REST: Pathway to Self-Trust

Fresh Snow on the Peaks

Wisdom is knowing when to have rest, when to have activity, and how much of each to have. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

It's very important that we re-learn the art of resting and relaxing. Not only does it help prevent the onset of many illnesses that develop through chronic tension and worrying; it allows us to clear our minds, focus, and find creative solutions to problems. Thich Nhat Hanh

I woke one morning this week after a good sleep with an acronym for rest:

               Rest

               Elevates

               Self-

               Trust

The message was clear, as if a printed card had been taped to my bathroom mirror. It resonated deeply as rest is a key ingredient in how I design my life during the cold, inward winter months. I was aware that my rest has looked different this winter: fewer naps during the day and longer periods of sleep at night. ‘Am I getting the rest that I need?’, I wondered.

The question seems on target, aligned with my strong sense that self-trust is needed now more than ever to navigate our changing world, a world which some have declared is ‘post truth’. In a world where ‘alternative facts’ vie with ‘just the facts, ma’am’ who among us doesn’t wonder what’s the truth? What’s accurate? When I’m rested, my craving for accuracy and knowing gives way to resonance, an inner sense that I am ongoingly learning to trust.

The message was also timely, arriving while I was providing background support for a group of college students who had come to Crestone for a short retreat. A return trip for most, they had planned quite an agenda for their short time here. I learned from their faculty advisor that at some point, as if tapping into the wisdom that Sri Sri Ravi Shankar speaks of, they realized what they needed most was rest. Recognizing that the pressures of their intense courses of study, health challenges experienced by some, along with the ups, downs, and stresses of life on the planet had drained them, they spoke their truth and they honored it as their time here unfolded.

When you rest, you catch your breath and it holds you up, like water wings… Anne Lamott                     

We need not just the rest that comes with sleep, though that’s important, but the restoration called forth by relaxing, creating and playing with others, communing with Nature. We need the rest of daydreaming, of settling in with a good book and letting ourselves doze. We need breaks from technology and the addictive power of our devices. We need to put on our water wings and float.

 We need this kind of deep rest, not to make sense of the world as it is (I gave that up long ago) but to navigate that world as a we create a more beautiful one. We need rest to give us the strength to make choices that support our health and well-being individually, collectively, and for all of life. We need the clarity and focus that comes with rest to discover what resonates as true for me and to honor that what resonates for me may not be resonate with you, but that both can (and must) coexist in a world where our differences held in love are the strengths from which the ultimate truth of unity arises from the ashes of conflict.

 Let’s rest in that!                   

Another Storm Building …

For Your Health, Pivot to Self-trust

About Ready to Burst into Bloom

Distrust of the body damages the core of us. Stephen Harrod Buhner in Plant Intelligence and the Imaginal Realm

Sometimes when I’m reading, a few words or a sentence or two will fly off the page and land in that inside place that knows my truth. I experience resonance, sometimes a confirmation, sometimes a sense of ‘aha …’. For sure, the words capture my attention. And Muse generally chimes in that ‘this’ may be a topic for a future musing.

Such was the case yesterday when I read Buhner’s simple truth about the importance of trusting the body. The short sentence was in a sea of scientific, technical language about the role (and importance!) of serotonin in our bodies and in all of Nature. Muse suggests I assure you that we aren’t about to ‘go scientific’. We aren’t! Honestly, I’m amazed that I’ve slogged through 200 pages (so far) of science, but the ongoing journey to deepen my connection to and communication with Nature keeps me engaged, curious, and turning the pages. Unlike the science classes of my college days, the final grade is reflected in my satisfaction with life. No pressure there!]

Take a moment to dance with Buhner’s words: Distrust of the body damages the core of us.

If we don’t trust the body, we damage our very being, our core. Just as certain vitamins support the immune system, trust supports this vehicle we inhabit.

This idea landed deep, evoking heart-felt gratitude as I recognized that I listen to this physical body. I listen because I’ve learned to trust what it knows, having built that trust over years of listening, experimenting, experiencing, adjusting, and generally sustaining pretty darn good health.

