Monday Mindfulness

Cultivating Strength, Joy, Calm & Resilience


Leave a comment

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.”


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.


Leave a comment

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.


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.


Leave a comment

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.


Leave a comment

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.


Leave a comment

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…


Leave a comment

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.


Leave a comment

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.


Leave a comment

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.