Steps to Awaken Your Inner Force

Welcome to EvanaLife, meet Evana.

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Focus! Business Card Pic!

Ignite Your Force

Hello everyone, I’m Evana and I am here to celebrate life’s journey with you. Most people I know say things like “I’ve always wanted to…” and would love to not have any regrets at the end of their lives.

We are here to create experiences and memories while maintaining positive, healthy relationships. Are we igniting our own passion as we were meant to?” Are we using some of our time focusing on those things that make us feel most alive? Are we creating joy for ourselves and those around us?

We all know that answer. You will know by the shape of your lips in the morning.

Everyone has a passion, something that makes them tick, gets them excited. That passion is best shared so that others can be inspired as well. I have found my passion in writing and enjoy lifelong learning, nature, music, the arts and inspiring others.

My first writing was inspired by fairy tales and when I was five or six, my mother told me that she caught me in the closet writing short stories. I am a lover of words, and all art forms of expressions. Here at EvanaLife, I will share my writing, poetry and present some of my favorite quotes from myself and others.

Most importantly, I created this blog site for everyone because I have a deep yearning to help people ignite their own flame that can set the world on fire. Therefore, I welcome all readers to share their stories about what makes them tick. In addition, I plan to talk to already established writers, musicians and artists to find out what stimulated them to do what they do.

To accomplish this, I will discuss various forms of expressions such as music and art starting with writing itself. For some, inspiration comes through a hardship, a change in life, a mentor that changed your life, an illness, moments of awe and wonder, a travel experience or an encounter with art, books or music. For others, memories of childhood and seeing through your younger self’s eyes again is of great help.

 

Set The World On Fire

~by Evana

Go, do, pursue,

find what’s inside –

can’t keep it locked up,

needs out of the cup,

don’t wait ’till times’ up.

Find that what you feel,

believe that it’s real,

it’s you that needs out,

without any doubt.

Never stop pursuing growth,

Never take anyone for granted,

Always do what you love,

No regrets.

Yours truly,

 Evana

Thanks for joining me!

P.S. To learn more about EvanaLife, feel free to check out these articles:

 

Begin Again

https://wordpress.com/page/evanalife.com/51

Steps to Awaken Your Inner Force

https://wordpress.com/page/evanalife.com/27

 

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter.

— Izaak Walton

Kindness Matters Series, Steps to Awaken Your Inner Force

Angels Cry When the Heart Sighs…

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Angels cry when the heart sighs,

sometimes one must say good-bye –

love is painful when one-sided,

our hearts cry out, it hurts our pride.

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When you find you’ve tried without luck

let things flow by –

sometimes there is change, sometimes not

and we divide

when we are faced with love denied.

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With a closed heart, love has no where to go,

who can say when the roads meet –

keep safe your heart of gold.

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We swallow our pride, swim against the tide,

and keep to our own tribe.

Once again, it seems, we’ve been taken for a ride.

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No one can help those preoccupied,

no need to worry to stay on their good side,

life’s too precious to be pushed aside.

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Sooner or later you’ll begin to confide

and once again hit your stride,

no need to stay down and hide –

you know your strength is deep down inside.

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With each coming day you’ll be satisfied,

that life is wonderful and becomes beautified –

you’ll feel purified from those your love was denied.

No more living on the wrong side,

always remember to confide in him divinified.

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Soon you’ll be on the upside

and have amplified your life’s purpose –

It’s time to realize that and shine with pride.

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You are perfect in God’s eyes:

he always sees, always hears

and always cries your tears.

He wants to help you see each sunrise

as an every day surprise!

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…Angels cry when the heart sighs…

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Blessings,

Evana.

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Are you empowered to go “full flower”?🌼

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Flowers seed, then flowers bloom,

in which stage of your flower are you?

In you lives your own flower,

wait ‘till you hear what it can do!

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Think of things that excite you,

what raises others up,

things that ignite you.

That’s the best tea to brew in your cup:

be true to yourself and find a way

to make other people’s days.

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Practicing kindness generates joy

for those around you and yourself too.

Kindness is love that gives without conditions,

you will be blessed with renewed ambitions,

hard work brings on fruition.

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It’s time to start your own mission.

Toot your horn and blaze your trail

it’s never too late for new ships to sail.

