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Little Earthquakes and La Vie en Rose

Since my husband's job over the years of marriage has determined where we live, we've moved a lot. I used to freak out inside when he hated his job and wanted to get a new one. In our younger years, we thought that changing our Circumstance was the answer to solving problems.

The I.T. world is constantly changing, and my husband has worked hard to stay relevant and keep current in the tech industry. Whenever his boss or upper management would change, he would get nervous.

On one such occasion, he updated his resume in 2011 and was contacted by an Amazon recruiter who quickly flew him to Seattle, arranged for two days of grueling interviews, and then offered my husband the Amazon moon of a job, with excellent pay, benefits, and stock options.

And just like that, our little family moved to Seattle.

Except that I didn't want to move.

No thank you Amazon. No thank you Seattle. No thank you rain. and NO THANK YOU leaving my music career, friends, and family.

I was comfortable in Utah. I loved my children's schools. I loved being close to my parents. And I loved the familiarity of the Utah seasons and the mountains I grew up with skiing, hiking and mountain biking on.

I struggled the first year while acclimating to the Pacific North West's climate. I just remember those steel, grey, low-hanging, oppressive skies all.the.time. and I felt claustrophobic, like I should just stay in bed and drink hot cocoa under such weather. 

I developed arthritis.

I gained fifteen pounds too.

Which, as a yoga instructor, was beyond aggravating and really messed with my self-respect.

Looking back, I realize now I experienced what I call a 'Little Earthquake' which is nothing less than the tremors of change shaking the very foundation of how you think life is supposed to go, but it takes you in a different direction.

My Little Earthquake instigated some internal fractures of spirit which slowly expanded into a full blown depression. I sought help with an excellent therapist, who helped me identify the fractures and correctly labeled them as grief.

Grief for who I used to be. And grief for what I thought my life was going to look like.

During the second year of our Seattle life, I decided to home-school our children and threw my creative and intellectual energy into that endeavor. It was the best thing I could have ever done, looking back, in that my children thrived and really took off with their talents and academics. We worked hard and we played hard. There's so much to see and do in the Pacific North West, I went all in and explored the fresh sea food markets, the U-Pick farms for berries and apples, the museums and art exhibits, the Seattle Symphony and youth symphonies, and the amazing Jazz music scene.

It was super fun, looking back. And it helped me shift my focus from missing Utah, to embracing the beauty the Pacific Northwest offers. I never did acclimate to loving the weather, but I sure appreciated the lush greenery, living by the ocean, and the music scene of a big city.

I don't know that there was one particular moment in that second year when I decided to re-frame the move and put on my Rose Colored glasses to tint the grey.

But I remember distinctly my album producer, Scott Wiley of June Audio, who told me to pick a cover song for my album Dreams We Dream, which I was recording at the time, and to pick one that really inspired me.

I settled on the song, La Vie en Rose.

Did you know that I share the fun distinction in the world as Edith Piaf, Louis Armstrong, and Lady Gaga, as singers who've recorded this most beautiful tune? I kind of love being able to say that, because to me, the song is simply magical.

I've added a link to the song for your listening pleasure at the bottom of this post. Go ahead and download it.

I hope you'll listen to it and feel uplifted and encouraged and maybe even a little inspired.

Here's what the song has taught me:

Life is what we make it.

It sounds so simple.

Believe me, I know it isn't always.

But songs have a way of getting us through difficult times. And this one definitely saw me through.

So, I'm sharing it with you in the hopes that you too will feel some love and be inspired to create your own brand of joy, in your own way.

Because LIFE IS WHAT WE MAKE IT.

That's what I'm learnin' my friends.

I wish I would have learned the skill of managing my own mind sooner than later. It is the MOST important skill you can ever learn and will make or break your ability to experience the balance of happiness and negative emotion. It will push you to try new things and help you experience life's Little Earthquakes with a lot more grace. 

It is amazing.

If you want help with it, reach out. I love my job and I love helping the humans thrive versus just survive. Because ain't no one got time for Depression being the boss.

With love,

Danielle xoxo

 La Vie en Rose Free mp3 Download

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