Winter Feast for the Soul 2017: Day 16 Space

Space, the final frontier!! Sound familiar? For those not Star Trek fans that is how the show began. I guess they were ahead of themselves because space, not just the galaxies throughout the Universe, but the space in our heads.

If it’s true that we only use about 10% of our brains capacity, then we have a lot of space at our disposal. We know that we can expand the use of our brain by looking at the research of stroke patients who create new neural pathways around the area that was affected by the stroke. It’s good to know that we have some wiggle room when it comes to the space in our heads.

I’ve been cutting small pieces of fabric form a larger print. I had all these little pieces that I thought would be cut in a certain way but I ran into a problem; I didn’t like how it looked. I continued on with my daily meditation over the past few days and today I had that a-ha moment. I was working on a small patch of fabric when I looked up at the misfit pieces in the corner of the tray and immediately knew what my next step would be. I created space and didn’t have any preconceived notion to hold me back and with that space came a solution.

When we create space in our hearts and minds we allow for other ideas and experiences to enter. The moment I allowed space during the meditation, I had options and that is empowering. The opportunity to expand what’s possible is exciting because it allows us to remove boundaries that hindered our past performance.

Once I had the solution to the design barrier, I was free to continue experimenting with other parts of the design process. I didn’t even know I was stuck until the moment when the space opened up, I processed the solution, and I was free to continue on my creating journey. The idea that I could create space at will through meditation is also empowering. It gives me endless possibilities by making meditation part of my practice.

See what happens when you create space in your head and heart. There’s nothing to lose, and endless possibilities to gain.

Winter Feast for the Soul 2017: Day 15 Routines

I’m a creature of habit. It’s comfortable! There’s nothing better than knowing exactly what’s going to take place, in what order, and when. Well, that’s true to some extent, but I do have a tendency to stay in my comfort zone until it becomes unbearable and that’s when it happens; I break out in a big way. I have weeks of spontaneous activity. I want to experience new things, go new places, and even (to everyone’s surprise) change up what I eat when I go to one of my regular restaurants.

I didn’t really think about this much until I was reading an article last week about how to keep you dog alert and happy. The recommendation was to change the route you take when going on walks with your favorite four legged friend(s). I have a tendency to mix up the routes depending on the day, but today I took Siba (my eight month old Bernedoodle) on a new and exciting journey. We walked a path we had never been on before. It gave her new scents to explore and for me was a change of pace. She was alert, and I was very tuned in to her level of awareness. It was a long a bike path so we did have to be aware of those two-wheeled beasts.

She had a good time and I do think it makes a difference in our relationship. So when I got home and started my daily meditation I got to wonder, “Why don’t I do this regularly for myself?” What is it about routines that are so comfortable? The more I thought about it frightened me a bit because all I could think about was listening to a vinyl record and playing a song over and over until the grooves are so deep the sound is distorted (obviously not a reference to those who never listened to a vinyl album).

I’ve been trying to avoid using the “rut” throughout this post because it makes me sad to think of being in a rut. I work on always being open to new thoughts and ideas. I find that working in my studio helps me alleviate routing because it’s not a sweat shop so I’m not sewing the same seam for eight hours. My take away from today’s meditation is being aware of how I can change my actions/thoughts from routine to more expansive, unpredictable, and challenging. I believe that will serve me in all areas of my life.

Winter Feast for the Soul 2017: Day 14 Inspiration

It can start with a spark, an idea, a thought, or an emotion. There’s a moment when something moves through you and leaves remnants for you to ponder. It’s those instances when you get an idea that intrigues you and maybe even challenges you. Different things inspire us all and that’s why inspiration is magical.

A friend of mine posted on Facebook that she was reading Twyla Tharp’s “The Creative Habit”. It’s a book I think about often because Tharp talks about the fact that we all have creative DNA. Our creative DNA is how we’re wired to express our thoughts, prayers, emotions, and circumstances. Like neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP) that states we all have a primary sense through which we experience the world. It’s that one sense that allows us to take in more of what’s coming our way and maximizes the potential of its impact on our lives. Tharp believes we all have a primary medium for expression and that allows our creativity to be elevated to new heights.

Inspiration motivates us and brings us to the highest level of vitality. It moves us in new directions and allows us to dig deep within our conscious and unconscious selves. I know that when I’m inspired it feels like my story is coming to life. It propels me to tell the next chapter of the story. It forces me to get up and do something.

