This is me in Bali, letting go of pain, opening up to life energy, and practicing the flexibility life asks of us, in this heart-opening backbend.
Life ebbs and flows, up and down, to and fro, smile to frown, side to side, here to there, we laugh, we cry. It happens. It’s life.
How we respond to life is what makes such a huge difference in what we actually experience, how we show up, what we give or take. Just when things couldn’t get any better…they change. And equally the same, just when you think things couldn’t get any worse…they change. Like the old saying goes…
“The only thing that never changes is that everything always changes.”
Lately I have been doing a lot of questioning. It’s as if I have been going through a re-evaluation, OF EVERYTHING, deciding how I really feel about things, what I truly believe, and how I want to show up for myself and others. I consider this my way of taking another look, a DEEPER look, at myself, at life, and what words like happiness, success, wealthy, healthy, love, and connection mean to me AFTER everything I have been through, learned, unlearned, and seen thus far in my 35 years.
One thing I can see are patterns. Patterns of attachment. Attaching to people, places, and things, not wanting them to change, wishing they wouldn’t have changed, hoping they never will, and/or believing one day I can help them change. Also I see attaching in the opposite way, to this idea that everything must continue to change and evolve and grow and get better, or else something must be wrong. I am not saying that either of these are bad, but I am saying I have become aware of their power to cause suffering. Where is the God, the flexibility, the faith, the trust, the vitality, the inspiration in such rigid attachment?
I am seeing that there must be a balance, that I am the best when I can find the sweet spot, between EFFORT and LETTING GO, that middle ground between KNOWING and UNKNOWING, that mysterious place of wonder that exists between CERTAINTY and UNCERTAINTY. Yes, my 35 years are showing me that this sweet spot, the in between, the place that exists no where and everywhere, is the practice, the focus, the intention, the meditation, the prayer.
Today I surrender everything I ever thought I knew. I let go of all that I once wished would come to pass. I release fully and freely my ideas and plans, and instead I nurture my awareness, I grow in my childlike curiosity, I play in the humble place I call maturity and growth, and I invite in, embrace, and receive the way this day, this week, this year, this life, is meant to unfold for me and the lives I am blessed enough to touch and be touched by.
I feel there is a great gift that comes as we grow older. I don’t know if we ever really grown up, whatever that even means, but it does inspire me to know we have the opportunity to grow through life, to grow into our own skin, to grow in love, to grow nowhere in particular but everywhere in Spirit. These are the things I find myself feeling grateful for more and more each year.
Last night I watched a news story about a girl with terminal brain cancer and I saw how it was the little things that brought her joy. It was playing a game she loves, being a part of a team, and participating in life just because she’s here on Earth, and for now, she CAN. So she did. And that was enough to bring her deep peace and deep gratitude. Seriously awesome.
Then I read on Facebook about a dear friend who has been struggling in a big way with health issues, feeling powerless, some days not knowing if or when she was going to get better. And yet she shared her beautiful message that reminded her friends, that success was not something defined by career or money or what kind of house and cars we own. Success to her, was how she experiences each day, the love that she nurtures in her relationships, and the “epic memories” she creates with the people who support her and touch her deeply.
So I was reminded by the Universe, once again, that this journey isn’t about what we “get” outside, it’s about how FEEL inside, what we GIVE, and the love that we nourish and nurture in our lives and the lives of others. So I re-committed to letting go of my attachments to how things were, how they are, or how I want them to be. Instead I began to shift my attention to the little things. I began to ask myself better questions, knowing all too well, that if we ask ourselves better questions, we always get better answers.
These are some questions I began to ask myself. Perhaps you would like to ask yourself as well:
1) Can you appreciate how things are right now, in this moment, TODAY, since you know they are going to change eventually.
2) Nothing stays the same, so how does that change the way you feel about right now?
3) If this moment is not going to last forever, do you want to bless it or complain about it, love it or hate it, ignore it or let yourself have it?
4) If everything were to be different tomorrow, what would you like to know you were grateful for and did not take for granted today?
5) If this person in front of me was no longer in my life tomorrow, how might I wish to spend my time with them right now? What might I do or say?
Every time we become willing to ask ourselves questions, we become willing to receive new energy, new information, a new way of seeing things. I bless this day for all of us, and pronounce it GOOD. I look forward to hearing from you with any questions or comments you may have. Please leave them for me here, or below this article on social media. If you feel inspired, please pass this along and share with friends 🙂
Thanks for being here.
Love,
Erin
If you are interested in working one-on-one with me through one of my life coaching programs, then please send me an email to [email protected] to inquire. Thank you!
