Paula Ripley Paula Ripley

Blog post one

It all begins with an idea.

03.21.21 I love to put in my air pods and explore a different genre music or a podcast everyday while cycling, walking and working in the yard. My neighbors get a big kick watching me move and groove down the street! It’s great therapy for me when I need to quiet my mind.

But sometimes I crave the energy of being in a class… especially post Covid isolation. I tend to choose activities with smaller numbers of people, so I do not feel as overwhelmed. This is important because so many people talk about experiencing self judgement and unfairly comparing themselves to others at a gym. 

Trying something new involves taking the time to think about what it is you would be open to doing, finding a place to do it, creating the time in your schedule and the motivation to actually do it. The very act of putting yourself in an uncomfortable, unknown place is so so good for you in a makes you nervous way. Keep trying new activities… you WILL find something that sparks joy within!

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Paula Ripley Paula Ripley

blog post two

It all begins with an idea.

04.01.21 Laughing makes us invincible. Not like those who always win, but like those who never surrender. Frida Kahlo

A good laugh and a long sleep are the two best cures for anything. Unknown author

From as far back as I can remember, I was told that things would look better in the morning. The wisdom of our mothers knowing that a good nights sleep was the panacea for a child’s difficulties has now been backed by science. Consistent sleep is the foundation for good health. And not just sleep at night. I fought taking a little cat nap all of my life. How I wish that I would have tried it sooner. A little 20 minute nap works wonders for me when I am dragging mid afternoon… much better than reaching for a soda, coffee or a chocolate!

I feel so much better when I have a good nights sleep, but I feel on top of the world when I have a day filled with laughter. Lighter, happier, and at peace. The best way is obviously to surround yourself with people that are positive and enjoy life. If you cannot physically be with people at least you can virtually enjoy your friends and family now. Go somewhere that children are playing. That is almost a guaranteed laugh! You can make a choice to watch programs and movies that are positive and funny. Walk outside and watch the hijinks of the squirrels and birds in the trees. When I find myself in a funk and can’t seem to pull myself out, I will make myself ( sometimes begrudgingly and occasionally angrily) commit to finding one thing a day that will make you chuckle!

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Paula Ripley Paula Ripley

Blog Post three

It all begins with an idea.

Get out of your head and into your body…

-start a veggie or flower garden. it can consist of a couple of plants or enough to cut flowers or freeze some food. nurture it, watch it grow, enjoy it. Once it begins growing, then you get to weed... bending, moving, solving the world's problems or thinking of nothing.

-walk, run, swim, dance. move.

-volunteer. you know the spill and it is true. you get back more than you give.

-rake your own yard... then run through the leaves. felt good as a child, still feels good as an adult.

-pick up sticks. same exercise that you pay for in a class.

-always use the stairs. cardio and green.

-get out your camera. walk outside and find something that interests you. take a picture of it. take ten pictures of it from different angles. i saw a butterfly and chased it all over our yard. it took me quite a few pictures, but i was more proud of that picture than anything I have taken in a while.

-put a swing or glider in your yard or on your porch. If you don’t have one, place a chair outside. Sit in this swing or chair at least three times a week for ten minutes and do.............nothing!

-or sit down in your swing or chair and read a book, a paper outside because VITAMIN C and O2!

-yoga, breathing, stretching. whatever you want to call it, just try it for a WEEK. your body will thank you, your mind will thank you, your family will thank you.

-change something in your diet each week or each month, change slowly so it will last. create success and positivity.

-call someone different once a week, just to tell them that you love them.


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Paula Ripley Paula Ripley

Blog Post Four

It all begins with an idea.

The Guest House   Translation of Rumi by Coleman Banks

This being human is a guest house. Every morning a new arrival. A joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all! Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows, who violently sweep your house empty of its furniture, still, treat each guest honorably. He may be clearing you out for some new delight. 

The dark thought, the shame, the malice, meet them at the door laughing, and invite them in. Be ready for whoever comes, because each has been sent as a guide from beyond.

The Law of Attraction in very basic terms states that positive thoughts bring positive results while negative thoughts bring negative results or similar things are attracted to one another. It is basically a discussion of the energy that you put out into the world. And that discussion of energy is a WHOLE other discussion!

What I completely believe is that each person that you have contact with every single day is a truth bearer and if you are really lucky, observant and open you have an opportunity to learn and grow with each encounter. It is like you keep getting homework until you finally really understand it.

The best example I can give is if you keep having relationships with the same “type” of person and it fails in unhealthy heartbreak every time. Hopefully eventually you understand that as much as you are attracted to that person, these are the reasons that it does not work out and you no longer want that in your life. Once you let go of that desire you open room up for something else. And honestly, it is not always just another relationship. It might also be an opportunity for work or travel or a deeper relationship with self.


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