Muse seems to be speaking on behalf of body, reminding me that I don’t always honor what I hear the body say. Yep. Truth! Sometimes the body says ‘rest!’. I ignore and push through. Or a craving for chocolate may override body’s warning to avoid.

Listening to this vehicle isn’t a solo journey. I seek out tools and professionals to give more voice to what my body is saying. They help with interpretation. I take and use what seems aligned with the body’s needs, letting go of that which doesn’t resonate.

For the most part allopathic medicine doesn’t resonate with this body. Chinese medicine, in particular acupuncture and Chinese herbs, does. A daily mug of Chinese herbal formula created by my Oriental Medicine Doctor after she reads my pulses and listens to what I share is one of the most nourishing practices of my day. As I reflect on how it is that I have such trust in my body, this experience rises to top.

I’m grateful to Buhner for pointing to trusting one’s body as an important element in creating, sustaining, and maintaining health. And, for opening the door to reflect on that trust. I notice that the awareness and exploration alone seem to deepen the trust I feel.

What about you? Do you listen to this vehicle that you move about life in? Do you heed its messages? Do you trust?

Spinx Moth (Hummingbird Moth) Enjoys the Blooms (thanks to my friend S.T. for catching this beauty!)

ALL We Need IS Love

Snow! On the Labyrinth Bell

All you need is love
All you need is love
All you need is love, love
Love is all you need … John Lennon - The Beatles (click here for a 3 minute ride down memory lane)

As I move beyond the hustle and bustle of what we call the ‘holiday season’, I’m present to the pleasure and satisfaction that came with choosing to engage in holiday activities with others more than I usually do. I’m grateful for the opportunities to gather and share with friends. And as this fifth day of the new calendar year dawns, I’m also present to a deep pull to go within, to withdraw, bear-like, into a state of torpor. To rest. To hear with clarity the whispers of my heart, a heart that is calling for trimming the sails and making course corrections to more fully align the activities and choices in life with that which I say I value.

The Muse muffles a chuckle, knowing this will necessitate investing more time in sitting quietly, resting, napping. It will require that I let go of trying to control the flow of life and that I build muscle to allow changes and projects to flow in their time, divine time, not my time. The Muse’s chuckle gives way to a gentle embrace, a reminder that Muse nudges and wisdom are available 24/7. Like Zadie Byrd, the Muse is oh so patient with my humanness.

Although I feel this pull to draw inward every winter, this year seems different. While much of our contemporary Western culture declares the ‘holiday season’ over when the new year is celebrated, other cultures – those more in tune with Nature and her cycles – dedicate this time to inner journeys, to rest, to envisioning what wants to come forward. They rest and gather within that which will be needed to burst forth in spring. They listen to the heart whispers and invite the heart to have its full voice.

 And that is what I’m easing into in the early minutes of this new year: investing more time in contemplation and consideration, being with the stars and all of Nature to discover what wants to unfold, to jettison that which no longer serves, and to gather what I need for the journey ahead.

While discovery, jettisoning, and gathering will require me to breakthrough more layers of my own habitual muscle memory and to develop stronger immunity to the pull of a culture that wants me to conform, the deep potency and possibility that I feel for humanity and our planet home, Mother Earth, in this year provide sustainable, renewable fuel for the journey.

Although this time finds our world chaotic, we need not be in chaos with it. My choices, indeed, our choices, minute by minute in the remaining 519,120 minutes (more or less) of 2022, hold the potential to contribute positively to the new that is unfolding as the old falls away.

In the quiet time and in the active time each day, I’m deepening trust in the voice of my heart to shine light on the path and to support me step by step in the uncharted waters ahead aiming to expand my capacity to BE the love I want to see in the world. For indeed, love is all we need.

New Years Snow on the Mountains

Discerning Meaning in the Walk of Life

Smokey Haze on Our Early Morning Walk

I'm not upset that you lied to me, I'm upset that from now on I can't believe you. Friedrich Nietzsche

Nietzsche’s quote popped off the screen this morning as the muse and I were searching for a quote about reality.  ‘Reality’ as a focus was inspired by a question I was asked in conversation with a wise colleague recently:

What version of reality are you loyal to?

