Monday Mindfulness

Cultivating Strength, Joy, Calm & Resilience

Category Archives: quality of life


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Eyes open, heart full

There is such magic in this world.

In the way my body carries me.

The movement of the wind as it caresses my cheek.

The coolness of the tears that release my tension and heaviness and fall as readily with joy as sorrow.

In the songs of the birds and insects busy with their work.

The smile of a loved one.

The deep knowing in the eyes of a child.

The way the earth holds onto me.

The playful dance of the ocean under the moon.

The squish of sand…mud…and grass between my toes.

The twinkle of the sun peeking through the forest leaves.

The wiggle and prance of unconditional love in a dog’s greeting.

The soul connection of a cat’s purr.

The goodness in the food I eat.

The nourishment and brain power in a sip of water.

The laughter of my children.

The echoes of love that I feel as unborn babies prepare to create more magic in this world.

The gifts are endless, seamless, and there for me even when I forget, become distracted, or look away.

The magic remains and returns again and again.

All I have to do is be still and it appears so clearly before and within me.

It’s really not magic at all.

What a beautiful thing to let love guide me and choose to see the good in the world today.


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The fruits of loss

For so long I have worked to convert false and illusory love into something genuine and real.

I took every secret, every lie, and tried to make good of it, convert it with my own love, and hold it in my heart as if somehow sacred.

It cut me off from believing I was worthy or capable of experiencing authentic love…so much so that I lost the connection to my own self love.

My heart never forgot. It diligently safeguarded that little piece of me while it held all the other illusions and hopes.

The portion of my heart that held onto dreams of apologies and repair finally grew so heavy and full of empty promises that it ripped itself away. Painfully it twisted and tugged, like an overripe piece of fruit trying to resist gravity’s pull. It finally fell away. Oh the sorrow. Even letting go of something rancid and rotting is still a severing, a deep and real loss.

As that fruit of my broken heart smashed to the ground, its void still consuming my awareness, little seeds of potentiality embedded in the ground. I saw in them hopes that somehow we have all learned from these lessons of untrue love.

Somehow we will remember that without filling there can be no emptying. Without love there is no hope. Without unabashed openness and courage, the fruit cannot ripen and go on to somehow grow into something beautiful.

And in the meantime, the void from the fallen fruit begins to fill with new leaves.


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Bare Roots

The rest of the trees in the woods seem to stand so confident, so steady.

The storms have not hindered their ability to carry on.

And there I lay right next to them…toppled to the ground,

Root exposed.

So vulnerable and feeling like such a failure.

No longer am I the source of shade, fresh air, and refuge for the birds.

How could I be so weak?

How could I let so many down?

As I lay across the forest floor I feel the earth not just at my base but nestling in all along my spine, roots to branches.

I feel the soft mud, leaves of seasons past, and creatures that inhabit the ground delighting in my arrival.

New spaces to be cradled, to play in, and explore.

I am no longer giving nourishment through my leaves and breath but I am feeding the forest now with my whole being.

I am no longer drawing from the source of nourishment at my roots but I am the source itself.

With roots exposed, like bearing the deepest corners of my heart, I have nothing to protect and everything to give.

Fallen and seemingly over my prime, I am just now realizing that my purpose was not to stand tall but to fall into an even more grand state of being.


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Move the Rocks!

Along the creek’s edge,

water swiftly flowing,

slippery mud warns of the potential danger in crossing.

Yet here I am, knowing this is the way to go.

I watch as the current jets and swerves around the moss and algae covered rocks scattered in the creek.

I find the most narrow crossing and yet it seems like still an impassible ravine.

My body tightens with anxiety,

For a moment I choose fear in response to this opportunity to move in a new direction.

In the tightening, frozen, I am,

dreading staying where I am equally to where I know I must go.

Then the anxiety speaks more loudly.

My breath grabs at my chest.

Sweat speckles my skin.

I must make the crossing.

That is my destiny.

I step out onto one rock and

with breath unconvinced of my safety the path begins to unfold.

I pause.

Instead of dashing quickly across the precariously and wide spread rocks,

I reach out to the rock before me and test its steadiness.

In the past I might not have made a connection – I might have tried to move urgently, wobbly and unsure, holding my breath and perhaps even crashing in the cold rushing water…blaming the rocks.

Today, my anxiety informs me of my power to pause,

to narrow my attention, my body, and my focus.

I don’t need to take the path as it is.

I tense not with fear but with agency as I move my muscles into action.

