Cultivating Joy

I began this year by choosing the word theme of grow. With that in mind, I’m picturing my life as a garden. I cultivate joy by providing proper nourishment, light, and hefty amounts of love. One of the big challenges in any garden are weeds. The key here is not allowing them to hang around for very long in the first place. If my garden is healthy and well cared for, I have fewer problems with weeds taking hold. So I yank out anything that may cause problems for me and my garden along the way. After all, it’s up to me to weed out what I know is not good. It is up to me to cultivate joy.

It’s been difficult at best these last few years keeping all the weeds from taking over my garden and cultivating the so needed joy back into it. The reality of all that is happening in the world these days seems to feed on itself like tenacious deep-rooted weeds of doubt and fear - not what I want growing and thriving in my garden.

I’ve pulled back on many things I thought I might do and have taken on a much slower approach to my life. This pulling back has allowed me to consider what is going on and how various weeds affect my garden. I’ve focused on doing less and am now seeing more possibilities. I am taking care of my garden. I am focusing on the possibilities for cultivating joy as the seasons roll on. Isn’t that what gardeners do? One planting season isn’t over and we’re planning and planting with the focus on a better future.

I can’t wait to see how much joy I can cultivate into the days, weeks, and months ahead. If you haven’t thought of your life as a garden, maybe now is the time to start planting seeds of joy and see what comes up. So what if weeds start popping up. They’re going to do that anyway, so let’s give ‘em a yank before they become deeply rooted. Let’s cultivate healthy and well cared for gardens. Let’s cultivate joy.

Take care,

Michelle

Being a gardener, I can’t help but share deep gardening thoughts with you from time to time. In the past, I’ve including gardening in many posts. If you enjoyed this one, you may want to read or re-read these: Autumn Joy, Plucking Weeds, Growing Pains, Thriving and Growing. Enjoy!

Photo Cultivate © Romolo Tavani | Dreamstime.com

Positive Feedback

Last year I published 17 posts specifically around my word theme of mindfulness. It was a how-to guide breaking down many aspects of bringing mindfulness to the present. Mind you, pun intended, it was just a beginning, but it made a difference to several of my dear readers. Most often comments to me centered around realizing various things about themselves they had never thought about. Then there are comments such as these: 

 “I love this one, in fact after about the 6th one (breath) I felt like I was swinging back and forth. I have experienced this feeling often when I lay down and close my eyes totally relaxed. Thanks Michelle.” 2/4/21

“Thank you for this latest post. I have been doing the deep breathing every day and I believe it has helped a great deal. Since I have COPD I think my breathing is better and am able to do more walking, house work, gardening or carrying more than one item at a time. I feel more limber doing my exercises since my falling incident. I'll be doing these (breathing exercises) as long as I can.” 5/11/21

“Your postings have been on my mind during the past year and find myself really listening more and realizing what my friends and even family are going through during this pandemic and aging. We all need to talk to each other and feel that someone is listening and offering understanding and compassion. Thank you for opening my eyes to see what is going on around me in this offbeat nutty time. Send more and I will be reading and listening.” 9/22/21

“During the last 12 months of the year I have become more tolerant of things that used to bother me and have more peace of mind. I take things as they come because to me that is the way of things in my life. No stress, just accept the present as is. Let annoyances go, accept and deal with them as best I can.” 12/26/21

I value and appreciate all of your comments. Many times I simply hit the post button and away it goes off into the universe with the hope something I've said helps someone. It's nice to know you are listening. Thank you!

While my word this year is grow, all previous word themes have stayed with me and most of them are building blocks to mindfulness. Just know, I will continue to add a mindfulness post from time to time to expand our exploration of this powerful positive word.

Take care,

Michelle

Photo © Wlad74 | Dreamstime.com

Begin Again in the New Year

George Bernard Shaw

Most of us seem to like the idea of a fresh start, a point in time we can mark as a chance to begin or begin again. While a fresh start can happen any time we choose, a new year seems to be a popular time for many of us to begin again.

