"We waste time looking for the perfect lover, instead of creating the perfect love." —Tom Robbins I've decided this is my year to live Musically.
The word evokes for me, a sense of, well... ~ bEAutY - Life lived out-loud in grand, sweeping gestures and coordinated, meaningful movement ~ RhyTHm - a tempo that is aligned with Natural systems. that honors the pulse of my own heart and mind as well as the pulse of life itself - a life in tune and in harmony with my inner & outer world. ~ dISCipliNe - of showing up, day after day, and tuning my "instrument" - working on the trickier bits and delighting in the melodious stuff that starts to emerge - so that the offerings I make can add to the larger concerto wanting to emerge out in the World. ~ gIviNG & reCEivinG - of opening up my mouth to let my words and my own personal song be heard - but of also deep listening as well. Keeping my eyes, ears and heart open - so that what I have to offer may prove of SErvice. Of value. Of WorTh. ~pLAy. Deep, life-affirming PLAY. ... As a child, I would wake day after day to the sounds of my mother practicing her chosen istrument in the room above my own. Daily waking to the sound of a sonata or hymn or the rapid succession of fingers churning up and down the keyboard articulating a major or minor scale. HEr body and mind wholly attuned to the task at hand. Were you to need breakfast or some minor assistance nearby, you would simply have to wait your turn. The music took first, second and third priority. My sister and I would listen to her perform a particularly sticky transition over and over - slowing it down and breaking it up into its' smaller, more manageable parts - polishing it and massaging the notes until the melody could eventually Sing. Hours. Weeks. Months. Years. Devoted to this ARt. Turned into a language she could truly Speak. She gave me a first-row seat into the devotion, attention, and open-bleeding heart it took to bring forth a Song. The conduit and midwife of something powerful, sublime, transformative, gorgeous, and bright. ... It's hard to look down the turnpike of the year to come and vow to do things radically different from the years past. Each one builds upon the next. Each moment, or day, or week informing the feel and flavor of those to come. They tell an alcoholic when he first gets sober not to think about the lifetime of recovery ahead, but to rather break the journey down into the day-size chunks that will eventually craft the Whole. And so I'm thinking in those same lines. My goal is 10 PErfect DaYs. 10 PerFecT DaYs. How would it look? How would it feel? Though a full 365 may feel daunting and huge.... 10. Well. I can rock that shit. So. I made up a list of the things that would inhabit this magical island of time. These sacred destinations that I could visit and infuse into the first few moments of the year - in hopes that they will charge my efforts, my body, my heart and my mind - that they will write the first few notes of this Song - as the Journey before me unfolds. *My trusty journal and I came up with the following... ~Each day I would... *Move my body. In a way that feels sweaty and good and life-affirming. feel the Pulse. *Connect with Spirit/Source - through prayer, meditation, journaling, silence, breath or whatever way wants to show up. *Do something creative. *Honor my body through food choices that honor my unique needs and honor my Life Force - for me this translates as staying away from grains and processed foods, less sugar, more tea and a steady stream of stuff that sprung directly up from the Earth. *Connect with my people. *Practice forgiveness - myself & others. *Find ways to offer my love - through service, through words or praise, through loving touch/connection, by offering my gifts of time and attention, through deep listening and gentle awareness. *Put something of beauty into the world. *Say thanks. *Go outside. *Do good work. Move forward in some small and marked way into the path I feel called to in this Life. *Play. *Embrace and find the Teacher/Wisdom wanting to be revealed in & around me. *Show up with an open mind & heart. Ready to be taught. ... I'm not sure what happens after that. I can almost guarantee you that these 10 PeRfeCt DaYs will fall short. That, in one way or another, I will muck it up or in some way or lose the thread. My 10 PerFeCt DaYs will, mostly likely, be anything BUT. But for 10 days I can keep journeying back. I can keep these loving reminders on hand - as guideposts, inspiration and pals. I can do my utmost and let the Journey unfold. And I can trust that whatever transpires over the first week and a half of this coming year, I can always return to the Highest. The Utmost. I can always re-align. I can show up and play my humble instrument for 10 straight days. And know that over time - the Music shall, indeed emerge. ... Join me. Won't you? I'd love to hear your hearts and thoughts and dreams and anxieties as the coming year unfolds. Some ways you might keep track of this journey of yours - *Sit down with your journal or a blank sheet of paper and spend a moment envisioning what your own PerFecT 10 would look like. What would it contain? *Pick a start date. Begininning tomorrow or somewhere in the not-so-distant future, get on board. *Start from where you are. What can you do right now, where you stand, in this skin and current spot of ground? Moving from your current life's circumstances and limitations, what can you begin that will honor where you are - right effing now - and build from there? *Chart your victories. Write 'em down on post-it notes.Take pictures of yourself slowly crafting the beautiful Life you love. Post it on social media or the calendar or your fridge or on the bathroom mirror or on the front, frickin' door. Somewhere you can glance up and be heartened by the tiny little stepping stones you're casting forth each day upon your chosen path. Drop me a line and tell me about your Journey and your plans. Your anxieties, dreams and hopes as the coming year unfolds. I love to hear your stories. Your words. the small window into your heart. ... ... I can count on the year ahead to throw me some curve balls. I can bank on my plans not always being carried out just So. But I can also rely on the truth that if I keep coming back - to the practices, habits, relationships, truths, BEaUty, whathaveyou.... that connect and align me with my Highest - that I will be guided just where I need to go. ... May the days ahead be melodious. STrong. May we all spend the coming days and weeks ahead not only dreaming of the perfect Life or Love - but steadfastly - walking into - Creating it - one imperfect PerFeCt moment at a time. Happy New YEar to you all. yours, in Service, Sweetness & Light.. xo, ~a
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