful hearts!  If you are looking for a super delicious dish to accent your dining room table and make your belly happy, then look no further!  This warm roasted sweet potato and kale salad is quick, easy and nutritious.  Did you know that one of kale's secret powers is contained in its phytonutrients?  This flashy term is another word for antioxidants!  Phytonutrients help to diminish inflammation, detox the liver and can even protect your brain cells from stress!  Here's another nifty fact.  A serving of kale has more absorbable calcium than a small carton of milk.  Also, kale is on the list of 'dirty dozen,' so that means, try to buy organic when possible!  Enjoy my friends!!
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Warm Roasted Sweet Potato and Kale Salad from www.paleoplan.com
Recipe makes 4 servings
Approximate Prep Time: 10 minutes
Approximate Cook Time: 25 minutes
Quick Tip:  Massage the kale with your fingers as it can make it easier to eat and digest!

Ingredients:
Salad:
1 medium sweet potato peeled, and cubed
1 Tbsp of coconut oil
1 bunch of kale
1/2 c. of dried cranberries
1/4 c. of toasted sunflower of pumpkin seeds

Dressing:
3 Tbsp of olive oil
1 Tbsp of lemon juice
1 tsp of apple cider vinegar
1 medium garlic clove minced
1/4 tsp of sea salt
1/2 tsp of black pepper freshly ground

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Preheat oven to 400 F.  Toss the sweet potatoes with the coconut oil and lay on a parchment lined sheet pan.  Season with salt and pepper and roast until tender, 20-2mins.
• While the sweet potatoes are cooking, tear the kale into bite sized pieces and massage it with your fingers for about 2 minutes.  Put in a bowl with the cranberries and seeds.
• Put the dressing ingredients in a jar and shake until well combined. 
• When the sweet potatoes are done, allow to cool slightly and toss with the kale.  Toss with the dressing and serve warm.  

Allow yourself to be a daughter of God and the Universe.  Bathe your heart in the light of spirit.  Remain open to the abundant possibilities that are before you.  Live with enthusiasm.  Laugh with abandon.  Move your body on a daily basis and love how you move together.  Your body is a vessel of love and light.  Feel the strength in kindness towards self.  Whisper 'I love you' to your temple.  Deepen your practice of Yoga.  In all that you do serve to inspire others and selflessly give back.  Hold a container of amazement as you surround yourself with like minded individuals.  Your life is a ceremony, treat it as such.  Forgive yourself.  Create peace with your past so that you can live in this delicious moment.  Allow your life to be seasoned with compassion.  Each kindness that you extend to another, extend to yourself.  Anchor your life with an abundance of love.  Write.  Write.  Write.  Continually discover your passions and evolve your craft.   Honor your fearless spirit.  Totally slide into the embrace of your lover.  Create babies.  Build pillow forts.  Dance in the rain.  Snuggle with puppies.  Fill your body, mind and spirit with fresh thoughts of self.   Travel the world so that you can increase the adventures of living.  Spend more time in nature to learn her thoughtful ways.  Continue to live with a curious spirit.  ​Trust your deep inner knowing.  Trust your connection.  Live a philanthropic life.  Take pictures.  Love.  Love.  Love.  Claim your divinity.  Honor your journey.  Always choose to walk the shores of your heart with love!  
Stand in awe, this is your life!
​Love you till the end of time~
SLD

Happy Friday beautiful hearts!   I invite you to journal about this powerful question.  I found it to be such a refreshing experience.  It's a wonderful way for me to reconnect to my desires!  As the week comes to a close, tap into your inner wisdom and resources!  Enjoy exploring!  Have a blessed weekend!

May You Sweetly Seek:)
In Gratitude, 
Sarah

As Rumi so beautifully surmised, “Only from the heart can you touch the sky.” As I stood on the shoreline watching the ocean awaken, I couldn’t help but fill my heart with the warmth of the sunrise.Have you ever sat in stillness watching the Earth come to life? Close your eyes and envision the delicate morning sky rolling back the blanket of night to greet the delicious glow of morning. Watch the clouds cheerfully whirl away as the sun offers its radiance. Can you feel your heart aglow?... (Checkout the rest of my article on Elephant Journal) 

Happy Thursday beautiful hearts!  My heart is glowing with gratitude on this Thankful Thursday!  I'm so excited to share a link to my first published article on Elephant Journal.  Please feel free to share it with those you love.  