Are you ready to become empowered?

Time for fresh air to be inhaled.

Standing straight in all your glory

having changed your own life’s story.

Head held high with pride and joy,

feel the sun upon your face

to your new ship say

“Ahoy!”

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You can be a catalyst for your self renewed-

all hail to your new power

to go “Full Flower”!

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And lastly, here’s some good advice from Arnold Swarzenegger: “Celebrate your little wins and use them as fuel. They are proof that you’re moving forward, and they build the habits that carry you through when motivation fades.

The secret to lasting success isn’t one great leap. It’s a million tiny steps. Now take your first step.”

~ Arnold Schwarzenegger in “Schwarzenegger Newsletter, Monday Motivation 9/15/25”

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Be blessed,

Evana.

Kindness Matters Series, Steps to Awaken Your Inner Force

Create Love 💖Alive!

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“To be or not to be – I am.

To see or not to see – I can.

To love or not to love – I do.

To live or not to live – I will.”

~ E. Lang

If you are a creator,

you are a part of creation,

so let’s spur a creation nation.

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Only if you’re impatient

with yourself and others

you will feel alienation.

Alienation is like isolation

against association,

deviation from liberation.

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You’re either part of creation

or part of destruction

in the making,

no need faking:

truth thinking leads to leading

but most are blindly agreeing

without looking,

and without seeing.

To be or not to be – I am.

To see or not to see – I can.

To love or not to love – I do.

To live or not to live – I will.

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Don’t agree that all is true

when it goes against me

and goes against you –

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We are all here for a short time.

Time cannot be bought –

the clock chimes.

God wants us to stand up

for what we believe

not blindly be deceived

and follow someone else’s lead.

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We are all meant to lead,

leaders make leaders

our need is to believe –

we stand up for what’s right

even when not well received

from those uptight.

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Those who at first we falsely perceive as bright,

then somehow plow right through the ✋ stoplight

as we regarded them as polite without foresight.

Those that enjoy attention from the spotlight

until we feel no delight in the plight of a snakebite.

To be or not to be – I am.

To see or not to see – I can.

To love or not to love – I do.

To live or not to live – I will.

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Don’t agree that all is true

when it goes against me

and goes against you –

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People are easily convinced

without using their own minds

letting other choose and not resist

to dismiss the unfixed

and continue confined in a bind.

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Quick to react, quick to judge –

so much easier not to budge,

to not think on their own

and also quick to raise the tone.

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Much harder it is to keep our calm,

God’s comfort acts as soothing balm

as he holds us in his palm

as our savior and strongest hold

keep safe your heart of gold. 💛

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To all with him console:

🙌 May your most beautiful 🌺 life unfold!

To be or not to be – I am.

To see or not to see – I can.

To love or not to love – I do.

To live or not to live- I will.

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“The most beautiful thing you can do today? Make someone feel like they matter. Not with money or fame, but with your heart.” ~ Author unknown 💗

Keep Love, Be Love and Live in Love!

God’s blessings,

Evana.

Steps to Awaken Your Inner Force

Blessed Words of Songbirds…

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Have you heard birds sing lately?
Let your words and actions ring greatly
every day you are alive!

~E. Lang

Some of us are singing in the car,

doesn’t matter who you are,

let your world resound with joy –

go ahead and revive

your deepest desire to thrive!

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There’s no reason we shouldn’t strive

towards our highest potential

derived from the inside

brought out to arrive and jive

a trillion miles high.

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Have you heard birds sing lately?

Let your words and actions ring greatly

every day you are alive!

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So keep the flame inside alive

even if you feel off track,

even if you feel held back:

There’s no one else on earth like you,

only YOU can bring to life

your biggest dreams, it’s true!

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Be patient and humble –

life is full of tumbles,

but no need to grumble,

we all at times stumble.

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Have you heard birds sing lately?

Let your words and actions ring greatly

every day you are alive!

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Make sure you keep a journal

for dreams and goals internal

it helps gather thoughts

and ideas become organized,

making them more apparent on paper

so plans can be comprised then realized.

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Goals and objectives,

strategies and tactics

are effective directives

it’s okay to sometimes turn full detective

as long as you have a connective objective

that is of God and You reflective, not circumspective.

