Burn the Good Candles and Avoid the Piles

the last 18 months or so have been eye opening and life changing.

I have gone through another stage of evolution and metamorphosis brought on, in large part, by a catastrophic family event. We all survived. Though not fully intact, we at least are all still breathing.

A few lessons I've learned, relearned, or had solidified:

Burn the Good Candles: You know, the expensive ones you either splurge on or are given as gifts. The ones that burn all the way down, throwing off an ambient twinkle of light and casting a delicious aroma throughout the room? Yea, that one. Burn it. In the morning, afternoon, evening, or any combination thereof. burn that sucker cause it's meant to enjoy. I wonder, in essence, if by delaying the burning of the candle, we're really denying (or delaying?) our own happiness and delight. I've heard people say you can't know happiness without knowing sorrow, I disagree. Burn the candle. enjoy the light and aroma and know you deserve to be cloaked in happiness any damn time you want.

Avoid the "piles": by not starting them: I am not all the way there yet on this one, so it's a lesson I am still learning. I have spent several HOURS this week just decluttering my bedroom and my kitchen hutch. No, I don't think you understand, like the piles grew piles which grew piles. I could barely walk in my bedroom and only part of my bed was actually accessible. Yes, that bad. It got overwhelming to me, so I just piled more $hit on the already-overwhelming piles and then it became paralyzing. I didn't know where to start. I couldn't put my clothes away because the piles were blocking my dresser. But I couldn't move the piles blocking my dresser because I had no place to move them to without causing the ultimate collapse of the clothes which were precariously balanced on the piles...you see where this is going. So, just don't start the piles to begin with and they won't become overwhelming to the point of paralyzing. SO much easier said than done, and I am still practicing this. In the metaphoric analysis of this, I wonder what the piles could represent? I'll have to ponder on this...or sometimes a pile is just a pile.

I am not God: When I am doing school tours with prospective students, I explain we spend many hours on pathologies (what can go wrong w/ the body) and hands on body work (how we, as LMTs can address the pathologies) and I highlight that I didn't say, "fix" them. I elaborate that we don't teach the God-Complex so often prevalent in the field of body work. Isn't it odd that I can easily differentiate what I can and cannot do in bodywork, but not in emotional or spiritual work with my clients, friends, and family. In my bodywork practice, I am clear in saying (to myself and my clients), "I cannot heal nor fix you. We can, however, work together to create a space where healing may occur." So no, I am not God, I cannot save, fix, nor heal you...but let's have coffee, maybe together we can create a space where healing can occur?

I cannot touch without being touched; heal without being healed: See above. I cannot do to you without also doing to me. In my pursuit of providing balance in mind, body, and soul to my clients I am also creating space for that to occur within me. In all truth, I cannot say hashtag nailedit just yet, but together, we are working on it--for you and for me.

The Act of Meditation: is just that--an act. Or you can take it further and make it an actION. You can go through the motions just like an actor does, hit play on that fabulous meditation app and feel good that you've listened to a gentle rainstorm while guided into peaceful bliss...OR you can use that calm, soothing voice as a jumping off point for the ACTION to follow. Meditation must extend beyond the 5, 10, 20 minutes you spend engaged in it; it must transfer into the actions of my life. Am I returning to my centering breath when things get heated? Am I reminding myself to flow like water, or float like a careless leaf in the wind? Am I reminding myself to sit with my feet firmly planted on the floor to reground my body and thoughts? So the act of meditation is merely an act I go through...until I decide to make it an action.

So these are a few of my random thoughts on this chilly morning. My house is waking up, the candle is lit, and I am turning the act of my morning meditation into an action. I hope you'll join me on this messy journey...until next time.