I’m not sure why we don’t discuss inspiration more regularly. It doesn’t matter if you’re an artist or not, inspiration is the force that allows us to try new modes of communication with friends and family, in the hopes of improving everyone’s life. It’s the thing that moves a politician to say we can do things differently and better. It might be the story from one of their constituents or an action that makes them mad, unhappy, of agitated. The same would be true for those who are participating in marches around the world. They’re inspired to share their stories, protect all our futures, and they’ve made the decision to be seen and heard.

We never know when we will run across a moment of inspiration because it’s spontaneous. It would be great if those moments were planned, but it’s the spontaneity that grabs us by surprise and taunts us with questions. Our inspiration is the voice that asks, “What are you going to do next?”

I hope you are inspired to take the next step on your journey. What inspires you?

Winter Feast for the Soul 2017: Day 13 Broken

I had an unfortunate thing happen to my iPhone; I dropped it. I usually have a ballistic case, but the case I have didn’t protect the glass from shattering. A sense of sadness and certainly inconvenience crept into my consciousness. I’d have to take a trip to the Apple store to see about having it fixed or getting a new phone. This inconvenience is minor in comparison to a friend of mine. She had an accident at home, slipped and fell, and broke her hip. It’s a devastating event that will impact her life for quite some time.

As I ponder the idea of all things broken, I consider broken hearts, broken promises, and broken souls. How do we recover from our broken selves? We break machines down to their components to clean and fix them. We break down an animal carcass at the butcher. There’s a difference between breaking things down and being broken.

I don’t believe that our body, mind, and spirit can be broken, but broken open.   I do believe when things are broken we have an opportunity for things to mend. They say broken bones mend stronger. A broken heart when healed learns resilience. Broken promises allow us to listen to our inner voices whispering doubt of the words spoken by others. Things that are broken are just things and can be replaced.

How do we recognize what’s broken? Often there is pain involved. We get to decide what we do with that pain. I’m not saying that my broken phone caused me pain; the broken screen that was shattered was just a visual representation that got the ball rolling for today’s meditation.

Just one more thing to consider about the word “broken”, we can be broken open to experience new things. When we’re broken open like a nut/seed we can get to the center that holds what’s possible.

When “broken” enters your life, how do you handle it? What does it represent to you? I hope you never have to go through a phase of broken, but if that’s not possible, I wish you ease and peace.

Winter Feast for the Soul: Day 12 Commitment

I’m committed. Fortunately I’m committed but I haven’t been committed (in the locked up sense). I’m committed to staying on a path. I’m committed to looking at myself on a regular basis, taking an inventory of my character and my actions. I’m committed to serving my community.

As usual I didn’t know what I was going to ponder during my meditation, but what came flowing through me today was my quilting practice. I’ve been a quilter since 1992. It actually started in college when a friend said she was sewing nine path pillows and did I want to learn. I started and made a few pillows. At that point there was something about sewing (by hand) that made me want to explore quilting. It was dormant for a time and then I saw a ten-week program on PBS and my desire to quilt was reignited.

I took a class, and bought a sewing machine.   Today I have closets of fabric, a cabinet of thread, and five sewing machines. I watch videos, scour books on textile art, belong to an art quilt guild, and have studied with a teacher for many years. Quilting/art is my pilgrimage.

I’ve found that my commitment to quilting gives me peace of mind. The act of sewing, stitching, and embellishing textiles provides a creative space that allows me to express myself at the most authentic level possible. Using my creative energy is better as mood altering and consciousness expanding as therapy (for the most part).

What surprises me the most is the length of time I’ve been engaged in creating quilts. The idea of taking small pieces of textiles and putting them together to make something that is unified amazes me. Engaging in a practice where there will always be room to grow and improve challenges me. Being a part of a creative community allows me to feel connected. Having a practice that serves to share my voice with the world is invigorating.

I’m blessed to have found something that gives me joy, makes me feel alive, and I can share with the world. Being committed to this path gives me something to lean on during the good times and bad. It provides me with a place to retreat and regroup or to put forth in the world as my act of participation in humanity.

If you find something that draws you in and won’t let go don’t ignore it, commit to it!

