Meraki

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Found this cool soundtrack on Soundcloud!

I have a very dear friend who recently turned me on to an app call Calm.  I am making this ten minute daily mediation a part of my morning practice.  And I am so grateful to her for sharing this with me. This app, I have learned, is the number one app for mindfulness and mediation with it’s purpose to bring clarity, joy and peace to our daily life. I am learning there are truly life-changing benefits to having a meditation and mindfulness practice. Today we focused on “meraki.”

meraki [may-rah-kee]   is a word that modern Greeks often use to describe doing something with soul, creativity, or love — when you put “something of yourself” into what you’re doing, whatever it may be.  Meraki, a verb, or adverb, I guess, is derived from the Turkish “Merak” (Labor of love, to do something with pleasure), is applied to tasks, usually, creative or artistic tasks, but can be applied to any task at all.  It means to do something with passion, with absolute devotion, with undivided attention.  Meraki is to put your soul into something, to put a little bit of yourself into it, be it singing, dancing, or painting.

Meraki is often used to describe cooking or preparing a meal, but it can also mean arranging a room, choosing decorations, or setting an elegant table.  You do it with a good feeling, with a light heart and a smile. With all your heart. Perhaps we can translate it as “Whistle while you work…” No matter how difficult a task, it is done with all your effort, with enthusiasm, with eagerness,
with complete love; it is done with all your heart, again like a labor of love.  It can be the simplest of tasks, such as making a cup of coffee for your husband; you made it with love, with devotion, with meraki!  Someone who loves life, lives it to the hilt, does everything with zeal, someone who lives for  the moment, for the now, is often, in Greece referred to as a “Meraklis”.  Every single thing he/she does, day in, day out, is done with meraki.

Everything made with meraki tastes, sounds, looks, smells and feels a bit better. Your attention, your dedication, your love, you being present in that exact moment – that’s the only thing required to live with meraki. In our busy lives we tend to lose sight of that exact moment. We are continuously living in the past or in the future. Quick, fast-paced, stress, schedules, emails, social media – hours, days, weeks, months pass by in the blink of an eye.  Maybe by living more with meraki we can lessen the stress, say no to things that are not serving our best interest or the interest of those we love, learn to turn off the phone and turn up the music, choose to put down the burden and pick up the paintbrush.

I think God wants us to live this way.  We are all works in progress and I have learned that the path towards something is as important as reaching the destination itself, therefore I invite you to join me on this journey of meraki.

Go and make someone happy!
Do something with meraki!
 

 

 

 

The Life of a Caretaker / Book of Awakening

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Each morning I make an effort to spend some time in prayer and mediation.  There are a number of books I pull from to get my day started, each speaking to a part of me.  Jesus Calling, Bible in A Year, Daily Gratitude and Book of Awakening, just to name a few.  This morning I was brought to tears by my reading from the Book of Awakening.  I would like to share it with you.

“Accept this gift, so I can see myself as giving.”

I have been learning that the life of a caretaker is as addictive as the life of an alcoholic.  Here the intoxication is the emotional relief that temporarily comes when answering a loved one’s need.  Though it never lasts, in the moment of answering someone’s need, we feel loved.  While much good can come from this, especially for those the caretaker attends, the care itself becomes a drink by which we briefly numb a worthlessness that won’t go away unless constantly doused by another shot of self-sacrifice.

It all tightens until what others need is anticipated beyond what is real, and then, without any true need being voiced, an anxiety to respond builds that can only be relieved if something is offered or done.  At the heart of this is the ever-present worry that unless doing something for another there is no possibility of being loved.  So the needs of others stand within reach like bottles behind a bar that, try as he or she will, the caretaker cannot resist.

In truth, caretaking, though seeming quite generous, is very self-serving, and it’s urgent self-centeredness prevents a life of genuine compassion.  In all honesty, to heal from this requires as rigorous a program of recovery as alcoholics enlist, including sponsors who will love us for who we are.

Within one’s self, the remedy of spirit that allows for true giving resides somewhere in the faith to believe that each of us is worthy of love, just as we are.

