Monday Mindfulness

Cultivating Strength, Joy, Calm & Resilience


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The nudge

Saying yes to “hard.”

With kindness 

and gentleness.

With hope

and tenacity.

With assertiveness

and assuredness.

Calm.

Confident.

Clear.

Recognizing the “hard”

as the nudge 

towards

easing up

and

letting go.


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A knight’s message

Even in my darkest moments,

My most intense forms of suffering,

I find flickering deep within an ember of hope, a knowing that this is temporary,

a moment of exploration and learning.

Pain is informative and a reminder that there is the opposite – great peace, ease, harmony, and joy – just around the corner,

riding in valiantly on the next breath,

to remind me that I am just as much that as anything else.


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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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Lovable Strength

Today, I stand confident in who I am,

boundaries clear,

armor buffed and shield held high.

I speak up, stand up, and never back down when protecting you and ensuring your needs are met.

Today, I turn to face life’s challenges with the power of conviction

to protect my values for me,

uphold my beliefs that I deserve to be free of negative energy,

to have peace.

Today, I stand tall and strong in my truth,

and as I take up this new untarnished spiritual armor,

brave and resilient enough to confront those who aim to harm and belittle me,

I hope you raise your sword,

not to keep me small,

but in celebration of my

courage,

tenacity,

and

lovable strength.


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Enough

Stand in your joy!

Exude love,

kindness,

generosity.

Not because they will gain you respect

or stature

or power

or success.

But because that is who you are,

and you deserve to walk into every room before you,

swinging that door open with healthy arrogance,

ready to share your grace and goodness,

just as you are,

with those fortunate enough to be in your presence.


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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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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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Creativity unbound

Thinking…thinking….thinking….

No room for the heart to heal.

The cast iron vault concealing deep and splintering wounds too fragile to expose.

Can the world handle the explosion?

Is it ready for the imprisoned love and joy to be released?

Will critical thoughts, past hurts, and fear prevent the unleashing?

Oh, to find creativity again…

For creativity to find me.

Touching once more vitality,

vibrancy,

and free expression.

All that is left to do is to

Feel…feel…feel…


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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.