Dear Wonderful Ones,
What if your path were littered with opportunities for you to grow, and all you need do when life sucks is shift your perception?
Truthfully, it has been a challenging few months of personal health detours that are calling me to STOP when I feel such a sense of urgency to move forward. I am sure I am not alone in feeling this way and as many women were, I was well trained to disregard aches and pains, and to care for everyone else better than myself. Hopefully it is true that we teach best what we most need to learn, and so I dare share a honestly a bit about my process with you in hopes that you recognize you are not alone.
In my early years I had migraines. Unless they totally leveled me I did my best to ignore them, and after menopause they settled down quite a bit. I wouldn’t say I have been headache-free, but they returned to ‘normal’ which meant I could ignore them and still function. Can any of you relate?
Regardless of my desire to define and reshape my life’s calling and dive into speaking and workshops to grow the Center of Happiness community, my body disagreed. Migraines and vertigo returned in a big way and have been keeping my head spinning since March. These and other symptoms have invited me to not only slow down, but even STOP. I mean, no computer, no reading, no bright light, no TV, and no walks for awhile. I just had to let my brain rest. Frustrating. Humbling. A spiritual opportunity to learn another degree of self-love.
For me, pain always comes with an added invitation not only to determine the human cause, but the spiritual and emotional opportunity embedded within. For those on a the path of consciousness, health challenges… or any challenge for that matter, provide a message worth listening to, a clue for expanded awareness.
Although I have to be mindful that self-judgment and fault-finding does not highjack my assessment process, the deeper questions I ask myself can be valuable and offer many clues on how best to corse correct for greater self-love. The pain I experience invites me to become aware of my need to review not only the impact the outer environment is having on my body, but also pay attention to my inner environment, my soul… that inner GPS system that is steadfastly standing in my behalf regardless of the ego running amok.
So I asked (with the kite-string-holding of trusted mentors and dear friends), “What thoughts and actions are making my head hurt? What am I resisting or holding on to? Where am I not at peace, focusing more on doing rather than being? Why do I not feel that I am enough sitting still? Where do I resist receiving, and yet strive to over-give? Where have I forced myself to push through, disregarding the subtle messages my body has offered prior to this flurry of feeling that I am falling apart from head to toe? Where am I resisting a new way of seeing? Where have I been clinging to the illusion of control in order to trudge forward? What new perception is being called for now? What if it is all perfect?
It is. Yep, perfect! It is an opportunity, not a punishment.
I choose to live my life making my decisions from the belief that the Universe is friendly, in ten second intervals if necessary. I invite you to remind me when I forget. I choose to allow the messy parts that are as much a part of life as the pristine ones. I choose to expand my ability to see blessings in unlikely places. I want to live my life daring to pioneer consistently beyond my limiting beliefs and untrue stories that were passed on by well-intentioned people trying to manage their own fears. I choose to stop resisting and instead boldly say YES. I choose to be a willing an active student of life until my last breath, even when the moments seem impossible to maneuver. I feel blessed to know (most moments) that no hardship is bigger that the wholehearted peace that comes from finding the courage to live it.
And so, I will cancel and uncreate times a God-zillion all the limiting beliefs that hold me back. I will close my computer more often regardless of how I desperately believe that it is the avenue to my freedom. I will prioritize my walk and take unapologetic time for stillness. I will eat mindfully chewing and tasting each bite, breathe deeply from my belly, and adjust my posture to greet the day expecting peace and joy. I will cry willingly when old stuff needs to be released, and practice receiving the kindnesses of others.
With these steps, life is the grand experiment where the evidence that the Universe is indeed friendly, regardless of the circumstances.
Joy-fully,
P.S. The holidays are upon us providing us with an opportunity to reflect consciously and share from our hearts with those we love deeply. If you are looking for a unique gift, consider this…
Hand Lettered Scrolls with your favorite quote…
http://centerofhappiness.com/hand-lettering/ [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
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