What is one word that would describe summer for you?

For me, I think of SHINE! Perhaps it is because of the warm sunshine, or that every living thing seems so alive and free.

One of those things that I keep free and flowing during the summer is my hair. You see, those who have naturally curly or wavy hair will totally understand; no matter how hard you try to straighten your hair, heat or moisture cause it to go back to its flowing state. Therefore, in the summer, I spend less time straightening my hair, as there really is no point with the humidity and my love of being in the water.

How do you choose the one you want to marry?

This week the thought of “saying yes” appeared in another way – saying “I do.”

I had the privilege of being in attendance and celebrating the wedding of two long-time friends. All of the couple’s wedding guests took the time to be in their presence and to support them on their special day. I wish them a lifetime of happiness and love!

Imagine you had a tough day and are feeling bad about yourself. What would you do to make yourself feel better?

Do you take it upon yourself to get better? Or, do you reach out to others and speak from the heart?

Merry Christmas! I can't believe tomorrow is Christmas Eve day! It is already that time of year again.  As I love to give Christmas cards, I thought I would turn this week's post into a note of gratitude and support to all of my readers.

Like many Canadians, turkey dinner is a special tradition in my family.  During dinner, we go around the table and say what we are thankful for.  This Thanksgiving as I looked around the table, I thought how special these gatherings are. People put their time and effort into being present and into providing an over-abundance of nourishment for our bodies, minds, and souls. Each year the makeup of attendees changes, yet the dinners are all special.

There's a repeating random thought that has been on my heart for awhile now. Love is essential to life. This message has been pretty direct.

We always think we have more time to tell someone how we feel about them. Or, we think that people already know that we care about them, so why do I have to show them again?

I keep being reminded that because life passes by so quickly, it is so important to put energy and time into showing yourself and others on a daily basis that you value them :) Call someone randomly, make them a cake, or give them a hug.  Just like water is essential to life, so is love!

That is how Arianna’s Random Thoughts emerged. It is how I try to make our world a kinder place to live – by helping others Stand Tall & Speak from the Heart one random thought at a time.

Will you join me? Looking forward to many years to come :)

As you know, I love sharing stories of people who have impacted my journey.  I was saddened to find out that a beautiful soul, Zach Sobiech, lost his battle to cancer yesterday.  Zach was only 18 years old when he died but in his short time he embraced life to the fullest.  His passion for life, love of others, and contagious joy touched my heart as well as those of many others. His legacy will live on.  As Zach said in his documentary, "It's really simple, actually, just try to make people happy."

When you travel, the focus is on the destination. Travel guides draw you in with the sites you will see and what you will experience when you are visiting the new places. But for me, the highlights of any adventure I have ever been on, are the beautiful heart-felt connections you will develop with the people on your journey.  

The people you meet along the way make the experience. I thought I needed to go to all these amazing places throughout the world to see the sites. What my soul craves, though, is to go meet new people and to build connections with them. Those are my most precious moments and souvenirs from travelling. The memories/lessons learned from these connections are what I cherish most.

Hope you all have a wonderful holiday season!!! This is one of my favourite times of the year.

My favourite gifts to receive at Christmas, other than spending time with those I care about, are cards.  I love hearing people's updates on their lives and the simple action of telling me that they care means a lot.  It doesn't matter if the card comes in an email or paper format - the point is they sent it.  I have a box of all the cards I have been sent over the years.  They mean a lot to me.

Why does it take hardship for people to realize a person’s character?

Let me explain. 

Recently, I made a mistake, and I’m the first to admit it.  You see, I befriended someone and we got super close and chatted regularly. Then all of a sudden, this person stopped talking to me for the period of a month (this can seem like forever if you talk to someone a lot). 

I thought the reason they pulled away had to do with me.  I am guilty of this - if someone pulls away or is upset, my first instinct is to believe that I am to blame. These are the thoughts that came into my head as soon as this person stopped talking to me: “I am the one to blame. What did I do wrong? Was it something I said? What was our last conversation?” I was really hurt that they stopped communication.

My birthday is coming up this week.  In the past couple of years, I felt like a failure around this time of year because I was reminded of milestones of adulthood that I hadn’t yet achieved. However, this year my outlook has changed and I am embracing the day!