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Is it a thorn or a rose? When you see the flower we call roses, what do you see? Do you see one or the other, the rose or the thorn, or do you see the beauty of both? What do roses teach us about ourselves?
When I see roses, I see the rose part first. The beauty is what I see first. I smell its inviting fragrance, and I see tender delicate petals and experience the color bursting forth from its bud. I want to experience the flower fully, so I pull it toward my nose and suddenly realize my touch requires some deliberate, careful handling. As the rose produces its sharp barb to protect itself, I too want to protect my fingers from the rose’s pointed thorns. Would that rose be what it is without either its thorns or its magnificent bud?
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Do you ever wake up feeling miserable? Maybe life happens, and you sink into a miserable abyss without realizing it. When miserable pays you a visit, are you aware? Do you notice and pay attention to what’s going on?
When I feel miserable, I often get a healthy dose of despair to accompany my experiences. Misery loves company, right? I’ve learned something about it, though. Misery can mean that something important is out of alignment. Perhaps a personal value or boundary is screaming for attention. Maybe it’s an emotion that wants us to pay attention to something we care about. Did you ever push something to the bottom of your list so many times it felt like a monster instead of something you can whip out in a short block of time?
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The time is now; it’s time to fly! You’ve grown, you’ve prepared, and now it’s time to take the leap. Nature has a way of showing us these things if we choose to pay attention from that perspective.
We have a small bird house in our yard, and each spring, the guest house fills with just the right little birds seeking a place to build their family. This year, we had some amazing little finches. They busily found the right materials to build a comfy place to do what birds do. They laid their eggs, and while mamma kept them warm, papa tirelessly tended to mom’s essential needs.
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Loving myself today because I write without feeling rushed
Discovering peace through simple acts feels transformative on many levels. Furthermore, loving myself today because I write without feeling rushed has become my favorite daily ritual lately.
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What does neglect feel like?
Raise your hand if you enjoy feeling neglect. What? No hands? Now, raise your hand if you avoid feeling neglect. Ooh, I see a few hands now, mine included.
Neglect is a good disguise artist. It might look like people-pleasing, numbness, or even over-achievement. When I feel this emotion, I often feel unseen, which can lead to craving emotional nourishment. Sometimes it causes me to dim my light so that I can (in my mind) go unnoticed. Other times, it’s like an invisible roommate. You know, when someone is physically present but emotionally on vacation.
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In my earlier post about opposites, we explored that the energy of opposites, and knowing opposites, is where some of the juicy life we want occurs. I want to take that a step further and talk about the growth that happens between opposites as it applies to our emotions.
In the last post, I talked about how it’s important to know anger so that you can know joy, and vice versa. Now I’m jumping into the dramatic energy of the in-between: the energy between extreme opposites and what we get out of what’s in the middle. I have an author friend that calls that the messy middle (SARK), and I think she’s spot on. The in-between can feel messy, but it’s also where the juicy goodness is.
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Have you been offended?
When was the last time you felt offended? It is an emotion you probably feel more often than you realize. Think for a moment about the last time you felt offended. Did you feel threatened? Perhaps the feeling helped to spark a conversation, or maybe it opened a door for you to see something about yourself. Yes? No?
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Our thoughts and the things we do to improve our lives also make the world better. There’s something to the power of one person making a difference. Think about it. If we take one moment to get our self-universe centered, our energies are different; focused and drawing what we want in our lives. If 5 people do that, what do you suppose the impact of that would be universally, outside of ourselves? Now think about that same picture, but imagine thousands of people doing it; millions. How do you think our experience of the world would change?
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Are you paranoid about exploring what it means to feel paranoid? What is feeling paranoid all about, and what do you suppose this emotion is trying to tell us?
I understand sometimes paranoia can become chronically debilitating for some. When that happens, it’s always good to reach out for help when it disrupts your life and how you want to live. There are other times, though, paranoia creeps in and giving it some air-time can help to understand more about what’s going on. It’s those little fears that come knocking on our door and sometimes they like to take root and cause abundant chaos in our lives.
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Live in the Moment
It may seem like a worn-out idea at first glance, yet living fully in the present carries profound wisdom that reshapes daily experiences. Furthermore, I once tallied countless hours spent anticipating future escapes instead of savoring what unfolded right before me. Consequently, I often wondered how much richer my achievements might have become had I embraced each instant with open awareness rather than constant longing.
When corporate demands filled my days, however, I constantly anticipated the relief of clocking out. Moreover, vacation planning consumed so much mental energy that my current tasks rarely received full dedication. Meanwhile, during intense trauma recovery periods, every fiber of my being yearned desperately for the pain to cease entirely.
