Friday 15 June 2012

Give a little

Giving gifts is a gift in itself.  The search for the perfect item that might make someone's day is a journey into gratitude.  We feel lucky to have such a special person in our life.  We feel blessed to discover a way to let the recipient know how loved they are. Something as simple as a card takes time to read each message and view each image, trying to find just the perfect match.  The joy and smiles our gift might bring is reflected in our own heart as we contemplate the ideal memento for the situation. Dig around you in your travels today and see if you can discover a treat to make someone's day.

Have you recently presented someone with a gift?  How did it feel?

Thursday 14 June 2012

Hold your hand

Our hands walk through our day often more than our feet.  We type, touch, hold and feel with our hands.  They are extremely fragile yet offer us so much strength.  Most other species do not use their hands the way we do.  We are unique. Take some time to look at your hands today.  Stroke and massage them in thanks for all they do. 

Wednesday 13 June 2012

Let the water flow

All the water existing on this planet is the same water that has always been around.  Molecules from the pure liquid we drink may have been consumed by dinosaurs and Kings or may have sat on the peak of Mount Everest.  Think of this miracle today as you sip an extra cup of tea or glass of clear water.  Let the wonder of the world flow through you and invigerate your cells. 

In what ways do you celebrate water?

Phone a friend

Often when we visit with friends it is the result of a scheduled appointment.  We plan for a coffee meeting or a walk, noting down a time and place.  What kind of conversation could happen if we simply call up a friend and speak openly in the moment?  What sort of thoughts might come through the line?  Look through your address book today and phone up a friend you haven't met with in a while.  Let the organic conversation happen and see where it takes you.

Monday 11 June 2012

Tune into compliments

There are so many sweet words said about us, but often we accept them on the surface rather than pulling them deep inside us. Each compliment is a true gift, it is the universe telling us we are special and worthy of great things. Think about the compliments you give others.  You see a true light inside them and feel compelled to say something. You hope that message travels deep. This is true of compliments coming your way, they are offerings of the wonder found within.  If you receive a compliment today, breathe it in deep, look the giver in the eye and give thanks.

Sunday 10 June 2012

Looking back

As we travel forward, is it ever safe to look back?  Walking along a path we can see the trees surrounding us, feel the gravel crunching under our feet and hear birds chirping in the distance.  We also get the chance to look ahead as the path meanders and creeps into new territory.  But what if we look back?  Will we trip? Will we lose our orientation?  Or is there ever a safe checkpoint to view the world behind us and recall the many steps that brought us forward?  Take a moment to breather deep and recall a memory that brings a smile to your face.  Let the sweetness of that memory sit on your tongue and nourish you for the day to come.

Saturday 9 June 2012

Community rocks

When we feel we belong, we can step outside the feeling of being isolated or being alone.  Community offers a safe and accepting place where part of us feels a connection to a greater group. I find community at music festivals.  Everyone smiles at each other and recognizes the beautiful mosaic of different souls merging together to listen to one song, one artist. There is a sense of peace, of knowing there is nowhere else you need to be. What is your community? A local coffee shop?  A church? A running group?

Friday 8 June 2012

Viewing your thoughts

As thoughts slip in and out of your head, try to imagine them captured in a bubble and floating past.  Rather than attaching to your thought, recognize that it matters, but if it is not serving you, let it float away.  Ask, does this thought bring me closer to joy, or away? What can happen when our thoughts are not set apart in this way is they can rain down on us, flooding our mind quickly.  By stepping back to view our thoughts, we find shelter and simply watch the droplets of throughts trickle down outside our mind's window.

Thursday 7 June 2012

Go one layer deep

Our regular response when we great people is a "hello" and an "I'm good".  But what if we delved one layer more.  What would we really say? "My daughter has her first dance recital tonight, and I am really excited for her" or "I am really stressing about a meeting I have this afternoon". The more details we provide, the greater the chance of connecting with our listener.  It is our opportunity to show our textured human side and in return we can allow more space into the woven material of our spirit. Sharing our inner thoughts an emotions is such a gift.  Think of any animal species that has the chance to share deep thoughts with one another, does such an exchange of information exist?  Celebrate this gift that we have, and tell someone a thought that has been on your mind.

We can do this more easily online, but what in person?  Do you share your thoughts with people?

Wednesday 6 June 2012

Lucky charms

Many of us use inanimate objects as a source of luck or strength.  We can place them on our body, hold them tight or simply feel their presence.  In nature, do lucky charms exist?  Is there a favourite tree that the robin feels more safe to sing her song?  Does a monkey have a favourite rock to visit when eating his lunch?  If you have a lucky charm, grab hold of it today and thank it for helping you out so many times.

What is your lucky charm?

Tuesday 5 June 2012

When in doubt, smile it out

There are strong reactions when we look out to the world and smile. One smile can create a chain reaction of smiles from other people. When you look at strangers do you smile? Not only can the reflection of a smile warm our hearts, our own smile can lighten us up from within, allowing us to glow outward. Get some exercise for your cheeks today.  Smile whenever you can.

Monday 4 June 2012

Cloud Gazing

Recall your childhood when you would lay back on the grass and watch clouds move by.  Their shapes would change before our eyes and the sky seemed to be moved along on some sort of air conveyor belt.  If your day has been especially hectic, take a few moments to watch the clouds.  As the shapes sink and rise, expand and contort, imagine all the tasks you have been working through.  Tasks move along and shift and change as time twists reality into a new fold.  Our day may not turn out as we planned, but we can have comfort that each transformation occurred just the way it was supposed to along life's endless skyline.

Sunday 3 June 2012

Planting positive seeds

We cannot really predict what exactly will grow in our garden of life.  We cannot know when and where new shoots will emerge.  But we can control what seeds we plant.  Each day, take some time in your mind to imagine positive possibilities.  Imagine that meeting at work going really well, imagine the conversation with your partner ending in a big embrace, imagine your workout being filled with a sense of accomplishment.  Most of our daily worries end up creating up little weeds in our garden that can outcompete all the good possibilities trying to push to the surface.  Choose bright thoughts, choose well.

Saturday 2 June 2012

Lifting the vibration

 The higher the vibration, the more space that exists.  Space to expand, to grow, to be lighter.  Deep within us are spaces that are closed off, locked together, stuck within our being.  Perhaps old feelings of fear, guilt or resistance.  We can lift these dense vibrations up through sound, the sound already within us.  Take some time alone in a safe space. Begin breathing into the places in your body where you may feel stuck.  Breathe into the knots in your shoulders, the pit of your stomach, or a hole in your heart.  As you exhale, slowly begin to allow sound to release.  It may be a sigh, a cry, a scream, a song, or something totally new to you.  What is the sound you are not allowed to make, what deep down is wanting to be heard, to be set free?

Take some time to listen to yourself today.

Friday 1 June 2012

Hooray for small victories

Do not wait until a large goal is completed before celebrating.  Those small tasks help us toward victory just as much as the big ones.  A leaf unfurled from a bud does not wait for the whole tree to come alive, it reaches proudly for the sun.  The ant who carrries a small load is celebrated as much as the one carrying five times its weight.  When you rise in the morning, congratulate yourself for getting out of bed, for brushing your teeth and choosing clothes to wear. These are key steps to beginning your busy day.  Celebrate the lunch you will have, celebrate each small task with a large check mark and maybe a sticker just for fun.

How do you celebrate small tasks?