It has been difficult for me to gather my thoughts over the past few weeks. Something heavy is pressing in on me. I find myself unfocused and frustrated. I think it is partially just the weight of the world as it is in this moment. There are so many things that are less than I would hope they could be. There seem to be shadows, sharp objects, and stumbling blocks strewn all over subway platforms, steel plants, and Supreme Court steps. At times, I am totally downcast...
I have been trying to walk it off whenever I can. Moving my body in the fresh air, outside the walls of my house and the confines of my mind, is such a relief. Last week, I randomly took a right instead of a left on my usual route. Despite living twenty years in Brooklyn, I found myself in a place I had never been before. I discovered a small pocket of houses and gardens so fresh with spring that everything was simply dripping with color...
I rounded the corner and suddenly I was embraced by the mother of all mothers: Nature. The sheer abundance of her beauty drew me out of my dark spiral and breathed vibrance back into my being. I was astonished, amazed, and awestruck by the bold audacity of her splendor. My heart lifted, my head cleared, and I felt joy- not happiness, but pure joy. Happiness comes from the circumstances of life; joy comes from the gift of being alive...
I do not have answers for the questions we are facing, or solutions for the difficulties ahead. I only have the naked truth of nature. There will be roses, and they will have thorns. There will be life, and death will always accompany it. There will be days that are unbearable, and even on those days, there will be precious fleeting moments that you wish could last forever. Take a walk. Take a right instead of a left. Make one small change...
Be. Here. Now.
Valarie
The mind is the easiest thing to change; find focus with this embodied practice: Mindgame.