3 ways to find Joy!

3 ways to find Joy!
Joy to me is the combination of peace and happiness.  If you can calm your mind, you will find the simple things in life are what make you happiest.

• Just Breath! 

Focusing on your breath centers you and makes you realize the miracle that you are alive and blessed to be able to breathe.  I always like to think of my breath as the sound of the ocean waves washing on shore, as it helps me to relax.  Take 3 deep breaths, and then continue.  Almost every time, I feel better just after breathing.

• Keep Perspective!

When you are super stressed, your vision becomes so narrow on the problem in front of you.  It makes you feel like the thing you are worried about is so huge!  But when you change your perspective, and imagine looking down on yourself from the future, or at the end of your life, how big is this problem really?  Is it really worth ruining your day over? Keep your perspective large, and all your small non-important problems will disappear.

• Practice Mindfulness!

This is one of my favorite practices, and best calming tricks. Throughout your entire day, while you are walking, eating, sitting... notice all of your senses and start listing the things around you.  Right now, I am sitting outside at night, listening to the rain on the palm trees,  the breeze flowing through the leaves. I hear the sound of a movie playing in the common area and the faint sound of someone practicing guitar. I feel the cool Australian winter air and my soft blanket wrapped around me.  I see 12 wonderfully unique guys and girls from all over the world, in a colorful hostel, just happening to cross eachothers' lives at this place and time, all coming together to watch the same movie in this tiny beach town in Australia.

I hear...

I feel...

I see...

I smell...

I taste...

J'ai un singe dans ma dos.

A nice rainstorm to blog in? Oui Oui. Wishing I had my piano to play on right now, I am in the perfect mood for playing.

Eternity.

I had the most amazing 2 hour hike along the coastal trail around Noosa today. There were some of the most spectacular views I have ever seen in my life. The weather was absolutely perfect, as well. By the time we got to Main Beach (the end), I felt like I was in a tropical rainforest, and we made sandcastles on the beach and drank smoothies.  This is my absolute favorite way to exercise, looking for dolphins and watching the surfers along the way.

Twinzies.

Being in Surfers for the past 2 months and then coming to Noosa, a completely different place, has made me realize how easy it is to get back into stress-mode.  Without even realizing it I have gotten back into my stressful thought patterns, with negative thoughts clouding my mind. When my friends, B & J got here to Australia, we were busy and stressed out for the first 2 weeks, but then now that we are in Noosa, I am finally able to show them the worry-free Australia I know and love.  I finally remember the joy in just sitting in the sun, listening to exotic birds chirping, sleeping in the rain, and walking therapy sessions with my twinzies.  Just walking can be such an incredible experience.  I wish I could explain this to everyone around me, how amazing Australia is, the real Australia, not the fake parts like the middle of Surfers Paradise.  Sometimes partying and touristy places can be fun, but I know that is not the place to find happiness in.  Right now we are in a small beachy town called Noosa, living the good life just chillin’ in the sun. My friends and I are living together for the first time, and we are learning so many things from each other.  I think that is the important part about having friends learning from their mistakes and enjoying life together, and always realizing that our time spent together makes up our lives.  Life is all about finding joy, love, and growing spiritually.  I feel so blessed to have my friends here to help me find those things, helping me stay on track along the way. 

Paradise life.

My best friends from home came to visit me in Surfers Paradise.  We have been friends for 8 years, and we have always talked about living together in Australia. Our first trip out of Colorado together, and I am more than stoked that it is Australia. It has been one week, and we have done so much!  A week in Australia is worth months in Colorado to us.

I have learned so much about myself already, having them here.  Your best friends challenge you, question you, laugh with you.  Sharing my life with them and looking at my life here from the outside has taught me where my priorities are, where I want them to be, and how I can change. I am so blessed.

This is pretty much our motto in life, especially for the next two months in OZ:

"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving, safely in a well-preserved body.  Rather to skid in sideways, wine in one hand, chocolate in the other, screaming Woo Hoo! what a ride!"

Macaroons & Betty Blue.

I love pretty food.

I finally had my first macaroon! It was Bailey's flavored and my friend J and I split it.  It was worth the $4 for sure!  We had the most amazing morning at Diva Coffee & Tea House, listening to a guy serenade us while he was basking nearby. The markets at the Marina Mirage were buzzing, and we enjoyed this incredible coffee called Betty Blue- a double shot espresso with steamed milk.  Fabulous life.

Hats & Crowns.

Way back, before I came to Australia,  I found this line called MARKET HQ.  See here when I fell in love with it.  In this Australian "winter" on the gold coast, it does require you to cover up a bit more. Unlike back home in Colorado, you don't have to cover up so much that you lose your style and shape in heaps of layers.  I live in the Gold Coast where fashion and looks take priority over personality or ability.    Here's the key to the Aussie winter look... cover up your arms or your legs, but not both. And top if off with a hat which magically reduces the need for a jacket! Oh yeah, and animal prints count for fur, so you can show your legs and your arms and still magically stay warm.  Voila.  That is the recipe for becoming Australian-winter-chic! 

ps. its really not that cold

Want to know what the Aussie's fashion looks like in the winter?  Here you go:

...i guess crowns count for hats too

{markethq.com.au}

White Space & Wondering.

As I mentioned before, I live right above an art gallery.  Every day they change up the paintings in the windows.  I immediately fell in love with this artist, Erin Flannery.  I love the portraits and the white space to leave to the imagination!   You can create a whole story for each picture in your head!

The best part, that I love... the titles she gives to her art! I adore them.

Under One's Beehive.

GC Gwen quickly realized the flowers on her new shopper tote were not edible.

Hot Shot, Polka Dot.

Monday Morning Latte Lineup.

Sylvie's Unconventional Bowtie.

...and my personal favorite:

I knew I had completely fallen in love with this girl's art when I saw this chair inside the gallery:

 The chair that came out of the closet.

See more art from ERIN FLANNERY.