Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing. ~Arundhati Roy
1. Truth: To realize a dream, an aspiration, a wish, a longing, a calling, what I hunger for and what haunts me, I must be able to name it. Write it down, flesh it out, visualize it, seek it out, look it directly in the eye, know it, claim it. Be able to say what it is, what I want, how I want to feel, plain and clear and true, see it whole.
2. Truth: Once I know what I want, I can want it without apology. As poet Mary Oliver says, “You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.” Once I’ve identified what I long for, I can start moving in that direction. I don’t need any special equipment or training. I don’t need anyone’s permission (except my own). I simply take one tiny step, and then another. I can start any time, knowing that it is never too late, all I have to do is get out of my own way.
3. Truth: It is essential to keep my heart open to whatever arises. I can expect that things might not look how I imagined or go the way I planned, that I might get confused or even a little lost, that the dream might shift its shape as I live my way closer to it. I can ask for help, for guidance, for training, for support when I need it. I can drop my agenda, give up control, let go, surrender to the magic.
One wish: That with a compassionate vision, deep knowing, and skillful means, we all find our way to a life we love living.
3. This quote from Jonathan Fields, “You cannot create change in others. Until you embody the truth you seek to inspire.”
4. From my Inner Pilot Light, “When you let go of attachment to outcomes, the Universe is free to work its magic, and it’s a great opportunity to learn to trust that even if things don’t go the way you hoped, the Universe has always got your back.”
7. From Pema Chödrön, on training with uncertainty:
Many of us prefer practices that will not cause discomfort, yet at the same time we want to be healed. But bodhichitta training doesn’t work that way. A warrior accepts that we can never know what will happen to us next. We can try to control the uncontrollable by looking for security and predictability, always hoping to be comfortable and safe. But the truth is that we can never avoid uncertainty. This not knowing is part of the adventure, and it’s also what makes us afraid.
10. Regrets of the Dying from Bronnie Ware. This is one I’ve posted before, but it bears repeating.
11. Quote from Kris Carr: “When we accept ourselves exactly as we are, in exactly this moment, we shift from living for tomorrow to appreciating today.”
12. This quote: “There is a way that nature speaks, that land speaks. Most of the time we are simply not patient enough, quiet enough, to pay attention to the story.” ~Linda Hogan
13. I love whatPatti Digh has to say about about making strong offerings, “Putting your work into the world without regret, without attachment to outcome, without hesitation. Voicing your voice.”
20. Aimee Mann puts on one of the best Christmas shows ever. Sadly, she’s not doing it this year, but she shared this video (a compilation of videos made to play during her previous shows).
23. A New Year’s Ritual. Andrea Scher always has the best New Year’s prompts, and this year she shares them in a series of videos, (it’s a total bonus that she’s also super cute).
24. This quote: “Grief is not a disorder, a disease or a sign of weakness. It is an emotional, physical and spiritual necessity, the price you pay for love. The only cure for grief is to grieve.” ~Earl Grollman
Open Space Practice, (AKA: A Thousand Shades of Gray) 