Writing for me is right up there with breathing.  I've had a crush on Ralph Waldo and Rumi since I was just a young girl.  If I were to define writing I would say that it is comprised of long thoughts, inspiring prose, courageous living and endless possibilities of dreaming and creation.  Writing has impacted every area of my heart.  Writing has offered me a refuge to describe the indescribable.  Writing has introduced me to my emotions.  Writing has helped me to articulate my passions.  Writing has allowed me to tap into the tender wisdom of my spirit.  Writing has also offered me a space of curious inquiry and infinite connection.   

On this Thankful Thursday may you be inspired to stand on the shores of your heart and move forward with excitement!  Your dreams have been waiting for you.  Now is the only moment to invest in.  May this article be of benefit!  May it encourage you to abundantly pursue your passions!  

May You Sweetly Seek:)
In Gratitude, 
Sarah 

“What if the task is simply to unfold, to become who you already are in your essential nature--
​gentle, compassionate, and capable of living fully and passionately present?
How would this affect how you feel when you wake up in the morning?” 
― Oriah Mountain Dreamer

“Anything that annoys you is teaching you patience.
Anyone who abandons you is teaching you how to stand up on your own two feet.
Anything that angers you is teaching you forgiveness and compassion.
Anything that has power over you is teaching you how to take your power back.
Anything you hate is teaching you unconditional love.
Anything you fear is teaching you courage to overcome your fear.
Anything you can’t control is teaching you how to let go and trust the Universe” 
― Jackson Kiddard

Happy Tuesday beautiful hearts!  The words of Jackson Kiddard speak volumes towards our capacity to feel all of life's offerings.  At our very core, we have the resourcefulness to follow the urgings of the Universe. 

Today I invite you to chose a line from this prose that speaks to your life presently.  The line I chose is, "Anything you fear is teaching you courage to overcome your fear."  Just last week a colleague shared that we are either making decisions in our lives based out of fear or centered in love.  As soon as they shared that notion with me, the Yoga class I attended was steeped with the rich wisdom of a Course in Miracles.  We are either choosing with love or fear.  Marianne Williamson capitalizes on this concept in her teachings on a Course in Miracles.  "Love is what we are born with.  Fear is what we learn.  The spiritual journey is the unlearning of fear and prejudices and the acceptance of love back in our hearts.  Love is the essential reality and our purpose on earth.  To be consciously aware of it, to experience love in ourselves and others is the meaning of life.  Meaning does not lie in things.  Meaning lies in us."  

Meaning truly does lie within us.  Over the past week I silently witnessed myself making decisions.  Some days  I could feel fear paralyzing my thoughts and body, and then other times I felt as if I might burst from all of the love I felt.  The notion that fear and love are dualistically married is somewhat of a comfort to me.  I know when I am operating out of fear based thinking;  fears counterpart, love has to be close by.  

As you perhaps choose a line to work out of Jackson Kiddard's prose, may it inspire you to witness your life from a compassionate space.  Life is always dialoguing with you.  May you feel the Universe supporting you with love and light as you explore!  Embrace your courage my friends!

May You Sweetly Seek:)
In Gratitude, 
​Sarah 

 “Others have seen what is and asked why. I have seen what could be and asked why not. ” 
― Pablo Picasso

Happy Monday beautiful hearts!  I had the good fortune of attending a Sacred Circle Retreat with my mom's church friends on Saturday morning.  One of the programs was a presentation by Jim Merhaut, professional life coach, leadership consultant & trainer, writer, retreat leader and national speaker.  Jim's presentation on Saturday focused on our ability to see.  To see is a verb meaning; to perceive with the eyes, to construct a mental image, to be cognizant of, to scan or view, or to foresee.

Our ability to construct mental images and view our lives is an every personal fluctuating responsibility.  We often miss the illusive plot changes because we are so intently focused on the desired outcomes.  Our lives are grand conversations, however we sometimes flounder in the presence of profound sight.  Perhaps notice in your own life, what do you focus on?  How do you use the world around you to construct meaning?  

Pablo Picasso said, “If I paint a wild horse, you might not see the horse... but surely you will see the wildness!”  As we look to artwork, quotes, or any artistic musing we begin to notice the lens of creativity opening our interpretative sight.   What if we viewed our life as one of these great masterpieces?  
​
As I consider Jim's message, I can't help but wonder how my ability to see has either expanded my experiences or contracted my involvement with life.  Our physical and spiritual sight fashion the way we engage with life.  If we are working on a specific project, it might be more appropriate to have precise zeroed in sight, but if however we are driving down the road, it becomes important to expand our view so that we can notice the other traffic around us.  

