Ready to download here. As always, happy coloring!
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Sacred Selfishness
Since returning from California two weeks ago today, I have been missing in action. Okay, maybe just missing, because there has been little to no action. Reiki teacher training knocked my socks off. The whole idea that Reiki is not something that I do to others but something that I am ... well, I have needed time to contemplate what that means for me as a practitioner and, sooner or later, a teacher. The Reiki journey is a spiritual path for me ... deeply personal and yet encompassing us all. The training never ends when the class concludes. In many ways, it is just the beginning.
As tempting as it may be to meditate and contemplate all live-long day, I have people to love, pets to pet, a job to do, and the list goes on. Oh, yeah, there's my beloved workshop and this blog. The only thing that I've been crafting lately is a way to segment my days so that I can get my groove back ... or at least put myself in the vicinity of it. It requires some sacred selfishness. It means putting me first at the start of each day, so that I am fueled up to do, share and be what is most important to me.
Right now, maybe more than ever, it is imperative that I start my day with meditation. I am no expert, but those 20 minutes devoted to my breath, before doing anything else, improves the unfolding of my day more than just about anything else. I am vastly more patient and peaceful when I invest this time. Great for me, yes, but I believe the benefits ripple out to everyone with whom I come into contact, all day long.
If I can take 30 minutes to journal after spending those first 20 minutes meditating, well, I have exponentially increased the benefits of both. I can't explain it, but putting pen to paper and letting the words flow is therapeutic to me. I am not writing anything that would matter to anyone but me. But there's such deep value to it, meeting myself on the page ... saying and hearing what might otherwise fester into something bigger if left ignored.
If I can take a 45 minute walk with my neighbor after I finish journaling, then I am pretty well guaranteed a fantastic day. I stopped walking with her late last fall because I did not think I could tolerate trudging through another icy winter in the dark. This turned out to be one of the most miserable decisions and winters for me, ever. I learned something important. It wasn't just the walking that was supporting my well-being. A big part of the nourishment came from the sharing, the laughing, and, yes, even the bitching. She took me back as her walking buddy about a month ago and I am grateful and now healthier for it.
If I can take one hour to give myself a full Reiki treatment immediately after the walk, pure bliss! At first, it seemed too indulgent. One hour of healing just for me? On top of everything else? But it has made such an incredible difference, especially since the trip. It doesn't feel optional anymore. The cats are quite happy about it, too.
Finally, if I can spend 20 minutes making my green juice and smoothies for the day ahead while I am still in my Reiki afterglow, I can expect to have the best day ever! I have been eating high raw (but not vegan) for a couple of years. I have learned that the key is setting myself up for success in the morning. If I have mason jars of fresh juice and smoothies in the fridge, I know where to go when I get hungry. But if I wait until I'm hungry to make the juice and smoothies, I'm apt to succumb to something S.A.D. because it seems faster/easier.
Yes, my Big Five brings me five minutes shy of three ripe and juicy hours of sacred selfishness every single, blessed morning. This is why I get up at 5:00 a.m. It’s so worth it! I am so worth it!
So are you. If you were to give yourself permission to indulge in some sacred selfishness, how would your day begin? Do you have a Big Five? Maybe a Big Three? If not, what is the one thing that you are willing to do first thing every morning to fill your tank for the day ahead?
As tempting as it may be to meditate and contemplate all live-long day, I have people to love, pets to pet, a job to do, and the list goes on. Oh, yeah, there's my beloved workshop and this blog. The only thing that I've been crafting lately is a way to segment my days so that I can get my groove back ... or at least put myself in the vicinity of it. It requires some sacred selfishness. It means putting me first at the start of each day, so that I am fueled up to do, share and be what is most important to me.
Right now, maybe more than ever, it is imperative that I start my day with meditation. I am no expert, but those 20 minutes devoted to my breath, before doing anything else, improves the unfolding of my day more than just about anything else. I am vastly more patient and peaceful when I invest this time. Great for me, yes, but I believe the benefits ripple out to everyone with whom I come into contact, all day long.
If I can take 30 minutes to journal after spending those first 20 minutes meditating, well, I have exponentially increased the benefits of both. I can't explain it, but putting pen to paper and letting the words flow is therapeutic to me. I am not writing anything that would matter to anyone but me. But there's such deep value to it, meeting myself on the page ... saying and hearing what might otherwise fester into something bigger if left ignored.
If I can take a 45 minute walk with my neighbor after I finish journaling, then I am pretty well guaranteed a fantastic day. I stopped walking with her late last fall because I did not think I could tolerate trudging through another icy winter in the dark. This turned out to be one of the most miserable decisions and winters for me, ever. I learned something important. It wasn't just the walking that was supporting my well-being. A big part of the nourishment came from the sharing, the laughing, and, yes, even the bitching. She took me back as her walking buddy about a month ago and I am grateful and now healthier for it.