Present Moment Awareness
Additionally, opportunities for deeper synergies slipped away unnoticed while I fixated elsewhere. For instance, creative projects like my budding manuscript lost precious momentum as my thoughts drifted toward distant horizons. Nevertheless, this pattern of avoidance only extended my emotional discomfort because I resisted the very feelings designed to guide my healing journey. Instead, juicy life morsels passed me by without acknowledgment.
Therefore, I now recognize how these habits prevented authentic connection with unfolding experiences. Furthermore, practicing mindful presence has transformed my retired lifestyle into something vibrantly full and deeply satisfying.
- Mindful living techniques help cultivate daily awareness that enhances emotional intelligence naturally
- Present moment practices boost productivity while reducing unnecessary stress and anxiety
- Emotional presence strategies foster richer relationships and greater personal fulfillment overall
Besides these shifts, gratitude flows more freely when I anchor myself here and now. Thus, joy emerges simply from writing these reflections for your thoughtful consideration. Moreover, this shared exploration might spark fresh insights for someone seeking their own pathway toward fuller engagement with life.
Ultimately, the wisdom lies not in perfection but in gentle redirection whenever the mind wanders. After all, who among us hasn’t whispered those familiar regrets about paths not fully taken? Thankfully, each new breath offers another chance to choose presence over projection.
I invite you to explore related insights on conscious awareness through this helpful guide to mindfulness foundations. Consequently, you too can discover how these subtle changes create lasting ripples of peace and purpose. Thank you sincerely for joining me in this space of reflection—may your now feel abundantly alive and wonderfully rewarding.
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
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What the heck does querulous mean? I know. It’s a new description of a feeling for my vocabulary, too! Querulous pertains to feeling dissatisfied or annoyed, which leads to chronic complaining. Have you ever been there before, or been around someone who is suffering from querulousness? I bet we all have!
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Life Gifts
- Sending you rain to nourish the earth so that the earth can nourish you.
- I send you honor and respect as you navigate this wave in your life.
- I send you moments of pause so that you can remember you are loved and cared for.
- I send you glorious freedom to move your body and experience joy.
- I send you a warm, relaxing breeze, a comfortable hammock with sounds of water lapping on the shore.
- I send you courage and honor.
- Sending you giant pails of peace to spill or splash in.
- I send you fresh, crisp apple bites of life to bite into everyday.
- Sending you a magical cool sheet to snuggle in and feel safe.
- I send you bright flowers to see, smell, enjoy, and nurture.
- Sending you warmth and caring.
- I send you the deep, rich colors of berries to paint your soul.
- I send you soothing healing.
- Sending you buckets of patience to spill in all the places that need some—be sure to douse yourself with some.
- I send you moments to fill your year with acknowledgment of how truly special you are in this world.
- Sending you calm and peace.
- I send you succulent sweet chocolate kisses and delightfully warm hugs.
- Sending you willing, loving hearts and hands to help you.
- I send you tender, loving arms to hold you in care and love.
- I send you a cuddly blanket of appreciation for the beautiful person you are in this world.
- I send you love.
- Sending you nourishing soup for your soul.
- I send you soothing cups of hot tea, your favorite music to listen to and time for you to relax and enjoy.
- I send you giggles and chortles to accent all the moments of your day.
- Sending you sparkly confetti in celebration of your accomplishments today.
- Sending you flashlights for exploring your dark places.
- Sending you patience while your body heals.
- I send you contagious child-like giggles and unstoppable smiles.
- Sending you tasty inspiration.
- I send you focus and energy as you write today.
- I send you different flavored lollipops to quench your craving.
- Sending you joy and glee in celebration of your accomplishment.
- I send you a path of petals on which to tread as you navigate life.
- I send you healing, detoxifying energy as your body benefits and heals from your weekend massage.
- I send you delicious moments filled with rare and marvelous accents that grow your heart.
- Sending you magical lenses to sharpen your focus.
- Sending you bright colored paint for your life canvas.
- Sending you a perfect worry doll to manage your worries.
- I send you bright-colored flowers that fragrantly shower your surroundings with joy and delight.
- Sending you loving hands to cradle your tender heart.
- I send you patience and understanding, and a powerful little elf to manage all your worries.
- I send you joy.
- I send you joy as I think about how delightful you are.
- I send you pregnant pauses to remember how much you are loved and cared for.
- I send you warm blankets to snuggle with as you sip warm tea and warm up your cold body.