Today I invite you to take a peak into your own life.  As you examine your sight, how do you see yourself engaging with life?  Are you so focused on one aspect of life that you are living out of balance with other aspects of self, or perhaps you are examining your life with a wide angle lens and you miss the everyday miracles in your midst.  The best news is, there is no right or wrong answer, there is simply an awareness of expanding or contracting.  

May You Sweetly Seek:)
In Gratitude, 
​Sarah 

Happy Friday loves!  Just a little business and personal inspiration for your day!  "Slow and steady wins the race!"  It's all about consistently focusing on your daily wins!  Play the long game and aim for legendary!  No ask, no get...Ask, Ask, Ask!  Prosperity is a reflection of value delivery- if you want to make millions, serve millions!  Failure is the price of greatness!  
Dream big my friends...slow and steady creates a legendary life!
Have a blessed weekend!
​
May You Sweetly Seek:)
In gratitude, 
Sarah   

Happy Thursday beautiful hearts!  Today I want to speak of my gratitude for the beautiful poets and authors who have left a magnanimous imprint on our literary world.  I often love to scroll through Pinterest and 'ohhh' and 'awe' at the quote section.  I casually dream that perhaps someday my name will be included in the list of searches.  

Anyone who knows me knows that I tend to be a bit wordy in my descriptions of life.  It wasn't just a sunrise, it was a sherbet sky that opened itself to the newness of possibility.  I often find myself drooling over long thoughts and insights that spark an internal flame of curiosity.  Words are erotic.  Words are poetic.  Words are how I express my heart.  

As I have been staring at my vision board lately I noticed that one of my visions for 2016 was to submit a piece to a magazine or online subscription site.  Since we are almost to the end of February, it seemed more than appropriate to not only create the piece, but to utilize a personal coaching session with my coach to see what was stopping me.  

I am so grateful to the hearts that hold containers of unconditional love and support so that I/we may all do the real work of living.  Living isn't packaged up in a blue Tiffany's box, living requires us to navigate the rugged terrain of self.  This is no small feat!  This awakening of awarenesses might very well change our lives.  

As I spoke with my coach yesterday, we began exploring my lifelong sense of perfectionism.  Yikes...I cringe as I write the word, but heck yea, this is probably a very real struggle for a lot of us!  Who hasn't tried to pigeonhole themselves into perfection?

As Michael explored this notion with me he chuckled and said, "That must take a lot of energy Sarah."  

I couldn't help but take a deep breath and feel exactly how much energy it had been taking up in my body and my mind.  I brought my hand up to my neck and told Michael I felt like I had a beautiful fabric screen separating me from truly seeing my life.  We worked with this notion and more than halfway through my session I had summoned up a 'Kick-Ass Lady' who in my minds eye moved the screen to the side and I saw before me every possibility!  It was like the best Pixar animation come to life!  This 'Kick-Ass Lady' was wearing my grandma's pearls and a smoking hot pair of red pants.  She was fiercely determined to get to the task of 'living' her hearts desires.   

As we dialogued a bit more, Michael had me connect to this 'Kick-Ass Lady' who is at her very core me.  We tapped into her fierceness and called upon her persistence to help me write an article to submit to Elephant Journal.  It's not enough to just desire change, we have to be willing to put ourselves out there!  

We made it a goal that I would submit my article by Thursday evening.  I was so energized and excited, that I submitted it Wednesday afternoon.  I'm anxiously awaiting a reply.  More than anything, I am grateful for the insights that Michael stirred within me. 

These powerful awarenesses allow me to pose these question in any given situation, "What is my life supports this fierce 'Kick-Ass Lady?"
"What blocks my expression of myself?"

His kind smile broke into his closing remarks, "How can you make this process simple Sarah?  Can you trust the unfolding?  Can you let go of needing to do it perfectly?  Can you make it easy?"

I smiled as I brought my hand to my throat and felt the fierceness of my passions awaiting a space of self expression.  This 'Kick-Ass Lady' is ready to share, and I'm pretty sure I need to find a pair of red britches to accessorize her attitude!   

How can you trust the unfolding of your life?  How can you make it simple?  We are all doing our work and it is in support of one another that we lighten up and go with the flow!  

May You Sweetly Seek:)
In Gratitude, 
​Sarah 

Happy Wednesday beauties!  As we all roam the shores of our hearts, what is it that we are searching for?  How is life informing you of your desires and wants?  As we begin to ask ourselves the rich questions of living, how do we ascertain meaning?  How are these doors that Estes speaks of informing you of your innate inner wisdom?

