Sunday, November 13, 2011

Day #13: Feeling a Shift

hand wash cold photo

I'm not gonna lie.  Last night was kinda crazy.  The boys were super hyped before bed. And I let their energy really get to me.  And then I started acted kinda crazy.  Once we all fell asleep the craziness continued.  Ashy is teething so he was up every hour. Kestan woke up crying in need of some extra snuggle time, which of course woke up Ashton just moments after I finally got him back to sleep.  And it seemed like between that and my own thoughts, the interruptions continued throughout the night.

I woke up asking myself, What am I doing?  What AM I doing? And then, as if a light bulb went off, something switched.  A new thought emerged.  I smiled and said, I surrender. And in the morning I got up from bed feeling as if a deep shift had taken place.

This slowing down thing seems to have merit.  Creating space is turning out to be a very good thing for me.  And I'm understanding that the more I stop trying to control the outcome of things, my environment and the people in my life, the easier it is to surrender to what IS and man, that makes my heart feel a whole lot lighter.

I struggle to find balance between the love of my creative endeavors and the love of being home with my children.  And for some reason, the light bulb switch - the declaration that I surrender -  has helped me see some clarity about this topic that I've had a hard time seeing until now.  Things they are a-changin'.

And in the middle of things today, I picked up Karen Maezen Miller's book, Hand Wash Cold.  I literally had two minutes to read a few pages when the following sentence spoke to me - "Only when our hands and head are empty do we discover what we've been aching to find."  That pretty much says it all.  Ahhh...I surrender.  

I sat there and felt the deep shift settle in.  And a few moments later Kestan brought me a "mountain sandwich cookie boo" that he created out of Play-Doh - the perfect thing to get me out of my head and into my heart.

So as part of my Thirty Days of Giving Thanks, I thanked my yoga guru for his amazing guidance and teachings he's shared with me over the last 10 years.  And I thanked author, Karen Maezen Miller, for sharing her beautiful wisdom and goodness with me and the world.


Your Personal Reflection:  Have you ever read something or seen a piece of art or experienced a teaching that created a shift in your awareness? Take a moment to thank that writer, artist or teacher (or child) this week.

And the winner of the darling butterfly clutch is Debbie!

Psst...The Clean Food Challenge starts Monday.  I'm going totally gluten-free for 7 days. If you are ready to make a change then consider joining us.

8 comments:

  1. I have been slowing doing away with wheat in my diet. I never had a problem with any food until a few years ago and now have discovered I feel so much better. Another challenge? Count me in!
    xx

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  2. lovely post. It's like that, I think. The balance is in the imbalance. And it's finding the manifestations of creativity in everyday life. And it is good.

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  3. lovely, that book definitely created a shift for me too, and my husband likes it also...cuts through the emotional 'clutter'...nice to 'meet' you here - Lisa

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  4. I am starting a biz and I found your blog to be so...helpful? Real? Reflective? I don't know, but thanks for writing it. I am working on the letting go and surrendering...it is a real practice for me. Thank you for this!

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  5. Tracey - How did your first day of the challenge go? I found today to be pretty good, although my energy got low in the afternoon and the only craving I felt was for a latte! I never had problems with food either, or so I thought, but ever since I had my kids I noticed I had to stop dairy (while nursing) and I keep them off gluten - but felt it was time to give it a try too. Good luck and let me know how it goes!

    Debrar - Thanks for your note. I love that line, "the balance is in the imbalance." Yes...many times I think/practice "stillness among the chaos..."

    Lisa - Happy to hear you experienced some shifts from that book, too. (and your husband, too.) Oh my...let's hear it for clearing emotional clutter! I'm going to go read some more right now.

    Anonymous - Your note brought tears to my eyes. I appreciate you taking the time to share. I don't write just to hear my own voice so it is awesome when I hear that what I wrote has been helpful.

    Big hugs to each of you.

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  6. Love "Hand Wash Cold"! And there are so many takeaways from that book. I was fortunate to attend a retreat in Houston a few months ago with Maezen. If you haven't read "Momma Zen" - you must!

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  7. I so can relate here and I have recently just dove into this very book! Loving where it is leading me~

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  8. What a wonderful post, Shannon. It's really difficult to let go of trying to control things and surrender to your life, but you're right that it makes a big difference. I'm still struggling to do it and maybe your post will help me to realize that it's not as hard as I'm thinking it is. Thanks!

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Thanks for sharing!