Winter Feast for the Soul 2017: Day 11 Gratitude

I listened to a podcast this morning about gratitude. It was interesting because it got me thinking about the everyday actions and experiences that I just assume will be there tomorrow. It was interesting to me because I wasn’t thinking about gratitude, like making lists so I can track my gratitude tally, but the inner experience of grace.

Let’s face it; I’m a privileged while male. I grew up in the suburbs, have two parents who adore me, have an undergraduate degree and two graduate degrees. I live in a nice house, drive a car (although not new, works just fine), and have plenty of food and clothing.

On the other hand, as a therapist/case manager I have worked in health clinics that continually look for funding to stay afloat. These health centers serve uninsured and under insured individuals. I’ve worked in oncology psychosocial agencies that were able to provide their services free of charge because of the good nature of those who contribute to the cause.

The flip side is also true in my experience. I’ve volunteered at fundraisers that are trying to fund agencies that provide mammograms to minority women (who are often diagnosed late stage because of their lack of personal resources). I’ve seen bikers come out and ride for the opportunity to aid the under-served women so they don’t have to die.

Over the past six years I have traveled across the country for work. I’ve worked in upscale neighborhoods, but also neighborhoods that were dying right before my eyes. I’ve talked to individuals who came through the doors who were hallucinating, or looking for a place to get out of the cold. I worked and left Baltimore two weeks before the riots. I often passed the CVS store that was ransacked and looted. And today, I heard residents hardest hit in Chicago who are saying the President doesn’t need to send the Feds unless they’re brings resources like education and jobs.

My gratitude is that my view of the world is based on personal experience, not just the news.   I’m grateful that friends and family understand my commitment to justice and fairness. I experience grace when I wake up and have options in my life that will feed my soul and serve my fellow human being.

How do you view gratitude? What does it look like each day that you open your eyes?

Winter Feast for the Soul 2017: Day 10 Sounds of Silence

I don’t meditate in the still of the quiet. I usually play some type of meditation music in the background, most often Gregorian Chant. I like the rhythm, the simplicity, and the melodic cadence that is trance-like.

I’ve been trying to stay away from television. I can’t take the overstimulation of the news and the crazy banter about how we’re headed off the cliff. I figure that when I need to learn to “duck and cover”, someone will give me a crash course on Armageddon. Until then, I’ve decided to restrict the negative vibrations in the media and politics and focus on how I can personally and in my community create healing spaces.

Prepping my meditation space, I decided not to play my regular music. Instead, I decided I would sit in silence and see what arises. I began the meditation and first thing I noticed was the clarity of the sounds in my environment. I was able to hear the sound of the scissors cutting the fabric, the interface paper falling away from the fabric and falling on the counter, and the hum of the over as it preheats.

Once I had my first round of sounds that were in my immediate environment, I decided to focus on my breathing and see what other sounds would appear. I began to hear the footsteps of the cats as they descended the stairs. The quiet actually allowed the accuracy of cutting the fabric to become more precise. I was focused and I felt myself smile.

I was experiencing an essence of peace and that feeling was amazing. It wasn’t about being relaxed, I felt grounded. The silence was not my foe it was my friend. It was partnering with me as I navigated the act of fussy cutting fabric. It made the time fly by and the act of cutting fabric a blessing instead of a curse.

I’ll do more days with silence, but intermingled with the chant I find emotionally and spiritually invigorating. Try it both ways and let me know what you think!!

Winter Feast for the Soul: Day 9 Art of Observation

I’m admitting that I have a habit of jumping to conclusions. I can be known to be quite reactionary. This reactionary stance is something I’ve been working on for years because many years ago it got me in some sticky situations. I can’t tell you why I’ve been so reactionary. I’m sure Freud and Jung would come up with early childhood trauma, and yes that did happen, I don’t think that’s the answer. I did learn, as a sense of self-preservation, to be on the offensive, but that too has subsided over the years. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t roll over and play dead, I’m just more even keeled about my actions.

I was exploring the art of observation during my meditation because Siba (my 7 month old Bernedoodle) was acting strange. She’s a growing pup and quite ravenous, but last night she didn’t finish her dinner. When we awoke this morning and we went through our morning ritual of going out and then breakfast, she didn’t rush to her bowl. I wouldn’t normally worry because there have been days when she eats a bit and saves the rest for a mid-morning snack, but today was different.

