Monday Mindfulness

Cultivating Strength, Joy, Calm & Resilience

Category Archives: change


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Reimagining

So awkward are these first steps of 

holding on 

and letting go, 

remembering 

and reimagining,

allowing love with all of its bitter suffering 

and sweet consolation, 

reconciling the aliveness 

with the empty space. 

The heart broken open 

to feel more deeply

and love more ferociously.

The painful ebb and flow of longing,

overflowing with fullness,

aching from absence.

Bravely moving 

with and against 

the rhythms of this inescapable dance,

gently wisping and twirling

the scattered parts of the heart

back together,

slowly,

softly

coming

home.


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Beautiful

I am not broken.

Although, perhaps to some I may appear that way.

When I sit in stillness, in the quiet of my own heart, it is clear that I may be chipped.

I may be cracked.

Parts of me may be loose or wobbly,

but there is such a profound beauty

in all of the scars and markings of this worn and tired being, 

that I can only imagine 

if I were completely broken 

I would be even more beautiful.


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The nudge

Saying yes to “hard.”

With kindness 

and gentleness.

With hope

and tenacity.

With assertiveness

and assuredness.

Calm.

Confident.

Clear.

Recognizing the “hard”

as the nudge 

towards

easing up

and

letting go.


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Blisters

My old, worn out shoes,

so familiar,

form to fit my imperfect feet,

adapted over time to accommodate my lopsided gate,

carrying me faithfully in my uneven stride.

There comes that time that those beloved companions have served their purpose,

worn out in functionality,

poised for retirement.

In come the replacements,

stiff,

awkward,

shifting,

adjusting.

Blisters making way for bliss – forging new connections for movement and growth.


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Shadow Dance

The shadow of the leaf.

A lingering impression it makes as the sun touches the earth,

predictable, recognizable, seemingly unchanging.

And then the moon eclipses the sun.

The angle of light shifts as it shines on the earth.

Shadows arc and transform just as freely as the leaf dances in the wind,

fully capable of showing up differently.


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Creativity unbound

Thinking…thinking….thinking….

No room for the heart to heal.

The cast iron vault concealing deep and splintering wounds too fragile to expose.

Can the world handle the explosion?

Is it ready for the imprisoned love and joy to be released?

Will critical thoughts, past hurts, and fear prevent the unleashing?

Oh, to find creativity again…

For creativity to find me.

Touching once more vitality,

vibrancy,

and free expression.

All that is left to do is to

Feel…feel…feel…


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The right moves

This newness thrills and enlivens me,

as the old ways woo me with protection and predictability.

It’s exhausting,

at times,

this dance!

Leaving it all behind too quickly there is no room to pause,

to catch my breath,

to reset.

Slowing too much

makes it difficult to find a rhythm in the steps.

and so I spin

and twirl

and feel my breath and body

slightly losing control,

occasionally stepping out of sequence,

joyfully embracing the imperfection,

and that’s when I know

I’m doing it right.


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The Tunnel

The air turns cool.

Sound becomes distorted.

Sight goes offline.

Simultaneous smallness and vastness set in.

Swaddled simplicity meets rattled uncertainty.

The compass loses its point of focus,

directionality irrelevant.

Bending and moving through unfamiliar spaces,

offering lessons in courage,

the darkness is only temporary.


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Boldly Going Nowhere

Frenetically charging ahead.

Pushing to make something happen.

Squandering the gift time has given of ponderance.

Moving and changing is exhilarating.

The powerful rush of adrenaline

on the grand loops and dips of the roller coaster.

Is that sustainable?

Movement for the sake of movement can release and even bring progress.

Advancing into action

can relieve pain and fear.

It can also bring injury and dis-ease.

There is great potential for harm with repetitive movement absent proper supports and conditioning.

Every decision is filled with regret or acceptance.

Every decision is likely being made in response to fear.

It may be the greatest fear we have is remaining where we are.

Every decision can be empowering.

It may not require striving,

movement

or big changes

to demonstrate prowess,

intellect,

and power.

It may be adventurous.

It may untangle the bonds of current conditions.

Or, it may be escapism,

grandiosity,

avoidance.

It may be a means of hiding

or running away

from the lessons available right where we are.

Just being,

in the stillness,

in the simplicity,

in the temporarily perceived lack

and stagnation

could be just what is needed

to truly free the heart,

open the mind,

and honestly and gratefully embrace one’s spirit.

To boldly go where no one has gone before

may be an invitation

to stay right where we are.


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Apart or whole

Gnarled or free flowing.

Grasping or outstretched.

From its center point,

form expands in two directions,

mirrored in the spread of itself confidently into the earth

and it’s expansion courageously into the air.

Nourishment flowing.

Survival impossible without the reflections

of grounding,

of stretching,

of growth,

of change.

One feeding the other,

feeding the other.

Separate in apparent function.

Symbiotic existence as one.