I’ve thought about that question quite a lot since it was posed as a call to deeper awareness of those places where I’m prickly or find myself agitated. I want to allow the events of those places to be given their due, attended to rather than denied or dismissed. Such awareness is a pivot point of choice: ignore and suffer or embrace and discern meaning: What is the purpose of this – event, person, conversation, etc. – in my life? What might I learn?

The ‘version of reality’ that I aim and often claim to be loyal to is not the doom and gloom separation reality offered up by most media and the systems of the world. I aim to be loyal to a version of reality that embraces what I understand to be universal truth and law: we are all one, all one of The One.  As the heart that beats in my chest is a part of my body that walks the earth, that me (body, mind, and spirit) is part of the greater whole that simply IS. A greater whole whose reality is that it is infinity.

It is from that version of reality that I aim to discern meaning of the events I encounter (or do they encounter me?) as I walk through life. That is how I learn, how I grow, and, hopefully how I add some measure of wisdom to carry forward from life in this body to the form or formless life beyond.

The meaning I seek to discern regarding an event attends to me as a sovereign being with my biases, my history, my hopes, and my dreams (not to mention those things I fear and that which agitates me).  The key ingredients are curiosity, willingness, and commitment.

I’m curious from the inside out (What does this mean to me?) not from the outside in (What meaning does the world want me to adopt?). My willingness sometimes waivers (What? More sh__ to shovel? This may hurt! …) until I connect with the value this practice adds to my life. My commitment grows from the harmony, peace, joy, and power of being with life in this way.

Which leads me to the quote above (I know, you thought the muse would never get there … me too!). It isn’t the lie that upsets us, rather it’s the meaning we discern when we are lied to. All too often we stop before asking a question that will take us deeper in our understanding. Ours is to develop the habit of questioning without needing an immediate answer – What might this mean to/for me?  And, then, to listen.

High on my list of values is integrity and trust. I want to be worthy of being trusted AND I want to trust those with whom I associate. I value others being clear and direct with me (especially when I have a reaction that conveys a different message). Likewise, I value others who can receive my style of direct communication. For me, that engenders trust.

While our culture claims to value trust and integrity, much evidence in the world out there suggests otherwise. Thus, self-trust, trust from the inside out, becomes imperative. The self-knowing of self-trust helps us discern who and what we can trust in others and in life. Discerning meaning in my life’s events builds strength to do just that.

Barrel Cactus Blooming Forth in the High Desert of the Rockies

Pearls to Ponder

The Quiet of Snow Is Upon Us

We live in the midst of abundance, of universal space, and we receive abundance as a result of conviction in the universal Law of Life. The universal law of life is continuity. … ‘Abundance in the making’ is making new discoveries regarding that which already exists. Gregge Tiffen (Faith is Abundance in the Making – Winter Solstice, 2008)

This week finds me moving in several directions, all forward. I’m preparing to travel and writing this post in advance. I’m engaged in a project with a colleague – keeping it gently moving until we launch an intense focused effort and participating in a community meeting.

In the throes of this activity I’m also moving into the quiet, contemplative darkness of winter and looking ahead to the sacred Winter Solstice. While contemplation has become an important part of my daily life in all seasons, winter offers a magic that seems to deepen the meaning of what I discover. Winter brings a soft curiosity and encourages me to consider manifesting experiences where I will experiment applying those discoveries.

And, winter brings opportunities in the form of challenges. Winter weather can impact the best laid plan. I’m especially aware of that as a winter storm moves in, offering the opportunity to accept what is and relinquish any illusion of control I think I may have. Go with the flow! Allow things turn out as they will and trust that to be in divine perfection.

Doing so is most always easier said than done, especially when travelling.  If I allow them to, reservations and schedules for lodging and transportation become a mother lode of stress and restrict my sense of flexibility and ease. Likewise with plans made for gatherings with family and friends.

