It is so amazing to be amongst the beauty that is slowly emerging and coming to life. Seeing and hearing all the birds, insects, nature creatures, trees with new leaves, grass, and flowers starting to bloom. I find it so exciting, that after being outside, I come in the house yelling… “Guess what! The sunflowers have started to grow! I also saw a Red-winged Blackbird nest. A bumble bee flew past me and the muskrat in the dugout is out for a swim!”

It is exciting to witness the sunset colours in the sky. The golden hour moment where everything is lit up with a golden hue for a short period of time. The euphoric light of the sunrise. Time seems to pause. Allowing yourself to be in present time can be challenging when there are a lot of things going on. Let’s be real, life is busy. I will say this: the more you slow down and just enjoy “now” time, the more you will want. Spring and summer are beautiful seasons to learn and allow yourself to be more present. Nature is a beautiful canvas coming to life. Time is Wealth. Years seem to go by so fast. More than ever, it is important to slow down. So, where do you start? You can start by listening and watch the birds. Feeling the sunshine in your face. Take notice at the bark designs on the tree, veins of the leaf, or an insect crawling on it. Take 15 minutes and immerse yourself.

Gratitude is taking time to acknowledge the good in your life. Honouring those moments. When you choose to reflect and see the good in each day, you see more of it. There is so much that weighs heavy in our minds. Especially when life is fast paced. Sometimes those are things from the past. We need to make peace with the things that no longer serve us and heal from them. It takes away from present time. It is like a heavy backpack that gets carried around. It takes up a lot of time, and weighs us down. In fact, it robs us of the present time if we live too much in the future, and are fast forwarding all the time. We lose precious time of what is today. There is definitely a balance. Some days it is not easy. When we are mindful of this, we can make the effort. Just like anything that is practiced, it gets easier.

Think of it like putting on a special pair of glasses and seeing things differently than what you are used to.  Waking up each day on earth is a gift! We get to experience so many things and interactions in just one day, let alone one year. When you think of it in that perspective, each day is truly a blessing. It is also seeing that everything is happening for you, not to you. A great example is a train that causes you to wait for it when you have somewhere to be. What if that time waiting was for a reason? Rather than being upset about it, you can understand that it is what it is, for reasons you may never know. Not to mention, you can’t do much about it, but sit and wait.

A few years ago, Tim and I moved from city life of 20 years to country life. He grew up in the country most of his youth, but I have always been a city girl. We dreamed of having our own chickens and space to have large gardens. After years of looking, we soon realized that it was time to get on with it. It was enough talking and to start doing it. Fast forward to today, we have our own flock of laying hens, we are bee keepers, and we strive to live more self-sustainably by living in harmony with nature and being stewards of the land.
One of my passions is natural healing using plants and going back to the basics. The tried-and-true ways like our ancestors. After really looking into the products around us, I realized that they are laced with toxins. This was the catalyst to find a natural solution. Fast forward to today, we have a natural skin care line made with grass-fed tallow and infused with plants. Our whipped tallow for face and body is skin nourishing, moisturizing, non-greasy, does not clog pores, and leaves skin glowing. It has a luxurious feel and is available in three different formulas: Lavender, Grapefruit, and Sensitive Skin which is unscented. We also have our Tallow Bee Lip Balm collection, anti-aging eye serum, magnesium oil, jewelry, and wood burning art.

Our passion is to inspire others to live more in the moment, with a gratitude mindset. If you have a dream or goal, then go after it. Life is about the journey. You are not going to know things 100%. Go with the flow and learn as you go. Most importantly, do not let what people think, or say, deter you. This is your life, your journey, and experience.

“Never get tired of sunrises, sunsets, calming rain, and watching the stars at night. If you’re lucky, you’ll get to witness the magical light. Fill your cup with Gratitude and sip it slowly. Slow down to enjoy the journey. Treat yourself with love, compassion, understanding, and patience.  This beautiful life is meant to be experienced and to learn; to be in harmony, love, and surrender to the flow. Not saying it’s all rose-coloured glasses, but if you put the glasses on, you will see a world that is magical. If you listen close, you will seek to understand. The wealth is time. What we have is Now. The gift is in the small, beautiful things. Enjoy the Journey!”

Resha & Tim Zastrow, Humble Life Acres. Inspired by Nature, Gratitude & Living in the Moment. www.humblelifeacres.ca. Also see the display ad on page 10 of the 30.1 May/June issue of the WHOLifE Journal).