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Don't live life in a hurry, xo

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This blog exists to help you cultivate a slow living life.

How to be present with God
The Minimalist Approach to Slow Living
Mindfulness Matters More than Ever

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Hello there!

My name is Leziga, and I’m so glad you checked out my blog. I’m a recent collage grad who loves music, entertainment and spending time with my friends. Here I hope you find information to help you on your journey of living your best life by making good memories.

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How are you? Have you been weighing your options in the great quarentine debate of whether or not you should be working harder than ever or resting more? I think we all probably need a healthy dose of both to make our lives feel meaningful. Besides staying at home I've been thinking about how to approach the future. To be honest I have rather bleak expectations for the months ahead, but I'm not worried as much as I am simply unsure. Should I start planning Zoom surprise birthday parties now? Maybe gather a reasonable supply of necessities? All my ideas for the future are up in the air for the moment, but it's actually okay this time around because I'm not the only one. What has been keeping me grounded the most throughout this is my faith in Jesus. Wherever you are in your #faithjourney I think we could all use more of God's presence in our daily lives. Throughout the years, in books and prayer I've been seeking how to grow more aware of God's present. This recent blog post in my bio is a result of these years of searching. I finally feel like I've grown a rhythm of fellowship with His Spirit that guides me through the day. If you're also on a journey of letting God define your future and past, do check out the post and comment what you think. It's a long one, but I figured we're not in a hurry. - Leziga #HNAF

Welcome to the Grotto of Redemption. A grotto is a small likely artificial cave often found in a park or garden. This one is found neither, nestled in the small rural town of West Bend, Iowa. The most telling feature of the ancient looking monument is the date of completion — 1959. Most people in Europe would be unimpressed the newness of it. And yet to walk through the grotto is to step into an environment that feels much like an ancient Cathedral in Europe. Each stone hand picked to fit rather than molded, it is a wonder to behold. All this to proclaim the story of the gospel. Yes in fact if we were to remain silent, these very stones would cry out. I think the story of this grotto from beginning to today mirrors many of our stories as Christians. God has invited us into his beautiful story started long before us and while we may be new to it, it isn't a new gospel each time. So what is your grotto? Your story of redemption? Through the gospel God starts building us into his story his church. Sometimes we may feel out of place, but when we enter into God's presence it feels like coming home.

F R E E Z E When you feel under attack, your body has actually has 3 types of responses. Flight, flight and freeze. We're all mostly familiar to the fight or flight idea, but we don't think much about freeze. This is like the possum playing dead or the deer in headlights. It's easy to think less of freeze at first because it is by definition not doing much, but in nature this actually is a helpful way for animals to escape detection from predators. With the COVID-19 pandemic going on, we are now faced with a challenge we cannot run from or actively attack. But it is still dangerous, so our bodies are left with freeze as a final response. How everyone's dealing with the threat of this virus and the economic implications of it may vary, but the need for response is still present whether you acknowledge it or not. I have been very stressed out seeing my friends lose their jobs, trying to find out where I can get the grocery items I need, and not being able to see my at risk family members to keep them safe. But in this chaos, I've found #practicingmindfulness to be the best way to handle it all. The exersice I've been practicing is really quite simple. If I start worrying about the potentials and endless possibilies surrounding this pandemic, I pause and ask myself where am I? In space and time, this helps me to mindfully bring myself back into the present moment. It is Thursday, April 9th and I am #athomewith the rest of the world. We can't worry about the situation all at once, all we can worry about is the next task at hand. So whether you can work from home, or you're shopping at the grocery store, mindfulness can help you focus your attention on what needs to get done without getting distracted by what hasn't been figured out yet. If you want to ready more about how to practice mindfulness in the midst of present danger, check out the link in my bio. Live lightly (and stay home) - #HNAF #HNAFBlog