Navigating this snowy travel time, I’ve found support in some pearls of wisdom. I offer them for you to ponder as you enter what, for many, can be a hectic, demanding time. As we move deeper into winter, I invite you to give yourself the gift of time and energy for quiet contemplation to consider how you want to be with life.

… Nonetheless, we walk around constantly trying to control and determine what will happen next … No wonder there’s so much tension, anxiety and fear. Each of us actually believes that things should be the way we want them, instead of being the natural result of all the forces of creation. … There is so much evidence that life does quite well on its own. The planets stay in orbit, tiny seeds grow into giant trees … a single fertilized cell grows into a beautiful baby. … they are being done by the incomprehensible perfection of life itself. All these amazing events, and countless more, are being carried out by forces of life that have been around for billions of years – the very same forces that we are consciously pitting our will against on a daily basis. If the natural unfolding of the process of life can create and take care of the entire universe, is it really reasonable for us to assume that nothing good will happen unless we force it to?  Michael A. Singer (The Surrender Experiment – my journey into life’s perfection)

So what if road conditions prevent or delay my travel? So what if I don’t sleep in the hotel before my early morning flight? So what if I miss my flight?  So what if I feel guided to leave early and miss a gathering? Is it possible, dare I probable, that the Universe, wiser than I, has something better in store? How can I live more powerfully from that place?

Faith is conviction that relinquishing control is in your best interest. Trust is the act of conviction that faith will not harm you … that your consciousness is operating by universal direction. Gregge Tiffen (Faith is Abundance in the Making – Winter Solstice, 2008)

Winter Contemplation -Not Just for Humans - Luke December 2015

Knowing

Broken …

‘Knowing’ – This piece is about trusting, trusting that you can find peace within the storm. Deana Fisher Wilfong

…completion. An aspect of knowledge is now a part of you to such an extent that nothing can diminish it or be added to it. … Completion is the natural progression of the planet established out of the characteristics of the planet. Gregge Tiffen, The Language of a Mystic: Completion – September, 2009

Nine years or so ago, I purchased a beautiful sculpture at a local charity fundraiser. I’d come to know the artist shortly after moving here and often admired her work in our local cooperative artisans gallery. I fantasized that when I ‘won the lottery’ I’d purchase a Wilfong sculpture.

I didn’t win the lottery, but the stars aligned the evening of the fundraiser and ‘Knowing’ came home with me. She was beautiful in so many ways: sensuous yet strong, soft yet rugged, a bit sassy, mystical, perfectly imperfect in reflecting a deep sense of ‘Knowing’. The artist’s statement of the piece’s meaning spoke deeply to me, a reflection of my soul’s conviction about trust.

And, Wilfong’s description of the firing process (15 days in the beauty of the New Mexico desert, including 7 days  in a kiln reaching 2419 degrees Fahrenheit with constant attention), the teamwork and trust required enhanced my sense of the deeper meaning as I contemplated the sculpture from time to time. Noticing her in my home always reminded me to trust.

One evening several years later in the midst of some excited human and canine play, ‘Knowing’ toppled to the floor, breaking into three pieces, a few small shards and a bit of dust.  I don’t recall, but I probably cried.

Broken …

I packed her away in a box. I had no idea of what to do, yet I was committed to saving her from the landfill.

Months later I mustered the courage to tell the artist what had happened. She assured me that repair was possible and that she’d even help. We didn’t make that happen right away, and, after a while, ‘Knowing’s’ repair slipped from my awareness as I moved, settled in a new home, and engaged in life. Several years passed.

Then, one day last year I pulled the box off the shelf and contemplated bringing ‘Knowing’ back to life. The artist instructed me on the materials needed and encouraged me to do the repair solo. “Don’t try to hide the repair,” she said, even suggesting that I might paint the seams gold.

Over the next several months, stretching into a year, I started the process several times, testing the material, yet not feeling quite ready. Sometimes a life event came along that took my attention away. But I didn’t pack ‘Knowing’ away. Her pieces lay patiently in full sight on a shelf in my office.

