Who you are is More than Enough
“Life is just as it is, despite our protests” Sharon Salzberg
We've stepped in the New Year with great expectation. Armed with an itemized plan to do more, be better and succeed at an alarming rate.
We’ll fix all things broken and be reborn to a 2.0 version of ourselves.
For me, Day one began with the anticipation of the Rose Bowl~ I do love football~ in particular nail-biting college games where anything and everything happens until the final seconds expire from the clock.
...three hours later I found myself staggered by my outpouring of compassion for the team who fell short, while excited for the players who shone so brightly in closing the minute. My eyes burned. My nose dripped.
“Crying?” I could hear Tom Hanks displeasure, “There’s no crying” in college football.
Day two I treated myself to a new yoga class and suffered impalement by underwire during my first downward dog.... it’s humbling to stuff your already ample bosom while encased shoulder to hip in spandex.
Day three brought raging hormones and for the safety of myself and others I lowered my expectations and slid into cruise control comfort.
Why change things that weren’t so bad in the first place?
Expectation...my Achilles heel. A fear trigger implying that somehow I’m failing where I am.
FICTION...embellished fiction printed in ALL CAPS with wide-ranging punctuation.
“Get out of your story,” I told myself. “Turn the page and be intentionally present” and then... pick up a rainbow pack of colored pencils and have at it. Add flourishes, swirls, and fun.
“The key to our deepest happiness lies in changing where we seek it’” Sharon Salzberg
We're midway through January. Resolutions are fading and instead of frustration in failed perfect plans I’m learning the peace I seek lies in the tiny space between my breath.
The tiny pause connecting the in and the out might be the only stillness offered within the hectic.
Right now breathe in... Realize your beautiful body is working without any assistance form you!
Savor the stillness before the air shifts and switches direction and releases...
Exhale.... ahhh....YES
Every day we can choose to travel lighter.
Reflecting over the past provides wisdom to notice where you’ve been happy and enriched, where you’ve learned and grown.
I find my happiness, growth, and learning arrived in the quiet moments and I've decided to make time for more of them.
I’m leaving early for appointments. You can be incredibly less irritated by LIFE’s interruptions when you aren’t rushing.
I linger longer.... downtime at the end of the day is vital. Choose music you love or turn off the radio and the cell phone all together and visit with yourself.
Observe your everyday commute with fresh eyes.
“In our frantic search to quench our thirst, we overlook the water all around us.” Sharon Salzberg
I noticed a home the other day on my route of years. Cloaked three seasons in heavy foliage this treasure had been exposed by fallen leaves. In a few weeks the buds of spring will blossom and keep its secret once more.
Are there unseen enchantments in your everyday? Are you passing in a blur to get to the next item on your to-do list?
Our schedule is under our control. It is ours to make.
It’s the TRUTH ... I know some of you are twitching, hang in there with me...
Yes, we have commitments and obligations and are subject to the forces of work and family applying pressure to our minutes but our schedule is OURS to write.
You have so much power in the choosing. Power in your Yes please and No thank you.
Listen to the music of the life you choose. Embrace the Tranquil, Endure the Crazy, Enjoy your symphony... In the moment you’re in right now~ Head banging rock, complex jazz, grass roots gospel, show tunes, country twang, steel drums...
Take each step forward knowing YOU choose the tune, YOU turn up the volume, YOU sit in the stillness of the life you desire.
TRUTH ~ the world will not crash down around you in chunks of rubble and dust if you choose less or decide differently.
You and I have come a long way...
Glance back at the roads traveled, winding, paved, gravel, steep... acknowledge how far you’ve come. Note your successes. Savor fond memories. Sit for a moment in grief endured and feel Accomplished even as your WIOH (witch in your head) points to your side roads and missteps.
Be kind to yourself and remember every step forward is a step in the direction of learning, opportunity and my favorite, Possibility.
We’ve come a long way, and We are enough.
See your progress...if you’re having trouble, grab a mirror. Your likeness will happily provide evidence of the miles traveled...laugh lines, crow’s feet, extra chins, and hair streaked with nature’s tinsel.
Claim the space between your breath.
A few moments of quiet reflection can provide a perspective rooted in your TRUTH, not a direction driven by the influence of others.
What’s within you is EVERYTHING and it’s MORE than enough.
Dance with your WHOLE being to the tune that enriches your heart with joy and infuses your mind with peace.
Give yourself an opportunity to connect with people you love, expand your horizons, and step into something new.
* Be sure to pack some extra tissue in the event you need to stuff your bra!
Cheers to the best step forward for YOU!
Chat soon, Laura
BE still and Restore....
Get your feet up.....LITERALLY ~ Find a moment to toss those tired feet over the edge of the couch, extend straight up the wall, or if you can’t get on the floor get into bed backwards and use your head board!
The gift of restoration will meet you in the stillness and infuse your brain with clarity and your body with energy. AHHHH..... trust me this is Good Stuff !
* ALWAYS exit inverted postures slowly drawing knees to chest then rolling to the side for a few breath cycles before returning slowly to a seated position then standing.)
* Quotes from Sharon Salzberg’s ~ Loving- Kindness The Revolutionary Art of Happiness
