My love…

We need to bring back from the shadows and the hidden stored away boxes, this one principle that we already know but seem to forget often:

Our Attitude matters.

Sticking to our bitterness, resentment, disappointment and helplessness ‘vibes’ will just keep us looping into the same undesirable results — which then reinforces and validates us on those feelings even more  “See? I knew it. This town/person/situation/etc is just like that. They suck and I have to deal with it”

As hard as it is to accept — the attitude we bring to the table, reflects right back to us.

Leme give you an example of something I experienced the other day:

Anyone that knows me personally, knows I’ve been complaining about the city I live in for a while now.
Main two reasons: I feel uninspired here and when I do find something that lights me up it always involves a lot of planning ahead and… driving! Which I really dislike and takes all the spontaneity of the moment for me.

As I don’t feel a strong pull to be anywhere specific at the moment, I barely take seriously any moving out plans. I think about it for a bit, do some light research, find non-perfect scenarios {beacause of course. which scenario is ever perfect?} and then I throw my hands up in the air and give up my search.

Yet, staying here with the wrong attitude towards the city is definitely not the ‘vibe’.

Or I do something about it or I do something about it.

Meaning, or I move or I adjust my attitude towards it.

??The one that gives me the quickest result is the atitute so I went with that one.

Decision made of a different attitude towards the situation, the other day as I was out and about running some errands, and “out-of-the-blue” {of course it wasn’t! I changed my attitude, remember?} I stumbled upon a new {to me} art supply store.

?Quick disclaimer: I need very little to shift my mood and get myself inspired. I need specific things, yes, but they are small and not hard to come by. For instance a good ‘ol browsing of color pencils and shades of pink in the watercolor section of an art supply shop will do for me. ?

With that in mind, {and the fact I hate driving} let’s get back to that art shop I stumbled upon, seemly out of nowhere…

It was a professional art supply shop, mind you. Not the general arts & craft one where you find everything — from yarn, to wrapping paper and assembled wood furniture to be painted on – like Michaels or Hobby Lobby {a reference that only peeps living in USA will get, I fear}. This one was a specialized art supplies store.

I was so dazzled as I stepped into that store. Two full floors of endless art supplies! Heaven on Earth.

Of course, there are plenty of Art Supply stores where I live – it is a big city after all. But all require driving. Lots of it!

Now this one?

⏳This one is located a whopping 12 mins from me.

? A 12 mins walking distance from where I live!?

The absurdity of my finding. The shock!

? “How have I never seen that store before, for gods sake? Where has this been all those years? It must be new” — I justified in my head.

Intrigued I asked the clerk how long has the shop being around, thinking that for sure, for sure, she would say “just a few months.”

HA!

More than 10 years! ….

More than TEN YEARS that shop has been sitting right here! ?‍?

??And how long have *I* been living in this exact same neighborhood and exact same house? FIVE years! ?

Dazzled, eye-opened and confused all at the same time I continued walking around the corridors, browsing the goodness.  I had an all-around awesome time and then called it a day.

☀️A very *good* day, there is.

?Now let’s fast forward 3-4 days. I was again in the same area, running errands and I spotted a new {to me} coffee shop.

Intrigued because it had a very art related decor outside, I stepped in and walked around a bit, looking at the walls, the murals and the paintings.

As I slowly and *very* curiously kept walking, I moved towards the bathroom, not because I needed anything there, but because I wanted to see if there was more murals in it.

And what do I see?

A hallway…

An interesting hallway that looked so familiar to me. — one of those absurdly pale and well lit hallways that only art galleries know how to hold. You know those ones, ya?

I was dazzled. {again?} Eyes wide open, trying to figure out what was going on here.

?️☕ An artsy coffee shop, then a hallway gallery like?
Interesting… very interesting and unexpected….

I walked into the corridor and I suddenly found humans. Awesome! Questions asked, answers received and things got clearer.

Turns out my friend, this place was in fact…

An art school!

Conveniently set up so the classrooms are further into the hallways and the exhibition space directly connects to the back of the coffee shop.

Now, keep in mind that I have *no* sense of direction whatsoever and I still use maps on my phone to find my way within my own neighborhood. So it was only when I stepped outside the coffee shop/art schol/gallery that I looked around and saw that ON THE SAME BLOCK was that 2 floors art supply shop from the other day! ?

? It all made sense now!

That entire block with all you need for an art filled day, from shopping, to chilling and practicing, to learning some more, to mingling with other artists, to contemplating delicious artwork in the gallery — All right there!

✨All-at-a-12-mins-walking-distance-from-my-place✨

And in FIVE years, I have never even knew all those things were happening right there!

How could I? My attitude towards the city has been the nastiest, of course the perfect set up for an inspiring day {for me} would be totally blocked from my awareness. Of course, I’d never see it or make that experience even possible for me if I am stepping out of the door already complaining about the city.

My attitude was blocking all that goodness to be available to me.

Over the years I have driven far for specific art supplies, signed up to (sometimes) too snooty art classes at the university and hardly ever felt they were worth it. Yet as soon as I changed *my* attitude towards the city I live in, a whole new world {literally} opened up and I found in one hit all the deliciousness I've been craving.

Which comes to show that – as always – we are the source of all of it.

Once we open up to seeing things differently, those things have no other way but to present themselves differently to us.

⭐ The moment I shifted my perception of it, *of course* my experience of it had to follow right behind.

So my pumpkin, as we are about to enter a new month and to set the tone right, I ask you:

?? What have you NOT been liking in your life and environment lately that you can change your perception of it?

{? Hint: we can change our perception of and experience things anew on ANYTHING. Tricky part is if we are willing to do so}

Then next question:

?? What is really what you are looking for? You know what you don’t like, but what is it that you DO like and are looking to find?

Getting honest with ourselves on those answers alone will bring about the change we've been waiting for. ?

? On a side note: my last post was also about this — changing our perception and changing our experiences. A different angle from it but still related. If you found this post here relevant, you will love that other one. 😉 Read it right here.

Wishing you a lovely new month, love!

Smooches,