Wind And Waves

JUST BE IN THE MOMENT

This saying has been something that has come up continually, probably since about high school.  My personal interpretation to this cliched, phrase, seems to change by the week.

The feeling of peeling the onion of life over and over again, peeling at the same part of the onion but working on a different layer of it……… is an aspect of life, I really enjoy. It beckons me out of my self made cage, into bigger broader landscapes, where there are different canyons, different flowers, different rivers, where I experience different feelings and different  connections/relationships  and ways of relating.

Thank you life!

I went to see Julie Davis, a shamanic Practitioner.(absolutely love visiting her!!)   When I get the opportunity to see her, I am filled with an exquisite feeling.  She sees me and she deeply respects me and she is rooting for me. I mean, she truly sees who I am, in a souls essence kind of way.  Its like a mothers unconditional love but Julie is not my mother and that is what makes it so amazing feeling.  If a random woman out in the world, sees me in this way, than there must be some truth to it and she must be tapping into some inner essence of mine and that inner essence and light must be shining out because she can see and feel it!

Julie is enthusiastic about my ‘spriritual moto tours for women’ project.  Yay!  She sees it clearly. Yay! But I gotta get stuff straight with me.  I have a lot of projects I’m putting time and energy into.

I mentioned to her that I also really want to spend time writing, getting my authentic voice out there, playing with it, seeing what it looks like and feels like. (crazy to think that at 35 years old, I only half know!)  Julie, excitedly suggest I write about my decision process of having the tours be composed of men and women or just women, write about the joy of moto trips that I want to share with people, and what i think I have to offer, and then packing the bike, sacredly, cooking food sacredly, ones relationship with the road, ones relationship with your bike, your relationship with yourself.

But! I protest!  “I don’t know how to make food sacredly?! Let alone talk and teach it.  ”

“Do it mindfully”  she nudges.  “It’s just about being Mindful”

“What is being mindful??”

“And so, write about that”  Julie gently suggests! And so, here I go,  in light of  emboldening my process….I am going to write some quick thoughts on mindfulness..

Ironically, a lot of things my life right now are pointing towards that.

In facilitator Training (deep listening) we are learning about mindfulness.  It is important that we, as someone who is facilitating, are an “empty bowl” a “meadow”.  We must be aware of our thoughts that arise, our masks we wear for the world, or baggage we carry with us, so that we can put all that aside and listen, Truly listen, deeply listen to what another soul is saying.

An aspect of this that I’m realizing is  equally important is “letting Go”.  As I reflect on my life, there have been Hundreds, thousands of exercises in “Letting go”

Here are a few examples;

letting go of my tears, welling up in my eyes. Letting go of my moto that allows me to explore, be happy and be somebody. and is proof that I am enough, that, I have done well (because I spent hours fixing it and it was real nice!)  Letting go of my identities;  a soccer player,a hearty Outward Bound instructor living in Moab, an athlete, a straight A student, the quiet one, the free spirit, the biker girl with no car. Letting go of boyfriends, whom I genuinely, deeply love. Letting go of your poop. Letting go of a beautiful big bubble you are blowing on your bubble wand. Letting go of your apartment, your city, your country, your clothes. Letting go of the picture on your iphone (swiping it away to view something else) Even Leaving your house everyday is a letting go!

and seriously, I could go on and on and on.

Scott and I were sitting in Boulder the other day, in the sunlight.  Wow it felt good!  A woman with a Big Dog sat next to us and we watched curiously, as passer bys, responded to this unbelievably big loving, bear of a dog. One man took a long, relaxed time to look at the dog. He took a few steps, continuing his walk and looked at us.  Each of us, in the eye for an uncomfortably long time.  He was really listening, observing, taking in who we were.  How uncomfortable! But he had no judgement.  He seemed to be beyond judgement.  There was no time, in the precious minutes of his life that were left, to judge.  He said ” it is all about letting go”  As I get very close the other side, I understand that is is all about letting go.” He had a headband wrapped around his head and we assumed he was in the middle of chemotherapy.  He bowed and walked away.  Leaving us stunned.  Leaving us…..needing to let of that profound moment of synchronistic insight, so we we could move into the next moment.

I find it curious/interesting/funny/amazing…how characters come into your life telling you just the thing you need to hear or need to see to understand or need to feel, so you can integrate.

In Facilitator Training yesterday, we were talking about being mindful. A fellow classmate shares with us, an excercise she does which is to be aware of her sheets when she crawls into bed in the night. The feeling the smell the sensations….

And then Carole steps in to add, “and let that feeling go”

What? This is where I get a little confused.  I write a little note to Noah, “How do you Let go of the feeling of your sheets?”  He quietly whispers, “By accepting them.”

hmmmm. wow. and this sets me on another set of revelations.  It is ALL about Acceptance.  Energy that is devoted to self -criticism doubt, condemnation, and rejection  keeps me locked in a state of negative self – centeredness.  But paradoxically, the more I Accept my imperfect self the easier it is to rise about my supposed defects and align with my soul.  It seems that, rejection aggravates situations, while acceptance proves to be a calming balm.  I have been noticing (after 35 years of “trying” sooo fricken hard!) that I tend to believe I never do my best; I always feel I could” and “should” do better!

Grrrrrr.

It would feel great to Accept my human limitations as neither moral failures nor indictments of me personally.  Mistakes, limitations, falling short of doing enough -these are all natural facets of living as a “human being in progress.” Right?  Ahhhhh. sigh of relief.  I can just feel how that releases the ever present pressure I create for myself as I navigate this thing we call life!

And so, I think some important lessons for me are about letting go.

Accepting………..

so I can be present.  Present to my life, present to myself, present to my dreams, present to my relationships present to people I am facilitating.

to be MIND – FULL…….. I need to LET – GO.

wait, huh?! what??! 🙂