Author: Elise Kindya

Hey friends!

I want to share a trait that I think is lacking in our instant gratification society, but is THE answer to living a happy life. That trait is patience.

I recently finished a children’s book illustration class. During it, we learned about different techniques to use when creating art, what types of themes to consider, ways to shape the book by focusing on character design, and other aspects of children’s book illustration.

The reason I took this class is that I have written a children’s book, and wanted to keep this dream of getting the book published alive and well in my mind. However, while I love painting and drawing, I don’t think I have an entire book’s worth of illustrations in me. I knew from the syllabus that the teacher would go over the industry (getting an agent, publishing houses and details, etc) with us during the final week of the class. This is the information I was craving and waiting for.

Last week, the second to last week of the class, the teacher came around and checked in with everyone. During our check in, I told him that I had decided that I don’t want to illustrate the book. He said, “So you’ve pretty much been waiting this whole time for the last week, huh?” While I did enjoy drawing and dreaming about my book, I told him that, yes, I was waiting for the last week. He said “You’re very patient!” That struck me.

A lot of people might think that I had wasted a lot of time by being in the class, learning about art techniques I would not be using. But, I saw being in this class as an opportunity to continue to think about, dream about and talk about my book becoming real. I knew that the teacher is an expert, and I wanted to hear about his perspective and experience in the book publishing industry. Some of the information is Google-able, but a lot of what I want to know is real life people and what they have been through.

I have been reflecting on patience a lot lately. If you want something in life, it is important to put in the work, do your research, spend time dedicated to what you are aiming for, and don’t expect it to manifest instantly. Seeds get planted, take root, need nurturing, and start growing long before they produce flowers, fruit or vegetables. The result you want is in the consistency you put into it. Patience is a very important aspect of reaping rewards.

Hey everyone!

I was inspired to share my favorite manifestation thus far. While it was not intentional, it felt perfectly aligned with who I am, and who I want to show up as in the world.

Last Friday morning, May 3rd, I was running late. This tends to happen in my life, and is something I am actively attempting to rectify. This particular morning, the first Friday of May, was Mindful Mornings. This event is really interesting, because it brings folks together between 8-9:15 am every first Friday of the month to shine light on a particular topic and a person who embodies this topic in the community. Food is served, conversation and connection are encouraged, and time is dedicated to a wonderful cause.

Before I left my house, a thought crossed my mind. “One day, I’d really like to be involved in Mindful Mornings.” and I visualized a vague picture of myself on the stage in front of people, probably sharing something that is important to me. These were the only details. I kind of acknowledged the thought, had a feeling of excitement about it, and then allowed it to pass. I grabbed my car keys and purse and left for the event.

As I arrived, I knew I was about 10 minutes late. I was kind of bummed about this, as, like I mentioned, I want to release the drama of being late. As I was signing in, I noticed Becky (the founder of Mindful Mornings), talk to people at the registration table, including Sydney, who I knew through the Rebelle community. I saw Sydney kind of pointing at me and I was like “OMG why is she pointing at me, what did I do?”. As it turns out, Becky was asking if they knew anyone at the event who could lead the group in a 3-5 minute meditation before the program, and Sydney was pointing at me. Becky turned to me and asked if I would be willing and able to do this.

I immediately felt some things happen in my body: my heart was pounding, my face and neck started to feel warm, I started sweating a little bit and I had butterflies in my stomach- I was scared! I knew from mindfulness and meditation practice that these were signs that I was scared in that good way- that I was being pushed outside my comfort zone in a way that would help me grow and stretch into who I want to show up as.

“Yes” was my answer to Becky. “Yes” was my answer to all the people in the room. And, most importantly, “Yes!” was my answer to myself. I knew that in that moment, my intuition was speaking to me. The Universe was speaking to me. The thing I casually thought about in the morning before leaving for the event was crystalizing and coming together right in this moment! Within 15 minutes of arriving, I was stepping out onto the stage. I was answering my call. I was stepping into the highest version of myself.

Manifesting can be that easy. What I have learned is that being detached from the outcome is key, at least for me. The Universe can help put all the perfect, specific pieces in place. If I can provide the deep desire and feeling, as well as the vague idea of what I want to see materialize in my life, the Universe will take care of arranging the details. It is always better than we can imagine it.

Photo of Becky Crump and I from Friday, May 3, 2019. Photo by Gianna Grace Photography

Hello! My name is Elise and I am so glad you are here. I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself and talk about some of my passions.

My mantra is, “leave things better than you found them.” Whether that means wiping something that has been spilled, attempting to bridge communication gaps, or smiling at a stranger, I want my impact on this world to be as positive as possible. With this being said, throughout my life, I have always been in search of the truth. The truth sometimes makes things worse before it can make things better. Discovering the truth can be a painful, scary and life-altering process. But, I am doggedly devoted to the truth. With an Aquarius sun and a Scorpio moon, I am constantly consumed with aspiring to make the world a better place, while digging deeper into the reasons why people experience so much suffering. It is my belief that when we know what causes suffering in our lives, we will do what we can to change it, to make our world a better place, and hopefully the world of those we love will get better as well. Positive impact all around, while going through some trials and tribulations on the way.

I came to this place of needing to improve and understanding what is true as a survivor of trauma. I have consistently peeled back layers to understand my mental health. While this has been and continues to be painful, it is necessary if I am to be free. For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to rise above my circumstances, and the judgement I put on my circumstances, and have a life worth living. With this in mind, I became an LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker). My main focus was to help children who were suffering to become aware of these patterns and help them make informed decisions about who they want to show up as in the world. In my clinical work, I taught children healthy coping skills, social and emotional skills, and communication. I discovered that a great modality for this was mindfulness. I began to practice mindfulness myself and teach it to children and families. While looking for great books to teach children about mindfulness, I decided to write my own. More info on that TBA. However, after all this work, I found myself depleted, disheartened and burned out.

I took time away from clinical work. I detached (classic Aquarius) and listened to podcasts, watched movies, and had low-stress jobs. But my Scorpio moon still needed to be fulfilled, and started looking through the ‘gram for inspiration. Through all this digging, I came across mindset work. This is something I could really sink my teeth into. Through this work and learning from some awesome mindset coaches via podcasts, I found out about the power we have over the mind. While there are circumstances that are outside of our control, we always have control over how we choose to think about our circumstances. I felt very empowered by the idea that I could influence my life by focusing on my thoughts and my feelings. I could change my experience of my life by choosing to think a different thought about what was going on around me. When I discovered this, I knew I had to share it with as many people as I could. I have begun teaching workshops on visualization and mindfulness in the City of Richmond (see Events Calendar for dates and locations).

Thank you so much for joining me on this journey. I look forward to shedding light on topics ranging from children’s mindset, parenting roles, family dynamics and how families can heal the world.