If I can take one hour to give myself a full Reiki treatment immediately after the walk, pure bliss! At first, it seemed too indulgent. One hour of healing just for me? On top of everything else? But it has made such an incredible difference, especially since the trip. It doesn't feel optional anymore. The cats are quite happy about it, too.
Finally, if I can spend 20 minutes making my green juice and smoothies for the day ahead while I am still in my Reiki afterglow, I can expect to have the best day ever! I have been eating high raw (but not vegan) for a couple of years. I have learned that the key is setting myself up for success in the morning. If I have mason jars of fresh juice and smoothies in the fridge, I know where to go when I get hungry. But if I wait until I'm hungry to make the juice and smoothies, I'm apt to succumb to something S.A.D. because it seems faster/easier.
Yes, my Big Five brings me five minutes shy of three ripe and juicy hours of sacred selfishness every single, blessed morning. This is why I get up at 5:00 a.m. It’s so worth it! I am so worth it!
So are you. If you were to give yourself permission to indulge in some sacred selfishness, how would your day begin? Do you have a Big Five? Maybe a Big Three? If not, what is the one thing that you are willing to do first thing every morning to fill your tank for the day ahead?
Saturday, April 18, 2009
I'm Back. Really.
I arrived back in Cincinnati before lunch time on Wednesday, April 8. I have been in a thick, persistent fog ever since. Is it really April 18? I mean, REALLY?
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Mandala Monday
Okay, it's Tuesday, but I wanted to get this mandala posted for you to download, since I won't be able to post one next week. Happy coloring!
Cali-bound
The Workshop has been quiet this month. I think I have been resting up for Reiki Teacher training, which begins this Friday. Wow. Friday. Can you believe it? I have been looking forward to this journey for many months. Having never been to California, I imagine that I’ll feel like Dorothy in Oz. This isn’t a bad thing. We need to put ourselves in unfamiliar surroundings sometimes. It’s good for the Inner Artist. Good for the soul.
My trusty Canon G9 is ready to go. So is my beloved Lomo. With Jen’s encouragement and the assistance of a YouTube tutorial, I held my breath and loaded film in my Holga for the very first time, but have decided to leave her at home. Yeah, I know, I know, but it really boils down to a matter of space and time. I don’t want to be so busy taking photos of the experience that I miss the experience of the experience. Know what I mean? I learned my lesson in Arizona. Came home with some amazing photographs, but felt like I only saw it all through a lens. I never took the time to really let myself just be there. With that said, two cameras will be more than enough for this trip.
If free time allows, I may start posting the digital shots to Flickr while I’m away, so check here later this week: http://www.flickr.com/photos/juloftheday
_________________________________
And, hey, before I go, I just want to apologize for the fact that I can't figure out why my feed doesn't seem to work ... at least per Feedburner. I know it's a pain in the butt to keep checking if I've updated. I do appreciate it, though. Very much. If you have any idea what the problem might be, please let me know.
My trusty Canon G9 is ready to go. So is my beloved Lomo. With Jen’s encouragement and the assistance of a YouTube tutorial, I held my breath and loaded film in my Holga for the very first time, but have decided to leave her at home. Yeah, I know, I know, but it really boils down to a matter of space and time. I don’t want to be so busy taking photos of the experience that I miss the experience of the experience. Know what I mean? I learned my lesson in Arizona. Came home with some amazing photographs, but felt like I only saw it all through a lens. I never took the time to really let myself just be there. With that said, two cameras will be more than enough for this trip.
If free time allows, I may start posting the digital shots to Flickr while I’m away, so check here later this week: http://www.flickr.com/photos/juloftheday
_________________________________
And, hey, before I go, I just want to apologize for the fact that I can't figure out why my feed doesn't seem to work ... at least per Feedburner. I know it's a pain in the butt to keep checking if I've updated. I do appreciate it, though. Very much. If you have any idea what the problem might be, please let me know.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Lomolovin'
My love affair with this magical camera started in 2003. Okay, well before, because of Dawn and her drool-worthy lomo images of Chicago. I contacted her, gushed effusively, and she really encouraged me to get one of my own and give it a whirl. So I did. And what a whirl it's been!But something happened in 2005 and I suspect that something was my digital camera. The lomo was set aside for instant gratification. Only recently did I blow the dust off of my poor lomo and discover that it still had film in it. So I finished the roll and eagerly took it for developing. Had it really been almost four years? Looks that way. Pictures don't lie. But I'm trying to make amends. My lomo will go with me to San Francisco in April and we'll see what kind of magic we can make. With color film, though ... definitely color.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Love Thursday
Spring is almost here. The light is streaming through our living room windows at the ideal angle to illuminate the bonsai that begrudgingly weathered the winter. I crack open the window to let in the breeze. I sip my tea and watch both birds and squirrels busily building their nests. I bask. I, too, begrudgingly weathered the winter. I, too, feel illuminated.Happy Love Thursday!
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