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Have you heard birds sing lately?

Let your words and actions ring greatly

every day you are alive!

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Problems come and problems go –

they’re part of life as we know,

what can be done is circumvent,

there are many ways to repent!

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Problems are opportunities in workpants

see the “lesson learning” chance,

everything is “figure-out-able,”

it’s time to head to the round table,

put all your cards on it

and always keep your heart safe and stable.

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Have you heard birds sing lately?

Let your words and actions ring greatly

every day you are alive!

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Be insistent

to stay consistent and persistent.

We all have the need to achieve –

no time to grieve but be relieved

it’s vital to believe not self deceive

why not find the ace up your sleeve?

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At this hour

it’s time to grow,

and time to empower

so you can show your glow

and accept your superpower.

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It’s time to let it shower of Love, Peace and Kindness!

Blessings,

Evana.

Steps to Awaken Your Inner Force

The Creative Life Force…follow your heart to the son’s shine!

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When you know

you’re not always

gonna be around;

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You just gotta gotta gotta do

what you neeeed to –

Daddy said:

“Do what you can’t live without,”

so get to work and stop the pout.

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Many a day seems like

we’re waiting to get back –

back to our masterpieces

so we don’t lose track.

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Lose track of who we are inside,

lose track of the plans and dreams alive.

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Alive we are most when at work

deep in thought in overdrive

trying so hard to thrive

and always when getting back to it

having to revive what we are living inside,

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Every time it seems I try –

I start, I begin.

It starts as a thought, a reflection,

a vision that’s full of meaning.

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I get in second gear,

get all excited –

and then –

then duty calls

to go –

again.

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We are all living it.

it’s in the life of artists,

dreamers, creators,

writers and music people.

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In everything that is created,

God is there so elated,

being patient in our court,

cheering us on in support.

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When we get back

to our expressive work,

what comes natural to us.

again he is there

always in his ways

he is there for us,

this we can trust.

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We are closer to him

when we do go(o)d works.

He works through us

and helps us through too.

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The older we get,

the more we may

understand –

ourselves and him

if only we let it in.

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The paths we chose at first

may not be the chosen ones.

but if we find it –

what’s ours and begin

to go where it takes us

with no thoughts of a win,

where we feel the most

heart pull and strength

from within,

that’s the place you’ll be in tune

without being plugged in.

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When we figure out how

we can help others of sin,

God’s road may come with some spin,

to him we’re all his children akin

so find your place within.

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The push, the pull, the tug,

the struggle is real.

God asks us to give it to him –

surrender and kneel.

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The guidance we need is right there

as long as we follow his light,

for his children he always cares,

his light shines very bright!

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He won’t ever let you down,

goes where you do

knows all the towns

and can shine through You too.

Be blessed on your journey,

you’re loved more than you know,

remember with God

you’ll be ever aglow!

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Blessings,

Evana.

Steps to Awaken Your Inner Force

“Dance to the Beat of Life with the Spirit of Youth” ~ Author unknown

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Try a New Rhythm of Life…

Try a new rhythm of life:

Be the Light!

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Stop, think and reflect,

then rise with respect.

Let go when you feel triggered,

You know there’s something much bigger –

than ourselves.

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Learn to be humble and aware of your emotions,

don’t resist to work through them

and just go through the motions.

When you feel a heightened stress,

it’s time to stop, think and reflect.

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It’s time to try a new rhythm,

try a new rhythm of life:

time is wasted with criticisms,

every day choices

are your own decisions.

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Let go and feel the beat,

let go and tap your feet –

let go of your inhibitions

and get yourself into condition

to be driven by ambition

and create NEW traditions

always through a mission.

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Rise n’ connect through common ground,

be duty bound all year ’round,

let’s make booming ground for the world’s best sound!

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Be done throwing your weight around

and aim for thriving ground,

it’s never too late

to turn around.

It’s never too late to be your best

first rate –

transition into the new rendition

of the new improved You,

“in for a penny, in for a pound” –

be all about it

to shift your ground.

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It doesn’t hurt to change your perspective,

the one you’ve held onto to protect you.

Do we realize that it’s actually neglective?

Of your true needs misconstrue.

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Think of how you see things,

your perception –

is it time for a new rhythm of life:

always think higher, it’s super effective,

let’s all work together

for the best possible projective!