I reach down and shift the unsteady rock before me.

It’s heavy and at first won’t move.

So I narrow and tighten more until I funnel the tightness into strength.

The rock moves…and so do the others beyond it…and so do I.

The rocks settle.

I settle.

My chest releases.

My breath deepens.

My body advances forward,

grounded and a bit more sure.

There are a few more stones to go but I now know I don’t need to take them as they are.

I can make the path my own as I find my way.


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Indelible

Step softly, so that the heart of the earth feels the massage of your gentle touch and yet you leave no visible marks on her outer edges.

Speak confidently with love so that your words are heard clearly without hurting.

Experience wide open spaces without taking up residency or ownership.

Follow the rising sun as the rippling wake of warmth washing over the landscape.

Offer cool crevices like the moon without swallowing up the light.

Be your most wild, magnificent, vibrant self, touching the world lightly and leaving an indelible mark.


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Rising from the Rubble

I had no idea that as I tore down the wall to rescue my abandoned self that I would nearly smother in the rubble.

Even when loss is experienced in a way that relieves abuse, abandonment and betrayal, the disruption it causes and the pain of breaking through the barriers to healing oneself are great.

And those who helped to build the wall, who reveled in the obstructing and ostracizing of that true self, walk away unphased by the devastation left behind. They go on to build thicker walls around themselves and others.

While their departure ensures the wall they left behind is not reinforced, it hurts that they do nothing to help remove the heavy stones, broken shards, and pieces of what they worked so relentlessly to build.

That burden rests on the shoulders of the self behind the wall. One by one the stones are slid aside. The dust settles. The light starts to shine through the piles and pieces as the opening grows wider and wider.

The power in seeing that self emerge, pale and weak at first – labored breathing, heavy and slow moving, still patiently and methodically forging ahead and finding its way – is so sweet to witness…even in its efforting.

That self digging out from the rubble need not feel animosity, anger, or resentment. No, that self is not needing to be rescued.

That self is triumphing in the freedom of self-acknowledgment, self-care, and self-worth.

Much of the power in healing comes from the self not needing to be rescued. The power is in putting aside the rubble and freeing oneself.


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Branching Out

Today I want to be a tree,

providing steadiness and sturdiness in the world,

receiving assuredness and ease,

knowing precisely where I stand.

Anchored in the strength of the earth.

Expanding gently, respectfully and gratefully into the air and space of others.

I want to be a source of clearing of thoughts,

feelings,

worries,

suffering,

not absorbing it as my own,

simply removing the impurities and toxins.

I want to breathe in and receive

the light

the water

the nourishment of family and friends

the success of work

the richness of creation.

to feel my beautiful roots and my capacity to grow endlessly upward and outward.

I embrace the simultaneously simple and complex nature of me

Inviting gratitude and joy as my guides

Growing ever stronger and steadier in who I am

and how I show up in the world.


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Shape Shifting

For just a moment,

I breathe.

Stories begin to evaporate.

Expectations

Fear

Doubt

Dissipate

Ceasing to exist without the stories.

Spreading my fingers, I release the hold,

Unbridle the mind

Widen the heart

Let it all go.

Clearing spaces

I grow lighter

Longer

Looser

Expanding

Into lightness

I deepen my capacity

I feel into my power.

My power is

Joyful

Assured

Easy

Bright

Clear

Not taking on a particular form, shifting fluidly between states and forms as they serve me.

Diving into limitless potentiality

Alive with creativity

I can be

or do

anything

Or nothing.

Feeling into my greatness

There lies freedom to choose.

Growing

Into my capacity.

I am powerful

Whatever shape I choose.


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Abundance

When I feel rich,

My breath is full and steady,

My brain is open and organized,

My body is calm and healthy.

When I think I am rich,

There is no striving or grasping,

I am courageous and confident,

Projects move forward and my work is authentic.

When I believe I am rich,

I am grateful.

There is no rush to accomplish anything.

I am focused and clear.

I make powerful and positive decisions.

When I know I am rich,

All fears of unworthiness, lack, and disappointment dissolve.

Opportunities and answers arrive easily.

Wealth occurs naturally.

Love flows freely.


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Whole Harmony

Life force

breath

heals

softens

opens

the body

relaxes

the mind

promotes

courage

offers

ease

and

fuels

my

power.

Still

grateful

gentle

kind

accepting

breathing

I am

a great

force

of energy.

Feeling

healthy

and

strong

in the

soft

and

caring

rest

slowness

and

power

in my

every

breath.