109| HIDDEN GEMS

Hi! Thanks for your patience with the posts. My goal is to have one up every Tuesday, but life happens. I’ve been busy at the gym, and just with life in general. I am still in hermit mode but slowly coming out. I am missing interacting with others. But I am being gentle, and patient about it. Being intentional with my energy and time.

I hope you have a great weekend! Enjoy the pics.

  1. Xenia sent me and Adrian a goody box last October. And this was inside of it. I’ll admit that I didn’t know what it was.

  2. And then I saw a video on Twitter (will not refer to it as X) and it explained that it’s a little activity and tool to help you calm down when you’re feeling anxious. You organize the books (they’re real titles!) on the shelves and this helps you focus on the task at hand and not your thoughts or the way your body is feeling. I tried it and it’s pretty neat.

  3. My avocado toast has become a sandwich lol. Mine tastes so good because I add oregano, cilantro, and parsley, and a little bit of salt. Also pictured is a protein shake. I was going to the gym earlier that day and needed the little boost.

  4. A little decor at a local gardening shop.

  5. This is a throwback picture of myself. Loved how my hair looked.

  6. This is Topanga. Annie’s new French Bulldog. She is very smart too! Already responds to her name, and is ringing the bell to be let outside to take care of her business.

  7. This is an Ariana Grande parfum that Adrian gifted me in February. He was so happy and proud of himself.

  8. This is my little collection of Parfums from over the years. I have mini bottles too, not pictured here. I like florals, warm vanilla scents, and to smell like baked goods lmao.

  9. New conditioner from a new line that I tried. It’s by Tracee Ellis Ross. I’ve been told I look like her in the past due to our big eyes. I liked the conditioner so much that I added the leave in to my routine.

  10. Here you see my coconut oil that I allowed to melt and added some castor oil to it. I am never ashy, lol. It gives such a beautiful glow too. I mean, look at my hand!

  11. And a sweet treat. I won’t be having any for a while. I have goals to meet.

Again, thank you for your patience and thanks for stopping by!

Love, light, the shadow too—- Cin.

108| SOULFUL WOMEN’S RETREAT

March 8th was International Women’s Day. It was also the day of the Soulful Women’s Retreat that I went to. I wasn’t able to record or capture much from the event. It was meant to get us to disconnect from the distractions that come with cell phones/smartphones. So we were asked to put them away and to silence them which I did. I did take it out from time just to snap the pictures I’m sharing with you.

When we all arrived we introduced ourselves and shared what made us want to be a part of the day. Mine was community. Looking to be a part of a Spiritual Community or to meet people. Turns out I wasn’t alone in that. Everyone was very welcoming and friendly. Turned out that we were all in the business of helping others. Many were social workers, therapists, and or work in the medical field like myself. Most of us wanting and feeling the need to get off that wheel of 9-5 and focus on healing work.

We started off with some journal prompts, picking affirmation cards and mindful coloring. The journal prompts were nice, I need to write them in my journal for future reference. And my affirmation card was perfect. I’ve been very conscious on the thoughts that I have, and the words that I use when I’m talking to myself or am in deep thought. Before coloring we all decided on what we were going to be letting go of that day. We picked colors to match that energy, and colored/drew whatever came to mind. We were encouraged to let out any sounds that needed to be released as well. That was interesting. The first picture below is mine. Everyone liked it lol. After we were given the option to take it with us to burn, or to leave them there and Andrea (the host) would burn them for us. We all opted for the second option.

After that we meditated. She used a technique that called for us to have our knees loose. She had us imagine that there were roots sprouting from the Earth wrapping itself around our legs. She later said that this was to keep us from falling over. I wondered how that could happen when in that moment I started swaying from side to side. I then felt myself sway in a circular motion. I’d never experienced that before and it was pretty cool! Ill definitely be using that technique again!

After the mediation we spoke about what we saw when she had us connect with our Guides. Mine came to me in energy form. It’s how I see Spirits. They look like light orbs. I’ve seen a golden one on an occasion in my bedroom, but all the others have been blue and I’ve seen them in different places of my home. Afterwards some of us had something to eat. Andrea had a spread of veggies and fruits either dips, chips, small sandwiches and more. We intentionally colored the mandalas during that time.

This was a picture that I took of some paintings in one of the bathrooms. The paintings are on a velvet canvas. Never seen that before.

This was brought up during the retreat. To celebrate every victory, no matter how big or small it is!

I loved this painting of this horse. I kept staring at it. I have always loved horses. Never really spent much time with any in this lifetime but it’s something that I’ve always felt.

At the end of the retreat, which lasted about five hours. Andrea gifted us each a rose.

I’m glad that I took the time to attend this retreat and will be on the look out for more of her classes/workshops. I also walked away with the confidence and felt inspired that I too can host my very own retreat in the near future!

Thank you for reading about my day. I hope you have a great week! Come back next Tuesday for an all new post!

Love, light, the shadow too—-Cin.