Thrive As You

As promised, I'm going to explain how I ended up with "thrive as you" for the name of my new website.  This is just part one.  There are times when I have so much to say on a topic that I don't know where to begin and therefore I just don't.   So I decided to beak this up into the many different facets of how I landed on this word, thrive. When I first started doing yoga nearly two years ago, here's how and why I started my journey.  A new yoga studio opened in my town and they offered a groupon that was, as groupons are, a ridiculously good deal for some cheap yoga.  So I bought it!  And then didn't go to yoga for about 6 months. But continued to wear yoga pants just in case.  You see, I have been medically diagnosed with a severe allergy to exercise.  Okay not really but the truth is, I. HATE. EXERCISE.  Like truly people, as a writer I can't even think of the words to express how much I hate it.  Over the course of my life I have...

I hope you like the way this blog looks because it's going to be getting some changes.  AGAIN.  I love change.  Some people hate it, but I love it.  Sometimes it's painful as hell but man, transformation feels so damn good, right? So here's the thing.  I'm ready to make some big changes.  I'm ready to receive some big changes.  Just over a year ago, you may remember that I created a " Super Moon Manifesto ."  I achieved almost everything on my manifesto.   Really.  It was in a sealed envelope.  I wrote it and never read it again for another month and when I did I was shocked to learn I had accomplished almost everything.  Maybe the right word is, manifested .  So why did it take me another year to write one?   I should be writing one every month, and so should you.  But I digress.  I wrote another one last week as I was flying to Arizona.  I titled this one, "The Super Sky Manifesto."  and I...

There are a few of you who already know my "big announcement" but for those of you who don't, read on. This weekend, I'm going to training to be certified to become a yoga instructor for kids. Now, there's a lot of questions that go along with this statement.  The first of which is usually... "Wait, kids do yoga?" Do kids MOVE?  Like... at all?  OK, then they are doing yoga.  Yoga is the foundation for ALL movement.  Yes really. I see a whole lot of yoga going on in this picture.   Look at this kid stretching for soccer or basketball or whatever "manly" sport he's prepping for.  Yup, that's yoga. Wait, a PLANK is yoga?  Oh yes. I googled some gymnastics photos.     That's called "Natarajasana" or "Dancers Pose" Yoga, Yoga, Yoga. Looks like Yoga to me! This is just bad a$$ and makes me smile. Have you ever seen a child bend over and touch their toes?  That's ...

Just yesterday I was talking to a very dear friend of mine and I asked him what his word was.  He answered "Believe."  Which is, of course, as mentioned here,  my original word.  I let him have it, both because he played the "I'm older than you," card and because, I'm starting to learn that our words can change, and for that matter should change, just as the seasons of our life. Doorway will of course always be my "thing."  And I love the word " doorwa y" and all it represents, but but it never quite sat with me that my word...... was a noun.   You would think after getting the word "Enough" tattooed on my wrist that, in fact, would be my word for this season of my life, but it's not.  "Enough" is the word I need to read every day, several hundred times a day as a reminder.  But it's not, "My word." My word, is fearless.  It seems virtually impossible, doesn't it?  To live without fear...

A lot of people are curious about how I, April Schmidt came to be baptized yesterday.  After all I've spent the last 20 years or so denouncing religion in general.  The truth is, I'm still not a major fan of "religion" but that's another blog post FOR SURE.  The thing about this wonderful church I've found, or rather was led to (more on that in a minute) is that they aren't really all that concerned with "religion" either.  All they want to do is help you have a relationship with God.  That statement alone is what got me to walk in the door. So a bit of history.............. I feel like I have to tell the story of HOW I got to this moment. I was teaching preK  and I had this student.  Looking back now, I can see that she wasn't "my favorite," but I was drawn to her light.  Every day I looked forward to seeing this little 4 year old angel and her smile just made my day.  I was going through my divorce, but not going through my A...