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Let's Lean into Nature

10/10/2020

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Let’s lean into nature’s wisdom and away from the fearfulness and reactivity of human nature.  In nature there is an inherent understanding of the ever-changing nature of life – the seasons, days, cycles… they happen without thought or worry. 

Seeds scatter everywhere – some will take root and flourish, while others will become food for some animal or nourishment for the soil.  Acorns don’t strive to become the biggest, strongest, best oak tree in the forest. They simply hold their potential and allow it to break forth in the perfect time, in the perfect way. 

Nature flows with the great mystery.  It doesn’t need to know how or when things will work out. 

Animals simply follow the rhythm of their ancestors, follow their inherent knowing about when to gather, move, hide, or attack. They don’t waste time on worry or hate.

In the wilderness, diversity is valued and appreciated.  The multitude of trees and plants yield a variety of beauty that we cherish.  Species are interdependent and interconnected, as are we if we would only pause long enough to feel into this truth.  Can we learn to value the uniqueness each of us brings to this life?  What would be possible if we operated with a solid understanding of our inter-relatedness? 

At this very moment where I live, trees are shedding their lives, gathering their energy inward to move into a time of dormancy.  They are letting go of the past season – allowing the old to fall away in preparation for what’s to come.  Preparing for a time of rest and rooting before opening their branches to new growth in just a few months.  What might you let go of to prepare you for fresh growth?

What would it be like if we could quiet the tendency to get busy and simply drop our roots into those things that nourish and nurture us so that we can stand strong and steady amidst the storms?  What if we learn to bend and sway with the winds so that we don’t break in unyielding rigidity? 

What might we learn from the forest?  Mary Reynolds Thompson offers this wisdom from the forest (5 min. video) to support us as we deal with a global pandemic. 

As Thompson says in her book, Reclaiming the Wild Soul: How Earth’s Landscapes Restore Us to Wholeness, “The wisdom you seek (in the forest) can be experienced but never possessed.  Wild, ancient, primal, it moves through the shadows.  The presence of such mystery and immensity is overwhelming.  You may have to fight the urge to break the tension by running away.  But, if you remain, at least for a while, things will happen.  In this uncertain world, creativity flourishes.” 

Can we cultivate the capacity to take a deep breath, stand still, and be in the present moment?  Can we stop and feel the tension of wanting to do something and not knowing in this mysterious time?

What if we could simply learn to hold ourselves, knowing something new is growing and will emerge?  Root, breathe, pay attention, and go deep within ourselves to feel for what is wanting to come forth naturally and organically, without force. 

Can we allow the uncertainty to give birth to creativity?  We are in a time where we need creative thinking, problem solving, and fresh ideas… and if we can only be still for a bit, we can allow space for those things to emerge from a place of intelligence that comes from deep within. 

Please share your thoughts and reflections below.  

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What Do You Love?

5/8/2020

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PictureImage by congerdesign from Pixabay 
Now wait… before you read on,… pause.   Take a breath.  Maybe close your eyes and put your hands on your heart.  Get curious.  With an open mind and an open heart, ask, with genuine interest… what do I love? Then see what rises up.  Be willing to be surprised.  What DO you love??
 
Recently I posed this question to a group of women who may not often think about this, particularly in the context I asked it.  Also, I asked it in the middle of a global pandemic at a time when many of us are feeling weary, worried, unsettled, and uncertain.  I asked moms of kids who struggle with substance use disorder –what do you love about your son or daughter?  What are their best qualities? 

Lots of women replied, naming so many beautiful qualities their kids embody, acknowledging that it’s been awhile since they’ve reflected on these aspects of kids who are often associated with pain and struggle.  Which was exactly my point in asking the question.  Not to pretend that the horrendous experiences aren’t there, but to remember that beneath this disease, there is still a loving, caring, kind, humorous, creative, generous being. 

If there is a person in your life with whom you have a challenging or complicated relationship, you might take a moment to consider what qualities you love in this person.  

Why am I asking you now at a time when there’s so much we don’t like, so much we are worried, scared, or discombobulated about?? 

I find it really helpful to remember that the whole messy mix can be true at the same time.  It’s not all or nothing, black or white, good or bad.  Rarely does life present itself in a neat package despite our mind’s desire to simplify it that way. 

We look at what we love, not to erase or to pretend that the painful, uncomfortable, less desirable things aren’t also here.  We do this to see that there’s room for it all.  That it can ALL be here, at the same time, in the same reality, in the same heart.  We don’t have to choose what we hate or what we love, what we’re for or what we’re against, what we want to lean into or what we want to eradicate forever.  We can be with it all.  You can love the sunshine and warmth, remembering that beach in your happy place, even as you cringe at the snow that is here when it shouldn’t be! 

