Meditation Day 2 – Distraction May 30, 2016

Talk about being distracted.  It was hard to focus, hard for the my mind to slow and stay without thought.  D I S T R A C T E D! There were a few contributing factors, but that is life, and why continuing to P R A C T I C E meditation is important.  It won’t be perfect any day, but keep trying, keep practicing.  Movement then Meditation I think might be key for me.  Perhaps as I become more practiced with breathing exercises, pranayama, and meditation I won’t require the movement as much beforehand.  Time will tell.

 

I was a ding-dong the night before and locked my keys in my trunk, of course with all the doors locked.  I was waiting until 7am to call AAA and request service.  Days like that are where I can recognize I am human, crap happens, pay the AAA annual subscription, and keep moving.  Thankful for fast service from AAA.  I highly recommend you get some type of Roadside Coverage for moments you are human.  I think I have called every year for something random.  Towing, ran out of gas, key lock out, dead battery, change the tire….11 year membership and counting.  Back to meditation, I was distracted by the time and situation.  Even though I had everything available to set my mind at ease about the situation, I was still thinking about it. 

 

Laughing Buddha reminding me to laugh at myself when I am human and lock my keys in the trunk! 

 

I was visiting my sister’s house so I was distracted by all of her plants, not as familiar surroundings, sounds, sights, smells.  I wanted to go explore instead of sit.  I did a distracted version of 3-part yogic breath of lower lung chamber (expand the low belly), middle lung chamber (ribs expand) and upper lung chamber (chest lifts, collar bones broaden).  The breathing helped some, but my mind was still flittering off like a butterfly in a field.  I later have realized that I needed to go ahead do my walk-about and see what my eyes wanted to take in, smell the flowers, look at the different projects going on…and then go back and sit.  I need to recognize the energy I had swirling in my body and desire to explore and do that first, get it out of the way so that I can come back and sit with a more meaningful meditation. 

 

I finally decided to take a walk and visit the plants, walk the property, and I found myself walking to the horses in the various pastures below my sister’s house.  I had noticed a couple of Paint horses the day before and were drawn to them.  I had caught the eye color of one and I had to see more. 

 

 

Cisco, a lovely black and white Paint stallion came over to say Hello and posed several times for me. His elusive friend stay away this morning.

 

 

I snapped a pretty pasture weed flower, they open each morning and close when it starts to get hot in the day. Papery thin petals, very delicate.

 

Later in the day we enjoyed a nature walk around Lake Purdy in Irondale, Alabama.  To begin to describe the physical difference in my sister’s strength was amazing, I was, am in awe.  I could hardly keep up with her walking…She is on a mission to be stronger, more confident, feeling better, healthier…one step at a time, one day at a time.  #warriorsister #phoenixwarrior #susannaisawarrior #warriorstrong

 

 

Susanna and AnnaCarol blazing the trail ahead.

 

 

Susanna pauses to take in a lake view, and let me catch up. 

 

 

Striking veins on this leaf, I think it is from a Sycamore Tree.

The world’s original Google, Dad, can let me know for sure. 

 

 

It is not uncommon for me or my sister to find bones when we are in the woods. 

When we are together, it is almost a guarantee.  We left these to rest where they lay.

 

 

A Mom and her Mini-Me. 

And this is the type of ‘Good’n Tired’ we like to do. Work Hard, Play Hard, Rest Hard.

 

 

Thankful for this day, for quality time spent with family, for strength that can continue to grow. 

 

Spreading Love,

Paying Attention,

Letting my Light Shine,

Treasuring the Journey…one day at a time.

 

Blessings,

Iris

 

#meditation #treasuringthejourney #findjoy #sharejoy #spreadlove #spreadjoy #keeppracticing

Closure and After May 7, 2013

How many of you are waiting for one chapter or story in your life to close so that another can begin?  Closure can seem like it takes F O R E V E R and then some.  The stresses that come with the need for closure are many, such as anxiety, when is it coming?, how will it come?, will the outcome be what I expect?, what do I expect anyway?, and so on and on…The expectations get raised, all kinds of what-if scenarios are imagined and in many cases, a lot of us think the absolute worst in the possible outcomes.  We create so much worry, angst, and anxiety within ourselves.

 

In chatting with my sister recently, we realized we are both in a place where we need closure. The closures my sibling and I are seeking are both professional in nature even though we do very different types of work. I work in sales and am awaiting the decision on a contract that has been in play for many months.  My sister waiting for a position at work, a step up, advancement, a new career path that has also been in play for many months, even years.  We are both telling each other to be patient, and just wait.  My sister finally exclaimed “I JUST NEED CLOSURE!!!” and I could not agree more for her situation or for mine. 

 

The exciting and exhilarating, sometimes viewed as scary and terrifying, thing about closure is the AFTER.  You know, the ‘Now What’?’ question that comes into play.  Where do I go from here?  Now what?  For the outcome in closure in many cases can have a heavy impact on future decisions and life scenarios.  And if you are like my sister and I who play the ‘what if this happens, then I will do this, and also do X, Y, and Z, ‘just-in-case’ scenarios and then we worry about all of them.

 

Source

 

So, are you awaiting closure on a matter in your life?  I am sure it is a long time coming and I hope your outcome is better than whatever it is that you are expecting.  :-)  Be thinking about your ‘Now What?’, not in a ‘scared of what might happen’ way, but instead be EXCITED and OPTIMISTIC about the POSSIBILITIES way of thinking.   

 

I am consciously trying to think about my ‘Now What?” in a positive light instead of filling myself with worry about the unknown future and all of my worst case scenario what-if stories I spin up.  I am uncovering more and more that life is all about your perception, your thoughts, and the stories that we tell ourselves.  I encourage you to start filling your thoughts with awesome, positive, dream BIG ‘Now What?’ ideas.

 

So, please tell me are you seeking closure in something?  How are you answering your ‘Now What?’ questions?  Do you like the answers you are telling yourself?  If not, then change them!  It really is that easy!

 

Closure is coming, I can feel it….and I am looking forward to the ‘Now What?’ phase to come to fruition!  I hope you are too.

 

Dream Big and then Dream Bigger!

 

XO,