Home is a shelter from storms

“May I become at all times,
Both now and for ever,
A protector for the helpless,
A guide for the lost ones,
A ship for those to cross oceans,
And a bridge to cross rivers,
A sanctuary for those in danger,
A lamp for those in darkness,
A refuge for those who need shelter,
A servant to all in need.”

– Dalai Lama – 

When I woke up this morning, I knew that I would write a blog post today about the importance of shelter. 

Recently I have found myself needing to find a new place to live, and despite my best efforts of looking and searching, not much showed up. In fact, it wasn’t until all of my things were packed into a removal van, did I get a text message from a friend offering me to come and stay in their spare room. How funny the Universe can sometimes be, leaving you hanging, right until the 11th hour. 

So, even though it’s Christmas, and the majority of my possessions are in storage, I am very grateful to have had a place to stay for the last few weeks, and will have for the coming months. This stray Kat has a home for the foreseeable future. Better still, the people that I am living with are all beautiful, kind and incredibly compassionate. 

Plus, it seems as though I’m not the only stray who has been welcomed into the house, but another cat (who we have affectionately named Dave) has started to visit us regularly. In fact, I think he came to see us on 4 separate occasions yesterday. No sign of him today, but perhaps he’s enjoying some Christmas Treats with his own family today. 

I can’t tell you how special it is knowing that I have a loving home to come and live in. A place where I feel welcome, and that I belong. Even though my biological family are on the other side of the world, it is incredibly comforting to feel part of someone else’s, when it isn’t possible to be with them physically. 

And it is for this reason that the new company I am starting next year is supporting a Children’s Shelter in Kathmandu, Nepal called the Katja House Foundation. They exist to give shelter, food and clothing to the street children of Nepal. 

And for every tote bag that we sell through Katkin, we will give shelter to one street child for one night. 

There are over 30,000 street children in Nepal and there are 500 children a year that are added to that list in Kathmandu alone. 

There is a running joke in Australia, that if you’re an expat here at Christmas and you’re not with your family, then you are referred to as an orphan, and that is true for me this year. In fact it will only be the second Christmas out of the 33 years that I’ve been on this planet, that I won’t be spending it with my family. 

However, I’m grateful for the shelter and beautiful home that I have to live in, the lovely family that I am living with and the food, fun and frolics that we will all be enjoying together over the festive period. 

If you would like to buy a tote bag and provide shelter for a street child for one night, skip over to our crowd funding page to purchase one and help us raised $10k by 19 Jan to start our business in 2014. 

Wishing you a Merry Christmas Eve. 🙂

Sending you all love & light from Sydney,

Kat x x x

P.S.

Here is a beautiful song by the British songstress, Birdy called ‘Shelter‘.

Follow your truth

I’m giving up
This whole lie, this whole me
Call it out like a family
Instead I bide my time, get a ride
Until the rubber leaves the road

You said don’t lie so I made the truth
Seemed like a lie to even you
Control your fear. It’s clear
That you do not know where you’re going to

– Matt Corby –

So I’ve been here in LA for 6 days now and I have 3 left. It has been the most amazing trip so far, and I know that there are still some very wonderful times to come.

I came out here on a feeling. If you were to ask me for a logical or rational expectation as to why I felt the need to leave Sydney for LA, I wouldn’t be able to give you one. Some would call it a wild goose chase, others would say I was following my intuition. Either way, I’m really glad that I came.

Here are some of the photos that I’ve taken while I’ve been here.

Venice Canals – Venice Beach

Sunset at Santa Monica beach

Marina Del Rey

My beautiful friend Adrian took me on a hike up into the Hollywood Hills to see Griffith Park Observatory yesterday.

Amazing art that I saw being exhibited at the Arclight movie theatre last night by Andrea Fellers

Only in LA. I was walking behind this guy who was dressed in a gold sequinned Elvis catsuit with his pushbike walking along Sunset Boulevard earlier today. Awesomeness.

The most amazing Portobello Mushroom burger that I had earlier this evening at the Sprouted Garden Cafe/Cowboys & Turbans, which is a combination of both a deliciously organic & vegan restaurant and Indian Street Food in the area of Silverlake where I’m staying at the moment. Apparently it’s where all of the hipsters live. 🙂

I have already had some wonderful experiences (as you can see), met some very lovely people, and made some fantastic connections that I know will be helpful to me in my life. How and when I don’t know, but that is irrelevant.

I have also had some time to reflect and gain further clarity on some things in my life, which I would like to share. I started writing these down as I was having dinner earlier tonight at the most beautiful organic, vegan restaurant on Sunset Boulevard, and I’d like to include the list here.

1. I love my boyfriend very much. It’s true that I have missed him while I have been away, but not in the way that I have missed other boyfriends in the past. I have missed him, but without attachment. And moreover, I love him so very much for supporting me with the feeling that I had to come to LA from the beginning, around a month or so ago. Never once did he question why, or what for, he just simply supported me. And when I asked him initially if he thought I was crazy to feel the need to go based on my intuition, he simply replied that if I felt the need to go, I should go. I am so very grateful and blessed for his unconditional love and support.

