Today, the wind moving through the branches sounded like the gentle rush of a river. Blackbirds sprinkled into the air like freshly ground pepper or countless notes of a silent yet beautiful orchestra.
My phone powering down on my walk was an inadvertent gift of expanded presence.
I listened to the wind and the sound of my shoelaces without anticipating an electronic buzz from my pocket.
As I walked down the gravel road, the cows flocked to me in what seemed to be anticipation of a treat of some kind. They moved like a school of fish across the newly green hills, looking at me expectantly. The only treat I could offer was a neighborly smile and congratulations on their new babies and a promise to not eat them.
The ground seemed to reach up to meet my footsteps and my movements felt effortless. The air was warm and cold at the same time, with blue skies stretching in every direction. I can breathe today and had spent the morning planning out my garden, our honeybees and the site for planting trees.
I’m embracing this part of life. The healing part. My days are spent caretaking my physical home and the home of my spirit: my human body. Loving and encouraging my family. Connecting with loved ones and new friends. Preparing healing foods and taking time to really listen to my children. Holding space for their dreams, fears and experiences. These are complex and important. And having more fun.
My daughter and I went to the park after school and played the ground is hot lava! Swinging in unison on the swing set, I found myself laughing whole-heartedly as our swings synced up and she proclaimed we were married. 9-year old me still remembered these age old games.
I noticed how the sunlight shined on her hair and through her ears, making them look light pink and realized how much more capacity I have for noticing and appreciating the seemingly small details. Being present feels really good.
Somewhere along the lines, the idea that the important work of life is someplace “out there” had quietly lodged itself in my mind. My definition of success had been measured by an external means that left me feeling inadequate, exhausted, behind and distracted.
My son and I had a conversation this week about what true success means. He said "it really depends on what is important to you. And that changes as we grow." I agreed with his wisdom and added that it is important to update our old definition as we evolve. Holding ourselves captive to outdated and oftentimes unexamined standards is not a good set up for overall life satisfaction.
What is your definition of success? Is it time for an update?
What if we truly embraced that the important work is what we are being presented with right now? This day. This phase. This moment. Whether it looks like what we had imagined it would look like or not. We can still reach for our dreams and be guided by their pull on our spirits. But I have found that the beauty of the dream is what we experience and learn as we chase them.
I think this is an important key to happiness.
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