For me, I have experienced this with my daughter.  I go to great lengths to help her even when she does not ask for it or want it.  I can see, in hindsight, that I have forced my choices and my will on her and have only hurt her and made a bad situation worse in my efforts to show I care.  Maybe caring means doing nothing.  Maybe caring sometimes allowing our loved ones to fall down and pick themselves back up.  I know I will be going back to Al-Anon meeting next week and sharing this new “nugget of honestly” with the group.

Many times I have heard that we are a reflection of our addict.  I have rejected this until today.  I have had another epiphany on my own road to recovery!

I pray this reading may help someone like me today.

Here are some things to do suggested by the author, Mark Nepo:

 Center yourself and bring to mind a loved one you seem to meet more than halfway.

Meditate on what makes you take the extra step.

Imagine them loving you if you did nothing.

Imagine loving yourself if you did nothing.

Breathe and do nothing until you feel a sense of love rising for yourself.

 

 

St. Patrick’s Day

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Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

St. Paddy’s Day started as a religious celebration in the 17th century.  This celebration commemorated the life of Saint Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. This “Feast Day” always took place on the anniversary of Patrick’s death, which was believed to be March 17, 461 AD. In the early 18th century, Irish immigrants brought the tradition over to the American colonies, and it was there that Saint Patrick started to become the symbol of Irish heritage and culture that he is today. As more Irish came across the Atlantic, the Feast Day celebration slowly grew in popularity.  In 1737 the first St. Patrick’s Day parade was held in Boston.

A massive influx of Irish immigrants arrived on our shores during the mid 19th century hoping to escape the Great Famine. This transformed the relatively small-scale Feast Day observance into a full-blown celebration that people wanted to be a part of whether they were Irish or not. In 1903, Feast Day became a national holiday in Ireland, and over time it transformed into what is now called St. Patrick’s Day. The holiday has since been celebrated all over the world in countries like the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Russia, and even throughout Asia. As it happens, St. Paddy’s Day is so popular, it’s thought to be celebrated in more countries than any other national festival. What was once a fairly chill day of going to mass, watching a parade, and eating a hearty meal with family has transformed into the biggest party in the world.

Here are some fun and true facts about St. Patrick.  Although he is considered the patron saint of Ireland, he was actually born in England sometime in the late 300s AD. That’s right, Patrick wasn’t Irish. And his name wasn’t Patrick either—it was Maewyn Succat, but he didn’t care for that so he chose a couple of monikers during his lifetime but he came to be known as Patricius.

Even though his father was a deacon in the church, Patrick wasn’t much of a believer himself. It wasn’t until he was captured by Irish pirates at the age of 16 and enslaved for six years as a shepherd that he chose to convert to Christianity. During that time he also learned the Irish language, culture and customs.  He attempted to escape only to be captured by the French who later released him back to England.  Patrick continued to study Christianity into his twenties and after having a vision that told him to return to Ireland, Patrick made his way back to share his beleifs with the predominately pagan Irish.

When Patrick arrived back in Ireland, however, he and his preaching ways were not welcomed, so he had to leave and land on some small islands off the coast. There he began to gain followers, and he eventually moved to the mainland to spread Christian ideologies across Ireland for many years to come. During this time, Patrick baptized thousands of people (some say 100,000), ordained new priests, guided women to nunhood, converted the sons of kings in the region, and aided in the formation of over 300 churches.

Although folklore tells us Patrick banished all the snakes from Ireland, there were never actually any snakes on the island to begin with. Legend has it however that shamrocks were used by Patrick to teach the Irish the concept of the Christian Holy Trinity. They already had triple deities and regarded the number three highly, so Patrick’s use of the shamrock may have helped him win a great deal of favor with the Irish.  Oh, and one more fun fact.  The Catholic church does NOT recognize him as a canonized saint.
Why wear green?
There’s more to it than protection from pinching fingers!  It goes back to the Irish Rebellion, when Irish soldiers wore green as they fought off the British in their trademark red. Until then, the color associated with St. Patrick and Feast Day was actually blue. From then on, people wore green on St. Patrick’s Day in solidarity. Then in 1962 the city of Chicago had the idea to dye their river green which started And when the practice of wearing and decorating in green.
Why drink?

