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| Backyard view, different day |
Sitting in the back yard de-stressing and getting grounded in my life
again, I began looking around at everything. Thunder Mountain in the distance,
Coffee Pot Rock framed between two pine trees and of course the beautiful
blue sky of Sedona, with a puffy white cloud floating by. Feet planted
solidly on the ground, taking deep deep breaths and looking slowly in all
directions I began to feel like me again. As I moved my vision closer, I
watched a bird sitting on the very top of a tree, the highest point a mere
twig. Then the wind blew through the trees causing the branches to sway. The
bird remained unconcerned sitting on that little branch, moving back and
forth, flowing with the breeze. It reminded me of the importance of
allowing myself to flow with life. To be in the allowing, rather then
the controlling.
Now in a state of being one with the
all, I asked a question. "What would happen if I allowed myself to
flow where ever I was led, each day? What would happen if I decided it was okay
not to know what I want to do next? To just follow the flow?"
As I write this I ask myself, “Do
I know how to follow the flow? Have I ever done this before?” The answer
is, “yes I have done this before.” It has not been easy to follow the flow lately. When I get out of sinc with my own rhythm I get stressed out and find it is not long before I try to control everything. I hate to admit, sometimes it takes me to long to realize I am trying to control everything, causing stress for others as well as myself.
Taking the time to just be, to get lost in the shadows and beauty of the mountain, of the bird on the top of that tree, of the ant carrying a twig across the yard. This calms me down, physically, mentally and emotionally. The stress that existed in my being when I first came out to the backyard have been released.
Taking the time to "de-stress" is not the normal way of being in our
culture. We are encouraged to go, go, go... do, do, do... and at the end of all of that we are tired, burned out and not interested in much of anything else in life. Living a high stress life leads to illness and disease both mental and physical. I've been there and I hope to never go back.
I have to remind myself; "Sit, be quiet, look at all around you and breathe. Breathe deeply in gratitude for the life that you have and the joy that you share. Allow the Sun to recharge you as you plant your bare feet on the ground. Feel the pulse of Mother Earth as the breeze tousles your hair and know you are one with everything."
Following the flow to me means being in touch with my feelings. Checking in with myself to see what my energy level is and how much effort I am able to put into projects. It means giving myself permission to stay home rather than visit my friend or to watch a movie rather than paint today. It means taking care of myself so I have the energy to flow where I am needed.
Like the little bird on the top of that tree branch, going with the flow means I trust in the Universe that all is in perfect order!
In Gratitude,
Linda G.
Do you have these experiences? Where you feel like you have too much on your plate or things are not going your way or are out of control? How do you deal with these issues? How do you take care of you?
