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. 

LETTING THINGS BE

"What you can't get out of, get into wholeheartedly."

~ Mignon McLaughlin ~

Learning to honor ourselves where we are is an important ongoing practice.

Resisting what is keeps us stuck in discomfort.

Letting things and people and situations be is the key to serenity.

And worth embracing as our access to peace.

I allow life to wash around me.

AIRPORT WATCH

"Kindred spirits are not so scare as I used to think. It's splendid to find out there are so many of (us) in the world." 

~ L.M. Montgomery ~

I had the opportunity a few days ago to sit in the Atlanta Airport and watch people walk by. I saw a little boy with a bumble bee backpack and a little girl with a sparkly bunny suitcase. I saw a man with a mohawk, and a lady in a turquoise shirt, black boots, and a cowboy hat. I saw people in sneakers, in Uggs, in Crocks; in shorts, and jeans, and yoga pants, and down coats.
     And each of the individuals I saw has a home, a family, a heart, and probably a fair amount of heartache as well, a dream, a vision, a perspective, and a destination. We are one, as truly and surely as we are many. We have one heart, one life, and one love.

I remember my connectedness with others and see beauty in all the people I meet.

CRACKED OPEN

"Life is change."

~ Heraclitus of Ephesus ~

When something unexpected comes along- a sickness, an accident, a death- we cannot return to life as we have known it. We are changed by what we've been through, not in our essence perhaps, but most definitely in our perspective. Nothing looks or feels the same, and much as we might want what we had, we are newly opened to all that wasn't conceivable before. We are cracked apart so fresh light can shine in.

I stop trying to have things be the way they were and allow them to be the way they are.

THE ENERGY OF THINGS

"What greater thing is there for human souls than to feel that they are joined for life - to be with each other in silent unspeakable memories."

~ George Eliot ~

Things have memories, same as people.

They carry the energy of those who have used them and loved them.

Like the Velveteen Rabbit.

Like heirlooms passed down through generations.

Like my Dad's silver hairbrushes and his letter opener.

Like my husband's cowboy hat.

Like my mother's photo albums,

And my childrens' books.

I cherish the memory captured in household things.

WHAT MAKES SENSE

"Owning less is far more beneficial than organizing more." 

~Joshua Becker ~

Our lives make perfect sense to us- the way we file papers and pay bills, where we keep things, the whole way we organize our "stuff"-  but were we to die suddenly, and someone else had to come in and make sense of it for themselves, how would that likely play out?

I keep my papers and my life in good order.

GRACE

"As each day comes to us refreshed and anew, so does my gratitude renew itself daily. The breaking of the sun over the horizon is my grateful heart dawning upon a blessed world."

~Terri Guillemets ~

Life goes on and the unknown unfolds like a Hibiscus in the sunlight. It carries me, and pushes me, and inspires me to move on my own. I roll. I stride. And I am supported by a power beyond my understanding every step of the way.

I am grateful to live by grace. 

RUDDERLESS AND ROOTLESS

"Give sorrow words; the grief that does not speak whispers the o'er-fraught heart and bids it break." 

~ William Shakespeare ~

The sudden and unexpected death of my Dad has rocked me in a way very few things in life have. I hadn't realized how much I defined myself in relation to him, and without him here to wonder about and worry about- what did he think, what should my next move be, how could I evolve in the relationship, and how free and self-expressed could I allow myself to be?
     My Dad was always on my mind, and I wanted so much for him to know me, and love me, and approve of me... and then, suddenly, poof- gone. The whole thing dissolved into ether and pure love. It's left me hanging-feeling, in mid-air, with no ground below me, as if I've been pulled up by the roots.
     And I know I will grow new ones, and I know it will take time, yet nonetheless, this plucked up feeling is a new one, and getting my bearings is taking everything I have.

I am patient with myself as life transitions sharply and leaves me in the lurch.

THE NEXT RIGHT THING

"There is a reason you were born, and a bunch of things you've got to do today regardless."

~ Robert Brault ~

When everything familiar gets turned on its head, which happens every so often in life, the best we can do is to breathe, and to remain calm, and to do the next right thing one day at a time.
     And truthfully, even when life doesn't get turned on it's head, that's still a darn good plan.

I live life as it shows up.

TAKING A PAUSE...

"To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die." 

~ Thomas Campbell ~

I found out yesterday that my father is no more. He laid down to take a nap, covered himself lightly with a blanket, newspaper and phone beside him on the bed, and never woke up. A pretty graceful way to go, and yet, the disruption left in his unexpected demise is profoundly unsettling. Life as I know it has been turned on its head.
     Our relationship has been challenging, and I have learned from it, and grown through it, and I sit now empty in this sudden emptiness of loss. I am grateful to my Dad for being exactly the way he was, for all he taught me, for all he gave me, for his values, his quirks, his mysteries, and his heart.

I honor my Dad by taking a long pause in the wake of his passing.

(Blog posts will resume on Monday, March 12th)

LOVING PEOPLE

"If I see one dilemma with Western man, it's that he can't accept how beautiful he is. He can't accept that he is pure light, that he's pure love, that he's pure consciousness, that he's divine."

~ Ram Dass ~

As human beings we are beautiful and fascinating creatures. We light up when we laugh, and when we look with care, our eyes show the sorrow of the lives we've lived. Not one of us escapes that. And for all of our differences, we are so much alike. We have endless common ground, just being human, feeling love and feeling fear and feeling courage in the face of daunting challenge, and experiencing the wisdom that comes after years of getting through things.
     Let's be kind to each other. Let's look with compassion and listen for understanding, and appreciate the blessing that unites us all as one.

I love people and experience the beauty of sharing this journey called life.