Gandhi did not realize one thing that I have known for a LONG time.  We share a birthday.  Somehow I doubt this would have changed his life, but it has changed mine.  When I realized that we share this day in my teen years I became fascinated with an amazingly kind and influential person.  Learning about him brought me to Thich Nhat Hanh and Martin Luther King Jr as inspirations for Human Rights and my place in this equation.

I wanted to dedicate this day of ours to some thoughts – worth sitting with and repeating daily.

Try saying this out loud for an energy boost this week.   Repeat as often as your heart desires:
My life keeps bringing things that are better and better.  Every pathway unfolding presents a gift unexpected in it’s rich contribution and nourishment.   It feels as if goodness is reaching for me through the hearts of others.  I can see love and kindness reflected in the eyes of those interacting with me now.  I am fully aware of and grateful for these blessings as well as those to come!

A feel good alternative that’s natural and totally free of charge.  It will get you above the clouds and into the clear sky! (Providing that you believe the words… that ingredient must come from your own supply.)

Have you ever had someone do something kind for you but feel strange about the reception?  I currently have two thoughts on why this may be:

1. You’re out of practice in receiving.

2.  The intention of the giver was off.

When we offer an act of kindness, it is important that the act come from a want to nurture, uplift, or assist another human instead of from a need for personal gratification or control of a situation.  Anyone who is sensitive to the motivations of others will feel the source, and the action will take on the energy of the motivation instead of the outward appearance of kindness.

If the issue is the first suggestion, a change in awareness and opening up to receive may help.  Sometimes people offer to help out of obligation, but more often than not if someone is offering to help you – they want to!  You should let them! Take it as an opportunity to practice the art of graceful acceptance and gratitude.

I am progressively feeling the importance and worth of the words:

Trust. Love. Give.

And for the purpose of assuming all the parts of a balanced cycle:  Receive!

We have talked about giant friends, human friends, and now let’s give some credit and witnessing to our little critter friends.  They are so adaptable, fierce, and vulnerable all at the same time.  Finding a little critter and watching it quietly can be the perfect meditation for some afternoons.  Breathe, observe, let go of preconceived feelings about these tiny guys.  They are living life just as we are.

Learning how to breathe in a way that is helpful to our lives and Nervous System is not easy.  It takes practice and time when things are all going OK so that the tool and brain connection is there for you when the POOP hits the fan or someone cuts you off in traffic.  Here is a way to practice- If you find that you are often trying to; ‘calm down’ or ‘not over react’ or not yell at your kids and family- you are in need of DOWN REGULATION.  Nature gives us this with our Exhale.  Seems easy enough, however, most of us do not have access to a long exhale when we need it and we aren’t practiced with taking the time to breathe before we speak or act.  So give this a try.  pick a number between 5-10, find a candle (jars work great because it controls where the wax goes) and breathe the number of exhales that you chose into the jar, flickering the candle but never blowing it out.  See if your exhales can be at least 6-8 seconds.

There.  Done.  Now do it again tomorrow and the next day.  In a few weeks those neural pathways will be made to use this tool in life’s craziness moments.

Trust yourself to make the right decision.  There is no wrong decision, only what is happening and how you respond which will lead to what you experience next.  If you can get into a rhythm of trusting yourself, decision making won’t be a daunting task.  You may even begin to see the existence of options in a welcoming light.

“Trust is letting go of needing to know all the details before you open your heart.”  -Unknown

I have felt lucky over the summer for coming across a lot of feathers.  About a month ago I watched a beautiful gray feather float down from the sky in a grocery store parking lot.  It landed next to me.  Since that moment I have been attuned to feathers.  When I come across one now, I feel as if I’ve encountered a treasure.  Is this a treasure?  I suppose that’s in the eye of the beholder.  The way you perceive is ultimately up to you.  You can see lack or you can see plenty.  This mindset will follow you in every encounter all day long, as mindsets tend to do.

I wonder now, how many times feathers have been in my peripheral and I’ve overlooked them…  Not any more!

My kids are in on the game too.  Last week my daughter found a feather on the playground at recess and saved it in her pocket to give me after school.  Two days later my son brought one inside that he found while sweeping the entry path to our home.  I’d say the look on their faces in delivery and the full heart I felt in receiving these tokens definitely puts feathers (or anything you tune in to) in the realm of treasures!

“Abundance is not something we acquire.  It is something we tune in to.” -Wayne Dyer

Find the time to notice the Art in your every day surroundings.  Tiny moments all around us are worthy of our full and slow attention.