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Stop, think and reflect,

let go and feel the beat,

rise n’ connect –

it’s never too late

to try a new rhythm of life,

be the light!

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Blessings,

Evana.

Steps to Awaken Your Inner Force

Find Your Happy Place

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Strolling along the ocean’s shore

listening to waves – thinking –

there’s so much more

of this world to explore!

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it’s fun to travel to places

and finding Go(o)d spaces

within our souls and minds –

the better part of us that shines.

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Find Your Happy Place

even if you don’t like your space

there is a way to quiet the race:

go out to nature and slow your pace.

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Close your eyes, hear and taste –

the sounds and smells of nature’s embrace.

Let the magic of nature

help you out of life’s chase.

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Listen to the waves crash and roar,

we all are free when we soar –

when we give it our all to our core.

Soar way above the ocean’s floor,

beyond your troubles – just open the door!

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Keep thinking higher,

look up to the sky:

see the birds,

the clouds,

the stars –

God always knows

where You are.

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Always stop to listen,

stop to hear,

and really get in tune

what loved ones

are saying

to you.

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Be patient and humble,

kind never hurts –

find the part of you

that seeks peace.

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Make meaningful connections in all directions

those projections become great reflections

into our world…

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What a beautiful place we live in,

we’re so lucky to have our days;

Make sure you never forget

to be grateful in thoughts and prayers.

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Breathe in the days’ fresh air,

leave your worries at the door

and enjoy nature’s beauty galore!

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Wishing you peace, love and kindness,

Evana.

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Steps to Awaken Your Inner Force

Glide or Fly…and the Garden of Evana

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Whether you glide or fly,

don’t let nature’s beauty pass you by.

Photo courtesy of Fernando Gonzalez 💖

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Glide

or

fly

like a bird

in the sky.

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Should I glide,

or should I fly,

pump my wings a little bit

like pedals on a bike –

don’t quit.

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Should I glide,

or should I fly? –

Force like an engine’s power

every day and every hour –

be careful to not be misled.

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When you need to take a break,

glide a while

just let things go

for your own sake.

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Rest to perch on a branch,

use “God’s time” to reflect –

some things take time to figure out

listen to songs of nature to reconnect.

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Should I glide,

or should I fly?

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Set your mind free

of the overwhelm pattern

to release your new mind

from all the chatter

after receiving

nature’s gift of wonder

in a generous lather.

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Do you remember as a kid

riding up a hill?

It can be constant climbing for a while

until you improve your skill.

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Many things that one loses

can be rebuilt –

persist to be enriched

and flip your script.

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When it comes to personal growth

resist to just float instead devote –

Look up and promote your best self

imagine that you’re making an oath

to yourself to lift and shift not drift.

Keep faith, hope and your will

and you can refill

your cup of love

and let go of thoughts of ill.

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Everything that goes up

also comes back down,

keep your feet firmly planted on the ground.

Everything that gets planted –

grows to expose that what you compose.

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Things that are buried

eventually come to surface

so live with purpose and let your best flow.

You can smell it from your nose

and feel it in your toes!

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The energy that surrounds us is ours

let’s use the time we have to empower:

clear our minds of ill and use our hours

to make space for the most beautiful flowers.

Practice planting super healthy seeds

to grow our best possible garden of life indeed!

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Chaos and Inflammation

is in many a nation –

time to manage better control

of what we accept

into our mind, body and soul.

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Should I glide or should I fly?

Is up to you to know

which way is up,

think higher and fill your cup.

Within your soul you know what’s right,

within your minds depth it all aligns,

listen to these inner truths

and you will soar in flight.

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When it’s time to start your day,

you’ll have all the strength God gifted us with

so chose the better way!

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Love, Peace and Kindness,

Evana.

Steps to Awaken Your Inner Force

Your Soul Is Meant to Soar…

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Invest in Your Best and Grow to Glow!

If you can’t control,

let it roll –

don’t let it take a toll

on your body, mind and soul.

It’s always good to console

with a friend or friendly soul,

get it off your chest

and take a rest,

let it be a a test to manifest

only your best to progress,

no stress, be blest.

Once we surrender to God’s speed,

our shackles are loosened and freed.

