Lost at the Beaches!

The cutest lifeguard station...

sandy architects....

care to put your toes in this silky water?

welcome to my backyard...



how can you leave this perfection? so hard every time!
I have separation anxiety and I live here!

Bird Bath- Party?



Ready for a drink? Here is good!

Living architecture... you are always surprised.

You can wander off the beach and stop here to watch the cruise ships depart...

Put your feet up...

Perhaps stop by this oasis in the Keys...

Tiki umbrella...perfect spot for shade...

Enjoy the tropical sunset today...


and tomorrow... back to the beach!

Are you staying warm? Hope this warmed you up a bit if you needed it.

xoxoxxo
-Miss Bliss

Fine February Art: Showing Yourself Some Love

The Fine February Art of Showing Yourself Some Love

If you are familiar with output required to function and maintain contemporary life, you know the value of showing yourself some love. We can all use reminders and ideas; February is the perfect time to enjoy replenishing oneself, and to find more of what you enjoy.

What does it take to do more than merely function and maintain your life, to even thrive and feel bliss?

Consider time for yourself in which to grow, to replace your wellness “reserves.” Where would you like to go? Is there a favorite place you haven’t been in a while, because you have been “too busy”? Is there a new place you’ve been meaning to visit and explore? What’s stopping you?

What do you need? Give yourself permission for it. Why not? If not now, when?

Plan to stop thinking about planning. Be. Put your favorite music on and enjoy. When do you feel at your best? Most energized, or relaxed? Why not give yourself more? Give yourself the gift of freedom, down time, rejuvenation time. Dr. Andrew Weil states, “Don't be afraid to say "no" when someone asks you to do something. Learn your limits. You can't do it all and you shouldn't feel guilty about it.”

Be open to surprises. You might find yourself talking to a new friend while eating a quick lunch at your local Whole Foods. We can get stuck in our regular work circles and social circles; meeting new people can be a gift when you least expect it. Recently I crossed paths for the first time with a fellow Miamian, Ivette, and within moments we were laughing like old friends, and opening up unexpectedly… over lunch at cafeteria-style tables in a Whole Foods. Who knew?

Consider that less stuff means more time for loved ones and finding what is important. What can you clear out? Make room for your life. Let go. Recently my sister packed up a layer of the toys in her daughter’s room, and the five-year-old said, “I have this paint?” Usually her mother’s shadow, she spent her first afternoon on her own, happily painting in her room with the newly discovered paints which had been there all along.

What are you reading? According to Dr. Alice Domar, executive director of the Domar Center for Mind/Body Health in Boston, MA, “women take care of everyone else, but not themselves.” Her best selling title, Self-Nurture, has a new follow-up: BE HAPPY WITHOUT BEING PERFECT: How to Break Free from the Perfection Deception. The book addresses “why women just won’t give themselves a break or give themselves permission to enjoy all of the good things in their lives.”

I suggest it is time that we all should do just that.

February is a short month. Enjoy its days and enjoy each chance to make and revel in loving choices, especially for yourself.

How do you maintain and create your own well-being?

xo xo, Miss Bliss

Best Book I've read in a while...

Just finished Dani Shapiro's new book, Devotion.

What a lovely person and a beautiful writer. I was able to meet her briefly at the Miami bookstore, Books and Books, last Monday evening, as she launched her tour of book readings to accompany the book release.

She examines big (and small) life questions in her book, it is memoir--but a unique kind of memoir: very down to earth! I am a picky reader, and this book hooked me right away...she writes about her search into her family's beliefs, her beliefs, her experiences with her young son...all with honesty and perspective.

Enjoy her you tube talk and hope you enjoy the book. It has affected me very deeply! It will make you think about enjoying the present, and the present, of our lives.

If she is coming near you, don't miss it.

Any other suggestions for good books this year?