BODY TALK

"Tis in ourselves that we are thus or thus.

Our bodies are our gardens to which our wills are gardeners."

~ William Shakespeare ~

Our bodies reveal emotions that we think we have successfully covered up or overcome. We convince ourselves that we're relaxed, or ok with something, and discover to our own dismay that we are clenching our jaws.
     Our aches and pains communicate to us all the things that we are not otherwise willing to admit.

I look to my body to discover the truth.

RUSH JOB

"Haste is a hurricane, patience a gentle breeze."

~ Terri Guillemets ~

Being rushed serves us in no way. It makes us careless with ourselves and others, causes error, and leaves a trail of stressed-out energy behind.

I slow down and live life with care.

THE WIND

"The wind shows us how close to the edge we are."

~ Joan Didion ~

The wind is an interesting phenomenon. A gentle breeze on a summer day is a tonic and a balm, and a strong gusty wind on a stormy day can be invigorating and exciting and empowering. But wind that won't stop and just blows and blows and blows all the time feels punishing, and, in some places, across some plains, can even drive a person mad.
     It's a question of just enough and not too much, I suppose, and the blessing of balance, and the need that we have for stillness whether we recognize it or not.

I learn about myself through Nature.

THE DEATH EFFECT

"God pours life into death and death into life without a drop being spilled."

~ Author Unknown ~

It changes everything.

What was once important no longer is.

The hierarchy of priority shifts.

There's a new vacancy in life,

New space, and a certain uncomfortable-almost freedom.

People we love seem very dear, and fragile,

as if they could be snatched from us at any time.

Or as if we could be snatched.

It's an awakening to beauty,

to presence, and

to the sacred nature of all things.

I am grateful for the increased appreciation for the life that goes on after death. 

STARTING FROM WHERE WE ARE

"The moment has the supreme claim."

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~

We can only get there from here, from exactly where we are- not from some imagined magical place of financial stability or some mind state we can dream up that doesn't exist yet. We have to start with the reality of the here and now, the reality of the key players that surround us, the reality of our physical and monetary position.
     I have spent my life trying to create something out of nothing, instead of creating out of the ground where I stand. That's where my real power is, and real opportunity- not in some distant imagining or affirmation, but from the earth beneath my feet.

I accept the reality of right now, and move forward from here.

WEIGHTLESSNESS

"Freedom begins between the ears."

~ Edward Abbey ~

We carry things emotionally that we don't need to carry.

We are afraid of what is unlikely to occur.

We fret over other people and what they are doing or not doing,

And we miss available blessings by being lost in thought.

Let's shift this.

We have the power to choose our experience in each moment.

Let's shush our minds, and open our hearts,

And be free in the energy of what's available NOW.

I stop carrying around emotional weight from the past or whatever I may be projecting into the unmanifested future and enjoy the lightness of being totally present in this day.

THINGS WORKING OUT

"Our distrust is very expensive."

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~

In spite of our fretful anxiety regarding certain upcoming events, things often have a way of working out far better than we ever could have anticipated.

I trust the big picture that I cannot see.