Monday Mindfulness

Cultivating Strength, Joy, Calm & Resilience

Tag Archives: change


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Night follies

Tossing and turning

to release the entanglements,

the incomplete exchanges,

the charges,

the depletions,

the crossings,

taking from,

or rejecting

others

and self.

Battling in the darkness

the shame

and judgment

of the weaknesses,

mistakes,

and stuckness.

Playing the game

of loathing,

disaappintment,

protection,

defeat,

revenge,

in my sleep.

All the while knowing that whatever happened yesterday does not decide today.  

No matter the outcome of the dreams or circumstances of before,

I will awake to a whole new tomorrow,

another opportunity to play.


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Blisters

My old, worn out shoes,

so familiar,

form to fit my imperfect feet,

adapted over time to accommodate my lopsided gate,

carrying me faithfully in my uneven stride.

There comes that time that those beloved companions have served their purpose,

worn out in functionality,

poised for retirement.

In come the replacements,

stiff,

awkward,

shifting,

adjusting.

Blisters making way for bliss – forging new connections for movement and growth.


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Shadow Dance

The shadow of the leaf.

A lingering impression it makes as the sun touches the earth,

predictable, recognizable, seemingly unchanging.

And then the moon eclipses the sun.

The angle of light shifts as it shines on the earth.

Shadows arc and transform just as freely as the leaf dances in the wind,

fully capable of showing up differently.


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Struck

The current flows through me like a lightening bolt.

Jaggedly it rips at my center.

The burning wake of hollowness almost crumbles me to the ground.

As the charge hits the earth,

it dissipates,

diffuses,

extinguished in a flash.

Breath and smoldering flesh hang on.

Roots cling to the soil,

unhinged by the destruction.

The sky still dark,

the air now still,

droplets descend from the clouds as a small peace offering and attempt to soothe.

Shhhh….

calls out the rain.

You will prevail.

Forever changed, yes.

Wearing the beautiful mark

of challenge overcome,

and your willingness to be a conduit

for the powerful energy of

change.


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Boldly Going Nowhere

Frenetically charging ahead.

Pushing to make something happen.

Squandering the gift time has given of ponderance.

Moving and changing is exhilarating.

The powerful rush of adrenaline

on the grand loops and dips of the roller coaster.

Is that sustainable?

Movement for the sake of movement can release and even bring progress.

Advancing into action

can relieve pain and fear.

It can also bring injury and dis-ease.

There is great potential for harm with repetitive movement absent proper supports and conditioning.

Every decision is filled with regret or acceptance.

Every decision is likely being made in response to fear.

It may be the greatest fear we have is remaining where we are.

Every decision can be empowering.

It may not require striving,

movement

or big changes

to demonstrate prowess,

intellect,

and power.

It may be adventurous.

It may untangle the bonds of current conditions.

Or, it may be escapism,

grandiosity,

avoidance.

It may be a means of hiding

or running away

from the lessons available right where we are.

Just being,

in the stillness,

in the simplicity,

in the temporarily perceived lack

and stagnation

could be just what is needed

to truly free the heart,

open the mind,

and honestly and gratefully embrace one’s spirit.

To boldly go where no one has gone before

may be an invitation

to stay right where we are.


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Regal Seagull

I fly out over the waves I call my home in search of nourishment.

In my seeking, I drift farther and farther from my nest.

Eventually, I am too tired to go on.

As I land, I find completely unfamiliar surroundings.

So unnerving, the experience of stepping out of the familiar, even when it’s for my own survival.

Do I retrace my steps and return to what was and where I came from, scavenging and settling for the scraps?

Do I settle into this new space and look ahead, embracing the unfamiliar and uncertain?

I can turn back or I can stand on these new shores.

I can forage and discover.

I pause and tuck under my wings where I find a consistent space of solace and reassurance,

to rest, to calm, and regain focus,

Here, I remember that to truly nourish myself,

I just may need to take flight and perch on new frontiers.

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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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Healing Light

Sometimes the light is too bright.

It is quick, and big, and so expansive.

Uncomfortable.

Unfamiliar.

Intimidating.

Too adventurous.

It feels great,

But a little unsafe.

Taking sips.

Feeling cautious.

Going slow.

Becoming curious.

Letting it tingle and flicker.

Allowing glimmers of ease.

Breathe by breath,

Becoming just a little lighter,

Peeling open with an achiness and stiffness,

Untangling and unfurling,

Nourished and relaxed by the light.

Beginning to awaken and transition.

Now softness and trust expand.

Permission granted to feel,

To release,

To become

Something else.

Freedom to be, anew.


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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.