THE STRENGTH IN US ALL

Good morning everyone!  Happy Tuesday.   I am the luckiest girl.  My day job ended a few days ago.  Once again the summer is mine, freeing me up for morning and afternoon Reiki sessions, teaching outdoor Guided Meditation classes and  doing whatever I like.  It doesn't get much better than that!

I value every moment of my time. The time I have to sit and stare at a tree has equal value to the time I need to complete chores and run errands.  Free summers are the greatest gift I receive from my day job.  Without going into gory and truthfully boring detail, lets just say its not my happy place but I made it another year.

Today's quote is, "Inside us all lives a warrior a fighter and a survivor."   Remember that when you are going through a difficult time.  Remember that the strength within you can conquer a bad day, a difficult relationship, job frustration and a rainy day.  If we didn't have such strength we would spend way too much time curled up in a fetal position with a blanket around us.

When things become difficult and even too much to bear, curl up under those covers if you need to but don't stay there.  Don't give in to temporary discomfort.  Time is healing and nothing is everlasting, not even joy.  Relish the good times and understand that difficult phases of life are also what adds to our inner strength.  Be that warrior, be that fighter and be that survivor that lives within you!

Have a wonderful Tuesday everyone! ~Love, Amy


To learn more about what I do, visit my website:https://amykaufman.co
To schedule an in-person or remote Reiki session with me, visit my website:https://amykaufman.co/private sesssions OR email me at amy@amykaufman.co

WHEN DARKNESS TURNS TO LIGHT

Good morning everyone.  Happy Thursday.  My main objective for you and for myself is to remain positive even when I'm not really feelin' it.  I pinpoint one good thing and most times that does the trick to bring me back from my slump but like you and because I'm human, there are dark days.  The kind of days where you feel stunted by the air around you and completely stagnant.

Rather than sinking down any further, this is a time for stillness.  A time to release worry for what lies ahead.   A time to "just be," knowing that life is ever changing.

Today's quote is, "The unknown is a dark tunnel - a place where you may stumble and fall - have faith that you will find the light and leave the darkness."  We are so uncomfortable in darkness unable to appreciate its quiet beauty.  We like to be in control and when we feel we have none, we get anxious and scared.

I remember a literal blackout many years ago.  Consistent hot weather in New York City caused the entire island of Manhattan and neighboring counties to go completely dark.  At first it was a bit scary but then it became calming.  Calming because there was nothing anyone could do about it.

When you find yourself in that dark place, that place called the unknown and control is not in your hands, give it up to God.  Give it up to the Universe who is probably thinking you need some down time.

Everything is temporary so find peace in the darkness and know that it does not last forever. You may stumble, you may fall but trust that you will also get up and walk through the darkness and into the light.

Have a wonderful Thursday everyone! ~Love, Amy

To learn more about what I do, visit my website:https://amykaufman.co
To schedule an in-person or remote Reiki session with me, visit my website:https://amykaufman.co/private sessions OR email me at amy@amykaufman.co

BE REAL

Good morning everyone and happy Tuesday.  When I say good morning I mean it.  I really and truly hope that whoever is reading this is having a good morning that progresses to a good day.  We are trained to be polite and to greet one another with a good morning nod or vocal acknowledgement no matter how we feel.  Another common greeting is, "how are you?" or "how are you doing?" even though we might not care one bit.  We know if a greeting is sincere or fake but to make things easy we all go along with it.

I despise phoniness.  I despise a fake smile preferring an authentic frown.  At least you know what someone is really feeling.  Today's quote is, "Authenticity is what you do - the actions you take - not just the words you say."  Asking someone how they are and simultaneously walking away tells me  your'e not really interested.  If you want to know someone's state of mind you need to wait and listen to their response.

Why ask if you don't care?  If there is somewhere you need to be then go!  But on those rare occasions when not pressed for time, take that pause and ask the ubiquitous question with sincerity in your heart.  Does this mean that if you haven't time for a quick chat you avert your eyes to avoid contact?  Of course not.  Concern comes in the form of a text, a phone call or a conversation over coffee.  To those who mean something to you, take the time to show you care and be authentic to them and to yourself.