It’s part historical subtext, part us succumbing to advertising, and part stereotyping. Originally, St. Patrick’s Day,which is a feast day, was a day to lift Lenten restrictions in the Catholic church. It gave Christians a breather as they made their way to Easter. Basically, it was a day to eat and drink as much as you please in celebration.  But imbibing on whiskey and beer was not part of the equation. In fact, pubs in Ireland were forced by law to shut down for the holiday until later in the 20th century, and drinking alcohol on St. Patrick’s Day was greatly frowned upon until the late 1970s.

So grab your green, turn on some Irish fiddle music, kick up your heels and try not to spill the beer while you dance!

Sláinte

A Wish – Photo Challenge

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A WISH is the theme for this weeks photo challenge.  The suggestion came from Jen’s visit to Japan where in the Shinto shrines people can purchase small wooden plaques called ema, upon which they can share their hopes and dreams. Then, they hang them amongst other ema from people who have come before them, in the hopes that spirits will grant their wish.  What a beautiful idea!

The first time I heard the song “My Wish”by Rascal Flatts, I was driving in my car and I had to pull over because I began to cry so hard I was afraid I would have an accident.  The tears were not sad but more of pure love.  It was as if the writer reached deep into my heart and pulled out all my feelings. These “wishes” are what I hold for my children and for all those whom I hold dear in my life.  That day, I went home and burned a CD with that song and left one on each of my children’s pillows.

I hope the days come easy and the moments pass slow,
And each road leads you where you wanna go,
And if you’re faced with a choice, and you have to choose,
I hope you choose the one that means the most to you.
And if one door opens to another door closed,
I hope you keep on walkin’ till you find the window,
If it’s cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile.
But more than anything, more than anything
My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
And while you’re out there getting where you’re getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.
I hope you never look back, but you never forget,
All the ones who love you, in the place you live,
I hope you always forgive, and you never regret,
And you help somebody every chance you get,
Oh, you find God’s grace, in every mistake,
And always give more than you take.
But more than anything, yeah, more than anything
My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
And while you’re out there getting where you’re getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish. Yeah, yeah.
My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
And while you’re out there getting where you’re getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish (my wish, for you).
This is my wish (my wish, for you)
I hope you know somebody loves you (my wish, for you).
May all your dreams stay big (my wish, for you)
Songwriters: Steve Robson / Jeffrey Steele
Rascal Flatts

Woman – A Poem

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Women

Our collective voice wields power

Don’t try and break our chain for we were shacked for too long

Our desire for equality cries out

There is no denying our contributions

Curie, Parks, Nightengale, Thatcher

Winfrey, Pankhurst, Roosevelt, The Queen

 

Don’t silence us

Don’t put us down

For as the sun and phoenix rise we too rise

Hand in hand, arm in arm, shoulder to shoulder

 

So listen and learn from women

For we are mighty and powerful indeed

We are more than Mother, sister, daughter, aunt, friend

We are light and love – strength and passion – drive and determination

A tribe  –  unified

A voice  –  collective

 

Lea Austen

The Road Taken – Photography

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My husband and I have three go to walks that we choose from with our three canine family members.  Willie, Waylon and Chewie live for these daily jaunts in and around our neighborhood and their excitement builds even before we actually say the word “walk” to them.  They have this uncanny ability to read us and instinctively know when we are getting ready to walk them.  The short walk is literally a short walk around our neighborhood, one big circle.  The intermediate walk will take us about a mile and it includes the adjoining neighborhood.  The long walk takes us onto the West Ashley Greenway and we walk maybe a little over two miles.  When I read about “The Road Taken” challenge these walks easily came to mind.  I grabbed the camera to see what I would see and I can tell you for sure that Spring has sprung in Charleston.  I hope you enjoy just a few of the blossoms I shot along the way.  What a delight to see these simple signs of Spring on the road taken!

