Colorful Living with Gina

I wanted to write a special Mother’s Day message for any Moms out there who may not be feeling as seen or appreciated today in the way they hoped.

I want those Moms to know… it is ok to feel disappointed sometimes. There is nothing wrong with that feeling. It does not mean you are not grateful. It simply means we are not in control of other people’s actions no matter how much we may wish we were.

I share this because there have been many years where different emotions moved through me on Mother’s Day, and I would make myself feel guilty for even feeling them.

In the younger years of motherhood, we tend to focus on the elder mothers… our Moms, our grandmothers. We do not always get to have the kind of day we may secretly envision for ourselves, and we usually find a way to justify it in our minds because “it’s about them” and that feels more important.

What a beautifully motherly and selfless thing to do… even on Mother’s Day.

Then time passes. Children get older. And there are stages where you quietly hope your adult children will naturally display some of the giving, thoughtful, generous traits you tried so very hard to model for them. Sometimes they do. Sometimes they do not in the ways we hoped.

I guess what I really want every Mom to know today is this…

What you do on the other 364 days of the year does not go unnoticed, even if the people closest to you do not always articulate it or show it in traditional ways.

Other Moms see you.
Neighbors see you.
Children that are not your own see you.
Friends see you.

And I see you.

Today, I want you to try not to put so much pressure on yourself for Mother’s Day to look or feel a certain way.

And I also want to acknowledge the women carrying grief today… whether your Mom is no longer here, your relationship is complicated, or maybe you deeply wanted to become a mother and never got the chance.

Let today simply be filled with love for yourself… just as you are, just as everything is. 🌷

Avrie's Senior Prom💜

🌈Maybe colorful living isn’t about doing more.
Maybe it’s: resting without guilt and taking a moment to let the sun hit your face. Intentionally
making memories in ordinary moments
and learning your nervous system deserves peace too.🌈

If you could take a moment and vote for Monte Cellos this is where Avrie works. Thank you💜 https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1KJoFJGbwY/

Three years ago today, you passed. So much has changed. So many times, I’ve found myself wanting to call you to help me with something around the house or to listen to a music track from one of my NeuroScenes.

I so wish I knew then what I know now... and how you probably needed nervous system regulation more than most people.

I do not carry grief like I used to. It looks much different now. Not better, not worse... just different.

I think the thing that comforts me most is knowing how many of our family are now over on the other side and that you are not alone.

AJ and I talk about you often in the studio, and your guitar is in there with us, as well as my favorite picture of you. Keep helping AJ and me. When we get stuck while producing, we will take a moment, both close our eyes, and ask for help... and the answer or solution is always found less than a minute later.

You are still needed, even if it is in a different capacity. We miss you and love you so very much.

Have you ever had a day where, from the minute you open your eyes until the minute you lay down at night to close them again, you feel as if your mind is set to fast-forward mode... and you don’t have access to the pause or slow-motion button?
I used to experience days, weeks, and honestly what felt like years on end like this. I thought it was just the way my mind was wired... and that I simply had to learn to live with it.

I now refer to it as my Colorful Mind... because isn’t that what it truly is? Overthinking, overfeeling, running on autopilot at warp speed.

I used to envy anyone who appeared calm and relaxed. I would look at them and be baffled by how a person could feel so calm. Meanwhile, there were at least 10 tabs open in my brain... and I could open one, only for it to lead to 10 more.

Where were their tabs?

Looking back now, I realize I simply didn’t understand how my Colorful Mind worked... or what unique tools were available to help me begin lowering the vibrancy a little.

Colorful Minds are beautiful... and never something to dislike about yourself. Some of the most loving, creative, productive, visionary thinkers have vibrant Colorful Minds.
That’s why I’m excited to share that Inside the Colorful Mind, my new podcast series, will be launching soon.

If you’ve ever wanted to learn how to slow your mind down, understand yourself more deeply, and discover how our brains really work... you’ll absolutely want to tune in.