Winter: Accept and Respond
When You Make a Mistake
We all make mistakes, but somehow we are shocked when we actually do. Mistakes are part of the game here on planet Earth – and here’s a shift in perception that helps you respond to them with more grace and acceptance.
Non-Attachment and the Holidays
Find the holidays challenging? It could be expectations that cause our disappointment and stress. To find that inner peace we seek, try non-attachment throughout the season.
We have officially entered “the holiday season” here in the United States. When I was a kid, I was so excited about the holidays. Growing up celebrating Christmas, I had a lot of expectations about Santa, presents, beautiful decorations, great food, and fun, fun, fun! It didn’t always turn out the way I expected, though.
The Essential Value of Being Seen
Recently, I had an inspiring, energizing, and engaging reading with Eliyahu Jian – an author, rabbi, and life & spiritual coach. It was a delightful experience, because he saw parts of myself that few others have. I laughed, cried, was a bit surprised, and uplifted.
It’s the magic of Being Seen – when someone connects with your essence and reflects it to you in a way that you feel truly honored, recognized, appreciated.
Healing the Judgmental God Within
Whether it’s a Judeo-Christian form of the Divine or some other perception of “God,” many of us struggle with feeling that we don’t live up to Divine expectations of us. It’s time to change that perception.
Attachment, Surrender, and Giving Birth
A little surrender and a lot of non-attachment allowed me to receive what was given and open to new possibilities.
Recently, I looked back on the birth of my daughter. The struggles I am currently facing in writing my first book have mirrored some of my experiences in labor. I sat down and wrote a long piece about it, but didn’t feel I could share all those gory details. Going through the birthing process was not what I had expected, yet it gave me an important gift.
It was the end of September of 2004. My labor started around 5pm, and by 4am the next morning I headed to the hospital with my husband an doula. My plan – a natural birth, without anesthesia. I had prepared myself mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually for this experience. A yoga practitioner and teacher for over 10 years at the time, I believed that my reasonably supple body would handle this just fine.
How to Survive – and Thrive – at Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving: a unique American holiday that is universal, unlimited by religion, race, or any category. It’s a special time to come together with family and friends to feel gratitude on this day of the celebration of abundance (oh yeah, and feasting!).
But for some of us, this isn’t an entirely pleasant holiday. We may be faced with “going home” to tension, crazy family dynamics, feeling ignored or attacked, possibly being the black sheep of the family. Perhaps you are hosting a large gathering, and stressed about pleasing everyone’s palates – or having everyone in your house! There may be a recent loss in the family that makes holidays, especially the most family-oriented one of the year, somewhat painful. Or we may be apart from our family, or feel that we don’t have one, and are faced with spending this holiday alone.
What Does the Woodpecker Say?
I was in the backyard today, cleaning off our patio table and chairs, when I heard a tapping sound. I looked around, but couldn’t find it. I figured it was probably one of our many squirrels in the yard, trying to break open an acorn, so I went back to my cleanup.
The sound started again, and this time I looked up into the old, broad oak tree that dominates most of our yard. There it was – a woodpecker, the red crest on its head and the familiar black and white spotted feathers. We have had woodpeckers out in our front yard, particularly on the telephone pole, rapping away off and on for years, but I’ve never seen one in our backyard.
So I figured this was a special moment – a message for me.
Small Disasters Make Me Grateful
Sometimes, it seems like one thing after another. Other times, just one thing seems like too much. This could have been too much, if I had let it.
Last week, I opened our hall closet door, underneath the stairwell, to get a jacket for my daughter. A strong odor assaulted me. Oh no. I knew this was bad. It smelled like mold.
Removing the coats and jackets so I could see better, I turned on the light, but still couldn’t make out what the problem was. I bent down to touch the carpet – soaked. Yikes! As I moved things aside, I looked up, and there was the culprit: a dripping fire sprinkler. What in the world was a fire sprinkler doing inside of a hall closet, I have no idea, but there it was dribbling over everything. Who knows how long it had been going on.
Love the Wind!
I admit it, I’m not fond of cold wind. It aggravates me and sometimes even causes me to feel light-headed, off balance, and disturbed. So whenever there’s a cold wind (which there often is when I pick my daughter up from school), I tend to get a bit whiny and complain.
But I thought about it – the wind is important! Without the wind, we wouldn’t have fresh air. No rainstorms would travel through. Pollen and seeds often wouldn’t find new places to plant themselves and grow. And how would you fly a kite?