Finally, a few weeks back, I knew it was time. I was ready. I prepared the repair mixture and put the two larger pieces together. They didn’t look or feel right. And, they weren’t staying together. Hmm … Life is like that, we finally dive in to make things right, then something doesn’t quite fit. I realized that I’d started late in the day. The lighting was poor, and I was more tired than focused. I cleaned the pieces and decided to start fresh the next morning with fresh material and better light.

As I worked, I thought about events in life that sometimes seem to break us. Resilient beings that we are, we put the pieces together and begin anew. We carry those life experiences in our cells. They are a part of us.

With that insight, I decided not to paint the repair seam gold. I liked how the new material blended with the original and thought the seam would be the perfect place to use the small shards and ceramic dust. ‘Knowing’ now carries them with her.

I waited a few days to repeat the process, this time, to attach the head. Smaller and more intricate, I found myself wanting to hide the repair. But, ‘Knowing’ would have none of that. She was delighted to be coming back, a reminder of the beauty in bouncing back from life’s curve balls. She guided me to make the seam thick, like an adorning necklace, and to add something new. A small shard of flint, found by a friend on a recent hike and beautifully matching ‘Knowing’s’ color palette, was perfect.

At long last, I embraced the sweet satisfaction of successful completion and acknowledged the learning that had come along the way. Through our journey to completion, ‘Knowing’ reminded me that every event in life adds to our knowledge. While, as Gregge Tiffen suggests, that knowledge cannot be diminished nor taken away, it is up to each of us to tap into it, use it, and keep that knowledge in our awareness.

Indeed, the completion we experience sets the stage for another cycle in the natural progression of life. Onward!

‘Knowing’

The Courage to Sleep

Let Sleeping Dogs Lie …

… we wouldn’t go to sleep each night if we weren’t willing to give ourselves over to the protection of the universal flow of energy and give up our human concerns in favor of the sleep of the innocent. Patrece on behalf of P Systems (PS52, Series 11, Week 21)

I love this idea linking innocence and courage (or at least an absence of fear) to sleep. Upon reflection, it makes sense to look at laying our head on the pillow each night in this way: trusting the universe enough to let go. We rest. We sleep. At least that’s the design: end a cycle, rest, begin again.

I’m blessed to sleep really well almost every night. It’s my practice to fall asleep in a sea of gratitude (actually, in my world it’s more like a dense forest of gratitude, or sometimes a prairie of gratitude grasses gently swaying in the breeze). I create this field by saying ‘Thank you, thank you, thank you for this day’ as soon as my head meets the pillow. Many nights that’s the last awareness that I have: feeling and expressing gratitude to me (for my choices, my learning, my body, my awareness, my care), to my environment (my home, Cool Hand Luke, nature’s beauty and her messages, the flora in these woods, the creatures who made their home here long before me – and who, mostly, graciously share), to the infinite Universe for its order underlying the chaos of this school, Planet Earth, and for the guides that gently support me along the way.

Sometimes I linger and make it through the entire list. Sometimes I chat with my body, reminding ‘it’ (that would of course be me) of its ability to guide me in showing what it needs as well as to heal. I tell it that I do my best to listen … and, that ultimately I’m in charge. The cells are listening and I want to make amends for any conflicting, contradictory, or confusing input I may have put forth during the day.

Ending a cycle, letting go is like that, offering a time for course correction and redirection. What a gift to stop, rest, and begin again.

In a world where we so often strive to control, it can be challenging to surrender to ‘the sleep of the innocent’. I love that phrase, don’t you? Take a moment to say it out loud to yourself. Give it a moment to sink in. When you lay your head on the pillow, imagine entering into that protected, sacred space. Trust that in sleep, as an important part of healthy living, you are protected.

I look to Luke for inspiration in this regard (he’s in the sleep of the innocent just behind my chair as my fingers fly across the keyboard). Ever alert and using all his senses when awake, he just as naturally and easily curls up and is fast asleep. Guru!

