Sunday, February 10, 2013

finding center

stuck
i get stuck from time to time, usually on a thought or idea. it will swim around in my head until i can make sense of it or make peace with it. i have been lucky enough to have people in my life who will push me out of the mud (sort of speak) or wait for me to find traction.

trust
i've learned to trust my instincts. i used to ignore them when i wasn't arguing with them. i realized later on in life (before my fortieth birthday) this was a dumb move on my part. we're given radar for a reason (i believe the universe wants us to thrive). some cultures say its intuition, others might say it comes from something more divine, either way you should really take notice or pay attention (it saves you in the end, truly).

changing
the mere thought of change causes my heart to race, my hands to shake and my mouth to become dry. i like things to stay as they are. i like knowing the fingernail clippers are in the bathrooms top drawer on the right. i've found solace knowing exactly where to find things. it has taken me a long time to stop fighting change (or rearrange)... okay i still fight it but not nearly as fiercely as i once did! i have envied those people who can be so casual about it all, wishing i carried those characteristics. the funny thing is, i have changed every single day in the most simplest of ways, evolving into the me i see in the mirror today. my "bullheaded" tendency doesn't limit my ability to change my mind... much ;)

knowing
when i was in my twenties i thought i knew far more than i actually did. i spent my thirties working that out. now that i'm in my forties i find relief in knowing i have not a clue :) okay that sounds great but i feel like i'm telling a fib.... i guess "knowing" isn't as important to me these days as "being" is. realizing there isn't black or white, only variations of grey... i guess this is why it was/is so important for me to paint my walls with color :) embracing your version of the truth isn't the only truth.

center
i've changed and stayed the same. i'm more politically correct and less brutally honest (this doesn't mean i'm less honest, i just think more before i speak). i don't share ALL my views or opinions. when i get stuck, i acknowledge it's happening. knowing my first instinct is to fight it, i've learned to breath and relax and try to trust the process. my spirituality has never limited my practice of prayer or meditation. using silence in some sessions, singing or chanting in others. it's not uncommon for me to listen to loud music and just dance it out. more recently i have incorporated my yoga practice into the mix. i even talk with my inner child, and try to look through those eyes... this is where i'm finding my balance, my center. looking at a problem and asking your six year old self "what would YOU do?". keeping it simple, ya know? and if you ask your six year old self the question and the response is "i don't know" well, maybe your not supposed to know the answer today and you should probably go dance and play :)


Saturday, February 2, 2013

42 in 2013

2013 brought to you by the word simplify.

i've focused on this word for over THIRTY days (so far) and have realized things i'm not entirely proud of. for one, i complicate the crap out of all sorts of things on a continual basis. i've also become aware of my desensitized view to chaos. for now i'm just noticing/becoming aware... taking things slow helps the anxiety i get when it comes to change. my daily mantra continues to be "relax breathe surrender." finding success not so much on completion of a task but the day to day findings along the journey. for now, this is enough.

i say out loud to myself in the mirror "uncomplicated". i roll my eyes at my reflection and walk away usually shaking my head. here is the deal, i am testing the theory of the power of suggestion on myself. i do this with other people on a regular basis so i figured i would try it on me and see what happens lol. my humble attempts to changing my mind ;)

i started a 365 project of ME. i have been keeping this simple. mostly using my iphone. and writing daily in my journal. spending little time on this daily project in the spirit of uncomplicated. i am wanting to embrace the growing older thing, the whole reason really for this project. to capture a year as it happens. i haven't colored my hair since last august. its interesting because people say to me "your too young to be grey" and i just smile (my first grey hair was yanked out of my head at age 23 by my older sister). i think i'm just the right age to be grey, since its real and its happening. my boys are on either side of the fence with this subject. i have one son who wants nothing more than for me to buy a box of color and cover it up. my other son tells me he thinks its cool i'm not coloring anymore. i appreciate their input but my decision on this subject has nothing to do with anyone really, but me.
this is my "i wanna accomplish list" for 2013:
  1. finish NOWYOU: 52 of you
  2. complete another 5K
  3. make more salads in a jar
  4. clear out space
  5. organize my closets
  6. take more walks in the park
  7. cut my hair
  8. embrace grey (or at least go 12 months without color and re-evaluate)
  9. continue my yoga journey
  10. journal more
  11. complete my wreck this journal
  12. take more pictures
  13. print more pictures
  14. hand write and snail mail letters
  15. make a budget
  16. stick to a budget
  17. walk on the beach
  18. get a massage
  19. paint my nails
  20. go sledding
  21. meet and photograph strangers
  22. plan an out of country trip
  23. make and deliver kind bombs
  24. paint another room with color
  25. read a book
  26. buy less - recycle more
  27. make play dough
  28. make a birthday cake
  29. list random facts
  30. smile
  31. make homemade soup
  32. make homemade bread
  33. fly a kite
  34. plant flowers
  35. hula hoop in random places
  36. be more silly and less serious
  37. be brave
  38. travel when i can
  39. complete a 365
  40. make (and wear) a crown of daisies
  41. fill frames i have bought and saved
  42. get my guitar out and start playing again