Agreement 4: Always Do Your Best

You made it to the last of the MomSanity Four Agreements Series! Wahooo! Here’s a link to more The Four Agreements info. Given to us by the wise Don Miguel Ruiz, the Fourth Agreement is: Always Do Your Best.

Agreement 1 / Agreement 2 / Agreement 3 / Agreement 4

Cold Shoulders

I sat at my desk, looking through my miniblinds to the parking lot. My hands retreated from my keyboard like wilted flowers as I watched two of my coworkers fast-walk to a car, out of view.

The two people I trust the most at my job went to lunch without me. And, even worse, they tried to hide it from me. I felt an old ego-driven defense spike up from my inside. I didn’t do anything wrong. They are the ones with issues.

AIEEE! doing her best might be challenging for heidi esther! read on!

Agreement 2: Don’t take anything personally

Welcome to Heidi Esther’s morning with… the dogs. What will she find on her slipper at the bottom of the stairs???

Welcome back to the SoulSanity Four Agreements Series. These stories show how I, Heidi Esther, work on adopting the Four Agreements. What are The Four Agreements? They are four simple, profound ways you can choose to walk in life that will transform it. Given to us by the wise Don Miguel Ruiz, the second agreement is: Don’t Take Anything Personally.

Agreement 1 / Agreement 2 / Agreement 3 / Agreement 4

A morning fit for a highly intuitive sensitive

A faint whine like a seagull meets my ears. Too early. I roll away from the sound. Soon, a louder whine emerges. Why? I lean up and squint to make out the first number on my clock: five. UGH. I turn on ocean shore background noise to complement the seagull whine coming from my step-dog, Elvis. Like I’m sleepin’ on the beach.

I get a feeling that more seagulls are coming…. read on, wise warrior!

Agreement 1: Can you Be Impeccable with your Word?

I came back to work early. Then, I heard my name, loud and clear, from the other side of the door. My manager’s door.

Welcome to the SoulSanity Four Agreements Series! These stories show how I, Heidi Esther, work on adopting the Four Agreements. What are The Four Agreements? They are four simple, profound ways you can choose to walk in life that will transform it. Given to us by the wise Don Miguel Ruiz, I welcome you to the first agreement: Be Impeccable with your Word.

Agreement 1 / Agreement 2 / Agreement 3 / Agreement 4

A quiet office

I stepped into my shared office. My post-lunch belly as happy as a dolphin. The afternoon sun glowing through the mini-blinds.

While it’s nothing fancy, I like my non-profit office. Two uncluttered desks surrounded by filing cabinets, and a clean floor as often as we vacuum.

The office lights were off. My officemate was behind the door, a few feet from my desk. That’s right, today is her review. Like a ninja, I put away my afternoon chocolate and drew my chair.

And that’s when it happened.

From the other side of the door, I heard, “Yea, and Heidi…”

it never feels good when people talk about you behind your back…. read more here!

Naptime with the Sweetness

A story about napping sounds lovely. What could possibly go wrong?

The Starting Block

I wipe the corners of my mouth. My half cup of minestrone soup and a half slice of whole wheat bread are but a delicious memory now. Thank you, the fifth decade of my life, for letting me know that portion-control is a thing.

I have come to that soft, quiet, pause after lunch. The kids are still doing homework. Stacey is reading with her “Come any closer and I’ll punch” Hulk sign up. The sun warms even the floorboards. No thoughts of chugging Diet Cokes or “what should I be doing now?” invade my brain. No, there are more important games afoot…

Sitting at the kitchen table, I can feel it coming. I let it completely envelop me. My body relaxes, agrees. Yes, it’s

ohhh, this sounds nice! can’t you envision some massage music in the background? Read on!

Love and Light Yoga Warrior: Rachel

So, if you touch anyone, just don’t be creepy about it.

Uh-oh! What has Heidi Esther gotten herself into this time? A slice of awesome, that’s what.

Rachel: Well, hello YOU! Come on in! How are you? It’s so good to see you!

A gregarious smile, chunky glasses, and wild, wavy brown hair, greet me as I walk into a local church lobby. I’m hidden in my hoodie, clutching my coffee. Yep, this was worth it.

Well, this rachel sounds pretty interesting. You betcha! Read on for the good stuff!

Welcome to the Sweet Life

It’s been two-and-a-half years since our lives changed.

August 2018

Two chestnut-brown eyes gaze into mine. Inches from my face, my heart pounding. My hands, sweaty. Could she be the one? Though I’ve just met her, my heart is swollen with love. In a place I didn’t know was empty; discarded. She is my missing piece.

Wait a cotton-pickin’ second! Isn’t Heidi esther already married to stacey? What’s going on here?

Am I a writer? I don’t feel like one…

Somehow, this all feels so dangerous to me. Shouldn’t I be at a conference for professional fundraisers? What am I doing here?

October 2018, Nashville

Oh my god, Jeff is walking towards me. Should I say something?? He’s, like, in charge of this whole thing. The side of my nose starts to heat, and so does one side of my neck. Yes, I look like a giraffe when I get nervous. A gift from my fifth decade of life. Super. I look down and pretend to interest myself in a giant potted plant nearby. What waxy leaves you have…

“Jeff, hey! How’s it going?” says someone else.

My whole body relaxes. Saved by the bell.

man, Jeff souns like a celebrity!

The Loving Eye of the Heart-i-cane

Wow, Barbara. Your 13-year-old process of deduction while unconscious is most impressive.

Heart Attack Series 2 of 2. Read First Story Here.

4:28 am: The Hospital

We park in the ER lot. We don our masks and walk to the door in the cold, pre-dawn morning. I hold Stacey’s arm in her puffy green coat. Her whole body is trembling. This is bad.

5 paces in: the Check-in desk. As casually as a conversation about the weather, Stacey is asked her reason for the visit. She nods. I tell the woman her signs of a pre-heart attack. She writes it down on a ledger, types something, and looks back up. Could this woman move any slower?

stacey might die if this woman doesn’t hurry up her cursive!!

Can you Dance in a Heart-i-cane?

What happens when Heidi Esther’s answer for everything – toast – doesn’t solve the problem? What else can she do?

(The Heart Attack Series, 1 of 2. Second Story coming March 10!)

A story, from Barbara

It’s the middle of the night. So, I’m sleeping, right? Minding my own business. Snuggled high in my Ikea loft bed under my Wiener-dog blanket and the crocheted one Stacey made me. She’s my step-mom. I’m thirteen years old. And I’m wearing my striped pajama pants with Christmas chihuahuas if you must know.

That’s when I woke up. From the scratching. What the heck? Like someone’s clawing at my window. I’m not scared; I’m the family member who picks up bugs and puts them back outside. Alive. So, I open my curtains.

what’s outside? read on, brave soul!

An infinite, ancient Christmas gift for you

Or, as Dr. Seuss more-eloquently said, “Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive that is youer than you.”

It is four days after the winter solstice. The sun graces our northern hemisphere a couple more minutes each day. Bringing gifts of awakening and light. And the promise of vaccines bringing the gift of life at the end of this horrific pandemic tunnel, too.

And it’s Christmas!

What kind of gift is an ancient one??? Sounds interesting! read on!