Author: valeriecameronmerritt

We think about waving a white flag when we want to quit something, when we give up or when we need help.  Often a mark of desperate measure and exhaustion, it’s not perceived as a positive sign.

What if we saw the white flag under a different light?  What if instead of giving up the flag could stand in it’s simplicity as a representation of surrender to what is?

In surrender, we can find ease because we are no longer resisting. Surrender, perceived this way, isn’t about giving up control though you’re willingly handing it over to the powers that be.

Surrender is acceptance and trust in the process of this incredible environment that hosts our experience.

Smile in the mirror. Do that every morning and you’ll start to see a big difference in your life.

Yoko Ono

 

“Luck is believing you’re lucky.” – Tennessee Williams

So much of luck is in how you choose to see situations and people.  Focusing on the good aspects can lead to a heightened awareness of just how lucky you truly are.

Surround yourself with good feeling thoughts and make time to do things that bring joy!

“The highest form of love is to be the protector of another person’s solitude.” -Rainer Maria Rilke

We may associate being alone with loneliness but this doesn’t have to be the case.  Creativity is often born in aloneness.  There’s plenty to be said about group dynamics and the energy found there for creative interplay, but it can be important to honor solitude as the positive space that bridges the unmainfest with the manifest.  What is and what will be need a meeting place as do the earth and sky.

It could be that what comes from solitude is a form of artwork, as was the case for Rilke, or it could be a quiet reflection, or a time of  rejuvenation that produces result in the quality of interactions to follow.  When you offer the gift of solitude you open a door from which many other gifts can flow.

“Silence is a source of great strength.” – Lao Tzu

 

This weekend you could wheel up the shopping cart for the person parked next to you at the store, you could buy the person behind you a coffee,  or leave a fresh bouquet in a public spot with a tag that says, “FREE! …to brighten your home”.  Try anything that suits your heart’s desire to become part of the cycle of sharing. Random acts of kindness are contagious!

TRUST.   LOVE.   GIVE.

Happy Sharing!!  ✨💛Valerie✨

“The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers” – Thich Nhat Hanh

On our morning walk my daughter handed me this flower that was along the path of a wooded trail we frequent. There were many like it upturned there by our feet but only this one with little treasures inside.  I was so happy in the moment she shared it for the usefulness found in hosting others even after the blooming of this beauty has passed.  Your presence can be a gentle, quiet retreat or an uplifting joy for someone else!  You simply have to be there.

“Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it.  Always work with it, not against it… This will miraculously transform your whole life.”  – Eckhart Tolle

 

With the practice of finding the positive parts of your life, year, month, week, day, hour, and moment, there is a gift living just beyond this that comes with absolute acceptance of circumstances.  The habit of practicing gratitude for what you appreciate makes finding positives easier which can in turn lead to accepting what is without resistance.  If you can become aware of your resistance you can welcome it with acceptance.  This releases the body and mind from struggle that hinders your ability to find solutions and to welcome change or the new.

Affirmation:  I accept what is

It’s really that simple.  The more you think and say this, the more apparent it will become as an integrated part of your reality.

Eckhart Tolle’s addition of ‘accept it as if you had chosen it’ removes any feeling of helplessness or victimization that could keep you stuck. This wording has changed my understanding of the degree to which we can embrace acceptance and I hope it will be helpful to you too.

Sat Nam

 

 

Advice can be useful to share with others when placed appropriately in the dialogue between people but it can also be a wasted moment when your listening would have better served the purpose of someone else’s path.  When we’ve been through something similar or our life has brought us to an understanding, we want to assist by sharing what we know.  The thing is, a person comes to know something when they are ready and it truly doesn’t matter what you say unless you are both in line with the words.  Receptivity comes with readiness.

Please don’t hold back from offering something you feel inclined to share with another but I want to ask you to try listening for a longer period of time than you think feels natural or normal before you offer anything.  See what happens…  I think you’ll find that others have the answers they seek inside of themselves.  Holding space for longer periods of listening helps to form a habit of self reflection that is far more useful to the process of the person in conversation with you.

“Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life.” – Omar Khayyam

We hope you find ways to slow down, feel connected, and appreciate your senses this weekend!  Each moment is yours to enjoy!