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.
I can no more be in or out of love
than I can be in or out of my body,
or my breath.
Love is not something temporary,
to be chased,
or clung to.
Love is the essence of freedom,
self expression, and connection.
Love is a state of being
that allows all else to exist.
Grounded in lightness.
Free to expand.
Confident in choice.
Clear in direction.
Comfort in stillness.
Peace in the quiet.
Steady in heart.
Safe in this breath.
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.
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.
Blustery cold takes my breath away.
Frozen, alone, confined to the space of myself.
Sharing my dreams with the walls, longing for the door to open.
Holding on to hope.
Awaiting that precious moment when fingers thaw and
hearts warm.
when the wind carries through the windows the fresh scent of renewal.
Expanding into the sun,
into my knowing
my power,
my love,
Into the garden of
wholeness
where I find myself
shedding the cold confinement,
ready to dance,
Bursting with excitement.
Tempted by fear.
To hold back.
To bring less of my
intelligence,
beauty,
creativity,
power
so as not to overwhelm them.
But they feel it anyway.
They want it.
And there is a good chance they won’t be able to handle it.
But that shouldn’t stop me
from being all that I am.
My allness
is ready
to bloom,
in all
of
its
magnificence.
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.
Not chasing answers
but curiously asking questions.
Fleeting, bubbles of inquiry,
floating, popping, landing
with different degrees of impact.
Wonder and awe ignited.
Delight inspired.
Freedom found
when instead of chasing results,
I am open to receiving conclusions freely.
I am not broken.
Although, perhaps to some I may appear that way.
When I sit in stillness, in the quiet of my own heart, it is clear that I may be chipped.
I may be cracked.
Parts of me may be loose or wobbly,
but there is such a profound beauty
in all of the scars and markings of this worn and tired being,
that I can only imagine
if I were completely broken
I would be even more beautiful.
Monday Mindfulness 