Everyday Intentional

10/12/2026

🍂 **Mindful Moment: Leaves on a Stream**

Our minds are busy places. Thoughts drift in about the to-do list, a conversation from yesterday, a worry about tomorrow. This practice isn’t about stopping thoughts. It’s about noticing them without getting swept away.

As you watch the water, imagine placing each thought on a leaf and letting the current carry it downstream. No judging, no fixing, just noticing and releasing. If you get caught up in a thought (we all do!), gently come back and place it on the next leaf.

Try it for 1–3 minutes, eyes open or softly closed, or be lead by this reel, whatever feels right for you.

🌿 **A few gentle notes:**
• This is a moment of self-care, not a substitute for therapy or medical care.
• If difficult feelings come up, you’re always welcome to pause, open your eyes, feel your feet on the ground, or stop altogether. You’re in charge of your practice.
• Practicing outdoors? Stay a safe distance from the water’s edge, watch your footing on wet leaves and rocks, and keep an eye on kids and pets.

Want to practice together in nature? Join me for the free **Nurtured by Nature sunset stroll on Oct 19.** Link in bio 🌅

IntentionalLiving NatureHeals CincinnatiMindfulness

09/30/2026

09/30/2026

Oh the adventure we had! It was our first sunset stroll and it wasn’t without surprises!!

From the wrong google coordinates, to the crumbling path, to the wrong turn, to the mama and baby deer that first inspired awe and then a little fear, to the quiet noticing, to the playful banter and wandering along without clear direction, to the laughter, to the story sharing of sunsets past and what the golden hour evokes in us, to the photo shoot, to the resting and looking at the sky and ending with lights of the city.

It didn’t look anything like we planned but isn’t that life? Isn’t that being human? Isn’t that nature?

🧡🧡🧡

09/25/2026

Slowing down for the sunset is in my bones.

✨From an early age, I was taught the importance of pausing to watch the sun go down. It started with childhood rides to the edge of town where the fields began, watching the sky change colors over the reservoir while my grandparents said the rosary. It continued into adulthood, sharing vibrant Florida skies with my mom. It may be a little harder to find a vast view in the city but it’s here everyday.

Whether it’s an ancient tradition, or proven cortisol lowering experience, or a family legacy, sunset watching is a ritual that beautifully quiets the mind and settles the soul, meeting exactly where we are.

Drop a 🌅 of your favorite recent sunset.

Join us on Tuesday for our free sunset stroll at Devou Park. Link to register in bio. 🌆🌅

09/09/2026

3:00 am I wake wake up with a mind spinning- past conversations, future planning, troubles of a friend, loneliness that leaves me cold and uncomforted are present.

Knowing that lying in bed with those feelings won’t help, I pick them up and take my cue from Wendell Berry and step outside. I give the thoughts and feelings a place to land as I let my feet sink into the grass. The coolness calms my nervous system and lifting my eyes to the sky reminds me of the beauty and strange wonder of it all.

Loneliness is still here but she has found a friend in the earth and sky and me and can now settle back into the quiet of night and my heart. Tucked in like a small child having awakens from a bad dream she just needed a little comfort and kindness as she too is part of this world. She too does not want to be exiled into the darkness. She too wants to feel the grass beneath her feet. She too wants a place to rest. She too longs to belong.

08/31/2026

Knowing that scrolling wouldn’t be my next right step after a grueling day of meetings and a 7-hour training, I stepped out onto the porch instead.

Best decision I made all day.

Why? Turns out that looking at the sky is a scientifically proven tool for mental restoration. Watching the clouds drift engages our “soft fascination”—a gentle, effortless attention that lets an overstimulated brain finally rest and recover.

It also triggers the “small self” effect. That sudden sense of awe gently shrinks our daily worries, reminding us that our current stressors are just a tiny part of a much bigger, ever-changing picture.

When you’ve used up all your attention, do yourself a favor: step outside, widen your vision, and look up.

Follow me for more nature based wellbeing tips and inspiration.

restoration

08/29/2026

Tending to myself in nature.

08/18/2026

I woke up this morning and started moving fast. Quickly thinking about the day ahead.

I had a head full of work details, things to be done, conversations to be had, and I could feel myself ramping up.

Rushing from the shower to working out and turning on my computer. In that moment, I noticed my racing mind and thought what do you want to do with this moment?

I still had 10 minutes left until I had to start work. Instead of getting an extra 10 minutes of work done I decided to follow my intention and step outside….

feeling the slowing of my breath,
a steadying pace,
as I wandered-
Receiving the beauty around me
-the sites, the sounds, the smell.

With each step, my body more and more relaxed.

Up and down one street is all it took for me to feel noticeable responses in my heart mind and body.

Calm, steady, quiet, and more grounded.

It doesn’t take much for nature to nurture us and helping us reset and give us more of our ourselves to bring with us to our next place.

I am grateful for the beauty of this earth, my neighborhood and the ability to pause, set an intention and follow it.

It doesn’t always happen this way, but for today, I’m grateful i could follow it.

I would love to hear how you have paused and made time for yourself even for even briefest of moments.

Click the link in the bio to find out how yiu can start building intentional habits of naturebased well-being and restoration.

06/21/2026

Gifts from the inland sea of Lake Superior and the Baptism River of Minnesota.