Something More Beautiful...

I wonder if the trees know their leaves will drop...

if they expect it, each fall...

And do they cry in the cold of winter, without their mane of green?

Or do they sit still...breathing into their roots,

patiently present...without a care

for whatever lies ahead?

The earth accepts these changes, 

like ocean waves crashing over again and again...

Never knowing, not worrying 

about when the crashing began... or when it will end.

I wonder if each crash of a wave is meant to wash away the the leaves...

And unlike the trees, we cling and grasp... 

trying to hold on … to something that was meant to fall and regrow.

Let the leaves fall where they may,

And be washed away.

Then maybe … 

if we can be still... ground ourselves...

the change will wash over us, smooth us out like a rock on the beach,

And some new season will bring us 

flowers of a brighter color …
new leaves … new growth ...

something more beautiful ... than we ever expected.

~ Joni Sturgill

Inspiration & Presence

"Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." -- Howard Thurman

Powerful emotions. Stress. Busyness. Three things most of us experience during this month of December. During the holiday season, some of us work so hard to recreate that magical feeling that we recall having as a child, or we work to make up for what we lacked as a child. This, most often, sets us up for disappointment. Instead, think about what you can do today to make yourself feel good. What can you do today to show your family and friends how much you care about them.

 Thich Nhat Hanh - “The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers.”

Be mindful when speaking with someone this season, even if you're in a rush, and even if it's the clerk in the store. Stop what you're doing. Look them in the eyes and give them your full attention. Breathe. You can only do one thing in each moment. Running your to-do list through your head doesn't make anything happen faster. It only makes you less present in each moment of your life.

As the new year approaches, we also like to look at the path our life is on. We think about what we want to change, how we want to improve. We make resolutions. This is a wonderful thing to do, but don't take it lightly. And don't make resolutions you know you can't or won't keep. Sit and think about what you want from your life. Meditate on it. Breathe and allow yourself to be open to many ideas. And then find your resolutions from the heart. What do you want from your human experience? A healthier body? A more calm and centered approach to life?

"We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience." - Pierre Teilhard de Chardin