positive intention flows

I woke up very early this morning. I had a plan to play with my vlog setup today.  I think I was excited to play, and excited to try this new recipe I found. Excited or not, I’ve noticed that I wake much earlier nowadays. On a side note, I had breakfast with Amanda yesterday and I told her “When you say nowadays, it's sort of telling you are getting older than some.” She agreed. I’m not young anymore, so I wake early and tend to pass out on the couch in the evening if I don’t get right up and get myself off to bed at the first sign of sleepiness. Also, I say nowadays.

I read somewhere that creativity and productivity are at peak as soon as your eyes open in the morning.  That same piece said that whatever you set your mind to at first light is what your brain looks for, the rest of the day. I know I’m not quoting this story well, but I hope you get the point.  If you wake up doom scrolling on your phone or your tablet, your brain will stay in an anxious state unless you intentionally move it from that state.  If you wake and stay in bed and fall asleep again, the next time you wake you will still be tired, until you move out of that vibe, with intention.

Oh, I had ALL the intention this morning. Today I got up straight away and washed my body and threw on a little make up. I dressed and groomed myself and I put on my favorite colorful housecoat. So as not to disturb my sleeping husband, I creeped downstairs and went outside to check on Maleficent and Amidala. It rained last night, so I didn’t expect much activity. I was surprised that Amidala had worker bees hanging out on the front doorstep. They were arranged in a strange pattern I had never seen. I said good morning as I do every day and took some video, something to research later.

Has anyone ever seen this??

Please leave a message or a comment!

Before bed last night I left the vlog set up standing in my kitchen,  I already charged my batteries and I put out the ingredients for the recipe on my counter that I cleaned ahead of time. I didn’t know if it would be easy but I had certainly made my best attempt to establish a positive and productive vibe to start my filming day!  Maybe I could create something good! If you are interested, the video I made is shared on my YouTube channel, linked below. I hope you enjoy watching and join in! You’ll see what I mean.

Filming went beautifully, even though the battery died in my DSLR. In preparation I didn't think to look in my new camera’s manual to learn how to record video. Why wouldn't it be the same as my old camera? This was just a minor setback. I switched my cellphone to record from above my mixing bowl and the show went on.  I am beginning to believe all that stuff about waking up productive and creative, I was also feeling way more equipped to adapt and change gears.  After filming I cleaned up the gear and put it all away.  I put the batteries on the chargers and went to the computer with the phone and the memory card.  Nothing’s gonna stop us now! (Insert tune of song by same title by Starship) I tend to think in song lyrics. This is also part of creative flow for me. I was engaged!

My behind the scenes!

I spent a lot of time thinking about how I could do baking videos and I decided that the ones that show the above view of hands and a bowl, were the type I enjoyed watching. I started to look for rigging with an arm to hold my camera and then found this sturdy yet inexpensive tripod just tall enough to give me the angle I needed!

I worked feverishly and quickly! I almost missed an appointment for a massage. Imagine that.  I was in the zone!  Except for the coffee I made and the cookie I sampled on camera I had nothing in my stomach until about two-thirty in the afternoon.  I stopped to eat and stretch my legs and got right back into it. 

Finally, I got to the point where I wanted to record a voiceover to finish the video and turned around to a full living room.  My daughter and her boyfriend dropped in to visit and I was in another world. How did that happen?  I had worked from sunup until four o’clock in the afternoon, little food, little drink, no frustration, just flow. I rarely feel this and when I do, I know I’m on the road I need to be on, and my goals track with reaching my fullest potential.

This is not the first time I got up and got busy as soon as I was awake.  I go to the gym at five o’clock in the morning two to three times a week, and I know I will always feel better and have a better day when I go. It isn’t always easy though to do the things you know are good for you.  Some days your mind is beating you up and giving you pumpkin head. Sometimes your body hurts because it hasn’t completely healed from the hard work you did yesterday. I can say from experience that I will never regret a day that I did what I know is right for myself.  I never regretted a walk with my husband and my dog.  I never regretted that time I took to shower and do my hair and make-up all fancy even though it was only for me.  I never regretted working on the project that I can’t get out of my head. I am just thankful I found the strength and love for myself to do it.

As promised the recipe for the cookies in my video! First preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix together the syrup (or honey) and avocado oil and shredded zucchini in a bowl and set aside. Mix your dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir to combine. The dough is thick and sticky. Scoop 1/4 cup to form a ball and flatten to 3/4 inches on the pan. Bake for 14-17 minutes. Don’t forget to dance! Cool on the pan for 5 minutes before eating.

Zucchini Breakfast Cookies

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1/3 cup chopped pecans, almonds, or walnuts

1/2 cup maple syrup (or honey!)

1/3 cup avocado oil or meted coconut oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup of shredded zucchini (squeeze excess water out then measure)