Monday Mindfulness

Cultivating Strength, Joy, Calm & Resilience

Category Archives: self-awareness


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I Believe

When I let go of trying to make things happen,

when I stop holding onto the belief that I need to make all the decisions and have all the answers,

I no longer feel an urgency to advance,

to be someone or something in particular.

When I let the work do itself,

methodically and gently applying curiosity and trust,

asking what’s next

without immediately seeking an answer,

allowing options to arise,

instead of predetermining the way,

believing in myself versus holding onto worn out beliefs,

success flows more quickly, smoothly, and freely.

When I take the pressure off myself and those around me to fit into my limiting perspective and beliefs,

I step more fully into my true potential…and they into theirs.

When I stop making myself small through my thoughts and feelings,

when I stop looking to you for answers,

it is clear that I don’t need the answers at all,

merely to hold onto the knowledge that I am doing the work

just by being here.


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Hidden Treasures

Open the box.

Release the wounded,

dejected, and painful parts.

Be not afraid

that they will multiply

or grow bigger

if you let them out,

for as soon as

you hold them

on a platform

to be seen,

they become

fragile,

small,

sweet,

needing nothing

more than the space to dissolve,

into the open air,

into the rolling sea

of being,

where they become

nourishment

for our greatest

dreams,

successes,

and gifts.


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Battle fatigue

The field is bloodied.

Swords scattered and strewn.

In the distance, flowers bloom and a river runs cool and deep.

Who are the victors and what have they gained?

What have the defeated truly lost?

Conflict is inevitable but the results are a choice.

To be a victor without gloating.

To be defeated without wallowing.

To receive and face all that comes without fear.

Each day I have the potential to find strength,

balance,

and humility,

regardless of which end of the sword I face.

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Unchanged

At the heart of all is love.

At the heart of me is love.

It’s ok to be skeptical.

No need to be clear or believe it,

And it’s still true.

Everything is working for me.

I need not soften into the knowing.

I can breathe and stand in this,

or I can struggle and resist,

and it will still happen – I am being.

I occupy this space, knowing that no one occupies this space like me.

Big or small,

tall or coiled,

heavy or light,

bold or shy,

free or bound.

The heart of me remains unchanged.

The heart of you remains unchanged.

The heart of all remains of love.

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Tap Root of Well Being

In between the mountains and valleys of thoughts,

Flows an inner resource deep within.

Its current runs through the deepest and darkest crevices of experience and rushes along the jagged and unpredictable surfaces of emotions.

It’s temperature, force, and direction make subtle shifts,

Navigating the terrain as it comes before it,

the inner resource remaining the constant in the ever-changing landscape.

It may from time to time be difficult to discern its presence, but with practice its presence becomes the familiar.

It’s consistent support and connection are unshakable.

All well being stems from and is fed by the inner resource.

The inner resource is the well of well being,

The inner resource is the taproot of our existence.

Can you feel it?


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Little sips of ease

There is not one giant awakening.

There is no detachment from pain.

There is not one moment of clarity that instantly falls upon the eyes or mind. There is not one instant one experiences freedom.

It happens bit by bit.

Awakening in the darkness,

in the suffering,

in the discomfort,

and in the dis-ease.

We begin to know it, like a dear and cherished friend.

There is a gradual unclogging, unfogging, and unraveling – that is the mystery of change.

That is the beauty of opening oneself to the potentiality of growing into something different.

Bit by bit, moment by moment, like pieces of a puzzle, thoughts and feeling, sensation and experiences, twist and turn and gradually find their way to fit together.

In that coming together, there is a sense of harmony and ease, perhaps even joy, that surfaces on the horizon,

not in overcoming the obstacles,

not in seeing the finished product,

but in feeling the creative process and drinking it all in.


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Acceptance

Witnessing

the immediate state of

the breath,

the thoughts,

the body.

Melting

conditionality,

quality,

quantity,

purpose,

direction.

Recognizing

perceptions of

loss

challenge,

failure,

imperfection,

and resistance

as a readiness

to be

seen,

felt,

and expressed

otherwise.

The next moment,

a transition,

a transformation.

Loving

and cherishing

what shows up

rather than what comes next.


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Perfectly Molting

A bird flies overhead,

magnificent in its form and grace,

perfection in flight.

So present in its existence, movement, and being.

So seemingly joyful and at ease, even as it efforts to ride the currents of air, finding its own way.

A feather lies on the ground,

long, lush, and of complex substance and form,

once essential to the bird’s form and function.

Even the bird,

relying so heavily on its feathers for form, movement, and survival,

molts and looses critical parts of itself to maintain its dynamic essence and functional existence,

growing into its fullest capacity.

It does not wallow in the loss of its parts.

It revels in the new found strength and skill that comes from letting go

and reforming with integrity

and wholeness

over and over again.


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Swimming

I came into this world knowing only me.

Somewhere along the way,

As I grew to know there were others,

I let them define who I came to be.

I thought I should follow.

And as a child, like a duckling, I did.

For that was my only sure source of food, shelter, survival.

But along the way, I noticed

I could forage, swim, and tuck my beak into my own wings

in a way unique to me.

It didn’t mean the others were wrong…

I just didn’t seem to be an exact fit to how they did these things.

I wrestled with knowing that I could make it on my own.

I convinced myself that I still needed to follow and be how and what they dictated.

And then one day, I gave it a small try.

I wandered a little farther away.

I showed up last to the waters edge.

I sat a bit longer in the sun than the rest.

There I found ease and a new sense of knowing.

The aloneness still haunts me from time to time as I am now no longer part of that brood.

And yes swimming on my own takes a new kind of effort.

But I’ve noticed

The others haven’t gone away.

Just their influence over my choices has.

Now we search for food near each other but don’t have to fight for the same piece.

We gather closer together when we need warmth and give space as needed.

We swim in the same waters but no longer in each other’s wake.

It’s a new way of existing,

This coming back to knowing me,

And it seems to be just the way it is supposed to be.


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perfect holes

Imagine an artist hand-working a tapestry with such precision that it rippled with perfection, had no evidence of flaws in material or craftsmanship, and contained absolutely no mistakes.

Would the artist call it perfect? Would they feel any less insecure in the results of their work? Would they recognize their accomplishment? Could they see their work as flawless? Is there such a thing? Would they want to be? And how would this perfect tapestry be received any differently than any others?

The brave artist announces mistakes not in shame, with excuses, or expecting judgment, but with joy in knowing that imperfections are not signs of our flaws and weaknesses but demonstrations of our beauty – and our capacity for compassion and forgiveness. Imperfections provide opportunities for us to create, again and again, not for the sake of achieving perfection but as play with absolutely no desired outcome other than the act of creating itself.

We need not be embarrassed, fearful, or ashamed in our mistakes. We and others benefit every time we craft with complete vulnerability and humility. Each mistake is important as it leaves space for love to come through.