God’s always in control

that’s what’s true –

it’s the good news

that helps us out of the blues.

Invest in your best,

be open to others stressed,

think about how you can help,

yet always be true to yourself.

Invest in your best

and never mind the past,

grow forward and progress –

that’s the way ahead with no regrets.

Invest in your best,

give way to the pressure

that you take on as stressor,

be there for others and your woes

will be lesser.

Don’t ration your compassion

with yourself or others,

realize you matter

in all your own troubles.

Keep your love in check with one another,

let the ego go and not be bothered.

What makes a difference in one’s world

is how you live and how you think.

It always helps to be patient and humble

this helps prevent situations to crumble.

We can never really know

what a person is going through-

it doesn’t hurt to listen with intent

we could learn something new.

It helps to aim to understand,

practice patience and self control,

then you too can grow to glow!

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Bless and be blessed,

Evana.

Vessels On a Stormy Sea…

Vessels on a stormy sea,

are tossed around unexpectedly

what can they do

but trust their faith-

hold on to it

to see it through.

Vessels on a stormy sea

is how we feel emotionally

before we find our strength –

the kind that moves mountains

to any size or length.

Faith and hope

are deeply rooted

in our needs to cope.

Wishing you Faith, Hope, Peace and Love,

Evana.

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A most memorable RV trip:

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“Crack, Crash and Shatter – in the end, none of that mattered.”
End of Summer 2018…

Started in a rain storm and finished in good company ☺️

From the Irish ☘️ Hills to Michigan’s Largest Waterpark…

It was nearing the end of summer and my sons & I decided to rent an RV to go to, according to stats, the “Biggest Waterpark in Michigan” in Boyne City, Michigan. At the time we lived in the gateway of the Irish ☘️ Hills which was Onsted, Michigan.

Preparation Monday…

We took a heck of a lot of time preparing for our trip and Mom (I) made sure we had everything we could need on our first ever RV trip. I packed towels, games, snacks, food, an emergency 🆘 kit, books, etc. Even before we started our actual journey, things started happening that were out of our control…

I took my son to pick up the RV in Petersburg, Michigan and it was around an hour away. On the way we passed our exit and ended up being late (go figure, right? 🤪). The family that maintained the vehicle along with other recreational vehicles needed to take off soon so he wouldn’t get his son too late ⏰ to his soccer game 😔😲🤦‍♀️.

 

So, of course by the time we got there (and had been on an hour ride without stopping), I had to go to the bathroom 🚽🤣. Without waiting any longer, the owner of the vehicle started going through the inside- and outside of the gorgeous RV with us to make sure everything was looking good. I had to interrupt ✋the inspection real quick to take my restroom break and decided to let my son finish the final inspection. 

As I returned, I was provided with the key and a few more tips and important information/instructions.

Finally with RV…

Off we went, well… I had driven a 24 passenger vehicle before but it had been a while so it was going to take some “getting used to.”

It didn’t take me long to miss a road (again) where we were supposed to turn. I immediately decided to turn at the next closest driveway and was relieved to find it close enough. The bad news was that the driveway was NOT a circle ⭕️ drive which meant that I had to back out this large RV out of these folks looong driveway. Oopsi 🙊😅.

I’ll never forget the sight of watching the neighbors watching us that had a house and property right next to the driveway we were backing up out of. They were all outside for some reason watching this spectacle!!! (Us) The entire family was all lined up outside enjoying some “live entertainment.” And I backed out verrrry carefully and verrrry slowwwwly too. 😅😆

…still in “preparation” phase

My plan was to treat my son to a Cabela’s meal at their restaurant upstairs at Cabela’s. The restaurant however was closed when we got there. No problem at all, maybe another time. So we went ahead and had a meal at a restaurant in the nearby plaza.

After we ate and walked 🚶‍♀️ out to our RV, I couldn’t help but notice that the windshield was noticeably cracked, 😲something I definitely did NOT notice before, but then – what if it was there and I was too busy and overlooked it?! 😳

So, I immediately called the owner after I took a few pics of the issue and he said we could just “deal with it when we return.” Whew.

