Joyfully awaken!

During these winter months, there have been many mornings when, rather than get up, and start my day with my exercise routine, I would rather just stay curled up in bed. Sleep in an hour longer, and just rest and cuddle myself there. Yet, when I stay in bed a bit longer, I feel more rushed, and I don’t get to start the day with energy, and life and purpose.

This morning was one of those mornings; initially, I did not want to move. It just felt so good under the covers and cozy. Then, a thought popped into my head. I thought, I can recreate this, and I can create this to be a beautiful, joyful awakening. Greeting the day with intention and purpose. Jumping into it and taking all that I can out of it.

So, that is what I did. I got up, I read my medicine cards which has been my recent routine, and I got dressed and had my workout. And, I felt joyful in it. I do enjoy working out, especially in the morning, yet when I begin it with pure joy in my heart and in the task, it makes it even better. I feel more physically worked out, and feel more present than ever.

I think that waking up in this way this morning, was also a reminder to me to stay joyfully awakened to my life. Stay present and focused ready for my life. Remember that all of my dreams are possible, probable, and that they are within my reach to attain. Remember that no matter what, I can change my thinking and use a different perspective, so that I am living the life that I am truly meant to live.

This week, I stated that I believe that I am meant to live a life of peace, of happiness and joy. I truly do believe that. There are others in this world that believe that we are meant to suffer, and that our lives are learning to cope with that suffering and get through it. Although that is not my way of thinking, I understand that others live their lives in that way. I am so grateful for the realization of what I am truly meant to do here in this world.

To awaken joyfully to my life, and live one of happiness and peace as well.

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I choose JOY!

I am making so many subtle, and not so subtle changes in my way of being since becoming involved with coaching, both being coached, and now, a Coach in Training through The Handel Group. Subtle, in that I am still being the person that I have always aspired to be, full of love, compassion and peace, yet to be that person more genuinely and consistently. Not so subtle, in making some major shifts in how I think, feel, and believe about aspects of life.

I am generally a pretty positive person, I have been for most of my life that I can remember. I see the up side, I believe in and trust others, I don’t judge. At least, that is what I have always thought. And, on the surface, that has been true. With the help of my Glossy Liar, my Denier, my Silent Judger, I have been able to have people believe that outer positivity, to the point that I have even believed it as well. It looks good on the surface, right?

What has helped me to see where that disconnects, is if I am having a positive attitude or thought, yet another darker, more sinister thought is lingering in the back of my mind. So, I say that I am doing great, and I smile and am energetic; however, on the inside, I am perseverating with worry; or judging what the person in front of me has or hasn’t done with their life; or how healthy or not they are. Or, I am saying that I want another person to have or do a certain thing, and the conversation in my head is saying something totally different. BIG yuck. Gross. Not who I want to be AT ALL. I know that for certain.

So, I am changing things up, in subtle and not so subtle ways. The best way I am finding to take down those sinister, dark character traits, and keep them in control and not ruling my life, is to get rid of those conversations that occur on the side, in my head. Say what I mean, mean what I say. Stay present. Be in the moment. Enjoy what is right now before me, with anticipation and expectation. And, to be genuine about all of it.

Today, what that seems and feels like to me, is joy. PURE joy. Not happiness, not positivity, not good energy. All of those areas are terrific too. However, my dream is pure JOY. Joy is what I visualize as pure light, openness, tranparency, love, and peace. THAT is what I want in my life. And, so I shall, and do, have it.

Yesterday was my birthday, and I made it a day of pure joy. The presents were awesome; the giant eclair at the kitchen table was amazing; the Julia Child recipe made by our daughter for dinner was outstanding; and the birthday wishes were full of love. However, even putting all of that aside, I choose joy because I am here, I am present, I am doing the work that is my calling to do. I am touching the world, and I am learning to trust that it is good for me to do that, and for the world to touch me back. I am believing in love, I am believing in myself, and I KNOW fully within my self, that all of my dreams are in my reach.

My life is going to mean many changes, changes that are out of my control, and changes that I actively choose to make. Some will be changes to how I have always done, said, or believed things to be. However, I know that my life, my dreams, cannot occur any other way.

I choose my dreams. I choose JOY.

Life is worth capturing!

To my friend, J. Thank you for inspiring this post.

I thoroughly love the movie, “Elizabethtown”. There are many aspects to the movie, which is about a young man whose father dies suddenly, and he goes back to his father’s hometown to make the arrangements. It is about so many other things in addition to that, but there is one part of it that struck me the many times that I have watched it. There is a character who is a stewardess, who befriends this young man ad he is travelling to his father’s hometown. She is quirky, and energetic, and full of love for life.