“who knows if the moon’s
a balloon,coming out of a keen city
in the sky–filled with pretty people?
( and if you and I should

get into it,if they
should take me and take you into their balloon,
why then
we’d go up higher with all the pretty people

than houses and steeples and clouds:
go sailing
away and away sailing into a keen
city which nobody’s ever visited,where

always
it’s
Spring)and everyone’s
in love and flowers pick themselves”
― E.E. Cummings, Collected Poems

Lessons from the Velveteen Rabbit – Vulnerability and Becoming Authentically Real

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“Real isn’t how you are made,’ said the Skin Horse. ‘It’s a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.’

‘Does it hurt?’ asked the Rabbit.

‘Sometimes,’ said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. ‘When you are Real you don’t mind being hurt.’

‘Does it happen all at once, like being wound up,’ he asked, ‘or bit by bit?’

‘It doesn’t happen all at once,’ said the Skin Horse. ‘You become. It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand. But once you are Real you can’t become unreal again. It lasts for always.

–Margery Williams, The Velveteen Rabbit

One of my favorite childhood stories is The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams because it is the story of becoming authentic and allowing yourself to be worn through the trials of being human. It is the story of how vulnerability can change us; breaking us open, so that we can truly enjoy others because we have embraced our busted seams, tattered fur and threadbare paws.  I cried my eyes out each time I read it but still felt a great sense of hope and pure love.

The Velveteen Rabbit, once a beloved shiny stuffed bunny was loved so deeply for a short time by The Boy, who began to see the Rabbit as real, that all of the wear and fear from allowing himself to be vulnerability stripped him of his shininess and his un-realness. When the boy finally “moves on” as children (and all people) can do sometimes, the Rabbit was heartbroken, feeling discarded and diminished.

In his deepest moments of sadness, after crying his first real tear a beautiful fairy in a flower came to make him into a Real rabbit, where he could hop and jump and skip with the other rabbits (who had once been discarded). The Velveteen Rabbit could never have enjoyed the beauty of being Real had he not experienced being vulnerable and open.

The Velveteen Rabbit is a beautiful metaphor for the value of authenticity and vulnerability.  When we allow ourselves to be deeply effected by someone we are in essence, becoming more “Real” through our openness. And as the Skin Horse wisely tells the little rabbit sometimes becoming Real hurts.

If someone has the power to effect us deeply then they have the power to hurt us deeply as well. However beyond our human interactions we may truly be afraid of letting in the Divine (as in our relationship with the Self). If we truly let in the intimacy we all claim to crave from others then we begin to recognize that all human interactions are merely Self meeting Self. We start to recognize that others are merely a mirror.

Being loved sometime hurts.  Although we do our utmost not to deliberatley hurt those we love, the truth is, we do and they hurt us because our hearts are exposed the most to one another.  I can’t think of a greater way to live and communicate than to live wide open and authentically – to be Real with one another.  The concept is scary, terrifying even and for me I know this is one of my battles and lessons I need to learn in this lifetime.  To overcome this fear.

Here are some awesome points I found on the restlessimagination blogspot:

I’m not afraid of being in imperfect shape, for that means I’m not left on the shelf, untouched and unharmed.

I’m not afraid of my ears begin lopsided and my eyes drooping by affectionate touches.

I’m not afraid of the seams of my edges fraying from so much caressing.

I’m not afraid of going bald because I was rubbed to vigorously.

I’m not afriad of my stuffing being enthusiastically squeezed out of me.

I want to endure all that Love is for the sake of being Real.. the good days and bad.

I want to expose my sunshine as well as my darkness.

I want to express joy as well as sorrow, courage and fear, peace and anxiety.

I want to be challenged when I am wrong, encouraged when I am scared and lovingly laughed at when I am being rediculous.

I want to be comforted and played with.

I want to be cherished and treasured.

I want to be needed and wanted and liked and loved.

