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Embracing & Celebrating Healthy LOVE for Valentine’s Day

Kathleen • Feb 11, 2021

Embracing & Celebrating Healthy LOVE for Valentine’s Day

With Valentine’s DAY upon us…what a FABULOUS time for a HEART check… both inside and out! Emotionally, Physically, Relationally, Family…Lasting, healthy, and deepening relationships are designed to bring out the BEST in yourself and others…How are YOU doing with this!?

Consider looking for those moments when you feel most encouraged and equipped to LOVE others…Practice does and will become PERMANENT…so check in on your HEART and seek to find health, hope, and perhaps…HAPPY!

The following is a list we found to be helpful…Hoping you will as well! Maybe some of the relationship points below can factor into your conversations and interactions this coming weekend and beyond??!

1)  Comfortable pace   –  The relationship moves at a speed that feels enjoyable for each person. What is the general pace of your interactions with others…?  Are they overly measured? Hurried or scurried? Finding just right?? Are moments of quiet reflection okay? Balance is the key…but achieving the sweet space of balance can be a challenge on numerous levels.

2)  Trust   –  Confidence that your partner won’t do anything to hurt you or ruin the relationship.

Are your relationships built on trust? Do you act in confidence knowing and believing those around you won’t do anything to hurt you or ruin the relationship? Are YOU trustworthy? Able to be spoken to even if it is a difficult day or moment…and still exude kindness?

3)  Honesty   –  You can be truthful and candid without fearing how the other person will respond. So…are you able to be who you are, truthful and candid, without fear of attack or security?

4)  Independence   –  You have space to be yourself outside of the relationship.

Ponder…Do you truly function in unity even when you’re independently going about your day?

5)  Respect   –  You value one another’s beliefs and opinions, and love one another for who you are as a person.

Do you respect and value others and their opinions? Do you accept others for who they are?

6)   Equality   –  The relationship feels balanced and everyone puts the same effort into the success of the relationship.

How much effort do you put into being a successful relator to others, even when differences ABOUND?

7)  Kindness   –  You are caring and empathetic to one another, and provide comfort and support. How does heartfelt kindness resonate with you? Are you caring and empathetic, willing to offer the comfort of friendship and support in a timely thoughtful manner?

8)  Taking responsibility   –  Owning your own actions and words.

Are you willing and able to own your personality and how it transfers into actions and words? Are you mindful of how you impact others?

9)  Fun   –  You enjoy spending time together and bring out the best in each other.

What does having FUN mean to you? When you’re with others, do enjoy building them up and looking for their personal BEST?? Are you a JOY Contributor??

10)  Healthy conflict   –  Openly and respectfully discussing issues and confronting disagreements non-judgmentally.

When conflict does happen (and it does and WILL…) how do you openly and considerately discuss issues, disagree respectfully? Do you have a strong desire to be RIGHT? Are you open to LISTEN with control even when it is tough?

Ten signs with information has been brought to you by One Love Foundation, via Maryville University.

Wow…this is QUITE the list…the process of life can be rough and rugged to navigate for sure. However, staying on a path, seeking positivity, making mindful connections along with being intentional throughout your endeavors matters…So…whether you are at a point of feeling comfortable or sensing discomfort…GRAPPLE forward with meaning and purpose…from the HEART!

How are you going to IMPACT positively forward from your HEART?! As always…we welcome any add-ins to the conversation!

Looking through a lens finding a HEART
 Offers potential and is a beautiful ART

What lens will you use to view
 Your purpose in finding value

Lonely soul
 Fill the hole

Search for the healing
 Hope can be appealing

Be ready and ever willing to lift others up
 Consider filling their proverbial heart cup

Exhibit tenderness and affection
 Tenaciously developing adoration  

For another soul do not relent
 Lovingly stay firm and diligent

Grueling at times life may feel
 Do not let up and repay any evil

Despite cautious careful emotion
 Proceed in strength with devotion

Sincerely overcome with good and right
 Seeking connection belonging and bright

Press on holding hope and restoration
 Captivating with love and inspiration

Ongoing goals lead to rejuvenate
 Mindfully succeed and captivate  

Well we desire to LOVE and LIVE
 Many hearts joy and hope to give!