If you live in the camp of bragging that you don’t need much sleep, think again and do a bit of research on its importance. If sleep doesn’t come easily, begin to practice gratitude (‘count your blessings instead of sheep’ as an old song says) and gently remind yourself that in sleep, the protection of the Universe is yours. It IS safe to let go, end the cycle of this day, knowing that you will begin again tomorrow.

Winter’s Blanket in the Woods

Fifty-Six Cents

Two Washingtons, One Jefferson, One Lincoln = 56 Cents

You give energy direction. When you focus on something, you magnetize raw energy. Pay attention! (Gregge Tiffen, The Language of a Mystic: Originality – January, 2009)

I found 56 cents on our walk this morning. Two quarters, a nickel and a penny glistening in the road caught my eye as I called Luke and changed our route to avoid walking in the dust of an on-coming road grader. I picked them up with a smile. My next thought was that this morning’s find was in stark contrast to an unpleasant encounter on a morning walk earlier in the week.

Today, I felt a sense of being reminded: be open to the flow, trust, and know that flow is always present.

And, I knew that this reminder showed up right on time, (Duh! That IS how the Universe works!) as I’m in the midst of considering letting go of what’s been a significant source of income for several years so I can honor a yearning I’ve had for quite some time (more about that as the year unfolds!).

As we continued our walk, I reflected on how the week has brought me numerous confirmations that where I put my attention and focus determines what shows up next: former clients reaching out to explore coaching with me again, a friend inquiring if I’d be interested in exploring a partnership around an idea that I’d thought about before but discarded because I didn’t know how to pursue it (Ah, yes – divine timing!). I also could see that my ‘unpleasant’ encounter was simply an opportunity to keep my focus and not be triggered to go down the rabbit hole of negativity that I could have easily done.

That’s what managing our personal energy is about: maintaining awareness so that we are consciously choosing where to focus.  For me, that means that rather than worry about all the ‘bad’ things that might happen if I let go, I put my attention on where I want to go, continuing to unfold a fulfilling life that suits how I’m designed. Stay tuned. The adventure that is 2018 is just beginning.

What about you?  What’s showing up in your life and what does that say about your focus?

Snow. Snow. Where is the Snow? Come. Please. We Need You.

Auld Lang Syne - 2017

The Sun Sets on Another Year -- Adios, 2017

Another tumultuous year is behind us. My words written at the end of 2016 seem as apropos today as they did 12 months ago.

“Give up the last year. Get rid of all those things of the mundane world. Make room for the awareness of a whole new spiritual understanding that will carry you throughout the next year.” Gregge Tiffen (The Winter Solstice: Giving To Yourself, December 2007)

“… and when you have the willingness to accept who you are, you become aware of an internal flame that burns with a fire that is unquenchable. It’s your acceptance that dispels fears and inadequacies.”  Gregge Tiffen (Open Secrets: Sacred Passageways, December 2011)

As the year winds to a close, we tend to look back on that year, its joys, its sorrows, what we accomplished, where we may have fallen short. Hopefully our review list includes acknowledging all that we learned from the opportunities and events that life presented.

As 2017 ends, many will breathe a sigh of relief that it is finally over and a breath of hope for better days in year ahead.  Some look ahead with dread.  These are what draw our attention when we focus on the world outside of us, the world we live IN but the world we are not OF.

The world we live in seems chaotic and uncertain. It is. But within each of us is a seed of understanding who we truly are. Nurturing that seed grows our faith in our capacity to be resilient in the face of the world’s chaos.  Perhaps we need it now more than ever.

The seed of faith is within us all. It is faith not in something outside of us. Rather it is faith in who we are, each as an individual, integral part of an intelligent Universe. It is a reminder that life is so much more than we experience and observe each and every day.

As you ring in 2018, I invite you to join me in nourishing your seed of faith in the 365 days that lie ahead.

Perhaps this prayer, one of my favorites of Gregge’s writing, will support you to deepen your faith in you and in understanding just how important you are in the Universal scheme of things.

Let me never forget how important I am to the Universal Picture. Without me there would be a blank space where there should be color.

