keeping it real

There’s been moving and healing in my heart this year and recently things have shifted into the mind.

I am figuring a lot of things out, sifting them between my heart and mind, trying things on for size, moving between the world of ephemera and intuition and inspiration to the world of planning and applications and doing.

Back and forth, finding balance, and keeping it real.

here i am a couple of weeks ago at the beach.
still in braids, though they’re longer now

on my mind

~ Busy. New activities (for me and the kids), new people, new ideas. Lots of phone calls, lots of meetings and gatherings. Lots of driving (with good stories in the car.) The influx of energy has been good — revitalizing….

~ But… I have been meditating less often, and when I do sit, I am unsettled and avoidant. There is a thin sort of buzzing energy I am carrying, and it seems my to-do list is ever-expanding and shrinking, and that I am referring to it constantly. A sort of chicken-and-egg mystery with the busy-ness.

~ Lots of practice being with the unknown (our plans for the fall and beyond), and watching my restless mind go through endless variations.

in my heart

~ Cohousing – talking with others, watching the kids play, building deeper connections. We’re planning a coming-of-age celebration for a young woman here and being involved is deeply satisfying for me.

~ Graduating from Level II Hakomi training. I did it!! I am practicing more and I can feel it really seeping into my bones (and I thought it was in there already). I’m in the process of certification now, which will take at least another year. And I am feeling my way into what I will do after that – perhaps a body-based training, perhaps graduate school to become a licensed mental health counselor… perhaps eventually both!

~ Summer. Everyone here always complains about the (non-) summer weather, but it’s like this every year, so I figure, why bother? If I’m cold in my short pants and flip-flops, hey, at least I have on short pants and flip-flops! A few months ago I was cold in my jeans, big boots, puffy coat, and hat.

~ Bare feet. I’ve been exercising my feet and walking (hopefully eventually leading to jogging) in special barefoot shoes, and I could easily become one of those crazy foot-people who wear nothing but toe-shoes. I’m just sayin’.

~ Our day at Spirit Rock Meditation Center… It was magical and fulfilling and simple and sweet. I’ve written before about being okay with not having a spiritual place to go as a family, but being at Spirit Rock really lit something up inside me. Percolating and savoring.

~ Volunteering. I’ll be leading a weekly group for new parents. I attended one of these groups when Orlando was a newborn, so it will be fun to be back as a facilitator. It feels like a symbolic (as well as literal!) leap into helping others.

~ Rom and I have been married for ten years! We spent the weekend reminiscing over our photo albums and went out on a sweet and fun date. How amazing that we found each other!! It’s simply incredible — the journey we’ve been on, and the life we have built. I am so grateful.

And my wish for you…

May you listen to your heart, know your mind, tend your body, and have fun!

keeping it real… with Mon over at Ink+Chai