Happy Saturday! Here is a quick snapshot of the Top Shelf items I am obsessing over this week! A favorite or new recipe, a book/quote/podcast/etc, and last but not least, a song I cannot get out of my head. So excited to share them with you in the hope of bringing something new and inspiring into your day! |
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| | Guilty Pleasure Greens. Ok. I don't want anyone coming for my Southern Girl card for this, but I promised Top Shelf would share real time obsessions. So confess, I must. I can make a hella good pot of collards that cook all day and would make my grandmother proud. HOWEVER... here me out on this: Margaret Holmes has got it going on in the quick fix department. I have been upping my protein intake and that decision has brought with it black- eyed peas, roasted chicken, turkey meatballs, tomato gravy over pork tenderloin, etc... and they have all had me craving collards. Enter about 3 cans of these in the last few weeks! Properly cooked collards are incredibly time-consuming but these... these, my friend, only require a quick heat up and they are shamefully delicious. Of course, nothing can take the place of the real thing, cooked with love for hours in my kitchen, but for the times when that is not been possible, Thank you, Margaret... from the bottom of my little Southern heart. PS... I am not getting paid and I buy my own. I wouldn't even know how to become an endorser! | | |
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| | What is Blocking Your Light? "The Untethered Soul" by Michael A. Singer is by far one of my favorite reads in the last few months. I continue to return to its pages for nuggets of inspiration. It is not a flashy book nor does it give you a lot of "How Tos." It is simply a warm and loving reminder that we are infinitely capable and worthy of peace, unending joy, and a soulfully fulfilling life. Here is a passage from Chapter 12 "Taking Down The Walls." "That which you collected from your past forms a boundary that you intuitively want to avoid. That's natural, that's what we do with walls; we avoid running into them. But because you avoid running into them, they lock you inside their perimeter... Eventually, you will realize that darkness is not what's really there. What is really there are walls that are blocking the infinite light. When you are looking for light, that is a crucial distinction. If you see a wall and it is protecting you from unending darkness, you will not want to go there. But if you see a wall that is blocking the light, you will want to go there in order to remove the wall. It is often said that you must go through the darkest night in order to get to the infinite light. This is because what we call darkness is really the blockage of light." For me, and my hope for all things Counter Talks, this is the perfect metaphor. Busting through walls and into the light. | | |
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To say that this has been on a loop since I first heard it a couple of weeks ago would be an understatement. (Yes. I am aware I am late to the Rita Ora party, but I am happy to be here now!) This song impeccably mirrors 2 things for me. My personal journey. The last decade has been an era all its own and it took a lot of work to regard the seemingly never-ending grief and struggle through eyes of acceptance and gratitude. This speaks so clearly to the confidence I want for you and anyone who crosses my path personally or participates in any of the Counter Talks offerings. This is where we create the ability to embrace and celebrate the whole of who we are.
"Grateful" ~ Rita Ora
"That there's a lot you gotta go through, hell yes, but that's what got me strong, I got no regrets.
And I've got only love, got no bitterness. Count my blessings, count my blessings, yeah.
I'm proud of every tear, yeah because they got me here."
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That’s it for this round! Feel free to forward to a friend! I’ll be back with more. Until then, know that you are a badass…exactly the way you are. Celebrate YOU a little today! It’s Time. Beth |
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Did you see my article in the Winter issue of Focus On Fabulous Magazine? If you like disco balls, ABBA, and dance parties celebrating how awesome you are, you should check it out! Spring issue coming soon! | | |
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2023 Events are being organized as we speak! Stay tuned! |
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Thank you for letting me share some of my favorite things with you! If any of it resonates and you'd like to know more, CLICK HERE for info on upcoming events! |
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