Desert Magnolia

Every day the sun comes up. And with that comes an opportunity to view life with renewed optimism and energy. Today was no exception. I realized that the dark cloud that had been following me dissipated while I slept.  The world itself was the same, in fact a nasty storm had added to the chaos by hammering Louisiana and Texas with Cat 4 forces overnight. But, for some reason, my skies cleared. My breaths deepened, my shoulders lifted, my spirit decided to lighten the hell up. Was it my guardian angels answering my soft plea for guidance through this shitstorm? Was it the endless hours of Qi Gong finally taking hold and settling my nervous system and emotions? Not sure, but something (or somethings) worked. And well. For this I am grateful, for obvious reasons. Today was a day of myriad domestic tasks, one of simple pleasures derived from creating order from chaos.  There was cooking, there was tidying, there was organizing, there was a calm from focus on just those things, not...

Ekhart Tolle speaks of stillness, the importance of finding it, of cultivating it, of appreciating it, and of enjoying the amazing transformations that occur while in a still state. When I think of some of the biggest epiphanies of my life, they've all come about during meditative, still moments. Within those moments we are free to just be..to just observe and allow the essence of who we are bubble up into our consciousness.  The monkeys are quiet, there, and the incessant white noise of to do lists and constant 'shoulds' are absent. It took awhile to get to a still place. I remember my early days of meditating and actually getting frustrated because I felt, for so long, like I was skimming the quiet space, just skirting the beneficial pause that stillness offers up. I now realize the pursuit of stillness is as beneficial as the state of stillness.  By seeking stillness we create space in which stillness may reside. By pursuing a quieter mind, we learn ways to paci...