Monday Morning Blues ~ Live into them!

"When despair for the world grows in me and I wake in the night at the least sound in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be, I go and lie down where the wood drake rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds. 
I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief. I come into the presence of still water. 
And I feel above me the day-blind stars waiting with their light. For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free."
 

Wendell Berry, "The Peace of the Wild Things"

Do you ever wake up scared, overwhelmed, or frozen in place wondering how you could possibly make a difference in your own to-do list let alone the craziness that seems to fill the world? I do. It happened today. I feel it right now. I wonder how I could possibly have taken three days off when there’s so much to be done. Three days off? My brain reaches for what that even means.
 
I pause. I listen. I hear the stories from the memorial service of a friend’s father that I attended on Friday. I see blue champagne bubbles. I feel my cozy bed and notice the rise and fall of my husband’s breath by my side. I remember. A Netflix binge. Popcorn for dinner. Grass and carpet under my knees as I chase my baby granddaughter while she explores. My grown daughter waves good-bye from the bus station, off on a grand adventure. Friends gather around a table on a warm summer night.  No yoga. Cat snuggles. Prayers for fire fighters and families in eastern Washingthon. Sound sleep. Restless nights. Buzzing brain. Gratitude for all.
 
I stop, pause, listen, and realize . . .  there is no such thing as “time off” when it comes to life ~ whether I’m immobile or drinking blue champagne or writing a newsletter or saving the world. They’re all merely states of being. Some days I feel brilliant and fearless. Others the “shadow” emotions, like fear and overwhelm, beg to take front and center. I remind myself it’s okay to press pause, to allow myself to feel what I’m feeling. In fact, it is essential. That is my best step in moving forward. Always.
 

Live it to Give it invitation: 

Today, I invite you to do what is essential for you. Take a moment  (or several) and be present to what’s bubbling inside you. Stop. Pause. Listen. Reset. Hug someone you love. Celebrate a friend. Take a walk or a nap. Snuggle with your pet. Say a prayer. Offer gratitude. Press pause and give yourself a break. The world will wait. 

Blue is available for pre-order now at Amazon.com, 
BQBPublishing.com, or your favorite independent bookseller. RELEASING September 10, 2015!!