I want to be seen, heard, felt and tasted.

I want to experience the full spectrum of Love.

I always want the kind of love that makes me Real.

I want to be Real!

In the words of Melissa Etheridge, “I want to live my life pursuing all my happiness. I want a fearless love, I won’t settle for anything less.”

Here is what I take away as a Christian:

When I close my eyes to wonder and meditate on what the expression on Jesus’ face must have looked like as he agonized up the ‘via doloroso, ’ his shoulders hunched by the wood of the cross and the weight of the world’s pride like the shoulders of a homeless man, I come face to face with real love.  As the blood from the crown of thorns begins to blur his vision, he stumbles.  And then He slowly rises again.  There is nothing lovely here visually.  It’s violent, it’s shocking and it’s real. But it is also the purest of love from a spiritual perspective.

Whenever you encounter and receive real, unconditional love from another, like a planted and watered seed under the sun, it cannot help but give birth (often painfully) to a new realm of personal freedom and expression.  This new freedom is what allows us to become our true selves, to express ourselves without the fear of judgment, rejection or ridicule from others.  Finally, we are then free to love others with that same unconditional love, thereby helping set others free from the very chains with which we were once enslaved.  Unfortunately, this unbridled expression of true freedom can often cause friction or even alienation from those who have yet to recognize their own delusion of self-righteousness, lack of forgiveness, and coldness from the invisible prison in which they live, as they become jealous of your joy and envious of your freedom.

This is the “good” in the ‘good news’ or gospel–that God loves the real you and refuses to have a relationship with your best foot forward.  You don’t have to (and are frankly unable) to clean yourself up before approaching Him.  Virtue is the fruit of faith, not the generator of it.  The reactions or opinions of others no longer have the same power over you because God’s still, small voice has broken through, and His word alone is all that matters.  His banner over you is love.  Can you hear Him? “Come to me all of you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28).

When you consider who or what is real in your life, you may notice that the real things are a bit weathered.  It takes a long time to become real.  Like the voice of Johnny Cash or Van Morrison.  I think of the rugged coastline in Ireland or the withered, rough hands and face of Mother Theresa, or a few friendships I’m blessed to have.  They’re not perfect.  You may also notice that in everyday life, there is a higher cost for what is real: A fine steak, aged bourbon or scotch, genuine works of art or the sacrifices required for a good, real marriage.  The price is high but the experience so much richer.

In our shallow pop culture, I fear that real people (and real music for that matter) are endangered.  The Devil doesn’t want us or our love to ever become real because he knows the road to hell is paved with good intentions.  He tells us to simply be polite, politically correct, to not get too deep, to look out solely for our own interests.  We’re encouraged to live as comfortably as possible, to medicate whatever pain we may experience, to justify breaking our marriage vows if necessary, to sanitize our neighborhoods of the poor and the homeless, or to hide our elderly in nursing homes. The world doesn’t want your faith to ever be realized in this life.  This is why Jesus and the Church place such an enormous emphasis on manifesting and incarnating the love of God to the ‘least of these’ through sacrificial acts of mercy, compassion and kindness (Matthew 25:40).

Here is how I see it in my relationship to self and others: (portion taken from insightfulinnovations.com)

 

We project our need for love and acceptance on the other and expect a certain response. Some people make a habit of doing this with many people (spreading the expectancy around) while others reserve it for only a few (or maybe one…or none) but ultimately we are all seeking a mirror. The difficult lesson to integrate is that no matter what the other person reflects back to us it still self informing self.Perhaps If we think of showing vulnerability as the self seeking comfort from the self (in another person) it can take the sting out of it when apparently our needs don’t get met. And if it still terrifies us then we can practice being vulnerable to ourselves first. Love yourself until your fur rubs off and your seams pop, and then the terror of being vulnerable to another is lessened because you’re already well-love-worn. However, if you’re like most of us, relationships are the quickest way to get a little wear and tear on our fur.