So, then we returned home to gather my other two sons. As we were finally ready to begin our actual journey to leave from home, we were all hungry so we stopped at Artesian Well’s, a nearby restaurant that serves really good brisket and pulled pork. The restaurant is located right next to a Harley Davidson dealership and the restaurant has classic Harley Davidson motorcycles displayed on window area shelves that you can see when driving by. By then we all had noticed that that crack in the windshield had turned into a backwards candy cane! No worries, that windshield “wasn’t all that it was cracked up to be”, LOL

Day 2: Tuesday

…Let’s GO already…😅

Alrighty then, off we went heading north. I was lucky 🍀 enough to have three sons so each one ☝️ of them could take turns to be “co-pilot.”

…Here comes the storm ⛈️ da-da-dada…🎶

After several hours of driving north, it started to rain. 🌧️ The rain turned into a full blown thunderstorm and soon we couldn’t even see to drive since the wind 💨 swept the rain sideways. As 🔜 as I found the next rest exit, I took it and we literally parked in the very last parking spot that was available before leaving the rest area.

The storm ended up lasting for several hours so after waiting turned into more waiting, we decided to just stay at the rest area and call it a night.

Day 3: Wednesday

Early in the morning, we woke up around 6:30 am to a dramatic domestic dispute directly next to us in the parking lot. There was a man in a large semi truck and a woman in a maroon sedan. They were arguing loudly and generously throwing bad words at each other. Next thing you know, the heated argument got to its worst point and the woman slammed her extra large drink cup onto the semi truck. It splattered and shattered into plastic cup pieces. Seconds later, she screeched her tires and off she went down the highway.

Still at the rest stop…

As I went outside to rinse our bowls, we were greeted by a car driving by us very slowly that must have thought we were holding out our bowls for change/money or food Lol

…back on the road again…

Day 3 until 4

We ended up at our next day’s destination as planned at a Michigan State Recreation & RV park in Charlevoix, Michigan. It was late ⏰ at night when we arrived and were able to chose and find a site overlooking the water. We all got out to check the place out and I remember how dark it was that night and how velvety the water looked as we walked over to the dock to take a gander: words couldn’t even describe how beautiful it was.

Feelings of peace, serenity and bliss all seem to have came to flood my mind erasing any stress or turbulence from our family adventure so far,

Day 4: Thursday

As we awoke in the morning to our beautiful surroundings of Charlevoix we were greeted by the most breathtaking 🤩 view imaginable. Just gorgeous: the lake, the weather and the location were just such a wonderful experience all together. It was almost hard to take in all its beauty! I took a mental note to come back to this special location again one day.

Finally – it was the day to go to the “largest Waterpark in Michigan” which is Avalanche Bay in Boyne Falls, Michigan. Here we come! …Off we went towards our main destination of our trip. We decided to take a quick stop ✋ at a Dollar store in a nearby shopping plaza to grab a few essentials and soon after got back to our RV.

Turning left as we were pulling out of the plaza’s parking lot and entering the road again, I noticed a grey car in front of us coming from our right. that decided in the last minute that it was okay to cut in front of us after seeing us, a big RV coming from their left. At the exact same time or by a few seconds, there was also a white pickup truck to our left (that didn’t take too long to look to their right) beginning to enter the roadway in front of us and – would you believe it – they both literally came together and crashed 💥 into each other side by side right in front of us!!! It left everyone shocked! The guy from the grey car got out and immediately scolded the truck driver who did not get out of his vehicle and stayed calm.

Yes, I have a thing with right and left kinda’ things as you may remember from my “right brain/left brain” joke: https://evanalife.com/2020/05/01/evanalife-sit-down-comedy/

Maybe it’s my late Dad’s influence. He would always be chanting that old military marching song: “Left, right, left, right – you had a good home and you left, right?…”

We ended up there (by the accident) until we gave our eye witness report of the incident to the local authorities. Finally, we were able to leave after a crew came to clean up.

Back on the road to the water park…just a few more miles. 15-10-5 and we’re there! Yay!!!

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Waterpark –

Finally. The waterpark was part of a large resort that also offered winter- and family activities around a lodge type resort. The waterpark was really amazing. They had several slides, a lazy river, lounging areas, food courts, two hot tubs for adults and a family restaurant above overlooking the waterpark.

