Easter for Everyone

Posting has been a rare activity lately, I'm aware, but I'm not abandoning the blog. I'm just on pregnancy-birth-baby sabbatical.
In the mean time I sometimes lose track of all the tips that I've offered you throughout the year (it's almost the first anniversary of this blog), so I reread posts from time to time to remind myself.

Today I want to talk about Easter. As many of you know by now, I'm not religious, so Easter for me has no special meaning. What do I get with Easter? Lots of memories from the time I was a kid, mostly including chocolate (I'm Belgian, what did you expect?).

This year I celebrate Easter with my mind on new beginnings. Easter usually falls in that time of Spring when the first blossoms are blooming and the birds are building their nests. As I'm building my nest to welcome our baby into the world as well, I love to look outside and take a moment to notice the incredible power that inspires all this new growth.

After a cold, gray and harsh Winter, it's sometimes hard to imagine where Nature gets the energy to start all over again and create new life from seemingly nothing. But we know that the death from Winter is no more than a cover for the dormant life underneath. Deep within the roots of plants and within the bodies of sleeping animals is a patient power waiting for the right moment to break out and make a new start. 

After months of darkness and a lack of sunlight, we often feel drained as well. Keep in mind though that we also have this reserve of energy deep within us waiting to burst through. Observe yourself, mentally and physically, on the first sunny Spring day, and you'll know what I'm talking about. Know that this power is there to tap into whenever you want, just create that image of the coming sun in your mind and you'll start to feel your spirits lift. Go outside and be amazed at the buds bursting from the branches.

I'm going for a walk to do just that! Happy Easter, no matter how you celebrate, and a Happy Spring!

Triple Inspiration: Winter Edition

Another week gone by. How did it go? Ready for a new one yet? Maybe some quotes can inspire you to look forward to another Monday. I know I can always use a bit of extra motivation to get started.

It's been a wintry week here, so today's quotes are related to the season. It may be my least favorite season, but there are still plenty of things I love about winter.The holidays are an obvious example, but I also love snowy landscapes, winter foods and the crisp clear air of a frosty morning.

Now, without further ado, let's share some quotes.

Get Productive!

"To shorten winter, borrow some money due in spring."
(W.J. Vogel)

Get Happy!

"If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes 

taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome."
(Anne Bradstreet)

Get Inspired!

In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer.
(Albert Camus)

Get Wintry!

"You can't get too much winter in the winter."
(Robert Frost)

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To Cocoon or Not to Cocoon

Photo by Andrew Spenceley

It's raining. It's gray. It's dark and gloomy. There's no good reason at all to go outside. Actually, there doesn't seem to be much reason to leave the bed. At all. Ever again!
I'm sure I'm not the first and only person who has this kind of response to the typical fall weather. It's so common in Belgium I'm sure we have chronic sufferers. Here in Yantai, it's sunny nearly all the time, however, so it takes some getting used to again.

There are different ways of responding to this kind of weather, and I want to cover my favorite and my friend's favorite. I love to cocoon, she prefers to get out and find some fun.

What is 'cocooning' in my understanding? Staying inside, with a hot drink, and something you enjoy doing. Ideally you go under covers right after dinner with a cup of tea and a nice book. You use various techniques for staying warm to counter the cold and dreary outside atmosphere. You create a kind of opposite environment inside. Great tools for this are color (pillows, blankets, curtains), candles, cheerful music, sweet food. 
A few of these touches might make a big difference in your day.


But that's not what you do if you're Lisa (my friend). She refuses to let the weather dictate her moves and instead seeks out fun and interesting activities out of the house. She'll meet with others, have Christmas caroling practice or go shopping. Anything not to feel cooped up in the house for too long. 


I'm sure that what kind of house your cooped up in (and which co-habitants are there with you) would have a big impact on which of these directions you would take. But our nature (introvert or extrovert) might have something to do with it too. 

Remember that either of these ways to deal with dreary weather should help you boost up your morale. Everyone is different, so respect those who prefer to stay in/go out if you don't.


What do you do on a day like this? Are you affected by the weather or does it barely make a difference apart from the occasional beach party? I'd love to hear I'm not the only one who needs the extra boost!

Ps. Did you notice how I only used one vowel in the title?