Monday Mindfulness

Cultivating Strength, Joy, Peace & Resilience


Leave a comment

Breaking ground

The darkness is thick. The confines of my surroundings heavy. Lingering cold immobilizes me.

Yet, something stirs inside, an irresistible call to grow, to rise, to be something different.

The process anything but easy still seems more plausible than remaining here.

But where is the growth without the restrictions and uneasiness to push against? These guides assure my strength along the way.

Yes, the breakthrough is near. I sense the spaciousnesses, feel the glimmer of light, know the way forward.

I sprout. I push on. I prevail against the struggles of facing the unfamiliar, knowing there will still be frosts, others competing for the light, and the inevitable timing out of this opportunity to grow.

And still I rise.


Leave a comment

Unlearned lessons

I’m learning that your opinions about me come from your experiences not mine.

Your beliefs, values and habits were formed not by my behaviors but by your experiences.

So next time I judge you or think you are making a mistake, I will remind myself to pause and explore the roots of my feelings.

They were more likely than not aimed at something or someone that came long before this moment with you. This encounter just somehow shook them up or rattled them loose.

If we can both remember this we can both forgive and understand that the mistakes of other are really just reminders of our own unlearned lessons.


Leave a comment

A pebble in my shoe.

Here I am, walking along, awareness softly tuned to my surroundings.

Without any warning, the easy state of awareness suddenly funnels with precision into the soul of my foot.

A slew of messages instantly travels light lightening through my body alerting me to intense sensation.

There is a pebble in my shoe.

With each step now, I have a choice.

Do I immediately freeze, paralyzed by this unanticipated happening, shutting down, urgently driven to remove the discomfort?

Do I pause, taking notice, receiving the sensations with curiosity and kindness, quietly ascertaining my next step?

Or do I continue walking, noticing, and finding unique learning in every step, even through the unsettledness and unease?

Can I cultivate gratitude for the ability to feel, to move, and motivate, to decide with every step?

Whatever I do, it should be with care, not reacting but receiving, even when unexpected and uncomfortable, a constant reminder of my free will.


2 Comments

Holding on too tight

Control creates the illusion of safety.

The more I seek control, the more insecure I become.

The more I allow myself to trust the not-knowing to result in wisdom, the uncertainty to to inspire clarity, and the gift of others’ feedback to grow my confidence, the less I approach life as a field of potential failures and instead find a river of opportunities.

The less I grapple with control, the more I understand how much there is to learn and realize how much I already know.