Not returning to reality

I was returning from comforting family time at Thanksgiving, as well as an exhilarating tour of art studios in picturesque Inverness and Pt. Reyes area, enjoying the inspiration from others' creativity, and the beauty, of course, of this particular part of California. As I settled into home, welcoming as it was, the familiar chores lay before me.  I heard my inner voice say, 'Time to return to reality,' when I suddenly exclaimed out loud (to no one except myself),  "No, time to stay in the magic and NOT return to reality," which meant to me, time to stay in the moment of 'now.'

I was different, if ever so slightly, from when I had left.  My mind and emotions had taken in the ambience of a different part of the state, my eyes had seen a different sort of outdoor beauty, both mind and heart had been touched by the friendliness and creativity of the various types of artists in their open-studios. I was inspired to renew my own visual art and let myself be influenced by the art I had seen.  Yes, the housework is still there, the bills to pay are still there, and they need to be tended to, but with a different spirit - a spirit of excitement at knowing I will make the time to follow my passions, and that the person now doing the housework is slightly changed from before.  I am not returning to the 'old reality' but the passion and aliveness of an ever-changing new 'reality.'  That kind of living feels like magic.

It is so important to find time, make time, each day, to just take delight in - whatever delights us!  A good book, a creative project, playing with your pet, a morning view, dreaming up a plan for a future adventure. But it is important to be in the 'now' of it - enjoy the planning of the future adventure as a joy in itself - a time for creativity and looking forward with anticipation (but not attachment - things change). 

One way to tune into the 'now' moment is to tune into your body sensations and your emotions.  Ask yourself, "How am I feeling right now?"   "How is my body feeling right now?"  If you find it is not feeling so good, think of what it will take to feel good.  And then see if you can implement that! Often, the place to start implementing is with the thoughts first. Then comes the action and the changed feeling.

So paying attention to your emotions and your body is a really good way to start to connect with the practice of making each day a day of delight.  This is an ancient wisdom -- creating the way to delight and the way out of suffering. This wisdom is taught by the Buddhists, the Amish, the Native Americans shamans, the mystical teachings of the Hawaiian Hunas, among many other wisdom traditions.   The 'energy' of the circumstances around us are much more important than the circumstances. MSNBC's recent article, "Your Happiness Could Be Contageous" is a good example of this. The 'energy' coursing through our own body, mind and heart is what really affects things. So pay attention to your energy. It's fun and it's interesting. Try it for one hour, one day, all week. 

Appreciation and miracles

This morning, walking on the road, I heard a small flock of geese intermittently making a ruckus of noise on the nearby pond.   Deciding to veer off the road, walking quietly toward the water, I hoped to spy them behind the stand of pine trees. But they must have heard my footsteps, as the geese sounds suddenly grew louder, and then I saw them - about 7 or 8 geese - lifting off, honking, flying in an unbalanced V formation, flapping off to some near destination lake or pond, I suppose. They arrive each evening and leave early in the morning. This was a small group that was late in leaving; I imagined them as the laggers, the ones wanting to savor a slow morning and not be in such a rush.

At any rate, a reminder to me of how important nature is to nourishing my spirit--my happiness and feeling of inner peace.  I am not alone, of course, as enjoying time in nature is wisely viewed as good medicine.  I do recommend it be done regularly! Whether a glimpse of a sunset, noticing the golden and auburn glow of November leaves on the trees, or watching a squirrel scramble up and down a tree, appreciation of nature can't help but bring us into a state of appreciation. And appreciation feels good, really good. As Albert Einstein said, "There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as everything is a miracle." 

And appreciation works miracles in relationships too.  Especially in your closest relationships - you know, the one where we can slip into treating each other, after awhile, like old shoes.  But cultivating the habit of appreciation brings good feelings AND rich rewards.  I made a vow to express to my sweetie twice each day my appreciation of something about him or something he did.  Funny, once I got into doing this, I started to notice all sorts of wonderful things! I didn't want to limit myself to two, because there was so much more there to appreciate.  And, I noticed the appreciations coming back to me, too  - a nice, unexpected gift.  So, here's to cultivating the habit of appreciation -- each day.