Let me understand that the challenges of life are just that and not battles. I am not out there to win or to loose, only to develop my skills as an on-going student in an omnipotent school.

Let me understand that the difference between people is one of the wondrous realities of an infinite Universe. Giving those differences space to be is far more important than comparing them to my set of beliefs.

Let me be proud of what I do. To whatever my hand touches, let me remind myself that it was my effort that added to the result. Perfection is not my goal. Creativity is.

Let me remind myself that most of what I take seriously about myself also qualifies for a good laugh. Let me remember to be kind to myself. Loving companions are one of life’s treats, but they are not responsible for my care. Self-kindness can heal almost any hurt.

Let me take responsibility as a gift and not a burden. Within that effort is the grandest sense of accomplishment I could achieve.

 Let me be patient with life. Nature does not produce the flower before the roots have taken hold. If I recognize that the place I am in is the right place at the right time, it will always be the right place at the right time.

Gregge Tiffen (The Significance of Beginning, January 2007)

... and A Road To the New Year Soon Begins

Life: Sandbox or Sandpaper?

Robin sings and brings new beginnings of Spring

As willing adults, we are able to trust, be curious, be enthused, be pleased with ourselves, and be fully generous once again. We are able to know and feel and experience the peace, joy, and love creatively produced by Mother Nature as we live in harmony with Her.  Gregge Tiffen (Mother Nature – May, 2007)

I’m feeling my childlike nature come alive as the temperatures warm, the songbirds sing songs of courtship, and the green of new growth appears on the aspens and cottonwoods. The creek is flowing more freely and swiftly, and budding cones are forming on the pines. Will I embrace new growth and life as my sandbox? Or, will I succumb to the dreary news and the ways of the world that grate like sandpaper on my soul?

The bright green of new growth as the snow melts and Cottonwood Creek flows

I have children on my mind and in my heart this week. Up close and personal, my stepson’s daughter is about to celebrate completing her third year on the planet and begin her fourth. We haven’t met yet other than via the wonders of technology, yet she’s always in my heart.  That same heart aches at the suffering we humans have created for one another, especially for the children who face survival early on in life. Surely we can do better. We must.

It is the nature of a child to be trusting, curious, enthusiastic, satisfied with self, and generous. Those childlike ways of being are pure energetic qualities that we each have access to. They are the sandbox of life.

Somewhere along the way sandpaper arrived on the scene. We lost touch with our nature. Someone, maybe many, told us it was time to ‘grow up’ or ‘get serious’. They didn’t understand that life is a sandbox. Education and other systems of the world echoed this sad message.

The curious eyes of Cool Hand Luke trained on a turkey vulture high on a limb stretching to dry its wings

But changing our nature is not the way of nature. In nature there is consistency, nurturing, and growth. From a seed in the ground a tiny sapling pushes through the earth and, through all of its years, fulfills the pattern in its seed. It keeps on being that tree through cycles, weather events, nesting birds and insects who find a home there.

In staying true to its nature, the tree invites us to do likewise – stay true to our nature as trusting, curious, enthusiastic, self-satisfied, generous beings. As humans with consciousness, awareness and free will it is our choice to do so. Or not. Moment to moment, day to day we can develop our capacity to return to the life affirming nature of our childlike ways.

We do so by accepting the care and protection of the Universe and having unwavering trust in that protection. We experiment curiously with life’s events to discover how life works (and, in the process, we discover things that don’t). We expect and allow our curiosity to nurture enthusiasm as we experiment, explore, and, yes, even when things don’t turn out as we aimed for them to. We allow ourselves to be satisfied. Even when we think we’ve fallen short, we trust that we gave it our best shot and that tomorrow will dawn anew. Finally we give what we naturally have to give – a warm smile, a hug, a word of encouragement, a helping hand, a laugh and, oh, so much more.

When we embrace life’s events as a sandbox with everything needed to build castles in the sky, the rub of sandpaper fades away and we move forward in our natural state to create the world, our world, anew.

Spring! A fertile time for bunnies, ideas, and other new growth.