Monday Mindfulness

Cultivating Strength, Joy, Calm & Resilience


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And

Where does it end,

the light from the sun 

the light of the moon, 

the dark of the shadows

the vastness of the sky,

cold of winter,

unfurling of spring?

Where is the line 

that separates joy 

from sorrow,

excitement 

from fear?

What fills the space between earth and sky?

Is it my heart?

My body?

My breath?

In my mind I struggle 

to find a separation,

an either or,

a division,

a moment,

where one exists without the other.

I cannot 

and therefore 

I cannot regret.

I cannot long.

I cannot judge,

right or wrong.

I cannot reject sorrow 

or long for joy.

I cannot suffer in darkness or immerse myself fully in light.

I am made of it all.

It is all in me.

Or is none of it?

I am the space that fills 

the space between.

I am the end of light,

the beginning of dark.

I am all of the joy and filled with sorrow.

I am the convergence of earth and sky. 

I am the meeting place for it all.

I am the “and.”


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Today

Tomorrow is not promised.

Align and open to the greatest gifts of today.

Open to your strengths.

Hold your wounds and weaknesses as reminders.

If you can remember these, you can remember you are something more.

You are something so much more.


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Balanced

Whole.

Steady.

Relaxed.

Desiring.

Creative.

Joyful.

Confident.

Protected.

Assured.

Loving.

Receiving.

Humble.

Gentle.

Clear.

Consistent.

Allowing.

Steady.

Wise.

Open.

Graceful.

Free.


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Accompaniment

I ask not that you change or conform.

You need not worry if who I am is not who you want me to be.

Let’s not need to hold hands in unity,

but hold hearts with respect.

I will not squash who I am,

or expect you to assimilate.

Even if I do not walk in your shoes, I offer you accompaniment,

so that we are both seen and heard and the rhythm and

harmony of our movement through life,

offers a flavorful contrast

for all the world to remember

the value of their own melody.


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Divided to conquer

One day this single path abruptly split in two.

The potential in both directions was intriguing and alluring,

albeit a bit daunting.

The split itself brought much spaciousness and beauty,

a chance to pause and survey the widespread landscape of the past and present,

confirming there could be no wrong steps forward, 

the divide simply an invitation to reawaken to this journey 

and joyfully take the next step.


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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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On Being Seen

Finding the balance between expressing and encroaching,

between stepping back and leaning in.

There are moments to blend

and times to expand.

Expressing one’s colors

requires softness and boldness,

the ability to complement and hold up another and still stand fully on your own.

Today, will it be accent or statement?

There are places to be both.


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Real Work

I stop to touch the tree trunk as I walk by.

My nose perceives the sweetness of bright white clusters of flowers on the horizon and the moistness of the ground beneath me.

I watch as stillness and movement come and go.

I sense the invisible currents of the air

that bring me sounds,

some familiar and many more curious.

This is the work of being on this earth.

Not leaving memories,

but making them.


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Courage

Let it all flow…

Hot and messy

like a volcano.

Root down and rise up,

Stop your feet,

Get low to the ground.

Burst with great force,

triumphantly,

unapologetically,

into the sky

Release the big

and scary

and frustrating.

Shake like a wet dog when you feel stuck or over burdened.

Curl inward and rest until you remember your power.

You are magnificent.

You

are

magnificent.


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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.