It’s a simple practice to wonder and to notice from time to time.  And, so, I ask you, even in your sadness, despair, worry, or fear, to consider, remember or discover the part of you that loves.

Right now… consider, what do you love? 

About yourself? What are your best qualities? (let's start here... and, if you go no further, that will be more than enough!) 

About the situation you find yourself in? 

About life?

About the person or people who challenge you deeply? 

What do you love to do? Eat? Experience? 

Who do you adore, and what is it about them that you love?

What do you love to be? Do? Have? 

Feel into it with all of your senses – what images, thoughts, scents, feelings emerge?  What brings a smile to your face or lights you up inside? 

What brings a sweet “aaahhhh….?”

For me, a few things that come to mind right now that I love are sunsets; lakes and oceans; “The Grinch;” Snoopy; the smell of a bonfire or fresh-baked bread; sunshine and warm, fresh air; laughter; deep honest connections;  the smell of a horse farm and feeling my body sway with a horse; and helping other people light up! 

Now, let's be honest... it might be way easier to know what we don’t like, what we wish were different, even what we hate…  And if that’s where your mind goes, then start there.  When we’re deep in the muck, it can be hard to see out.  Then, take a moment and look at the flip side.  The opposite of what you hate is likely what you love or what you’re longing for. 

Let it all be here.  There is no need to jump over the uncomfortable, the painful, the sad or scary to get to the happy, peaceful, joyful feelings.  We have the capacity to hold it all in these hearts of ours. 

When we can touch in with what we love, we soften, if only for a moment.  Something inside of us stirs.   We awaken maybe a long-forgotten spark.  We connect with something deep and true. 

From this place, maybe we allow ourselves to dream or desire.  Or maybe we allow ourselves to simply accept someone else as they are, even with the parts we don’t like or wish weren’t there.  Maybe for a minute we are able to see the essential goodness in another person. Maybe we energize ourselves enough to take that next step. 

What do you love? 
​

Feel into it.  Awaken your heart.  And, then please share in the comments and let’s sprinkle some love around today! 

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The Invitation and Gift of This Day

4/19/2020

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​I have been given this life and this day… let me not waste it on worry, fear, or dismay.  Let me greet it as the gift it is and use it wisely – not feeding panic, anger, or judgment.  Let me walk gently upon this earth, among these people, bringing love, kindness, and compassion.  Let me take all of our well-being as a serious concern and act accordingly.  Let me take care of myself, my family, and our home in a way that honors us and all beings.  Let me be prepared – but not unreasonably so. 
​Let me take care of our needs without taking more than I need, leaving others with none.

The time for injustice, inequity, and inequality is over.  The time to love and care for one another, for all beings, for the earth is here.  Now.  How will I respond to this moment?  How will we, as a people, respond to this moment in time?  How will we stay awake and not return to the mind-numb reality we have been in for far too long? 

We can no longer be reckless with our lives, believing we exist as separate from others.  No.  We have been shown the depth and vastness of our coexistence and interdependence.  There is a gift in that if we only remember.  If only we respond wisely.

Now is not a time for folly or fight.  Now is the time for us to come together, to rise together, to be better than we were before… not by possessing more or earning more or even doing more, but by caring more, by respecting one another more, by loving more.  By choosing to look. To see.  To respond to the devastation, we have caused to our earth, to our people, to all beings.  We have to be brave enough to look and to see.  And, then from there, choose and act. 
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We must not forget when this time seems to be over.  We must allow ourselves to be changed in the best possible way by the devastation and destruction of today so that it has not been for naught.  There is a gift in this day, and there is an invitation.  How will we respond? 

What thoughts or insights does this bring up for you?  Please share in the comments. 


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    About me...

    I am a writer, coach, and teacher, and I love capturing life's many moments through writing, whether that be journalling, blogging, poetry, or essay.  I have always found the written word as a natural way for me to express what lies within.  

    This is the space where we get real.  I will write about my life experiences and things that I find my clients encounter in their daily lives.   

    What's real for you? What would you like me to write about?  Feel free to share with me topics you would like to see discussed and please join in the dialogue through the comment section. Your engagement makes the blog a much richer place to hang out!

    Thank you for joining me on this journey!!    

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Barb Klein
Inspired Possibility
585-705-8740
[email protected]