Take Back Your Power

Have you ever felt powerless? 

I sure have.

 When I pooped my pants (more than once) as a seemingly healthy adult, I felt powerless over my body and my invisible illness. When I started having passive suicidal thoughts out of nowhere during sophomore year of college, I felt powerless over my mind (cue invisible illness #2, lucky me). I've powerless over relationships, over weight loss, over career, over parenting, over stress levels, over housework and car maintenance.

The feeling of being powerless is isn't new to me, and it wasn't born from the current pandemic, although it does feel like it got a steroid boost lately.

What's new is my growing confidence. What's new is my tribe of online friends, the domino effect of one fb group leading to another and another and the immense value that each of those lovely ladies has brought into my life. 

To a friend that makes me smile, YOU HAVE POWER.

Shout out to Elizabeth for the card making materials. I hope that you like what I've done and am doing with them. Click here to check out her gorgeous designs and card kits for sale!

So today I'm committing to taking back my power. Because yes, broken crayons still color, but we also need to stop believing this lie that we're all broken. Let's collect all those pieces of our soul crayons, stick em in a star shaped mold and melt ourselves into something new and unique and amazing.

Crohn's Disease won't defeat me, I refuse to let it. I've learned my food triggers and my stress triggers, and I HAVE POWER, if not to cure, at least to "take steps" and manage it. I have power to register for CCFA Take Steps and fundraise for research. I have power to take care of my body before it takes care of me.

General Anxiety Disorder and Bipolar Disorder won't defeat me, I refuse to let them. I have so much to live more, so many things to see and do, so many people who's days I can brighten before I leave this world. I've learned my triggers, and many many coping techniques, and now it's up to me, to use that knowledge.

Knowledge is power. So read articles, watch videos, talk to others, listen to that still small voice that guides you from within. Take back your power, and stop waiting for a better tomorrow to fall into your lap.

We can make each day better, in a million tiny ways, you have the power, even when you feel the most powerless. Are you with me?

XoXo 

Mama Gali

Hesitate vs. Don't Wait

 Hesitate! Wait that's not right... What I really mean is don't wait! 

So often in life we hold ourselves back. We keep that random compliment instead when we like a stranger's outfit, or a friend's artwork, or a relative's parenting style. 

As a parent and a child, I am always telling my daughter how proud I am of her achievements, and hearing the same from my mom and dad. Of course that's fantastic, but somehow it almost feels required, and doesn't have that same impact and getting a compliment from a stranger. 

The 5 Second Rule from Mel Robbins (link at the end) says that if you have an instinct to do something, and don't act within 5 seconds, you'll likely talk yourself out of it. 

So don't wait, don't allow yourself to hesitate, share that meme or article with the person you haven't talked to in 10 years but know would love it. Comment on their posts about their new business, their recent wedding, their adorable kids. It's not as awkward as it feels, and it just might open a window to a magical conversation. 

Today I wrote a new poem, I thought of it during a shower, so when I was all done I made a choice to record it in a towel. Then I made another choice, to share it instead of hiding, maybe I'm crazy or maybe I'm brave, and maybe my family will chide me. I made sure I was covered, so no worries there, if you're anti-cursing, I said bad-a, beware. Now im stuck in a rhyming loop, my creative brain dancing like a hula hoop, I hope you'll check out my vid on YouTube, and comment your thoughts, even if you feel like a noob. I really enjoy hearing it when you let your feedback loose, so let your thoughts free like a charging moose 🤣, let your feathers stand out, like a tropical part, let yourself rise like a phoenix from the ashes.

We need more laughter, more love, and more light, so join me in sharing, and in fighting the good fight. Of course, I'll still love you if you happen to disagree, just now that I've finally found my voice, and now there's no stopping me.

I'm a lion AND a lamb 

I'm all those traits 

and many more

So take a minute and think

 on what YOU want to be

And toddle or fly through

 that open door

As always, thanks for reading this far. Sending positive vibes, encouragement, and love. 

Acknowledgements, thanks, and lovely links to those who played a part in inspiring this post are listed here:

Mel Robbins' book -5 Second Rule

Diane's podcast - a friend, muse, flame-fanner

Deb's website - a friend, boss, and role model

Deanna's facebook group - a block breaker, author's aide, creative caretaker

Lisa's Instagram - a jedi mary poppins glass ceiling breaker and impossible dream maker

My new video poem - Take 5 Minutes and Live

Xoxo

Mama Gali

Calling All Overthinkers!

 What if I say _____ and my friends, my family, my boss judge it harshly? I'll end up alone, unloved, fired, and generally much worse off than if I had just kept my mouth shut.

What if I try as hard as I can to hide my weaknesses and it's still not good enough? 

Sound familiar? Omg me too! If you're reading this and the rabbithole of anxiety and negative self-talk sounds familiar, believe me when I tell you that you're not alone.

You are so freaking far from being alone in analyzing every possible negative outcome that if all of us overthinkers linked hands our chain would stretch to the moon and back at least 8 times, but we can't literally do that because we'd all get covid and also someone would accidentally let go (just for a second) to scratch an itch and then the rest of the chain would slowly float away and be lost in space and the survivor's guilt would cripple the rest of us and can you imagine how terrible that would be?!

How's that for a run-on sentence 🤣

Yeah I'm totally the indirect/oversharing

and always overthinking type 🤣

You might tell me: STOP. 

Just stop. Ha! 

If only I could flip a switch, and turn off that constantly overthinking part of myself,  and just live and breathe and work and play and exist! Actually... if that magic switch did exist, it would probably come with such a high price tag that I'd overthink even the decision to use it and lay there, a quivering puddle of anxiety and stress, or worse, an overmedicated underachieving zombie.

My friend Anke explains the experience so well with her flamenco guitar story (link below). So many of us let that analytical, anxious, perfectionist piece bully our hearts, our instincts, our passions.

Over the past few years I've been learning and practicing and struggling to dam the river of worries, to stand up to that bully within, and to show the world my authentic self. 

Thanks for reading this far.

 I hope that you'll join me when I stand up and kick fear in the face - hiyah!

Before we go, 

how bout a show?

 Read this in slow mo

Or fast as you can!

 Time to rhyme 

and play with slime 

then wash off the grime 

try to make a dime

 drink a margarita with lime pretend to be a mime

Oh look at the time

Bye bye 👋 

Sending peace, love, and hope your way and let's chat about anything on any day oops now im stuck in this rhyming loop go find a gif of a friendly ...

boop!

Click here for a short and very much worth the watch video by the  amazing Anke, who actually inspired this post 

Xoxo Mama Gali

P.S. Shout out to Debbie Aka Authentic Deb for always inspiring authenticity and teaching by example that badass unicorn mojo.