As I have mentioned previously, I recently made a mistake that has impacted the timeliness of certain things in my future. I have endeavored to find the positive within the situation, which isn't always easy, but important none the less. What is clear to me so far is that I am so very lucky to have a supportive partner, who always wraps me in kindness, warts and all. I am none the less unhappy about the debacle and in an effort to turn my continual frown upside down, have taken up a photo challenge. The challenge is to take a photo of something that inspires me, makes me happy or takes my breath away with beauty every day, For at least 7 days. I was nervous at first that I would not be able to find something worthy each day, I live what I would call an ordinary life. I go to work, come home exhausted during the week and see friends and family over weekends. My life is not, what Instagram so kindly tells me, a photogenic life should look like. It is now day three and I have taken a good 30 photos so far. There is so much that is around me that gets my creative juices flowing or makes my heart sing. It is Autumn in Melbourne which is probably my favorite season. I always thought it was summer but a warm day in Autumn really is like no other. I love the bright green trees that look almost illuminated by the sun, the golden yellows,ruby reds and aubergine leaves that provide such a beautiful contrast to the shinning blue sky. The noise of crunching and childlike glee as you stomp through the fallen leaves. The beautiful breeze in the air, bringing such a delightful relief from the summer heat and warmth from the cool change, that stirs in the in-between season. Watching my beautiful pup stand still while the wind envelopes him, eyes closed, ears blowing, just enjoying the sensation, We have such good food in Melbourne. We are blessed with flavorful produce and juicy meats. I made a Risotto the other night and it was magic in my mouth, like all of Italy had a magnificent party right there, in my mouth, with every bite. Pleasure. Happiness. Love. It is all around us, it can be found in so many different ways. Its how you embrace it, how you open your eyes and accept it that will give you the most joy. Flows and Ebbs, Hills and valleys, I am always grateful for my life.
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Last week I received some terrible news. I have been striving towards a goal for a few years now, by September this year it should of been accomplished, However I made a made a few errors, took a short cut in the hope to get to what I so badly desire a little quicker and I am now paying the price. Although I acknowledge my mistake it is very disheartening and to begin with I did curl up and have a good cry and a bit of a pity party. The universe is a funny thing, it can trip you up, knock you off your feet, and then reach out and help you get back up. My job enables me to travel a little and this week I found myself heading out into the Gippsland region of Victoria. Gippsland is a beautiful area, predominantly dairy farmers, lots of rolling hills, with a stunning coastline. I was lucky enough to have some free time. Generally in these instances I would find a spot and work remotely but the sun was shining and the scenery was singing to me so I detoured and stopped in at a few look outs, said hello to a few of the four legged residents and just sucked up all the surroundings. It was a great time to stop and think, reflect. Sometimes just getting out of the everyday and connecting with whats around us can really help perspective. Yes I am still mad at myself but I am still on a path to achieving what I want, not all is lost, just delayed. Something great is still just around the corner and whats in front of me just this second is still pretty darn brilliant. "Don't surrender all your joy for an idea you used to have about yourself that isn't true anymore" - Cheryl Strayed
Its a wet Melbourne Tuesday. Yesterday was 26 degrees. The weather lady kindly told us we had just experienced our last day of Summer sun. We are now on board the Autumn train and wont be feeling the warmth of the suns rays until we get off around September. I have always loved the sun. Coming from a country that was literally named after the 'long white cloud' Its always been something of wonder to me. I moved to Queensland, Australia, 'the sunshine state' when I was 21 and set myself up in a beautiful coastal town. I would basque in the sunshine everyday, walking around shaking my head in disbelief that day after day the sun would rise and bring with it so much scrumptious heat. When I sit back and close my eyes I can teleport myself back to those days. They are so vivid in my mind. The power of the warmth when you walked out of your front door. Running down the road to grab a coffee, not a far distance only 100 meters, it would always trick me. By the time you get there you just buy a bottle of water, coffee seems ludicrous now your body is ramped to what feels like 50 degrees. I eventually left that little town for the city life of Melbourne. A broken heart and empty wallet can do that to you. So now I get my sunshine hit 3-4 months a year, another few months of teasing and a fair few months that remind me of home and are quite nostalgic in a way. I no longer hate the cold, I have found a sand bar to stand on, It doesn't swallow me in misery, I appreciate the seasons mother nature throws at us. There is something quite special about finding a quite corner in a cafe while everything is wet and hectic outside and you get to hide with a big mug of coffee and write your minds wanderings on a blog no one will read. "Intention is one of the most powerful forces there is. What you mean when you do a thing will always determine the outcome. The law creates the world." - Brenna Yovanoff
Someone once told me that Intention was like the opening arch of the spiritual journey. It is the glorious entrance into understanding a higher self. The idea behind setting your intention makes you focus right down into the centre of what it is you are hoping to achieve. Does your desire align with what you are striving for spiritually? Are you actions coming from a place of love or fear? What energy are you bringing into your world and those of your community? Every morning I wake up and set my intent. At first I found it difficult to understand the difference between a goal and intention. I feel that a goal is all about the ‘get’. I want to achieve a, b and c which will result in getting x. Intent is more about who you want to be for the sake of your soul rather than any material gains (although an authentic you will always be your best self so it could lead you to a more materialistically rich life). For an example a goal may be to score well on an upcoming exam. Where the intent for the day of the exam would be to; release a natural flow of knowledge from my mind to page. I particularly like to write down my intent and keep it with me when I know I have a difficult day ahead. When I have to meet with a client that I may find rude or off putting I would set my intent for the day to be about radiating love and kindness so when I walk into the room I have set the energy I want, to wrap them in kindness and take away some of their sharp edges. There have been times when I have been engaged in conversation with a friend or colleague and been disturbed to find that within myself the intent was coming from fear, that deep down you know if what you are doing, the intention behind it, is not from a good place. So give it a go, set your intent for the day , check in before you speak, before you gossip or put your 2 cents worth in, what is your intention, and does it feel good with your authentic self or is it your fear tricking you? Follow me on Instagram to check out a few of my daily Intentions! "Some people come into your life as blessings, Some people come into your life as lessons." - Mother Theresa.
