Get Creative!

I love crafting and Valentine's Day will be here in a few short weeks.  I felt inspired today to get out my markers and watercolors and make some handmade Valentines.  Here are just a few of the many I spent my evening making.  

One of the keys to well-being is getting creative.  When you create, you allow yourself to play and express a different side of yourself.  For me, drawing, painting, scrapbooking---they are all relaxing.  Maybe for you it is something else---dance, cooking, even exercise.  Being creative breaks us out of the drudgery of the everyday and opens our minds and hearts. 

What have you created lately? 

My Recipe for the Perfect Girls Night

I love to go out on the town every now and then, but after a long week at work, I really love a girls night in! Here is my recipe for the perfect girls night.

1 Bottle of Wine *more if needed

I love all of Barefoot's white wines.  Their Moscato is sweetly delicious.  Just limit to a glass or two if you are trying to stay healthy. 

1 Gluten Free Pizza from Dominos 

I love to load the pizza with veggies-- olives, mushrooms, banana peppers, and spinach! It's especially great when they are running specials!

2 Episodes of the Mindy Project

The Mindy Project is my new obsession.  Mindy is a quirky doctor with some gorgeous co-workers.  Her crazy man chasing schemes mixed with her adorable humor will keep you and your friends laughing.

1 Event to Look Forward To...

While I may not want to go out on girls night in, I like to have some fun outing to plan.  Search for a new restaurant or upcoming event you want to attend.  Last girls night, we planned my birthday weekend.  I can't wait!

2 or more of your Amazing Girlfriends

I suggest super fun chicks like these two, Jess and Lauren, my old roomies.  Ladies who aren't afraid to be silly or dress up like hipsters and pretend you're 22 (we are not 22).  We've had many fun nights in--but not nearly enough since we no longer all live together.

Mix these things together, and if you're feeling really lucky, add an adorable baby and a friend's engagement to the mix.  If you get this right, your evening may be as life giving as my girls night last week!

This cutie joined us for Girl's Night! 

I got the news that Andrea and Dave got engaged. Made. My. Life. 

The Ocean

While blogging is a new adventure for me, I have been writing quarterly articles for Buchanan Church of God's newsletter for almost 3 years now.  As I prepared for my February article, I reflected on how this all started.  I was inspired in my quiet time one day, and felt a deep desire to share what God had laid on my heart.  So here it is (again for some of you) in electronic form! 

The Ocean

Do you ever feel like you are drowning? Like you’re in the ocean, trying desperately to tread water, while the waves of life thrash you from side to side? You look frantically for help—a raft, a lifeboat, anything that could come and save you.  But is there really any hope? You are alone in your ocean of troubles. The work, the bills, the house, your family, even church activities seem like another wave tossing you around in the water.  You think for a moment, as you gasp for air, “Maybe this is it. Maybe I should give up and let the waves overwhelm me. After all, underneath the surface, the water is calm. “ 

And right before you let yourself go, just as you are about to drown in your sorrow, you see Him. He grabs your arm and He pulls you out of the waves.  Before you can realize how, there you are, standing on the ocean water with Jesus. He wraps His arms around you, and the ocean is placid.  The water is as calm as a warm bath, reflecting all of the glorious light from His face.  And He asks you, “Will you walk with me?”  You think for a moment, because you’re scared.  This is the same water we’re talking about here—the water that almost took your life.  And really, who can walk on water anyways? You almost say no, realizing you’ll fall to the deep dark bottom of the ocean bed. But then you look at His eyes.  You see His beautiful face.  You feel His glowing warmth wrapped around your cold body.  You hear His loving voice. You sense His forgiving grace.  And you say, “Yes, I’ll walk with you. But I don’t know how.”  He looks deep into your eyes and says, “I do, My love.  I have walked these waters.  I was born into this ocean to experience these waves, to be tempted by the darkness, to know what you went through. I’ve felt the waves, but I can calm the sea.  You can walk on the water, too, but only if you walk with Me.  I love you, no matter how many times this ocean has overwhelmed you.  I came to this ocean to pay a price for your soul.  Now, you can be redeemed and taken from the waves into the light.  You do not need to fear the water, because I command it when you walk with Me.  But you must give Me your burdens and give Me your trust.  Then, you will find life is not as exhausting as the waves have made it.  If you walk beside Me and hold My hand, you will find rest for your soul.  You will find peace on this beautiful crystal sea of life.” 

“Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

 Matthew 11:28-30

Photos taken at Santa Rosa Beach, FL

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

Nothing warms me up on a cold Saturday like my favorite slouchy hat, cheering on my sweet boys, and  listening to some cozy Boyce Avenue on Spotify.

Here are the songs I'm loving right now:

Boyce Avenue – Fix You (feat. Tyler Ward)

Boyce Avenue – I Knew You Were Trouble

Boyce Avenue – Mirrors (feat. Fifth Harmony)

Boyce Avenue – When I Was Your Man (feat. Fifth Harmony)

Stay warm and stay well!

The Power of Vulnerability

I'm currently reading Brene Brown's work, The Gift of Imperfection, and I have to share her powerful TED talk.  I'm sure this topic will come up in my blogging again and again, because Shame, Perfectionism, and Vulnerability resonate so much with who I am and what I am facing in my journey towards well-being. I hope you enjoy her as much as I do!

New Year, New Goals.

Sometimes we all need a little help in setting and sticking to our health goals.  I created this worksheet to help put goals down on paper.  Not only do you need to know what your goal is, but also why it is important to you, how motivated you are to do it, and who can help you out.  Tracking your progress and rewarding your hard work can also be good motivators.  

It's not too late to start a new goal for 2014! What can you start doing today to improve your health?

Friday Night Fun

Kaylan and I have so many memories in this community center!

An important part of well-being is doing things you love with people you love. Last night, one of my closest friends and I supported a community event sponsored by Champion Christian Family and Children's Center, a wonderful organization that not only provides Christian education but also fun Christian events like the concert last night.  While the band that played wasn't my style, I had a wonderful time with Kay and enjoyed some time to reflect on God's goodness.  

12 years of friendship and going strong!

The speaker, Pastor Dugan, spoke about living addiction free lives.  This, along with the emotion conversation I had with the men at the prison yesterday, brings a fresh reminder of how we turn to the things of the world to numb our pain or give us that high.  We are constantly searching for pleasure in life.  Pleasure in itself is not a bad thing.  But when we search for pleasure in the world and neglect pleasure in the Lord, we can stray from the good things he has for us.  On a stressful day, I often reach for some chocolate or the TV remote before I reach for my Bible.  Again, there is nothing wrong with chocolate or TV, but the things of the world are like duct tape for the soul.  They can fix anything temporarily, but they leave us looking a little junky and unstable. Soon we are reaching for more and more of the temporary fix. Real healing and peace comes from God... if only I could get this to translate from my brain to my heart and my actions.  I could only imagine what a transformation my life would have if I could fully embrace that--if I could really stop seeking first the world and seek first His Kingdom. I'm so grateful for His mercy and so joyful in His goodness.

More on Manly Men

A few of my Facebook friends have been sharing this video on manhood...

I'm glad I'm not alone in this journey to redefine how we raise our boys to be men. I'm excited to see where this project goes.

Manly Men, Men, Men...

Have you ever wondered what it means to be a man? I must say, as a woman, I haven't thought about this topic too deeply until lately.  I'm currently teaching a Parenting Class in our local prison, and our lesson was all about how they identify manhood. I found this topic fascinating! 

Maybe it was the mystique of the opposite gender.  Maybe it was the fact that unlike women, men have no biological marker for entering manhood. It is all socially and culturally constructed.  So I really wanted to know... what does it mean to be a "man"!? So like any normal 20-something, I asked my closest guy friends (ok, this is not normal. Fine).  Yes, I wanted to know what the incarcerated parents I am teaching think about manhood, but I also wanted to know what your average, Christian male thinks about manhood and how it compares.  So here are the results of my very informal and unscientific survey...

So what did the inmates say... (in my own summary)

1. Responsible

2. Provider

3. Reliable

4. Protector

5. Organized

6. Honest

7. Strong

8. Spiritual and Moral Leader

9. Achieving 

10. Healthy

And what did my male friend say...

According to society:

1. Strong

2. Reserved

3. Showing Little Emotion

4. Material Providers

5. Accomplished

6. Willing to Fight

And particularly for Christian Men:

1. Spiritual Leader

2. Dominant 

While they were generally along the same lines, I was amazed at my inmates' focus on the positive qualities of manhood.  And when I asked them for examples of manly men, they gave models like "Martin Luther King, Jr, Jesus, Gandhi".  I kept probing them for negative stereotypes.  Dying for someone to name a sexist rapper or gosh, even Chuck Norris.  But amazingly, these men who have went against the norms of our society and committed crimes, are also fighting to go against the norms of manhood.  Perhaps they have experienced what it means to be stripped of "manhood"--to be unable to provide, to be unable to protect, to be unable to achieve for their families from the confines of the prison walls. And frankly, I think it is beautiful.  In prison, you can spend your time being miserable or you can spend your time finding meaning.  Perhaps these men have questioned their decisions and are really ready to find meaning in being the kind of man they want to be now.  I pray that they can do this on the outside.  I pray that the old patterns and habits that got them into trouble... the same kinds of patterns and habits that get us all into trouble... can be broken.  That they can focus on being a manly man like Jesus... a man who was man and God.  Who in his humanness, loved and healed and gave. 