Have a wonderful Tuesday everyone! ~Love, Amy

To learn more about what I do, visit my website:https://amykaufman.co
To schedule an in-person or remote Reiki session with me, visit my website:https://amykaufman.co/private sessions OR email me at amy@amykaufman.co

THE BREATH OF LIFE

Good morning everyone!  Happy Thursday.  Today is actually a very special day.  My dad whom I love so very much is celebrating his 98th trip around the sun.  How incredibly lucky am I to have him in my life in sound body and mind.  He is amazing if I do say so myself!  His pace may have slowed but at they say, he is sharp as a tack!

What has kept him going all these years is his attitude towards life and his appreciation for everything life has given him.  His pleasures are simple.  Good food, a good joke, the people he loves and Mia, all of which bring joy to his soul.  He has always had the ability to slow down when necessary and observe rather than react. He understands the benefits of a deep breath into the lungs followed by a smooth exhale.

Today's quote is, "Each and every inhalation is a gift - appreciate it and use it well."  Without breath we cease to exist.  We are but a small number of  God's creatures who use this powerful life force energy.  Life begins when we leave our mother's wombs crying, signifying that we have taken our first sip of breath.

We sigh when we are upset and frustrated but how lucky are we to have air in our lungs allowing for that deep relief!  And yes!  What a relief is it.  Think how good you feel after you let out that long ahhhhhh!

Watching my dad has taught me to take nothing for granted and to appreciate everything, even a sigh born of frustration.  Breath is life.  Appreciate it and use it well!

Have a wonderful Thursday everyone and YES!  I will pass along your birthday wishes!  ~Love, Amy

To learn more about what I do, visit my website:https://amykaufman.co
To schedule an in-person or remote Reiki session with me, visit my website:https://amykaufman.co/private sessions OR email me at amy@amykaufman.co

GO GO GO STOP

Good morning everyone!  Happy Tuesday.  In the days when a lot of moms didn't work, mine did.  I grew up quite familiar with the life of a busy mom, the one responsible for the cooking, cleaning, shopping and the weekly drive to ballet school.

This generation has taken busy to a whole other level.  Not only do we work, cook, shop and clean, we also chauffeur our kids to every conceivable lesson even if it means driving thirty minutes to and from a given activity.

By the time we arrive home we are on auto pilot, preparing dinner, supervising homework, throwing in a load of laundry and thinking about the next day when we have to do it all over again.  I'm exhausted just writing about it.  Not once did I say when nap time is! Who has time for a nap?

I don't recall when participating in a million activities became the norm for children and adults but what I do know is that there are a lot of tired people out there.  I say the new norm should be learning how to put the brakes on this lifestyle.

Today's quote is, "To forge ahead is a challenge to be still is also a challenge."  Our daily lives have become increasingly busy with little or no time for ourselves.  It was only when my three kids were away at school that I actually had some down time.  Everything I did was different.  I was no longer getting frantic "where are you" calls the second a practice ended.  I finally had "me" time. 

I took Mia on longer walks.  I lingered in the shower and even took an occasional bath.  Such simple things yet so rejuvenating for my soul.  In your quest to find your heart's desire, take stock of what is already there, find peace in the stillness and always always stop to smell the roses. 

Have a wonderful Tuesday everyone! ~Love, Amy

To learn more about what I do, visit my website:https://amykaufman.co
To schedule an in-person or remote Reiki session with me, visit my website:https://amykaufman.co/private sessions OR email me at amy@amykaufman.co

PREPARE TO PREPARE

Good morning everyone and happy Thursday.  The amount of traffic heading out to the beach on any given day never ceases to amaze me.  You would think Saturday or Sunday would be the worst but a random Tuesday could be just as bad.  Adding to an already congested drive is the amount of construction going on on every conceivable highway.

I start to panic when I see those orange detour signs supposedly there to help you navigate your way.  Somehow I always get lost.  I am not only technologically challenged but geographically as well.  How does one prepare when that happens?  What if you know just one way to get to your destination? 

What will you do if your boss tells you your position has been eliminated?  What if the school you were counting on going to rejects you?  What if you were about to make a chocolate cake but ran out of cocoa?  What if it rained every day of your vacation?

Today's quote is, "Prepare alternate plans for your alternate plans."  When the unexpected happens you need a back up plan and you need a back up plan because, well....you never know!  We hope for the best in our daily lives and in everything we do but we can't control the thought process of others nor the weather or so many other things.

Life is a journey and know that there will always be detours along the way.  Prepare for the unexpected!  It might turn out even better than you had hoped!