One of my daily intentions is to learn something new, wether from reading, striking up a new conversation, or listening to something inspirational on-line.  I have found in my life, that the energetic momentum of new information propels me into inquiry and clarity.  How can you gain more clarity in your own life?

A book I recently picked up off of my shelf is Women Who Run with Wolves, Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype by Clarissa Pinkola Estes.  This book anchors me to my experiences of living and asks that I come to the edge of my comfort zone and acknowledge the fierce, creative, and instinctual aspects of self.  This self is shared by all who are breathing.  This book was originally published back in 1992, which seems like forever ago, but the lyrical prose continues to invite both men and women to explore the richness of living through the artful craft of storytelling.  Estes storytelling allows us to reawaken to the obscure and buried wisdom of living.  

In this treasury of tales, the author who is a PhD Jungian psychoanalyst, poet, and keeper of old stories unearths the parallel intuitive adaptive nature of wolves and women.  Estes immersed herself in the biology of wolves and at the same time identified similar shared relational characteristics between the Wild Woman and wolves.  

This book invites all to strengthen their connection to intuition, to entertain the cycles of living, to live with passion, to trust the knowingness that lives inside.  Our yearnings, our scars, our inquiries are all doorways to touching the profound wisdom and love of living.  How can these doorways offer you more resources in your day to day life?  

May You Sweetly Seek:)
In Gratitude, 
​Sarah 

Happy Tuesday beautiful hearts!  As I was sitting down to discover a topic for the day, a book on the shelf caught my attention, Archetypes- Who are you? by Caroline Myss.  As I grabbed the book I cracked open the pages of this trusty friend and spontaneously began writing.  

Swiss psychologist, Carl Jung brought the concept of archetypes to life as he explored the notion of The Collective Unconsciousness.  In his 1936 work on The Collective Unconsciousness, he defines an archetype as,  "an indispensable correlate to the idea of the collective unconscious, indicates the existence of definite forms in the psyche which seem to be present always and everywhere."

If archetypes are present everywhere, how do we translate their meaning into our present day life?  Caroline Myss insists that archetypes are not simply universal, rather they are by their very nature very personal.  "...as personal archetypal patterns that are the foundation of our beliefs, desires, motivation, and actions, organizing and energizing all our relationships in life."  

​When I think of archetypes, I can't help but think of using the word symbol.  A symbol is defined as a 'thing that stands for or represents something else.'   As we observe ourselves and others, we often construct our meaning of symbols universally and individually.  Universal symbols might include calling someone a teacher, a student, a caregiver, a visionary, a romantic, a child, a mother, an intellectual, etc.  On a grander scale, we all have the ability to interpret meaning from these symbols.  

As we adopt these archetypal symbols in our lives, patterns emerge from our interior life.  These patterns are often constructed with an unconscious awareness.  For example as I have been working with my own transpersonal coach I noticed that one of my archetypes is the Seeker.  All archetypes have both a light attribute as well as a shadow attribute.  The Seeker light attribute defined by Myss is, 'a thirst for wisdom and truth wherever they are.'  The shadow Seeker attribute is, 'an inability to commit to a path once found.'  I can totally see the journey of my life has been between the tracks of these two attributes.  

My work is both to recognize my thirst for wisdom, but to also inquire about my commitment to the path once I discover it.  This possibility of discovery excites me.  I used to feel ashamed that I had taken such a long time to discover my dreams and the possibilities within them, now I embrace the journey as it has seasoned the path ahead!  I am committed to the path of my own uniqueness.  I am also committed to using all of my talents to impact the world.  I am a multidimensional seeker on a mission!   

As you gaze into your own life, what is a word or words that you would use to describe yourself?   Perhaps nothing comes to mind, so think of one of your friends, how would they describe you?  This word or phrase might offer you great insight into discovering one of your archetypes, or one of the lenses that you use to make meaning in your relationship to life.  This lens offers you insight about your journey.  This lens also offers an introspective focus on the challenges that you might be undertaking, on lessons that you are learning, on agendas that you are discovering within self.  

As Caroline Myss says, think about this investigation as a 'fun adventure in which you will get to know more about me.'  Your curiosity is limitless as you begin asking yourself rich life questions.  

Undertake this adventure with qualities of curiosity, joy, understanding, compassion, and love.  You my dear are one of a kind.  It is up to you to begin discovering how you continually relate to the world around and within.  Enjoy the journey!

May You Sweetly Seek:)
In Gratitude, 
​Sarah