Do not be dismayed at the brokenness of the world. All things break. And all things can be mended. Not with time, as they say, but with intention. So go. Love intentionally, extravagantly, unconditionally. The broken world waits in darkness for the light that is you.” – L.R. Knost
Geez, I don’t even know where to begin except with a Reader’s Digest condensed novel, quick and dirty for those who are new here! I launched this site in September 2019, thinking that writing blog posts would be the best vehicle for shining LIGHT and giving others something to improve their life and feel less anxiety and stress (being all-zen-and-shit) even if only for a few minutes.
If you’re here from YouTube, thanks for following the link! I feel grateful that you’re visiting beyond the video and its description. YouTube allows only 5,000 characters in a description, and as much as I appreciate everyone who reads descriptions, I LOVE ALL THE SPACE THAT I HAVE OVER HERE! My blog allows me to take you beyond the video.
If you’re a returning visitor or even if you’re new to my blog, you’ve arrived at a great time because we’re in the midst of a Tacos and Tiaras transformation. I’m finally DOING what I’ve been trying to figure out HOW to do for the past three or so years.
By 2020 I was getting off track because I seemed to have a more natural flow with making short videos of my progress with learning ukulele and bringing cheer to others, and by 2022 I had completely derailed. I neglected this site by putting more of my time and energy into videos to bring light to others’ day via YouTube and Instagram, which also entails supporting other creators, and I left nothing for myself here.
Here!
This site is where I was able to get out of my head and share whatever thoughts with readers, in hopes that whatever I was thinking about, or what I was going through or what I had been through, would make a positive difference in someone else’s life even if that difference was that they didn’t feel so alone.
When you feel you’re alone Cut off from this cruel world Your instincts telling you to run Listen to your heart Those angel voices They’ll sing to you They’ll be your guide back home
When life leaves us blind Love keeps us kind It keeps us kind
When you’ve suffered enough And your spirit is breaking You’re growing desperate from the fight Remember you’re loved And you always will be This melody will bring you right back home
When life leaves us blind Love keeps us kind When life leaves us blind Love keeps us kind”
The Messenger lyrics (c) Universal Music Publishing Group
We’ve read so many quotes or memes about kindness and the importance of being kind to others because we don’t know what is going on in someone else’s life. I have it on my being all-zen-and-shit page:
“…my basic guidance for being all-zen-and-shit is simple – living intentionally and choosing actions that are fueled by compassion, empathy, kindness, and LOVE – to treat myself well in order to do the same for others. My hope is that more of us can start with kindness to ourselves and let it spread to others.”
Soooooooooo much I want to say, but let’s focus on The Messenger and that “love keeps us kind”. One of my longtime friends reached out to me with a book recommendation after she witnessed how I navigated my mom’s brief illness and death. Val felt that James Van Praagh’s The Power of Love: Connecting to the Oneness would resonate with me. It did. It did so much that I have gifted it many times since then in hopes of its positive effect on those people. Take a look on Amazon.
When we use the power of love, we become aware of our place in our world and the cosmos beyond. We know our worth, and we value life and the lives of other living beings. We feel connected to one another as the light within us shines on everyone. We become divine messengers of the One Source, recognizing that we are not separate, but rather part of the Oneness of all life.” – James Van Praagh
I had not thought of myself as a messenger, but I am a messenger, sharing and reiterating ideas that are already out there, hoping to reach those who need the reminders and those who had not yet heard them. I share about what I’ve learned from my experiences, and maybe someone who’s going through or has been through similar situations will feel less alone.
While getting back on track, I’ve looked at my old Passion Planners and found little bits that I had written down… things I had forgotten about until I read them again, but I also realized they had become part of my nature and I’ve BEEN doing them.
One of the things that I ran across after I recorded The Messenger was in a Passion Planner from March 2021: “I feel called to teach LOVE over fear”. This idea goes back to James Van Praagh. When I started writing this post, I thought, “I still don’t know how I’m going to do this” but I guess I HAVE BEEN TEACHING LOVE over fear without realizing it! Making videos is like making movies, and the point is to SHOW don’t tell. It’s just been by example through actions not words.