There is this thing that she does, when she wants to capture a moment in her daily life; she holds her hands up, like she is holding a camera, and clicks a shot. Capturing life as it is happening.

I like to think that I do this on a daily basis, as many times a day as I possibly can. Sometimes, I capture those moments on film, or digitally, to recall later on through prints or sharing on the web. Sometimes I share those photos with others to recollect them to those that I love.

Other times, I hold my two hands up, as if I am taking a photo, and click the shutter to capture the moment. I actually make that clicking sound at those times as well, to imprint upon my memory whatever is happening at the time. Talk about love and truth in action!

Sometimes, this active participation in capturing the moments of my life help me to remember to stay focused on the right here and right now. To be ever present. To just BE.

Those moments are varied in their content; some are happy, joyful and full of positivity. Other ones of them are dramatic, full of angst, sadness or pressure. All of them are worth capturing. All of them.

So J, thank you for your wise words on this day, intended or not. For Life, indeed, is worth capturing, every day, all of the time.

So, make sure that you have your camera, real or created, with you at all times……..

Pushing the shopping cart

I love to do chores. The laundry. The grocery shopping. Cooking. I find joy in all of it. Just last week, as I was grocery shopping and during other various errands before I got home from work, I was pushing my grocery cart down the aisle, and felt this smile of joy come across my face.

For me, grocery shopping rocks.

That is because, it is one of the many tasks in life that are part of who I am and what I do. I try to make it my business to find joy in every task that I undertake. Even those that are basic, run of the mill tasks that we may find mundane or an annoyance, they are where the joy can be found. For, finding the joy in every task of our day is how we squeeze every bit of joy and life, out of this life that we live.

Sure, I admire those that travel the globe, that write novels, that are able to speak to people the world over. But, I am able to cook for my family, sit around the dinner table, feed my pets, walk my dog, and shop and run errands. And, that is joyful to me.

Some days I am tired. Some days, the thought of doing what needs to be done is daunting. But, I just put one foot in front of the other, step by step, when the energy escapes me. And sure enough, joy comes from it and to it.

At the end of the work day, when I anticipate going to the college 25 miles from my office to teach for a couple of hours, after staring at the computer all day, that can be exhausting just thinking about it. Yet, once I get in that classroom, and students start to get engaged and talking, I know where it is that I belong, and where the joy can be found.

We don’t need to be world travellers or explorers outside of our everyday environment to find the joy that is in our lives. That joy is there, all along.

Even while pushing the grocery cart.

Dear Universe:

 

Thank you for this day.  The sun is shining, the air is cool, I am surrounded by the people and the creatures that I love.  I feel blessed, fortunate, cared for, and loved.  It is a gift to be here on this earth today.

 

I also want to thank you for so many other things.

 

Family, all forms of family in my life.  My family of origin, siblings, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins and all of those that have come into that part of being.  I am forever blessed.

 

Family of my partner, her parents, her siblings and all of their children, and extended members.  To get to know them and connect over the past dozen years has been a joy.

 

To my family of choice, the love of my life, and our beautiful daughter, words cannot express fully what the contents of my heart are for them.  It is in and of itself, overwhelming and massive.

 

And, all of those that I consider as family that have come into my life and changed it in so many ways over the years.  To me, no matter of blood or circumstance, you are family to me.

 

But, there are so many other things to thank you for, my dear universe:

 

Thank you for the loses of my life, both up until today, and from this day forward.  Thank you for helping me to gain an understanding of the lessons that those losses are to bring me, whether they are losses of persons, possessions, wealth, or property.  Thank you for looking over me as I seek the answers I need to make it through.

 

Thank you for helping me find my own way, rather than having all laid out for me.  I am so happy when I realize what part I play in the scheme of this world, but am always grateful, even if not right away, that I was able to follow my own map and reach the destination through my own strengths, as well as the assistance of others on my path.

 

Thank you for when my heart grieves.  This is the hardest I believe to feel grateful for, yet in those moments of grief, I find such a purity of spirit and intention, and love so much deeper than I know at any other moments of my life.  For it is true, pure love that prevents grief from ever keeping us from those that we care about the most.

Dear universe, I know that I take the steps that I do from my own source of will, but I also know that you are always watching out, knowing what the outcome will be, yet patiently watching and waiting for me to sort through the lessons and find out on my own.  You have been so steady in watching me discover my own awesomeness, although you knew it all along better than anyone.

 

To the beloved Universe, forever thank you, for being, and for watching me BECOME.