Monday Mindfulness

Cultivating Strength, Joy, Calm & Resilience

Tag Archives: growth


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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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Truly Free

The sky parts,

inviting me closer,

calling me towards something,

no path,

no plan,

to go nowhere

or everywhere.

Just go…

be free.

Is the freedom in the flying or the landing?

Going away or coming home?

Is freedom in the movement,

or the stillness,

in the belonging,

or the aloneness,

in the surrender,

or the embrace?

Freedom is not achieved.

It is a quality of mind.

Could it be that I am afraid to truly be free?


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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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Fine print

I don’t wanna,

but I will

because it is all happening

for me

and for my highest good,

not what I think

or feel

in this moment,

but a long lasting learning.

and knowing

that transcends

this human experience

and that’s what I’m here for.


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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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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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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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Full Me Rising

I am so powerful that I can command my own suffering to inform change.

I am so creative that I can find solutions to the underlying mysteries of my experiences.

I am so brave that I can step into my full consciousness and awareness with grace.

I am so smart that I can turn to love, kindness, and joy at any moment,

cultivating it within and inspiring it around me,

even in a world focused on being something else.


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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.