For my soaping friends... and anyone else for that matter!

The Christmas rush is over, all the gifts have been unwrapped, the house is back to rights, and even the Christmas tree is down. Now it’s time to check supplies and start soaping again. You don’t want to be low on anything! Make sure you have enough lye for your next few projects, did you order enough butters and oils? You don’t want run out of those either. Maybe you need a new mold, or it’s time to study up on new ideas, techniques, and colors. Taking stock and going through your inventory is second nature to a soaping enthusiast. Knowing that it might be time to change the batteries in the scale and knowing you will have enough supplies to make those wondrous soaps your family, friends and clients love. There is something that just feels good about seeing all those different oils, colors and butters at your fingertips. Knowing you are ready for what may happen as you add lye water to oil, ready if it thickens quickly or heaven forbid if it seizes. Your plans are made before you even take the first ingredient down, you see the finished product in your mind’s eye. You take stock making sure you aren’t missing anything, but are you? What about those things you need for you? We all know we need to get enough sleep and rest, but do you? If it were olive oil, would you ever let yourself be short? How about water and food, are you using the best you can find? Just like your ingredients, you are worthy of paying a little extra to make sure you are running on the best fuel you can find. Those are just the things to keep you alive. Now what about those things that make you unique. You don’t just make plain white soap all the time do you? When we the last time you sat around with your friends and laughed the afternoon away? Just being with people that “get you” and enjoying doing nothing but feeling joy. How often do you allow that? When was the last time you walked with a family member and just enjoyed each other’s company? No stress, no worries, no agenda. Just strolled maybe through the park or woods enjoying the crisp air, the smell of the earth after a rain, the brightness of blue in the sky. There are people in your life that would love to spend time with you. But making time can be a problem. Sometimes it means just doing it. We don’t get to keep those we love forever, so we can’t take a chance on letting time slip away. All these things are what make us unique. It is from our relationships and our experiences we come up with new ideas, color schemes and fragrance ideas. We get stuck in ruts breathing the same breath over and over, we need to take time to refresh ourselves and ponder. The days are short and it is the season of hibernation. A time to reflect on what was and what you want to be. Make a plan, make sure you have all your ingredients. You are worth as much as anything you can create. Look in the mirror. Open your eyes, look at the world. Who cares about the View, Fake News, Bridezillas. Turn off that trash. If it doesn’t make you a better person, let it go! Face your fears. Look at what is going on around you whether you can do anything about it not. Learn what you love, and seek it. We get so caught up in what other’s want for us, sometimes we forget to take time to look inside. This is a great time of year to reintroduce yourself, to yourself. Rainbows, puppies, hand holding, ice cream, great sex, beautiful smiles, warm hugs, great accomplishments, awesome dreams, love of self, love of others, peace, harmony, joy! Stop wasting time on things that don’t matter. There is no benefit in worry. It just ruins today and doesn’t give you time to plan for tomorrow. Keep an Aloe Vera plant on your window sill for burns and cuts, keep tea tree oil for anti-biotic and fungal infections. Use honey, instead of fake sugar, learn to cook, throw out chemical induced foods. Keep your mind active, your body strong and your soul pure. Don’t let your trust be used, and your use be wasted. Do random acts of kindness and let them be done to you. Give without the asking and take when it is needed. Meet your neighbors, bring them cookies, say hello. Find a group of like-minded people and share your thoughts. Find solutions to problems, don’t hide from them. But most of all, Love. Love yourself, your family, your soul mate. Tell them often and with sincerity. But for goodness sakes, don’t waste another day thinking about things that are only designed to render you insensitive. Open your heart till it hurts! Let it feel the pain of struggle, the joy of friendship, the anguish of loss. Stop closing it off and fearing you will feel pain. You can’t be numb and still live! All ends of the spectrum are yours to enjoy and endure. Live with gusto. Don’t let simple fears shatter your dreams. Now is the time to plan your year, the next 5 years, the next 10 years. Plans aren’t made in stone, and can be changed if you find something else better. There is no shame in looking ahead and even less in looking behind. We are simply the sum of all our experiences and with tha,t we should be grateful for every bump in the road, every battle won and every battle lost! It’s all a part of learning what we love, how we grow and the knowing we are important. Never forget what made you the amazing person you are today. Shake off anything that doesn’t serve your highest self. We can’t do our best if we are weighted down with the past. Honor it, and use it, add it to your ingredients to blend the life you want to live. You’ve got this! Happy New Year!