THE FLOW OF LIGHT

"Everything in the universe has rhythm. Everything dances." 

~ Maya Angelou ~

Let's be aware of the changing energy in us and in the world from morning to noon to midnight. Let's be aware of the changing light. Let's rise and shine with the sun, blaze through the day, and set quietly as evening envelopes us. Let's live as the revolving, natural, and spiritual beings that we are.

I rise and set like the sun.

THE LEARNING CURVE

"Sit down before fact as a little child, be prepared to give up every conceived notion, (and) follow humbly wherever and whatever abysses nature leads." 

~ Thomas Huxley ~

If we are willing to be patient, we can master most things, but it's not easy being a beginner and we tend to want to figure it all out in a flash. Ours is the culture of impatience and demand. We want it now, and the sooner the better. But our impatience works against us in a myriad of ways. It shuts down our curiosity and our problem solving inclinations and pushes our frustration buttons instead. And if we don't get it in an instant we are sure that we can't get it at all.
     Let's slow down and allow for the process of learning in anything new that we endeavor. It's a slow and steady climb up a long hill, but the view at the top makes every halting step worth it in the end.

I am willing to take my time learning new things. 

HONORING OUR FLESH AND BONES

"In the body, and the instincts of the body, there should be no shame, but rather a frank, joyous pride." 

~ Arnold Bennett ~

In January of 1999, my only sister took a bunch of pills and left her body lying on the floor by the wall in her apartment in Lander, Wyoming where the landlord found her three days later. She was 32 years old.
     When I saw her, she was frozen solid at the funeral home, and made-up just for my benefit. I washed the make-up off- she never wore any - and cleaned dried blood from her abdomen where they had performed the autopsy, and while I did that, I reveled in the beauty and mystique of her freshly abandoned physical form- the musculature of her, and her signature moles. The experience gave me a profound appreciation for bodies in general and hers in particular.
     In honor of all the bodies that have passed away, ashes to ashes and dust to dust, let's be sure to appreciate the ones we have, and treat them with the great care and compassion that they deserve.

I love and appreciate my body.

SHARING THE LOAD

"Those who need us give us a hold upon life." 

~ Marie Dubsky ~

We needn't suffer alone. The human journey is a shared one, and sharing it, we gain understanding. From understanding comes compassion, and from compassion, grace. That we survive at all and have the ability to bounce back from what we endure is miraculous, and our resilience and strength in the face of hardship is a beautiful thing.

We are better off when we stick together, and more alike than we may know.

WANTING TO BE THROUGH THINGS

"Patience has a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish." 

~ John Quincy Adams ~

Why is it so hard to be patient? To have to wait in traffic, or in a long line, or for answers to our inquiries or test results? We are so speed oriented and obsessed with knowing outcomes, but this doesn't make for much of a quality life- always rushing and pushing against whatever we're up against, wanting to be through it, past it, and in the clear. But the clear is fleeting at best, and having to wait for some of the time or much of the time while things unfold is a basic reality of life on earth.

I accept the stop and flow of daily life and find a way to appreciate it all.

SEE-THROUGH LIVING

"To give vent to his feelings, whether of pleasure or discontent, is a great ease to a man's heart." 

~ Francesco Guicciardini ~

We all need love, and maybe the grouchiest among us need the most love of all. We push away what scares us and lash out at those we care for the most. In this way, we live by opposition and it shows up in the wrinkles on our face.
     Let's come into alignment instead. Let's simply be real, be honest, and be exactly who we are and where we are- afraid, unsure, insecure, tired, sore- there's no need for disguise or blinders. All is always and ever as it should be, and our authenticity is the ticket to freedom.

I share my vulnerabilities and live free.

COMPETING FOR WHO HAS IT WORST

"Stress is nothing more than a socially acceptable form of mental illness." 

~ Richard Carlson ~

Life is sometimes urgent and impinging, with awaiting demands and so much to be kept together and managed. It's a challenge to maintain a sense of relaxation and calm, to be open and flowing and easy with ourselves and others. We compete for stress. Who works the hardest? Who's doing the most? Who's getting the least amount of sleep? What a hollow victory to win.
     Let's indulge in sleep instead, and slow down for real. Efficiency doesn't necessarily happen in a hurry. It happens instead with attention and great care.

I stop rushing and straining and relax into the day.