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My travel day began at 5 AM yesterday and didn’t conclude until my cats greeted me at 3 AM. Yoga practices sustained me through the ordeal, My friends and I made the most of the delays and cancelled flights while we could.

I return satisfied with the successful completion of the long awaited journey. It’ll be five months before I see my mother again and potentially five years before my friends and I celebrate another significant birthday. As I rest today, I will look through my many cherished photographs from the trip as part of my yoga practice.

Have you attempted to fly during this government shutdown? How do you make the best of delays and cancellations? Ki to Happiness remembers Mercury is retrograde which further depersonalizes the travel stress.

I’m about to return to Seattle. I’m envisioning a day free from drama. I’ve said my prayers and let go of fear.

It’s Veteran’s Day. I’m grateful for all who’ve served. I will respect their privileges flying today and thank them individually as my service.

Are you a travel veteran? Can you shift from travel anxiety into service? Ki to Happiness wishes all who’ve served a Happy Veteran’s Day.

As my brother and I prepared to leave mom‘s, snow flurries descended and delayed us. We thought we’d wait to get on the road until it subsided for safety so we took off in a sun break. By the time we hit the highway, the snow resumed.

The roads were clear as the snow kept coming down for about an hour and a half as we made our way south and west. When we got ahead of it, we pulled over and took a break. The first snow of the year made for a more memorable ending to our trip.

Do you love snow? what makes your journeys memorable? Ki to Happiness lives the first snow and making memories.

Just as my brother and I prepare to take leave of our mother, the winds of change have kicked up. The temperature dropped as the rain began. This morning the deck around my yurt is carpeted in leaves.

We are all aligned with this change. Without resisting it or pushing it, we simply continue in the agreed upon path forward. By doing so, the joy and completion of this time together leads us into our futures.

When changes upon you, do you resist it or try to push it? Can you align with it instead and let it help you move forward? Ki to Happiness follows the winds of change, joyously completing this part of life’s path and moving on as indicated.

Today, my family of origin and I have another chance to function in healthy harmony. This is our one full day together. We have no plans.

When dad was still with us, I remember one day all four of us helped one another, doing our parts separately and simultaneously. Since his passing, we’ve had to grieve, adjust and adapt. Perhaps we will frame and hang the certificate from A Living Tribute, memorializing him with planting 100 trees.

If you had one day together with your family of origin, how would you spend it? How grateful can you be for each of you doing your part to function in healthy harmony? Ki to Happiness does her part, peacefully offering grateful presence one day at a time.

After mom and I took care of our separate responsibilities in the morning, we had a precious afternoon of being girls together. We met out at her new nail salon for their services before having a late lunch at our favorite restaurant. In the evening, we watched a classic chick flick and had an early bedtime.

I am acutely aware of how precious these moments are. In my morning practice, I give thanks for all the healing and forgiveness that has been required for us to get here. Every effort has been worth it and I extend my gratitude to each person who has contributed to this trip.

 What efforts have you made toward healing and forgiveness? Who has contributed? Ki to Happiness thanks all who have made this precious journey possible.

Today’s super moon in the sign of Scorpio is called the beaver moon. It’s radiance beamed through the roof of my yurt like a spotlight. The wildlife talked about it through the night and let me listen in.

Fox in the valley sang their songs as deer brushed up against the side of the yurt and ground hogs burrowed beneath. Bird songs came as if it were dawn, not midnight. I rested back hearing their message.

What did this full moon illuminate in you? Can you listen to nature? Ki to Happiness eavesdrops on wildlife and shares its message: we are of this Earth, together as One.

At autumn‘s peak, driving up and down the Illinois River Valley bluffs took my breath away. I had to video along Grandview Drive to share. No surprise where it got its name.

As I concluded my videotaping, big winds whipped up and started bringing down the leaves. Swirls of red, crimson, orange, gold and yellow all combined in a kaleidoscope of nature’s beauty. Fleeting, I’m blessed to have been right here, now.

Where do you see grand views? What does that perspective do for you? Ki to Happiness sees beauty outside and introjects it within.

I’ve arrived at my yurt in what is called a Mast Year for acorns. The entire deck and grounds are completely carpeted in potential trees or ankle sprains. I got out the broom and swept a path for myself to enter and exit without hazard.

In safety, I practice yoga as I see the peek fall foliage of the river valley at dawn. This beauty enters my soul and casts out of any ugliness it took to get here. Hours with mom, chatting, dining, doing laundry all replace the challenges of scheduling, software glitches, time changes and the rest.

What do you need to sweep out of the way for your safe practice? What beauty replaces the ugliness you’ve been dealing with lately? Ki to Happiness lets go of the past to be fully present in the now.

Sometimes during travel, unexpected changes require flexibility. My hostess needed to dash out in the morning for some supplies so I joined her. I shortened my prayers and forgot to grab a protein bar in the process.

The beautiful, chilly, crisp morning drew us onward to take a walk in the woods at Allerton Park. Midway, low blood sugar made me weak and wobbly. I chose to return to my prayers and in doing so I had plenty energy to get me out of the woods.

How do you handle unexpected changes? Do you remember to pray when you are in need? Ki to Happiness walks and prays her way out of any woods.