If we can’t admit or show our vulnerabilities to ourselves than being vulnerable and open with another will feel like the ultimate death when we aren’t fulfilled. We will feel “unreal”.  It will register as self rejecting self. There is no way to be rejected, ridiculed or dismissed if you can accept, comfort and welcome yourself.

If another person does it to you, they are merely confused, and have yet to realize that their response to you is only a response to the part of themselves that have yet to see. They’re treating you the way they would treat themselves. It’s not personal (but it can sure feel that way.)

So even though you may not be ready to run out and spill your stuffing to everyone you see try doing it to yourself first. Be your own fairy in the flower, or find someone safe (your own Skin Horse) who can remind you that Real is a process. If you find that you still reject, dismiss, admonish or patronize yourself, than you know where your work is. Wouldn’t it be hypocritical to expect someone else to treat you in a way you can’t even treat yourself?

So like the Skin Horse says to the little Rabbit, “real isn’t something you are, it’s something you become.” We become Real through experiencing the full range of ourselves reflected in others, and recognizing it is but a reflection of our own state. With practice we can accept what we see and love ourselves anyway. Only then can we truly be open to loving and accepting someone else. All the wear and tear is the sometimes agonizing beauty of this human condition. And just imagine how wonderful it would be if we could all let our threads show, knowing that this is what makes each of us so very Real.

May you reach your fullest and happiest self.  May you enjoy the process in all it’s pain and pleasure of becoming Real!

Lea

 

 

Personal Growth – A Path of Transformation

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1-transformation

Remember when you were a kid in elementary school or junior high and looking at the kids older than you?  Remember discussing with your best buds that you knew how if felt to be in that grade even though you had NO experience what so ever? You could picture yourself there no questions asked and who cared when it would really happen and we were really in no great rush to get there either.  But now, well, we are all grown up and for some reason, somewhere along the way, we have put pressure on ourselves to know everything right now!

I like to envision life as my school.  I am always learning something, always growing, always changing.  With this path of transformation that we all are on, I believe it does not look the same for any one of us.  Each of us is unique.  We have unique DNA, unique combinations of interests, hopes, desires, personalities and more.  Like a snowflake, no two are alike yet we are all human and have our humanity in common.  So we all walk this path and I think there are some principals that stay true for all of us, and maybe we can rest in knowing where we are in our process so that we can give ourselves permission to enjoy the process without the stress of having to know everything RIGHT NOW!  If we are gentle with ourselves and accept that we are right where we need to be on our path we can be present to the moment and not miss anything.  It’s okay to think about or anticipate the “what’s next” so we are ready for it but try not to “live” in it or spend too much time thinking about it.  And when it comes to the people in our lives, remember they are on their own path and try not to interfere.  Interacting out of a place of compassion and understanding will create harmony rather than discord.

So let’s look at this path and imagine there are stepping stones along the way.  Each stone is a place on your journey of transformation.

  1. Darkness
  2. Dawning
  3. Becoming
  4. Accepting
  5. Sharing

1. Darkness

What do I mean by “darkness”?  In the dark it is hard to see, right.  It’s the same with transformation.  If we are in the dark we are living with fear. We are allowing others to have control over us.  Placing blame, fearful thinking, worry, having a victim mentality and a overall lack of enthusiasm are all part of being in this darkened state of being. It is when we begin to realize this that we can forge on.

2. Dawning

When we are ready to take the next step it is like a dawning occurs.  There is light. We “wake up” and being to see the unhealthy patters in our lives.  It is now that we start learning about our true, authentic selves.  We wake up and ask questions. We look for answers and begin to learn that our experiences are not random.

3. Becoming

Now we can start our change!  We can move from the light and questioning to actually doing something and making changes that will fundamentally change how we live each day.  It is not enough to just be aware.  To truly transform, we must change behaviors and beliefs.  We must change the voice or narrative in our heads.  If we do the work of letting go of patterns and ideas that no longer serve us, seek guidance and help to gain tools for transformation we can make things happen!

