yesterday i decided to throw stress right out the door.

well technically it was out my car window.

yep, i literally peeled it right off of me -- my upper body, my lower body, my head & most especially my heart -- & gave it a good toss.

for good. & i am quite serious about this.

why? because stress SUCKS!

there really is no other way to put it. 'life IS good'... but as you know, life is hard, too. not that that is a bad thing or anything... it just IS.

so if it is what it IS, why worry about it at all? especially when it is pretty much c o m p l e t e l y out of our control? it really doesn't make any sense & it strips us of enjoying what IS...

and most times, what is right in front of us IS needing to be thoroughly enjoyed & appreciated.

yesterday,
i decided to stop unnecessary worry about what tomorrow may bring, or even the next second for that matter.
i decided that the road to calm, natural 'happiness' is a WHOLE LOT brighter without the dust or residue of stress.
i decided that 'stress' was a fad i just wasn't into representing anymore.

so yes, stress may SUCK, but the truth is, it is also a choice. ...one i am guilty as charged of participating in.

but yesterday,
i CHOSE to let it go.
i chose to just TRUST.
i chose to BELIEVE all will be okay...

because you know what? somehow, it always is.

BELIEVE.

there is SO much meaning behind this word to me.

what is it to you?

there are many things i believe in, but one that keeps ringing in my ears even more so than ever is
the possibility of what we can individually do, both small & big, to better this world we live in,
to better the lives of others...
to truly BETTER life in general.

i think sometimes it is all too easy, especially in this digital world of ours, to be distracted or even discouraged,
that you CAN'T make a difference.

but YOU CAN. in our gut, i think we all know this.

as Ralph Waldo Emerson once said,
"What lies behind us & what lies before us are tiny matters compared to
what lies within us."

you don't have to go halfway across the world to make a difference
( although go for it, if that is what your heart is telling you! )...

all you have to do is lead with LOVE.
do what is upon your heart.

i know time flies, but this past April has felt like a quadruple snap of my fingers.

with that said, this past month my work was published in HOUR Detroit Magazine... you may recall this blog post of the uber talented Jon Lieckfelt.

as you will see below, they chose one of my fave images from his session! ROCK ON.


here is the cover & the inset image...