I think that our society does tell men they have to be tough, they can't share their emotions, that they have to fight and control and win.  But I think these men are tired of listening. Tired because they faced the consequences of trying to be a real man in their culture, or tired of not feeling like a real man in a culture that doesn't accept them. Regardless, how can we stop telling men how to be manly and start telling them how to be Godly? 

The artofmanliness.com shared this quote from C.S. Lewis:

C.S. Lewis is spot on (when is he not)! We expect so much out of men while at the same time disabling them from being "men".  We poke fun at honorable, good men.  We praise men who sleep around and make lots of money. We have created a society that makes being a man incredibly, heartbreakingly difficult.  So what do we do about this? I don't really know.  Except to be a real man like Gandhi and "Be the change you want to see in the world." For men to stand up and be kind, open, and nurturing.  For women to appreciate men who don't conform.  For society to see the vulnerable with absent role models, and promote the men who the gentlemen in prison have yearned to know and be.

So tell me, what do you think it means to be a man? What has society told you about manhood and how can we redefine it? How can we all be the change?

Gluten Free Goodies: Fruit and Nut Bars!

In an attempt to decrease some health issues (migraines, etc), I'm giving Gluten Free living a trial run.  I found a recipe for a homemade version of Larabars on Pinterest, and decided to try it out.  I stuck with the traditional recipe-- equal parts almonds, dried dates, and dried cranberries, and then I added some flax seed for extra omega-3. 

I put all the ingredients in the food processor like so... just with the normal blade.

 I processed it until it was a moldable consistency--about 2 minutes. 

 Then I put down some plastic wrap and emptied the processed fruit and nut.  The fruit and nut combination looks a little gross at this stage (and sort of like ground beef)... but trust me, its very sweet and yummy.

 I formed a square with fingers so it would be easier to cut them into neat bars. I chose to make 2-inch squares.

    

Then I wrapped them in parchment paper and they were ready for my lunch box! I stored them on the counter, and they stayed fine.

For fun I experimented with some different combinations-- one with berries, pecans, coconut and chocolate (still added dates for consistency sake).  This tasted like candy to me!

Ready to try these? Let me know if you make them and what new combinations you like!

Shauna

Woman at the Well-Being

Me with my Momma Jane

I started a blog! Blogging has been on my mind for quite a while, as I love to write and create.  I made it a goal of mine for 2014 to start a public blog.  I actually created this blog in 2012... but was too afraid to share it.  Blogging involves being vulnerable, sharing your life with others, and believing you can have a voice in the world. 2013 was a great year of growth for me, and I think I'm ready to start this journey. 2014 is a year of taking risks... and this is one of them for me.

So, what is this blog all about? Woman at the Well-Being? You may be wondering, what in the world does that even mean?  Let me explain.  First, it starts with the woman at the well.  This is the Biblical passage in John 4 where Jesus asks an "unclean" woman at the well for a cup of water, and then offers her "living water" through Him as Messiah.  This is a story of acceptance and love despite a past full of pain; a reminder of the eternal joy of knowing Christ.  The woman at the well stands for my journey towards deeper relationship with God. This blog is an expression of my walk in faith. 

Second, this blog reflects my purpose in promoting well-being.  As a therapist and educator, I value both physical and mental well-being for myself and others.  I work daily to help people have healthy and happy lives, and this blog is an opportunity to share more of my passion for health on a personal level.  I am a woman working towards well-being.  Thus, we have Woman at the Well-Being.  A journey of faith and well-being sounds serious, but really it is all about fun.  This blog is about enjoying life and cherishing memories along the way. 

Woman at the Well-Being is a way for me to share my joys and my struggles in hopes that we can all get some meaning out of it.  I will be posting my reflections, but also my explorations--from fashion, to decorating, to cooking and healthy living. Join me on this journey towards a happy and healthy walk with Jesus!
Blessings,
Shauna