4. Accepting

So here we are finally at a point where we have cultivated new habits and live in a place of self acceptance.  We are by no means perfect, don’t get me wrong.  There will always be work to do and things to learn but we have come to a place where we have fully let go of our “dark” selves and have embraced a healthier, more authentic version of ourselves free of self judgement or that of others.  We are happy with ourselves and have the tools to accept or change our lives.

5. Sharing

Now we can move out of complete self focus to the world around us.  This phase is about a bigger picture. Changing the lives of others!  When we are happy it is easy to want to share the love we feel. Just remember that sharing does not mean forcing yourself, opinions or judgements on others.  They are on their path too!  Remember the compassion and understanding component here!

Finally, I believe this idea may not work for everyone in every situation, but it might help put perspective in our desire to find transformation.  These phases are for life!  Each one takes time and there are lots of opportunities for learning and growth within each one.  I think a key is to be grateful, patient and aware wherever you are.  I also believe we never fully finish our transformation.  That at the end of our lives we are on the path ready for the unknown, but always on our personal quest for further self-discovery.

 

 

 

Ash Wednesday – Beginning of Lent and a 40 Day Challenge

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Bread and water during lent. (Photo by: Godong/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Lent is a time of reflection for many Christians, as they look back on and celebrate the death and resurrection of Christ.

For Christians, this is a way to remember the time Jesus spent 40 days and nights alone in the desert, being tempted by Satan.

Ash Wednesday is the start of Lent, which is a day of penitence or cleansing of the soul.

Christians who attend Lent services will be marked with a cross of ashes on their forehead.

This symbol is based on a concept from the book of Genesis that humankind came into the world from dust, and will return to it upon death.

The following 40 days are taken as an opportunity to remember Jesus’ death – many give something up, and some take something on during this time.

I saw this on a European Website and thought I’d share it.  I think it has some great, easy to do things to keep us mindful this Lent.

What nice things can you do each day for the 40 day Lent challenge?

When does Lent start and what is the 40 day Lent challenge?
(Picture: Getty)

1st March – Engage in conversation with the people who serve you (e.g. shop keepers)

2nd March – Say thank you to someone as they work and say how much you appreciate them

3rd March – Call in on an elderly neighbor – take some cake, have a cup of tea and a chat

4th March – Shop locally and support local farmers, local veg growers and local shops

5th March – Show some love to your neighborhood and pick up litter or see if there is anything more you can recycle at home

6th March – Hold doors open for those behind you

7th March – Smile at people

(Picture: Lucas Alves Magalhães) Man Is Shocked When His Dog Walks In With A Weird New Smile
(Picture: Lucas Alves Magalhães)

8th March – Be a nice driver – spread road-calm!

9th March – Email / write to a local charity you think does a great work and thank them and those who volunteer

10th March – Take time to pray for your neighbors

11th March – Spread the niceness on Facebook and Twitter – compliment some of your friends

12th March – Set up a Blessing Bag – a bag of items you keep in your car that can be used to bless other people

13th March – Write a letter to a local emergency service and thank them for the work they do

14th March – Say hello to people

15th March – Look at joining or setting up a Neighborhood Watch scheme

16th March – Spot ways of helping people and do it

17th March – Go on a thankful walk – see all the positive things you can be thankful for in your neighborhood

18th March – Buy Fairtrade where you can today

A person shows unroasted fairtrade coffee beans during the exhibition "World of coffee", on June 27, 2013, in Nice, southeastern France. AFP PHOTO / JEAN CHRISTOPHE MAGNENET (Photo credit should read JEAN-CHRISTOPHE MAGNENET/AFP/Getty Images)
(Picture: Getty)

19th March – Take a single person (elderly person, single mum…) out for Sunday lunch

20th March – Consider investing some time volunteering – could you give 24 hours over the next year?

21st March – Commit to collect used stamps for The Leprosy Mission

22nd March – Catch a bus (#Do1NiceThing for the environment) and say thank you to the bus driver

23rd March – Give a drink to a homeless person

24th March – Email / write to your MP and say thank you for representing you and that you are praying for them

25th March – Take a prayer walk round your neighbourhood

Mothering Sunday 26th March – Take some flowers to mothers and grandmas on your street

27th March – Buy seeds ready to create a wildlife garden (or tub or window box!)

