Monday Mindfulness

Cultivating Strength, Joy, Calm & Resilience

Tag Archives: empowerment


by Leave a comment

Both

Feeling goodness.

Recognizing capacity for love and joy…

and pain and sorrow…

and confusion and disappointment…

Offering laughter and playfulness…

tears and aching.

Ever grateful.

Still longing.

Inviting.

Learning to receive.

Faith,

not hope,

guides discovery.

Recurring smiles

share space with unsettled emptiness,

offering glimpses of spaciousness.

Trust becomes the compass point,

as surrender calls.

Not giving up,

but diving in.

Relinquishing the tight reins of control

to allow the fullness of life to unfold on its own.

Turning towards the depths of the oceans of stability within,

to exist within it all.

Grateful for this artwork generously created and shared by Matt Buncik.


by Leave a comment

Unearthing

Murky are the surface waters,

Cold and dark, the mud feels heavy.

Abundant are the obstacles to expanding outward.

Unforgiving crevices entice, yet lead nowhere.

Solitary feels this existence.

And still it is called home.

An unknown force – courage perhaps – fuels a simple cell to activate.

A small stirring and restriction becomes the road map.

Containment provides clarity.

Movement replaces stagnation.

This incubation over.

Growth has begun.

Subtly and silently, a leaf

and then a petal.

More and more petals.

Surfacing.

Outstretching.

Unfolding.

Without ceremony.

So Beautiful.

The blossoming that reveals itself from under the mud and muck.


by Leave a comment

Multiple Truths

My capacity is larger than my hurt.

The tear rolls down my cheek, 

just a fraction of the bigger me.

Full and brimming and yet still quite small.

I feel both at the same time,

my tear

and my breath,

my breath

and my heart,

my heart

and my strength.

I can hold grief and gratitude.

Love and disappointment.

Compassion and boundaries.

Sadness and peace.


by Leave a comment

Discarded

Alone, 

it rested 

below the fresh 

and blossoming 

bouquet, 

forgotten, 

dropped. 

As if it’s work was done,

the petal fell, 

tired, 

heavy, 

worn.

It left the collective

where it had so faithfully held on,

believing that its beauty lay

in its contribution.

It could hold on no more.

It had to drop away. 

It had to pull apart.

In its moment of letting go 

and seeming it was done,

that petal 

became 

its most beautiful 

version 

of itself.


by 1 Comment

Porous

Recognizing without conforming.

Allowing without absorbing.

Flowing effortlessly between the inner and outer world.

Uniquely connected.

Discerning without differentiating.

Stepping out of the rigid container of familiar and safe 

to freely exercise vulnerability and authenticity.

Curious.

Open to the new and opposing.

Existing within this thin permeable membrane.

Maintaining sense of self. 

Living deeply and authentically.


by Leave a comment

Obstacles

I’m not always going to get my way,

but I’m always going to get what’s right for me.

When I let go of forcing outcomes,

stop relying on others for my happiness,

and see obstacles not as a sign of my worth but of my courage and strength,

even what seems like a paralyzing blockage

can be an invitation to take a different path,

go a different way,

or sit right where I am for a moment 

and reflect 

on the beauty, 

awe, 

and opportunity 

that exists right here,

right now,

just the way things are.

Much gratitude to Shari Irby for contributing this photo.


by Leave a comment

Vision board

Standing out

Breaking through

Rising up

Getting messy

Making choices

Accepting consequences

Humbly confident 

Unconditionally vulnerable 

More freedom

More joy

More love

Giving

Receiving

Most authentically me.


by Leave a comment

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.


by Leave a comment

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.


by Leave a comment

I hear you

Say I love you like a cat,

I trust you like a baby,

I believe in you like a tree,

I know your greatness like a dolphin.

Unleash your heart and

speak your truth…

not your prerogative,

not your thoughts,

nor needs.

Go within and beyond.

Authentic.

Whole.

Honest.

Because the gurgling that arises from your throat in the form of words is but a practiced screening of the vibrational current of your true voice within.

Sit in the silence, until it no longer feels uncomfortable,

until you can speak and listen from that space of clarity,

love,

and peace.

Know that I hear what you say long before the words are formed.