Catching up...

I've fallen a little behind with my regularly scheduled blog posts, and here is one big SCHLUMP of an update!

I haven't felt like writing before.  I had some kind of block and I just didn't feel like I was ready to share anything that was going on.  I see now that the cold I just got is part of the process of moving that block, because now I'm feeling A-OK about sharing again!

To start with, here are my various and sundry assignments from last week:

Creative Adventure Sunday:

Last week our assignment was to work with an affirmation meditation designed to help us see our dreams come true.  Now, I'll admit something: I'm not very good at working with other people's meditations...I think because I generally can't get them to say EXACTLY what I feel like I need.  I'm an English major at heart and my critical voice, my "that's not quite the way I would say it" can get pretty distracting.  Not that the meditation wasn't good...it was!  I just had trouble getting into it.  I wanted to write it myself (and for some reason the thought that I COULD do one myself...didn't...occur...to...me..until...now...oops!)  Also, I can't really meditate except at bedtime...and that's just as difficult as you can imagine.

I loved the idea of this, but it didn't work for me.  I couldn't picture a specific dream come true...I just sort of sat with the idea of "a dream come true" as opposed to something specific...if that makes sense.  Clearly there was some sort of resistance there for me.  Ah well.  Like I said, good in theory.  Something to think about.

Joy Rebel Mission Monday:
Last week's Joy Rebel Mission was to make spirituality fun.  In Brandi's own words, "to embrace the rebellion and fun and joy and love of your particular spiritual path IN YOUR WAY."  What a great mission!

One of Brandi's suggestions for Spiritually Rebelling was to research a spiritual path that interested me.  This one really spoke to me, probably because I was reading Lovingkindness by Sharon Salzberg at the time.  I just finished it today, actually, just in time to return it to the library.  However, it was so perfect for me that I've ordered my own copy.

The best part of the book was that it helped me understand more about Buddhism and key concepts like attachment (I know I'm not the only one who thought that letting go of attachment meant not letting yourself love anything or anyone...yup...got that one wrong).  It took all of the stuff that I just didn't "get" and put it into a context I TOTALLY "get"...even karma and reincarnation! 

I can't wait to get my own copy and start a)highlighting and b)trying the meditations.  I would LOVE to incorporate metta meditations into my daily life.  It fits in perfectly with my "choose joy" philosophy and my efforts at mindfulness and appreciation.  I think I will be adding parts of these practices to my "spiritual buffet."  So, thanks Brandi!  You've got me thinking about my spirituality, which is good.  I feel like it's shifting around this month...expanding in new ways and feeling more life-encompassing...just as it should.

Wishcasting Wednesday: Where do you wish to make a difference?

I love how my various missions often seem to fit together!
When I think about where I would like to make a difference my immediate thought is "somewhere cozy."  Does that make sense?  I don't think of myself as ever making a difference in a "save the whales" "end world hunger" kind of way (although those are both wonderful goals, and I'll be sure to donate some money to charities doing that work).  I want to bring joy to people's lives, to help them gain insight and understanding and inspiration.  But I want to see the results -I want to know the people I'm helping.

One of the most fulfilling things I've ever done was teach a class called Kripalu DansKinetics.  My favourite thing in the world was to take a group of people who had never tried the class before, sit them all in a circle, and say to them, "You cannot do this wrong.  There is no such thing as a mistake or a "bad dancer"...whatever you do in this space is perfect, even if you just feel like sitting in a corner for the entire class.  And if you don't want to do anything I tell you to do you don't have to." I loved watching their faces light up as they learned that they couldn't get it wrong.  And then I loved watching their faces glow with joy as they let go and DANCED.  And week by week I loved getting to know their dancer-selves.  So wonderful.

Anyway, once I got really super-pregnant I stopped teaching, and until recently I felt like my journey with dance was done.  Now I'm not so sure.  I'm not ready to hang out my shingle and start teaching yet, but I'm moving through the blockages I'd built up when it came to dance...for a while there I couldn't move at all, and now I'm starting to.  I don't want to send out a specific wish about dance classes, but I do wish to make a difference in the same sort of way: bringing joy and radiance to the community around me.  That would be tremendous.

For now, I send this wish out into the universe, trusting that answers will come in their own time and their own way.

 I have a feeling you'll be hearing more from me shortly!
Hope you're having a fantabulous weekend!

Joy Rebel Monday!

This past week's Joy Rebel assignment was called "Pick a Colour Any Colour" (only without the "U"s...I added those because I am obnoxiously Canadian).  We were to pick a colour and then go through the week photographing anything that was that colour.  And then Brandi gave us links to a program that would make our photos into a photo mosaic.  So fun!

I picked orange.  Couldn't say why, I'm not even that fond of orange, but I did find a lot of orange things around the house!  Here's my collage:

OK, OK, I admit that that photo of me and Little Bear was taken several months ago, but it was on my computer and I couldn't resist!  As for the rest of the photos, it was like a scavenger hunt!  I kept catching sight of things I could photograph.  It occurs to me that I should have dug in the fridge for the oranges and carrots, but oh well!  Definitely a fun activity :)

In other news, I am having a spectacularly joyful day!  Not sure why, but I am LOVING it!  I seem to be surrounded by people who are reaching out to each other with love and kindness, or who are speaking out to each other in gratitude and appreciation. So much love in the world. So much beauty if we take time to see it. So much joy if we just set our radars to look for it. It makes me ache inside.


Happy Monday!

Mission Monday: What do you need to say to yourself?

This week's Joy Rebel assignment is to say what you need to say to yourself. What a great mission! I snatched a minute while Little Bear had his bath, so I really didn't overthink it. I just went with my gut.

I think I'll let the photos speak for themselves this time.

Down a different path...

As you may remember...from 2 days ago...one of my dreams this year is to do Joy Rebel Mission Mondays regularly. Yesterday's Mission was to go down a different path...to work, to school, to the laundromat, wherever. Hmmm.

Here's the deal. I'm a stay at home mom and I live in the country(ish) and it's COLD outside and I have no car. The farthest I go on any given weekday is into the yard so Little Bear can play. *whinge* Well, as you can tell, I whined about this (in my head) for a minute or two...or fifteen. And then I thought "Hey now, Mama Bear, the whole point of being a Joy Rebel is finding and celebrating the joy in things As They Are, and not so much whining about how you wish things were!" So, as it was time to take the little one outside in any case, I said, "Little Bear, today instead of going out the front door and down the front steps we will leave the house....by the GARAGE!" So we did. We got our outdoor things on (incidentally, Little Bear has the cutest little bear boots), and I picked him up and carried him down the stairs, out the storage room door, through the storage room, and into the garage. I pressed the garage door button, realized that I'd pressed the wrong one when the door in front of the garbage cans opened, and then pressed the other one. There we stood, in the gloomy, chilly garage, and we watched as the giant doors rolled up revealing the bright, white outdoors. It was beautiful. And then we went out to play. And it did feel different. And we did do different things. And I'm not going to lie and say that I didn't get impatient to go back in -because I did- and in hindsight taking him up by the (VERY NON BUSY I AM NOT A BAD PARENT I SWEAR) road may not have been the wisest precedent to set, but it was a change...and Lord knows a change can be good.

So there...I took a different path to the best of my ability, and even such a tiny thing as exiting by a different door made the day feel special. I should keep that in mind...maybe tomorrow I'll leave by the back steps... :-)