This morning I ventured to the market to pick up a few odds and ends and was amazed by the elaborate displays of tinsel and stockings and gigantic bins of cinnamon-scented pine cones that I just had to get my nose into for an intoxicating sniff. When my eyes lifted, they fell on a colossal candy cane wall towering over me. I am not kidding you. It looked like a shrine for red and white striped sugar sticks. All of the pumpkins and gourds that just two weeks ago welcomed me to the market had been plucked from their glory and pushed to the side like seasonal scraps. The real estate they once inhabited is now home to hundreds of perky poinsettias. All the flower arrangements have been stripped of orange and yellow accents and are now embellished with silver, gold, red, and green ribbons and baubles.
Knowing this happens every year in the wee hours of Halloween’s tomorrow, it occurred to me I have either not been to the market in weeks or was mentally checked out during my latest visits. How else could I miss this staggering holiday about-face? We are already half way through November and somehow holiday tunes and trimmings have escaped me; not unlike my missed communication with you last Tuesday.
I skipped last week’s email because I have deliberately been taking it easy. Remember when at the first of October, I sent a note about the importance of slowing down and cultivating calm this season instead of fanaticism? Well, it would not be appropriate for me to suggest you nurture peace in your day and week if I do not practice what I preach.
To experience a more easy autumn, I have opted to sleep later, connect with friends, read, lie on the beach, enjoy making slow cooked meals, and spend nights watching my favorite show ‘du moment,’ Modern Family. Truthfully, writing last week was on my to-do list, but like my recommendation a few weeks back to toss your list to the wind or at the very least ignore it sometimes, that is precisely what I did. What remains today will be there tomorrow and some tasks are executed with more grace and intention when not forced.
But speaking of force in a different sense, I feel there is a powerful one at work moving us into deeper self-awareness. The need to slow down and to live more in the present moment is one of the many self-realizations I have entertained the past few months. Conversations with others have frequently included dialogue about taking better care of one’s health, the need to be more assertive, more authentic, to live in the NOW, show more love to family and friends, or to shift gears in career, relationships, residence or interests. Most recently a pal phoned to ask questions about my experience at IIN, the institute where I received certification as a Holistic Health Counselor. After ten years practicing law, she is ready to turn her career on its head and pursue one as a health coach. Big change if you ask me, but one I know will bring her peace, health, and an abundance of joy from serving others.
I encourage you to stop for a moment, look within and ask, “What message does my inner voice have for me?” Do not push down the thoughts that come up. Once you have grabbed a hold of the “Aha!,” write it down and then ponder it over the next week. In the case where awareness has already been nudging you, do not let it be ignored. That thought or feeling for internal shift is there to serve you. It comes bearing gifts for healthy change.
In addition to the need for living more in the present, there is another prominent message that has been tugging at my heartstrings. It is to connect with my inner child and let her out to play more often. For a couple of years, she has been repressed and dismissed when all she wants is to laugh, create, let go and have fun. Completing my latest books, building my career, and moving, have all taken center stage where she used to shine. How sad is that?! So you know what I decided to do to give her needed attention? I have committed to taking up piano again. It has been over 15 years since I sat at the keys, but I always loved it in my younger years. And you know what is amazing? As soon as I decided this, the most beautiful music, rich with piano, has shown up to inspire and motivate me and I have seen pianos on craigslist for a fraction of what they should cost! This kind of synchronicity reminds me of one of my favorite quotes from The Alchemist, and the inspiration for my next tattoo (another act of play)…”And when you really want something, the whole universe conspires to help you achieve it.”
What in your life is waiting to be discovered?