2. I love yoga. I have only recently started getting back into yoga after having a bit of a hiatus for quite a few months. I started doing yoga a week or so before I left and I have kept up my practice in both Marina Del Rey (at the Yoga Nest) and now while I’m here in Silverlake One Down Dog at . And I must say it has been so transformative for me. Not only has it helped me to feel good on the inside and out, but it has helped me maintain a calm, peaceful and loving state of mind and help me to create the space needed to receive everything that the Universe has been giving to me while I am in LA, without me getting in the way.

3. I have the feeling to go to India next. Once again, don’t ask me why, but I feel as though that is the next country that I need to visit.

4. I’m very grateful for all of the wonderful case study examples that I have come across here in LA to use in the book I’m writing on conscious brands. I feel as though I’m surrounded by conscious companies that are doing so much good in the world.

5. I’m excited to start a new conscious clothing project. It’s taken me a few months to build up the courage to start this, but when I get back to Sydney I’m reading to kick things off big style.

And so, my thought for you today is this, are you following your truth in life? Are you letting you heart guide you or your head? Is there are feeling that you have inside of you to do something or go somewhere that you have been ignore? What’s the worst that would happen if you decided to follow that feeling and do what feels true for you? What if there was no good or bad, no right or wrong? How would you make decisions differently?

My goal for every day at the moment is to be as loving, joyful and peaceful a being as I can possibly be. And show gratitude for every wonderful moment that I experience, while following my truth on this incredible planet we call earth.

Sending you lots of love, hugs and light,

Kat x x x

Inspiration for this post

Los Angeles, Califorina, USA

Matt Corby – Resolution – Live at the Enmore Theatre, Sydney

Photo credit – hlkljgk

Thank You More Please

‘With gratitude the Universe is eternally abundant.’

happythankyoumoreplease

Darren and I watched a fantastic film the other night called happythankyoumoreplease and it has inspired me to write a blog post on the importance of gratitude.

I’ve known this for quite some time, and the messages have been coming to me from all over the place about the importance of being grateful for all that you have in life, especially when we are wishing to manifest something that we would love to experience in our lives.

The first time the message came to me strongly was when I watched Shaun Anchor’s fantastic TED talk ‘The Happiness Advantage‘ where he says that it’s important to list at least three things you are grateful for every day.

Last week I went on a course about finances, and the lady running the course reminded us that in order for us to go with the flow of the energy of the Universe, we must first be grateful for all that we have, before it can send any more energy our way, especially in the form of money.

And so I decided to start (and most importantly, commit to) Daily Gratitudes.

Have an attitude of gratitude

So, the first thing I do when I wake up, before I meditate, shower, eat breakfast or touch my laptop or phone, is pick up a piece of paper and pen from my bedside table and make a list of everything that I am grateful for in my life.

Importantly, this is an exhaustive list. A list that I keep writing until I can’t think of anything else to write. A list that can sometimes include around 40 items (the longer the better!). I these are all things that I am genuinely, wholeheartedly and honestly grateful for.

Then I pop the list back on my bedside table and make a point of reading it again before I go to bed. This is so that before I drift off to sleep, I have filled me head and my subconscious with positive, grateful thoughts, that will then ensure I have a good, happy nights sleep and enjoy positive dreams.

And the film, well I won’t tell you too much about it, but I will say that there is a beautiful message in the film about the importance of saying thank you whenever something good happens, or someone does something nice for you. Followed by ‘More Please’, so that the Universe knows to give you more lovely things.

It’s written and directed by Josh Radnor or ‘How I Met Your Mother’ fame and I can highly recommend it as a feel good film. Oh, and it won an award at the Sundance Film Festival in  2010.

Thank You More Please.

Sending you lots of love, hugs and light,

Kat x x x

Inspiration for this post

The film ‘happythankyoumoreplease‘

The Happiness Advantage TED talk by Shaun Anchor

We are all mirrors of one another

“One should treat others as one would like others to treat oneself”

– The Golden Rule –

The people that we attract into our lives are gifts. Opportunities for us to learn about ourselves and become the best version of ourself possible.

What we love and adore in someone else, we love and adore in ourselves. And what annoys or frustrates us in another, reflects annoyances and frustrations that we have yet to resolve in ourselves.

‘Like attracts like’ (as in The Law of Attraction) is one of the spiritual laws of the Universe and when we see ourselves through the mirror of another, we have a wonderful opportunity to reflect.

You get back, what you put out into the Universe. So if you are being surrounded by people who elicit habits or traits you dislike, seek to make those changes inside yourself and in your life, and you will transform the people around you.

Equally, the more loving, respectful, helpful and grateful you are towards the people in your life, the more that will be reflected straight back to you.

I stumbled across this beautiful video of two twin babies having a lovely chat and mirroring one another on You Tube recently. It has had over 85 million hits, so there is clearly something very special about it. I think it is probably the most wonderful example of just how perfect a mirror we are for one another.

If you wish to see more happiness, joy, fun, laughter, kindness in your life, all you need to do is put it out into the Universe and it will be reflected right back to you.

Love, light and big hugs x x x

Inspiration for this post

Talking Twin Babies video – You Tube