Have a wonderful Thursday everyone!~Love, Amy

To learn more about what I do, visit my website:https://amykaufman.co
To schedule an in-person or remote Reiki session with me, visit my website:https://amykaufman.co/private sessions OR email me at amy@amykaufman.co

THE RIGHT KEY

Good morning everyone!  Happy Tuesday.  I grew up with a mom who was constantly losing her house keys.  It is for this reason that my house keys have a special place in my home; the blue tray on the carved yellow table with colorful flowers to the left of the front door immediately upon stepping inside.  Specific enough for you?  Laugh all you want!  I'll never lose them.

We need lots of keys! The ones that can open everything from our homes to our hearts.  All we need to do is find the right one.  Today's quote is, "A gate can always be open - find the key -  let it swing wide and walk through."  My key chain holds 13 keys but to open my house I only need one, the right one.

Where is the key you are looking for?  Sometimes it is a word.  Sometimes an experience.  Sometimes a longing and desire.  What is it that sparks something inside of you?  That my friends is the key.  You may fumble for quite some time until you can locate it but trust me!  Its there.   When you find it, you'll know it and the world will open up just as it was meant to.

Have a wonderful Tuesday everyone! ~Love, Amy

To learn more about what I do, visit my website:https://amykaufman.co
To schedule an in-person or remote Reiki session with me, visit my website:https://amykaufman.co/private sessions OR email me at amy@amykaufman.co

PONDERING THE PAST ONE TOO MANY TIMES

Good morning everyone!  Happy Thursday.  I've never been a runner.  I don't like running AT ALL!!!  I like watching track though.  My daughter ran track and jumped hurdles in high school which was really fun to watch.  The interesting thing about watching these runners was that they never looked back even when reaching for the baton.  They hold their hands out ready to grab the baton and RUN!!  Looking back slows them down.

You don't have to be a runner to know that looking back slows you down and holds you back.  That's exactly what we do when we ruminate, ponder and revisit what was and question our actions of yesterday.  Today's quote is, "When you have lived in the past there is no need to return again and again - release it and let it go - allow  yourself to freely move into a beautiful future."  

Shoulda, woulda, coulda.  Hindsight is always 20/20 but the past is gone and you cannot return so why torture yourself?  Why beat yourself up over what you can no longer change.  Letting go is hard, even painful, but you cannot progress by straddling two worlds.  It may take more time than you think but don't give yourself too much.  Misery can be the most comfortable easy chair in the world.

Stand up and get yourself out of that chair.  Release the past, the pain, the heartache and what was.  Let it go.  Literally feel it pushing its way out of your body, mind and spirit.  Hit that refresh button because there is so much more that lies ahead.  I've done it and you can too!

Have a wonderful Thursday everyone!~Love, Amy

To learn more about what I do, visit my website:https://amykaufman.co
To schedule an in-person or remote Reiki session with me, visit my website:https://amykaufman.co/private sessions OR e
mail me at amy@amykaufman.co

NOTHING HAPPENS OVERNIGHT

Good morning everyone.  Happy Tuesday.  Its hard to be patient while waiting for that light bulb to go on.  We toil away doing our daily stuff in the same manner, over and over again, stuck in a pattern where we aren't happy but we aren't unhappy either.  Creatures of habit that most of us are, this routine of ours can go on for years and years.

On the day that begins like every other we suddenly realize there is another way to prepare that eggplant.  There is another way to wear that scarf.  There is a faster route to our destination.  Today's quote is, "An epiphany seems to happen overnight when it is actually years in the making."  

The best epiphany one can have is to realize you are the one who put you where you are and you are the one who can make a change.  That is the part that takes years to grasp.  Its so much easier to remain complacent hovering in that place between contentment and numbness but we all know that's not where we want to be.

Change is hard.  We can be so resistant to it that we are immobilized, oblivious to the fact that we are here not just to exist and take up space but to create, to contribute, to engage, to be happy and to find joy in all the world has to offer.

Our lights are on and indeed we are home, we just need to find that dimmer switch and brighten everything up!

 Have a wonderful Tuesday everyone! ~Love, Amy

To learn more about what I do, visit my website:https://amykaufman.co
To schedule an in-person or remote Reiki session with me, visit my website:https://amykaufman.co/private sessions OR email me at amy@amykaufman.co