"And at once I knew, I was not magnificent." It's a new year, but the end of January is fast approaching. This is usually when people quit on resolutions or start backsliding because things haven't worked out yet the way they hoped at the start. I don't know about you, but I've often found myself getting stuck in an "all or nothing" mentality. Either you finish all the goals you've made for yourself perfectly each day, or you quit because nothing is going to matter now that you've missed one to two days. But when I look beyond the all or nothing mentality, I can see how life doesn't reflect that idea at all. Things happen far more slow than that. A couple steps forward is still more than not taking those first steps at all. For me, I find it most comforting to know that I'm not perfect and I won't reach perfection. The thing I've realized most with that is, I easily get caught up in my own head and start to believe the opposite it true. I cling on to what I can control and start believing perhaps perfection is in my reach if I try hard enough. It isn't. And when I get out in nature or talk things over with a good friend, I'm more easily reminded that a more perfect version of me doesn't exist. In fact, my idealized self is far more limited and boring the beauty that surrounds us everyday in real life. This week take some time to get perspective. Whether it's braving the elements in a colder climate like me, or having a heartfelt conversation with a close friend, find the time to get out of your own head. Realize perfection isn't a real goal, but getting in touch with the best parts of reality can be. Congratulate yourself on the steps you have taken towards your goals, and now take the next one. If you aren't as far along now that you thought or wished you'd be that's okay, progress is still in the process. More to come soon. -#HNAF

A W A K E N I N G It's been a long time, but you are starting to see it. You have come a long way since last December. And last year you came the hard way, so you remember. The hardest, yet most important realization you can make in life is your own mistakes. The past few days alone I was faced with the same question I faced last year, and once again came close to choosing the wrong path. It seemed to make the most sense. I actually decided and undecided multiple times. Then it struck me the real reason why I keep going back to this same mistake. It feels like a win. When it comes to goal setting, failure and mistakes, we all long for the path of least resistance. Can I just buy it today? Won't it solve itself tomorrow? But what if I'm not inspired? The goal of this blog (and my personal life) is to say no to the conventional wisdom and path of least resistance. Growth comes from seeing your past mistakes for exactly what they are -- mistakes. But that knowledge, although uncomfortable, is actually very freeing. Mistakes can be corrected. Or avoided in the future. Mistakes show us that we're still on the path of progress. And more importantly, we're still in the process. For everything we can't control, our #mindset on the process is one thing that we can and must control. Sometimes it feels like waking up. Most times it looks like walking away. But you will come back stronger than before and with more hope and joy than you'd ever think possible. Tell me, what's been your most recent awakening? #HNAF

T H I N K I N G Have you ever been lost in thought? Do you ever go from thinking about your next plans to wondering how your favorite characters are going to solve their episode of the week problem? Maybe that's just me, but I think it's so easy to get mentally distracted from focusing on actually important things. The occasional distraction isn't that big of a deal, but what I've been bothered by is how easy it is for me to get up in the morning and not think about what my main focus or goal is. #Mindfulness is not a hobby you can pick up casually, and I have to really fight to be mindful in the mornings. It's especially crucial to start the day by practicing mindfulness because it set up the trajectory for the rest of your day. Likewise when you start your morning distracted and frazzled, that's going to be a hard mindset to break. Mindfulness in the morning can only be achieved with proper planning the night before. Whether that means completing your next meal prep, or taking the time to write your goals for the next day out clearly. To live intentionally, you need to have a plan. Planning to have more mindfulness in your schedule can look different for everyone. Here are a few ideas to try out: Write in a journal about why you're practicing mindfulness or some reasons why you've become interested in the topic. Use a planner or calendar to jot down some goals for each day and include dedicated morning meditation/mindfulness time. Go to bed earlier, so you can set your alarm for earlier. This way you won't need to be in an immadiate rush to whatever your next plans are and you can use that time for yourself. Those were some of my ideas and tips on how to have #mindfulmorning. What are yours? #HNAF

Here Now and Forevers

Here Now and Forevers

Recent Posts: Here Now & Forevers

How to be present with God

Spending time in your bible shouldn’t be disconnected from spending time with God. But how do you make the two come together? This is my method to creating time in my bible with God that I hope you find helpful.

The Minimalist Approach to Slow Living

Being a minimalist in many ways can become a narrow goal until you incorporate the idea of slow living. Minimalism and de-cluttering are challenging pursuits, but if you’re committed you can get them done. But once they are done, it can hard to keep up the motivation to maintain your minimalist space. This is where slow living comes in.

Mindfulness Matters More than Ever

As the global effort to slow the spread of COVID-19 impacts more of our daily lives, it’s natural to be experiencing more stress or anxiety than usual. This is how your body handles stressful situations, but the good news is we can handle it well by practicing mindfulness throughout our daily lives.

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