© 2021 Kathleen Bauer, Ed D

Alongside her husband B🙂

In Honor of SEL Day… March 11th

By Loving Lifelong Learning • 11 Mar, 2024
By now in your journey… regardless of age or stage, you have most likely heard the term “SEL” or Social Emotional Learning. But what does it really and truly imply? SEL is a detailed and multi-faceted process through which we function by; understanding and managing emotions, making plans and striving to achieve goals, feeling and expressing empathy and thought for others, establishing and maintaining positive and healthy relationships, and displaying responsibility in decision making. Extending far beyond personal feelings, SEL is an ongoing process of merging what one knows to be true in a situation and then implementing appropriate skills and actions to direct and take the next steps and so on. SEL skills do need to be taught and practiced, lived out. Similar to other natural bents, some individuals are inclined and wired more instinctively to implement effective SEL competencies into real life situations. When prioritizing SEL in life, components of EQ or Emotional Intelligence will undoubtedly rise up. Possessing qualities of emotional intelligence will lead us to face life and the inevitable crisis points with lower stress levels and fewer overreactions. Self and social-awareness and management of self and relationships are the focus. Maintaining self-awareness and accepting one’s own capabilities and limitations leads to a strong foundation for being impactful in achieving success in self-help and growth, benefiting those around us, and fostering an overall sense of peace and happiness. Effectively navigating through life, an abundance of situations offer opportunity. Opportunity to lead even when it is not the title given to you, opportunity to stay quiet when you desperately yearn to set the record straight or prove your point, opportunity to speak up when you feel emotionally and physically tongue tied. We all have had and will continue to have growth experiences in the realm of Social Emotional Learning and its implementation. Are you able to articulate benefits you have gained thus far from seeking to learn and integrate SEL into your own life? Will you be willing to probe deeper? When have you struggled to implement SEL? Truth be known, we’ve all been there right? In the midst of an unbelievable conflict, one we may not have seen coming and could never have imagined…what happens in that moment? Seek to find commonalities of life experiences, both positive and negative, build on them well with a hope to acquire fresh skills, and hone in on the “important” and lasting impacts. After this…take the risk to make needful life, heart, and soul adjustments…This is an ongoing, thought provoking and HONEST process…Go for it! What are the differences in our emotional stances which may lead us to pursue better comprehension of our own heart and mind, embracing another person’s situation, and then demonstrating an appropriate and respectful demeanor amidst chaos and edginess that in the moment feels impossible to navigate through? Bottom line question…Where are you in your journey? It is not ever too late to learn Find a way to take a fresh turn Many talk about being well-rounded Consider options to keep you grounded In strength manage yourself and understand Impact for good no matter where you land With courage, confidence, and initiative Challenge yourself to live appreciative Embracing self and others mind and soul Making a plan to achieve the next goal Take each deliberate step abandoning haste Not one experience will you want to waste When called upon to sympathize Willingly take the risk to empathize Even with limitations and a lack of access Trust and wait and believe in the process Mindfully journeying leads to a continuum of health Social Emotional Learning offers heart and soul wealth © 2024 Kathleen Bauer, Ed D Alongside her husband B Add into this conversation by sharing personal experiences & scenarios!

Life is a Puzzle

By Loving Lifelong Learning • 30 Jan, 2024
January 29  th is NATIONAL PUZZLE DAY…This is truly what they say! This may be overstated at times, but oh so true. Doesn’t LIFE feel like an ENORMOUS puzzle to untangle or solve? Do you feel like you are relentlessly on guard to cover, work through, need to solve or figure a whole lot of somethings and happenings out?? Are you concerned in the here and now and are not all the way sure how to get through just for today? Relating to good friends, acquaintances, coworkers, or even family members or siblings might feel puzzling and filled with emotions which need to be navigated through to put into place. Our interactions with others and many relationships oftentimes cause us to wonder if what we are doing, saying or how we are being matters. And then we continue to ponder more and find ourselves on a wondering jaunt, maybe even a bit puzzled as we are seeking ways out of how we might find the best way to work out of or hopefully work well to get through the current MAZE before us. Perhaps in this puzzling life…we will all benefit from some tried and true thoughts toward demystifying the discombobulation which feels looming and foggy. Staying active and aware of mindful living both physically and mentally matters. Cognitive clarity is a vital component to life and living. When we endeavor forward in a variety of activities we are naturally energized. Engaging in conversation, thinking activities, reading aloud and quietly, along with completing puzzles are all pieces which help us keep vitalized and refresh on this journey we call life. Resiliency is seizing opportunities to enhance and multiply existing strength. Are you resilient? Implementing mindfully rich activities refreshes and offers a boost assisting us in building upon our fortes while simultaneously challenging areas which could benefit from growth. Operating with a mindset of extending flexibility and grace helps us connect to others and offers an internal positivity enhancement. A sense of belonging is a beautiful thing, so go for it! As you dabble forward and seek to make sense out of the happenings from your own life and times puzzle… Stand strong to end the first month of this new year well…ready to carry forward...and learn or attempt something new…You just may find refreshment on the way. Exercise your lifelong learning capabilities and find some sort of PUZZLE to engage in, perhaps a recipe to try or tweak and GO FOR IT! Join the conversation here by adding in on what YOUR most challenging life puzzle is…or share something you’ve tried to learn and part of the journey you traversed in doing so… Puzzling through life Causes joy and strife With focus resilience and grit Work your way out of the pit From a maze to an acrostic or a word search Some situations threaten to leave us in a lurch The power of a puzzle… Does it feel like a muzzle? Or will you work life’s puzzles and seek to solve Finding meaningful teachable moments to resolve… In some ways all lives are a puzzle to be seen and loudly heard Other days so much action takes place without a spoken word Whatever the season However you reason May your life puzzle come together in spite of the suspense Mindfully leading your heart and soul to help it make sense © 2024 Kathleen Bauer, Ed D Alongside her husband B For extended inspiration…check out these links! https://blog.tcea.org/five-crossword-puzzle-makers/?utm_source=TCEA+Emails&utm_campaign=6bf24803e6 RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f3a5bb651e-6bf24803e6 68333575&ct=t(RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN)&mc_cid=6bf24803e6&mc_eid=00c98f8b07 https://blog.tcea.org/happy-national-puzzle-day/

