Dear ones- I love New Years. I love the reminder to reflect back and look forward. But so often when we reflect back on what was, we see so much of the mistakes. And when we look forward we see only the space between where we are and where we want to be and we call that space failure. I hope you realize that you are as beautiful as this flower, and as fragile... and as full of possibility. I hope you hold yourself with the same tenderness. I wish for you the courage to see yourself honestly, the willingness to release what no longer serves, the resiliency to open into the unknown, and the compassion to know that you are already worthy and perfectly imperfect, just as you are.
Now, keep growing into the mystery of whatever wants to express itself through you. I can’t wait to see it.
Both personally and professionally, thank you each one of you for 2017. Let’s keep growing and loving and expressing together in 2018.
stories
Through telling stories, we create our worlds. And the stories we tell matter. And the who, how, and when of the sharing matters, too. What stories have you been telling yourself or others recently? Have they been empowering, challenging, defeating, too-good-to-be-true? And who have you told them to? Have your listeners heard you, received you, held you? Have they responded with silence, or with their own stories, or have they tried to fix or alter your story based on their perceptions and experiences? How did any of this leave you feeling?
creativity
I used to think creating and creativity is something that a gifted few possess- a myth that many of us believe. Now I know that being creative is part of a our human expression and our birthright. We are here to manifest and manifestation is creation. Once I dropped the story that I wasn't creative, all kinds of possibilities opened up. And so now, when I see two beautiful feathers, I make earrings.
forgiveness
Forgiveness: letting yourself soften under time and the elements so that circumstances change you, but choosing to bloom open again and again because you trust in grace and rhythms deeper than your own.
Attitude of Gratitude: day 23-30
Where I often spend Thanksgiving is pretty rustic with no internet. The smart phone I got a little over a year ago has changed that for me and I'm no longer quiet as 'disconnected'... but it's still lovely to have an excuse to not check email or post to my website. These things are possible, but slightly annoying on a phone, so I practice my connection in other, more solitary ways. I take my camera with me and record for myself. It also means I can later update you on what I saw and was grateful for:
- Waking up on a lazy morning with nowhere to be and nothing to do.
2. Feeling the sun and quiet while meditating without any of the pressure to 'get started with the rest of my day.'
3. A cozy fire in the fireplace and a relaxed study buddy.
4. Abundance in food and family with lots of love and laughter and nourishment and an awareness and gratitude for where this food comes from and everything that went into growing it and preparing it for me to eat.
5. Sun coming out after several days of rain, providing warmth and a different light in which to see things.
6. A walk in the woods and my grandma's stories of elves and gnomes and magic echoing through my head.
7. Messages left for us by nature... if we're listening in.
8. Familiar spaces and all the memories that go with them. A sense of history and connection without obligation or attachment.
9. Cozy shelter, surrounded by plenty of fresh air and wide-open spaces. Home and wild, all rolled into one - just the way I like it. And gratitude for the love of others that keeps it maintained and enjoyable.
10. Trees that teach us to root down, stand tall, grow upwards, bend with the wind, die to be reborn. There is something beautiful in how they stand and yet flow.
Coming out of this holiday and this month of gratitude, I know I have much to be thankful for everyday. I hope you had a wonderful celebration and as the focus now turns to gifts and giving, I hope you find it in you to give to those who challenge you, to love those you're not always sure you're able to (especially yourself), and to receive all that the Universe wants you to be open to. This is a time of unrest in our country. May we all be a listening ear, even when we think we 'know' and may we stand like a tree or a mountain, in the name of Love, when it comes to what is right.