Today was a great test for my new spiritual awareness. I was set with an emotional challenge. I felt deceived by a colleague at work and had to decide whether I would pull out from a commitment I had made with them or put my emotions aside and provide an unbiased well thought through calm and strategic contribution to the commitment. Normally in a situation like this I would talk to as many people as I could, gather everyone’s ‘advice’ when really I was seeking validation that my feelings of deception and frustrating were justified and how terrible this person has been to do such a thing to me, enter my latest victim story. Then I would enter the commitment with a frame of mind that I was going to prove how right I was and seek retribution to the deception. I would then walk away filled with fear that I had sabotaged my relationship with said colleague and be disgusted by my rampage. So when I got the word today of what had happened I had a small but controlled vent to my beloved who is the ying to my yang and so nonchalant to my little outbursts. I then thought about who would be best to give me a single piece of advice, and called a friend who naturally removes emotion from any business situation. I purposefully only gave him facts and detailed how I felt rather than focusing on the downfalls of my colleague. Throughout the day the upcoming event was on my mind, would I be able to rise above and be the emotionally mature person I wanted to be, to be open minded rather than determined to be right, physically I felt a little sick. Then I had a moment of clarity. The universe has presented me with a similar situation so many times in my life its hard to believe I have responded in the same way so many times, over and over again. Someone out there must be hitting their head against a wall, when will she get it! There has to be a lessons in this emotionally charged situation, what could it be, and what could the gift be? Tonight as I write I am proud of myself, I walked through the event with a smile on my face, a steady calm breath, an open mind and could feel my heart radiate. Regardless of the overall outcome, regardless whether there was deceit or not, those are someone else’s life lessons, mine was to learn to control my reaction, not the situation and open my mind to the concept that just because my opinion has been voiced does not mean it will be followed. "Quiet the mind and the soul will speak" - Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati
Meditation. It sounds like such an indulgent thing to do, a luxury of ones use of time, there is something quite worldly and wise about it. If you search for a book to help you learn about how to meditate, you have to go to the new age section. It does make me laugh; the earliest known written records of meditation are from India around 1500 BC, hardly what I would refer to as new. But in today’s society it either falls into two buckets. New Age – Which the Urban Dictionary refers to as 60’s hippies now adults without drugs or cause to support. Or Wellness – They biggest trend of the millennia. It is the era of proving to the world that you have ticked every box, your successful, rich, the perfect mother, crave nothing but green beans and chia seeds, hate the taste of anything that includes sugar and of course the ultimate. Being happy, you can have it all! If you google Wellness it brings up “trillion dollar industry” or “Wellness Tourism” not quite what I had in mind. However as you begin to read about meditation you begin to see that it has been an humble part of everyday life for a variety of indigenous cultures all over the globe. Meditation, to many cultures, is not hyped, new age or trendy it is as routine as brushing your teeth when you wake up in the morning. To get me started and make sure I’m not just lying down and taking a nap for 10 minutes a day I tried a variety of App’s (I will make sure to include Steve Jobs to my gratitude journal). I am currently using Headspace, DigiPill and Smiling Mind. Depending on how I am feeling I may pick Smiling Mind if I just need a bite-sized 2 minutes, or perhaps some hypnotic music to really clear our those thoughts from Digipill. For the majority so far Headspace has been the closest to what I think meditation for feel like for me. I do feel slightly more relaxed and had a very productive day yesterday working from home, something I do struggle to stay on track with. I am a habitual procrastinator, believing my greatest strengths always appear the minute before any deadline, one of the many things I would like to change about myself and hope to address as part of my quest for spiritual enlightenment. |
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December 2016
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