Any way the wind blows

Last week I was challenged to take a day to myself. Actually take it for "myself." Decide what I wanted to do. What the spirit moved me to do.
I find this challenge is so hard in a culture where getting things done is the measure of success. Whenever I have a "day off," I think of all of the things that I need to get done and race around to get them done quickly and then maybe I can fit in a bit of time for myself.
This assignment was different. I needed to keep the agenda only on things that felt "right" for that day. I set off with a little list of errands (in case there was time after "my time" to make some stops) and a general idea of where I wanted to go, but when I got in the car and started driving I felt some rebellion stirring.
I didn't want to take the usual route. I didn't want to see what I always see. It felt like being on my usual path might create the temptation to do something that wasn't really in my heart. It might create murkiness in the path and my mind might start it's reasoning about where I should go. Today was about listening to my heart, not my head.
So, I took a different route. I visited new places. I made conversation and asked questions. I hiked. Soaked in the beauty of nature. Followed dragonflies on a quiet path. Found inspiration in things that were old and imperfect. Took time to journal. Let myself go slow.
It was a day to remember and a big reminder that life is about letting the heart be your guide. I didn't get my errands done, but I know they will get done some day. Letting the path unfold allowed me to rebel from my sense of responsibility and productivity. It was a day of renewal and inspiration and I will be giving myself this assignment more often.

Have you ever taken a day to go anywhere the wind blows?

What did you do? How did it feel?

Comments

Letting go & holding on- how you can do both at the same time

Everyday I am thinking about letting go. My days are spent in sessions with clients, or reading about decluttering tips, or writing blog posts, all in an effort to support clients as they let go of clutter and unwanted habits. Letting go is something that I have made into my life's work, but never is it more "in my face" than when I sit with my grandma at the nursing home. My grandma has Dementia/Alzheimers. I don't even know what or which or why or how, but I do know that it seems we have lost her to the disease and letting go & holding on are happening all at once. As I sit and watch her sleep, I can stroke her hand and feel the many memories of playing Go to the Dump or Crazy Eight on my days off of Kindergarten, getting a home perm in her kitchen in elementary school, and painting my nails at her kitchen nook in H.S. I remember learning how to snap a dish towel with my cousins as we cleaned up from holiday gatherings & singing and dancing...

The Art of Organizing

"Be daring enough to tell us-your customers, your fans, your people-about your ambition because we'll be the ones to help you fulfill them." - Danielle LaPorte It is a new year. A time of new beginnings. A time to clear out the old and make way for the new and I am ready for it. I have been inching forward in my new business and now it's time to push the go button and let things begin. I am ready to see where this leads. Just the other day, I was listening to Oprah interview Sue Monk Kidd, the best-selling author of "The Secret Life of Bees." She was talking about her transition from being a nurse to becoming a writer; something that she had wanted to be since she was a child. She was speaking about listening to what is calling from the bottom of your heart. Hear it and then proclaim it. Last year I proclaimed that I was done teaching in the classroom or in a traditional "teacher" way. I know there is somet...

What happens when you sprain your ankle...

The view as I iced my ankle. Maybe a slow down is in order more often. This summer I had a firsthand lesson in patience-a big one! I am a pretty motivated lady. I set goals for myself, I have big expectations, I dig in, and I stay active, but this summer I had to shift down to the slow lane on the highway of my daily drive. I sprained my ankle goofing off-feeling young and fun! It was an uncomfortable way to be brought back to reality and it put the brakes on some of my best laid plans for what I had hoped to get out of the summer. So.. I worked on my patience. I had to rest. I had to take time off. I had to rethink how I was going to shift my goals and also fight the fear that time off would mean that I couldn't get back into the things that I loved-that I would miss opportunities and have regrets. I tried a lot of things that didn't really get me any where. Some days I wanted to whine and other days I was sick of waiting to ...

Breathing Space & More...

Search This Blog