Spring question for your own journey

Day 182 of 1000 day journey

   Today is the first day of spring.  This is the season to set your goals and intent for the new year.  Traditionally we do this in January.  Energetically spring is the time for new beginnings and growth.

  So as this season was coming up, I had been pondering my goals for the new year.  This morning, even though it is really cold outside, I took off my shoes and went barefoot to pick up my dog Sally's poop, before the trash man came.  

   It was really cold outside, my feet only made it through half the yard before I caved and put on shoes.  As I danced around the back yard avoiding dog poop and trying to keep my toes warm, I thought of Nadine Star.  On her 90th or 95th birthday, she was asked by a reporter what she would do differently in her life if she had it to do all over again.   One of the items on her list was to go outside barefoot earlier in the spring.  

     My beautiful little niece, Marella, was born this week.  Yesterday she was three days old.  I thought to myself on her second day of life, what I would do different in my own life if I had the chance to do it all over again.  When Nadine star wrote her note she was in her 90's.  Thankfully I'm in my 40s and I get to enjoy some of my own wisdom.

   Between the birth of my new little beautiful niece, the first day of spring and my barefoot reminder of Nadine Star's list, I came in from the cold., put on warm socks and wrote my own list

And so if I had my life to do over again I would...

    I would lighten up my life a bit

    I would create more, dive into projects of passion and persist until they are completed

    I would pause everyday just to breathe deeper, listen quietly, relax and trust

    I would watch less TV and  have less mindless time sorting e-mails and surfing the internet

    I would listen more often with curiosity and an open mind

    I would dig in more dirt, paint more walls and have more documentary parties

   I would go on more walks with friends in new places

   I would save more and I when I did spend I would do so with gratitude and joyful confidence

   I would take more risks but I would worry less
   I would be kinder to myself and others remembering we are all doing our best

   I would spend time laughing and smiling not as a practice but because I'm just happy

   I would sing more, read out loud and dance more

   I would enjoy more inspired conversations
   I would be more thoughtful of others
    I would remember to celebrate my own imperfections and the beautiful imperfections of others
   I would eat with more gratitude, slowly, savoring each bite and stop asking others what I should eat
   I would be more mindful of my own words and thoughts

   I would remember to trust and relax knowing that we are indeed very blessed

   I would get up and do my morning yoga and set the intent of the day everyday!

   I would love each day and each season with a mindful passion

   I would Savor this life not by holding on and tightening up but by freeing up and embracing it!

  I would say yes a whole lot more
   I would fret less and pretend more

  I would listen to my own instincts and dive in with confidence

  I would fall into bed with more gratitude- giving myself time to reflect and wind down for the day

   I would stand taller, more confidently and with the essence of a lion

   I would ask more questions and pause my own brain so I can listen completely

   I would go outside everyday when the sun shines just to absorb the light

   I would go outside everyday when it rains just to breathe in the fresh air

   I would listen for the songs birds and notice the changes in weather and seasons

   I would remember to pause and come back to center and my own essence

   I would ask more questions, I would reflect more and I would trust my own heart a whole lot more.

   I would try to end each day with blessings and gratitude

 On this first day of spring.. I give you a challenge to create your own list.  And if this blog finds its way into your life on a day other than the first day of spring I recommend you write your list on that day!

Wishing you a a life of authentic and joyful expression

        Denise

Breathing and pondering...

#180 of a Thousand days

    Sally and I just returned from a refreshing early spring walk.  As we were walking I was pondering life, circles, snow flakes, ground hog day-the move, finger prints, days, weeks, seasons, spring, blossoms and breathing.  My mind was a blank- hahaha.

    My mind is rarely a blank.  Whose mind is blank anyway?  Why would you want a blank mind?  I like a relaxed mind, a creative, a interesting mind but blank- not so much.  Sometimes, usually at night after I meditate, my mind slows to an easy stroll.  I like my mind.  It is not for everyone and most likely another's mind would be uneasy living in my brain but I like it - it is home.

    As I ponder my journey of 1000 days, I forget to stop trying to fit my feet in another's shoes. This is a journey of my own spirit and soul.  My days will touch others, intermingling and then pausing to breathe but this journey will not be found in another's brain.  Today, there were two books that looks so interesting one on radical healing and the other on a journey to build schools.  Maybe my answers to this life are in those books?!!!

   My answers are in breath, in the flowers, in the wind.  My answers are in the questions and pauses.  As I breathe, I remember to pause. As I pause, I remember to relax.  As I relax, I remember to listen.  As I listen, I remember to smile.  As I smile, my breathe deepens, my mind comes back to present.  It is in the present, this moment this is where my journey begins and ends.

   I like my mind.  I like journeys.  I like spring.  And I like it when I remember to pause and come back to my center to find what I'm looking for.

   Wishing you all a happy early beginning to spring and a deep breath of now.
              Denise

 

 

Mildfulness and the art of Wednesday

Day 174 of 1000 day journey,
    And as the rhythm of the days continue it becomes clear my journey is less about running and smiling and writing and more about being mindful, connected and present.  It seems breathing, listening and relaxing are most helpful. This morning as I make my breakfast I pause to check in with myself and ask what my body would like or need.  Less is usually more and I make myself a plate of fresh raspberries over fresh cucumbers and a cup of peppermint tea.  The raspberries are so beautiful nestled in with the spring green cucumbers, it makes me smile and I take a picture.
   Today is Wednesday.  Governed by the planet Mercury and associated with our throat Chakra.  The energy of the day is connection and communication.  Wednesdays are a good day to write, learn and communicate with others.  I would guess the sense most associated with Wednesday would be our sense of listening.  Listening to others and to ourselves.
   It helps me to have a gentle reminder and trigger to remind me to be mindful of the rhythm of the day and of my life.  As I connect with a meaning associated with a day of the week, it gives me an insight into the day and a moment to pause and connect with my own essence.
   As I get ready to move into the office for a day's work, I can take this energy and calmness into my work.  Pausing and listening as I clear my inbox and then pausing again as I work on my day's project.  Remembering that today is not a race to rush through but a day to savor and be thankful for.
   And so I wish you a kindness of your Wednesday as well.  May you breathe deeply, smile bright, eat mindfully and connect with the world around you. It looks like it is going to be sunny and beautiful outside- spring is in the air.
      Happy travels on your journey of a single day,
              Denise