Author: valeriecameronmerritt

Congratulations!  You’ve made it to day six of a brand new decade.  How do you feel?  Did you take time to look over what you were happy about in 2019?  Have you spent time hashing out those 365.24 days to see if you could pinpoint the most important moments for change, joy, and love?  If you did, did it make you feel better about the moment you’re in now or the ones you’re going to be creating soon in 2020?  If you loved the last decade, maybe you sat joyously reminiscing or celebrating your noted accomplishments.  If you’re not satisfied with where you are, maybe you resigned to buckle down and make larger strides.  It could also be that you were indifferent to December 31st, 2019 as it turned over into January 1st, 2020.  You know you and you know where you stand with your past and with your present.  Generally, the past is only useful to you in what you can learn from it in recreating more of the same or altering for change.  With that in mind, taking just a few moments to feel gratitude for the past decade and year could be enough, otherwise you may be missing some of your now.  The same is true for future planning.  Take time to set your goals and intentions, but don’t let your head get stuck in a future that’s not yet here.  Planning, vision boards, and even feeling your future as you want to experience it are wonderful tools but too much worrying about another time can keep you from being a part of the present.

BE HERE NOW  

You can bring yourself back into your present moment with purposeful breathing.  You can also spend time with nature to do this and if you can’t get outside but you need to refocus, call yourself back into the present moment by going tactile.  If you’re outside, look for a pebble or whatever is in the landscape and comfortably accessible to you.  If you’re inside or at a desk, you can call in your energy with a pencil or another item there close by.  Focus on the object of your choice, feel it’s weight, notice it’s texture, and smile as you inhale and exhale.  Notice the weight of your object again and internally recognize your presence through the external.

Let 2020 be a year of clear vision for staying present as much as you can.  Honor your true self with acceptance of the current scene while you let that bright light of yours shine radiantly. No matter what has come before this and no matter what may come to pass, let the present be your muse.

We often become immersed in the repetition of our days and dulled to the magnificence of our existence.  We don’t know what moment may be our last and yet we let so many pass in a string of absentminded interplay, forgetting to marvel at the beauty in it all .

Today is a gift.  Be alive with your surroundings and loved ones.  Today is perfect exactly as it is and as it comes to you.

 

You never know when a seemingly small interaction or invitation is going to lead you to something much more important than you could have guessed.  Ordinary happenings hold plenty of magic, when you allow yourself to be in the stream of receptivity while also open to action.  I recently heard magic described as any technology we have yet to understand, and I liked that so much because pretty much all of us can jump on board with that – mystic or skeptic – yes?

I have experienced quite a few events that played out in wonderful ways when I didn’t stop to question and let myself go with the flow.  The first I remember was with how I met the friend I share this blog with… we were 11, well, I was 11 and she would be very soon after.  We had gym scheduled similarly in sixth grade but with different teachers which lined up our changing room time.  One day she called out, “Hey everyone! I’m having a birthday party and want to invite one more person if any of you are interested.”  I changed around the corner from her but overheard the invitation and wasted not one moment in the opportunity to go to someone’s party.  I don’t even remember if we had spoken before this.  I ran around the corner and yelled out, “I wanna go to your party!!” That was the beginning of this connection that has now spanned 28 years.

You never know where an invitation may lead you, or an impulse, or your imagination. Listen to yourself, trust your impulses, and let the everyday show it’s magic to you!

 2002

What can be dropped from or added to this day to make room for happy?  Is there something you’re just dreading and could let yourself say no to doing?  Saying no to one thing is often a yes in disguise for something else that will feel so much better! (I think this is such a lovely way to dispel guilty feelings surrounding no.)

If today is beyond your control in shaping, remember that your response to whatever comes is still up to you.  If you commit to saying, “I plan to be happy.” you’re sure to see it become part of your day.  The more in line you are with your truth and the more you honor yourself, the more you’ll have to nourish others in their pursuit of genuine happiness.

 

Last year around this time, healing familial ties and other relationships was a theme that felt appropriately placed in the holiday season.  That time of year has come around again, and this year I’m thinking of it a little differently.  I’m wondering how the holidays will look if I consider myself a garden to tend and the people I interact with as visiting flowers.

