It is week nine of our tight lockdown in Germany. Right now, my world seems pretty small. We are stuck in the house by order of the government and by order of Mother Nature.

Freezing temperatures, negative news stories and social isolation are all enough to make a person feel crazy and believe me, lately I do. One thing I have realized is that the more time I spend scrolling on Facebook or checking the news the more depressed I get. The more I listen to uplifting podcasts or make art in my room the more hopeful I feel.

Do you remember the movie The Secret? It was a video that came out in the mid 2000’s that introduced The Law Of Attraction to millions of people. It got popular because people thought it was their get rich ticket. The subtle message of The Secret was really no secret at all. It all boils down to this: what you focus on expands. For example, I know that if I start the day by reading the news I can wallow and complain about it all day, thus sending myself down a negative spiral and attracting unwanted experiences. If I start the day with a yoga video I am on track to eat healthier and feel more positive throughout the day.

The reason very few people struck it rich after watching The Secret is as simple as the Law of Attraction. It is easier to focus on the bad stuff. It is easier to sit back and take in what the world feeds you instead of making the conscious choice of what you want to consume. The negative stuff pretends to be urgent. The negative voices are louder.

I am sucker for negative news, dramatic situations and worst case scenarios as much as anyone else. I will go for the click-bait headline about politics or scary diseases every time I am not paying attention to what I am focusing on. But I know from experience that I can shift things in the right direction with each small action I take. Twenty minutes of yoga in the morning can make a difference for the entire day. When I consciously choose to seek out positive stories or videos, they will lift my spirits. When I avoid social media or opinion based news (both sides) I feel more hopeful. When I continue to focus on positive things it snowballs and it’s easier to find more and more things to be happy about. Its like a muscle you have to keep using.

If you keep up the practice pretty soon you will be able to sustain a more positive outlook no matter the situation. I think the idea is beautifully worded by the artist Henri Matisse - “There are always flowers for those who want to see them.”

I write this to remind myself that even in these isolated, winter lockdown days there are flowers blooming. Yes, even in winter there are flowers blooming if you choose to see them. Do you choose to see them? I am trying to!

Today, I am on day 15 of the 100 Day Project. I used the Matisse quote for day 12 and then took a few photos of winter flowers I have seen this week. Also included in this blog are days nine through 14 of the project.

If you made it through to the end of this blog, thank you for reading! I hope you notice a lot of flowers in your life this coming week.

XO Beth

Some Winter Flowers

Flower grafiitti on my walk to the market.

Flowers I bought myself at the grocery store. — Flowers I bought for myself at Aldi.

My cactus, Billy Pablo, is blooming right now. How cool is that??