When I am balanced mind and body, I am just ripe. There is no bitterness, no tough skin to cut through. I am neither too soft and falling apart.
Picked too soon, I am raw, needy, unready. Left to ripen too long and I begin to sour and decay.
Perfectly cultivated and connected to my core, I am a source of sustenance, giving flavor and nourishment without expecting anything in return.
Delicious, sweet and juicy, is what you get when I give myself ample time on the vine.
As you navigate the path of life, never forget how special you are, how worthy you are of love. Of self-love.
Hold your own hand, cradle your own heart in your healing palms. Feel the full bond of acknowledgement, acceptance, and allowing.
When you love yourself, all the other relationships in your life will thrive. No need for anything more. For by loving yourself, you are loving all.
You are perfectly imperfect, divine and beautiful, whole in every aspect of you…just the way you are.
Love all of that, all of you, and the path will be clear.
[due to a publication glitch, the earlier version of this post was inadvertently deleted…apologies for any duplicity]
I no longer have weekdays and weekends. I simply have days.
I no longer have good days or bad days. I simply have days.
Some days feel heavier and on those days I go slow.
Some days feel lighter and on those days I shine a bit brighter.
Whether heavy or light, I live fully and freely in each day.
It feels better to live without labels.
What is it to be the mountain?
To stand strong, deeply rooted in the earth, proudly displaying your majesty and power.
Or, to bow humbly, providing the contrast to the sky and the scaffolding on which the sky balances, sprawls, and expands.
It is our role as teachers and leaders of today’s children to do both. To stand strong, firmly rooted in our values and beliefs, and at the same time submit to the greater knowing that resides in our children as we invite them to sprawl and expand into their own greatness, feeling only our love and trust as we remain firmly planted under them, fully supporting them exactly as they are.
There are those who walk within the crosswalk and those who create their own lines. Endless ways to reach your destination. Different challenges in each one. But, when you walk confidently, fully present and in tune with your vibration, there is an unquestionable spring in your step, a natural joy in knowing that you are moving forwards in your own way.
Stepping off the curb is often the toughest part.
There is a tendency for us to focus on the negative in the situations that are unfolding around us – to see the hate, the violence, the suffering, the injustices. We may see where we are and what is happening around us as a time of struggle, hopelessness, despair, darkness. We worry about what life will be like tomorrow. We may even fear hardship for our children as if the world around us is falling apart.
But our children are not afraid. They have confidence, perhaps just like we did when we were younger, that they are simply learning and evolving. They have a deep knowing that where we are today is an opportunity for them to succeed tomorrow. Those who are following their internal GPS are filled with hope.
So maybe instead of fretting about the politics, being angry about the hate and violence, and focusing on what is wrong or lacking, we are meant to relax into this darkness so that we can discover the light and have confidence in our children to know the way. Maybe what we see happening around us and to us today are actually the stepping stones our children need to lead us all to happiness, peace, and universal love tomorrow.
Connect with your inner essence and conduct yourself in alignment with what is best for you – not what is best materially or socially, not what is best to correct the past or to position you for the future, not what you are craving or what you believe you need, but knowing your place and greater purpose.
Stand up fully for yourself and confidently guide your experience with grace.
This is what it means to be present.
