The Power of Relaxation

I am on vacation.  It wasn't a planned trip and it pales in comparison to the original summer trip that I was plannning.  But I think it is exactly the trip that I need right now.  My original destination was Italy.  It was a last minute thought but would include touring many locations on my "bucket list".  But...due to a variety of factors...my Italian getaway will have to wait until another time.  Instead...I am enjoying a few days at a beautiful resort in Phoenix, Arizona.  While some people might be disappointed to be in Phoenix following the potential  of Italy....I am not.  This trip has a completely different purpose.  I came here with too much luggage but a very limited agenda.  No historical sites to fit into my day...no paintings or magnificent statues to see...and no "must see" views.  My only agenda is to do what I want...when I want.  I can even change my mind about what I want to do....that is the beauty of this vacation.  I am truly vacating my back home life.  I have left behind the responsibilities that burden me and am focusing on those things that I long to have time for at home.  I am updating my website...studying energy healing...taking exercise classes...and spending alot of time doing nothing. 

There is great value in doing nothing.  Yesterday I laid by the pool listening to the water fall harmoniously from the levels of a nearby water fountain.  As I lay there, my body began to relax and I felt like every part of me was melting into the lounge chair.  When was the last time my body had felt this relaxed?  When had the tension been completely gone from my muscles?  When had my mind been free to wander and wonder wherever and to whatever it wanted?  The answer....too long!

There is tremendous power in relaxation.  It allows our bodies the opportunity to rest and rejuvenate.  It allows our minds the opportunity to clear away unnecessary thoughts and worries.  It gives my spirit a chance to present itself...to be seen in the cool shade of a palm tree and be heard in the gurgling of a peaceful fountain.  It offers every aspect of who I am the time needed to release and recreate so that when I head back to my daily life at home I do so with a fresh perspective, a calm mind, and clear vision for my future.  I will head back with renewed energy and a resolve to make time in my life for relaxation.  Not just on vacation...but as a regular part of my day.

Grounded

We all need a place to land...a place that keeps us grounded and nurtures us.  For some of us it is a location such as a house.  But for others it might be a relationship.  Yet for others it is a religious practice.  The important thing is that we discover what or who helps us stay grounded, keeps us centered, boosts our energy and nurtures us.  Then it is crucial that we cultivate that relationship or practice...that we care for and tend to our home.  We must give attention and energy to what supports us.  Not only in the difficult times of life, but in the easy times as well.  So...pay attention to what and who elevates your energy...inspires you...makes you feel alive and happy.  Then take every step necessary to bring more of that into your life.

Retreat Aftermath

It is Monday morning and I am having trouble focusing on the necessary work tasks on my to-do list.  I spent the past weekend with 15 amazing women in a transitions yoga retreat.  It was wonderful and energizing but exhausting at the same time.  We were an eclectic group.  Young...old...starting education programs...retired from education programs...married...single...in and out of relationships...classy...earthy...Christian...Buddhist...spiritual seekers...but all with a sincere intention to know ourselves more fully. 

It is always interesting and often difficult to look within and come face to face with my true self...honest answers...clarified reflections...hard-edged reality.  Do not misunderstand...the process of self reflection holds tremendous value for me.  But without the follow-up of focused actions to support the new clarity, the value is diminished and my life remains as it is. 

So...I am in the middle of creative change.  A familiar place in recent years.  I am gathering the bits and pieces of self-awareness, the threads of ah-ha moments and the beads and baubles of authenticity.  I am weaving and stitching...crafting and creating...working frantically but with precision.  I am designing the ever evolving tapestry of my life.  Making an adjustment here...cutting something away there...adding...purging...looking closely...standing back for the full view. 

It is beautiful!  This tapestry of my life.  It is perfectly flawed.  It is brightly colored with occasional splotches of depression and disappointment.  It has gaping holes where I have ripped out the stitches and they have yet to be repaired or replaced.  But it also has marvelous texture from the fabrics and yarns.  There are sparkling beads of love...caring...family...and friends.  And the silky thread of wisdom is woven throughout...peaking out of the yarn and fabric intermittently.  This wisdom thread is invisible at times, but it is always present, holding the components of my tapestry together.

So...as I work to apply the revelations of the weekend I am adding to and modifying my tapestry.  I am cutting hindering fabric away...adding stitches of truth...embellishing with enlightenment....and stitching it together with wisdom.

As I stand back I realize...it truly is beautiful!!

Life Learning Curves

I helped my youngest daughter look for apartments this week.  It was difficult.  It is always a challenge to watch your child struggle with the decisions of life, but this seemed more difficult than usual.  She graduated with her bachelors degree a week ago with the enticing title of a new job.  There was excitement...there was laughter...there was fun with family and friends.  Then reality hit.  Her life would never be the same.  She is at the start of a life learning curve.

The world she has known for the past five years is fading.  Change is ever present and she can not escape it.

After a morning of apartment hunting, we stopped for lunch at a favorite Mexican restaurant where the magnitude and impact of the decisions at hand fell upon my daughter like the weight of the world.  It is scary to change the complete make up of your life.  It takes courage to move away from what you have known...from where you are comfortable.  But that is how we grow and evolve.  It isn't realistic to think that we will move through life without doubt or questions or even regret.

The truth is that we navigate our life with a twinge of fear in our belly...with the questions of inexperience in our minds...and with faith.  But if we listen quietly to our inner voice, the fear will diminish as our experience and wisdom builds.  Not that the fear isn't present...but we learn that fear must not guide us in our life's decisions.  It is usually a hard lesson and most of us must learn it incrementally over time.  As George S. Patton once said, "Courage is fear holding on a minute longer." 

I am proud of my daughter and I hope she can continue to look for the positive aspects of this phase of her life.  For with change comes an incredible opportunity to create the life you desire.