sundays have become my favorite days. it used to be that sundays were the dreaded day before i had to start my work week all over again. the day i had to do shopping, laundry, housecleaning, bill paying and so on…sunday became the day where i was frantically trying to catch up on life in order to feel prepared for the week ahead. lately i’ve shifted my perspective completely about sundays. i’ve chosen to make sunday my reset day. rather than cramming everything in on sunday i try to break up my “chores” throughout the week. i try not to pack my schedule with “to do” lists or social engagements anymore and have committed to making sunday my day to slow down, to take time, to spend with my family, to relish, to cook, to practice my yoga, to read, to do whatever makes me feel present.

now i know what you are going to say. “i wish i could relax on sundays but i just don’t have time. i have too much to do.” i know this because these are the same words i said to myself every sunday. i have realized it’s not that we don’t have time, it’s that we choose not to take the time. the more i choose to take the time, the more it becomes a regular practice.

now sundays are a day where i do what i enjoy, not what i feel i have to do.

i visit the farmers market, i cook recipes with my daughter, i write, i read, i take walks, i enjoy the beauty around me, i reset so i’m able to go into my week refreshed and renewed with a full cup instead of an empty one.

every sunday i buy flowers for myself at the farmer’s market. when i spotted a lavender bouquet across the way i could’t resist. lavender is my favorite flower. you can read more about that here. it’s smell, it’s color, i love everything about lavender.

here’s why you should love lavender too.

• lavender, the flower and the oil has a natural soothing effect on the nervous system
• just smelling this scent can help lower blood pressure and soothe the nerves
• lavender scent can support better sleep
• there are many topical benefits of lavender including soothing itchy skin and scalp
• culinary lavender can have a soothing effect on the digestive system

now as if lavender isn’t amazing enough, i also happened to come across a fresh bouquet of eucalyptus. the scent of eucalyptus is like none other. i especially love the shade of green of the eucalyptus leaves.

i love eucalyptus. here’s why you should love eucalyptus too.

put these two together and you have the most incredible colors, scents and effects on your mood, soothing yet invigorating at the same time.

when i brought this beautiful bouquet home i sat in front of it. i took in its soothing aroma. observed the colors and textures on the leaves and stems. i breathed slowly and mindfully. i felt a sense of peace, of calm.

we are surrounded by so much chaos in our lives that we forget what inner peace feels like. we live with our inner chaos – our thoughts, our feelings, the dis-ease in our bodies and this becomes “normal” to us. we constantly seek, desire, want, do and we forget how to be still. we forget what it’s like to feel calm. we forget what it’s like to be at peace. our nervous systems respond to this inner chaos, this constant doing, by fighting, shutting down, resisting our chaotic ways, manifesting in stress, tension in our bodies, autoimmune conditions, sleep problems, digestive disorders and so much more. we are so focused on doing that we forget to feel.

my teacher aadil palkhivala writes about inner peace in his book the fire of love.  “doing is the state of moving toward the future. feeling is the state of being in the moment.

we must feel more and do less in this life in order to experience peace and calm. therefore, stillness is necessary.

i read this book often. there are days when i will just open this book and the words on the page are exactly what i need in that moment.

buy yourself flowers. cultivate more stillness in your life. choose to take time to just be. slow down. reset. breathe. look. smell. touch. feel. be kind to your nervous system. listen to your body.

don’t you just love the look of these mini purple eggplants? you’ll be seeing a delicious recipe with these vibrant beauties soon!

here’s to peaceful sundays

much love, Shawnee