As the morning progressed I started to become concerned because Siba hadn’t touched her breakfast. I was already planning on when I could take her to the vet. Tuesday I said because our vet Dr. B works on Tuesday. In the past, I would have rushed to make an appointment assuming she was sick. I had already come to the conclusion in my mind that she had some type of obstruction and was going to require surgery (I’m not melodramatic, am I?)

I decided to let her just sleep and I sat next to her on the couch. I was petting her and she began to snore. She wasn’t acting sick (I know canine sick) and that was what allowed me to sit back and just keep watching her. It took a while but at 3:30pm she decided to have breakfast. I guess she’s just living the life of luxury figuring that the food would be there when she was good and ready.

It has made me think about how many times in my day should I just sit back and observe.   What am I missing when I rush to a conclusion and what does feeling the fear do for my view of the world. I’m an artist so I should be pretty good at the art of observation, but I guess it can be situation specific. The question for today is how do I expand that stance of observation before acting into my daily life.

I may be surprised at what I learn about others, and myself at least for today that’s the hope!

Winter Feast for the Soul: Day 8 Competition vs. Cooperation

The football season is winding down, but not without the excitement of the two games that will determine who makes it to Super Bowl LI (51). All the teams’ play the regular season with the hopes of moving to the game of glory, the Champions. When playing a sport or game of course there will be winners and losers, that’s the nature of competition, but when should we be competing and when should we be cooperating?

Is daily life a competition? I’ve heard people say they are playing against themselves and I’m not sure I understand that concept. I understand trying to improve, but playing against oneself seems at odds with the notion of striving for excellence. If we cooperate with ourselves I believe we’ll increase the compassion we have for ourselves and can learn to acknowledge our strengths and weakness, celebrating the strengths and working on the weaknesses.

Our political system has left the idea of statesmanship in the dust. We’ve become a country where the only thing that matters is who wins. The truth is when we think this way everyone loses. There is an African proverb that says, “If you want to get somewhere fast go it alone. If you want to get somewhere far go with others.” When speaking about a country of over three hundred million people I would think we would want to go far and that requires cooperation.

Embroiled in competition leads to hostility cutting off most opportunities for communication. Competition requires a loser and when we lose we diminish our sense of hope and possibility. When we live in a culture of pure competition we so focused on winning that those who get hurt, left behind, or ignored aren’t a concern creating an existential wound that would take generations to heal.

During my meditation I was looking at the areas in my life where cooperation would further peace of mind and uplifting my spirit. I thought about with whom could I begin conversations of inquiry not attacks of persecution. I’m always open to learning because I know I don’t have all the answers. I’m willing to engage in a dialogue so I can understand differing points of view. I strive to be inclusive in all my exchanges both personal and professional.

I’m hoping we can leave competition on the field and embrace the notion and the actions associated with cooperation!!

Winter Feast for the Soul 2017: Day 7 Vibration

Did you feel it? Yesterday I talked about a shift that was taking place in my heart and soul. Today I felt the Universal vibration from the marches that took place around the globe. While I was meditating I kept asking myself, “How did this happen?” What was it about today that drew so many people together in unity?

I do believe that there was a Universal vibration flowing around us and through us. It was as if someone had set an alarm clock and people from around the globe awoke at the same time. I’m enormously proud of the all the women, men, and children who took the streets marching for their beliefs. I started a conversation with my congressman. I want him to know that the rules of politics are changing and that there will be more scrutiny and accountability.

Today was monumental and history making, but it’s what we do tomorrow that will begin the change. Everyone knows that there is a contingency, a rather large one, that wants to be seen and heard. Starting tomorrow we need to ask ourselves how will continue to be seen and heard. It’s not only about the march. It needs to be about showing up in the community, creating dialogues with our representatives, and if you feel the calling, start thinking about running for office.

I just retweeted the following information, “November 6, 2018, the date when 33 Senate seats, 435 House of Representative seats and 39 Governorships will be up for re-election.” I will be looking at how we can continue to raise the vibration levels. How do we keep the alarm clock synchronized so that every day we can all awake to our thoughts, dreams, and desires.

While I was meditating it was a bit electric. I felt a feeling of calm and hope. I hope you find that sense of calm and hope and share it with others. We’ll all need to keep raising the vibration so it becomes loud and a force to be seen and heard!!