I love you. You’re probably thinking, ‘You don’t even know me.’ But if people can hate for no reason, I can love.” -seen on Pinterest.com and TinyBuddha.com
I would rather believe in the existence of POSITIVE things – that people are good, that a situation will work out favorably – because the law of attraction will bring more of what we think and thoughts manifest into reality. I would rather BE KIND to someone and expect the good until they show me otherwise. And for those who’ve shown me otherwise, I remain kind. As I’ve said with being all-zen-and-shit, I let others think what they want, let others misunderstand me, let them talk badly about me because it reflects on them and not me. Their true colors will show as will mine. I’ve even walked away from money owed to me and chalked it up to the price of my own peace. In my mind the grifter was a charity case because I gave out of kindness.
I feel grateful for all of the kindness flowing. One of the quotes floating out there is to the effect of if you want more kindness in the world, put it there.
I feel grateful for getting over fears that would have kept me from SHINING my light and doing what I do, being the light, and doing the things that bring people to my channels on social media and writing the posts that bring you here.
I feel grateful that you shared your time in reading this. I feel grateful that you’re allowing your journey to include mine. I hope that as we travel a shared path in life, that we’ll be able to see why our paths crossed.
And Chester Bennington was right: “This melody will bring you right back home.”
“The Messenger” brought me home, and I feel grateful that I’ve gotten back on track although I see now that I was never completely off track. I paused to cast my net without knowing.
Here’s to allowing Tacos and Tiaras and The Lighter Side with Leenie to become a known source for learning compassion, empathy, kindness, and love so that many more people can live their lives being all-zen-and-shit too.
Some of it’s magic, some of it’s tragic, but I’ve had a good life all the way.”
-Jimmy Buffett “He Went to Paris”
Another year has flown! I could duplicate last year’s birthday post because it still stands true that I’m figuring out how to make all the parts and pieces of Tacos and Tiaras flow and work together. And I remain grateful on my journey.
I feel grateful for the people who shine their light and inspire others. Whether they’re celebrities or people I know personally or am acquainted with on social media, whether it’s because of their creations or their comments on mine, some things click and help me along my path.
Last Saturday I woke up to the news that Jimmy Buffett died on Friday night (1 September 2023). In the mid-2000s I had spent a few years going to his concerts at venues closest to home (I think one of my blog posts says more about this so I’m gonna skip babbling more about it now LOL), and I feel grateful for all of the friendships formed because of Buffett’s music. I’m a fan and an admirer because he would SHINE so much fun, humor, and music. And for years people asked how much longer he would continue to perform, and he planned to keep going until he physically could not anymore. He stayed true to his word.
Jimmy Buffett privately fought cancer. For four years. And he continued to perform.
First things first – it reminded me that we don’t know what others are going through so simply BE KIND. Sometimes it feels like people forget there is a “whole other world of things going on in people’s lives” and that just because they don’t see it, it doesn’t exist. I felt comforted in realizing that Mr Buffett had his circle of trustworthy family and friends who kept HIS business private. It existed even if most of the world didn’t know it until after his death. It also reminded me of when one of my beloved Buffett Phamily was in her final days and our mutual friend appreciated her family letting her go in dignity and without a play-by-play of her final moments.
I feel grateful for another year of being able to shine light through Tacos and Tiaras whether it’s on Instagram or TikTok or Facebook or “The Lighter Side with Leenie” on YouTube. Sometimes it is less about my own creations and more about supporting others and their creations. So many talented and creative folks out there, and I feel happy to give them feedback and let them know how they brightened my day or how awesome they are for shining their unique light.
I feel grateful for another year of ALLOWING the flow because I arrive where I’m supposed to be and with everything/everyone aligned with my mission and purpose. And I feel grateful for everything that’s already on its way to me even if it’s still just around the bend and not yet in sight. 💜 🕯️ 💜
