***This giveaway is over. Thank you SO much to everyone who participated!!! Starting today, Monday October 26th, 2020 and ending on Halloween, Saturday October 31st, 2020, I am doing a huge Halloween Trick-or-Treat Giveaway. Halloween is a little different this year. For this reason, I wanted to do something a little different to help make …

Even Negative Emotions Can Be Beneficial
Have you ever really thought about what happens to your body when you’re angry or sad or worrying about something? I’d say for most of us, our immediate thoughts are consumed with dealing with the issue at hand, and getting the unpleasant feelings to stop. If we really learn to pay attention to our bodies …

Releasing Guilt and Feelings of “Not Enough”
The month of October always makes me think of one thing…..Christmas!!!!! No, I’m kidding. I think of that year-round. Haha. Because Halloween is in October, I tend to think about fears, and what things are holding me back. One of the big themes for me over the last month or so has been releasing guilt. …

Cultivate More Peace in Your Daily Life with These 10 Tips
Being at peace for a lot of people means being at the beach; the waves rolling in and out, the sun soaking them in warmth. For others, it’s the mountains, a certain city or house. Those places are nice, if you live nearby, or if you can visit them often, but if you only go …

Learning How You Show Love Is Important
How do you show love to other people? Are you someone who likes to give little gifts or leave little notes for people? Or would you prefer to do something for them, like helping them clean their house, or going grocery shopping for them? Learning how you show love is important because it helps you …

Q&A with Joanne Steenberg, The Love Card Lady
On this episode of The Novel Turtle Presents, I talk to Joanne Steenberg, the creator of The Love Card. The Love Card is “a global pay-it-forward movement to remind people that they are loved and have the power to love others.” (From thelovecard.org) Joanne talks about how the movement started, how it has grown, and …

It’s The Novel Turtle’s Birthday
Today is The Novel Turtle’s birthday!!! It has been one year since I posted my very first blog post on my website. Like a lot of us do on New Year’s, I’ve been reflecting on everything that has happened over the last year. Growth has happened on every level. I’ve learned how to set up …

Other People Are The Worst
Other people are the worst! No really….isn’t that what all of us think at some point or other? That other people are the worst?!! When we’re driving on the highway and someone cuts us off – “That person is an idiot, they can’t drive”. When we’re at the grocery store – “That lady is in …

Personal Growth is Not Linear
Our growth, spiritually, physically, emotionally, and in every other way, doesn’t always move in a straight line. Learning this fact was an ah-ha moment for me. I felt like, once I dealt with something and determined to release it, I was done. I thought that the reason things kept coming back up was because I …

How My Qigong Journey Started
I’ve mentioned Qigong many times in my other posts, and I’ve recommended it for various reasons, but I realized this morning that I’ve never really told you why I always recommend it. In the last few weeks, I’ve had a few different opportunities to tell the story of how I got started doing Qigong, and …