Unraveling Life's Tangles: A Journey of Inspiration, Balance, and Renewed Vigor

By Loving Lifelong Learning • 18 Jan, 2024
Recently…in the midst of navigating the regular chaos of life, seeking to process the international distress, and intentionally taking time for mindful conversations, I have been INSPIRED! Inspired by caring individuals who are questioning life as well. Motivated to find the good, because it is there. Refreshed to continue doing so many tasks I LOVE. Seeking to achieve balance. Why do we assume every piece of life has been easy? Quite frankly, it feels tangled! Not long ago, I was in the process of working with my hair, yes my hair. The set-up is amazing, including heavy duty durable outlets in a hidden cabinet and space for all of the necessary equipment to take care of my “aging” hair. This system works well, has for quite some time, keeps the bathroom tidy and is typically maneuverable. One specific day it became super complicated…oh no…all of those times I was hurrying, avoiding keeping things in order, came to haunt me with the TANGLING of much more than the 2 cords it had begun with. YIKES! I had a huge mess, was in a frantic hurry and just kept pulling and pulling and pulling. Disconnection happened. Finally, since I was unable to make use of any of the products or hair care pieces due to the invasion of the tangled mess; I stopped… Knelt down… Took a big breath… Decided to devote the necessary effort and time to regroup this area… Ahhhhhhhhh it all came back together, operating as it needed to be and soon there was no evidence of a tangle at all. In this moment I found myself, mind wondering and wishing situations in life could be ever so easy to untangle. And even more strongly, hoping I would recognize needs immediately and find a way to intentionally untangle every “ISSUE” with greater efficiency. Life does not always go as planned. Sadness looms, loved ones in my circle are fighting for their lives, light bulbs burn out, chaos prevails, calm seems to be only an unreachable dream, and happiness a mere wish. However, in the midst of all of this, let us aim to remember…Balance is key, questions are okay, and yes life is filled with an array of tangles. So…what are we to do now? I certainly don’t have exact answers…but maybe we can quest forward with renewed vigor to: Redefine balance as a goal & accept uneven terrain through the process. Perhaps find and opt for another lens to view through. Ponder living in a state of Being amidst all of the Doing. Consider whether lovingkindness is a filter for which you function. And…What about dedicating some time right now to untangling something and making TODAY your BEST DAY EVER?! Is this possible? What if we all prioritize maintaining the TANGLES by rebooting, refreshing, and reviving? And possibly attempt to approach these tasks and TANGLES as gifts to unwrap? Endeavoring to see all situations and individuals as filled with potential, and focusing on the good, the beauty, and the best, which is yet to come…WOW! Well…wouldn’t that be WONDERUL?! On the journey Life feels heavy Take the time to realize Good is there to recognize Inspiration is possible Motivation is do-able Working well through pain Feels as if there is no gain Refresh your systems to reboot & flow Embracing the next season might show The beautiful and best Even when put to test Comes through Surprising you Take a look and smile Be engaged for awhile Learning and leaning into the navigatable Living and loving through the inevitable Somehow some way Things will all be okay… Love and learn to gain and grow Others might be inspired to glow © 2024 Kathleen Bauer, Ed D Alongside her husband B
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