Without too much hesitation, the boys and I eagerly tried out the various slides and lazy river. After some time, I let the boys know where I was going and went around the waterpark to explore everything it had to offer. There was a balcony upstairs for sunbathing, an area for children’s activities and a resort village with small shops for souvenirs and sports related apparel. When it was time to eat, I already scoped out a cute Irish Pub that had great food. On our way, we found a Mackinaw Island Fudge shop and picked out some specialty chocolates.

To our surprise, the pub was in full swing playing authentic Irish music by a musician that also played for the Holly Renaissance Fest. We all had scrumptious meals and left with full bellies. After we left the restaurant, we roamed around the village type shops and we pleasantly surprised that the resort also offered ziplining so we eagerly made arrangements to go on a ziplining tour in the morning.

Upon returning to our RV in the evening, we notice how smoldering hot it had become outside. It was a super H-O-T day of 92 degrees and we could feel the hot asphalt under us even with shoes. Back in the RV, we couldn’t manage to get our A/C back working and I had developed a screaming headache. Unfortunately, I knew that screaming back at it would help. Somewhat frantically, I reached for my so called “Smart-phone” to find our next RV park and its GPS was not on our side, it just wasn’t giving us accurate information of the area. There must have been bad reception in the area. Even though it claimed that it was only 16 miles away, we were directed to circle the resort several times before we finally got away from the area.

On our drive to the next park we went on very bumpy wash board type backroads. All of our dishes clanged and clanked along the way. After taking a few stops on the way to stretch out and take a break, we continued on the very rough roads. It seemed to take forever and all the boys were sleeping. We finally arrived at our last RV park at 1 am in the morning. The park had hiking- and four wheeling trails and was nestled between mountains. There was no one at the office and we were gone by 7 am so that we could be back on time for our ziplining adventure.

 

Day 5: Friday

Up and at ’em, we had to get to our scheduled ziplining adventure at 9 am! On the way there, one of my son’s said that he heard a squeaking noise so we pulled over to see what might be the problem. We discovered that the noise came from the inside of the RV and after a while of trying to figure out where the noise came from…TA_DAH!!!

EEeeeeek, it was a mouse!!!

We chased him and chased him but he found some small space to hide and decided to continue on the ride with us and we had to just accept that. We decided to name him Fred so that we can feel like he’s a welcome guest aboard our adventure trip. Onward we went and got back to Boyne Mountain to begin our ziplining adventure. 

Ziplining…

We began our ziplining tour with three guides and a medium sized group of zipliners with us. The guides gave us an instructional lecture about what to expect, safety and what they do. At each station that we arrived at, the instructors gave us a new and fun way to zipline the next section. That made it super fun! We had a blast ziplining, it’s a safe and fun family activity to do outdoors in nature and was our second ziplining adventure. The first time we went was in Harrison, Michigan and it covered a much smaller area and it wasn’t as high up. We ate ourselves a good meal when we were done then explored some more to check out the gift shops and winter activities.

After discussing what to do about our A/C issue, I decided to call some friends that live nearby and they invited us to park our RV by their house. They lived only 23 miles away from the Boyne Mountain resort and also right next to a camp ground called “Camp Dowhatchawannado”. (The first time I went to visit them I ended up getting lost and DIDN’T know WHAT to do until they found me! 😂🤣Once we arrived we were tired but still had plenty of supplies so my sons went about cooking up some hamburgers and hot dogs for us and our friends on the grill. While we were eating dinner we enjoyed telling them all about our adventures. Thankfully, I had everything written down in my journal. After dinner, our friends took us all for a ride in their four wheelers to Torch Lake that’s nearby. That night we all slept very well.

Day 6: Saturday

7:30 am: I was so excited to be the first one up and took my shower first. As I left the house barefoot with many things on my mind, I tripped on the edge of the deck and fell down on the deck. Ouch! I hurt my big toe and that was so NOT toe-tally cool!😲😵

My friend heard me yell out and rushed to me to see if I was okay. She brought me coffee and we talked a while on the porch until it got too hot there and moved to their open garage. To our delight, the boys all surprised us all again by making us a BIG breakfast of eggs, sausage, ham and pancakes all on the griddle and grill. It was a relaxing ending to a very eventful vacation and as far as I remember, nothing else crazy happened on the way back, whew!!!

The End.

P.S.: By the way, the owners must still have that mouse!!!