2017 wedding flower trends
(Picture: Wild Renata Flowers)

28th March – Look for ways to volunteer one hour of your time for someone else

29th March – Email your local councillors and say thank you for what they do and offer to pray for them

30th March – Take time to discover some new tourist attraction in your area (eg wildlife park, play area, etc)

31st March – Give away a book you think is worth reading

1st April – Pay for the drink of the person behind you in a coffee shop

2nd April – Write some inspirational messages on Post-It notes and randomly leave for people to find

3rd April – Help someone down the stairs or hold open a door for someone with a pram

4th April – Sit in a coffee shop and chat to some strangers or pay for a strangers’ drink

5th April – Offer your skills to someone else for free

6th April – Write a letter to the boss of someone who has given excellent customer service to tell them so

7th April – Clear out unwanted items and give to a charity shop

8th April – Organize a free car wash for your community

When does Lent start and what is the 40 day Lent challenge?
(Picture: Getty)

Palm Sunday 9th April – Thank people for the virtues they have

10th April – Send flowers to a friend as a thank you for your friendship

11th April- Give an inspirational book to someone you don’t know

12th April – Take a box of chocolates to work and say thank you to your colleagues

Maundy Thursday 13th April – Easter Weekend – Provide someone with a service

Good Friday 14th April – Put spare change in a charity box

15th April – Visit a local shop you have not visited before or in a while (support locally!)

Easter Sunday 16th April – Get together with others to organise a community or church Easter Egg hunt

Credit: Love Your Streets

Finding Body Bliss

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vent5

I am an asthmatic.  I was diagnosed when I was a young child and have had quite a roller coaster journey with this disease.  I have learned to live my life within the limitations of my compromised lungs and at 53 I am happy to say I am the healthiest I have been in my life which includes how I view myself.  Here are a few things I have learned on my journey to a healthy body image;

The scale does not determine your self-worth.

I am actually heavier than I have ever been except for when I was pregnant.  Muscle weighs more than fat so I am less concerned about the scale and happier with how healthy I am and how my clothes fit.  On the self-worth idea – your self-worth is also NOT determined by what you do for a living, where you live or how much money you have.

Enjoy what you eat and indulge a little too.

Over the years I have starved myself.  Binged and purged.  Counted calories and ate air blown popcorn like it was a protein.  Food is a fuel. You need healthy food to be healthy.  Learn to be creative in the kitchen.  And it IS okay to indulge once in awhile.  So if you are heading to your favorite Italian restaurant go ahead and enjoy that pasta.

Never be idle but LISTEN to your body.

Find a few workouts you like to do and change them up.  I love yoga and go as often as I can.  I also love my sessions at the gym with my trainer but that is a few days a week.  I also love kick-boxing and boot camp workouts that are fast paced and high energy when my lungs allow it.  Walking the dogs, bike riding, paddle boarding, hiking or any movement that gets your heart rate up and pumps some blood for 20 minutes is great for you body and mind. But if you do have one of those days where you don’t want to work out I think it’s important to listen to that intuitive voice and take the break if your body really needs it.

Appreciate NOW!

Don’t take any day for granted. Life is a gift so enjoy the present.  Remember that the past is over and you can’t go back and that the future hasn’t happened yet so it doesn’t serve you to worry about it.  Be present.  Be grateful even when things are tough.

Sleep is a powerful thing.

Remember when we were really young and our mom would tell us it was nap time?  Remember how much you hated the idea of stopping playing with your dolls or blocks to go back to bed?  Funny how we all grow up and WISH we could have naps!  I love a good nap.  Twenty minutes to re-energize in the afternoon or a great nights sleep – for me 8 to 9 hours makes me feel so much better.  If you have trouble falling asleep, drinking tea, taking a bath or using essential oils can really help.  I don’t have that problem! 🙂