Since 2005 I have chosen a word as a guidance point or theme for the entire year. It’s a word that brings me closer to being the best version of myself. It helps me create a better self. This year I have chosen the word grow. I intend to grow by planting new seeds, branching out in new directions, trimming, thinning out, and even pruning out that which is growing in my life garden. And as a gardener, I know I can promote more and even better growth by simply keeping my garden in check with a little snip-snip here, and a clip-clip there.

To begin with, I’m going to welcome the new year by taking classes in tai chi, a practice I have wanted to learn more about for a very long time. I first saw someone doing this in a park when I was in my mid-teens. I was mesmerized by it. Over the years, I have seen entire groups doing this and I am still mesmerized by it. In case you are not familiar with it, tai chi is a kind of meditation in motion. Think of it this way - gentle body exercises and stretches flowing into the next connecting the mind and body. After our mindfulness theme last year, tai chi will be the perfect thing for me to begin and grow on as the year progresses.

I’ll begin each day with my word theme in mind. At days end, I’ll consider my word and do a quick review to understand how my word might have woven its magic around me.

How about you? How will you begin again? What will your guidance point be? What word will help you be the best version of yourself and create a better self?

Stay safe, be well,

Michelle

Photo © Melissa King | Dreamstime.com

Have a Mindful Holiday

My gift to you this year has been to focus fully on mindfulness. I hope you have found some sense of peace and that it has opened the door for you to fully embrace mindfulness and explore on your own as you’ve only just begun to scratch the surface. 

Just because it’s the end of year holiday season doesn’t mean you need to allow the holidays to take over. Don’t forget about what it is you have learned to this point. Here’s a few mindful tips if it all gets to be too much thinking and doing...

• Breathe, then breathe again
• Ground yourself in your senses
• Find peace in nature
• Fill yourself with patience as it is a foundation of mindfulness
• Consider your thoughts, feelings, and actions by asking yourself why and learning something along the way
• Find the gaps and create more space
• Less is more so keep it simple
• Self-care first, and then be and do for others with more energy
• Hum your way through the days ahead
• Focus fully on whatever you are doing
• Observe and listen to others through your new lens of mindfulness
• Do everything with love and gratitude and it will come back to you in strange and mysterious ways

Cheers to a year of mindfulness! I am so proud of you!!!

Stay safe and be well,

Michelle

Update: So far posts continue to be sent your way via email. Although, my hosting service notes this will not continue. If I decide to take time off from posting or end this blog, I will let you know in a post. If you haven’t heard from me lately, you can always check http://www.mmclark.com

Photo  © Christa Eder | Dreamstime.com

Meditation Practice 2 Unlocking Gratitude

Approaching the holidays can bring on a mixture of feelings and emotions. A great way to deal with this emotional jumble is to unlock gratitude. Let’s get you started on your way to unlocking the gratitude within.

• Find a comfortable quiet space to be. If you are sitting, rest your hands on your lap, your knees, or on your stomach if you are lying down. Tuck your chin slightly, relax your jaw, and softly close your eyes.
• Take three or more deep breaths welcoming the natural feeling of your breath as your mind slowly begins to relax.
• When you are ready, slowly inhale deeply while thinking I am grateful for, pause, and think or say the first thing that comes to mind as you slowly exhale, pause, and repeat.
• Allow your mind to spontaneously choose the word(s) each time as you exhale. You may be surprised what comes to mind. Some things may be serious, and others seemingly inconsequential or silly, but it doesn't matter. This is you on gratitude.
• Keep it going with each breath until nothing more comes to mind, for now.
• This exercise is a great way to begin and end your day. The things you are grateful for will begin to change and evolve as you unlock your mindful gratitude. You may find it awkward to begin with, but you will find the more you do it, the more comfortable you will be while doing it. The more comfortable you are, the more you will want to return to this gratitude space.
• Remember, you are just showing up. No expectations. No right or wrong way. This is your time.

Holidays or whatever days, this is the perfect time to move from our recent ah practice to unlocking and releasing gratitude. This exercise will help you recognize the good in your life. Don’t be surprised by how wonderful you feel afterwards. 

With tremendous amounts of gratitude,

Michelle

Photo © Daniil Peshkov | Dreamstime.com