Friday, November 30, 2018

SLOWING DOWN AND FEELING GRATEFUL


It's another busy day. With the comings and goings of Thanksgiving behind us and the winter holidays looming ahead, it feels like some invisible giant has stepped on a Giant Invisible Accelerator in the sky, making everyone and everything speed up all around me.
 
ONE BREATH AT A TIME
So much is happening so quickly that it feels really important to pause periodically throughout the day; to take a few breaths and slow down long enough to give my body, mind and spirit a brief respite from the suddenly-quickened pace of life. To turn within and embrace the many gifts of this season, this place where I dwell, and do my best to learn from them.
 
SEEING WITH FRESH EYES
I find it especially helpful to go outdoors, ideally the first thing in the morning, plus at least once or twice during the day, even if just for a minute or two. To slow down and take off my self-imposed blinders long enough to experience the many minor miracles of nature in action: watch the migratory birds and butterflies make their mysterious way across the sky; walk on the grass, turned brown and crisp underfoot by the recent freeze. Sit beneath the giant hackberry tree, and watch it steadily losing more leaves twirling downward with each passing breeze. Breathe in the bigness of the world outside my head, and tune into the free flow of Spirit moving gently through and all around me. Feel my feet, standing on this particular patch of soil, knowing that a single handful of this dirt contains more living organisms than there are humans living on planet earth. Reminding me that sometime soon, no matter what I do, my body, too, will return to the soil.
 
RETURNING HERE
It usually doesn't take long to re-experience the vastness and variety of Life; to feel both humbled and renewed. Just a few minutes will generally do the trick. Less time than it takes to emerge from the rabbit hole created by a single click on one of the hyper-links embedded in the many e-mails certain to arrive in my inbox today.

So... just as soon as I finish this paragraph, I'm heading back outside for another glimpse at the sky, another reminder of how time flies, another chance to feel grateful to be alive. Wherever you are, whatever you'd planned to do after reading this page... perhaps you'd care to join me in returning to our roots outside and resting in a state of gratitude inside? If not now, perhaps sometime soon. At least, that's my invitation, and I hope you'll accept it.

With gratitude and blessings,
     Rudi Harst

THANK YOU for holding the Circle in your heart by visualizing a generous flow of financial abundance. Thank you for supporting us as we continue our work of fostering a creative, inclusive approach to spirituality. We are deeply grateful.


http://www.celebrationcircle.org/donate


No comments:

Post a Comment