Today is my birthday. I started my day listening to a lot of Rage Against the Machine (thank you 45), so now I am ready to take on the establishment and eliminate the patriarchy.

On a nature note: I drove down the causeway at Magee Marsh Wildlife Area, which I haven’t done since before Biggest Week ended. It has been raining for… forever it seems, so it wasn’t a surprise to see that the skies were cloudy and swollen with rain. The causeway leading to the lake is pretty populated with Canada Geese and their goslings. I must have been the first one to go down the road in a while because they were all sitting in the road or on the side of it. I slowly creep by and the goslings flap their nubs when they finally see me and stop catching bugs to let me pass. That is always followed up by a hiss from deep down in the gut of the parent Canada Goose.

I was impressed with the clouds on the causeway, but I really wanted to go take a look at the lake. She was beautiful.

Flat and reflective, she had neon fluidity. I couldn’t look away; it was electric. Charter boats were dotted along the horizon, even though rain was coming down in some spots. The contrast between the rain, the clouds, and the sky was almost too much.

I put my hands on my head and closed my eyes and took a deep breath. This is a combination move I had learned in therapy and through yoga. Gotta open up that heart chakra!

“The psychological meanings of the heart chakra are: love for oneself and others, relationships, compassion, empathy, forgiveness, acceptance, transformation, change, ability to grieve and reach peace, compassionate discernment, center of awareness, and integration of insights.

When the heart chakra is open, you may feel being deeply connected, the harmonious exchange of energy with all that is around you and the appreciation of beauty.” – thebodyholiday.com.

When you are stressed, shutting yourself off from the world, and literally balling yourself up, the best thing you can do (in my opinion because it has worked so well for me) is to open up your heart and breathe; let it in and out and let it flow. You don’t realize how tense and hunched over you are when you are so out of tune with your body.

Today, I lifted my arms and opened my heart up to the B A N G I N ‘ B E A U T Y that was that lake this morning. Starting out 37 with some deep breaths, spiritual alignment, and… oh my gosh I almost forgot! Right when I opened my eyes from my breaths a Bald Eagle flew out from a tree at the beach and went over the lake. She is my spirit animal. I know 37 is going to be alright. The last couple haven’t really been, so I know this one will be.

EDIT:

There was a full double rainbow tonight across my yard and into my house. Omg you guys 🌈💛😍