This morning my eyes just want to rest
on small
simple
truths
beauty
being
soothing
sunglight
marigolds and blue glass
at my kitchen window
Simple Soothes
Our Greatest Compass Point
This post digs back into the Archives, circa 2011. Jeb was eight and I was a single mother trying to juggle work and parenthood while maintaining some sort of higher perspective.
Six years later and the image of the hand on the heart comes back to me this morning.
These days of late seem wrought with overwhelm. Change is afoot and with it comes uncertainty. The work to be done in the world feels daunting.
As we face the days ahead, as we sit in this very moment, right now, I hope we find the tools we need to keep ourselves oriented to our True North.
Our hearts are our greatest compass points.
Here’s a modified excerpt from that 2011 post about bringing it all back home.
“…Jeb’s in the back seat trying to see if one of his Star Wars Storm Troopers can fit in his remote control Jeep while Buzz Lightyear looks on.
Riding shotgun with me up front, is my laptop and paperwork, a ten page to-do list and a stick of gum. I feel the overwhelm close in on me like a shroud. And then I remember the words of the Ambassador.
If you follow the Archives you may recall the Ambassador shared his story of 15 seconds of grace. He also imparted some sage advice for moments when grace can’t even be felt for a millisecond. He suggested the simple gesture of a hand to the heart. A deep breath in, and just be there, like that, for a moment.
I’m driving down the highway with Jeb and Mr. Potatohead and I reach my hand to my heart and breathe. There is a comfort there of simply feeling a hand on my chest. An abbreviated version of a self-hug. I notice the air in my lungs. I begin to see the sparkling green of the wet trees along the highway a bit more vividly. After about a minute I realize my body has relaxed.
No circumstance has changed. I still have a client to meet. Jeb is still sniffley. But I’m a bit more calm. It’s then I realize that the metaphorical mountain on my head is not just sourced in situation. Surely life will provide plenty of external conditions to challenge me. But in the end, I’m the one who decides how it affects me. I choose to tighten. I choose to loose my grace in haste.
Hand on the heart makes space. I like this.
If you’ve read this far I invite you to try it for yourself right now. Put your hand on your heart.
How’s that?”
Tools
It’s all about the right tool for the job.
Ask anyone that’s handy and they’ll tell you that good tools are essential in getting work done well.
Anyone else out there feeling like humans on planet Earth are being called to task? It seems as though I’ve been given an assignment of gargantuan proportions and I’m picking through my inner toolshed looking for some apparatus of assistance.
Big projects require exceptional tools. What have I got?
I’ve been taking inventory of my inner resources and assessing what assists me most. These days the pressure can squeeze tight. I need to be able to quickly access my most potent tools at any given moment in order to respond swift as a superhero.
Art is definitely in the tool belt. Music, writing, photography, dance. These things fill my soul.
Breath is big. Exercising enough to get that breath moving through my lungs and oxygenating my body and brain helps heaps. Clearing space!
Community is key in my arsenal of tools. It’s vital to feel connection with friends and family, especially in challenging times. We can support each other and offer insightful reflections. There is power in numbers.
And here’s my latest revelation: Food. So simple, yet I had not fully recognized the potent influence it has. Organic foods and vitamin supplements were good enough I’d thought. But after incorporating high-density superfoods into my diet, my daily experience has been upgraded to a whole new level.
At the root, my greatest tool is my body, as it is the vehicle by which I maneuver my way through this odyssey of life. No project can be tackled, no endeavor undertaken without a vessel by which I can implement these tasks. Existing on basic sustenance is a blessing in itself. I realize that there are those in this world that do not even have this.
Which is all the more reason for me, living in a modern world with access to superfoods, that I feel called to utilize the tool of high-nutritional plants. It’s my responsibility to do better in order to help others. I’m being called to step it up in the world and I’m using the best tools for the job.
Clear mind, healthy body, strong energy. I want to be in optimal working order.
May we all know our tools and care for them well. Keep them at the ready. Right now, it’s all hands on deck.
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