Author / Renee Michelle

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Posts by Renee Michelle

Cultivating life's pleasures.
by Renee Michelle

MULTNOMAH FALLS.

Today I hiked Multnomah Falls and it was a sight to see! Traveling to distant places and immersing myself in cities, cultures and values has taught me how to embrace each second I’m blessed with. I believe that living in the moment is to savor and become aware of your surroundings and that’s exactly what I did during this hike. Today taught me how to be one with myself and to forget about society’s ideas of happiness. I have learned that to truly live a fulfilled life, you must learn to find happiness within yourself and along the way the beauty and simplicity in the little things will present itself during unexpected moments or flashes in your life. Portland, you’re beautiful. Thank you for showing me how amazing Mother Nature can be.

by Renee Michelle

ROOTED.

Today I picked up a few new plants and created a succulent pot to add some character to my new work space.  The act of cultivating plants has always been a favorite of mine because it’s an inexpensive way to add color to any given area. Giving the little things a chance to grow, such as plants can really show you how beautiful anything can become when you nurture and care for it.

by Renee Michelle

PASSION.

Passion. What is it exactly?  For the longest time I have asked myself what it is that gives me that feeling of excitement, a sense of purpose.  For some, it may be pursuing your dreams (whatever that may be) or creating the next big thing that will impact the world in a positive way.  At times we may assume and have an idea about what really drives us, but are you able to pinpoint it right away by just thinking about it?  For me, my passion is still developing  and over time it has welcomed unexpected paths that brought both complicated and rewarding outcomes.  My belief is to never stop developing and pursuing what makes you happy. And once you discover the driving force that makes you passionate about something, it will generate autonomy that will lead you towards self respect which will impact your life in a tremendous way. The process of becoming amazing at something takes continuous time and effort and for me, that’s the real secret to finding your true self and purpose in life.

by Renee Michelle

BALANCE.

The feeling of euphoria. We love that, don’t we?! The honey moon phase. The pure joy and excitement. The always wanting to be together. The “I can’t get enough of you.” Gosh, it feels so good. We’re good at that. It’s easy to be in love. It’s easy to feel those feelings. It doesn’t demand much of us. It isn’t hard work. But loving, that’s a different story.
Loving someone takes deliberate work. That part isn’t as easy. It’s choosing to show up. It’s choosing to communicate. It’s choosing kindness and appreciation, gratitude and generosity. It’s choosing to always honor and respect each other. It’s choosing balancing autonomy and togetherness as well as building a shared future together. It takes talking when we’re upset and finding the right ways to manage our hurt. It takes listening to understand instead of listening to respond. It takes stepping away from criticism, defensiveness, contempt or just shutting down. Loving someone takes work. It takes challenging ourselves beyond what it is we know to be humanly possible at times. It takes rewriting narratives and embracing that maybe we don’t have it all figured out and through patience and effort, God will lead is in the right direction. It takes hearing each other and not needing to be right all of the time.
Being in love is beautiful, but that part is easy. Loving….that’s where the really good stuff is. Because when we’re still loved through the difficult times, we’re loved because someone wants to put in the work with us. Now, when that happens..it changes it all because then you know you’re in a partnership working towards a future and that my dear is a love that should never be taken for granted.

by Renee Michelle

PURSUIT OF PRETTY.

markus zusak quoteTrue beauty radiates from within. It’s that glow, spark and energy that illuminates from your soul.  When you’re beautiful from the inside, you have a sense of your self-worth which is embraced with confidence…and through time, this kind of beauty only gets better with age. To the women reading this, you are beautiful and when you take the time  to nourish your soul and live in your essence, you will radiate a kind of energy and beauty that no one can compete with, remember that.

by Renee Michelle

LAYERS.

She can be moody but dependable, vulnerable but guarded, and worrisome of change but can learn to adapt. Despite her calm facade, she experiences every emotion because she loves and cares deeply.  She is cautious who she opens up to.  She is a lover and a friend who is in it for the long haul, while standing by your side through thick and thin.  She has layers. She is interesting. She is simply, ME.

In less than a week I’ll be turning 29 and what a journey this year has been.  I found love when I thought love was lost and I’ve learned how adapt to change as well as welcoming spirituality back into my life.  My life holds my layers and this year has shown me that only a few people are fully capable of understanding the real me, outside this blog and social media.  It takes courage to open up to someone, but even more courage to learn to understand another individual on a level that welcomes vulnerability.  I am no-where near where I want to be, but my layers continue to unfold with every passing day, bringing me one step closer to who I am going to become.