Be grateful for the simple things…the love, the quiet, the laughter, each sunset, and the way that everyone in your life is there just as they are supposed to be perfectly annoying, perfectly intrusive, perfectly guiding you.
Embrace the simplicity of a plan already divinely created for you by you, all the pieces and all the players unfolding exactly as they are supposed to without layers of distraction, without redirection, not needing to be bigger or smaller.
Embrace the simplicity of it all and for that be grateful.
The feet are the foundation for the heart and head, the physical roots of Self. They carry us. They know our struggles. They tell our story – a story of how we have lived, our relationships with others, our deepest strengths, and where we have stood through every weakness.
Whether standing in the shadows or on the front lines of our experiences, we directly connect those experiences to our roots.
When we humbly and courageously stand under our experiences as opposed to standing up to them, we begin to open our hearts, strengthen our compassion for ourselves and others, and to exercise the most clear and powerful voice of action, that of the higher self.
You stand here on the verge of opportunity, of expansive and lifelong joy and fulfillment, not because you are heading out into the world to receive knowledge, gifts, and experiences from the world, but because you are ready to take responsibility for who you are and the contributions you make to your world.
You hold within you everything you need, all the knowledge, all the guidance, all the tools, all the wisdom, to be great and to be happy, to feel and share goodness and empowerment. Everything you need is right there within you.
Your generous spirit and your ability to make others laugh and feel cared for goes way back to when you were little. Your empathy, sympathy, and compassion for others is great. You were always the first to pick up a friend who tumbled, to offer your spot if it helped someone feel better, to clean up a mess that wasn’t yours, or to share a smile when no one else could find theirs.
Just be sure you have as much compassion, love, and kindness for yourself.
We know your missteps, your stumbles and wobbly choices were never intended to harm and were what you needed to do to learn the power of you, to learn how to listen not to what you think or feel should be done to please others but to rely upon your inner wisdom, the tiny little voice of your heart, that knows what is right…what is really right for you. Because when you do what is right for you, it ends up making everything right around you.
Trust yourself more. Know that you don’t have to make a big splash. Honor your divine spirit and let your natural state of being sparkle. Know that your true purpose is simply to do your best…and that is enough. It truly is enough.
I will try to remember that too, especially when I pass judgment, apply expectations, and forget that you are not here to fill my dreams.
Live with vision, intention, and determination. Stay accountable for your actions – feel your freedom and self-respect grow. Go confidently forward and remain present, bypassing what might, should, and could have happened, and instead focus your energy on building a life around you of peace and acceptance.
You will most certainly face many challenges, sadness, failures, and pain. Remember those experiences are only there to help you dig deeper into discovering who you are. Surrender your decision-making to your inner wisdom, listen to your deepest self and know your greater purpose.
You are no small part of anything. Remember your greatness, your power, your love, and your joy, always…and that is what I will remember of you.
The other day as I lay in stillness at the end of my yoga practice a sensation came over me, one of equanimity, of wholeness -a rather unfamiliar but wonderfully delightful and nostalgic sense of seeing and experiencing pure peace, joy, and perfection. It washed over me and surrounded me as if I was marveling at something on the outside, someone else’s greatness. Then I realized…this was the feeling I often had as a very young child. Pure peace and joy in who I am.
To know that it was all still there – the peace, the joy, the perfection – despite the countless blemishes and scars of a well worn life gave me such resounding hope – hope for the child within me, hope for the child within you.
It is in there, always, forever, no matter what…that we are whole, perfect beings, each and every one of us, each and every moment of our existence.
We just need to remember that.
And, as long as we can remember we will know peace and joy.
Whether you decide to tuck it all in tight or let it all hang out, as long as you honor your natural spirit and find joy where you are there’s nothing more you need to do.
Monday Mindfulness 