How would activities be chosen differently?  How would words to a petal or stem be spoken?  How much water does that one need and what kinds of food does it like best? (I’m thinking of water and food here as listening, affection, shared conversations, and perhaps eye contact.)  What truly nourishes? This lends to feeling a little lighter and inquisitive about how the coming week and end of year will look and feel.  Envisioning people and yourself as a garden may not be what fits you — but if it does and you try it, I’d be delighted to know what you experience.  I’m giving it a try for sure!

Poetry by Emily Dickinson 

Lessons from a kindergarten class:

Last week I was in the art room at my daughter’s school to lend a hand to a group of kindergarteners working on a clay project.  When I first walked in one of the students scowled at me.  I’m guessing that’s because he didn’t know who I was —  I’m not quite sure.  A few moments after instructions for the lesson were finished and the art teacher explained that I was there to assist the class, this kid was the first to come over and say, “I’m going to need your help with my clay.” There were lots of little hands and lots of clay that needed rolling, so after he was set for his next step it was time to move along quickly.  The class time flew by and they were lining up just as the last child finished the first step of their project. I went around picking up dried bits of clay while the art teacher organized their line up and dismissal.  The boy from the beginning said, “I’m going to miss you.” and I replied, “That’s very kind of you to say. I’ll miss you too but maybe see you again next time.”  Five and six year old children are notorious for catching on to what draws a compliment and wanting to receive the same, so the girl next to him said, “I love you.” The child next to her said, “Me too!  I love you!”  It set off a wave of I love you from the entire line of children.  They were saying It to each other, to the art teacher, and maybe to the air.  It was absolutely adorable.  I don’t know if you’ve ever been in a room full of I love you, but it’s a sweet reminder about letting go of conditions or reasons to love.

Love to love and say it just because.

When you’re able to bring yourself into the present without carrying the past or feeling concerned about the future, you have the opportunity to become a clean slate for yourself and for others.  Learning to drop judgements about yourself and to not form them for others or releasing them if you have, can create a lot of freedom in your life.

I’ve been in a long process that I consider to be a deep clean, a time of letting anything go that once defined who I thought I was.  This includes letting go of notions I had about others too and practicing seeing myself and others as clean slates.  If you’re willing to try this, so that you can be fresh for the moment you’re in, I think you’ll find the benefit.  It provides the platform for forgiveness and making choices with a loving heart.

Imagine what your life would look like if you were willing to let people be new in each moment instead of holding them to the patterns or displays of their past.  How would you feel and behave if that were offered to you in each moment?  Being a clean slate creates the space needed for any kind of real change.

We can move through life taking our bodies for granted and forgetting to be thankful and loving ourselves as we are.  Body experiences vary for each person and change with age.  Sometimes we have pain or discomfort and yet we can still see all of it as an extraordinary happening that we get to take part in and that is worth our gratitude!  Pause to acknowledge the blessing your body is to you with a short guided visualization.  This takes just a few minutes and may help to keep you mindful in other parts of your day.

Blessing the Body

I am thankful for my whole body.  I am thankful for my whole being. I bless my mind, body, soul and all the points at which these parts of me interconnect.

I breathe into my entire body with a warm, soothing light that glows as it moves with my breath.  I breath warm, soothing, glowing light into my chest.  I breathe warm, soothing, glowing light into my shoulders, neck, and face.  I feel the warmth flow into the back of my body, stomach, hips, legs, and feet.  I am filled with warmth.  I am filled with a soft glowing light.  I am safe. I am warm.  My entire body is a blessing to me.

Guided voice with singing bowls and tingsha bells:

 

“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.” – Anaïs Nin

Have you held yourself back from anything that could have helped you to expand? Could you let yourself take a step in a direction that would lead you to living a little larger and letting yourself embody more of your expansive spirit?  Where in your life is fear of something keeping you small?  If just acknowledging a fear is where you are today, that’s okay.  Approach it when and how you can until it’s easy enough to see whatever that fear is as something you can hold hands with, merge with, and then work with.

You can use the word fear interchangeably with insecurity, hurt, anger, sadness, and anything that could feel heavy or restrictive. All of these states of being need you to bring in their opposite to balance and heal.

 

 

An affirmation for trusting life and possibilities :

I trust that every moment is unfolding as it should.  I trust in my experiences and I am open to possibilities not immediately seen.