When life hits you upside the head!

Debie Monax - Author * Speaker
Professional photos outside back before Quarantine became a Thing
Debie Monax – Author * Speaker

Professional photos outside back before Quarantine became a Thing

Where were you when you first heard about Coronavirus?

I heard about it on the radio and I just thought it was some strange thing that was happening in China which seemed so far away.

Then, they sent my child home from school the week before spring break with some strange emails about kids getting educated online temporarily. When my 16 year old adjusted from being in a live classroom to logging into google classroom, she and her friends became diligent about schoolwork in an entirely new way. I was impressed with her fortitude, grace and diligence.

Then gradually, my activities began getting cancelled., even those at church. As I deleted events on my calendar and had my whole family home with me, I read more articles and watched a tiny bit of television about the governor of Colorado’s shutdown orders.

I like many people, thought it was an overreaction and it seemed strange to me.

Then I logged into tastytrade.com which has some interesting investing shows that I like to listen to and I think I was listening live with the show on when the US Stock Market lost value and volatility spiked to 80% in one day. I don’t know if it was hearing the shows live comments or if it was checking my investing portfolio I got out of my denial for good.

This was real and it had my attention. I’m sure each of you have a similar story of your own. And now, on April 16th, most people are feeling boredom and the repetition of day after day being the same as the last. Do you forget what day of the week it is? It happens to me all the time. Thankfully, I can look at my calendar.

This time is challenging all of us to define what is important and what we are going to focus on.

Here are some thoughts:

  • Health – I spend my time planning meals for my family and I to eat, my husband leaves the house and manages the grocery shopping.
  • Exercise – This is harder than normal, because I never leave the house. I walk my dog in the neighborhood with my mask. Being outside is keeping me sane. Ideas for things I haven’t done yet are, 1)Yoga by Adrien or 2) Pulling out my old P90X dvd’s and weights.
  • Personal development – I enjoy participating in zoom meetings with other people, learning new things and networking.
  • Writing – I’m doing a lot of this now because it’s my happy place. I journal and I write and mail letters to my friends and family.
  • Reading – I spend time with a good book because I can take myself to the place and events there that I can read about.

Zoom events, including Happy Hour!

Comment below and tell me how you are and what you are doing for self care at this point in time. Be Well my friends!

Snowy February

What the Weatherchannel.com is telling Coloradans in February 2020

When February 1 comes around, I get happy.

Why would you get happy in Colorado at the start of a Winter month on the calendar?

Easy, my birthday is on February 7, my daughter’s birthday is on February 23 (this year she’ll be Sweet Sixteen!). I’m glad to say my husband drove through over a half foot of the fluffy fat flakes that were falling on 2/7/2020 this year to have my birthday dinner at Outback Steakhouse which was a great time!

But that’s not all, it is Valentine’s Day on February 14th (as you know). I took advantage of the 50% off candy sales on February 17th!

And my mother in law’s birthday is February 10th (she lives in California, so there’s no competition or conflict 🙂 ).

February 2020 is looking like it is competing to beat March as the snowiest month in Denver like it did last year.

Monthly & Annual Snowfall https://www.weather.gov/bou/seasonalsnowfall
(1882-2020)

So how do you cope when you live in Colorado?

The February cumulative total as of February 19th,2020 is 46.8 inches.

  1. Wear layers to keep you warm.
  2. Drink hot beverages (tea or coffee)
  3. Throw an extra blanket over you in bed or when watching tv on the couch.
  4. Marvel when you think about your amazing furnace which will be 19 years old this year.

Stay warm and motivated!
Watch for the launch of my membership site and MSAwareness Month in March!

Turkey time! (and pie, and stuffing, please!)

True to form, the 22nd of November delivered today, a 27degree morning and a thick layer of ice on windows of cars parked outside, (like mine, LOL!)

Hard to believe there are only 33 days remaining until Christmas! (Really, I just counted!). It is the time of year when we all think about our loved ones, the upcoming holidays and gifts for the special people in our lives.

And we like to find a good deal, which makes us feel smart and savvy!

Black Friday Specials anyone?

Have you or someone you know gotten stuck in your life? Have your plans collided with extreme obstacles, despite planning and motivated effort? Has an event dropped into your life unexpectedly and not previously imagined? A loss of a job, an illness or a sudden and unexpected loss? Some people describe this simply as “life happens”

Woman Plans, God Laughs: My Story of Love, Loss, and, Learning to Live Life with Faith is the story of a young career woman who finds out 3 weeks before her wedding that she has been diagnosed with a devastating illness. Soon after, she is diagnosed with a second devastating illness which will effect her plans to have a family with her new husband.

From November 21 to November 22 the kindle book will be on sale for 99cents. From November 23 to 24th the price will be $1.99 and from the 25th-27th the price will be back to normal at $3.99. During this entire time, the audio version of the book will be available for $7.49.

Debie’s speaking calendar for 2020 is now open for you to schedule Debie to speak at your event about “How to Live in Joy.” . For date availability or questions, please email Debie at askme@debiemonax.com.

Bulk orders are always available by emailing books@bonniebraepublishing.com.

Debie will be offering one-on-one coaching for three months which includes your favorite format of the book and once a week coaching to help you through your current struggles and obstacles with a system to help you find gratitude, purpose, joy and peace in your daily life. All this for the investment of $497!

Debie will also visit your book club and speak and answer your questions. This event is free, I only ask that you feed me dinner! Please email at the addresses above. And most importantly, please love your families and have a fantastic Thanksgiving week!

Blessings,

How the Unexpected Saved My Life

The most difficult loss in my life was the moment during my second pregnancy when the doctor said, “I’m not finding a heart beat” and I started to understand that I had lost my 2nd child at 18 weeks.

I gave myself a long mourning period where I did self-care and wrote a letter to my missing child. This process takes a long time. Take whatever time you need, but still notice what is making you happy. For me, I had one child and my job as her mom, was to take her to and from pre-school each day. I made that be my unique purpose. I took intentional action to be the best mom to her each day. I made sure we left with plenty of time to be early to school. I appreciated my daughter and who she was each day. She liked to pick dandelions and give them to me along the way. I carefully held on to the dandelions she handed to me until I got home after I dropped her off. When I did get home I filled a little glass with water and put the flowers in the water. My unique purpose was being the best mom I could be to my little girl. I did this day by day and started to feel good again and started to feel lesser and lesser amounts of pain. I still honored my losses. My husband and I worked well together this way. If there were things to get done and it was an off day for me, he picked up the ball of whatever the responsibility was. This was how I got through my days.

Everyone has a unique purpose. Only you know what yours is. I’m also spiritual and have faith in God. I believe God has a unique plan for each of us and He loves us. Working on exploring your unique purpose can lead us to clues about what God’s plan for us is. I try to live God’s will for me in my life each day and this is how I start.

Please comment and tell me what God’s will for you looks like each day! God Bless You!